Chapter 24: Taking an Inch and Seeking a Foot

The news that Hua Changxi had caused a major disturbance in the storage room spread throughout the entire Corvée Hall in less than a day.

Working in the Corvée Hall meant repeating strenuous physical labor every day; with no entertainment and everyone constantly tense, even a fight could become the focus of everyone's attention and a topic of conversation to relieve their boring lives.

"Hua Changxi, you clearly haven't taken my previous warning to heart at all. Not only did you start a fight in the Sixth Bureau, but you also went to the storage room to pick another one."

Upon learning of this, Du Ruo came to find Hua Changxi, her face full of anger.

Hua Changxi did not believe she had done anything wrong: "Steward Du, I did not want to fight, but the people in the storage room mocked me, and I could not bear it."

In a fit of rage, Du Ruo blurted out: "Why didn't they mock anyone else? It is simply because your own conduct is improper!"

Hua Changxi's face instantly turned cold: "Steward Du, I am the victim here. I do not demand your sympathy, but for you to turn around and blame me instead, isn't that going too far?"

"You are a senior member of the Corvée Hall and a woman; you should know very well what kind of humiliation I suffered. In such a situation, you might choose to let things slide, but what wrong is there in my fighting back?"

Rendered speechless by her words, Du Ruo fell silent for a moment before saying: "The Mao Wei you beat has an older brother who is a martial artist and a minor steward at the Medicine Manor. You had better watch yourself."

Hua Changxi heard Du Ruo's words, but she did not take them to heart.

She had already beaten the person and felt no regret; as for what might happen next, she would deal with it when the time came.

For Hua Changxi now, the most important matters were cultivation and acquiring the medical inheritance; everything else had to take a back seat.

Since she could no longer sleep in late, Hua Changxi began using her mornings to clean medicinal herbs, dedicating her afternoons and evenings to cultivation.

Thanks to the Yuanling Powder, her cultivation speed had increased dramatically.

At first, she thought she could only refine and absorb ten grams of Yuanling Powder per night, but after trying several times, she discovered she could refine and absorb a dose every two hours.

In this way, she could refine and absorb forty grams of Yuanling Powder in a single day, increasing her Realm Points by eighty points daily.

Immersed in the satisfaction of rapid cultivation, time flew by, and soon it was mid-October.

By then, the Yuanling Powder had been completely consumed, and Hua Changxi had successfully broken through the 1000 Realm Point threshold.

[Realm: Qi Refining 1055/1000]

For some reason, after her Realm Points exceeded 1000, her actual realm did not advance.

Hua Changxi was very puzzled by this, but with no one to explain it to her and her supply of Yuanling Powder exhausted, she could only resume her slow, step-by-step cultivation.

"Hua Changxi, someone is looking for you."

A shout came from outside; Hua Changxi walked out of the house to find an unfamiliar woman calling her.

As soon as the woman saw her, she spoke with great enthusiasm: "Miss Hua, Apothecary Xu from Ninth Street is looking for you; he is waiting just outside the gate of the Sixth Bureau."

"Thank you, Auntie."

After expressing her gratitude, Hua Changxi hurried to the front courtyard.

"Uncle Xu!"

Apothecary Xu had not entered the Sixth Bureau, waiting instead outside the courtyard; seeing Hua Changxi emerge, he immediately broke into a smile, and as she approached, he examined her carefully for a moment before asking with concern: "Ninth Girl, are you holding up well in the Corvée Hall?"

Hua Changxi smiled and replied: "Uncle Xu, I am doing just fine."

Seeing that Hua Changxi's complexion was ruddy and she showed no signs of exhaustion from overwork, Apothecary Xu felt much more at ease.

Hua Changxi asked: "Uncle Xu, what matter brings you here?"

Apothecary Xu said: "Your Sixth Brother came to my home last night and asked me to tell you that your Fifth Sister will be married off on the twentieth of October; he wants you to return home to see her off."

The smile on Hua Changxi's face froze: "Is Fifth Sister getting married off so soon?"

Knowing that Hua Fifth Lady was being taken as a concubine, Apothecary Xu felt it inappropriate to say much; instead, he pulled a porcelain bottle from his robe and pressed it into Hua Changxi's hand: "These are Body-Strengthening Pills I usually refine. The duties in the Corvée Hall are heavy, and you are still growing; take one pill each day and take good care of your health."

