Chapter 257: The Hand of the Era (Twenty-Six)

Although Hua Changxi's refusal to open the secret realm before Gu Xing was merely a momentary outburst of anger, her mind remained unsettled; overwhelmed by vexation, she stood motionless at the entrance of the old courtyard for a long time.

Because the plaza had expanded, traveling on foot alone took far too long; nowadays, anyone with even modest means either rode a flying sword through the air or used other spiritual conveyances for transport.

On the side of the Dao-Protecting Families, some individuals even rode directly across the plaza atop their spiritual pets.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of people still traveled on foot.

"Whoosh~"

Someone soared by on a sword; moving so fast, they nearly knocked over pedestrians.

Witnessing this scene, Hua Changxi's brows furrowed slightly as she thought of the Saint Pill she had obtained, and the thousand Saint-Protecting Tokens contained within it.

Those thousand Saint-Protecting Tokens meant she could command a thousand Saint-Protecting Guards.

These thousand Saint-Protecting Guards were specifically tasked with guarding the Alchemy Cauldron Altar and maintaining order in the plaza.

The Alchemy Cauldron Altar was a sacred and solemn site for offering sacrifices to heaven; therefore, flight was prohibited within the plaza.

"Saint-Protecting Guards..."

Hua Changxi felt somewhat irritable; she suddenly realized that countless matters awaited her attention.

The recruitment of apprentices for the Danyuan Secret Realm had yet to make progress, and now she also had to consider maintaining order in the plaza.

Recruiting Saint-Protecting Guards was even more troublesome than recruiting apprentices; it required descending into the Nine Netherworlds and making contact with the nine Guanbao fortresses guarding the Demon Prison.

Merely thinking about these matters gave Hua Changxi a splitting headache; yet, with gain comes cost—the greater her earlier joy at the acceleration of her cultivation speed, the deeper her current depression while entangled in trivial affairs.

She only wished to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation and pill refining; why was that so difficult?

"Hall Master."

Hua Shuran and Hua Wanyue suddenly appeared, quickly approaching Hua Changxi's side.

Hua Changxi recalled her scattered thoughts and looked at the two: "What is it?"

Hua Shuran said, "My father and Uncle Minghe have arrived; they wish to see you."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi's heart stirred slightly; she roughly guessed their purpose in seeking her out: "Where are they?"

Hua Shuran replied, "Right inside Qihuang Hall Number Thirteen."

Hua Changxi nodded and headed straight out of the plaza, with Hua Shuran and Hua Wanyue hurriedly following behind.

Inside the main hall of Qihuang Hall Number Thirteen, both Hua Minghe and Hua Minghua, the heir apparent of the Dingyuan Count's Manor, appeared distracted, frequently lifting their heads to gaze toward the courtyard entrance.

A month had passed since the royal family issued the order to boycott Hua Changxi; during this month, because Hua Changxi had never appeared, both the Dingyuan Count's Manor and the Hua family had endured considerable pressure.

Today, upon receiving a message from his daughter Hua Shuran confirming Hua Changxi's appearance, Hua Minghua immediately sought out Hua Minghe and dragged him to the Medical Bureau.

Coming directly to the Medical Bureau to persuade Hua Changxi was somewhat improper, but given her erratic methods, he feared she might vanish again; thus, he could only rush to bring Hua Minghe to meet her.

"Father!"

As soon as Hua Changxi entered the main hall, she noticed that Hua Minghe looked far more haggard than before.

Seeing Hua Changxi return, Hua Minghe's face lit with joy: "Ninth Daughter." Taking three steps in two, he hurried to her side and scrutinized her carefully.

Seeing his daughter safe and sound, Hua Minghe breathed a sigh of relief; only then did he remember Hua Minghua standing nearby: "Ninth Daughter, quickly pay your respects to the Heir Apparent."

Before Hua Changxi could speak, Hua Minghua cut in: "What 'Heir Apparent'? That sounds too distant. Minghe and I are brothers of the same generation; Ninth Daughter, just call me Uncle."

Hua Changxi complied, calling him "Uncle," then turned to Hua Minghe: "Father, why have you become so haggard? Has something happened at home?"

Hua Minghe did not know how to answer and fell silent for a moment.

At this juncture, Hua Minghua could no longer maintain his dignified bearing; sighing, he spoke voluntarily: "Ninth Daughter, your father, along with your Second and Fourth Uncles, are currently idle at home."

Because Hua Changxi had vanished, the royal family had directly targeted the Hua family; those bearing the brunt were Hua Minghe and his two brothers, who held positions in the government offices.

