[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1896796,2531,"Chapter 22: Rumors and Slander","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>After finishing her help in the storeroom, Hua Changxi returned to the Sixth Bureau just past the Hai hour (21:00); by this time, everyone in her dormitory had already come back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had gone to sleep yet; they were chatting, but the moment Hua Changxi returned, the room seemed to hit a pause button, falling instantly silent, before resuming their conversation a while later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, not a single person greeted Hua Changxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such obvious ostracism, Hua Changxi naturally felt somewhat uncomfortable, yet she did not dwell on it; she had come to the Servant Hall to cultivate and obtain medical inheritance, not to make friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi did not linger in the room; picking up her water basin, she left the dormitory and headed straight for the dining hall, carrying the Yuan Spirit Grass she had just received.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she left, Wang Yunchu's voice grew louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you think she's been doing all afternoon?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard she's getting very cozy with the male servants over at the storeroom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk, tsk, tsk, really can't tell; so young yet already so adept at currying favor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo felt Wang Yunchu's words were a bit too much and immediately said, \"Yunchu, don't speak about Changxi like that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yunchu became even more animated: \"Am I making things up? Didn't you see the bundle she was carrying? Guess who gave it to her?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, she chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The people over at the storeroom aren't easy to get along with; why would they give her anything?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Besides, she gets up so late every day, yet the medicinal herbs she brings back are always the ones easy to clean and process; can you say there's nothing shady going on there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo fell silent; everyone in the dormitory had experienced picking up herbs late before and knew clearly what kind of herbs one would receive by going late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, let's stop worrying about Hua Changxi; hurry up, wash, and go to sleep; we'll be busy again tomorrow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone stepped in to smooth things over, and only then did Wang Yunchu stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Hua Changxi entered the dining hall, found Granny Sun, who guarded the kitchen, and asked, \"Granny Sun, may I borrow a stove?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being disturbed late at night made Granny Sun somewhat unhappy, but knowing that Steward Qin liked this young lady very much and that others in the kitchen often praised her, she did not refuse immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you need the stove for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi revealed the withered Yuan Spirit Grass in her basin: \"I've come to decoct medicine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Sun frowned: \"These herbs are all withered; can they still be used?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi shook her head: \"I don't know; I can't afford fresh herbs, so I can only use these withered ones. I have great strength and consume a lot of energy, so I must drink medicine frequently; otherwise, I get dizzy and my ears ring.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Sun: \"Is that so? Then where did you get these withered herbs?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi: \"These were discarded by the storeroom due to improper storage; today I helped the storeroom staff move some herbs, and this was their reward to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Granny Sun immediately cursed under her breath: \"Those people in the storeroom are becoming more and more heartless; you helped them, and they repay you with discarded herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi curved her lips slightly: \"Thank you for your concern, Granny Sun, but it's fine; I know the people in the storeroom have their own difficulties, and I am already very grateful that they gave me these withered herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Sun looked at Hua Changxi and ultimately led her into the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everything in the kitchen is accounted for; you must not touch anything randomly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi quickly assured her: \"Granny Sun, rest assured, I won't touch anything randomly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Granny Sun, I'm truly sorry to disturb you so late at night; please go rest; I'll leave once I'm done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Granny Sun: \"It's fine; I'll keep you company; I can't sleep anyway.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi knew Granny Sun was uneasy and worried she might use things from the kitchen, but she said nothing and began processing the Yuan Spirit Grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Spirit Grass is the main ingredient for Yuan Spirit Pills; though she could not refine pills, she knew how to make medicinal powders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step one: soaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step two: drying over fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this step, Hua Changxi used her Fire Control Technique, slowly roasting the Yuan Spirit Grass until crisp and scorched, yet without letting it truly burn to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step three: grinding into powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While processing this step, another line of text appeared in Hua Changxi's vision: [Complete Meridian Diagrams (Introductory): Dissecting Medicinal Herbs 1\u002F10].