[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-416":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1897190,2531,"Chapter 416: Infiltration","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-416",416,"\u003Cp>Since the first Alchemy Grand Assembly, the Medical Bureau has ceased to be seen by outsiders as a medical office under imperial jurisdiction; instead, it now formally presents itself as the Pill Saint Hall, one of the Five Great Sacred Lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the current Pill Saint Hall still falls short of the legendary ancient splendor where sun and moon were swallowed and crimson mist filled the sky, in the hearts of the world, this place is the greatest sacred land of alchemy and medicine on the Central Continent, the ultimate hall for both Dao of Pills and Dao of Healing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During her ten years in the Zhurong Tomb, Hua Changxi barely perceived the passage of time; at most, she felt her cultivation period was slightly long, yet unbeknownst to her, the outside world underwent earth-shaking changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only had the public face of the Medical Bureau transformed, but Xuanyuan City, built with the Xuanyuan Prefecture at its center, had also taken its initial shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was merely a corner she had witnessed with her own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What earth-shaking upheavals occurred in those corners she had never set foot in? The depth of such changes likely far exceeded her imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lingguang Hall, Ye Huo Platform, the Nine Heavens Fire Spring, Li Huo Cliff, the Zhurong Tomb, the Wutong Forest...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the twelve blessed lands and cave heavens in Nanxiangcheng, Hua Changxi had already secured half; next, she planned to claim the Ghost Fire Well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, how long had the imperial court operated the Ghost Fire Well? After the death of Prince Shou, were there still others stationed beneath the well?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, what exactly were the trials of the Ghost Fire Well?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi truly had no idea how long it would take to secure the Ghost Fire Well; if it required another ten years or even longer, then before entering the well, there were certain matters she had to settle first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the issue of Danyuan Peak being strangled by the Spirit Realm Pavilion, the Qihuang Pavilion, and the Nine Streets Hall, which restricted its external development.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Yu Fu and the other three reported to Hua Changxi on all major and minor affairs of Danyuan Peak over the past decade and were just about to leave the bamboo hut, they received a message from Wan Feng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked over: \"What is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu said: \"Wan Feng sent word that the Spirit Realm Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Nine Streets Hall are about to convene a meeting in the Nine Streets Hall's deliberation chamber; the agenda is to discuss the matter of Lingguang Hall sending someone to seek medical treatment. She asks whether you wish to attend?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had not expected the meeting to come so soon; she snorted with a laugh: \"Are these three departments usually this swift in handling affairs?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Fu replied: \"...Most of the time, they are not this urgent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's snort grew heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago, at Ding Tan Square, she and Wei Zhenjie engaged in a bout of feints and truths, making it difficult to discern whether she truly was the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps others had not received a definite answer and wished to verify it personally with her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her fall silent, Yu Fu assumed she was unwilling to involve herself in such disturbances and quickly said: \"Master, Wan Feng is long accustomed to such meetings; if you do not wish to go...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi cut him off: \"The Spirit Realm Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Nine Streets Hall now represent the Pill Saint Hall; as the master of a peak, how could I not go and see for myself?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current Pill Saint Hall had long bid farewell to the old system of sole imperial authority from the era of the Medical Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All major external affairs must now be deliberated jointly by the three departments—Spirit Realm Pavilion, Qihuang Pavilion, and Nine Streets Hall—and only after weighing pros and cons can a strategy be decided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each meeting is hosted in rotation by the three departments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this matter of Lingguang Hall coming to seek a physician happened to fall during the Nine Streets Hall's turn to host, the meeting location was set in the Nine Streets Hall's deliberation chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Nine Streets Hall's deliberation chamber, members of the three departments arrived one after another; as soon as they entered, everyone eagerly began discussing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Will Peak Master Hua come to the meeting?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I doubt it. In the past, whether the Spirit Realm Pavilion or the Qihuang Pavilion held a meeting, she never attended a single one; this time will likely be no exception.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think Peak Master Hua is truly the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who knows?