Chapter 76: Original Intention

Hua Changxi noticed that the leader of the Demon-Suppressing Army was very sharp, so she didn't dare stare directly. She walked over to a street stall and, while looking at the items on display, kept an eye on how the officials were handling the injured civilians.

"Miss, are you buying or not?"

At a cosmetics stall, the vendor, seeing Hua Changxi pick up this rouge and look at it, then that powder and smell it, until she'd nearly examined everything on his stall without saying whether she'd buy, couldn't help speaking up.

Hua Changxi smiled sheepishly. She didn't need rouge or powder, but having lingered so long at the stall made her a bit embarrassed. She was about to buy a box of rouge as a courtesy when she inadvertently spotted a fuwa mask placed behind the stall.

"Boss, are you selling this fuwa mask?"

The vendor looked at Hua Changxi with an expression that was hard to describe: "This is something I bought for my little grandson to play with."

Hua Changxi took out a piece of silver: "Boss, I really like this mask. Could you part with it?"

The vendor looked at the silver, paused for a moment, then decisively handed the fuwa mask to Hua Changxi: "Miss, you have great taste. This fuwa mask has been blessed in a temple. Once you wear it, I guarantee you'll have your wishes come true and marry a good husband."

"Thank you for your kind words."

Hua Changxi gave the silver to the vendor, smiled, and took the fuwa mask.

The mask was crafted in an endearingly naive way, resembling the Mountain Spirit and Little Pine.

There happened to be a mirror on the stall, so Hua Changxi put the mask on right there, looked at herself in the mirror, and thought it looked quite good.

The vendor was also quite talkative: "Miss, with this mask on, you truly radiate fortune. This mask might as well have been tailor-made for you."

"I do think this mask suits me very well."

Hua Changxi laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror for a while, feeling that wearing the mask greatly increased her sense of security. No wonder the Demon-Suppressing Army wore masks—everything exists for a reason.

"Boss, I wish you a prosperous business. I'm off."

The vendor watched Hua Changxi walk away still wearing the mask, shook his head with a smile, and said, "This young lady is even more playful than my little grandson."

Hua Changxi saw that the officials had sent the injured civilians into a medical clinic. She followed to take a look and learned from the people around her that the authorities had promised free medical treatment for the injured, and those whose houses had been destroyed could also receive compensation.

"The prefectural governor is a parent-official who truly cares for the people."

"That's right. Just moments ago, many whose houses were destroyed felt like the sky was falling. Now that things have turned around, with the court's assistance, they can get back on their feet."

"Indeed."

Seeing that the Demon-Suppressing Army was handling matters with pills, Hua Changxi felt relieved. She prepared to leave Dai City and return to Sancha Medicine Valley. As she left the clinic, she spotted the Demon-Suppressing Army again.

In black robes, wearing qilin masks, and long swords hanging at their waists, they drew everyone's attention the moment they appeared.

Hua Changxi also saw them. As she passed by the Demon-Suppressing Army, she focused on the leader walking at the front. Though she couldn't see his face, his exposed eyes were very sharp and resolute.

Chu Junyi sensed someone observing him. At first, he paid no attention, assuming it was just the surrounding civilians. But then, he caught a faint trace of a medicinal pill fragrance and abruptly turned his head to look.

The street was crowded with people, and nothing seemed suspicious. Yet Chu Junyi's gaze cut through the crowd and landed on a somewhat petite figure.

That person moved with a light step, and even from a distance, one could feel their ease and carefreeness.

As if aware that someone was watching her, that person turned around.

Then, Chu Junyi saw an endearingly naive fuwa mask.

The fuwa mask grinned happily. Through the exposed eyes, Chu Junyi felt that the person behind the mask seemed to be smiling too.

"Commander Yi, in your opinion, is there anything that needs improvement in how I have arranged care for the injured civilians?"

Seeing that Chu Junyi hadn't heard the Qingzhou prefectural governor's question, Meng Ziyu quickly called out: "Commander~"

Chu Junyi snapped back to attention and looked at Meng Ziyu.

Meng Ziyu hurriedly said: "The prefectural governor is asking if there is anything that needs improvement."

Chu Junyi looked at the Qingzhou prefectural governor: "Your arrangements are very reasonable, Lord Cheng." Then he looked back at the pedestrians.

