Chapter 299: Are They One of Us?

After meeting the new apprentices, Hua Changxi returned to the bamboo hut and summoned Zhou Shou from the Mission Hall and Jia Lu from the Enforcement Hall.

"Master."

Hua Changxi handed the resumes of Ye Lingxuan and the other eight to the two men: "Keep a close watch on these nine; see who they associate with."

Zhou Shou and Jia Lu took the resumes and, upon glancing at them, both displayed looks of surprise.

"A Grade-3 Alchemist!"

"A Tier-3 Processing Master!"

"A Tier-3 Spirit Plant Master!"

"The talent of these people is actually this high!"

Hua Changxi pondered for a moment before saying: "Assign all tasks for these nine to picking and cleaning spirit herbs and reclaiming medicinal fields."

She wanted to see just what these people intended to do after joining Danyuan Peak, and whether they could endure the first wave of hardship.

Zhou Shou and Jia Lu immediately agreed: "Rest assured, Master; we will keep a good watch on these people."

Hua Changxi thought of the Infant Transformation cultivation of Ye Lingxuan, Jiang Henian, and Dugu Lie; if she were not at Danyuan Peak, Yu Fu and the others possessed cultivation that was too low to suppress them.

"Tonight, summon Yu Fu, Zhao Xi, and my third brother..."

After a moment's hesitation, Hua Changxi ultimately decided not to summon Physician Xu; firstly, his embarkation on the path of cultivation had nothing to do with her; secondly, since Physician Xu and Wan Feng were both in the Personnel Department, their actions might inadvertently reveal traces of this gathering.

"Tonight, the five of you come to the bamboo hut together; I have matters to discuss."

After Zhou Shou and Jia Lu agreed, they went off to attend to their respective duties.

Hua Changxi then began preparing the spirit herbs required for the Body-Tempering Medicinal Bath and the Ancestral-Return Medicinal Bath; by nightfall, a row of rooms on the right side of the bamboo hut each contained a wooden tub filled to the brim with emerald-green, dew-laden medicinal broth.

The higher one ascended Danyuan Peak, the denser the spiritual energy became, yet apprentices establishing cave dwellings could only choose locations below the mid-mountain level, strictly adhering to the principle of first-come, first-served when selecting spots.

Since Hua Sanlang was not among the first batch to join the Danyuan Secret Realm, the cave dwelling he established was somewhat remote, and the soil quality of the spirit fields outside his cave was not very good.

Every time he returned to his cave dwelling was when Hua Sanlang felt most congested in heart.

For no other reason than that, whenever he passed the cave dwellings of the first batch of apprentices, feeling the dense spiritual energy in the air and seeing the vibrant spirit herbs and plants growing outside their caves, he felt both regret and anger.

He regretted not having joined the Danyuan Secret Realm in the first batch, and he was angry that his younger sister Hua Changxi truly treated him, her own full-blooded third brother, no differently than the other apprentices.

Upon arriving outside his cave dwelling, Hua Sanlang first inspected the planted spirit herbs; only after confirming they were growing well did he prepare to enter the cave.

"Sanlang."

Yu Fu arrived: "The Master is looking for you; come quickly with me to see her."

Hua Sanlang looked somewhat surprised; having been at Danyuan Peak for so long, this was the first time Ninth Lady had actively sought him out: "Steward Yu, what does Ninth Lady want with me?"

Yu Fu smiled: "You will know once you arrive."

Hua Sanlang said nothing more and followed Yu Fu toward the bamboo hut at the peak.

After the two departed, a graceful figure emerged from a lush patch of spirit rice fields nearby.

Zhu Qinghuan watched the retreating backs of Hua Sanlang and Yu Fu, her gaze deep: "I nearly believed that Hua Changxi truly cared nothing for family ties."

Although Yu Fu had only approached Hua Sanlang after nightfall, far too many people were watching Hua Sanlang; not only Zhu Qinghuan, but also Chu Junhao, Hua Hongrui, Hua Shuran, and others had seen the two heading toward the peak.

