Chapter 135

As a menial manager of the Menial Hall, although Hua Hua Changxi had Eunuch Jia and the other three to cover for her, she could not be absent from work for a long time. After returning from Mount Mount Wuzhi, she went straight back to the Medical Department.

Following the usual practice of patrolling the four, five, six, and seven bureaus of the Third Office, she went straight to the No. 6 Qihuang Pavilion to continue refining pills.

Her current schedule was: refining pills in the Qihuang Pavilion during the day, practicing and body-tempering in the Lingguang Hall at night, and calling Zhou Zhou Qiuyu and others to the No. 6 Qihuang Pavilion every few days to guide them in refining pills.

After Hua Hua Changxi stopped teaching classes, the Menial Hall suddenly fell silent.

Many people who were paying attention to her fell into deep thought upon seeing this move.

In the Medical Department building on First Street, Director Gu Gu Qiming flipped through the "Complete Book of Ordinary Plants" and "Canon of Herb Preparation" that Hua Hua Changxi had compiled. After reading them, he called Mu Mu Qingying over.

"Hua Hua Changxi was teaching classes at the Qihuang Pavilion, and you listened several times. Did you notice anything unusual?"

Mu Mu Qingying shook her head: "Hua Hua Changxi was teaching seriously every time, and the disciple did not discover anything unusual."

Gu Gu Qiming frowned: "According to what you say, Hua Hua Changxi was teaching at the Qihuang Pavilion because she likes it?"

Mu Mu Qingying nodded: "The disciple really thinks so. When Hua Hua Changxi was teaching, she was eloquent and radiant, sharing many details without reservation. The disciple could feel that she truly enjoys the process of teaching medical skills to others."

After hearing this, Gu Gu Qiming looked at the "Complete Book of Ordinary Plants" and "Canon of Herb Preparation" on the table again. The detail with which these two books categorized herbs was something that not only were few medical books on the market able to reach, but even the Medical Department did not have such a complete collection.

There was no other reason; it involved too many 'new medicines'.

Physicians and pharmacists on Jiujie, whenever they researched the efficacy of a 'new medicine', which one didn't hide it, insisting on exchanging it for corresponding value before being willing to share?

Compared to them, Hua Hua Changxi was indeed without reservation.

However, Hua Hua Changxi was just a young lady who had just reached the age of fifteen. How did she understand and accumulate the efficacy of so many 'new medicines'?

Hua Hua Changxi must have obtained some kind of medical inheritance; this was absolute!

Moreover, it was very likely that this inheritance was what she obtained from the Qihuang Pavilion.

Gu Gu Qiming looked at Mu Mu Qingying: "When you went to listen to Hua Hua Changxi's classes, did you carry the wooden tablet?"

Mu Mu Qingying nodded: "I wore it. Master, you said that the wooden tablet is very likely the token to open the Pill Saint Hall, so the disciple has always worn it on her body and never took it off. Senior Brother Yuan is the same."

Gu Gu Qiming asked again: "Then have you discovered any strange phenomena with the wooden tablet?"

Mu Mu Qingying shook her head in shame: "The disciple is dull; the wooden tablet has not shown any strange phenomena to this day."

Gu Gu Qiming sighed: "Tonight, you and your senior brother go and visit all eighteen Qihuang Pavilions."

Upon hearing this, Mu Mu Qingying seemed to understand something and said in surprise: "Eighteen wooden tablets, eighteen Qihuang Pavilions. Master, are you saying that the wooden tablet is related to the Qihuang Pavilion?"

Gu Gu Qiming: "Hua Hua Changxi insisted on teaching the menials at the Qihuang Pavilion; this matter was too suspicious. Later, when I learned she had a wooden tablet, I went to the Qihuang Pavilion to investigate and indeed discovered that the wooden tablet would flash green light when close to the Qihuang Pavilion."

Mu Mu Qingying: "But... but when the disciple went to the Qihuang Pavilion every time, the wooden tablet didn't have any reaction?"

Gu Gu Qiming: "The nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Menial Hall didn't react to my wooden tablet, but the nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Apprentice Hall did."

Mu Mu Qingying hurriedly asked: "Then did Master discover anything?"

Hearing this question, Gu Gu Qiming felt a bit depressed: "Except for the wooden tablet flashing green light, I have no other discoveries."

Therefore, he remained silent and allowed Hua Hua Changxi to teach openly in the Menial Hall, just to see if she had already discovered the secret of the Qihuang Pavilion.

"You and your senior brother go and investigate the Qihuang Pavilion tonight and come back to tell me the results."

"Yes, Master."

