Chapter 55: Fire Spirit Stone

To avoid running into Elder You and the one-armed man on the stone cliff, Hua Changxi shifted her climbing route slightly, which caused her to take a long detour through the mountains before returning to Medicine Valley.

As soon as she reached her assigned medicinal fields, Hua Changxi immediately unleashed her spiritual energy, used the Earth-Turning Technique to till the soil, and then began rapidly planting medicinal seedlings.

Half an hour later, she had filled four acres of fields with seedlings.

After that, she stopped planting.

Compared to the speed of other laborers, planting this many seedlings was considered normal.

Having finished planting, Hua Changxi picked up her carrying pole and buckets to fetch fertilizer.

When she returned carrying two buckets of stinking manure, she spotted the one-armed man on the field ridge.

"Master Guo."

Approaching him, Hua Changxi took the initiative to greet the one-armed man.

The one-armed man looked Hua Changxi up and down, paying particular attention to her shoes; seeing nothing unusual and noting that the fields were fully planted, he merely hummed an "Mm," said nothing else, and walked straight away.

Watching the one-armed man's retreating figure, Hua Changxi let out a breath.

Anyone who had entered the mountains knew that wandering there would cause one to pick up traces, whether mountain soil or peculiar scents; fortunately, upon her return, she had immediately used the Stain-Cleansing Technique to purify her clothes and shoes.

After applying the fertilizer and finishing her work in the medicinal fields, Hua Changxi did not return immediately to her lodging; instead, she walked to a secluded spot and summoned the Shennong Cauldron.

"The Shennong Cauldron isn't large, so how can it hold so much?"

Hua Changxi tapped and knocked on the Shennong Cauldron for a while; when she accidentally pressed her forehead against it, a scene of the cauldron's interior suddenly appeared in her mind.

The interior of the Shennong Cauldron was vast; she could not specify exactly how large, only that the Yuan Spirit Grass and dates she had collected appeared inside it like grains of rice.

Hua Changxi was somewhat speechless; with such a huge Shennong Cauldron, could she actually control it?

Thinking this, she unconsciously condensed a ball of flame and threw it directly beneath the Shennong Cauldron.

During this process, Hua Changxi continuously output spiritual energy to enlarge the flame.

After expending one hundred points of spiritual energy, not a trace of warmth appeared on the surface of the Shennong Cauldron.

After expending two hundred points, it remained the same.

After expending five hundred points, she found that even under the scorching of the flames, the surface of the Shennong Cauldron still showed no hint of heat, so Hua Changxi withdrew her spiritual energy.

She knew then that she could not use this Shennong Cauldron.

At least, she could not use it for now.

"I can only use it as a portable magical treasure."

Just as Hua Changxi thought about taking out a date, one immediately materialized in her hand; "Fortunately, storing and retrieving items is quite convenient."

After storing the Shennong Cauldron away, Hua Changxi took a crunchy bite of the date.

As expected of something that made one salivate just by looking at it, this date was incredibly delicious.

This was no ordinary date; it was a Fire Date, a spirit fruit imbued with rich Fire Spiritual Energy.

If Hua Changxi had previously been unsure of her spiritual root attribute, after entering the Qi Sea Realm and seeing the spotless red Qi Sea opened within her dantian, she had guessed her attribute.

She must possess a Single Fire Spiritual Root.

Indeed, after eating the Fire Date, she felt no discomfort; her stomach immediately warmed up, and then a warm current surged through her limbs and bones.

This sensation was not unfamiliar to Hua Changxi; it was exactly the same when consuming, absorbing, and refining Yuan Spirit Pills.

Feeling the increase in spiritual energy, Hua Changxi immediately checked her stats and discovered that eating one Fire Date could increase her spiritual energy by ten points.

She had picked at least a thousand Fire Dates, which meant that after eating them all, she could gain ten thousand points of spiritual energy.

Since she was currently in Medicine Valley under the watchful eye of the one-armed man and had no opportunity to refine pills, eating Fire Dates to increase her spiritual energy was perfect.

Thinking that there were still many areas at the bottom of the cliff she had not explored, Hua Changxi felt an itch in her heart; she wanted to go down again, hoping perhaps to find more good treasures.

Even if she found nothing, collecting more spirit plants to refine into pills would allow her to upgrade her alchemist rank.

Fortunately, Elder You was scheduled to deliver medicine the day after tomorrow, which should give her another chance to descend to the bottom of the cliff.

On March 14th, Hua Changxi continued as usual, diligently planting seedlings like the other laborers, only occasionally pulling out Fire Dates to eat in places where no one could see.

On March 15th, Hua Changxi rose early, closely monitoring the movements around West Mountain.

While the laborers were eating breakfast, Elder You, who had never appeared before others, descended from West Mountain with the one-armed man.

As soon as the two appeared, all the laborers put down their bowls and chopsticks, standing up respectfully: "Elder You."

Elder You scanned the crowd, his gaze sweeping over Hua Changxi without lingering, as if it were merely a casual glance: "This old man is taking Guo Yu to the Medical Bureau today; you must all take good care of Medicine Valley."