Although he entered and exited the secret realm from the summit of Danyuan Peak daily, this was Hua Sanlang's first time visiting Hua Changxi's bamboo hut; seeing Yu Fu navigate so familiarly, he felt a certain discomfort in his heart.

"Sanlang and Old Yu have arrived!"

Jia Lu, Zhao Xi, and Zhou Shou had already arrived; seeing Yu Fu and Hua Sanlang come, they all smiled and offered greetings.

After the five exchanged greetings, Hua Changxi also walked out from the bamboo hut.

"Master!"

Hearing the address used by Yu Fu and the other four, Hua Sanlang's heart stirred; looking at his sister, who appeared increasingly ethereal and detached from the mundane, his expression grew somewhat gloomy: "Ninth Lady."

Hua Changxi walked to the stone table and sat down, then gestured for Hua Sanlang and the other five to sit, before saying: "Danyuan Peak has recruited quite a few apprentices recently; regarding this, do any of you have opinions?"

Yu Fu and the other four exchanged glances, assuming Hua Changxi had summoned them to discuss how to manage the apprentices.

As for Hua Sanlang, his heart leaped with joy; he felt that with more people on Danyuan Peak, Yu Fu and the other four could no longer manage alone, and Hua Changxi was about to assign him a position.

Yu Fu spoke first: "With apprentices increasing, each department will likely need to recruit a batch of new stewards and laborers."

Hua Sanlang quickly stated his stance: "Ninth Lady, whenever there is a need for your third brother, just speak up."

Hua Changxi: "...What about the others? Does no one else have anything to say?"

Jia Lu hesitated slightly: "Master, with more apprentices, the Enforcement Team of the Enforcement Hall must expand its ranks, and expand significantly, to ensure the stability of Danyuan Peak and the secret realm."

Hua Changxi nodded: "Finally, someone has hit the mark." She paused.

"Among the apprentices recruited over these past two months, there are many with profound cultivation; as stewards, do you have the means to control them?"

At these words, the expressions of Yu Fu and the other four instantly turned serious and grave; even Hua Sanlang fell silent.

Hua Changxi asked again: "In the future, there will be even more talents on Danyuan Peak; can you remain firmly seated in your positions as stewards?"

After exchanging glances, Yu Fu and the other four rose in unison, bowed, and declared: "Rest assured, Master; we will surely strive to advance our cultivation and dedicate ourselves to studying medical arts and the Dao of Alchemy."

Hua Sanlang was a beat slower, but followed suit: "I will also work hard."

Hua Changxi looked at Yu Fu and the other four: "You four lack spiritual roots and can only temper your bodies; at the Infant Transformation realm and below, body cultivators are not weaker than method cultivators."

"However, once entering the Spirit Platform realm, method cultivators develop divine consciousness, and body cultivators will begin to be suppressed by them. To possess the strength to fight, body cultivators must enhance themselves through other means."

"Fortunately, the bloodlines within you four have undergone ancestral return to varying degrees; as long as the degree of ancestral return is sufficiently high, there is a possibility of obtaining ancestral return divine abilities."

Upon hearing this, Yu Fu and the other four all revealed looks of joy.

Hua Changxi, however, shook her head: "I can see that you four have been quite diligent in body tempering, yet none of your aptitudes can be considered good; thus, to this day, you have only cultivated to the second chapter of the 'Nine Turns Mysterious Art'."

"Currently, the apprentices on Danyuan Peak have just been recruited and are unfamiliar with everything, remaining relatively obedient; with strength equivalent to Sea of Qi cultivators, you can still suppress them. But in a few years, with your meager strength, you will definitely be unable to command respect."

Hearing this, Yu Fu and the other four became anxious.

"Master, aptitude is determined by heaven; we are helpless against it!"