Mu Mu Qingying immediately went to find Yuan Yuan Tianchou. That night, the two went to the Menial Hall and the Apprentice Hall one after another and checked all eighteen Qihuang Pavilions.

After the two left the Apprentice Hall, Zhu Zhu Qinghuan walked out from a dark corner. Looking at their departing figures, her expression was somewhat heavy.

It seems they have also discovered the connection between the Qihuang Pavilion and the wooden tablet.

Zhu Zhu Qinghuan stood outside the No. 10 Qihuang Pavilion, watching the green light on the wooden tablet in her hand flash and disappear, her brows tightly furrowed.

What exactly is the connection between the wooden tablet and the Qihuang Pavilion?

What exactly did Hua Hua Changxi discover?

Zhu Zhu Qinghuan showed a look of frustration. She discovered the connection between the wooden tablet and the Qihuang Pavilion on the first day she got the wooden tablet, but after investigating for so long, she hadn't found the secret between the two.

Learning that Hua Hua Changxi was teaching in the Qihuang Pavilion, she even followed along to learn, secretly gathering a group of apprentices from the Apprentice Hall to help them tutor their daily courses in the Qihuang Pavilion.

She had tried all nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Apprentice Hall, but the wooden tablet had no reaction at all.

Zhu Zhu Qinghuan put away the wooden tablet and looked again in the direction where Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou had left. Now that the Director and the others had also discovered the connection between the wooden tablet and the Qihuang Pavilion, let's see what they can discover.

First Street, Medical Department building, Director's office.

Gu Gu Qiming saw his two disciples return and asked: "How was it? What discoveries did you have?"

Yuan Yuan Tianchou: "The wooden tablet reacted in all nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Apprentice Hall, but the wooden tablet had no reaction in the nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Menial Hall."

Gu Gu Qiming looked at the two: "What do you think this means?"

Yuan Yuan Tianchou and Mu Mu Qingying looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

Gu Gu Qiming looked at the wooden tablet in his hand: "Do you think the wooden tablet could be the key to the Qihuang Pavilion?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuan Tianchou immediately said: "But the wooden tablet also flashes green light when passing through Jiujie."

It was precisely because the wooden tablet would have strange phenomena when passing through Jiujie that they focused all their energy on Jiujie and never thought of the row of dilapidated Qihuang Pavilions behind the Apprentice Hall and Menial Hall.

Gu Gu Qiming fell silent. To be honest, at first, he also thought the wooden tablet was related to Jiujie, but now, he was increasingly inclined to believe the wooden tablet was related to the Qihuang Pavilion.

"Isn't Hua Hua Changxi not teaching at the Qihuang Pavilion anymore? You two go and teach."

Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou said 'Ah' at the same time.

Gu Gu Qiming: "Teach in both the Menial Hall and the Apprentice Hall. I don't believe Hua Hua Changxi would teach at the Qihuang Pavilion for no reason."

Mu Mu Qingying hesitated: "Master, actually, Hua Hua Changxi had subtly hinted to me, Zhu Zhu Qinghuan, and Shen Shen Qianfan before, asking us to teach."

Gu Gu Qiming heard this: "There is such a thing?"

Mu Mu Qingying nodded.

Gu Gu Qiming immediately made the decision: "You prepare, and in two days, you go to the Qihuang Pavilion to teach. If teaching can really make the wooden tablet react, I will go too."

Yuan Yuan Tianchou heard this and hesitated.

Gu Gu Qiming saw this: "If you have something to say, say it."

Yuan Yuan Tianchou: "If my junior sister and I go to teach, the commotion might be a bit big. By then, people from the Jiujie pharmacies, the Disciple Hall, and the Apprentice Hall will probably all go, and I'm afraid the menials won't be able to listen."

Gu Gu Qiming: "... This is also something that can't be helped."

Mu Mu Qingying indeed said: "It's fine if the menials don't listen."

Hearing this, Yuan Yuan Tianchou looked over in surprise: "I thought my junior sister would want to teach the menials more."

Mu Mu Qingying looked at him: "Many menials have listened to Hua Hua Changxi's classes. If they come to listen to us, they will find that we don't teach as well as Hua Hua Changxi."

Yuan Yuan Tianchou wanted to argue a few words, but he had also carefully read the "Complete Book of Ordinary Plants" and "Canon of Herb Preparation," and he really couldn't teach more thoroughly than Hua Hua Changxi.

Gu Gu Qiming also couldn't tolerate his disciples being inferior to Hua Hua Changxi and said directly: "Hua Hua Changxi teaches ordinary plants; you two teach spirit plants."