By then, that person wearing the fuwa mask was nowhere to be seen.

Chu Junyi furrowed his brows. Was it an illusion? That young lady, judging by her figure, was probably only fourteen or fifteen. Could she be the one who gave them the pills?

A Foundation Establishment cultivator in her teens...

The Three Pure Ones Palace and the Supreme Element Palace probably couldn't train many such people either.

Meng Ziyu noticed Chu Junyi's unusual behavior. After the Qingzhou prefectural governor entered the pharmacy, he asked in a low voice: "Commander, what are you looking at?"

Chu Junyu looked at the passerby: "You said that during the great battle above Daicheng, is it possible that one of the two people was a young lady?"

Meng Ziyu cut him off decisively: "Impossible."

Chu Junyu glanced at him: "Why?"

Meng Ziyu: "How could someone with such formidable combat power be a young lady?"

Chu Junyu had thought Meng Ziyu would come up with some convincing reason. Hearing this, he was somewhat disappointed: "Ziyu, you need to update some of your thinking."

"In martial arts, women might be inferior to men, but when it comes to cultivation, I always feel that women seem to have some advantage over men."

Among the exceptionally talented disciples of Sanqing Palace and Taisu Palace, the number of women is no less than that of men.

Meng Ziyu usually had great respect for Chu Junyu's opinions, but he disagreed with this: "How could women possibly be stronger than men? That would be turning heaven and earth upside down."

Chu Junyu looked at him, didn't continue the topic, and said instead: "Regarding the herbal shop and the house repairs, have someone keep an eye on them. We took so many of their pills, we must handle things properly."

Meng Ziyu thought of the several subordinates whose injuries had improved immediately after taking the pills, and quickly nodded: "Rest assured, I'll send someone to oversee it. We'll supervise the matter personally, and even the Liangqing Provincial Governor won't dare to feign compliance."

Chu Junyu: "We'll set off back to the capital tomorrow. Leave two people to keep an eye on things."

Meng Ziyu readily agreed: "Rest assured, Commander. That alchemist is so formidable; we might encounter him again in the future. I'll definitely handle this matter well."

Leaving Daicheng, Hua Changxi rode a cloud, making no stops along the way. After a little over an hour, she returned to Sancha Herb Valley before dark.

"Changxi, you've finally come out of seclusion."

Hua Changxi hadn't expected Guo Yu to be waiting for her at the herb valley lodging. Judging by his appearance, he had been waiting for quite a while.

Guo Yu visibly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Hua Changxi: "Didn't you say you'd only be in seclusion for half a month? Now it's almost the New Year—you've been in seclusion for over three months."

Hua Changxi explained with a natural expression: "Cultivators lose track of time during seclusion. I didn't expect to be in seclusion this long either. Is there something you need from me?"

Guo Yu thought of his master's speculations and wasn't entirely convinced by this explanation, but he said nothing: "Someone from the Chores Hall came, saying you need to return immediately."

Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised: "Someone from the Chores Hall came to summon me back?"

Guo Yu nodded: "The person who came was actually a eunuch."

Hua Changxi frowned: "When did this happen?"

Guo Yu: "A few days ago. My master personally sent the eunuch away, saying you had gone into the mountains to gather herbs. Before leaving, the eunuch repeatedly urged that you must return to the Chores Hall as soon as you come back, saying it was an order from Steward Jia."

Hua Changxi was genuinely surprised. After Steward Jia had recruited her into the Chores Hall, he had never summoned her. She had assumed he had forgotten about her. Why would he suddenly think of her at this time?

"Alright, I'll take note of this."

"By the way, on Laba Festival, your third brother and sixth brother also came once. Afraid they might keep waiting at the herb valley, I told them that my master had sent you to work at another herb manor."

"Thank you for covering for me."

Hua Changxi looked Guo Yu over and sensed that his inner strength had increased again. She smiled: "Congratulations, your martial arts cultivation has advanced further. If you need any pills, just tell me, and I'll help refine them."

Guo Yu was also excited thinking about how his martial arts cultivation had skyrocketed over the past few months: "I can now release Qi freely, but I'm still far from the Grandmaster realm."

