Chapter 84: The Fire Lotus Immortal

Having learned from Steward Leng what the Black Flame was, Hua Changxi felt much more at ease; she no longer felt as though a sword hung over her head.

Since the Black Flame was linked to the seven emotions and six desires, she simply needed to control her own desires.

She did not consider herself a person of high desires, so she should be able to control the Black Flame.

Of course, she still needed to find the White Jade Lotus Petals.

Now serving as the Third Steward, Hua Changxi had more free time than when she was a laborer; aside from cultivating and reading the books in Elder Jiang's storage ring, she often walked around the square.

The old courtyard directly facing the stone cauldron remained shut as always, giving her a sense of being dust-sealed, which reminded her once again of that magnificent palace she had glimpsed briefly.

Was that magnificent palace real?

Or was it the original appearance of the old, dilapidated courtyard?

On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year, Gu Jinfan went to the old courtyard again, staying less than a quarter of an hour before coming out.

Watching Gu Jinfan, whose face showed some loss and frustration, Hua Changxi's eyes flickered.

Was Gu Jinfan trying to obtain something from the courtyard?

Hua Changxi recalled what Granny Sun had told her: the hunched old man living in the courtyard was the former master of the Medicine Bureau, and the bureau's original name had been the Pill Saint Hall.

Both the Pill Saint Hall and the stone cauldron pointed toward pill refining.

Could it be that Gu Jinfan hoped to receive the pill-refining inheritance of the Pill Saint Hall from the hunched old man?

Hua Changxi felt this possibility was highly probable; although she very much wanted to know what secret the courtyard hid, she did not rashly knock on its main gate. Since Gu Jinfan was watching that place, she did not wish to get involved just yet.

After watching the courtyard for a while, Hua Changxi returned to the Sixth Bureau, where, upon entering, she surprisingly found Steward Leng, who rarely appeared before others.

The more Steward Leng thought about it, the more familiar the voice of that cultivator from that night seemed; it was definitely a voice she had heard before. Unable to resist investigating, she had come to the Sixth Bureau today.

"Where have you been?"

Steward Leng looked at Hua Changxi, her gaze scrutinizing; she had a deep impression of this girl, whether due to her boldness or her pill-making skills comparable to those of a Pill Refiner, both of which made her want to investigate further.

For such a person to willingly stay in the Laborer Hall as a laborer, Steward Leng was certain that this person, just like herself, had ulterior motives.

Hua Changxi remained natural on the surface: "I went to deliver medicinal herbs. Is there something you need, Steward Leng?"

Steward Leng smiled: "Nothing much; I just wanted to ask if you are getting used to being a steward."

Hua Changxi nodded: "I am getting used to it."

Steward Leng looked at her: "That is good then. If you encounter any problems you cannot solve, feel free to come to me. Eunuch Lu just mentioned to me that I should take extra care of you."

Recalling the incident where Eunuch Lu was beaten, Hua Changxi asked with concern: "Is Eunuch Lu alright now?"

Steward Leng sighed: "His external injuries are no longer serious, but he is still upset in his heart. I can see that Eunuch Jia thinks highly of you; in the future, when you are before Eunuch Jia, you must put in a good word for Eunuch Lu."

Hua Changxi looked utterly surprised: "Steward Leng, could you be mistaken? I have only met Eunuch Jia twice. When he appointed me as the Third Steward, I thought it was Eunuch Lu who recommended me."

Steward Leng's eyes flickered: "Is that so? Then perhaps I was mistaken. There is nothing else from my side; you may go attend to your duties."

"Steward Leng, then I will take my leave."

Watching Hua Changxi walk away, Steward Leng checked the Spirit-Detecting Talisman in the pouch at her waist; it showed no reaction whatsoever.

It was not her!

She had basically interacted with all the female laborers in the Laborer Hall, and none had triggered a reaction from the Spirit-Detecting Talisman.

"Could it be that the cultivator was not from the Laborer Hall?"

Her usual social circle was not limited to the Laborer Hall; she occasionally visited the Apprentice Hall as well.

"Could it be someone from the Apprentice Hall?"

Many people in the Apprentice Hall had powerful nobles backing them, making it indeed more likely for them to have access to cultivation methods.

However, wouldn't assigning a cultivator above the Qi Sea realm to the Apprentice Hall be a case of using a great talent for a trivial task?

After returning to her quarters, Hua Changxi's expression turned serious; Steward Leng was secretly searching for the cultivator from that night.

This did not surprise her; judging by Steward Leng's reaction just now, she had not detected that Hua Changxi was a cultivator.

Hua Changxi recalled the Green Bull Demon's words, saying she had no spiritual fluctuation and was no different from a mortal; this had now been verified by Steward Leng.

Although she did not know the specific reason for this, it was a good thing for her.

Knowing that Steward Leng was secretly watching the Laborer Hall, Hua Changxi could only act with greater caution; she took out a circular disk two palms wide.

This was an Isolation Array Disk, found within Elder Jiang's storage ring.

In the future, whenever she cultivated, as long as she set up this array disk, she could isolate her spiritual fluctuations.

