Chapter 257: Era's Catalyst (26)

Hua Changxi had spoken impulsively in front of Gu Xing, refusing to open the secret realm, but she still couldn't calm her mind. In her agitation, she stood at the old courtyard entrance for a long time without moving.

Because the plaza had grown larger, traveling by foot alone took too much time. Nowadays, anyone with a bit of wealth either flew through the air on flying swords or used other means of transportation with spiritual artifacts.

Over on the Guardian Family side, some people even rode spiritual pets straight across the plaza.

However, the vast majority still walked on foot.

"Whoosh~"

Someone was sword-flying, and because their speed was too fast, they nearly knocked over other pedestrians.

Watching this scene, Hua Changxi's brows furrowed slightly. She thought of the holy pill she had obtained, and the thousand Guardian Saint Tokens within it.

A thousand Guardian Saint Tokens meant she could command a thousand Guardian Saint Guards.

And these thousand Guardian Saint Guards were specifically tasked with maintaining order at the Cauldron Altar and the plaza.

The Cauldron Altar was a place for sacrificing to heaven, sacred and solemn, so flying was forbidden over the plaza.

"Guardian Saint Guards..."

Hua Changxi felt somewhat irritable. She suddenly felt that there were so many things waiting for her to handle.

There was no progress yet on recruiting apprentices for the Danyuan Secret Realm, and now she had to consider maintaining order in the plaza.

Recruiting Guardian Saint Guards was more troublesome than recruiting apprentices; it required descending to the Nine Abyss and dealing with the nine major fortresses that guarded the Demon Prison.

Thinking about these matters gave Hua Changxi a massive headache. But there could be no gain without pain. Just as she had been delighted earlier by her increased cultivation speed, now she was equally depressed by the trivial matters entangling her.

She only wanted to focus on cultivation and alchemy. Why was it so difficult?

"Hall Master."

Hua Shuran and Hua Wanyue suddenly appeared, hurrying to Hua Changxi's side.

Hua Changxi pulled herself together and looked at the two: "What is it?"

Hua Shuran: "My father and Uncle Minghe are here. They want to see you."

Hua Changxi's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, roughly guessing what they wanted to see her about: "Where are they?"

Hua Shuran: "At the No. 13 Qihuang Hall."

Hua Changxi nodded and walked straight out of the plaza. Hua Shuran and Hua Wanyue quickly followed.

In the main hall of No. 13 Qihuang Hall, Hua Minghe and Dingyuan Bo's heir, Hua Minghua, were both distracted, frequently looking up at the courtyard entrance.

A month had passed since the royal family issued the order to boycott Hua Changxi. During this month, because Hua Changxi had never shown herself, Dingyuan Bo's residence and the Hua family had been under considerable pressure.

Today, Hua Minghua received a message from his daughter Hua Shuran, learning that Hua Changxi had appeared, so he immediately found Hua Minghe and dragged him to the Medical Department.

It was somewhat inappropriate for them to come directly to the Medical Department to persuade Hua Changxi, but Hua Changxi's actions were too unpredictable. He was afraid she would disappear again, so he could only rush to meet her with Hua Minghe.

"Father!"

As soon as Hua Changxi entered the main hall, she noticed that Hua Minghe looked more haggard than before.

Seeing Hua Changxi return, Hua Minghe's face lit up with joy: "Jiuniang." He took two or three quick strides to reach her and looked her over carefully.

Seeing that his daughter was safe and sound, Hua Minghe breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he remember Hua Minghua standing nearby: "Jiuniang, greet the heir quickly."

Hua Changxi was about to speak, but Hua Minghua spoke first: "What 'heir'? That's too formal. Minghe and I are brothers of the same generation, so Jiuniang can just call me Uncle."

Hua Changxi, following along, called "Uncle," then turned to look at Hua Minghe: "Father, why do you look so haggard? Has something happened at home?"

Hua Minghe didn't know how to answer and was silent for a moment.

Now, Hua Minghua could no longer stand on ceremony. He sighed and spoke up: "Jiuniang, your father, your second uncle, and your fourth uncle have all been suspended from their posts."

Because Hua Changxi had gone missing, the royal family had directly targeted the Hua family, taking the first shot at Hua Minghe and his two brothers, who had official positions.

