Chapter 235: Pushing the Era (Part 4)

Hua Hua Changxi took Hua Hua Sanlang to find a seat in a tea house next to the restaurant, waiting for the result of Tong Yao's interview with Hua Hua Liulang.

"Every day these past few days, clansmen have been coming to the door, many of whom have helped Grandfather in the past."

"Although the Count's Mansion distributes a portion of cultivation resources to those in the clan who test for spirit roots, it is far from enough for cultivation."

"Knowing that you are now the master of the Divine Wood Secret Realm of the Pill Sacred Hall, the clansmen have all come to beg at the door."

"But you are unwilling to let the family interfere in your affairs, and you are a person of your word, so Grandfather has been pestered to the point where he can hardly handle it."

"After I go home later, I will tell Grandfather that you are willing to recruit clansmen into the secret realm. He will definitely be so happy he'll jump for joy."

"Ever since Grandfather became an elder of the clan, he has always wanted to do something for the clan so that our family could have more say in the clan. Now that you are willing to recruit clansmen, the other elders in the clan will no longer be able to use Grandfather's seniority as an excuse."

Hua Hua Changxi faced the street, her left hand supporting her chin, her right hand tapping the table lightly, listening expressionlessly to Hua Hua Sanlang's chatter.

Hua Hua Sanlang looked at Hua Hua Changxi's expression while talking, and seeing that she had no reaction, he felt helpless.

Why couldn't Hua Jiuniang figure out that the family was her greatest reliance!

The Count's Mansion had long since found out clearly that other secret realm masters all took their clansmen as core members and then let close relatives and friends whose roots they knew well assist from the side.

They collaborated with each other, each taking what they needed, and naturally worked together with one heart.

Look, Hua Jiuniang hadn't made a move yet, while other secret realm masters had already arranged their manpower, letting everyone perform their duties, and had begun to develop the secret realm in an orderly manner.

Hua Hua Sanlang sighed in his heart. He really couldn't figure out why Hua Jiuniang was unwilling to use her own family. It was like that with the Fire Spirit Mine before, and it was the same with the secret realm now.

Fortunately, Hua Jiuniang was willing to recruit clansmen this time, otherwise, their family really wouldn't know how to explain it to the clan.

As for the proposal from the Count's Mansion—that the Count's Mansion act as a go-between to contact several noble families who had close dealings with the Hua clan to assist Hua Jiuniang in managing the secret realm—he didn't dare to mention it at all.

Hua Hua Changxi noticed the glances Hua Hua Sanlang kept throwing her way, but she ignored them.

As for the Hua family, she couldn't bring herself to turn a blind eye and ignore them completely, but she was also unwilling to be subjected to too much interference and influence.

In recruiting apprentices, she would not deliberately exclude members of the Hua clan, but she would not give them any preferential treatment either; she would treat them the same as any other cultivators who came to apply.

Letting her Third Brother enter the secret realm as a steward was firstly because she did have the intention to help. There was no way around it; it was too difficult for cultivators without backing or background to obtain resources, and she couldn't truly ignore the fact that the Hua family had no cultivation resources to use.

Secondly, in developing the secret realm, she needed a few stewards to manage the newly recruited apprentices, and she could only choose from people she was familiar with. Her Third Brother had studied medicine since childhood and had experience in managing an apothecary, so he should have no problem managing the apprentices in the early stages of the secret realm's development.

"Third Brother, Sixth Brother and the others are coming out, let's go over."

Hua Hua Changxi saw Tong Yao walking out of the restaurant with Hua Hua Liulang and hurriedly walked out of the tea house with Hua Hua Sanlang.

"Fellow Daoist Tong!"

Hua Hua Changxi walked toward Tong Yao with a smile, and seeing the joy on Hua Hua Liulang's face, she immediately asked with a smile, "How is it? Can my Sixth Brother take you as his master?"

Tong Yao replied, "Taking me as his master? That won't do."

Hearing this answer, Hua Hua Changxi was stunned, and then she saw Tong Yao smile.

"If your Sixth Brother took me as his master, wouldn't I be a generation above you? But I wouldn't dare to let you call me Senior."

Seeing Hua Hua Changxi let out a heavy sigh of relief, Tong Yao's smile deepened.

"Fellow Daoist Hua, I want to take your Sixth Brother back to my sect. If my master is willing to accept him as a disciple, he might not be able to come home for a while."

Hua Hua Changxi's eyes lit up, "Then I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Tong."

Tong Yao smiled, "You and I don't need to be so formal."

Hua Hua Changxi and Hua Hua Sanlang gave Hua Hua Liulang a few instructions, and then he left with Tong Yao.

Watching the two walk away, Hua Hua Sanlang couldn't help but ask, "Hua Jiuniang, what is that Fellow Daoist Tong's master's position in the Artifact Sacred Palace?"

Hua Hua Changxi looked at him, "Third Brother, as for the affairs of the Artifact Sacred Palace, let Sixth Brother tell you himself in the future." She paused.

"The artifact refining workshop is still sealed, so don't go around talking about Sixth Brother joining the Artifact Sacred Palace."

Hua Hua Sanlang nodded, "Don't worry, I understand that much." As he spoke, he looked at Hua Hua Changxi, "Hua Jiuniang, after I join the Pill Sacred Hall, can I also have a master?"