After finishing her duties and inspecting her subordinates, seeing that they were all working diligently and seriously, Hua Changxi returned to her room, lay prone on her bed, and began to cultivate.

"Eh?"

An hour later, Hua Changxi suddenly opened her eyes, her face filled with astonishment.

Her cultivation speed had increased!

Previously, one hour of cultivation would increase her cultivation base by ten thousand points; now, it could actually increase it by eleven thousand points.

"What is happening?"

Under conditions of sufficient spiritual energy, Hua Changxi knew of two ways to increase cultivation speed: first, by advancing realms, as each realm increase boosted cultivation speed; second, by keeping her consciousness constantly attached to her inner elixir.

Yet neither of these factors had changed, so why had her cultivation speed increased?

Hua Changxi still remembered that during her Qi Refining realm, when she went to help at the First Office, her cultivation speed had also increased once.

She did not believe cultivation speed would increase without cause, yet in both instances she had done nothing; what exactly was going on?

Just as Hua Changxi was pondering this without finding an answer, at Mount Wuzhi, outside the First Peak, the renovation of two open stone huts was completed.

Inside one stone hut stood a stone vat containing a Fire Lotus carved from red stone; inside the other stone hut stood a stone over a meter tall, shaped like five fingers.

At this moment, long queues formed outside both stone huts, with everyone holding incense sticks in their hands.

As soon as they entered a stone hut, people would light the incense in their hands and place it in the strip-shaped incense burners before the Fire Lotus or the finger-shaped stone.

"Mount Wuzhi is the cultivation ground of the Fire Lotus Immortal; the Immortal is benevolent and kind, allowing everyone to enter Mount Wuzhi to seek opportunities."

"All who wish to enter Mount Wuzhi must first enter the Fire Lotus Hall, burn incense to make a vow, report to the Fire Lotus Immortal, and obtain a pine needle; only then may they enter the mountain. Those without a pine needle will be burned to ash upon entering."

"You may enter the First and Second Peaks of Mount Wuzhi. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Peaks are forbidden."

"The mountain is teeming with demonic beasts and demonic plants; please explore according to your own capabilities, and do not let greed cost you your life."

"Each person may stay within Mount Wuzhi for at most one month; exceeding this will result in incineration by the Fire Lotus. For every additional five days stayed thereafter, the Fire Lotus's power doubles."

"Before entering the mountain, if you fear getting lost, you may enter the Mountain Spirit Temple to burn incense and make a vow; the Mountain Spirit will surely protect you all."

Outside the group, An Ze, An Ran, and several robust youths from Thumb Village tirelessly explained the rules of Mount Wuzhi to the crowd.

Because of the recent major disturbances at Mount Wuzhi, many had come to investigate; once the Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple opened for business today, they immediately attracted countless onlookers.

At first, only villagers from around Mount Wuzhi came; though they did not enter the mountain, seeking the protection of the Fire Lotus Fairy and the Mountain Spirit, they all entered the stone hut to pay their respects.

Soon, some bold cultivators entered the Fire Lotus Hall; after bowing and seeing that they had truly received a pine needle, they were instantly thrilled, tucked the needle away, and cautiously entered Mount Wuzhi.

After entering the mountain and discovering that no Fire Lotus appeared, they finally believed that as long as they petitioned the Fire Lotus Fairy and obtained a pine needle, they could indeed enter Mount Wuzhi.

With these pioneers testing the waters, others seeing them come to no harm eagerly joined the petitioning; within moments, a long queue formed outside the stone hut.

On a giant tree behind the stone hut, the Mountain Spirit and Little Pine sat side by side on a branch, smiling as they watched the crowd below.

Especially the Mountain Spirit, having absorbed the incense smoke offered by the believers, felt so comfortable it was as if he were about to float away.

"I wonder if the Fairy has received the incense offerings?"

"She certainly has; even I have benefited, let alone the Master."

Watching An Ze, An Ran, and their group bustling about below, the Mountain Spirit said, "When the Fairy returns, we must have her take these people in."

The Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple were built by An Ze and An Ran leading the people of Thumb Village; their speed and craftsmanship left the Mountain Spirit extremely satisfied.

Little Pine said, "It's a pity they cannot eat the spiritual fruits from the mountain; otherwise, we could give them some."

The Mountain Spirit replied, "They are humans, cultivating different methods than us; otherwise, we could teach them our techniques. Once they begin cultivating, they would be able to absorb the spiritual energy within the spiritual fruits."

Little Pine said, "That is true."

The Mountain Spirit added, "We can only wait for the Fairy to return and have her teach them cultivation."

Little Pine asked, "Will the Master accept them?"

The Mountain Spirit replied, "Why wouldn't she? They are so good at working."

As daylight gradually faded, the crowd outside the stone hut dwindled; once night fell completely and no one remained to burn incense and make vows, An Ze and An Ran began cleaning inside.

Their main tasks were wiping the Fire Lotus and the Wuzhi Stone, and clearing the ash from the incense burners.

Only after finishing the cleaning did the brother and sister return to Thumb Village.

On the way, An Ran spoke to An Ze: "Brother, do you think we will ever get to see the Fire Lotus Fairy?"

An Ze replied, "There will be a chance."

