Chapter 40: Turning Heaven and Earth Upside Down

[Complete Canon of Processing (Perfected): Processed medicinal ingredients 6543/]

Hua Changxi glanced at the data, then looked at the thirty-odd baskets of Ironwood Roots piled in the courtyard, and said to Steward Qin, who was still telling her, "The workload is heavy; you must process all these Ironwood Roots today," "I'm going to work."

It was obvious that since she had returned to the Sixth Bureau to rest at the fourth quarter of You hour yesterday without working overtime or staying up late, Eunuch Bao felt he hadn't squeezed her dry yet, and thus had increased her workload again today.

The apprentices from the Apprentice Hall in her group looked at the Ironwood Roots in the courtyard, which were even more numerous than yesterday, their expressions grave; yet, thinking that Hua Changxi had processed most of them yesterday, they did not immediately show any emotion.

On this day, Hua Changxi once again accelerated her speed in processing the Ironwood Roots; yesterday, she had considered leaving some for the Apprentice Hall apprentices to process and had intentionally controlled her pace, but today that was no longer necessary.

By the fourth quarter of You hour, the Ironwood Roots in the courtyard were once again completely processed.

Under Steward Qin's somewhat wooden gaze, Hua Changxi clocked out on time to return to the Sixth Bureau for dinner and rest.

The faces of the Apprentice Hall apprentices were also stiff, yet they awkwardly followed behind her, quickly leaving the First Office.

"What? Hua Changxi's group has left early again?"

Eunuch Bao looked at Steward Qin with full astonishment; even though it wasn't the year-end, the usual dismissal time for the First Office on ordinary days was around Hai hour (21:00).

This Hua Changxi was having it far too easy as a laborer.

"Over thirty baskets of Ironwood Roots, amounting to more than fifteen hundred stalks, were all processed?"

"Did Hua Changxi and the others cut corners?"

Steward Qin shook his head: "They were all processed; every single stalk met the standards."

Eunuch Bao fell silent, then sighed: "Little Lu really has excellent luck, having acquired such a capable laborer."

Steward Qin said: "Eunuch, in these past two days, Hua Changxi has processed nearly two thousand stalks of Ironwood Roots; adding those we processed earlier, we already have enough to submit to the Heaven Department."

Eunuch Bao thought for a moment and asked: "How many unprocessed Ironwood Roots remain in the warehouse?"

Steward Qin thought for a moment: "Approximately twenty-five hundred more stalks."

Eunuch Bao smiled: "Send them all to Hua Changxi tomorrow, and tell her just as before that she is not allowed to leave until the work is done."

"I want to see if she can still increase her processing speed."

"If she truly finishes processing all the Ironwood Roots tomorrow, then the day after, you will hand over all those difficult-to-process medicinal ingredients stored in the warehouse to her."

Steward Qin quickly glanced at Eunuch Bao, understanding that Eunuch Bao intended to 'utilize' Hua Changxi to the maximum extent, ensuring her capabilities were fully exhausted.

The next day, Hua Changxi arrived at the First Office as usual just before the end of Mao hour.

As soon as she stepped into the courtyard and saw the baskets of Ironwood Roots stacked upon baskets, piled so high there was barely room to set foot, she gained a deeper understanding of Eunuch Bao's insatiable greed and exploitative nature.

[Complete Canon of Processing (Perfected): Processed medicinal ingredients 7892/]

Glancing at the data, Hua Changxi said nothing to Steward Qin as before, walking straight into the room to begin working.

The apprentices from the Apprentice Hall in her group watched this scene, their expressions extremely complex.

"This is what it means to be a laborer; displaying one's skills brings not appreciation, but exploitation to the point of death."

"Isn't it said that this Hua Changxi has a terrible temper and will beat anyone who provokes her? With Eunuch Bao ordering her around so blatantly to exploit her, why doesn't she refuse?"

"Just look at who Hua Changxi beat before; those people were all like her, low-status laborers. When facing someone of higher status like Eunuch Bao, she naturally wouldn't dare utter a single word. Are such people not common?"