Hua Changxi asked further: "How are your master and the others doing in their cultivation?"

Guo Yu immediately said excitedly: "My master and Senior Zhuo have both successfully induced Qi into their bodies. They're all training diligently now." Having said that, he looked at Hua Changxi as if he wanted to say more but hesitated.

Hua Changxi could tell that Guo Yu really wanted to become a cultivator, but what Guo Yu had done wasn't enough to earn a Creation Pill, so she changed the subject: "I was just thinking of going home to visit anyway. I'll return to the Chores Hall tomorrow."

She thought that by indicating she didn't want to continue the conversation, Guo Yu would leave, but he showed no intention of leaving.

Hua Changxi smiled: "What, is there something else?"

Guo Yu looked at her: "A friend of Master Zhuo's has come to the herb valley."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi immediately recalled that Zhuo Fan had leaked the information about the Fire Spirit Mine to outsiders. A hint of coldness flashed in her eyes: "So?"

Guo Yu hesitated: "He's in the stone cave where we're staying right now. Do you want to go up and meet him?"

Hua Changxi laughed: "Me go up to meet him? You really don't treat me like an outsider here. When a friend comes, you want me to go see him? Am I your servant?"

As she finished speaking, her smile vanished without a trace.

Guo Yu was taken aback, clearly sensing Hua Changxi's anger.

"Haha, you shouldn't have to come see me—I should have come to see you."

Unrestrained laughter echoed through the Medicine Valley.

They heard the voice, but no one was seen.

Hua Changxi let out a cold laugh, feeling no fondness for this mysterious person. With a wave of her spiritual power, she accurately struck down the person hiding in the tree.

Watching the person slam heavily into the ground, directly forming a human-shaped crater, Old You and the other three, hiding in the shadows, could no longer hold back and quickly walked out.

Before they could speak, several talismans suddenly flew out of the pit, rapidly striking at Hua Changxi.

"Boom~"

As the talismans flew out, thunder immediately rumbled, and then bolts of lightning shot out, striking toward Hua Changxi.

Having encountered spiritual talismans for the first time, Hua Changxi was somewhat curious and reacted a beat too slow; one bolt of lightning struck her body.

For the subsequent bolts, Hua Changxi tossed out a fire lotus, and before the lightning could strike, the talismans were directly burned away.

At that moment, Lu Zhiyuan had just crawled out of the pit. Seeing the fire lotus, he remembered the earth-shattering battle at Five Finger Mountain, and his legs went weak with fear, making him fall to his knees.

From Old You and the other three's perspective, it looked as though Lu Zhiyuan was directly kneeling to Hua Changxi.

This scene left them exchanging bewildered glances.

They had not stopped Lu Zhiyuan from testing Hua Changxi's depth, because they too wanted to know her true strength. Now it seemed Hua Changxi's cultivation was above Lu Zhiyuan's.

At that moment, the urge to kill surged again within Hua Changxi. The talismans' power was not great and hadn't injured her, but being struck by lightning had made her hair stand on end and torn her clothes.

Fortunately, it was winter. To avoid revealing anything unusual, she was dressed relatively warmly. If she had worn less, wouldn't she have been practically naked?

The thought that she might have ended up naked made Hua Changxi's murderous intent hard to suppress.

Sensing the killing intent, Lu Zhiyuan broke out in a cold sweat. There was no mistake about that fire lotus—it was exactly the same as the one that had repelled the giant monkey at Five Finger Mountain.

Oh heavens, was he just incredibly unlucky? The forces outside were all discussing the identity of the powerhouse who had summoned the Vermilion Bird, and he had actually run into that person.

"Spare me, Immortal! I was reckless in offending you. This is the Complete Book of Talismans I obtained by chance. I offer it to you, begging your forgiveness for my disrespect."

Lu Zhiyuan knew when to bend. He immediately begged for mercy and offered the Complete Book of Talismans as compensation.

Old You and the other three watched Lu Zhiyuan kneel and plead for mercy, all of them unusually silent.

Even Zhuo Fan, who had previously dared to complain to Hua Changxi from time to time, now said nothing.

Why?

They, too, had sensed the killing intent.

Before, although this girl was stronger than them, they hadn't been truly afraid of her.

