Chapter 116: Spirit Needles

This was Hua Changxi's second visit to the Eastern Depot; she had gone with Eunuch Yu once again. Upon arrival, they did not find Eunuch Xuan and could only wait in his office.

After waiting for roughly two quarters of an hour, a middle-aged eunuch in his forties or fifties rushed in.

As soon as he entered, the middle-aged eunuch looked anxiously at Hua Changxi. Seeing she appeared only fourteen or fifteen years old, he instinctively doubted her medical skills, yet having no other physician to turn to, he could only try treating a dead horse as if it were alive.

"Are you the physician invited by the Battalion Commander? My godson is barely holding on; please follow me immediately to save him."

Before Hua Changxi could speak, Eunuch Yu stepped forward to object: "No. We were summoned by Eunuch Xuan; we must wait for his return before proceeding to save anyone."

Hearing this, the middle-aged eunuch grew frantic: "In the past two days, ten to twenty people have already died. Eunuch Xuan accompanied the Commander-in-Chief to the Northern Town Guard Office; no one knows when he will return. Waiting here idly is worse than going out to save more lives."

Hua Changxi had not expected so many to have succumbed; she stated directly, "Save the patients first," and motioned for the middle-aged eunuch to lead the way.

Worried that Eunuch Xuan would be angered, Eunuch Yu blocked their path again: "Saving lives requires needle tools; we have not yet received the needles."

The middle-aged eunuch hurriedly replied, "I have already retrieved the needle tools from the Artifact Refining Hall; they are placed in the courtyard where the injured are staying."

With this, Eunuch Yu could no longer object; seeing Hua Changxi follow the middle-aged eunuch away, he could only hasten to catch up.

As they neared the courtyard of the injured, the three of them happened to see two corpses being carried out.

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged eunuch's expression turned grave: "Two more have died."

Hua Changxi stepped forward to examine the corpses; both were martial artists whose internal organs had been severely shattered by sword qi, completely ruptured.

Worried about the remaining survivors, the middle-aged eunuch urged, "Physician, let us enter the courtyard quickly."

Hua Changxi followed the middle-aged eunuch swiftly into the courtyard; he led her into a large room containing a single long communal bed, upon which lay more than ten martial artists drawing more breaths in than out.

Seeing this, Eunuch Yu hurriedly pulled Hua Changxi back: "Eunuch Xuan instructed us to save the martial artists first."

Hearing these words, the middle-aged eunuch's face tightened with anxiety, yet he dared not voice any objection.

The Commander-in-Chief clearly valued cultivators more highly; if he now prevented the physician from treating cultivators and someone among them died, the Commander-in-Chief would surely punish him upon learning of it after his return.

Hua Changxi scanned the martial artists on the communal bed; several were already in critical condition: "The cultivators will be fine for a while; if these martial artists are not treated immediately, they will die. Save them first."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged eunuch's eyes brightened; he quickly handed Hua Changxi the needle tools he had fetched from the Artifact Refining Hall.

Hua Changxi took the needle tools and observed the box containing dozens of needles of varying thicknesses and lengths; gathering spiritual power in her hand, she inspected the quality of these needles.

Spiritual power flowed smoothly into the needles, and the needles could withstand the circulation of spiritual power.

"The artifact refiners of the Eastern Depot possess excellent skill; this set of spirit needles is crafted remarkably well."

The middle-aged eunuch replied, "Master Lu, who crafts these spirit needles, was previously a renowned weapon master in the Ministry of Works; the Commander-in-Chief expended great effort to transfer him to the Eastern Depot."

Time waited for no one; Hua Changxi asked no further questions about the artifact refiner but instead took the spirit needles and walked toward the martial artist in the most critical condition.

That person happened to be the middle-aged eunuch's godson.

Seeing the middle-aged eunuch's face filled with anxiety, Eunuch Yu comforted him: "With Physician Hua attending to him, your godson will be fine."