Clutching the porcelain bottle, Hua Changxi was moved: "Thank you, Uncle Xu; I will take good care of myself."

Apothecary Xu said: "I have other matters to attend to, so I must leave; remember, if anything happens, you must come find me on Ninth Street."

Hua Changxi nodded: "I will. Take care on your way, Uncle Xu."

Watching Apothecary Xu depart, Hua Changxi only turned back to the Sixth Bureau courtyard once his figure had disappeared from sight.

On her way back to the dormitory, she noticed many people staring at her.

Hua Changxi understood perfectly well what this meant; Apothecary Xu's appearance confirmed that she indeed had a powerful backing within the Medicine Bureau, and with this connection, she would likely face fewer troubles in the future.

Lu Qingluo was quite perplexed: "Since Hua Changxi knows an apothecary from Ninth Street, why did she still come to work as a corvée laborer in the Corvée Hall?"

Wang Yunchu snorted: "What other reason could there be? Either Hua Changxi's relationship with that apothecary is not as close as it seems, or that apothecary holds no real influence within the Medicine Bureau."

Because Hua Fifth Lady was to be carried into the Marquis Manor as a concubine in a few days, even the joy Hua Changxi felt from breaking through 1000 Realm Points had faded.

Regardless of the circumstances, they were sisters after all; she absolutely had to return home to see her off.

By evening, once Du Ruo had finished her work, Hua Changxi approached her: "Steward Du, I have been in the Corvée Hall for nearly a month now; I would like to request leave on the twentieth of October to return home."

Du Ruo shook her head: "The twentieth of October will not work. In our group, there are no special restrictions on the monthly one-day leave, but only one person can take leave per day; generally, whoever has matters to attend to on a specific day takes their leave then."

"Shi Yu reported to me several days ago that she has matters to attend to at home on the twentieth; to avoid delaying our duties, you will have to choose another day for your rest."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi became somewhat anxious: "Is it possible to switch? My sister is getting married on the twentieth, and I must go to see her off."

Du Ruo replied: "You will have to discuss this with Shi Yu yourself."

Hua Changxi said: "Very well, I will go find Sister Shi right now."

Shi Yu, Lu Qingluo, and the others were still cleaning medicinal herbs when they saw Hua Changxi approach, all looking somewhat surprised.

Hua Changxi walked up to Shi Yu: "Sister Shi, may I borrow a moment of your time? I have something I wish to discuss with you."

Shi Yu straightened up and asked curiously: "What do you need from me?"

Hua Changxi said: "I would like to take leave on the twentieth; I was hoping to swap days with you."

Shi Yu shook her head immediately: "No, I have matters to attend to on the twentieth."

Hua Changxi said: "...I will not make this swap for nothing. If you agree to switch with me, I will clean medicinal herbs for you for an entire day; that way, combined with your monthly leave, you could rest for two days in a row. How does that sound?"

Shi Yu was tempted and was about to agree, but after catching the glance the woman beside her gave her, she thought for a moment and raised her price: "One day is not enough; you must clean medicinal herbs for me for two days."

Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment but ultimately agreed: "Very well, I will clean medicinal herbs for you for two days. Then we have an agreement: I take leave on the twentieth."

Shi Yu smiled and accepted; with Hua Changxi cleaning herbs for her for two days plus her own one-day monthly leave, she would be able to return home and rest for three days that month.

After Hua Changxi left, Shi Yu was still delighted about being able to take two extra days off that month, but at that moment, the woman surnamed Lin and the woman surnamed Zhao from their group began to express their pity for her.

Sister Lin: "Shi Yu, you are far too honest."

Aunt Zhao: "Exactly. Hua Changxi cleans medicinal herbs so quickly; now that she needs your help, why did you only ask her to wash herbs for two days?"

Shi Yu paused, stunned: "Are two days not enough?"

Aunt Zhao snorted: "If I were you, I would definitely make Hua Changxi wash herbs for me for three days."

Sister Lin: "Three days? You underestimate Hua Changxi's abilities too much. If you ask me, you should have her help wash herbs for at least five days."

"Five days!"

Shi Yu cried out in shock: "Isn't that too much?"

Aunt Zhao: "For others, it might be a bit much, but Hua Changxi can clean five hundred stalks of medicinal herbs in half a day. Five days' worth is only twenty-five hundred stalks; she could finish them in two and a half days. For her, it is no trouble at all."