An Ran said, "When those vile people fought over Mount Wuzhi before, they cared nothing for the lives of the surrounding commoners; if the Fire Lotus Fairy hadn't intervened in time, Thumb Village would likely have been destroyed."

An Ze remarked, "Come to think of it, the Fire Lotus Fairy has saved us twice."

Recalling how the Mountain Spirit and Little Pine had fed them spiritual fruits, nearly causing their bodies to explode, An Ran felt both amused and helpless: "What a pity we were unconscious then and couldn't see the Fire Lotus Fairy's true appearance."

An Ze, however, had glimpsed a silhouette in his daze: "Let us guard the Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple well; one day the Fire Lotus Fairy will emerge to see us, and then we can thank her for saving our lives."

An Ran nodded, "Mm."

News that Mount Wuzhi was now accessible spread quickly, immediately attracting even more people to investigate; from then on, the incense at the Fire Lotus Hall and the Mountain Spirit Temple never ceased.

At the same time, the title of Fire Lotus Fairy gradually became widely known; whether cultivator or commoner, anyone mentioning Qingzhou would immediately think of the Fire Lotus Fairy of Mount Wuzhi.

The opening of Mount Wuzhi could be said to have unveiled a fantastical chapter of this world; for cultivators lacking cultivation resources and those wishing to embark on the path of cultivation, this was undoubtedly good news.

It also let ordinary people, who had been cut off from news of the spiritual energy recovery, know that supernatural beings truly exist in this world.

Yet for some, this was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

Upon learning of this matter, Jiang Guanyun of the Jiang family in Jizhou became so enraged that his injuries worsened again.

How could this be?!

Isn't that wild girl from an unorthodox background? How could she think of opening Mount Wuzhi to win people's hearts?

Which cultivator, upon obtaining a cultivation ground, does not carefully guard and hide it, reserving resources for their own people? None would open it to everyone directly like that wild girl.

Damn it, the struggle for fortune has begun so soon!

"Why is my cultivation speed still increasing?"

Hua Changxi was truly bewildered; these past few days, her cultivation speed had soared, now gaining fifteen thousand points of cultivation power in a single two-hour period.

"Could the Medical Bureau be a blessed land suitable for cultivation?"

Just as Hua Changxi was lost in deep thought, Zhou Qiuyu came to the dormitory, saying that Steward Leng was looking for her.

Hua Changxi went to the front courtyard and met Steward Leng.

Steward Leng asked curiously, "Why are you always staying in your room? Are you practicing martial arts?"

Hua Changxi glanced at her and smiled, "I am reading medical books."

Steward Leng did not believe her but did not press further: "There is a batch of medicinal herbs here that you and your subordinates need to clean; after cleaning, you are to deliver them directly to Fourth Street."

Hua Changxi asked, puzzled, "Aren't laborers only responsible for cleaning medicinal herbs? Delivering them isn't our duty, is it?"

Steward Leng smiled and said, "This order came from Eunuch Jia; I am not clear on the specific reason myself." With that, she signaled the people behind her to unload several carts of medicinal herbs.

Looking at the herbs, Hua Changxi's eyes flashed; these were all potent medicinal materials, and if an ordinary person cleaned them improperly, they would be 'poisoned'.

What exactly does Eunuch Jia mean by this?

These medicinal herbs are all required by high-grade martial artists; by assigning her to handle them, is Eunuch Jia testing her, or trying to make things difficult for her?

Seeing Zhou Qiuyu about to start moving the herbs, Hua Changxi quickly stopped her: "These herbs are too potent to touch directly; wait a moment, and I will teach you how to clean them."

Hearing this, Steward Leng smiled and said, "Indeed, you are worthy of Eunuch Jia's high regard; your understanding of medicinal herbs is truly profound."

Hua Changxi replied, "Having read so many medical books, one naturally knows more."

Steward Leng said, "But as far as I know, many of these herbs are newly discovered; even the alchemists at the Medical Bureau do not know their properties yet."

Hua Changxi looked utterly surprised: "If I know these herbs, how can they be new medicines? Could it be that the alchemists simply lack sufficient accumulation of knowledge regarding medicinal materials?"

Hearing this, Steward Leng burst into laughter, looking at Hua Changxi: "With a temperament like yours, to be honest, I truly admire it; I hope you always remain this way."

Hua Changxi smiled faintly, neither affirming nor denying.

Only after Steward Leng turned and departed did she begin instructing Zhou Qiuyu and the others on how to clean the ingredients.

At the entrance of the Sixth Bureau, Steward Leng suddenly halted, turning to gaze at Hua Changxi, who was teaching her subordinates how to wash medicinal herbs; she now seemed to somewhat understand why Eunuch Jia had promoted this girl to steward.

Eunuch Sun of the First Department had died in the struggle, and Eunuch Jia himself faced no shortage of troubles; this girl was the shield Eunuch Jia used to deflect the pharmacists' harassment.

Yet, she still could not quite fathom it: while the girl indeed possessed some genuine skill, within the Medical Bureau, skill alone was far from sufficient; why was Eunuch Jia so certain she could extricate herself safely?

Was it simply because she was bold?