Chapter 268: New Lease on Life

In the Danyuan Secret Realm, Hua Changxi was concentrating intently on controlling the Shennong Cauldron to refine pills.

The internal space of the Shennong Cauldron is vast; as long as one's alchemy skills are up to par, aided by spiritual sense, refining first-grade pills can yield ten thousand pills per furnace.

Now, Hua Changxi can already refine top-quality third-grade pills. Using the Shennong Cauldron to refine first-grade pills, even in large quantities, ensures the quality of the spiritual pills.

Before refining, she hesitated: should she give the apprentices pills of a slightly lower grade, or directly give top-grade pills?

After weighing the matter repeatedly, she felt there was no need to be so secretive in her work. Wasn't her hard cultivation precisely to do whatever she wanted without restraint?

Medical skills and alchemy were her greatest talents; if she couldn't be true to herself in these areas, then it wouldn't be interesting at all.

Moreover, the stronger the strength she displayed, the more it would help unite the apprentices.

And so, after a day passed, Hua Changxi had refined six furnaces of top-quality first-grade Yuanling Pills.

With the pills refined, the only thing left was to bottle them.

Sixty thousand Yuanling Pills, ten per bottle, would require six thousand bottles.

Faced with bottling so many pills, Hua Changxi felt a headache. Since it was already evening, she didn't want to waste time on this and delay her cultivation. After thinking it over, she left the secret realm.

As soon as she exited the secret realm, Hua Changxi sent a transmission to Yu Gonggong and the other three, telling them to come to the mountaintop to see her, intending to have them bottle the pills.

During this time, she hesitated briefly about whether to call Hua Sanlang, but after some contemplation, she dropped the idea.

If she suddenly revealed so many pills—even though they were only first-grade, they were all top-quality—the news spreading would definitely bring her some trouble.

Yu Gonggong and the other three were eunuchs sold into the palace, with no blood relatives left, and those around them were merely "friends" tied by interests.

To win her trust, they would not tell those friends about her affairs.

But as for her third brother, Hua Sanlang, she wasn't sure.

She wasn't sure whether Hua Sanlang would inform the Hua family about her situation. If the Hua family learned she could produce so many pills, they would certainly use the name of family ties to pressure her into helping her relatives.

Mutual help among family members is only natural, but only on the premise that she is willing and acts on her own initiative, not forced by her family under the banner of righteousness.

While Hua Changxi was waiting for Yu Gonggong and the others, she noticed that only three peaks had appeared beside Danyuan Peak.

"Only three secret realm masters summoned peaks today?" She had thought all secret realm masters would summon them at once.

Before long, Yu Gonggong and the other three arrived at the mountaintop.

Hua Changxi asked, "Did only three secret realm masters summon peaks today?"

Yu Gonggong replied, "No, all secret realm masters summoned."

Then, Yu Gonggong and the others explained in detail the situation of the secret realm masters summoning peaks.

After hearing this, Hua Changxi learned that only Gu Xing, Mu Qingyao, and Yan Qianying had succeeded in summoning peaks, while the others had failed.

"How could they fail?"

Not only Hua Changxi was puzzled; everyone else was also extremely confused.

Jia Gonggong: "Most secret realm masters can't accept the failure and are preparing to continue tomorrow."

Hua Changxi asked, "Continue what?"

Jia Gonggong: "Continue making people take heart demon vows. Some secret realm masters think that perhaps they recruited too few apprentices, which is why they couldn't summon peaks."

Hua Changxi shook her head. She didn't think that was the reason, considering that when Danyuan Peak appeared, only one person had taken the heart demon vow.

The appearance of the peaks probably had little to do with the number of recruits.

Yu Gonggong looked at Hua Changxi with some worry: "Master, the other secret realm masters are recruiting people vigorously, so even fewer people will come to sign up here."

Originally, Prince Shou and other nobles were opposing your recruitment of apprentices. Even though many were tempted after Danyuan Peak appeared, most were still on the sidelines due to the power of the royal family and nobles.

Apart from the Hua clan members, only a dozen or so "loners" came to sign up today. These people had no families and weren't afraid of retaliation from the royal family and nobles. Those with families were not so decisive.

Now, to summon their peaks, the other secret realm masters are snatching recruits everywhere. With their power and influence, it will likely be even harder for Danyuan Peak to attract people.

Zhou Gonggong added, "Although the resources offered by the other secret realm masters are not as generous as yours, Master, they do provide cultivation techniques to their apprentices."