During this period, even the entire Hua clan was affected to varying degrees.

Hua Changxi was startled: "Father, you and Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle were dismissed?"

It was still Hua Minghua who answered: "They weren't dismissed. The higher-ups just told your father and the others to take a rest at home for a while."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi understood: to force her to compromise and bow her head, the royal family had reached out to her family members.

If she agreed to comply, her father and the others could soon return to their respective offices and resume work. If she refused, they might never be able to go back.

Hua Minghua saw that Hua Changxi was silent with a grim face, so he had to signal Hua Minghe to urge her to reconsider.

Hua Minghe sighed upon seeing this: "Jiuniang, your secret realm can't recruit anyone. What are you planning to do?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Father, I can handle the recruitment for the secret realm on my own. I don't believe the imperial family and the nobles can stop the multitude of people in the world."

Hua Minghua's eyelids twitched when he heard that. Hua Changxi was planning to go head-to-head with all parties.

Hua Changxi continued: "Father, don't worry about me. As for the family... How about you, Second Uncle, and Fourth Uncle all stop working for the imperial court?"

At these words, Hua Minghua could no longer hold back and said anxiously: "Jiuniang, the higher-ups putting your father, Second Uncle, and Fourth Uncle on leave at home is actually offering you a way out."

"If you don't take it, they'll use even harsher measures later. Even if your father and the others stop working for the imperial court, they'll still find ways to deal with you."

"Are you sure you want to go against the imperial family and all the great noble houses?"

"Do you know what that means? You're like an egg striking a stone!"

"Even if you don't consider yourself, have you thought about the rest of the family? Can they withstand the opposition from all sides?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi's eyes burned with ferocity: "If anyone dares to harm my family, no matter who they are, I will repay them tenfold!"

Both Hua Minghe and Hua Minghua were startled.

Hua Minghe said: "Jiuniang, don't do anything reckless."

Hua Minghua quickly tried to calm her: "It's not that serious yet; it hasn't reached that point."

Hua Changxi looked at the two of them: "The Danyuan Secret Realm was granted to me by the Divine Tree. If anyone can stick their hand in it, I would rather the secret realm never open."

Hua Minghua had a terrible headache. He could see that Hua Changxi couldn't tolerate any external coercion. Although she was a young girl, her temper was more stubborn and unyielding than most men's.

He couldn't understand it: Hua Bin always endured as much as possible in dealing with others, and Hua Minghe was a bit more assertive, but even he wouldn't confront someone head-on when he knew he was outmatched. How did they end up producing such an outlier as Hua Changxi, who was always ready to fight to the death?

"Jiuniang, your uncle thinks there are some things you haven't fully grasped yet."

Hua Minghua said patiently: "Now that you're in the Medical Department, let me ask you: do you understand how the Medical Department operates?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Uncle, what are you really trying to say?"

Seeing that she had finally listened a bit, Hua Minghua's brow relaxed slightly: "What I'm saying is that whether it's the Medical Department or any other place, even at home, it all involves the production and distribution of benefits."

"What is your current position?"

"You are the head of the No. 13 Qihuang Hall and the master of the Danyuan Secret Realm!"

"The Danyuan Secret Realm is one thing, but the Qihuang Hall is still part of the Medical Department. That means you are still a member of the Medical Department."

"Since you are a member of the Medical Department, you must follow its rules and participate in its distribution of benefits."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Hua Minghua had clearly laid out the essence of internal interest transfers within the Medical Department. Seeing Hua Changxi still silent, he had to continue.

"Since you are part of the Medical Department, in the eyes of the imperial family and others, the Danyuan Secret Realm in your hands is also considered a resource of the Medical Department, and everyone should get a share."

Hua Changxi was angered by this shameless twisted logic: "Uncle, you think the Danyuan Secret Realm in my hands is a resource of the Medical Department. Then what about other secret realm masters? Why don't they bring out the resources from their secret realms for everyone to share?"

"The reason everyone is eyeing me now is simply that they think I have no power or influence and am the easiest to bully."

Hua Minghua said in a low voice: "How do you know that other secret realm masters haven't shared their secret realm resources with others?"

Hua Changxi fell silent.

Hua Minghua: "Jiuniang, fighting alone won't get you far. You need to learn to cooperate with others—for yourself, and for your family."