With the Grandmaster having spoken, no one dared raise any objections; they could only respectfully watch the two depart.

After leaving Medicine Valley, Guo Yu looked at Elder You with confusion: "Master, usually you go alone to deliver the medicine; why have you called me along this time?"

Elder You's expression remained indifferent: "If we do not leave, how will that little girl make her move?"

Guo Yu's face immediately lit up with realization: "Master, I understand your meaning now; I will pretend to follow you to the Medical Bureau, then quietly sneak back later; if Hua Changxi truly has some scheme, I can catch her red-handed."

Elder You looked at Guo Yu, feeling somewhat headache-inducing.

This disciple had previously wandered the Jianghu, accustomed to acting straightforwardly, unaware that many things in this world cannot be achieved through fighting and killing alone.

"You want to catch that girl; have you considered the consequences?"

"The consequence is: if you cannot defeat her yet discover her secret, you die; even if you can defeat her and capture her, then what? Are you certain she will tell you her secret?"

Guo Yu frowned: "Then we do nothing at all?"

Elder You replied: "Are we not leaving Medicine Valley?"

Guo Yu was still somewhat confused: "Master, even if we leave, if Hua Changxi takes action, we won't know about it."

Elder You smiled; this time he offered no explanation, activated his lightness skill, and dashed toward the Medical Bureau.

Seeing Elder You act this way, Guo Yu immediately understood that he already had a plan; asking no further questions, he quickened his pace to follow.

Here in Medicine Valley, seeing that both Elder You and Guo Yu had left, Hua Changxi was indeed overjoyed; even though she harbored some suspicion about their departure, it could not stop her determination to explore the bottom of the cliff again.

Hua Changxi did not immediately head to West Mountain; instead, she finished planting her assigned fields, confirmed that both Elder You and the one-armed man had left, and then, taking advantage of the others' lunch break, secretly went to the stone cliff.

Jumping off the cliff for the second time, Hua Changxi was much more composed; with the experience from the first time, she landed smoothly this time.

Dozens of varieties of spiritual plants grew at the cliff's base; Hua Changxi harvested a few of each, spacing out her picks, then used an Earth-Turning Technique to refill the soil and erase any traces of her presence.

The most striking feature at the cliff's base was a lush Green Fruit Tree, its branches heavy with densely packed fruits, though each was tiny, no larger than a thumb.

Though small, the Green Fruits emitted an intoxicating fragrance that left one spellbound.

The Green Fruit, a wood-attribute spiritual fruit rich in vitality, served as an excellent remedy for healing injuries and restoring essence; the older the tree, the higher the grade of its fruit.

First-grade Green Fruits reached the size of a fist; clearly, the fruits on this tree had not yet matured. Recalling the fruits Elder You and the One-Armed Man had harvested yesterday, Hua Changxi guessed those delivered to the Medical Bureau must have been Green Fruits.

Since the fruits were unripe, picking them would be useless, which Hua Changxi found regrettable.

The second type of spiritual fruit at the cliff's base was the Fire Jujube; unlike the intoxicating scent of the Green Fruit Tree, approaching the Fire Jujube Tree brought an oppressive sensation of being engulfed in flames.

Possessing a fire spiritual root, Hua Changxi felt as though she were soaking in a hot spring beneath the Fire Jujube Tree, whereas anyone else would have found it extremely uncomfortable.

This must be why Elder You, despite the abundance of Fire Jujubes, had not picked any.

The Fire Jujube Tree was equally lush, its branches laden with bright red fruits that looked particularly delightful.

"Eh?"

Hua Changxi discovered that the Fire Jujube Tree had actually borne second-grade Fire Jujubes, and in considerable numbers.

She had not examined closely the Fire Jujubes she had previously knocked down with spiritual energy, thus missing this detail.

Hua Changxi climbed the Fire Jujube Tree and picked all the second-grade fruits, ultimately gathering five hundred of them.

Afterwards, she circled the cliff base once more and noticed that fire-attribute spiritual herbs were more numerous; moreover, only fire-attribute spiritual herbs and fruits had advanced to the second grade.

"Here in Medicine Valley, fire spiritual energy is the most dense."

"Where does this fire spiritual energy come from?"

Although neither Elder You nor the One-Armed Man was present, Hua Changxi dared not linger long at the cliff's base lest other laborers notice her absence; finding nothing else of interest, she swiftly climbed back up the stone cliff and returned to Medicine Valley.

Elder You and the One-Armed Man returned early the next morning; upon arriving at Medicine Valley, Elder You said nothing and headed straight for West Mountain, while the One-Armed Man summoned the valley steward for questioning before also returning to West Mountain.

"Master, the steward said Hua Changxi left for a period around noon yesterday."

Elder You hummed in acknowledgment, then leaped directly down the stone cliff, returning half an hour later.

Seeing the pleased expression on Elder You's face, Guo Yu could not help but ask, "Master, have you discovered something?"

Elder You nodded. "That girl went to the cliff's base."

Everything at the cliff's base involved court secrets; even a single blade of grass or fruit was etched in his memory. Even though Hua Changxi had erased traces of her visit, the missing herbs and fruits could not be replaced.