Yuan Yuan Tianchou heard this, his eyes brightened, and he was immediately confident.

Mu Mu Qingying was also not very happy. Hua Hua Changxi could improve her pill refining quality with just a casual pointer on her spirit pill refining technique; her research on spirit plants was definitely very deep.

The news that Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou were going to teach at the Qihuang Pavilion spread throughout the Medical Department the next day.

When Hua Hua Changxi heard this, her first reaction was that someone was coming to snatch her territory, but once she thought about the prayer beads being snatched and the wooden tablet not being in her hands now, she wilted.

The Medical Department was now under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, and the Director had absolute power. If he wanted Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou to teach at the Qihuang Pavilion, she, a menial, had no power to object.

She could stop them by force, but that would be equivalent to going against the entire imperial court.

Thinking of the many troubles that might arise from going against the imperial court, Hua Hua Changxi had a splitting headache. She worked hard to cultivate for freedom, not to get herself into trouble.

Stopping them by force was not the best strategy!

Hua Hua Changxi was very irritable, but not long after, she calmed down.

Anyway, the nine Qihuang Pavilions in the Menial Hall had already been taken by her. She wasn't using them now, and they were empty anyway. Even if Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou went in to teach, they couldn't take these nine Qihuang Pavilions away.

Thinking this way, Hua Hua Changxi stabilized again. She just needed to guard them now.

"Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou are going to teach at the Qihuang Pavilion?"

After hearing this news, Gu Gu Jinfan looked at the "Complete Book of Ordinary Plants" and "Canon of Herb Preparation" and also fell into deep thought.

Soon, she got up and went to find Director Gu Gu Qiming, indicating that she also wanted to teach at the Qihuang Pavilion.

Gu Gu Qiming did not make things difficult for Gu Gu Jinfan and agreed directly.

After Gu Gu Jinfan came out of the Medical Department building, a cultivator from the Duke of Xinguo's mansion came to her door.

Seeing the person, Gu Gu Jinfan's eyes flickered, and she walked over quickly: "Uncle Chen, is there something wrong?"

Uncle Chen whispered: "Seventh Young Lady, Cao Jun, the Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, has been missing for almost a month. There is no clue at all from the Jingzhao Prefecture side; I'm afraid he is no longer alive."

Hearing this, Gu Gu Jinfan's heart shook: "The note I asked you to send to Cao Jun before, are you sure he saw it?"

Uncle Chen nodded: "Sure, our people also discovered that Cao Jun had sent people to investigate Hua Hua Changxi."

After hearing this, Gu Gu Jinfan took a deep breath. It was Hua Hua Changxi; it must have been Hua Hua Changxi who killed Cao Jun.

Cao Jun was a Golden Core middle-stage cultivator. If Hua Hua Changxi could kill him, her cultivation would only be above hers.

Gu Gu Jinfan really didn't expect Hua Hua Changxi's cultivation to be so high.

Even if the "Zhu Que Divine Art" was the best Fire-type cultivation technique in the Four Spirits Realm, Hua Hua Changxi had only obtained the technique for about two years. How could her cultivation improve so fast?

"Uncle Chen, don't keep an eye on Hua Hua Changxi in the future."

Uncle Chen looked at Gu Gu Jinfan in confusion: "Didn't the Seventh Young Lady say before that she wanted to know everything about Hua Hua Changxi?"

Gu Gu Jinfan: "... I miscalculated some things before. Uncle Chen, call back the people sent to watch Hua Hua Changxi. If she discovers you, I'm afraid I won't have time to save you."

Hearing this, Uncle Chen shook, surprised by Gu Gu Jinfan's fear of Hua Hua Changxi: "Okay, I will withdraw the manpower." He paused.

"Song Weimin, the Magistrate of Nanxiang County, is Cao Jun's junior fellow apprentice. After Prince Fu's people took over Nanxiang County, he was suspended from his post at home and has been busy looking for Cao Jun during this time."

"Song Weimin?"

Hearing this name, Gu Gu Jinfan's expression changed.

In her previous life, it was this person who exposed Cao Jun's many evil deeds of massacring villagers and sacrificing young boys and girls. Because many things involved Prince Shou, he eventually died miserably in the sky prison.

Uncle Chen: "Does the Seventh Young Lady know this person?"

Gu Gu Jinfan nodded: "I heard he is an official who gets things done."

Uncle Chen: "He is indeed a good official. When he left Nanxiang County, many commoners spontaneously sent him off. I originally thought that with his achievements, he could directly fill a vacancy. Who knew, the Ministry of Personnel directly told him to go home and wait for notification."