Lu Qingling listened to her classmates' idle chatter, looked at Hua Changxi who was burying her head in hard work, and a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Most people in this world are just like this; they only dare to strike out at those around them, but the moment they face someone of higher status, they immediately become spineless.

Previously, upon hearing about Hua Changxi punishing others, although she felt Hua Changxi acted too impulsively, deep down she still admired her courage; now it seemed she was merely someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong.

[Complete Canon of Processing (Perfected): Processed medicinal ingredients /]

At the fourth quarter of You hour, Hua Changxi placed the last processed stalk of Ironwood Root into a specialized wooden box; watching the data change in her vision, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl upward.

The "Complete Canon of Processing" was finally fully inherited; now, she had complete mastery over the theories and methods for processing Mortal Plants, Spirit Plants, Divine Plants, and Dao Plants.

Next, only the following remained:

[Complete Canon of Meridian Mapping (Perfected): Dissected and ground medicinal ingredients 5511/]

[Fusion Technique (Perfected): Mixed and fused pills 4672/]

[Pill Condensation Technique (Perfected): Condensed pills 4672/]

[Sealing Technique (Perfected): Sealed pills 4672/]

Once these four were upgraded to Perfected, her alchemy inheritance would be considered fully inherited.

While Hua Changxi was contemplating the matter of upgrading her data, she did not notice Eunuch Bao approaching.

Seeing all the Ironwood Roots fully processed, Eunuch Bao's gaze upon Hua Changxi brightened several degrees, and he stated directly: "Hua Changxi, I have some medicinal ingredients here that need processing; come with me."

Since the first day she started helping, Hua Changxi had always clocked out precisely at the fourth quarter of You hour; now that Eunuch Bao had personally come to make her work overtime, the Apprentice Hall apprentices were all curious about how Hua Changxi would react.

Hua Changxi looked at Eunuch Bao and said directly: "Eunuch Bao, I'm afraid I cannot help you." Saying this, she raised her hands.

"Today, in order to finish processing the Ironwood Roots quickly, I inevitably became a bit rushed during the process, and as a result, I was pricked by the Ironwood Roots."

Only then did everyone see that Hua Changxi's hands were completely red, clearly indicating improper handling of medicinal ingredients resulting in a burn from the herbs.

However, while others pricked by Ironwood Roots would break out in cold sweats and shiver, how was it that her 'poisoning' resulted only in red hands?

In contrast to the confusion of the Apprentice Hall apprentices, Eunuch Bao directly perceived Hua Changxi's intent; Hua Changxi had deliberately made her hands look this way.

All that previous obedience was fake; it wasn't that she wouldn't resist him, but rather that when she did act, she struck straight at the vital point, leaving him no reason to order her around again.

What startled Eunuch Bao the most was Hua Changxi's control over the 'toxins' in the medicinal ingredients; she had achieved such precision that only her hands turned red, while everything above her wrists remained completely unaffected.

Having managed the First Office for many years, Eunuch Bao also understood pharmacology, even better than those apprentices in the Apprentice Hall, and thus could better realize Hua Changxi's formidable ability.

"How could you be so careless? Since you were injured within the First Office, our First Office will definitely take responsibility."

Looking at Eunuch Bao, who was gazing at her with a face full of concern, Hua Changxi wore an expression of deep gratitude, then unceremoniously listed several names of medicinal ingredients.

"Knowing that the Eunuch is a very busy person, I won't delay your time; please have Steward Qin bring me the ingredients, and I will take them back to boil and drink myself."

The corners of Eunuch Bao's mouth twitched; while the First Office possessed all the medicinal ingredients Hua Changxi requested, those specific items were extremely valuable, costing at least several dozen taels of silver per stalk if purchased from external apothecaries.

This Hua Changxi truly had a black heart!

"Steward Qin, go fetch the medicinal ingredients Hua Changxi requested and bring them to her."

Having already spoken the words, Eunuch Bao could not go back on his own statement, so he could only heartily order Steward Qin to retrieve the ingredients.