Because they knew that while Hua Changxi might get angry, she wouldn't really do anything to them. But now, they were no longer certain.

Old You and the other three exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.

This girl had killed before!

Someone who has killed and someone who hasn't are completely different. Once the taboo against killing is broken, they no longer hold human life in the same awe.

Old You felt the most conflicted. He still remembered how, when he had gone to the Southern Mountain Rift and nearly died under the Red Eagle's claws, that girl had saved him because she valued human life.

Now, she had broken that taboo.

Would this girl be able to control her killing intent in the future?

Hua Changxi took a deep breath, suppressing the murderous urge in her heart. Her gaze fell upon the Complete Book of Talismans in Lu Zhiyuan's hands. Looking at the trembling Lu Zhiyuan, she narrowed her eyes: "Are you very afraid of me?"

Lu Zhiyuan: No kidding—you killed the demon king suppressed at Five Finger Mountain; how could I not be afraid?

Hua Changxi looked at Lu Zhiyuan's pale face, then at the silent Old You and the others. She could feel that they all feared her, but the degree of fear was quite different.

"Have you been to Five Finger Mountain?"

Lu Zhiyuan's heart skipped a beat, but he finally nodded: "I just passed by."

Hua Changxi: "If I kill you, everything on you will be mine."

Hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan's body went limp, barely able to support himself: "Spare me, Immortal!"

After hesitating repeatedly, Old You stepped forward: "Changxi, I remember when you saved me from the Red Eagle's talons, you said, 'I cannot turn a blind eye to a human life.'"

"At that time, you valued human life so highly."

"Those words moved me greatly as well. Before I embarked on the martial path, I too was reluctant to kill. Later, though there were times when I had no choice, I have always restrained my killing urge—not out of kindness, but because I have always remembered my original intention."

"Changxi, what about your original intention? Have you forgotten it?"

Hua Changxi was silent for a moment: "I don't want to kill either. You were the ones who broke the rules first. I repeatedly made it clear that I didn't want cultivators' identities to be exposed, yet you brought outsiders here."

"For the sake of my own safety, killing people is also something I have no choice but to do."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan understood Hua Changxi's demand and quickly tried to save himself: "Fair immortal, I can swear a heart demon oath that I will never reveal anything about your situation."

Seeing that Hua Changxi did not speak, Lu Zhiyuan immediately cut his finger, forced out his blood essence, and drew a talisman in the air over the blood essence.

"I, Lu Zhiyuan, swear to Heaven that I will never reveal any information about the immortal. If I violate this oath, may my soul be destroyed."

As the words fell, the blood essence began to twist, rapidly transforming into a seal that sank into Lu Zhiyuan's brow.

After swearing the heart demon oath, Lu Zhiyuan immediately looked at Hua Changxi with eager eyes. Seeing that she remained silent and instead wore a curious expression, he paused for a moment, then took out a beast-hide scroll from his storage pouch.

"Fair immortal, this is a heart demon curse I obtained by chance. I wish to offer it to you."

Hua Changxi gave Lu Zhiyuan a deep look, feeling that this man had far more perception than Old You and the other three. With a wave of her hand, the beast-hide scroll fell into her grasp, and she opened it to read.

After reading it, Hua Changxi handed the beast-hide scroll to Old You and the other three.

Old You and the others saw this, said nothing, and followed the method on the scroll to swear heart demon oaths, just as Lu Zhiyuan had done.

Finally, Hua Changxi turned her gaze to Guo Yu and the four menial workers guarding the medicine valley.

Old You stepped forward again: "I vouch for these five."

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Old You, you have little credit left with me." With that, she flicked her spiritual power, breaking open the fingers of Guo Yu and the other four.

Five drops of blood essence floated in midair.

Hua Changxi looked at them: "Swear the oath."

Guo Yu originally thought that since he was not a cultivator, he could not swear a heart demon oath, but seeing Hua Changxi's demeanor—as if she would kill them if they didn't—he and the four menial workers followed the example of those before and swore the oath.

Once the oath was complete, Hua Changxi flicked her spiritual power, directly driving the curse seal into the brows of Guo Yu and the other four.

As soon as the curse seal entered his brow, Guo Yu felt a pang of terror and a strong premonition that if he revealed anything about Hua Changxi, he would die a miserable death.