Hua Changxi: "Aptitude is not immutable; it depends on whether you can endure it."

Yu Fu and the other four nodded vigorously: "We can endure it!"

Hua Sanlang exclaimed in astonishment: "Talents can actually be improved?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Once you have achieved mastery in medical arts and the Dao of Pills, you will know that anything is possible." Having spoken, she turned her gaze toward Yu Fu and the other three.

"From now on, every other day, you four will come to the bamboo huts to soak in medicinal baths, alternating between Body-Tempering Medicinal Baths and Ancestral-Return Medicinal Baths. I will perform acupuncture on you to unblock your meridians, thereby enhancing your absorption of the medicinal potency."

"The medicinal baths in Bamboo Huts One through Four are already prepared; go in and soak."

After thanking her repeatedly, Yu Fu and the other three entered the bamboo huts with solemn gravity.

Watching the four enter the bamboo huts, Hua Sanlang could not wait to ask: "Ninth Sister, since there is a method to improve talents, why do you not help our family members?"

Here we go again!

Annoyance flashed through Hua Changxi's eyes, her expression turning cold: "If I were to tell our family the method for improving talents, could you guarantee they would not spread it?"

Hua Sanlang opened his mouth to say "Yes," but the words stuck in his throat as he suddenly recalled how Ninth Sister had previously transmitted the Body-Tempering Cultivation Method to them, yet within a short time, their grandfather had handed it over to the clan.

Hua Changxi sneered and continued: "Improving talents is no easy matter; it consumes vast resources. Will you supply these resources, or shall I?"

Hua Sanlang opened and closed his mouth, unsure how to respond, before finally stiffening his neck and retorting: "Yu Fu and the other three are outsiders. Could it be that in your heart, our own family members count for less than outsiders?"

Too lazy to continue entangling with Hua Sanlang, Hua Changxi spoke her mind directly: "Yes. In my heart, the Hua family members are indeed inferior to those four."

Hua Sanlang looked at Hua Changxi in disbelief: "How can you be so..."

Hua Changxi: "How can I be what? I help Yu Fu and the others because I can receive equal returns; they can help me manage Danyuan Peak."

Hua Sanlang countered: "Family members can also help you."

Hua Changxi scoffed: "Help me? What you call helping me is making all sorts of demands and exactions under the guise of 'for your own good,' ultimately fulfilling your own ambitions and objectives."

"Before recruiting apprentices for the Danyuan Secret Realm, I stated that I wanted to give every cultivator wishing to learn medical arts and pill refining an opportunity. At that time, what did you and the family do?"

"First, you scoffed at my idea, then you tried to dictate terms, demanding that I take care of the Hua clansmen."

"Is this what you call helping me?"

"Is this truly helping me, or is it merely fulfilling your own ambitions and objectives?"

Growing angrier as she spoke, Hua Changxi said: "Danyuan Peak embodies my ideals. I employ Yu Fu and the others because they can act entirely according to my thoughts and requirements. The Danyuan Peak of today is exactly what I wished to create."

Hua Sanlang continued to argue: "We could have done it too. It was you who first treated us with cold indifference. If you had spoken properly, how could we possibly..."

"Leave."

Unwilling to continue the conversation, Hua Changxi directly dismissed him.

Hua Sanlang froze.

Hua Changxi looked at him: "When I first entered the Medical Bureau, seeing those above me appointing relatives and favorites, I felt deeply unconvinced."

"But after beginning to manage Danyuan Peak, I realized I was no different from them; I also found myself wanting to place my own trusted confidants in core positions."

"You are my elder brother; I thought that no matter what, we were our own people. Yet I discovered I was wrong; blood ties are insufficient to determine who truly belongs to one's own circle."

"Third Brother, from now on, however long you stay at Danyuan Peak or how high you climb, I will not interfere. Everything depends on yourself."

Having spoken, Hua Changxi entered the bamboo hut, leaving Hua Sanlang standing foolishly outside.