Chapter 44: Qi Sea Realm

Hua Changxi had revealed her alchemy skills, and it wasn't just Hua Dalang who wanted her to leave the Medical Bureau's Labor Service Hall and return to refine pills for the Hua family pharmacy.

Seeing that Hua Dalang couldn't persuade Hua Changxi, Old Master Hua sent Hua Minghe and Yao to talk to her as well.

Throughout the entire Hua family, the people Hua Changxi was most attached to were Hua Minghe and Yao. Seeing even the two of them come to pressure her, she was truly fed up.

Yao looked at her daughter: "Jiu Niang, you went to the Medical Bureau for two reasons—first, to learn medicine, and second, because you didn't want to stay home. Am I right?"

Hua Changxi said nothing.

Yao continued: "If you had been admitted to the Apprentice Hall at the Medical Bureau, your father and I would never have come to persuade you. But right now, you're in the Labor Service Hall."

"In the Labor Service Hall, aside from doing manual labor, can you really learn medicine?"

"Now that the family knows about your alchemy skills, no one will oppose you working at the family pharmacy. I don't understand—why don't you want to come back?"

Hua Changxi looked at Yao: "Mother, even if I'm just doing manual labor at the Medical Bureau's Labor Service Hall, I'll still gain far more there than I would at the Hua family pharmacy."

"At the Hua family pharmacy, I am the Hua family's daughter. At the Medical Bureau's Labor Service Hall, I am Hua Changxi."

Hua Minghe frowned: "What difference does that make?"

Hua Changxi: "Of course it's different. Let me put it this way:..."

Hua Minghe was taken aback, as if he understood what his daughter was insisting on, but still said: "You... you're twisting things. How can you compare your situation to mine?"

Hua Changxi: "Why not? Father, when you're at the Six Gates Bureau, people mention you and say Hua Minghe as a person. If you were managing the Hua family pharmacy, people might refer to you as the eldest son of the Hua family. Father, do you really not understand the difference?"

"Father, let me ask you: are you willing or not?"

Hua Minghe fell silent and said nothing.

Seeing her husband dumbfounded by their daughter's rebuttal, a flicker of amusement passed through Yao's eyes. She held back her smile, worried it would embarrass him.

Hua Changxi continued: "And there's another point. Father, you are already the Hua family's heir. Becoming the manager of the Hua family pharmacy is like taking early possession of your own property. If even you're unwilling, then why do you think I would be willing?"

"If I go to work at the Hua family pharmacy, even if I turn it into the best and biggest pharmacy in the entire capital, it will have nothing to do with me."

"Tell me, why would I put myself through that?"

Hua Minghe was a bit annoyed and embarrassed by her words: "Jiu Niang, setting aside profit and calculation, do you really believe that working in the Labor Service Hall is more important than helping your own family?"

Hua Changxi nodded honestly: "Of course. Father, you have the need to establish your career, and so do I."

Hua Minghe: "Working at the family pharmacy is also establishing a career."

Hua Changxi shook her head: "Working at the Hua family pharmacy establishes the Hua family's career, not mine."

Hua Minghe realized his daughter was too shrewd—he couldn't out-argue her—so he could only appeal to emotion: "Jiu Niang, can't you come home for the sake of your parents?"

Hua Changxi said seriously: "Father, I love you and Mother. There are many ways to love you, but sacrificing myself should never be one of them."

Hua Minghe was somewhat embarrassed by his daughter's blunt expression. Not knowing what else to say, he could only stand up and flick his sleeve: "Jiu Niang, you are greatly disappointing your mother and me."

Hua Changxi was not emotionally blackmailed. She said lazily: "Father, you coming to pressure me like this also greatly disappoints me."

Hua Minghe truly didn't know what to say. He glanced at Yao for help, but seeing that his wife wouldn't meet his eyes, he left with a look of headache.

Hua Changxi had prepared herself to argue with her mother, but Yao didn't say a word and just followed her father out.

In the main hall, Old Master Hua watched his sighing eldest son and then his silent eldest daughter-in-law. Fuming, he took furious puffs on his pipe.

That couple was truly incompetent—they couldn't even discipline their own daughter properly.

Hua Minghe looked at Old Master Hua: "Father, since Jiu Niang wants to keep working in the Medical Bureau's Labor Service Hall, let's stop forcing her. Maybe one day when she gets tired, she'll come back on her own."