The middle-aged eunuch twitched the corners of his mouth without speaking, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Hua Changxi as she swiftly and steadily inserted spirit needles into his godson's body; witnessing her skilled and decisive technique, his doubts about her medical abilities lessened somewhat.

Hua Changxi used the spirit needles to seal the 'small sword' formed by sword qi within the patient's body in one location, preventing the 'small sword' from roaming and damaging other internal organs, then swiftly wrote out a prescription for stopping bleeding and promoting healing.

"Brew the medicine according to this prescription, preparing enough for the number of injured martial artists; all martial artists must consume it."

The middle-aged eunuch took the prescription, glanced at it, then turned and left without a word.

As soon as he departed, Hua Changxi said to Eunuch Yu, "Later, find out who exactly he is."

Eunuch Yu remarked, "This man can retrieve needle tools and requisition medicinal ingredients; he must hold some status within the Eastern Depot."

Hua Changxi thought the same; taking the remaining spirit needles, she moved to the next patient.

One set of spirit needles contained enough needles to seal the 'small swords' within three martial artists.

Without more spirit needles, Hua Changxi could only wait for the middle-aged eunuch to finish brewing the medicine before proceeding with the next stage of treatment.

"Eunuch Yu, do you think I could request the Eastern Depot's artifact refiners to craft several more sets of spirit needles for me?"

To have the Eastern Depot's artifact refiners assist in crafting spirit needles would certainly require Eunuch Xuan to intervene; Eunuch Yu could not make decisions on Eunuch Xuan's behalf. Just as he was pondering how to respond, the middle-aged eunuch entered.

"Does the physician wish to have several more sets of spirit needles crafted? I can speak to Master Lu about this matter."

Hua Changxi's eyes brightened: "Then I trouble you, Eunuch. May I ask how you are addressed?"

The middle-aged eunuch replied, "I am Lin Qi, a Company Commander of the Eastern Depot."

Hua Changxi smiled: "So you are Eunuch Lin; pleased to meet you. I am Hua Changxi."

At this moment, Eunuch Lin's attitude toward Hua Changxi was far more courteous than before; when he had gone to the storeroom to fetch medicine, the storeroom staff had examined the prescription and declared it excellently formulated, proving that this young lady truly possessed medical skill.

"Physician Hua, the medicine you ordered has been brewed."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi walked to where Eunuch Lin's godson lay, sat down, took a sharp small knife, and sliced open the patient's chest.

As soon as the chest was opened, a burst of white spiritual light shot out.

"Bang!"

Eunuch Yu and Eunuch Lin saw a flash of white light vanish, followed by a red light suppressing the white glow; when they regained their senses, they saw an additional sword mark upon the ground.

"This is the sword qi that has been damaging the martial artists' bodies."

"Eunuch Lin, bring the brewed medicine and have your godson consume it."

Hua Changxi began treating the next martial artist.

By the end of the afternoon, all martial artists had received treatment.

Seeing the martial artists' breathing stabilize, Eunuch Lin no longer doubted Hua Changxi's medical skills; to express his gratitude, he voluntarily offered to have Master Lu from the Artifact Refining Hall craft several additional sets of spirit needles for her.

After finishing the treatment of the martial artists, Hua Changxi went to another room to treat the cultivators.

Treating cultivators was easier than treating martial artists; since martial artists are mortals whose bodies cannot withstand spiritual power, she could only use spirit needles to seal the 'small swords,' then cut an opening to allow the 'small swords' to fly out.

Cultivators did not require this; since cultivators can withstand spiritual power, after sealing the 'small swords' with spirit needles, she injected spiritual power into the needles, inserted them toward the 'small swords,' and used the spiritual power within the needles to forcibly disperse the 'small swords.'

Of course, the premise for doing so was that her spiritual power exceeded that of the 'small swords.'

Judging by the 'small swords' that had flown out of the martial artists' bodies, their lethality was not too great, equivalent only to a single strike from a Qi Condensation cultivator.

