Chapter 415: Choked at the Throat

Having learned from the four—Yu Fu and the others—about the 'Path of Opening the Physical Body,' which benefits all body-refining cultivators, Hua Changxi was initially excited, but after that excitement came deeper worry.

Her cultivation realm remained stagnant; although she knew the problem lay in her state of mind, she still had no clue where to begin.

Hua Changxi suddenly recalled the words Wei Zhenjie had spoken in the square regarding the improvement of one's state of mind.

"The process of improving one's state of mind is the process of a person seeking themselves."

"Those whose hearts are not upright or stable cannot break through the predicament of the heart."

"Those whose state of mind fails to break through for a long time are people with chaotic hearts."

Hua Changxi repeatedly pondered these words; at first glance, they seemed profound and logical, but upon closer thought, they felt muddled—she felt she understood, yet did not know how to proceed.

Seeking oneself...

She certainly knew that one should live as oneself, but what was 'oneself'? How could one know they had found themselves?

An upright heart, a stable heart...

What constituted an upright heart, and what was the standard for a stable one?

Did one have to be like the clay bodhisattvas in temples, devoid of sorrow or joy, to be upright? Or like an old pine on a mountain peak, unmoved by wind and rain, to be stable?

The more Hua Changxi thought about it, the more headache she got, and irritation inevitably showed on her face.

She realized that whether it was Wei Zhenjie or the masters of Yan Zhenzhen and others she had met, they all liked to speak in vague, ambiguous terms.

Was this because her realm was too low?

Or was it because their realms were too high, having long transcended the mundane, so they felt these principles were self-evident?

Or perhaps... they themselves had never truly comprehended them and were merely mouthpieces repeating what others had said?

The four—Yu Fu and the others—sensed Hua Changxi's irritation, exchanged glances, and finally, Yu Fu stepped forward to ask, "Master, is something troubling you?"

Hua Changxi looked at the four; though she knew they could not help her, her heart was too troubled, so she sighed and said, "Matters of cultivation; there are some questions I cannot figure out."

Hearing this, Yu Fu exchanged looks with the other three beside him again, carefully chose his words, and spoke once more: "Master, today I will rely on being slightly older than you to speak a few presumptuous words."

Hua Changxi looked at Yu Fu in surprise, said nothing, but her expression encouraged him to continue.

Seeing that Hua Changxi showed no sign of displeasure, Yu Fu continued, "When people encounter matters they cannot figure out, they are most prone to 'lock' themselves up and force their thinking."

"However, when one thinks alone, it is too easy to get stuck in a dead end; with the slightest carelessness, one traps oneself in a blind alley."

"Many times, the cause of such problems is that you are too close to yourself."

"It is like viewing a painting; if you stand too close, you will mostly stare only at the points you like or dislike. Only by stepping back a few paces can you see the entire landscape's context."

Hua Changxi listened with thoughtful realization; was Yu Fu saying she was working behind closed doors?

Yet she had been undergoing trials and training all these years; it was just that her interaction with people had been somewhat lacking.

Hua Changxi felt Yu Fu made some sense and consequently looked upon him with higher regard, smiling as she said, "I didn't expect you to have such insights."

Yu Fu quickly smiled and replied, "Master overpraises me; this is simply the case of those involved being confused while onlookers see clearly."

These words were spoken very modestly, yet they struck home with Hua Changxi.

The strength of the four—Yu Fu and the others—was indeed inferior to hers, but in their realization regarding affairs and people, they might not be worse than her.

If not for her excessive irritation this time, she would never have mentioned her problems before the four, because she had assumed—they were weaker than her, so they certainly could not offer her help.

She had always considered herself a humble person, but looking at it now, she seemed somewhat arrogant.

"Seeking oneself..."

Gradually seeing oneself clearly through collisions with the world and others—is this not seeking oneself?

Hua Changxi felt she had gained a slight clue; seeing the four—Yu Fu and the others—still present, she did not delve deeper but instead said, "Prepare yourselves; once Wan Feng and Yun... and the people from Lingguang Hall confirm the time, we will go to treat the Zhu Que Army."

"Learning medical arts and pill refining both require practice; improve your skills through actual work. For this trip to Lingguang Hall... bring all disciples capable of refining third-grade pills."

There were many injured in the Zhu Que Army; strive to give every disciple an opportunity for close-range diagnosis.

However, the four—Yu Fu and the others—all looked at each other in dismay.

