Chapter 487: Blood Tea

Just stepping out of the Divine Tree space, she bumped into Gu Xing. Hua Changxi couldn't help but be stunned. When her gaze swept over the closed courtyard gate, she realized, and then smiled embarrassedly: "Sorry, I shouldn't have let Senior be trapped in the courtyard for too long, right?"

Gu Xing's expression was wooden, and he said indifferently: "Not long, just a mere year of spring and autumn."

While speaking, his gaze condensed slightly, keenly noticing the changes in Hua Changxi.

The former Hua Changxi, perhaps because of practicing fire-attribute cultivation techniques, always had an aura of killing and attacking, like a sharp sword out of its sheath.

But now, the biting and aggressive aura on her body had actually been reduced by a few points, and there was a bit more roundness and softness between her brows.

"A year?!"

Hua Changxi exclaimed. She didn't feel the passage of time much, and didn't expect that a year had passed.

However, thinking about it, she felt relieved.

When flying over the divine tree leaf barriers before, it should have taken a lot of time; later, when comprehending the "Life" law at the bottom of the Pill Spring, her mind was completely immersed in it, and she couldn't perceive the existence of time at all.

Hua Changxi gave Gu Xing an apologetic smile, then strode toward the courtyard gate, held the door with both hands, and with a little force, accompanied by a "creak" sound, the closed courtyard gate opened in response.

Outside the old courtyard, the few people who were reporting to Gu Xing were stunned when they saw Hua Changxi who suddenly opened the courtyard gate.

Hua Changxi nodded to the few people, turned back to Gu Xing and said: "Senior Gu, you guys are busy, I won't disturb you." After speaking, she stepped out of the old courtyard, preparing to return to Pill Origin Peak.

After walking a few steps, Hua Changxi stopped abruptly, turned to look at Gu Xing: "Senior Gu, I might enter and exit the old courtyard from time to time in the future, and it's not good to always lock you in the courtyard. Look, do you want to find another place..."

Gu Xing looked at her: "Unless the Hall Master gives an order, I will always guard this courtyard and go nowhere."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi shrugged: "As you wish." After speaking, she walked away.

Leaving the old courtyard, on the way back to Pill Origin Peak, Hua Changxi found that the Pill Saint Hall was much colder.

In the past, whenever she appeared, she would receive all kinds of overt or covert peeping. This time, those habitual peeping gazes were few and far between.

"Nine Niang."

As soon as Hua Changxi arrived at the foot of Pill Origin Peak, she ran into Pharmacist Xu, and immediately smiled brightly: "Uncle Xu."

Pharmacist Xu stepped forward quickly and smiled: "You came out of seclusion so quickly this time."

Hua Changxi was stunned: "Seclusion?"

Seeing her confused, Pharmacist Xu hurriedly explained: "Old Gu said that you closed the old courtyard gate to cultivate in seclusion in the old courtyard, isn't that so?"

Hua Changxi said "Oh" in realization: "You could say that."

Pharmacist Xu looked at Hua Changxi and smiled: "You are busy with time, and we haven't sat down and talked for a long time. Do you want to sit in the Personnel Department?"

Hua Changxi "looked" at the surging blood and Qi in Pharmacist Xu's body, and a white snake lurking in his bloodline, raised her eyebrows, and nodded: "Okay."

Seeing her agree, Pharmacist Xu was overjoyed and welcomed Hua Changxi into the Personnel Department.

"Peak Master."

"Manager Xu."

The disciples around saw Pharmacist Xu chatting and laughing familiarly with Hua Changxi, and the look in their eyes toward him changed.

The Personnel Department has two major managers, one is Pharmacist Xu, and the other is Wan Feng.

Wan Feng is responsible for various reception affairs, has a wide range of friends, is smooth in dealing with people, and has better talent and is younger, so the people in the Personnel Department trust Wan Feng more.

This led to Pharmacist Xu not being as effective as Wan Feng in the Personnel Department.

Pharmacist Xu noticed the change in the disciples' eyes, and the smile on his face deepened.

Hua Changxi didn't pay attention to this, entered Pharmacist Xu's office, and asked with a smile: "Uncle Xu, is Xu Ling okay?"

Pharmacist Xu laughed and said: "She is doing well. She is quite valued in the Women's Army. Because she made a contribution before, she was heavily rewarded, and I also got some light from it."

He paused, looked around, and lowered his voice: "Lingling got a Bloodline Ancestral Return Fruit, and she gave it to me. After I took it, my bloodline also returned to the ancestor, and I also gained an ancestral return divine ability."

After hearing this, Hua Changxi was happy: "The Bloodline Ancestral Return Fruit is not easy to get. Congratulations to Uncle Xu."

Pharmacist Xu laughed, his words and deeds as casual and familiar as before.

Hua Changxi's eyes turned, and she smiled: "Although bloodline ancestral return is a good thing, if you want to explode the power of the divine ability, you need a strong physical body to cooperate. Uncle Xu, you must spend more time on body refining."

Pharmacist Xu nodded repeatedly: "I have been refining."

Hua Changxi estimated that Pharmacist Xu had already cultivated to the late fourth layer of body refining, and his combat power was comparable to a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator. If he unleashed his bloodline divine ability, he could even fight a Spirit Platform cultivator.

However, Pharmacist Xu's cultivation talent was not outstanding, and his cultivation speed was a bit too fast.

"What kind of tea is this?"

Pharmacist Xu served a cup of tea. The tea was rich and sweet, making people salivate, but the soup color was as red as blood.

