Chapter 131: The Claim of a Life-Saving Benefactor

Seeing that night had already fallen, Hua Changxi did not return to the Medical Bureau but stayed directly in the Lingguang Hall to cultivate.

After immersing herself in cultivation, she quickly discovered her speed had increased again; now, cultivating for one double-hour yielded 2 million spirit qi points.

In May, cultivating for one double-hour only increased her spirit qi by 1.1 million points; now, merely a month later, her cultivation speed had grown by another million points.

[Realm: Nascent Soul Stage 307.5 million/1 billion; Divine Sense: 110,000+]

As the night passed, having cultivated for six double-hours, her cultivation base increased by 12 million points.

When she had previously awakened from her coma, her attention had been focused entirely on her divine sense, so she hadn't noticed such a massive increase in her cultivation base.

Was it because she had activated the Lingguang Hall?

Hua Changxi was undoubtedly pleased that her cultivation speed had increased again, but looking at the empty Lingguang Hall and thinking about the need to recruit 100,000 soldiers for the Zhu Que Army, she couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Furthermore, after the life-and-death crisis she encountered in the Ghost Market, she realized once again that she truly needed to hurry and improve her pill refining skills; as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, Grade One spirit pills were no longer effective for her.

If she didn't raise her pill refining grade, then in the future, should she get injured or exhaust her spirit qi, she wouldn't even have the corresponding spirit pills available.

Recruiting the Zhu Que Army required time, refining pills required time, and cultivating also required time; there simply wasn't enough time!

Standing atop the Lingguang Hall, facing the morning light and looking down upon the earth, Hua Changxi felt a heroic spirit constantly growing within her; only then did she realize that she loved standing in high places.

"Whoosh~"

Still needing to return to the Medical Bureau to give a lecture, Hua Changxi rode the clouds back toward the city; having flown a few li from the Lingguang Hall, she saw even more soldiers than the day before.

No, if yesterday's group could be described as merely some temporarily assembled patrol soldiers, what she saw today could be called an army of warriors.

"Is the imperial court preparing to attack the Lingguang Hall?"

The imperial court had actually dispatched an army, something Hua Changxi had not anticipated.

Seeing many commoners watching the spectacle along the official road, Hua Changxi quietly flew down to the ground and blended in among the villagers.

"In the future, no one will be allowed to pass through these intersections."

"Why is that?"

"Do you see that Immortal Palace over there? The officials would rather seal up the Immortal Palace than let us commoners contaminate its immortal qi."

"The Immortal Palace has appeared for several days now; if only I had known, I should have gone earlier to pay my respects."

"Pay respects to what? The Immortal Palace was blockaded by soldiers the moment it appeared; we can't get anywhere near it."

Listening to the villagers' discussions and seeing the army setting up camp by the roadside, Hua Changxi finally realized that the imperial court intended to seal off all roads leading toward the Lingguang Hall, preventing anyone from approaching.

Was the imperial court planning to turn the Lingguang Hall into an isolated island?

Hua Changxi snorted coldly in her heart; before the spirit qi recovery, such a thing might have been possible, but now that spirit qi had recovered and more and more cultivators could fly through the sky and burrow into the earth, even if every soldier in the army were a cultivator, they would never dream of stopping everyone.

Just then, several streaks of spiritual light sliced across the sky; Hua Changxi focused her gaze and discovered they were several cultivators flying on swords, and upon seeing that one of them was actually Gu Jinfan, she hurriedly left to avoid being seen.

Not long after Hua Changxi departed, Gu Jinfan and several cultivators from the Duke Prefecture landed on the official road where the army was stationed.

Gazing at the tall and majestic Lingguang Hall in the distance, Gu Jinfan's mood was extremely unsettled.

In her previous life, the Lingguang Hall had not appeared until several years later, and it had been opened by Liu Yiyun, the eldest senior brother of the Taisu Palace, yet Liu Yiyun was currently still trapped within the Kunlun Secret Realm.

Who was it? Who had opened the Lingguang Hall ahead of schedule?

