Chapter 200: Talisman Eye

Inside the No. 10 Qihuang Hall, Gu Jinfan was drinking tea with Tang Yufeng, the master of the No. 9 Hall; the Tang family, being the foremost noble clan in Jingcheng, maintained excellent connections with powerful families from all factions.

"Hua Changxi has left again?"

Upon hearing the report from her subordinate, Gu Jinfan immediately furrowed her brows.

Seeing this, Tang Yufeng smiled and said, "Although I have never met Hua Changxi, you have mentioned her several times; clearly, she is no ordinary person."

Gu Jinfan replied, "I know Hua Changxi is no ordinary person, but her complete indifference toward the Qihuang Hall truly baffles me."

The Qihuang Halls not only concealed the secrets of the Pill Saint Hall but also symbolized a certain status and standing; before the eighteen Qihuang Halls were properly allocated, the major powers in Jingcheng had fought tooth and nail for them, yet Hua Changxi displayed an attitude of total disregard.

Tang Yufeng chuckled, "What is there to find puzzling? No one likes being used." He paused, then looked at Gu Jinfan with a smile and asked, "Do you think Hua Changxi knows that the imperial court intends to exploit her to unravel the secrets of the Qihuang Hall?"

Gu Jinfan fell silent for a moment before answering, "She certainly knows."

Tang Yufeng continued, "Exactly; since she does not wish to be exploited or allow the imperial court to succeed, is it not quite normal for her to show little concern for the No. 13 Qihuang Hall?"

Gu Jinfan frowned and argued, "However, having obtained the wooden tablet, she bears the responsibility of reviving the Pill Saint Hall; how can she neglect its revival simply to oppose the imperial court? Such conduct shows a severe lack of regard for the bigger picture."

Hearing this, Tang Yufeng burst into loud laughter, laughing for quite some time until Gu Jinfan's expression darkened, at which point he finally stopped: "Jinfan, the Duke Prefecture has protected you far too well."

Gu Jinfan asked, "What do you mean?"

Tang Yufeng's expression turned serious: "I mean that you see things in far too black-and-white terms; just because Hua Changxi obtained the wooden tablet, you believe she ought to shoulder the duty of reviving the Pill Saint Hall, and when she refuses, you accuse her of ignoring the greater good, without ever putting yourself in her position; you make assumptions far too readily."

"To say something you may not like hearing: if I were Hua Changxi, I would make the exact same choice she did; at any time, anyone will basically secure their own interests first before considering anything else."

Gu Jinfan felt somewhat irritated, thinking to herself that if Tang Yufeng had experienced the previous life's invasion, oppression, and slaughter by external cultivators, he would not be speaking so casually without feeling the pain.

Observing Gu Jinfan's silence, Tang Yufeng tested cautiously, "Jinfan, it seems you hold expectations for Hua Changxi that far exceed those you have for others."

Upon hearing this, a flicker passed through Gu Jinfan's eyes: "That is not the case."

Tang Yufeng asked with a smile, "Yet Hua Changxi is not the only one who received a wooden tablet; although the others stay in the Qihuang Halls every day, they have discovered nothing, and I have never heard you complain about them; you only blame Hua Changxi—is that not a bit of a double standard?"

Caught off guard by the question, Gu Jinfan snorted, "I simply bully the weak and fear the strong; are you satisfied now?" Having said this, she stood up and headed to the pill-refining room.

Watching her retreating figure, Tang Yufeng fell into thoughtful contemplation.

Gu Jinfan possesses the ability of foresight, a fact confirmed by many events; could her such high expectations for Hua Changxi mean that... Hua Changxi becomes extremely powerful in the future?

If that were the case, the Tang family would need to treat the Dingyuan Count's Manor with greater seriousness in the future, and they should also attempt to make contact with the Hua family.

After leaving the Medical Bureau, Hua Changxi returned directly to the Feng'an Fang pharmacy.

Tong Yao had sent her a message stating that he had already arranged to meet a friend who would help ignite the white jade lotus petals, asking her to gather tomorrow at the street where they had previously parted ways.

That evening, she brewed another pot of body-refining medicinal bath for soaking; by the time she had fully absorbed the medicinal properties within the soup, dawn had already broken.

Afterwards, Hua Changxi practiced the tendon-refining section of the body technique for one double-hour in the courtyard, then packed up and set off to meet Tong Yao.

Upon arriving at the street where they had parted, Hua Changxi spotted Tong Yao sitting at a tea stall from afar, and beside him sat a monk dressed in white robes.

She recognized this monk as Jingliao, whom she had encountered when delivering Grand Master Changmei's belongings to Xiangguo Temple.

Recalling how the awakening pattern on the back of her hand aided her in perceiving the black flame, Hua Changxi felt grateful toward Xiangguo Temple and walked over with a smile: "Fellow Daoist Tong."