Hua Changxi's eyes flashed, she curiously picked up the teacup, first sniffed it with her nose, then leaned in to observe it carefully, and then her brows furrowed slightly—the category of this tea was something she had never heard of.

If it comes to other cultivation secrets, she might have many blind spots; but only in the way of spiritual plants, she has absolute confidence.

After all, the inheritance of the Shennong Cauldron is all-encompassing, which can be called the ancestor of all plants. She believes that there is probably no ancient book or inheritance that records it more detailed and complete than it.

Something not recorded by the Shennong Cauldron had to make her think more.

Pharmacist Xu smiled: "This is blood tea given by Lingling. Don't look at the color of this tea, but after drinking this blood tea, it can speed up the speed of body refining, and the effect is very good."

Hua Changxi: "Blood tea? I have never heard of this kind of tea leaves."

Pharmacist Xu explained: "Blood tea is not ordinary tea, it is refined by the Wu family with secret methods."

Hua Changxi put down the teacup. Although she didn't find anything unusual, she didn't intend to drink it: "Uncle Xu, can I see what blood tea looks like?"

Pharmacist Xu looked at Hua Changxi's reaction, didn't hesitate, took out a bamboo jar the size of a palm from the storage bag, and handed it to Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi took it, opened the bamboo lid, and saw the appearance of the blood tea inside, and was stunned for a moment—it was actually blood-red particles the size of rice grains.

"This looks a bit like... insect eggs."

Pharmacist Xu: "It is the insect eggs of blood ants."

"Blood ants?"

Hua Changxi also knew about blood ants, but the blood and Qi contained in blood ants are not many. Logically speaking, it is impossible to refine blood tea containing a large amount of blood and Qi power.

"The Wu family... has a deep foundation."

That secret technique of refining blood ant insect eggs into blood tea is absolutely extraordinary.

Hua Changxi returned the tea jar to Pharmacist Xu, and the look in her eyes toward him added a trace of consideration.

She still remembered that a long time ago, Pharmacist Xu had taken out very rare Meng Po tea to treat her. This time, he took out blood tea, this... slightly weird thing.

She has always trusted her feelings. Although blood tea looks like there is nothing unusual, she instinctively feels uncomfortable.

But the resources used by cultivators are complicated, and just because of her own discomfort, she couldn't say much about blood tea.

"Master!"

Before the person appeared, the voices of Yu Fu and Jia Lu came in.

Soon, the two stepped into the room.

Pharmacist Xu stood up to greet the two.

Yu Fu looked at Hua Changxi happily: "Master, you are out of seclusion."

Hua Changxi smiled and nodded to the two, chatted with Pharmacist Xu for a while, and then left with the two.

After walking out of the Personnel Department, Hua Changxi asked Yu Fu and Jia Lu: "Do Manager Xu and you guys have a lot of contact?"

The two looked at each other, and Yu Fu said: "Quite a lot. Manager Xu is responsible for the assessment of disciples. When assigning tasks and errands, we will ask for his opinion."

Hua Changxi asked again: "Who does he usually have close contact with?"

Yu Fu: "Manager Xu rarely leaves Pill Origin Peak, and his contact with others in the holy land is limited to official business. I haven't found anyone he has close contact with."

Jia Lu added: "Manager Xu's daughter, Xu Ling, comes to send things to Manager Xu almost every month."

Hua Changxi's eyes flashed: "Does Xu Ling have anything unusual?"

Yu Fu and Jia Lu shook their heads at the same time.

Jia Lu: "Xu Ling doesn't stay long. After sending things, she will leave after sitting for a while."

Seeing Hua Changxi silent, Yu Fu asked immediately: "Master, is there any problem with Manager Xu?"

Hua Changxi shook her head: "Not really, just feel that the people Manager Xu associates with are a bit... mixed."

However, thinking of Pharmacist Xu's appearance of having no secrets from her and saying whatever he had, Hua Changxi shook her head again: "Maybe I thought too much."

"By the way, why do I feel that the holy land has become colder?"

Yu Fu hurriedly said: "The Demon Prison Nine Pass joint auction is being held, and Pavilion Master Meng took quite a few people to participate."

Hua Changxi's footsteps paused: "Auction?"

Jia Lu: "It is said that this Nine Pass joint auction has a long history, and it seems to be held every fifty years. Even the various forces of the nine underworlds will participate."

Yu Fu continued: "This kind of auction has been held more than ten times, which means that spiritual energy recovery happened quietly hundreds of years ago, or even earlier."

"It's just that ordinary people don't know."

"Those who participated in the auction before were all those aristocratic families who had long known about spiritual energy recovery."

"Pavilion Master Meng took the secret realm masters with him, saying that he wanted everyone to gain some knowledge."

Hua Changxi continued to walk up the mountain: "Did anyone go from our side?"

Yu Fu nodded: "Zhou Shou and Zhao Xi went, and they also brought ten disciples including Ye Lingxuan."

As he said this, he paused.

"Master, Sanlang took the initiative to find Jia Lu and me, saying that he also wanted to go down to the nine underworlds to gain knowledge, so we added him and Zhu Qinghuan to the team."

Seeing that Yu Fu and Jia Lu were both looking at her carefully, Hua Changxi smiled: "You don't have to be like this. Although he is my third brother, he is also an adult with his own judgment and choices."

"In the future, regarding my third brother, as long as it is his own decision and conforms to the rules and regulations of Pill Origin Peak and Pill Top Peak, you can just handle it according to the rules, no need to take me into account."

"People, have to be responsible for themselves."

Yu Fu and Jia Lu heard this and breathed a sigh of relief.