With the Lingguang Hall appearing early, great chaos had erupted at the Jiuyou Genmen Pass; the Demon-Suppressing Army had captured the Genmen Bridge. Things had changed; the trajectory of the previous life had shifted again.

In her previous life, no great chaos had ever occurred at Genmen Pass; Genmen Pass had always been controlled by demonic beasts, which later allowed the demon race to launch a massive assault through Genmen Pass against the Fu Sheng Pavilion, one of the four great array eyes suppressing the Demon Prison. Had Hua Shiniang, Yan Xiaoyang, and Chu Junyi not blocked them at the cost of their lives, the Fu Sheng Pavilion would have nearly vanished from the Central Continent.

Now that the Demon-Suppressing Army had seized the Genmen Bridge, given their methods of operation, they would surely conquer the other territories held by demonic beasts at Genmen Pass step by step.

In that case, the crisis that the Fu Sheng Pavilion faced in the previous life would not occur.

Among the Five Great Holy Lands of the Central Continent, each holy land possessed two supreme treasures: one was the Demon-Slaying Sword used to suppress the Demon Prison, and the other was the holy land's divine artifact.

The divine artifact of the Fu Sheng Pavilion was a talisman brush; unfortunately, the talisman brush had been lost, and the people of the Fu Sheng Pavilion had never been able to find it.

In this life, the crisis of the Fu Sheng Pavilion would most likely not occur, and that talisman brush probably would not be lost either.

Just then, a cultivator from the Duke Prefecture walked up to Gu Jinfan's side and whispered to her, "I've found out clearly; the day the Lingguang Hall appeared was the same day great chaos erupted at Genmen Pass."

"A person in black robes rushed into the Lingguang Hall, drove away Prince Fu and his entourage, and then the Lingguang Hall appeared."

"That person in black robes remained inactive for these past few days; only yesterday did they act, driving the soldiers stationed outside the Lingguang Hall back several li before departing."

"That person in black robes should not be present now; should we take this opportunity to go inside and investigate?"

Hearing this, Gu Jinfan's expression trembled, followed by her eyes flashing continuously.

There was no need to guess; the person in black robes who opened the Lingguang Hall was that female cultivator capable of summoning the Zhu Que Flame to heavily wound the Nether Dragon.

The Zhu Que Flame, the Fire Lotus, and all the various matters regarding Hua Changxi that she had investigated led her to a speculation in her heart.

"Is it her?"

"Could it be her?"

Thinking that someone who had died early in the previous life had actually altered the trajectory of so many events from that life, Gu Jinfan's mood became somewhat complex, yet within that complexity lay a certain sense of self-satisfaction.

In her view, if she herself had not appeared on the transmission platform beneath the Lingguang Hall, Hua Changxi would absolutely have died early at the hands of the Jingzhao Prefecture Governor's father, just as she had in the previous life.

The change in the trajectory of the Four Spirit Realms in this life was ultimately driven by her.

"Let's go, return to the Medical Bureau."

"Returning just like this? Aren't we going to take a look inside that palace?"

"No, I need to return to the Medical Bureau to confirm certain matters."

Gu Jinfan summoned her flying sword and left without looking back.

Watching her depart, the cultivator from the Duke Prefecture sighed, "Having just returned from Genmen Pass, Seventh Lady doesn't even mention returning to the residence to rest."

On the way back to the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi thought the entire journey; she felt she should adjust her schedule.

Previously, she had wanted to rapidly increase her cultivation base, so she had been eager to boost her cultivation speed.

Now, as a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator with a cultivation speed reaching 2 million points per double-hour, which was not slow, she felt she should make up for the matters she had neglected before.

The first item was to improve her pill refining skills!

Furthermore, her prayer beads had been lost in the Ox Head Mountain of the Ghost Market; without the wooden tablet in hand, she didn't know if continuing to lecture at the Qihuang Hall would still increase her cultivation speed.

Therefore, she wanted to suspend all classes at the Qihuang Hall to focus entirely on pill refining.