Guo Yu's expression changed. "What should we do now? Should we go find Hua Changxi?"

Elder You shook his head. "There is nothing to be done."

Guo Yu was bewildered. "Why?" After a pause, he ventured, "Master, do you already know the secret behind Hua Changxi?"

Elder You shook his head again. "Your master does not know."

Guo Yu was even more perplexed. "If you don't know, why not summon her and ask clearly?"

Elder You looked at him. "If we summon that little girl, will she simply tell us?"

Guo Yu argued, "The items at the cliff's base belong to the court. She stole court property; with such a huge leverage in our hands, would she dare disobey us?"

Elder You scoffed. "The items at the cliff's base do not belong to the court. Do not forget, it was the local villagers who first discovered San Cha Medicine Valley."

Hearing this, Guo Yu fell silent.

In previous years, while traveling the martial world, he had often witnessed the court forcibly seizing ancestral lands and mountains from commoners; many clans who had lived in the same place for generations were forced to relocate simply because the government coveted new medicinal herbs found in their forests.

The treasures of the mountains and forests originally belonged to no one.

If ownership were determined by who arrived first, the court could be called nothing but bandits.

Elder You continued, "Our goal is to uncover the secret within that girl; threatening her immediately will not work."

Guo Yu's brows knitted together. "Then what should we do?"

Elder You replied, "The best and fastest way to succeed is through exchange. That girl holds a secret we wish to know; we must offer something of equal value in return."

Guo Yu thought for a moment and suggested, "Allow Hua Changxi free access to the cliff's base?"

Elder You shook his head. "She can enter and exit the cliff's base without our permission; it merely requires a bit more effort on her part. That bargaining chip is insufficient."

"Work in the medicinal fields will keep us busy until late March or early April. During this time, I must carefully consider what conditions might move that girl."

Guo Yu realized his master was deeply concerned about the secret Hua Changxi possessed, so much so that he approached any interaction with her cautiously, fearing to upset her.

Elder You was indeed deeply concerned; Hua Changxi was the only person he could access who might know the secrets of the cliff's base.

Despite his status as a Grandmaster, he had allied with no one to avoid being controlled by the powerful; though free, he lacked patrons, leaving him extremely isolated from information.

In recent years, as he slew more ferocious beasts and encountered more young, high-grade martial artists, he increasingly felt something was amiss.

This world seemed to be undergoing some tremendous transformation!

The source of this upheaval all pointed toward those newly appearing precious medicines and strange fruits.

There must be a great secret hidden within!

He had a strong premonition that if he did not investigate these secrets thoroughly, he would be left behind, far outrun by those young, high-grade martial artists.

Hua Changxi noticed that the One-Armed Man was no longer watching her, which puzzled her.

Since she had no intention of returning to the cliff's base anytime soon, she bothered little with the reason for his change in behavior; she diligently performed her laborer duties, eating Fire Jujubes by day and cultivating by night.

Watching her stats rise rapidly, Hua Changxi felt extremely pleased: [Realm: Qi Sea Stage/]

When breaking through to the next realm point, Hua Changxi noticed her red Qi Sea within her dantian had expanded more than twofold.

Observing this, she understood: the visible manifestation of advancing in the Qi Sea Stage was the expansion of the Qi Sea itself.

In the blink of an eye, the last day of March arrived.

All medicinal fields in Medicine Valley had been planted with seedlings, and it was time for Hua Changxi and her group to return to San Cha Medicine Manor.

Before their departure, Elder You appeared.

"Hua Changxi, come here; Elder You is looking for you."

Seeing Elder You waiting at the entrance of Medicine Valley, Hua Changxi frowned slightly; though alert in her heart, she wore a smile on her face. "Elder You, what do you need from me?"

Elder You looked at Hua Changxi with a smile, his expression very kind: "I know you have been to the bottom of the cliff." Seeing Hua Changxi about to deny it, he raised his hand to stop her.

"I am not here to investigate that matter; I wish to take you to a place."

Hua Changxi naturally would not agree and opened her mouth to refuse, but at that moment, Elder You produced a red crystal the size of a fist.

Looking at the red crystal and sensing the dense fire spiritual energy within, Hua Changxi's expression changed.

A Fire Spirit Stone!

She should have guessed; where else could such spiritual energy come from but emanating from a spirit mine?

With the fire spiritual energy in Medicine Valley being so dense, there must definitely be a Fire Spirit Mine underground.

Watching the change in Hua Changxi's expression, Elder You breathed a sigh of relief internally. Fortunately, she was just a little girl whose skill in maintaining a facade was not yet fully cultivated, which further confirmed his suspicion.

"Little girl, do you want to know where I found this stone?"

Hua Changxi looked at Elder You, thinking rapidly in her mind.

Elder You had discovered she went to the bottom of the cliff yet kept silent, and now came to her with a Fire Spirit Stone; this meant he needed something from her.

The only thing on her person worthy of a Grandmaster's attention was the matter of cultivation.

Seeing Hua Changxi remain silent, Elder You turned around and walked toward Nanshan. After taking a few steps and noticing she had not followed, he even stopped to wait for her.

Hua Changxi glanced at him and stepped forward to follow.