Chapter 39: Sister is Such a Woman

Hua Changxi spent her first day helping at the First Bureau processing Ironwood Root while explaining the processing steps to the apprentices from the Apprentice Hall.

She processed medicinal materials quickly and didn't hide anything when explaining. Eunuch Bao was very satisfied with this. At the hour of You (18:00), when she proposed to return to the Sixth Bureau to eat and rest, he didn't stop her and just let her go back.

As for the other menials in the First Bureau and the apprentices from the Apprentice Hall who came to help, they all worked until midnight.

After eating dinner, Hua Changxi returned to the dormitory, took a mid-grade Yuanling Pill, and began to practice.

Three hours later, she opened her eyes in surprise.

Before, it took her four hours to absorb and refine a mid-grade Yuanling Pill, but now it only took three hours.

"The speed of practice has become faster!"

Hua Changxi was a bit puzzled. The factors affecting the speed of practice were nothing more than cultivation techniques, spiritual energy concentration, and state of mind.

She hadn't changed any of these factors, so how did the speed of practice become faster?

Hua Changxi felt helpless in her heart. With no one to guide her and no systematic knowledge of practice, she could only rely on guessing when encountering problems she couldn't understand.

Fortunately, the speed of practice becoming faster was a good thing, so she didn't delve into it too much, just kept this problem in mind, waiting to solve it in the future.

Taking another mid-grade Yuanling Pill, Hua Changxi continued to practice.

The next day, Hua Changxi didn't finish practicing until the hour of Mao (6:00). By the time she finished breakfast and arrived at the First Bureau, it was almost the hour of Chen (7:00).

At this time, the menials and apprentices who left later than her last night had all arrived and had already started processing medicinal materials.

Hua Changxi wanted to continue using the boiler she used yesterday, but found that it was being used by someone else, so she could only choose the only remaining boiler that hadn't been lit to process Ironwood Root.

Just as she lit the fire, Steward Qin came over: "Changxi, Eunuch Bao said you are capable. You must process more Ironwood Root today. Everyone worked until midnight last night. You should help everyone more today."

"Our task today is to process all the Ironwood Roots in the courtyard. When the work is finished, you can go back to rest."

Hua Changxi followed Steward Qin's gaze to the courtyard. Good heavens, more than twenty baskets of Ironwood Roots were piled up in the courtyard.

And saying everyone worked until midnight last night, and they must finish the work tonight before they could go back to rest—was this an opinion about her leaving early for the Sixth Bureau yesterday?

Others combined could process at most seven or eight baskets of Ironwood Root. The rest had to be done by her.

This was to squeeze her remaining value to the maximum.

Hua Changxi didn't like this kind of collective task. It seemed that those who were capable should do more. If it weren't for wanting to upgrade the *Encyclopedia of Processing* to perfection as soon as possible, she would have wanted to slack off.

Not wanting to return too late at night and delay her practice, Hua Changxi let go of her hands and accelerated the speed of processing Ironwood Root.

The apprentices from the Apprentice Hall who processed Ironwood Root with Hua Changxi turned green when they learned that they had to process more than twenty baskets of Ironwood Root today.

They knew that being assigned such a heavy task was because of Hua Changxi. They were very resentful of her in their hearts, and a few apprentices who couldn't control their emotions looked at Hua Changxi with hateful gazes.

However, soon, the apprentices from the Apprentice Hall didn't know what kind of mood to face Hua Changxi with.

The Ironwood Roots in the courtyard were processed by Hua Changxi at an extremely fast speed. They thought they might have to process Ironwood Root all night tonight, but who would have thought that by the hour of You (17:00), all twenty-plus baskets of Ironwood Roots had been processed.

Steward Qin was just as dumbfounded as the apprentices from the Apprentice Hall. When Hua Changxi told him the task was completed and she was going back to the Sixth Bureau to eat and rest, he could only nod in a daze.

Thanks to Hua Changxi, the apprentices from the Apprentice Hall spent a day in the First Bureau that was easier than learning in the Apprentice Hall.

"Sister, you went to the First Bureau to help, so why do you have time to come see me?"

Lu Qingluo looked at Lu Qingling, who came to find her, in surprise. She had also been to the First Bureau to help and knew too well how heavy the chores in the First Bureau were during this time.

Lu Qingling's expression was complex: "Qingluo, I finally know the reason why the people in the Sixth Bureau don't like Hua Changxi."

Lu Qingluo showed surprise: "Sister, did you meet Changxi in the First Bureau?"

Lu Qingling: "I'm in the same group as her, and we are both responsible for processing Ironwood Root."

Lu Qingluo was anxious: "Sister, did you have a conflict with Changxi?" Hua Changxi was not easy to provoke, and she was worried that her sister would be bullied.

Lu Qingling shook her head: "How could I have a conflict with her? However, even without any conflict, Hua Changxi is a person who makes people unable to like her."

Lu Qingluo didn't understand: "But did Changxi do anything that made you hate her?"

Lu Qingling shook her head again: "No, Hua Changxi just does things according to instructions. It's just... her ability is too strong, so strong that everyone feels frustrated and feels they are incompetent."

As she said this, she looked at Lu Qingluo.

"No one hopes that they are incompetent. Staying with a person like Hua Changxi, constantly reminding oneself that one is inferior to others everywhere—how could such a person be liked?"

Lu Qingluo was silent. This kind of psychology her sister mentioned, she had also had before.

Lu Qingling continued with a smile: "Hua Changxi leaves early and arrives late every day, while others have to work themselves to death until midnight. Look at her leisure, then look at their own hardships. It would be strange if the people in the Sixth Bureau liked Hua Changxi."

"Even if she goes to help in the First Bureau, she is equally unpopular."

"Apprentices in the Apprentice Hall have always considered themselves a grade higher than the menials in the Menial Hall. Now that they are surpassed by Hua Changxi, a menial, they won't think Hua Changxi is capable, but will only feel that they are inferior and lose face. They won't make friends with her, but will alienate and exclude her instead."

Lu Qingluo didn't quite understand her sister's meaning and asked: "Sister, what exactly do you want to say?"

Lu Qingling put away the smile on her face and said seriously: "Hua Changxi is too sharp-edged. People above won't want to see her climb above them, and people below won't want to see her stand out."

"The rumors about her are spreading wildly in the Menial Hall. Why do you think that is? There are too many people who don't want to see her do well."

"Qingluo, remember, one must not be too ostentatious when being a person; one must learn to hide one's light."

Lu Qingluo nodded: "Sister, I will."

At the corner of the backyard wall, Hua Changxi heard everything Lu Qingluo and her sister said. After the sisters walked far away, she walked out and returned to the dormitory.

Was she too sharp-edged?

Hua Changxi didn't think so. She just showed her value at the appropriate time and showed that she was not easy to provoke when she was bullied.

Showing her value allowed her to make friends with Yu Gui and have the cooperation with Eunuch Yu to refine medicine.

Letting people know she was not easy to provoke meant others wouldn't dare to jump around in front of her.

If this was ostentatious, then she was ostentatious.

She always felt that if a person wanted to gain a foothold in the world, they had to have their own value and an untouchable bottom line.

Relying on hiding one's light could hide some trouble, but one would also live a cowardly life.

Encountering opportunities but not daring to strive for them, one would probably only live a mediocre life.

Heaven gave her an opportunity to practice, and her power of self-protection was stronger than many people in the world. In this situation, if she still couldn't live for herself and couldn't vent her anger for herself, she would be struck by lightning.

Not liked by others? Hmph, was she born to please others?

If she wanted to do something, she would be the kind of person others would compete to please! ===== CHAPTER 40 =====