The apprentices in the Apprentice Hall were deeply impressed to see Hua Changxi actually obtain medicinal ingredients from Eunuch Bao; everyone knew that Eunuch Bao of the First Office was an iron rooster.

Lu Qingling glanced at Hua Changxi, who had just publicly fleeced Eunuch Bao, and realized her earlier assessment of her had been premature; this person's boldness exceeded her imagination.

Having given Hua Changxi the medicine, Eunuch Bao naturally intended to recoup his losses: "Hua Changxi, now that you have the medicine, hurry back and rest, and come early tomorrow morning."

Hua Changxi shook her head again: "Eunuch Bao, with my hands in this condition, I fear they won't heal within a few days."

Since the "Complete Canon of Processing" was already perfected, she no longer needed to continue processing medicinal ingredients.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Bao immediately performed a Sichuan Opera face-change on the spot, his expression instantly turning gloomy.

Hua Changxi had no intention of offending Eunuch Bao to the point of death, so she continued: "With my hands like this, it is indeed inconvenient to process medicine; I don't mind, but I mainly fear that improper processing will cause trouble for you, Eunuch Bao."

"If Eunuch Bao finds me still useful, perhaps you could assign me to slice or grind medicinal ingredients; I can do those tasks even with my hands bandaged."

Hearing this, Eunuch Bao's expression improved slightly; slicing medicine was a skilled task, while grinding was labor-intensive. Inclined to teach Hua Changxi a lesson, he thought for a moment and decided to assign her to slice medicine.

He reasoned that with her hand injured, movement would surely be inconvenient; tomorrow he would assign her extra tasks, forcing her to work straight through the night.

Seeing her objective achieved, Hua Changxi smiled: "Eunuch Bao, I will definitely arrive early tomorrow."

After collecting the medicinal ingredients fetched by Steward Qin, Hua Changxi returned directly to the Sixth Bureau.

The ingredients Hua Changxi requested were all for enhancing qi and blood and replenishing primordial energy; with the New Year approaching, she wished to refine some Body-Strengthening Pills to give as coming-of-age gifts to her family.

The next day, Hua Changxi arrived at the First Office just before the end of the Mao hour; Steward Qin had already been waiting for her for a while: "Let's go, I'll take you to the Slicing Room." As he spoke, he glanced at Hua Changxi's hands, which were tightly wrapped in cloth strips.

"Are your hands alright now?"

"Thank you for your concern, Steward Qin; the medicine you gave me yesterday was very effective; my hands should be fine after a few more days of rest."

Steward Qin expressed some worry: "With your hands bandaged like this, can you really slice medicinal ingredients?"

Hua Changxi volunteered: "No problem at all."

While speaking, Steward Qin led Hua Changxi to another courtyard; upon entering, one could immediately hear the 'bang, bang, bang' sounds of chopping medicine.

Steward Qin led Hua Changxi directly into a side room, where only two middle-aged male laborers were present, both slicing medicine with incredible speed.

Steward Qin did not immediately assign Hua Changxi a task, but instead let her observe the workflow of the two middle-aged male laborers for a while.

As soon as the two finished slicing a basket of ingredients, someone immediately came to take it away, followed by other laborers bringing in more ingredients needing slicing, leaving no moment of idle time in between.

Hua Changxi looked at Steward Qin: "Steward Qin, how many stalks of medicinal ingredients must I slice in a day?"

Knowing that Eunuch Bao wanted to teach Hua Changxi a lesson, Steward Qin thought for a moment and said: "Three thousand stalks."

At these words, the two middle-aged laborers, who had been focusing intently on slicing, simultaneously looked up, their faces showing undisguised shock.

They were the most skilled laborers in the Slicing Room; depending on the size of the ingredients, slicing one thousand to two thousand stalks a day was already the absolute limit.

For Steward Qin to ask a young lady to slice three thousand stalks of medicinal ingredients was simply too excessive!

Hua Changxi did not bargain, but simply nodded in agreement.