Gu Gu Jinfan sneered: "He won't wait for a vacancy. Now all forces are desperately trying to insert their own people everywhere, and the leaders are the royal family. Unless Song Weimin defects to some powerful noble, otherwise, he will wait at home until he dies of old age, and there will never be a day for him to be reinstated."

Uncle Chen showed worry: "If this continues, I'm afraid it will be chaotic."

Gu Gu Jinfan looked at him: "The chaos has already begun. Are there few villages and towns that have been occupied and disappeared for no reason?"

Uncle Chen stopped talking.

Seeing this, Gu Gu Jinfan added: "It will get better; it will definitely get better."

On the tenth day of the seventh lunar month, Mu Mu Qingying, Yuan Yuan Tianchou, and Gu Gu Jinfan began teaching at the Qihuang Pavilion.

All three were famous figures in the Medical Department. Their teaching immediately triggered widespread attention. On the first day of their classes, the Qihuang Pavilions where the three were located were crowded with people.

Outside the No. 6 Qihuang Pavilion, Hua Hua Changxi looked at the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 Qihuang Pavilions, which were surrounded by people, and was somewhat silent.

"Mu Mu Qingying and Yuan Yuan Tianchou are the Director's proud disciples, and Gu Gu Jinfan also comes from a famous family. It is natural for them to be popular. Hua Hua Changxi, don't be jealous."

Hearing Duan Duan Yuyan's teasing laughter, Hua Hua Changxi looked indifferently at the Seventh Prince Chu Chu Junhao and Duan Duan Yuyan who were walking together.

Chu Chu Junhao walked to Hua Hua Changxi and smiled: "Duan Yuyan likes to joke; Manager Hua, don't hold it against her."

Hua Hua Changxi looked at him: "But I am holding it against her, what now?"

Hearing this, a look of astonishment flashed across Chu Chu Junhao's face, then he laughed, turned to look at Duan Duan Yuyan: "Manager Hua has taught us classes after all. Duan Yuyan, it was you who were presumptuous just now, apologize."

Duan Duan Yuyan was unhappy in her heart. She admitted that the class Hua Hua Changxi taught was indeed good, but she was just a menial; how was she worthy of an apology from a Duke's daughter?

But looking at the warning in Chu Chu Junhao's eyes, Duan Duan Yuyan spoke reluctantly: "Manager Hua, it was I who was presumptuous just now."

Hua Hua Changxi smiled faintly: "I am a narrow-minded person who can't take a joke. Seventh Prince and Miss Duan, don't hold it against me."

Duan Duan Yuyan wanted to roll her eyes. Usually, others accommodated them. Now this Hua Hua Changxi actually tried to make them accommodate her. Did she really think that knowing a little medical skill meant she could ignore the distinction between superior and inferior?

Chu Chu Junhao saw that she directly stated her identity, and he was not surprised. He smiled: "I have read both the 'Complete Book of Ordinary Plants' and 'Canon of Herb Preparation'; they are compiled very thoroughly. I heard that Manager Hua occasionally guides people in refining pills at the No. 6 Qihuang Pavilion. I wonder if Duan Yuyan and I can follow along to listen?"

Hua Hua Changxi sized up Chu Chu Junhao. A prince was so courteous to the wise; if she refused, it seemed very unappreciative. She immediately smiled: "When I taught classes before, it was like a big pot of rice; guiding people to refine pills is like cooking a special meal."

"A special meal, naturally, not everyone can eat it. What are the Seventh Prince and Miss Duan prepared to take out to exchange?"

Hearing this, Duan Duan Yuyan was stunned. This was the first time she had seen someone dare to openly ask a prince for benefits.

Chu Chu Junhao laughed: "What does Manager Hua need? As long as I can give it, as long as you say it, I am willing to give it."

Hua Hua Changxi sneered in her heart and threw the question back: "That depends on how much the Seventh Prince wants to attend my alchemy class. Also, I am a cultivator, so mundane things are unnecessary."

Chu Chu Junhao looked deeply at Hua Hua Changxi, flipped his wrist, and a set of cyan dresses appeared in his hand: "Manager Hua is beautiful and peerless; this set of water-and-fire-proof dharma robes is just right for you."

Duan Duan Yuyan saw the dharma robes, her eyes flickered, and she glanced at Hua Hua Changxi, revealing a meaningful smile.

Hua Hua Changxi did indeed lack dharma robes and also noticed Duan Duan Yuyan's expression, but she was not afraid of the Seventh Prince playing tricks and directly took the dharma robes: "In the future, when I teach alchemy classes at the No. 6 Qihuang Pavilion, I will send someone to notify Young Master Chu and Miss Duan."