Chapter 205: Grabbing Territory

Seeing Prince Shou’s intense reaction, everyone curiously stared at the paper crane in his hand, wanting to know what exactly had happened.

Director Gu, noticing Prince Shou’s troubled expression, immediately asked, “Your Highness, has something happened?”

Prince Shou glanced at him and handed the paper crane to Director Gu.

Director Gu had only asked tentatively, never expecting Prince Shou to actually pass him the paper crane. Filled with suspicion, he opened it to look—and instantly shot to his feet, his face turning extremely grave and solemn.

The Guardian Family people were coming to the Medical Directorate?!

The Guardian Family...

Director Gu looked solemn. He had heard from the Minister that the reason the Four Spirit Realm’s heritage had never been cut off was precisely because the Guardian Family secretly maintained it. However, the Guardian Family was usually very mysterious and rarely appeared before the world. Now they were openly showing up at the Medical Directorate, which instantly gave him a sense that a storm was brewing.

Prince Shou knew even more than Director Gu. He knew that ever since Reiki had revived, the Guardian Family had been secretly steering the course of many events. If there was one faction the imperial family dreaded most, it was undeniably the Guardian Family!

Seeing Director Gu and Prince Shou react so strongly, the others in the council hall grew even more curious. Even Hua Changxi paused in her steps to see what was happening.

Just then, a late-stage Core Formation cultivator rushed in, looking flustered, and said, “Your Highness, Director—a huge flying ship has appeared above the Medical Directorate. The people at its head claim to be from the Guardian Family and say they want to meet the person in charge of the Medical Directorate.”

Prince Shou and Director Gu hadn’t expected the Guardian Family to arrive so quickly. They exchanged a glance, then hurried out of the council hall with urgent steps.

Of those attending the meeting today, apart from a few, most came from influential noble families and were well-informed. Almost everyone had heard of the Guardian Family, and upon learning that “the Guardian Family people have come,” they grew unsettled, rising one after another to follow behind Prince Shou and Director Gu.

“Don’t the Guardian Family normally not show themselves before the world? What are they doing at the Medical Directorate?”

Hua Changxi also followed the crowd out of the council hall. When she stepped out of the Medical Directorate building, she saw the golden flying ship hovering above the main gate.

Because of the flying ship’s appearance, the entire Medical Directorate was in uproar. Many people ran out to see the novelty.

Hua Changxi gazed at the flying ship: “That flying ship looks really impressive.”

Standing right beside her was Huo Yunxiao, who had laughed at her earlier. Hearing her words, he asked with a smile, “Do you want one?”

Hua Changxi glanced at him: “Don’t you want one?”

Huo Yunxiao gave a wry laugh: “Of course I want one too, but I can’t afford it. Do you know how many spirit stones it costs to buy a flying ship that can hold up to ten people?”

Hua Changxi genuinely wanted to know: “How many spirit stones?”

Huo Yunxiao: “At least one million low-grade spirit stones.”

Hua Changxi’s eyes widened: “That expensive?”

Huo Yunxiao smiled: “To ordinary people, it’s definitely expensive. But for an alchemist like you who can refine top-grade spirit pills, buying a flying ship isn’t that difficult.”

“The Heaven Division has a few idle flying ships. If you want one, I can put in a good word for you.”

Hua Changxi: “I don’t have any spirit stones.”

Huo Yunxiao: “You don’t need to pay with spirit stones. You just need to refine pills for the Heaven Division.”

Hua Changxi shot him a sidelong glance, knowing full well he had an ulterior motive: “The Heaven Division’s flying ships are too high-end for me—I can’t afford to use one.”

Huo Yunxiao wasn’t surprised by her refusal, and continued smiling: “Anyway, if you ever want to buy a flying ship, you can come to me. We’re colleagues now—helping each other is only right.”

Tang Yufeng, after Huo Yunxiao finished speaking, also smiled and opened his mouth: “Hall Master Hua, the spirit talismans made by the Tang family are quite good. If you need any spirit talismans, you can come to me.”