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After grinding all ten stalks of Yuan Spirit Grass into powder, Hua Changxi's mind was filled with meridian diagrams of mortal plants and beasts, and simultaneously, she learned another new technique—the Dissection Technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dissection Technique was even more profound than the Butcher Ding method; it could not only dissect but also reduce dissected medicinal herbs and animal tissues into fine dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Hua Changxi had roasted the Yuan Spirit Grass until crisp and fragile, because there was no mortar and pestle in the kitchen, she could only crush the herbs by hand; thus, the powdering of the first ten stalks was neither uniform nor fine enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After learning the Dissection Technique, Hua Changxi controlled her spiritual energy, and the herbs in her hand instantly turned into fine dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour later, under Granny Sun's astonished gaze, Hua Changxi left the dining hall carrying one jin of Yuan Spirit Powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It seems Changxi truly didn't deceive Steward Qin; she really does know medical arts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As an elder of the Servant Hall, Granny Sun possessed some knowledge and experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Servant Hall and the Apprentice Hall were separated only by a plaza; Granny Sun had seen apprentices from the Apprentice Hall preparing medicine, yet their techniques and proficiency could not compare to Changxi's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the dormitory and finding everyone asleep, Hua Changxi climbed into bed quietly and eagerly tested the effects of the Yuan Spirit Powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a spiritual plant for the first time, Hua Changxi dared not take too much; she scooped ten grams of the powder into her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The medicinal powder melted instantly upon entering her mouth, transforming into a warm current that rushed down like floodwaters breaching a dam, swiftly sweeping through her entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warm current came too fiercely; Hua Changxi clearly felt her body instantly swell with pain, as if it were about to burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of panic, Hua Changxi quickly lay prone on the bed and began circulating the Little Bird Breathing Method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One cycle, two cycles...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the warm current circulated through her body ten times, the sensation of swelling and pain began to weaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Hua Changxi's hanging heart settle back into her belly, and she immersed herself fully in cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waking up the next day, the room was empty as usual; Hua Changxi glanced at her data, and the corners of her mouth immediately curled up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Realm: Qi Refining Stage 133\u002F1000]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After refining and absorbing ten grams of Yuan Spirit Powder, her spiritual energy points increased by twenty in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was quite satisfied with this result; it was equivalent to four days of her usual cultivation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi calculated that one jin of Yuan Spirit Powder could help her increase her spiritual energy points by a thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After she raised her spiritual power points to 1000, would she be able to enter the next realm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Helping Yu Gui this time was a huge windfall!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi carefully stored away the Yuanling Powder, then went to the dining hall for breakfast with a beaming smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she entered the dining hall, she received eager hospitality from Steward Qin and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Changxi, my body often feels unwell too; please examine me and see if I have contracted some illness?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grandmother Sun had told Steward Qin and the others about Hua Changxi borrowing the kitchen last night to prepare medicine; upon learning she could compound medicines and was no worse than those from the Apprentice Hall, their trust in her medical skills grew even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi smiled and performed observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking for everyone; after prescribing a few remedies, her breakfast became even more lavish, with eggs and salted eggs she had never seen in the dining hall appearing before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi liked this situation where everyone was happy, so she smiled and ate up all their goodwill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this joy did not last long; it vanished when she reached the front courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's her; this person has colluded with the warehouse staff, staying in the warehouse for most of yesterday and only returning after dark—who knows what she was doing in there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard she rises late every day, yet the medicinal herbs she retrieves from the warehouse are cleaner and easier to process than those we get by arriving early.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The male laborers at the warehouse never stir without profit; they wouldn't take care of a young lady for no reason.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the speaker began winking and nudging, wearing a meaningful smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi watched the crowd pointing fingers and listened to their insinuating whispers; her brows knotted into a frown as she glanced at Wang Yun and the others, who were also whispering among themselves, before leaving the Sixth Bureau without saying a word.\u003C\u002Fp>",1589,"2026-06-12T02:51:22.172Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","b38a410ba55837078867d3844859dcfd8b4a3b35ee8c077ed490433663695a08","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-23","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-21",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]