During this period, the entire Hua clan, to varying degrees, had been affected by the fallout.

Hua Changxi was startled: "Father, were you and Second and Fourth Uncles dismissed from your posts?"

Hua Minghua answered instead: "They were not dismissed; the authorities merely ordered your father and the others to rest at home for a while."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi understood that the royal house, to force her compromise and submission, had extended its reach to her family.

If she certainly submitted, her father and the others would soon return to their respective offices; if she refused to yield, they might never be allowed to return.

Seeing Hua Changxi's face darkened and silent, Hua Minghua could not help but signal Hua Minghe with his eyes, urging him to persuade her immediately.

Seeing this, Hua Minghe sighed: "Ninth Daughter, since your secret realm cannot recruit anyone, what are your plans?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Father, I can resolve the matter of recruiting for the secret realm myself; I refuse to believe that the royal family and the nobility can block the endless masses of the world."

Hua Minghua's eyelids twitched upon hearing this; Hua Changxi intended to clash head-on with all parties.

Hua Changxi continued: "Father, you need not worry about my side; however, regarding the family... perhaps you, Second Uncle, and Fourth Uncle should all cease serving the court."

At these words, Hua Minghua could no longer contain himself; speaking anxiously, he said: "Ninth Daughter, the authorities ordering your father and your uncles to remain idle at home is them offering you a way to step down gracefully."

"If you do not step down, they have even more drastic measures in reserve; even if your father and the others cease serving the court, they still have ways to deal with you."

"Are you certain you want to oppose the royal family and the major nobles?"

"Do you know what this implies? You are smashing an egg against a rock!"

"Even if you do not consider yourself, can you not think of the others in the family? Can they bear the targeting from all sides?"

Hearing this, murderous intent surged in Hua Changxi's eyes: "Whoever dares to harm my family, no matter who they are, I will repay them tenfold!"

Both Hua Minghe and Hua Minghua were startled.

Hua Minghe said: "Ninth Daughter, you must not act rashly."

Hua Minghua also hastened to soothe her: "It is not that bad; things have not yet reached that point."

Hua Changxi looked at the two of them: "The Danyuan Secret Realm was bestowed upon me by the Divine Tree; if anyone can interfere, then I would rather the secret realm never open."

Hua Minghua suffered a severe headache; he now realized that Hua Changxi could not tolerate even the slightest coercion from outsiders. Though a young woman, her temper was more volatile and stubborn than that of most men.

He simply could not understand: Hua Bin had always conducted himself with forbearance, and while Hua Minghe was slightly more resolute, neither would ever confront an opponent head-on when knowing they were outmatched; how then had they produced such an outlier as Hua Changxi, who readily sought mutual destruction at the slightest provocation?

"Ninth Daughter, your uncle feels that there are some matters you have not yet seen clearly."

Hua Minghua spoke with patience: "You are currently within the Medical Bureau; let me ask you, do you understand how the Medical Bureau operates?"

Hua Changxi looked over: "Uncle, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Seeing that she had finally taken in a few words, Hua Minghua's brows relaxed somewhat: "What I mean is that whether it is the Medical Bureau or any other place, even within one's own family, the production and distribution of benefits are always involved."

"What is your status now?"

"You are the Master of Qihuang Hall Number Thirteen, and the Master of the Danyuan Secret Realm!"

"The Danyuan Secret Realm aside, but Qihuang Hall is still part of the Medical Bureau, which means you are still a person of the Medical Bureau."

"Since you are a person of the Medical Bureau, you must abide by its rules and participate in the distribution of its benefits."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Hua Minghua had clearly and explicitly laid out the essence of various benefit transfers within the Medical Bureau; seeing Hua Changxi remain silent, he could only continue.

"Since you belong to the Medical Bureau, in the eyes of the imperial family and others, the Danyuan Secret Realm in your hands is also considered a resource of the Medical Bureau, and everyone deserves a share of the pie."

Hua Changxi was angered by this shameless sophistry: "If Uncle believes the Danyuan Secret Realm in my hands is a resource of the Medical Bureau, then what about the other Secret Realm Masters? Why are their secret realms not brought out for everyone to share?"

"Now all parties are watching me simply because they think I have no power or influence and am the easiest to bully."

Hua Minghua said softly: "How do you know that other Secret Realm Masters have not distributed the resources within their realms to others?"

Hua Changxi fell silent.

Hua Minghua said: "Ninth Lady, going it alone will not take you far; you must learn to choose cooperation with others, for your own sake and for your family."