Hua Hua Changxi shook her head, "The Pill Sacred Hall is different from other Sacred Grounds; it has long been infiltrated by the Imperial family and various powerful figures."

"Which side is the true successor of the Pill Sacred Hall is impossible to distinguish."

"Or perhaps, the lineage of the Pill Sacred Hall has not yet been discovered."

"In this situation, who do you want to take as a master?"

Hua Hua Sanlang frowned, his face filled with worry, "I didn't expect the Pill Sacred Hall to be so chaotic."

Seeing him like this, Hua Hua Changxi comforted him, "Third Brother, put your heart at ease. After entering the secret realm, I will start from the identification and planting of spirit herbs and teach you and other apprentices alchemy step by step."

It wasn't that she was bragging, but in terms of alchemy, in the current Medical Department, except for Meng Meng Qingyao, no one could compare to her.

Hua Hua Sanlang looked at Hua Hua Changxi suspiciously, "You're going to teach us?"

Hua Hua Changxi looked at his suspicious and distrustful gaze and became unhappy, "Yes, I'm the one who will teach you. What, do you look down on me?"

Hua Hua Sanlang was silent for a moment, "It's not a question of looking down on you. Hua Jiuniang, you've only been on the path of cultivation for less than two years, and the time you've spent learning alchemy is even shorter."

"Third Brother knows that you are very talented in medicine and alchemy, and you might have been very lucky to obtain an alchemy lineage."

"However, I feel that whether it's cultivation or alchemy, one needs a predecessor to lead the way. Relying on oneself to grope around, wasting time is a small matter, but if you go down the wrong path, you'll regret it too late."

Hua Hua Changxi didn't reply to this. Third Brother's worry was not unreasonable, but it didn't apply to her.

There was no other reason; what she obtained was the complete Shennong Cauldron lineage.

But she was too lazy to argue with Hua Hua Sanlang. After entering the secret realm, the truth would naturally be revealed.

It was getting late, and Hua Hua Changxi didn't say anything else to Hua Hua Sanlang, and they parted ways.

Hua Hua Changxi returned to the Medical Department, went straight into the secret realm, and continued to conceive the management plan for the secret realm.

Talent cultivation plan: Apprentice -> Spirit Herb Planter -> Spirit Herb Processor -> Pharmacist -> Alchemist.

Secret realm management structure: Law Enforcement Hall -> Mission Hall (divided into Planting Department + Processing Department + Alchemy Department) -> Merit Hall -> Logistics Department -> Personnel Department -> Lecturer Hall.

The Lecturer Hall is responsible for spreading medicine and the Dao of Pills, which can be handled by her first. After discovering good seedlings and cultivating them in the future, she will be liberated.

The Personnel Department is responsible for recruiting people. The first and second levels of the secret realm have 150 million mu of herb fields. Recruiting many apprentices will definitely take a long time, so let Pharmacist Xu lead the other seven medicine boys to be responsible;

The Logistics Department is responsible for food, clothing, housing, transportation, tools, etc., let Eunuch Yu be responsible;

The Merit Hall, which is the Finance Department, is responsible for recording the contributions of apprentices, let Eunuch Zhao be responsible;

The Mission Hall is responsible for the collection, planting, and processing of medicinal materials, let Hua Hua Sanlang and Eunuch Zhou be responsible together;

The Law Enforcement Hall is responsible for maintaining order in the secret realm, let Eunuch Jia be responsible.

Eunuch Jia, Eunuch Yu, Eunuch Zhao, and Eunuch Zhou were all her people. After all the people in the Handyman Hall were replaced, the four of them, relying on their own connections, were still working in the Handyman Hall.

Before this, Hua Hua Changxi wanted the four of them to stay in the Handyman Hall to gather information for her, but now, in order to develop the secret realm, she had no one else to use and could only mobilize them.

Having determined the tone of the secret realm management, Hua Hua Changxi used spiritual power on the first level of the secret realm to connect the southernmost and northernmost ends into a line to build ridges; then she connected the westernmost and easternmost ends into a line to build ridges, thus dividing the first level of the secret realm into four areas.

The entrance and exit of the secret realm teleportation array were set in the fourth area. After recruiting apprentices, they would start collecting spirit herbs and reclaiming herb fields from the fourth area, and then radiate to other areas in turn.

The first level of the secret realm covered an area of 100 million mu. Even if Hua Hua Changxi was a Nascent Soul cultivator, building the ridges would take a lot of her time.

While Hua Hua Changxi was busy in the secret realm, other secret realm masters were also busy, but they had people in their hands, so they were much more composed.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Spirit Realm Pavilion held its first secret realm master meeting on the Ninth Street.

The person presiding over the meeting was Xia Zhen. Of the fifteen secret realm masters, only Hua Hua Changxi did not attend.

There was no other reason; he didn't send anyone to notify Hua Hua Changxi.

On New Year's Eve, Hua Hua Changxi didn't give him any face and even said that the secret realm was bestowed upon her by the Divine Wood, and she had the final say on everything in the secret realm, without needing outsiders to ask.

Didn't she want to have the final say alone? Then he wouldn't call her to any future Spirit Realm Pavilion meetings. ===== CHAPTER 236 =====