Seeing Hua Changxi arrive, Tong Yao immediately stood up, exchanged greetings, and then hurriedly introduced her to Jingliao beside him: "Jingliao, this is Fellow Daoist Hua."

Jingliao stared straight at Hua Changxi, his eyes clear and bright, filled with astonishment.

Tong Yao had already told him that this Fellow Daoist Hua was the benefactor who helped Grand Uncle Changmei rescue them at Kunmen Pass; he truly had not expected that the benefactor, whose strength was no less than that of Grand Uncle Changmei, would be so young.

What surprised him even more was that, using his Talisman Eye, he perceived the chains of law talismans of 'Karma' and 'Rift' swirling around Benefactor Hua.

Hua Changxi did not dislike Jingliao's gaze, so she allowed him to examine her.

During this time, she keenly detected a glint of golden light flashing in Jingliao's eyes, and she immediately employed the Observation, Listening, Questioning, and Pulse-Taking Technique to probe him.

Upon seeing his dantian, which resembled a starry sky, her pupils trembled in shock; the Nascent Soul upon his dantian was even enveloped in a holy golden radiance, yet when she shifted her gaze to his eyes, a sharp pain instantly struck them.

"Ah~"

Seeing Hua Changxi cover her eyes with both hands, Tong Yao was greatly alarmed: "Fellow Daoist Hua, what is wrong?"

At this moment, Jingliao also came to his senses; seeing Hua Changxi covering her eyes, his own eyes widened in shock.

Benefactor Hua's condition looked as though she had been injured by his Talisman Eye!

She could see his Talisman Eye?!

Hua Changxi took quite a while to recover before reopening her eyes; only after confirming that her vision remained unaffected did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing that Hua Changxi had not been seriously injured by his Talisman Eye, Jingliao breathed a sigh of relief while simultaneously becoming even more curious about her.

Only those whose cultivation realm surpassed his own would avoid severe injury from the Talisman Eye; after obtaining the Talisman Brush, his cultivation speed had skyrocketed, and he was now a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

His master had said that the reason for his such rapid cultivation was due to his great merit; since Benefactor Hua's cultivation level was even higher than his, it indicated that she too must possess great merit.

Hua Changxi dared not look into Jingliao's eyes, focusing instead on his chin: "Master Jingliao, your eyes..."

Jingliao glanced at Tong Yao, then at Hua Changxi; since one was a close friend and the other a life-saving benefactor possessing great merit, he saw no reason to hide the truth: "Amitabha; after refining the Talisman Brush, I developed the Talisman Eye."

"Please forgive me, Benefactor Hua; just now, this poor monk inadvertently used the Talisman Eye and injured you, but rest assured, as long as I do not activate the Talisman Eye, you may look into my eyes."

Hua Changxi thought to herself that she had no interest in looking at his eyes anyway, and asked aloud, "Why did you use the Talisman Eye on me, and what did you see?"

"..."

Jingliao wore an embarrassed expression: "Benefactor Hua... could it be that you also possess a special eye?"

Now it was Hua Changxi's turn to remain silent.

Standing aside, Tong Yao widened his eyes in shock: "You both possess special eyes?"

Ignoring him, Hua Changxi simply looked at Jingliao and said, "Do not speak recklessly about what you saw; of course, I will not speak recklessly either."

Jingliao nodded repeatedly: "Rest assured, Benefactor Hua; this junior monk is not a gossip."

Looking at the two of them, Tong Yao felt somewhat disappointed; why did he not possess a special eye?

Only then did Hua Changxi turn her attention to Tong Yao: "I did not expect Fellow Daoist Tong to act so quickly; I originally thought it would take at least some time."

Composing himself, Tong Yao smiled and replied, "Fellow Daoist Hua rendered great assistance to the Artifact Saint Palace this time, so naturally, I must keep your matters close to heart; I have also contacted my friend who specializes in array formation, but she is currently not in Jingcheng, so it will take some time before we can meet her."

Hua Changxi surveyed the surroundings of the tea stall; directly across the street stood imperial soldiers blockading the artifact-refining workshop, making it impossible to reveal the white jade lotus petals here: "Should we not find another place to talk?"

Jingliao spoke up: "Let us go to Dixiu Temple."

Tong Yao and Hua Changxi had no objections.

The three rose and left the teahouse; as they departed, Hua Changxi glanced at the soldiers surrounding the Artifact Refining Workshop but saw neither Hua Minghe nor He Dalang.

Seeing this, Tong Yao asked, "Is Fellow Daoist Hua looking for someone?"

Hua Changxi shook her head. "The blockade around the Artifact Refining Workshop seems tighter."

Tong Yao nodded, then said in a sour tone, "A tremendous explosion occurred at the Artifact Refining Workshop last night; who knows what the imperial clan and the nobility are doing inside?"