Hua Sanlang chimed in: "Yes, Grandfather. Jiu Niang has a mind of her own. The more the family pressures her, the more she'll resist. If we stop forcing her and let her choose, she might come around on her own."

Old Master Hua glanced at the father and son but said nothing.

Jiu Niang's uncompromising attitude infuriated him.

In the past, he could have punished her physically, but now the family pharmacy needed her pill formulas, so that girl was hard to handle.

On the third, fourth, and fifth days of the first lunar month, Hua Changxi taught Hua Sanlang at the Hua family pharmacy to refine Qi-Blood Pills, Body-Tempering Pills, and Foundation-Consolidating Pills.

During this period, no one in the family brought up the matter of Hua Changxi returning home.

Hua Sanlang had studied medicine for several years, and although the efficacy of the pills he refined couldn't match Hua Changxi's, they were about on par with what was available on the market.

The medicinal effects are similar, but the pill recipe Hua Changxi provided uses nearly half fewer ingredients, meaning the Hua family's costs are much lower than those of other pharmacies.

With low costs and the constant demand for warrior medicines exceeding supply, it's easy to imagine that the Hua family pharmacy's future business will be far from poor.

On the sixth day of the new year, both Grandmaster Hua and Hua Dalang came to the Hua family pharmacy. Watching Hua Changxi teach Hua Sanlang how to refine medicine in the backyard, both wore expressions of regret.

Grandmaster Hua said, "If only Ninth Girl were a boy."

Although Hua Dalang thought the same, he still said, "Even if she is a young lady, she is still a daughter of the Hua family."

Grandmaster Hua shook his head. "A daughter is inclined to favor outsiders. Ninth Girl hasn't even married yet, but she's already not on the Hua family's side. Once she marries, it will only be worse."

As he spoke, he sighed with self-reproach.

"It's all my fault. When your grandmother was punishing Ninth Girl before, I didn't stop your father and mother. If not for your parents' indulgence and protection, her nature wouldn't be so rebellious."

Hua Dalang felt it improper to criticize his parents, so he silently listened to Grandmaster Hua's continued complaints.

"Now that Ninth Girl has grown up and relies on her own skills, she increasingly fails to respect her elders at home."

"It's only our family that doesn't make a big deal about it. If she were in another strict household, a young lady like Ninth Girl would be locked in the clan temple."

Hearing this, Hua Dalang quickly said, "Grandfather, please don't be angry. Ninth Girl is still young. When she grows a bit older, she'll understand the importance of the family."

Grandmaster Hua didn't argue with his eldest grandson and stepped into the backyard.

Hua Dalang quickly picked up the medicinal herbs and followed.

Hua Changxi wasn't surprised to see Grandmaster Hua and Hua Dalang arrive. Tomorrow she would start work, and if her eldest brother was anxious for the Broken Shackle Pill, he would definitely come today to have her refine it.

Hua Sanlang had already gone to greet them: "Brother, have you gathered all the ingredients for the Broken Shackle Pill?"

Hua Dalang hummed in affirmation and placed the medicinal herbs on the table.

Hua Changxi walked over, glanced at them, and raised an eyebrow: "These herbs are of excellent quality, Brother. It seems your friend has quite a background."

The higher the grade of medicine for warriors, the stricter the imperial control.

For an ordinary person to gather all the ingredients needed to refine pills for a sixth-rank warrior within a few days is nearly impossible.

Hua Dalang smiled but didn't elaborate on the source of the ingredients. Collecting these herbs had indeed taken some effort, involving not only personal favors but also making promises.

Those who had provided the ingredients would receive a share of the Broken Shackle Pills once they were refined.

In other words, his most powerful hidden card was actually his sister, a pharmacist capable of refining sixth-rank Broken Shackle Pills.

During the past few days of gathering herbs, Hua Dalang gradually began to understand why Hua Changxi had been angry on New Year's Eve.

Sixth-rank pharmacists—truly hard to find.

As for those with a reputation, even the Hua family's standing couldn't reach them.

Thinking of this, Hua Dalang's gaze toward Hua Changxi softened: "Ninth Girl, can you refine the pills today?"

"Yes," Hua Changxi replied as she began arranging the medicine-refining tools. Hua Sanlang wanted to help but couldn't find a way to assist.

