[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin":3,"chapter-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-415":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The First Iron Rice Bowl of Great Jin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},152101,261,"Chapter 415: Chokehold","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-415",415,"\u003Cp>Learning from Yu Fu and the other three about the \"Dao of Opening the Fleshly Body,\" which could benefit all body cultivators, Hua Changxi was initially excited, but after the excitement came deeper worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her cultivation realm had remained stagnant; although she knew it was a problem with her state of mind, she still had no clear idea where to start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi suddenly recalled Wei Zhenjie's words about mental state improvement spoken in the square.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The process of elevating one's state of mind is a process of finding oneself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those whose minds are not upright or not settled cannot break through the困境 of the mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those whose state of mind has long failed to break through are people with chaotic minds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi repeatedly pondered these sentences. At first glance, every word seemed precious and made sense; but upon closer thought, they were confusing—she felt she understood, yet didn't know how to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finding oneself...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course she knew that one should live as one's true self, but what was the \"self\"? How could she be considered to have found it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An upright mind, a settled mind...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What exactly counts as an upright mind, and what is the standard for a settled mind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she have to be like the clay Buddha statues in temples, free from sorrow or joy, to be considered upright? Or like an old pine on a mountaintop, unmoved by wind and rain, to be considered settled?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Hua Changxi thought, the more her head ached, and a hint of irritability showed on her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She realized that whether it was Wei Zhenjie or the elders of Yan Zhenzhen and others she had dealt with, they all liked to say vague, ambiguous things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because her realm was too low?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or were they so high in cultivation that they had already transcended the mundane and felt these principles were self-evident?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps... they themselves had never truly grasped it, merely acting as echo chambers parroting others?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu and the other three sensed Hua Changxi's irritation. They exchanged glances, and finally Yu Fu stepped forward and asked, \"Master, is something troubling you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at the four of them. Although she knew they couldn't help, she was too annoyed, so she sighed and said, \"It's about cultivation—some problems I can't figure out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing this, Yu Fu exchanged looks with the other three again, deliberated, and then spoke: \"Master, today I'll presume on being a few years older and say something presumptuous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at Yu Fu with surprise, said nothing, but her expression encouraged him to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing no dissatisfaction on Hua Changxi's face, Yu Fu went on: \"When people encounter something they can't figure out, they easily 'lock' themselves up and brood over it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But thinking alone makes it all too easy to go into a dead end; if you're not careful, you trap yourself in a blind alley.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A lot of times when you face such problems, the reason is that you're too close to yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's like looking at a painting—if you get too close, you'll mostly just stare at the parts you like or dislike. Only by stepping back a few paces can you see the whole landscape's structure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi was thoughtful. Was Yu Fu saying she was working behind closed doors?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she had been tempering herself all these years; it was just that her interactions with people were somewhat lacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi felt Yu Fu's words had some merit and looked at him with newfound respect, smiling. \"I didn't expect you to have such insights.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu quickly laughed and said, \"Master flatters me. It's just that the onlooker sees the game best while the player is lost.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These words were spoken humbly, but they hit the mark with Hua Changxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu and the other three were indeed inferior to her in strength, but when it came to understanding people and situations, they might not be worse than her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she hadn't been so irritable, she would never have mentioned her problem in front of Yu Fu and the others, because she was convinced—since they were weaker than her, they definitely couldn't help her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had always thought of herself as a humble person, but now it seemed she might be somewhat arrogant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Finding oneself...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By colliding with the world and other people, gradually seeing oneself clearly—wasn't that finding oneself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi felt she was starting to get a clue. Noticing that Yu Fu and the others were still there, she didn't dwell on it further and instead said, \"Get ready. Once Wan Feng and the people from... the Vermilion Bird Palace finalize the time, we'll go treat the Vermilion Army.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Both learning medicine and alchemy require practice. Improve your skill by doing concrete work. This time when we go to the Vermilion Bird Palace... bring along all the disciples who can refine third-grade pills.