Chapter 104: The Evolutionary History of the Four Spirit Realms

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had discovered the Green Ox Demon, and Hua Changxi's mood remained somewhat heavy; although Pang Shaoyu had not exposed the matter, that did not mean the issue was settled.

Keeping demonic beasts in captivity might pass if kept secret, but once revealed, it would spark panic among the surrounding populace; without the Embroidered Uniform Guard even needing to intervene, the people of Feng'an Ward could drive her out until she could no longer stay within the ward.

There was no other reason; in recent years, incidents of ferocious beasts devouring people had emerged endlessly across various regions, far too many to count.

She did not know what scheme Pang Shaoyu was plotting, but clearly, he was treating her act of keeping the Green Ox Demon as a handle to grip in his hand.

All along the way, Hua Changxi pondered: if the Embroidered Uniform Guard made moves against her, demanding they take the Green Ox Demon away or forcing her to work for them, what could she do?

Force them back with martial power?

Among the Embroidered Uniform Guard members who appeared in Feng'an Ward today, there were indeed a few more cultivators, but they were all merely at the Qi Refining realm; she was confident she could easily crush every single one of them.

Yet the Embroidered Uniform Guard represented the imperial court; if she openly attacked them, the subsequent troubles would be immense.

After all, she and the Hua family lived under the rule of the Great Jin Dynasty and were bound to obey the court's order and laws; if she openly opposed the Embroidered Uniform Guard's law enforcement, she would be regarded as a rebel.

Once labeled a rebel, her martial prowess might allow her to protect herself and flee, but what about the rest of the Hua family?

Hua Changxi frowned; unless absolutely necessary, she did not wish to oppose the imperial court. She cultivated and strove to improve her strength not to seize the opportunity of the spiritual qi resurgence to accomplish some grand deed, but simply to live her own small life freely.

But aside from exerting martial force, what else could she do?

Pang Shaoyu was now a cultivator, so she could perhaps trade spirit pills with him.

Hua Changxi realized that although she was now a cultivator, when faced with crises, she still possessed little ability to resist risks; she had fundamentally failed to establish her own system of social support.

Although matters concerning cultivators had only been brought into the open within the last year or two, the imperial family and certain noble clans had known long ago, having secretly made countless preparations, and likely engaging in no small amount of demonic beast captivity themselves.

If the imperial family and nobles kept demonic beasts, would the Embroidered Uniform Guard dare to arrive at their doors to arrest anyone?

They would not dare.

Why?

Because those people held power and influence.

As for her, what did she have?

Hua Changxi did not wish to live as a lonely outcast; she had family and ambitions she wished to pursue. Since she must live within a community, there were certain matters she needed to consider carefully.

Thinking these thoughts, Hua Changxi arrived at the Medical Bureau.

Upon reaching the Laborer Hall, Hua Changxi began giving lectures to the laborers as usual.

She lectured on materia medica for half an hour in Qihuang Hall Number One, on processing medicinal herbs for half an hour in Qihuang Hall Number Two, and on planting and cultivating methods for medicinal herbs for half an hour in Qihuang Hall Number Three.

After the lectures concluded, Hua Changxi kept behind Zhou Qiuyu, Wang Yunchu, Guo Cheng, and twenty others who were eager to learn and relatively supportive of her, then took out the Spirit-Testing Stone.

"Do you know what a cultivator is?"

Hearing this question, Zhou Qiuyu and the others silently exchanged glances, then all looked toward the Spirit-Testing Stone.

Hua Changxi asked again, "Recently, have any of you felt the air smells more comfortable?"

Zhou Qiuyu and the others all nodded. "We have felt it; lately, our bodies and spirits have improved greatly."

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "This is because the concentration of spiritual qi in the Medical Bureau has increased; even mortals living here long-term can strengthen their bodies, improve their health, and extend their lifespans."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy.

Hua Changxi continued, "...With such a fine place, do you think the nobles and powerful figures in the capital will sit idly by and ignore it?"

The smiles on everyone's faces froze, turning instead to deep worry.

Hua Changxi added, "I hear many children of noble families have gathered over at First Street; once the conflicts there conclude, it will be other places' turn."

Hearing these words, the expressions on everyone's faces grew even more worried.

Zhou Qiuyu looked at Hua Changxi and said, "Steward Hua, we possess no great abilities. Thanks to your not despising us and teaching us medical arts, in our hearts, you are our teacher and elder. Whatever you need, please command us freely; we will all obey you."

Guo Cheng immediately echoed, "Yes, we will all obey Steward Hua."

The others quickly responded in agreement.

Hua Changxi looked at them and pointed to the Spirit-Testing Stone on the table. "This is the Spirit-Testing Stone; it can detect whether you possess spiritual meridians. To become a cultivator, one must possess spiritual meridians."