(Note: This line appears to be a duplicate in the original? Let me check: The input has [68] and [69]. Actually line 68 is "可以。" and line 69 is "花長曦邊說邊開始整理煉藥器具，花三郎想幫忙，可卻插不上手。" So I'll translate accordingly. But I see the user provided lines 1-75, and my thinking should include all. I'll continue.)

Soon, Hua Changxi began refining the medicine.

Grandmaster Hua, Hua Dalang, and Hua Sanlang stood by, watching intently without blinking.

There was no helping it—Hua Changxi's speed was too fast. Breaking down, grinding, mixing compounds, forming pills—each step had no pause.

Half an hour later, Hua Changxi handed twenty longan-sized pills to Hua Dalang.

Hua Dalang suppressed his excitement and carefully took the pills: "Ninth Girl, I know a few pharmacists at the martial academy and have seen them refine medicine. None of them are as fast as you. How do you manage it?"

Hua Changxi said: "It's just a matter of skill through practice!"

Hearing this, Grandmaster Hua immediately asked: "Just how many pills did you refine for others in the Chores Hall?"

Hua Changxi knew exactly what Grandmaster Hua was trying to find out: "Grandfather, I've been in the Medical Department for at most three or four months, and I still have my regular duties. How many pills could I possibly have refined?"

Although Grandmaster Hua didn't press further, he intended once again to bring up the matter of Hua Changxi coming home to help the family pharmacy.

But before he could speak, Hua Dalang stopped him.

Hua Dalang had finally understood: with his ninth sister's exceptional pill-refining skills, she naturally wouldn't submit to family discipline. Some matters would have to be handled gradually in the future.

On the seventh day of the first month, the Medical Department started work. Hua Changxi got up early, ate breakfast, took the bundle Yao had prepared, and left the house.

On the way, Hua Changxi checked her stats.

[Realm: Qi Refining 8100/1000]

She had already absorbed and refined sixty mid-grade Yuanling Pills, and in the past two days she had started absorbing and refining low-grade Yuanling Pills.

[First-Rank Alchemist (Low-Grade Pills): Alchemy 1 Furnace 1/10]

Only by refining spirit pills would her alchemist stats increase; refining mortal pills had no effect at all.

She wasn’t short of first-rank pill formulas, but where could she find spirit plants?

Hua Changxi thought about this as she channeled spiritual power into her feet, activating the Light Treading Wave Step technique. In a little over two quarters of an hour, she reached the back street of the Medical Department.

“Sister Changxi.”

Yu Gui, Wan Xiaozhou, and Li Meng had arrived by carriage again, and they ran into Hua Changxi. “Sister Changxi, get in. We’ll give you a ride inside.”

“Brother Yu, Happy New Year.”

Hua Changxi was thinking about asking Yu Gui to help sell her pills, so she didn’t refuse to ride along.

After getting into the carriage, Yu Gui immediately asked curiously, “Sister Changxi, was that light-body skill you just used?”

Hua Changxi was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood that Yu Gui and the others had seen her earlier. She smiled and said, “My father is an arrestor in the Six Fan School. He learned some footwork, and I picked up a little from him.”

Yu Gui’s face showed sudden realization: “So your father is from the Six Fan School. No wonder you’re so skilled.” Then he lowered his voice. “Sister Changxi, tell me, what rank of martial artist are you?”

Hua Changxi glanced at him. “I don’t know myself. When it comes to martial arts, I only know the bare basics.”

Yu Gui gave her an ‘I understand’ look. “If you won’t say, I understand. I won’t ask.”

Hua Changxi smiled. She had told the truth, but no one believed her.

“Brother Yu, what do you do with the pills you don’t finish using?”

Yu Gui immediately knew what Hua Changxi was up to. He smiled and said, “What, sis, you want to sell pills?”

Hua Changxi nodded.

Yu Gui said, “If you trust me, give me the pills. I’ll help you sell them at the same price as the pharmacy.”

Hua Changxi smiled. “Of course I trust you, Brother Yu. But we’ve worked together more than once or twice, and I can’t always trouble you. Could you introduce me to one or two pill merchants who buy in bulk?”

Yu Gui looked hesitant. “Sis, to be honest, the buyers I find are all from the lower walks of life. My biggest customer only ever buys ten pills at most.”