Yu Fu spoke with some difficulty: "Master, I fear that is not possible."

Hua Changxi looked over in surprise, not quite understanding: "What is not possible?"

Yu Fu explained, "We cannot take too many disciples to Lingguang Hall." He paused, "How many people can go from Danyuan Peak must be decided by the Lingjing Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Jiujie Hall."

Hua Changxi was first stunned, then somewhat angry, blurting out, "On what grounds?"

The four—Yu Fu and the others—sighed, their faces also showing a look of suppressed grievance.

Zhou Shou stepped in to explain, "Back when Minister Wei brought the people from Lingguang Hall to our door, it was the Lingjing Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Jiujie Hall that received them together."

"Because Lingguang Hall purchased too many pills and could not pay immediately, Pavilion Master Meng and the others discussed and decided that the Lingjing Pavilion would provide spiritual herbs, the Jiujie Hall would provide pills, and the Qihuang Hall would provide physicians, thus relieving the Zhu Que Army's urgent need."

"The task assigned to our Danyuan Peak was to provide some spiritual herbs of low value but high usage volume. The disciples on the peak worked for over a month, yet earned less than disciples from other peaks who worked for only half a month."

"Now that Lingguang Hall has come seeking physicians, the final number of people to go will surely be decided by Pavilion Master Meng and the others."

Hua Changxi understood; Danyuan Peak was being jointly targeted by the Lingjing Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Jiujie Hall.

At the same time, she realized a serious problem.

If Danyuan Peak was a department producing spiritual herbs, pills, and physicians, then ultimately it had to face the market for sales.

Only by selling what was produced could Danyuan Peak make a profit.

But now, the sales channels were controlled in the hands of the Lingjing Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Jiujie Hall.

Danyuan Peak was being choked at the throat!

Unable to make a profit, how could Danyuan Peak develop and grow stronger?

Hua Changxi looked at the four—Yu Fu and the others: "Must Danyuan Peak listen to the Lingjing Pavilion and the others? Can't we find our own clients?"

Jia Lu, looking at the obviously angry Hua Changxi, reminded her, "Master, Danyuan Peak may not have to listen to the Medical Bureau, but it cannot disobey the orders of the Pill Saint Hall."

"As early as the first Pill Refining Grand Meeting, the Lingjing Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Jiujie Hall publicly declared that they represented the Pill Saint Hall."

"Since then, all affairs of the Pill Saint Hall have been decided jointly by them; if Danyuan Peak jumps out and refuses to follow orders, it would be disrupting the operational order of the Sacred Land and becoming a sinner of the Sacred Land."

Hua Changxi had not expected that during the ten years she was away, such major changes had occurred within the Medical Bureau.

The Spirit Realm Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Nine Streets Hall had actually presumed to set themselves up as official departments of the Sacred Land.

Jia Lu continued, "Nowadays, when people outside seek to purchase pills, spiritual herbs, or physicians, they go directly to the Spirit Realm Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, or the Nine Streets Hall; they never approach Dan Yuan Peak individually."

"Moreover..."

Seeing him hesitate, Hua Changxi hurriedly asked, "Moreover what?"

Jia Lu said, "The Spirit Realm Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Nine Streets Hall have jointly issued a Sacred Land decree prohibiting disciples from privately selling spiritual herbs obtained within the secret realms."

Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi slammed the table with a bang, rose to her feet, and paced back and forth in anger before asking, "In these past years, how have the disciples of Dan Yuan Peak earned spirit stones?"

Seeing her angered, Yu Fu hastily reassured her, "Rest assured, Mistress; the disciples on the peak are still faring quite well."

"Cultivators have a huge demand for spiritual herbs. The Dan Yuan Secret Realm boasts the most complete varieties and the largest cultivation volume of grade-one and grade-two spiritual herbs. Even if we do not secure high-value orders, small orders have never ceased."

"Furthermore, disciples can open up spiritual fields outside their cave dwellings; while they cannot sell spiritual herbs externally, selling spiritual rice, spiritual fruits, and the like is still permitted."

"Additionally, disciples can exchange resources with other disciples within the Sacred Land. In truth, the disciples of Dan Yuan Peak live more comfortably than the vast majority of others."

Hua Changxi's mood gradually calmed. Thinking it over seriously, the rule 'no private trading of spiritual herbs' issued by the three departments of the Spirit Realm Pavilion was indeed intended for the long-term development of the Dan Saint Hall.

"Next time the three departments convene a meeting, remember to inform me."