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many soldiers of the Vermilion Army are wounded. Make sure every disciple has a chance to observe consultations up close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Yu Fu and the other three exchanged awkward glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu spoke with difficulty: \"Master, I'm afraid that won't work.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked over in surprise, not quite understanding: \"What's not okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu explained: \"We can't bring too many disciples to Lingguang Hall.\" He paused. \"How many people Danyuan Peak can send is decided by the Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi was first stunned, then grew somewhat angry, blurting out: \"On what grounds?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu and the other three sighed, their faces also bearing a look of suppressed frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Shou began to explain: \"Back then, Minister Wei brought the people from Lingguang Hall to visit, and it was the Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall who received them together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because Lingguang Hall purchased too many pills and couldn't pay immediately, after discussing it, Pavilion Master Meng and the others decided that Lingjing Pavilion would provide the spirit herbs, Jiujie Hall would provide the pills, and Qihuang Pavilion would provide the physicians—only then was the urgent need of the Vermilion Bird Army resolved.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The task assigned to our Danyuan Peak was to provide some spirit herbs of low value but in large quantities. The disciples on the peak worked for over a month, yet they didn't earn as much as the disciples from other peaks who only worked half a month.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now that Lingguang Hall has come seeking physicians, the final number of people to go will certainly be decided by Pavilion Master Meng and the others.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi understood—Danyuan Peak was being jointly targeted by Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, she also realized a serious problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Danyuan Peak was a department that produced spirit herbs, pills, and physicians, ultimately it would have to face the market to sell its products.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by selling what it produced could Danyuan Peak turn a profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the sales channels were all controlled by the Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danyuan Peak had its lifeline cut off!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it couldn't turn a profit, how could Danyuan Peak develop and grow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at Yu Fu and the other three: \"Does Danyuan Peak have to listen to the Lingjing Pavilion and the others? Can't it find its own customers?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Lu, seeing Hua Changxi was obviously angry, reminded her: \"Master, Danyuan Peak can choose not to listen to the Medical Department, but it cannot disobey the orders of the Dansheng Hall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As early as the first Alchemy Conference, the Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall publicly declared that they represented the Dansheng Hall.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After that, all affairs of the Dansheng Hall were decided by them together. If Danyuan Peak were to jump out and refuse to follow orders, that would be disrupting the order of the Sacred Land's operations, and they would become sinners of the Sacred Land.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi hadn't expected that in the ten years she was away, the Medical Department had undergone such significant changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall had blatantly assumed the identity of Sacred Land departments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Lu continued: \"Nowadays, when people outside want to purchase pills, spirit herbs, or physicians, they go directly to the Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall; they never come to Danyuan Peak on their own.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him hesitate, Hua Changxi quickly asked, \"And what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Lu: \"The Lingjing Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Jiujie Hall also jointly issued a Sacred Land decree: disciples of the Sacred Land are not allowed to privately sell spirit herbs obtained from the secret realm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi slammed the table and stood up with a bang. After pacing back and forth angrily, she asked, \"All these years, how have the disciples of Danyuan Peak earned their spirit stones?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu, seeing her anger, quickly said: \"Master, rest assured, the disciples on the peak are doing quite well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cultivators have a great demand for spirit herbs. Danyuan Peak's secret realm has the most complete variety of first- and second-grade spirit herbs and the largest planting volume. Even if they don't get high-value orders, small orders have never stopped coming in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moreover, disciples can open spirit fields outside their caves. They can't sell spirit herbs to outsiders, but they can still sell spirit rice, spirit fruits, and the like.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Additionally, disciples can exchange resources with other disciples within the Sacred Land. The disciples of Danyuan Peak are actually better off than the vast majority of people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's mood gradually calmed down. Thinking about it carefully, the decree issued by the three departments—the Lingjing Pavilion and the others—forbidding private sale of spirit herbs was also for the long-term development of the Dansheng Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Next time the three departments hold a meeting, remember to tell me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1645,"2026-05-29T04:11:04.856Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","95fc9a0736ed809593ce07ac16a344f779719ea92f3ed39a74cd783d522ee2d6","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-416","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-414",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]