“My godfather does know some pill merchants. If you want…”

Hua Changxi quickly shook her head. “I won’t trouble Lord Yu.” She thought for a moment, then took two hundred Qi-Blood Pills from her bundle and handed them to Yu Gui. “Brother Yu, please help me sell these pills first.”

Seeing that Hua Changxi trusted him so much as to give him so many pills at once, Yu Gui immediately smiled. “Don’t worry, sis. These pills will sell quickly. I’ll give you the silver in two days.”

Hua Changxi was surprised. “So fast?”

Yu Gui nodded. “In our Great Jin Dynasty, there are many martial artists, and a lot of them can’t even buy pills without connections.”

As they talked, the four of them entered through the back gate of the Medical Department by carriage.

After entering the back gate and seeing more people around, Hua Changxi parted ways with Yu Gui and the others and headed to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall on her own.

When she reached the dormitory, she found that most of her roommates had already arrived and were distributing New Year’s goods they had brought from home.

Hua Changxi saw several food items placed at the head of her bed as well.

“Changxi, these are all things we brought from home. Don’t be picky.”

Hua Changxi picked up a piece of pastry and tasted it. She smiled and said, “It’s delicious.”

Sister Shi smiled. “That’s the plum blossom cake my mother-in-law made. If you like it, I have more here.”

Perhaps because Hua Changxi had previously saved those who had been poisoned while processing medicinal herbs, the attitude of her roommates toward her had improved a lot.

Sister Shi brought another package of plum blossom cake. Hua Changxi couldn't refuse. She didn’t have much food herself, and since everyone else had given her some of what they brought from home, she felt she should give something in return.

Rummaging through her bundle, Hua Changxi found that what she had the most of was pills.

So, under the bewildered gazes of everyone, Hua Changxi gave each person a Body-Strengthening Pill. “It’s for fitness and health.”

Wang Yunchu responded very enthusiastically: "This pill is especially effective. Changxi gave me two before. After my younger brother and I took them, we used to have cold hands and feet in winter, but this New Year we were warm the whole time."

Hearing this, everyone realized the pills were good stuff and carefully put them away.

Afterwards, Hua Changxi did not change how she interacted with the group. When on duty, she still came and went alone. Once she finished her tasks, she returned to the dormitory to cultivate.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Yu Gui gave Hua Changxi a banknote for one thousand taels. The Qixue Dan (Blood Qi Pill) cost five silver taels per pill; two hundred pills were exactly one thousand taels.

After receiving the banknote, she gave Yu Gui another hundred Body Tempering Pills and asked him to sell them.

During the first month, the medicinal herbs delivered to the Medical Office were still scarce. Yu Gui never called her to the Qihuang Hall to refine medicine, so Hua Changxi focused on cultivation.

On the seventeenth day of the first month, while cultivating, Hua Changxi felt a rumbling tremor inside her dantian like a flood bursting through a sluice. Immediately afterward, the warm current that had been flowing through her body like a stream became a surging river.

At that moment, Hua Changxi realized she seemed to be able to see inside her own body. She 'saw' that in the position of her dantian, an egg-sized red qihai had appeared.

[Realm: Qihai Realm /]

Her realm had changed!

"After the Qi Refining Realm comes the Qihai Realm."

Looking at the number behind Qihai Realm, Hua Changxi felt a lot of pressure. Advancing from Qi Refining Realm to Qihai Realm was already so difficult; going higher from Qihai Realm would only be harder.

If she just cultivated step by step, who knew how many years it would take? She had to find spirit plants!

In the Medical Office, Hua Changxi had only found one type of spirit plant—Yuanling Grass—and this made her anxious.

Even the Medical Office, which had the resources of the entire Great Jin Dynasty, hadn't found any spirit plants. The chances of her finding them by scouring the mountains alone were even smaller.

"Is it that the Medical Office doesn't have them, or have the spirit plants already been collected and taken away?"

Spirit plants contain spiritual energy and are very different from mundane medicinal herbs. Even if one doesn't recognize them, one wouldn't miss them if encountered.

Hua Changxi felt that the Medical Office must have collected other spirit plants, but they were taken away by higher-ups as soon as they were discovered. Here in the Chores Hall, only the Yuanling Grass, which withered as soon as it left the ground, had slipped through the cracks.

How could she find other spirit plants that would help raise her realm?