Had the 'small swords' been slightly more powerful, those martial artists would have died on the spot, and the cultivators likely would not have survived long enough for her to arrive and treat them.

Treating cultivators proceeded much faster than treating martial artists; by the time Eunuch Xuan returned, Hua Changxi had already dispersed all the 'small swords' within the cultivators' bodies.

Seeing that not a single cultivator had died and most martial artists were out of danger, Eunuch Xuan was delighted and immediately gifted today's set of spiritual needles to Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi accepted them without ceremony; this was her deserved service fee: "Eunuch Xuan, there is another matter I would like to ask for your help with."

The smile on Eunuch Xuan's face faded slightly: "What is it?"

Hua Changxi said: "I would like to ask the talisman masters of the Eastern Depot to draw a few talismans for me."

Eunuch Xuan's eyes flashed: "Talismans for setting up a teleportation array?"

Hua Changxi nodded: "Yes."

Eunuch Xuan replied: "This is something this old one cannot help you with; the Eastern Depot has no talisman masters. Whenever we have such needs, we go to the Heaven Department to find someone to resolve them."

Hua Changxi did not know if he was speaking truth or falsehood, but she knew her idea of finding someone from the Eastern Depot to carve runes onto the array stones had come to naught.

Subsequently, Hua Changxi left together with Eunuch Yu.

As soon as the two departed, Zhang Fang, the Director of the Eastern Depot, arrived.

Zhang Fang personally inspected the injured cultivators and martial artists, paying particular attention to the sword marks in the martial artists' room: "Were all these sword marks left when the sword energy within the martial artists' bodies was released outward?"

Eunuch Lin hurriedly replied: "Yes. While Physician Hua was treating everyone, this humble one was standing right beside her. The power of the sword energy should have been much greater, but it was blocked by Physician Hua, leaving only these faint marks."

Zhang Fang had seen many alchemists and physicians in the palace; the severe injuries suffered by his subordinates this time were similar to those encountered by the Demon-Suppressing Army years ago.

Back then, in order to treat that batch of the Demon-Suppressing Army, the Minister of the Heaven Department had petitioned the Emperor, who then dispatched imperial alchemists and physicians to provide treatment.

To understand the true condition of the Demon-Suppressing Army, the Emperor had sent him along; on that occasion, he had observed the entire process of how the physicians treated the wounded, and the treatment process was by no means easy.

Hua Changxi could save lives; her medical skills were even more superb than he had imagined!

"Regarding our relationship with Hua Changxi, we may need to seek her salvation in the future."

Upon hearing these words, Eunuch Xuan promptly agreed.

Having failed to find a talisman master and thus unable to set up a teleportation array for now, Hua Changxi felt somewhat depressed; on her way back to the Medical Bureau, she racked her brains trying to figure out where to find a talisman master.

It was not that she did not want to learn talisman drawing herself; she simply lacked the time and energy.

Her daily schedule nowadays consisted of teaching in the morning, alchemy in the afternoon, and cultivation in the evening, with miscellaneous tasks interspersed during any free moments; there was simply no time squeezed out to learn talisman drawing.

Only after she raised her cultivation level and advanced her rank as an alchemist might she perhaps have the time and mood to learn talisman drawing.

Just as she was approaching the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi suddenly spun around sharply to look behind her.

Startled by her abrupt action, Eunuch Yu asked: "Master, what is wrong?"

Hua Changxi stared at the entrance of an alley across the street, narrowing her eyes; just moments ago, she had sensed someone staring at her, and upon turning around, she saw a figure swiftly dart into the alley.

Residual fluctuations of spiritual energy lingered in the air; that person was a cultivator.

Who exactly had set their sights on her this time?

Someone from the Eastern Depot?

Hua Changxi frowned and withdrew her gaze: "Nothing." Having said this, she continued walking toward the Medical Bureau.