Her reaction, however, made Steward Qin hesitate; there was no helping it, Hua Changxi's speed in processing medicine had simply shattered his previous understanding.

This little girl before him could not be judged by ordinary standards.

Worried about assigning too little work to Hua Changxi, Steward Qin summoned the laborer specifically responsible for delivering ingredients to the side room: "The ingredients delivered to that girl must be in large chunks."

Inside the side room, Hua Changxi had barely sat down before the chopping blade when the delivery laborer arrived carrying a basket of ingredients.

The ingredients in the basket were all very large, and moreover, they were relatively hard root and stem types.

Seeing this, the two laborers in the same room gave Hua Changxi a look of sympathy; upon seeing her bandaged hands, they directly shook their heads.

This girl would surely be working late tonight, no one knew how late.

Hua Changxi, however, had already started working; although her hands were bandaged, it did not hinder the movement of her five fingers.

For the first basket of ingredients, Hua Changxi's slicing was somewhat halting, but starting from the second basket, her speed increased.

For other laborers, root and stem ingredients were difficult to slice, requiring great effort, but for Hua Changxi, whose realm points had exceeded five thousand, even hard stone could be crushed into powder with a light pinch, making root and stem ingredients even less of a problem.

The two middle-aged laborers in the room saw Hua Changxi slicing root and stem ingredients as if cutting tofu, with her speed growing faster and faster, and expressions of astonishment appeared on their faces.

At noon, Steward Qin also secretly came by to check Hua Changxi's progress; upon learning that she had already sliced over one thousand stalks of ingredients, he was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.

After repeatedly confirming that the delivery laborer had strictly followed his instructions and sent only large, hard root and stem ingredients to Hua Changxi, Steward Qin went to see Eunuch Bao with a stiff face.

At four marks past the You hour, amidst the slightly dazed gazes of the two middle-aged male laborers, Hua Changxi finished her shift on time and returned to the Sixth Bureau, leaving with a smile still on her face.

[Complete Atlas of Meridian Mapping (Perfected): Dissecting and grinding medicinal ingredients 8511/]

Very good; after helping out at the First Office for a few days, the "Complete Atlas of Meridian Mapping" was also about to upgrade to Perfected.

If she came to slice medicine for one more day tomorrow, the "Complete Atlas of Meridian Mapping" would be perfected.

On the other side, upon learning that Hua Changxi had completed her tasks, Eunuch Bao was also somewhat dazed, before sighing again: "Little Lu truly has good luck; this Hua Changxi is naturally born material for a laborer."

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Hua Changxi sliced medicine slices for another entire day, successfully inheriting all the knowledge of the "Complete Atlas of Meridian Mapping."

At this moment, the meridian pathways of ordinary plants and beasts, spiritual plants and beasts, divine plants and beasts, and Dao plants and beasts were all engraved in Hua Changxi's mind.

This year, the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month was New Year's Eve; after rising early, Hua Changxi came to the First Office again, not to help today, but to collect her silver.

The apprentices from the Apprentice Hall who came to help formed one line, while the laborers who came to help formed another.

The apprentices received ten taels of silver, while the laborers received only two taels.

After receiving her silver, seeing that the person distributing it was Steward Qin, Hua Changxi couldn't help but ask: "We all did the same work, why is the silver distributed so differently?"

Steward Qin originally did not want to answer, but thinking that the First Office might need to borrow Hua Changxi's help in the future, he explained: "Apprentices hold a status above laborers; apprentices understand medicinal principles and know medical arts, and when they come to help, they also guide the laborers of the First Office."

"As for laborers, they merely perform hard labor; during the process of helping, they can also freely learn the techniques of processing medicine. For the First Office to additionally distribute two taels of silver to laborers is already a grace bestowed by the Eunuchs above."

"People must learn to be content; don't always think of comparing yourself to others; just work steadily with your feet on the ground, do you understand?"

Seeing Hua Changxi looking at him expressionlessly, Steward Qin also knew that her performance was no worse than the apprentices', even better; he could only lower his voice and say: "Eunuch Bao wants you to come over and speak," while winking at her.