Hua Changxi glanced at the two of them, smiled, and nodded without saying anything more. She continued to look at the flying ship.

At that moment, Prince Shou and Director Gu had already flown up and were hovering outside the flying ship, exchanging words with the people on board.

A quarter of an hour later, Prince Shou and Director Gu came down with the people from the flying ship.

There were quite a few arrivals—forty or fifty people.

At the head was an old man with graying hair; closely behind him were more than a dozen middle-aged cultivators, and at the very rear walked a group of young men and women with outstanding bearing and striking appearances.

Hua Changxi looked at the crowd descending from the flying ship. Eager to gauge the true strength of the Guardian Family, she directly activated the Observation Diagnosis Technique. A glint flashed in her eyes, and she saw more than a dozen brilliant physical bodies.

“Hmm?”

The white-haired old man, who was being escorted by Prince Shou and Director Gu at the very front, suddenly stopped in his tracks and swiftly turned to look in the direction where Hua Changxi stood.

Prince Shou and Director Gu followed the old man’s gaze and realized he was looking at the hall masters of the Qihuang Hall.

“Senior Xia, those are the hall masters of the Qihuang Hall.”

Prince Shou smiled as he introduced them to the white-haired old man.

The white-haired old man sized up the eighteen Qihuang Hall masters appointed by the Medical Department, his gaze flickering constantly. All eighteen were exceptionally young; judging by their bone age, the oldest was not yet thirty.

Knowing that most of these hall masters came from illustrious backgrounds, the white-haired old man was not surprised that he could not detect the cultivation realms of some of them—they must be wearing artifacts that concealed such probing.

But who had sent that gaze that had just pierced through him?

Was it a strange eye?

The white-haired old man smiled and said, "Indeed, talents emerge in every generation." Then he turned and followed Prince Shou and Director Gu toward the Medical Department building.

Seeing the white-haired old man withdraw his gaze, Hua Changxi breathed a huge sigh of relief inside; this was the first time she had been caught using the Observation, Listening, Inquiry, and Palpation Technique. The Guardian Clan was indeed powerful!

Thinking about the dozen or so radiant physiques she had just seen, Hua Changxi's heart was also unsettled.

Spirit bodies—those people all had Wood Spirit Bodies, and one of them even had a Fire-Wood Spirit Body!

Were there so many spirit bodies under heaven? Had the Guardian Clan brought all the Wood Spirit Body people to the Medical Department?

"Those people really are... rolling in wealth!"

Huo Yunxiao's exclamation won unanimous agreement from the surrounding hall masters.

Among the people who descended from the airship, some sat on immortal cranes, some rode spirit deer, some rode green oxen, some held spirit rabbits, and some had green snakes coiled around their wrists. Every single one had a contracted spirit beast, and some even had two. The dharma robes they wore and the spirit artifacts they carried were all top-grade.

Even the hall masters, who were themselves of prominent birth, looked somewhat rustic and poor when standing before them.

Huo Yunxiao: "With outside visitors here, today's meeting probably won't happen."

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Director Gu's voice reached their ears: "All hall masters, proceed to the council hall for a discussion."

Hearing this, the hall masters were somewhat surprised. The people from the airship had entered the council hall—what were they supposed to follow in for?

Hua Changxi also found it strange. As her gaze swept around, she noticed Gu Jinfan's serious expression. Thinking she might be a "reincarnator," she sidled over and asked in a low voice: "What do you think the Guardian Clan people came to the Medical Department for?"

Startled by Hua Changxi's sudden voice, Gu Jinfan replied crossly: "How would I know?"

Hua Changxi: "I saw you watching so intently, I thought you knew." She paused, stroking her chin. "I guess... they've come to seize territory."

Hearing this, Gu Jinfan looked at Hua Changxi in surprise: "You're quite sharp-eyed." After speaking, she quickly followed the others toward the council hall.

Hua Changxi hadn't expected to be right: "They really did come to seize territory?"