"Once you have spiritual meridians, combined with the corresponding cultivation technique, you can absorb the spiritual qi in the air; drawing spiritual qi into your body means you have stepped onto the path of cultivation."

The eyes of the crowd brightened as they gazed at the Spirit-Testing Stone, their expressions both eager and nervous.

Hua Changxi said, "Come up one by one, place both hands upon it; if you possess spiritual meridians, the Spirit-Testing Stone will react."

The crowd hesitated somewhat, worried they might lack spiritual meridians.

Finally, Zhou Qiuyu stepped forward first, walked to the Spirit-Testing Stone, and placed both hands upon it.

Very quickly, the Spirit-Testing Stone glowed with green light.

Seeing this, Zhou Qiuyu immediately looked at Hua Changxi with excitement.

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "Congratulations; you possess a single Wood Spiritual Root, making your cultivation aptitude excellent."

Zhou Qiuyu returned to the ranks, his face full of joy.

Next, Wang Yunchu stepped forward, placed his hand on the Spirit-Testing Stone, and it immediately glowed with both red and green light.

Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised, not expecting two in a row to possess spiritual meridians. "Yunchu, you have a dual Fire-Wood Spiritual Root."

Wang Yunchu was nearly moved to tears of joy.

Seeing that both Zhou Qiuyu and Wang Yunchu possessed spiritual meridians, the others assumed most people had them, stopped hesitating, and stepped forward one after another to test.

Unfortunately, among the twenty people, only three possessed spiritual meridians; the third person with meridians was Guo Cheng, who had a dual Earth-Wood Spiritual Root.

Hua Changxi looked at the dejected others and said, "Do not be discouraged if you lack spiritual meridians. There are actually many types of cultivators; besides Law Cultivators who possess spiritual meridians, there is another type called Body Cultivators."

Saying this, she took out the Totem Bowl.

She wanted to see what bloodline totems these people possessed.

The moment Hua Changxi produced the Totem Bowl, she noticed the golden bowl vibrating; sensing it seemed drawn by some invisible force, she released her control over it.

In the next instant, the golden bowl shot out of Qihuang Hall Number Three with a 'whoosh'.

Since Hua Changxi had bonded with the golden bowl through blood oath, when it flew out, she could still perceive its location; she told Zhou Qiuyu and the others to wait for her in the courtyard while she chased after it, discovering the golden bowl had actually flown into Qihuang Hall Number Seven.

Hua Changxi was somewhat surprised; she hurried to Qihuang Hall Number Seven, and the moment she entered the courtyard, her eighth wooden token ignited with brilliant white light.

On the wooden tablet, the sword markings condensed into shape at a speed visible to the naked eye, then transformed from flat to three-dimensional.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi was extremely surprised; upon entering the room, she saw the Totem Golden Alms Bowl firmly embedded at the highest point in the exact center of the northern stone wall.

The Totem Golden Alms Bowl seemed to have originally belonged to Qihuang Hall No. 7!

The golden alms bowl erupted with brilliant light, filling the room; soon, a series of images surfaced on the stone wall.

The largest image, occupying the very center, depicted Zhu Que, Xuan Wu, Qing Long, and Bai Hu, accompanied by a line of text: "The Four Spirits guard the four directions."

Next was an image composed of five continental landmasses, where demonic beasts and demonic plants were locked in chaotic battle on each land, fighting brutally.

The third image showed Zhu Que, Xuan Wu, Qing Long, and Bai Hu hovering above the southern, northern, eastern, and western continents; on these four lands, most demonic beasts and plants had ceased their slaughter, with only a few regions still embroiled in chaos, while the central continent continued its relentless fighting as before.

The fourth image depicted the warring demonic beasts from the southern, northern, eastern, and western continents being driven onto the central continent.

The fifth image showed humans appearing on all five continents; on the southern, northern, eastern, and western lands, people sacrificed to the Four Spirits—Zhu Que, Xuan Wu, Qing Long, and Bai Hu—seeking protection.

On the central continent, however, human sacrifices were a motley array: some sacrificed to demonic beasts, others to demonic plants.

Under the threat of demonic beasts and plants, the human race survived in the cracks.

The sixth image showed the demonic race bestowing divine abilities, enhancing human survival capabilities and leading to their gradual prosperity.

The seventh image depicted heavenly fire descending amidst lightning and thunder; the five continents became devastated, the Four Spirits—Zhu Que, Xuan Wu, Qing Long, and Bai Hu—perished, transforming into high mountains and rivers that merged with the four directional continents.

The eighth image showed the demonic race weakening while the human race rose to great prominence.

The ninth image depicted humans establishing the Demon Prison on the central continent to imprison the most heinous members of the demonic race, as humanity completely seized control of the five continents.

The images ended there!