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi took her two taels of silver and went to find Eunuch Bao.

Upon seeing Hua Changxi, Eunuch Bao first praised her extravagantly, then, as if bestowing a favor, took out five taels of silver and directly threw it at Hua Changxi.

The angle of the throw was extremely tricky; Eunuch Bao's intention was to make Hua Changxi bend down to pick up the silver from the ground.

Hua Changxi glanced at Eunuch Bao, hooked her foot, lightly lifted her leg, kicked the silver up like playing shuttlecock, and then firmly grasped the silver in her hand.

"Thank you, Eunuch. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."

Eunuch Bao was displeased at failing to achieve his aim, but what angered him even more was Hua Changxi's attitude.

Hua Changxi was also displeased; she knew that laborers ranked lower than apprentices, yet she had not expected the disparity to be so great.

What she did not expect was that what would displease her even more was yet to come.

Just as Hua Changxi returned to the Sixth Bureau, Du Ruo instructed her to see Steward Leng.

Upon seeing Hua Changxi, Steward Leng wore an expression saying, 'Congratulations on earning some extra money': "Eunuch Lu recommended you to assist at the First Office. Since today is New Year's Eve, surely you ought to show some appreciation?"

Hua Changxi was truly speechless at their methods of exploitation; taking a deep breath and reminding herself that today was New Year's Eve and she should return home in good spirits, she spoke as gently as possible:

"Steward Leng, should such 'good fortunes' arise again in the future, please be sure to inform Eunuch Lu that he need not think of me; I am not worth it."

Steward Leng was stunned, looking at Hua Changxi in disbelief: "You... what did you say?"

Hua Changxi smiled and said: "Steward Leng, I wish you a Happy New Year. I must go to the Internal Affairs Office to collect my monthly allowance, so I shall not disturb you further." With that, she left directly.

Steward Leng watched her departing figure, unable to react for a long while; once he regained his senses, he was furious: "Does this Hua Changxi intend to turn heaven and earth upside down?"

The Laborer Hall granted seven days of holiday for the New Year, from New Year's Eve through the sixth day of the first lunar month.

Because Hua Changxi had made a trip to the First Office, by the time she returned after collecting her monthly allowance, the others in her dormitory had already departed, leaving only Wang Yunchu.

"Hua Changxi, Happy New Year. This is a Ruyi knot I tied myself and some paper-cuts I made; I give them to you. Please do not disdain them."

Looking at the Ruyi knot and paper-cuts Wang Yunchu offered, Hua Changxi fell silent for a few seconds before reaching out to accept them: "Thank you." After a moment's thought, she retrieved a porcelain bottle from her packed bundle and poured out two Body-Strengthening Pills.

She had heard Sister Shi and others chatting that Wang Yunchu's mother had died in difficult childbirth while bearing her younger brother; her father had then taken a stepmother who, after bearing her own child, treated Wang Yunchu and her brother very poorly. The siblings had nearly starved to death in their childhood, and in recent years had eaten only sporadically, their situation improving only after Wang Yunchu came to serve in the Laborer Hall.

"Happy New Year."

Hua Changxi wrapped the Body-Strengthening Pills in paper and handed them to Wang Yunchu.

Wang Yunchu knew how precious medicinal pills were and did not wish to accept them; she had given gifts to Hua Changxi solely out of gratitude for her previous assistance, yet looking into Hua Changxi's calm eyes, she could not bring herself to refuse and reached out to take the pills.

"These are Body-Strengthening Pills; they strengthen the body and improve health."

While speaking, Hua Changxi quickly finished packing her belongings: "Nurture your and your brother's health well; you can still make up for the deficiencies of your childhood."

Hearing these words, Wang Yunchu felt immense regret; how could she have previously thought Hua Changxi was not a good person?

Having finished packing, Hua Changxi saw Wang Yunchu looking at her with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating; having no intention of playing the role of a confidante, she shouldered her bundle and said: "I am going home; you should return early as well."