Since she had been targeted, that person would surely track her again; next time, she must catch them and find out exactly who was spying on her.

Returning to the Medical Bureau, since it was inconvenient to cultivate openly, Hua Changxi devoted her time to alchemy; upon arriving at the Labor Hall, she went straight to Qihuang Hall Number Six to refine pills.

On May 26th, while Hua Changxi was at Qihuang Hall Number Six transmitting alchemy techniques to the laborers, several people arrived who surprised her somewhat.

Mu Qingying, the He sisters, Shen Qianfan and Zhu Qinghuan who held wooden tokens, and behind them, several individuals she did not recognize.

"Ninth Lady."

Two young ladies whom Hua Changxi had never seen before smiled as they walked up to her side.

Hua Changxi looked at the two: "Who are you?"

The older of the two young ladies smiled: "My great-grandfather was the Great Clan Elder of the Hua clan; Hua Tai is my grandfather. I am two years older than you, so you may call me Sister Wanyue."

Saying this, she smiled and looked at the young lady beside her.

"This is Young Lady Shuran from the Count's Manor."

Upon hearing this, Hua Shuran immediately smiled at Hua Changxi: "What 'Young Lady Shuran'? We are all sisters and ought to address each other as such. Ninth Lady, I am one year older than you; if you do not mind, you may call me Sister Shuran."

Hua Changxi sized up these two who wished to become her elder sisters and stated directly: "I am about to begin my lecture; if you have business with me, you must wait until later."

Seeing that Hua Changxi showed no warmth toward her and Hua Wanyue, appearing even somewhat distant, Hua Shuran frowned slightly but continued smiling: "We are simply here to listen to your lecture."

Without waiting for Hua Changxi to respond, she turned to face the young man and young lady who had come with them and introduced them on her own: "Ninth Lady, these two are Young Master Chu and Young Lady Duan; they have also come to listen to your lecture."

Hua Changxi glanced at the dignified Young Master Chu and the Young Lady Duan, whose expression barely concealed her arrogance, then withdrew her gaze: "If you are here to attend the lecture, please go down and take your seats properly."

Young Lady Duan seemed dissatisfied with Hua Changxi's attitude and appeared about to say something, but she was pulled away by Young Master Chu.

Hua Shuran and Hua Wanyue glanced at Hua Changxi, then followed the other two to find seats.

Seeing that Mu Qingying was also present, Young Master Chu smiled and nodded at her.

Mu Qingying also nodded in return as a greeting.

Hua Changxi noticed their interaction and guessed that Young Master Chu's identity was extraordinary; however, since they were all irrelevant people, she bothered to think no further and began teaching everyone how to refine mortal pills.

Mu Qingying and the others, watching Hua Changxi refine pills for the first time, might initially have been somewhat dismissive, but gradually, they all became completely focused.

It could not be helped; Hua Changxi's pill-refining process was too natural and smooth, her techniques and movements carrying an indescribable rhythm; watching her refine pills was truly a visual enjoyment.

After demonstrating the entire pill-refining process once, Hua Changxi instructed the laborers who had brought their own pill furnaces to refine pills on their own, while she moved among them, pointing out their shortcomings.

Seeing this, Mu Qingying took out a pill furnace from her storage bag and began refining pills as well; however, she was refining spiritual pills.

Hua Changxi observed and, during Mu Qingying's refining process, offered guidance on her techniques for merging and sealing the pills: "The medicinal ingredients are not fully merged, so the medicinal efficacy cannot be fully unleashed; improper sealing means the spiritual energy and efficacy of the spiritual pill will not last long."

Looking at the ten medium-grade pills inside her pill furnace, Mu Qingying was visibly shaken; solely due to Hua Changxi's guidance, the quality of the pills she had refined had improved.

Before this, all the pills she had refined had been low-grade.

Just as Mu Qingying was about to exchange insights on alchemy with Hua Changxi, she heard Hua Changxi say: "Alright, class is dismissed."