"This..."

Shi Yu hesitated, yet her heart was moved.

Nearby, Wang Yunchu, Lu Qingluo, and the other young ladies listened silently to the three women's conversation, exchanging a wordless glance.

Seeing Shi Yu actually leave the ditch and head to the rear courtyard to find Hua Changxi, Wang Yunchu muttered softly: "Truly pushing their luck. Do you think Hua Changxi will agree?"

Lu Qingluo: "...She probably will. Changxi looked truly anxious just now; she must have something very important on the twentieth."

Wang Yunchu shook her head: "I think Hua Changxi will not agree."

In the sleeping quarters, Hua Changxi was examining the Body-Strengthening Pills given to her by Physician Xu.

The small porcelain bottle, no taller than half a palm, held ten pills. Hua Changxi poured one out, placed it in her mouth to taste, and quickly identified the ingredients used within.

The pills possessed the efficacy of replenishing qi and nourishing blood, as well as consolidating the foundation and cultivating the origin. Furthermore, they contained several medicinal herbs used by martial practitioners, making their effects even more pronounced.

If sold outside, such pills would fetch at least five taels of silver each.

Giving away fifty taels of silver in one go; Hua Changxi was somewhat touched by Physician Xu's care for her.

Come to think of it, the reason she and Physician Xu became acquainted was thanks to her knowledge of Western medicine from her previous life.

During a chance consultation, while Hua Changxi was explaining Western medical theories to the resident physician at the Hua Family Pharmacy, Physician Xu, who had come to the shop to buy medicine, overheard them.

Some of the theories of Western medicine were refreshing to Physician Xu, prompting him to frequently visit the Hua Family Pharmacy to discuss medical arts with Hua Changxi.

Through such back-and-forth interactions, their relationship improved.

Hua Changxi carefully put away the medicine bottle. With Fifth Lady about to marry, she, as the younger sister, ought to present a gift, yet she had no silver; her monthly stipend as a laborer would not be issued until the end of the tenth month.

This bottle of Body-Strengthening Pills sent by Physician Xu arrived at the perfect time; she could use it as a gift for Fifth Lady.

"Changxi..."

Shi Yu entered the room.

Hua Changxi looked up at her: "Sister Shi, is there something you need?"

Shi Yu smiled and said: "Changxi, I have thought it over. I am returning home on the twentieth for a very important matter; if it is delayed, it will take at least five days to get everything back in order. Therefore, if you wish to swap leave times with me, you must wash five days' worth of medicinal herbs for me."

Seeing Hua Changxi watching her with an expressionless face, Shi Yu quickly added: "I know my request is a bit excessive, but cleaning twenty-five hundred stalks of medicinal herbs is no difficulty for you..."

Amused to anger by Shi Yu's greed, Hua Changxi laughed: "Big Sister Shi, I need to consider this matter. Once I have made up my mind, I will come and tell you."

Seeing that Hua Changxi did not agree immediately, Shi Yu felt somewhat uneasy: "Very well, then I shall return to my work first."

As soon as she left, Hua Changxi went out of the room to find Du Ruo: "Steward Du, if I wake up earlier on the twentieth to clean the medicinal herbs, may I go home after I finish?"

Du Ruo asked in surprise: "Shi Yu is unwilling to swap leave with you?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "Sister Shi demands that I wash five days' worth of medicinal herbs for her before she is willing to swap."

Hearing this, Du Ruo furrowed her brows. After a moment's thought, she said: "The storehouse opens daily at the fourth mark of the Mao hour (6:00 AM). By the time you collect the herbs and return to clean them, will you still have time to go home?"

Hua Changxi nodded: "I can manage."

Hearing this, Du Ruo said no more: "Very well. On the twentieth, as long as you complete your duties for the day, you may go home."

Hua Changxi smiled: "Thank you, Steward Du."

After leaving Steward Du's room, Hua Changxi went to the ditch and said to Shi Yu: "Sister Shi, I have considered it. I will not swap leave with you." Having spoken, she turned and left without looking back.

Shi Yu was dumbfounded, looking at Sister Lin and Aunt Zhao in confusion: "Why is she not swapping anymore?"

Sister Lin and Aunt Zhao exchanged a glance but said nothing.

Wang Yunchu chuckled softly: "I told you so. Hua Changxi is such a formidable person; how could she possibly agree to Sister Shi's excessive conditions?"