Although recruiting for the Zhu Que Army was not urgent, she still needed to pay close attention daily to suitable candidates.

While Hua Changxi was thinking these thoughts, she arrived at the Medical Bureau; after returning to the Labor Hall, she had assumed that since she hadn't taught for seven days, the enthusiasm for classes would have waned, yet upon reaching the Qihuang Hall, she found many people already waiting with books in hand.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi sighed; her energy alone was simply too limited to cope with such intense eagerness for learning from so many people.

"Steward Hua."

Zhou Qiuyu walked over, smiling as she greeted Hua Changxi.

Upon seeing her, Hua Changxi slapped her forehead sharply: "I've been too busy lately and completely forgot about you and Fifth Sister. How is my Fifth Sister's health?"

Zhou Qiuyu smiled: "Concubine Hua's health has been fully regulated, and the young master is extremely healthy."

Hua Changxi nodded: "Has the He family given my Fifth Sister any trouble?"

Zhou Qiuyu shook her head: "No; for the past month, Third Master He has visited Concubine Hua and the child almost every day, while the Marquis's Lady and the Heir's Lady have frequently sent gifts to Concubine Hua."

Hearing that Hua Wuniang was faring well, Hua Changxi felt relieved: "You've worked hard during this time; go home and rest for two days. Once you've rested, come back and help me compile the Complete Volume of Mortal Plants and the Canon of Medicinal Processing. I won't be teaching regularly anymore; let those who wish to study medicine simply buy the books and read them."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiuyu's expression shifted dramatically; she could be considered the greatest beneficiary of Hua Changxi's lectures and naturally hoped to attend many more, so learning that Hua Changxi would no longer teach filled her heart with deep disappointment.

Hua Changxi looked at her: "I must attend to other matters and simply cannot manage teaching anymore; however, I will find time to guide you and Wang Yunchu and the others in pill refining."

"Of course, since I am teaching you pill refining, you must work for me in return; I hold ten pharmacies, and once you have learned pill refining, you will go work at these pharmacies."

"Discuss this matter with Wang Yunchu and the others to see if they are willing."

Zhou Qiuyu hastily replied: "Everyone will certainly be willing; ever since we began studying medical cultivation under Steward Hua, we have considered ourselves your people, so if you give orders, we naturally obey."

Hua Changxi smiled: "Since you trust me so much, I certainly will not let you gain nothing."

Seeing the number of laborers outside the Qihuang Hall growing, Hua Changxi spoke no further with Zhou Qiuyu and walked directly into Qihuang Hall Number Six; the laborers saw this and followed her inside one after another.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make."

"In the future, I will not teach classes every day; however, I will provide irregular guidance on pill refining for everyone here at Qihuang Hall Number Six."

"Today counts as my final unified lecture for all of you; I will demonstrate the complete steps of pill refining for everyone to see."

Hearing that Hua Changxi would no longer teach, the laborers were filled with disappointment, yet since Hua Changxi had always taught them without charge, no matter how unwilling they were, they had no standing or reason to demand she stay.

"Alright, stop being sorrowful; I will have Zhou Qiuyu compile all the lessons I previously taught in class, and you can buy the books and study according to your own circumstances."

"Regarding today's pill refining steps, I will demonstrate them several more times; even if you do not understand something, you had best write it down and take it home to ponder slowly."

"Today, besides refining mortal pills, I will also demonstrate the process of refining spirit pills once; everyone watch carefully."

Just as Hua Changxi began her class, Gu Jinfan also returned to the Medical Bureau.

Although she was eager to confirm whether Hua Changxi was the one who had severely injured the Nether Dragon and opened the Lingguang Hall, she restrained herself and first summoned the person she had placed within the Apprentice Hall.

"Greetings, Seventh Lady."

Lu Qingling felt somewhat nervous; this was her first summons since pledging allegiance to Gu Jinfan.

Gu Jinfan looked at Lu Qingling: "I tasked you with watching Hua Changxi; has she made any unusual moves during this period?"