People may crave resources, but if they haven't even set foot on the path of cultivation, resources are useless. And cultivation techniques are the key to starting the path of cultivation. So this condition is very appealing.

After hearing this, Hua Changxi smiled: "That's good. In the past, those noble families kept their techniques tightly sealed, only allowing their own people to cultivate. Now they're finally willing to bring them out."

"Such matters happening more often would be a good thing. That way, more cultivators would emerge, and the development of medical arts and alchemy would be further advanced."

The four eunuchs, hearing her speak this way and seeing how unconcerned she was, exchanged puzzled looks with each other.

"Master, isn't this... a bit too noble?"

Hua Changxi added, "I suspect that not every secret realm can summon a mountain peak. The other realm masters are probably just wasting their efforts. We needn't pay too much attention; the priority is to focus on building Danyuan Peak."

Hearing this, the four eunuchs all voiced their agreement.

Hua Changxi: "Alright, the four of you come with me into the secret realm. I have tasks for you."

Moments later, the five of them appeared on the first level of the Danyuan Secret Realm.

Staring at the tens of thousands of top-grade first-rank Yuanling Pills stored in bamboo tubes before them, the four eunuchs were stunned.

Once upon a time, it had been extremely difficult for them to obtain even a single spirit pill. But now, tens of thousands of spirit pills were laid out directly before their eyes.

And the bamboo tubes containing the pills appeared to be made from fourth-rank Qingyu Spirit Bamboo, a material used to refine many fourth-rank magical instruments—yet it was now being used as mere barrels.

Eunuch Yu swallowed hard and looked at Hua Changxi: "Master, these pills... where did they come from?"

Without answering, Hua Changxi flicked her wrist and took six thousand pill bottles out of her Sumeru Ring: "The task I am giving you is to divide these pills into the bottles. For every hundred pills you bottle, you may take one pill as compensation."

Upon hearing this, the four eunuchs' eyes immediately lit up brightly.

"Rest assured, Master. We'll have all the pills bottled by tonight."

Hua Changxi hummed in acknowledgement: "Alright, you may get to work."

Seeing that Hua Changxi was about to leave, Eunuch Jia and the other two quickly signaled Eunuch Yu with their eyes.

Noticing this, Eunuch Yu steeled himself and called out to Hua Changxi: "Master."

Hua Changxi stopped: "Is there something else?"

Eunuch Yu bowed deeply and performed a grand salute: "The four of us wish to ask Master to give us names."

Eunuch Jia and the other two also bowed: "Please grant us names, Master."

Although Hua Changxi had not said where these Yuanling Pills came from, the four of them had guessed that she had most likely refined them herself.

To be able to follow such an impressive person, all four wanted to further strengthen their bond with Hua Changxi.

They didn't know any other way, so they resorted to what they had learned in the palace: begging Hua Changxi to bestow names. In the palace, a servant who had been given a name by their master was considered one of their own.

Hua Changxi looked surprised: "You want to change your names?"

The four nodded simultaneously.

Hua Changxi: "Then why not pick names yourselves?"

Eunuch Yu said anxiously: "Master, it is because of you that we are where we are today. You are like our reborn parents. Our names should rightfully be chosen by you."

Eunuch Jia and the other two quickly added: "We beg Master to grant us names."

Both surprised and speechless, Hua Changxi said: "Don't talk about 'reborn parents' anymore. The relationship between us is one of mutual cooperation and benefit. If you want to change your names, just choose them yourselves."

Eunuch Yu immediately said: "Master, we were wrong. We simply want to leave the past behind. It is you who gave us the chance to start anew, so we wish to ask you to help us pick names as a token of remembrance."

Eunuch Jia and the other two: "That's right, that's exactly what we think."

Hua Changxi looked at the four, saw their earnest expressions, and twitched the corner of her mouth: "I'm terrible at naming. If you insist I name you, then pick one of the characters Fu, Lu, Shou, or Xi (fortune, prosperity, longevity, joy)."

Eunuch Yu: "Thank you, Master, for granting me a name. Then I'll be Yu Fu."

Eunuch Jia: "I'll be Jia Lu."

Eunuch Zhou: "I'll be Zhou Shou."

Eunuch Zhao: "I'll be Zhao Xi."

Hua Changxi looked at the four, whose faces were full of joy: "...If you're happy, that's fine." With that, she left, not quite understanding.

Watching her leave, the four eunuchs, who had just received new names, all wore expressions of joy as if they had been reborn.

"From now on, we are no longer lowly eunuchs from the palace. We are the stewards of the Danyuan Secret Realm."