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whether she is or not, it has little to do with us. If she is, we gain no benefit; if she isn't, it hinders us nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as everyone was discussing fervently, a figure in fiery red appeared at the hall entrance; almost instantly, the entire deliberation chamber seemed to hit a pause button, falling into complete silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All gazes, whether surprised, curious, or scrutinizing, focused squarely on that figure in fiery red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She did not step in immediately but stood quietly at the threshold, slowly scanning the layout of the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center stood a high platform, upon which were placed side by side three broad and imposing chairs made of red sandalwood, clearly the seats for the highest authorities of the three departments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below, on the left and right sides, were rows of seats arranged neatly in five columns and ten rows for the attendees to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the main seats on the high platform were still empty, yet more than half of the lower seats were already occupied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So many people participate in every deliberation?\" Hua Changxi turned her head to look at Wan Feng, who followed closely behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Feng replied respectfully: \"For any meeting in which I participate, the scale is usually like this. Core members of the three departments, managers of various divisions, and some senior alchemists and physicians all attend.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi understood his words; besides such public deliberative assemblies, the three departments also held smaller, more core meetings in private.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where do you usually sit?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Feng subconsciously pointed to an inconspicuous seat at the very end near the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, when he met Hua Changxi's gaze, his heart tightened sharply—what flowed in Hua Changxi's eyes was undisguised disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Feng's face instantly froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at Wan Feng: \"Playing the pig is to eat the tiger, not for you to truly become a pig.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\" Wan Feng's face flushed red in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi did not lower her voice; these words, carrying obvious sarcasm, were loud enough to naturally reach the ears of some Nine Streets Hall members who knew Wan Feng's identity (as the successor of the Pill Saint Hall).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked at each other, a trace of embarrassment and discomfort flashing across their faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Hua Changxi walked straight to the first seat on the left side of the main platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Wan Feng first opened his mouth, then adopted an expression of natural acceptance, straightened his spine, and hurried to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to convention, for such meetings, only after all ordinary attendees had arrived would the heavyweights of the three departments—such as Elder Xia Zhen of the Spirit Realm Pavilion, Princess Ling Yuan of the Qihuang Pavilion, and Alchemist Wen Shouren of the Nine Streets Hall—make their tardy entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the two Pavilion Masters and the one Hall Master, they would appear as the grand finale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when Hua Changxi arrived, it was precisely the moment when ordinary attendees had mostly gathered, while the core figures had not yet appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, in the deliberation hall, only a few seats near the main platform remained empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Hua Changxi sat in the first seat on the left, seeing that Wan Feng actually intended to stand beside her, she became truly impatient: \"There is a seat and you don't sit; do you want to appear very tall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Feng: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi glanced at the empty seat behind her and said in an unmistakable tone, \"Sit down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Feng sensed that Hua Changxi was truly angry; daring not to hesitate any longer, he immediately sat down obediently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seats now occupied by Hua Changxi and Wan Feng were those originally meant for Xia Zhen and Xia Ziyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the others present, this scene took on a rather profound significance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over at the Lingjing Pavilion, the expressions of several core members led by Meng Yuchuan changed abruptly; they were nearly ready to slam the table and rise, but before they could speak, someone stopped them, signaling them to remain calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi took in everyone's expressions but paid them no heed; instead, she swept her gaze across all present, piercing through every person's true state with her Eye of Truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wan Feng, tell me: which of these belong to the Qihuang Pavilion, which to the Lingjing Pavilion, and which to the Nine Streets Hall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She truly had not expected that, within a conference hall holding a hundred people, nearly thirty had ignited the black-and-white flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through Wan Feng's introduction, Hua Changxi learned that of those thirty or so who had ignited the black-and-white flames, half were alchemists from the Qihuang Pavilion and half were pill refiners from the Nine Streets Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the imperial house was manipulating the black-and-white flames from behind the scenes, then its infiltration of the Pill Saint Hall was terrifyingly powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>",1622,"2026-06-12T02:51:24.126Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","53e89b6a195fa6bd6fe24b76c704970452dbcc3f66016ccb81faf3501cf230a8","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-417","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-415",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]