Lu Qingling replied: "Replying to Seventh Lady, Hua Changxi has not come to the Medical Bureau these past few days."

Gu Jinfan's expression brightened: "From which day did she stop coming?"

Lu Qingling answered: "From the seventh day of the sixth month until yesterday, the fifteenth day of the sixth month, Hua Changxi has not appeared once in the Labor Hall."

Gu Jinfan stood up abruptly: "Are you certain?"

Lu Qingling nodded: "Ever since receiving Seventh Lady's orders, I have gone to the Labor Hall every day to find my younger sister; my sister loves listening to Hua Changxi's lectures, so I can guarantee that Hua Changxi has not been in the Labor Hall these past few days."

Gu Jinfan took a deep breath; if Hua Changxi truly had not been in the Labor Hall these past few days, then she could be nearly one hundred percent certain that the person who opened the Lingguang Hall was her.

"You may leave; continue to keep watch over Hua Changxi."

"Also, since your younger sister once shared a room with Hua Changxi, you must urge her to draw closer to Hua Changxi; I need to know everything about Hua Changxi."

Lu Qingling's complexion changed slightly; although she did not wish to drag her younger sister, Lu Qingluo, into this, to avenge their mother's death against the Lu family, the two sisters could rely only on Seventh Lady: "Yes."

After Lu Qingling departed, Gu Jinfan immediately headed straight for the Labor Hall.

Since Hua Changxi was the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall, she could now arrange many things; the Zhu Que Divine Art was the most powerful fire-element cultivation technique in the Four Spirits Realm, so she could arrange for cultivators of the Gu family possessing fire spiritual roots, as well as fire-rooted cultivators who had pledged allegiance to the Duke of Xin, to cultivate the Zhu Que Divine Art.

Given time, she would assemble a Zhu Que Army of exceptional strength.

A Zhu Que Army...

The moment she thought of being able to establish a Zhu Que Army, Gu Jinfan became extremely excited; unable to wait to see Hua Changxi immediately, she directly summoned her flying sword and stepped onto it to fly to the Labor Hall.

"Hua Changxi."

When Gu Jinfan rushed into Qihuang Hall Number Six, Hua Changxi was demonstrating the process of refining a spirit pill to the laborers; Gu Jinfan's sudden appearance nearly caused Hua Changxi to explode the furnace.

Hua Changxi extinguished the pill fire before speaking in an angry tone: "Seventh Lady Gu, do you have problems with your eyes? Did you not see I was refining pills?"

Gu Jinfan knew she had been rash, but she had no intention of apologizing; glancing around at the laborers attending class in the hall, she said: "Hua Changxi, have them leave; I have something to discuss with you."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi laughed in anger: "Gu Jinfan, do you not even understand the most basic respect for others? I am teaching a class; please leave."

Gu Jinfan had not expected Hua Changxi to adopt such an attitude; in her view, she was Hua Changxi's savior, and even if Hua Changxi did not feel overwhelmingly grateful, she should at least show basic gratitude: "Hua Changxi, I truly have something very important to tell you."

Hua Changxi's face turned completely cold: "Do you not understand human language? Who do you think you are? Just because you have something to tell me, must I necessarily listen?"

Gu Jinfan also became furious: "Hua Changxi, I truly never expected you to be such an ungrateful wretch."

Hua Changxi found this baffling; yes, on the Zhu Que teleportation platform, Gu Jinfan had untied the ropes on her wrists, but to claim she was her savior based on that—sorry, she did not acknowledge it.

Her survival at the hands of the demonic cultivator had depended solely on herself.

Hua Changxi did not wish to waste words with her: "Please leave."

Gu Jinfan's face turned cold, and she sneered: "I have just returned from Nanxiang County and saw the imperial army sealing off the Lingguang Hall; I know who the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall is—tell me, should I inform the imperial court?"

Hua Changxi shot to her feet with a sharp sound; detecting the threat in Gu Jinfan's words, killing intent surged within her heart, when suddenly the back of her hand hurt, and looking down, she saw a black fish pattern emerge.