Chapter 94: Strange Wooden Plaque

Soon, Hua Changxi followed Yu Gui to the No. 9 Qihuang Hall.

When passing the stone pillar engraved with the character "Nine" at the entrance of the Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi found that the green wooden plaque she had just obtained from the old courtyard flashed, which made her heart shake.

"Little sister Changxi, what's wrong?"

Seeing Hua Changxi standing at the door without moving, Yu Gui hurriedly asked.

Hua Changxi held the wooden plaque, withdrew her mind, shook her head, and followed Yu Gui into the courtyard.

Compared to the previous times when they sat and waited for Hua Changxi to come forward and salute, this time Eunuch Yu didn't dare to put on airs. Seeing Yu Gui bring Hua Changxi, he waited in the courtyard with a smiling face.

Behind Eunuch Yu stood a middle-aged man wearing a brocade robe, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.

"Eunuch Yu, long time no see."

Hua Changxi took the initiative to greet him. After Eunuch Yu smiled and responded, he immediately introduced the middle-aged man to her: "Hua Changxi, this is the big merchant Zhuo from Qingzhou. The big merchant Zhuo has dozens of pharmacies under his name, and in the capital, he also has ten pharmacies."

The big merchant Zhuo knew very well how to give others face. After hearing Eunuch Yu's words, he didn't hesitate at all, stepped forward, and gave Hua Changxi a peer salute: "Little sister Hua, Zhuo Lin is here to pay his respects."

Hua Changxi glanced at him and returned the salute.

Seeing that the two knew each other, Eunuch Yu smiled and led them into the living room.

Yu Gui served tea to the three of them very sensibly.

Hua Changxi looked at Zhuo Lin and went straight to the point: "Big merchant Zhuo, what kind of pills do you want to buy?"

Zhuo Lin glanced at Eunuch Yu and smiled: "Martial artist pills, from first to ninth grade, I need them all, as many as you have. If possible, I also buy cultivator pills, also as many as you have."

Hua Changxi looked at him: "Martial artist pills are settled with silver, but spirit pills used by cultivators cannot be bought with silver."

Seeing that Hua Changxi did not refuse to sell spirit pills, Zhuo Lin's breathing tightened.

Spirit pills are now only refined by the royal family, top power-holders, and those old-fashioned aristocratic families. They cannot be seen on the market at all, let alone by ordinary people without power or influence. Even ordinary power-holding families and high-grade martial artists who want to buy them cannot find a channel.

If the Zhuo family really started selling spirit pills, one could imagine that the Zhuo family would definitely be able to go to a higher level in Qingzhou, and even entering the capital's power-holding circle would not be impossible.

Most importantly, the Zhuo family also had clan members who measured spiritual meridians and were also in great need of various spirit pills.

If he could get spirit pills, his status in the family would definitely be higher and more stable.

Zhuo Lin suppressed the excitement in his heart and carefully probed: "Then, in your opinion, little sister Hua, how should I buy spirit pills?"

Hua Changxi didn't like to beat around the bush in buying and selling transactions. Her instinct was to say she wanted to use spirit stones to buy, but the words reached her lips and she swallowed them back.

The cooperation with the four people of You Lao had indeed taught her a lesson.

Straightforward and sincere transactions are easy to fall into a passive position.

"Big merchant Zhuo, what can you take out to buy spirit pills?"

Hua Changxi saw Zhuo Lin pondering and was happy that she had thrown the question back to the other party, and could take the opportunity to probe the other party's sincerity and bottom line.

This was the first time Zhuo Lin had seen Hua Changxi, and he really couldn't grasp her psychology, so he had to look at Eunuch Yu for help.

Seeing that Eunuch Yu couldn't help him, Eunuch Yu was a bit helpless. He found that Hua Changxi had changed; she was no longer as straightforward as before. Now he didn't know what she wanted either.

Seeing that Eunuch Yu couldn't help him, Zhuo Lin could only get up and bow to Hua Changxi: "Please teach me, little sister Hua, how can I buy spirit pills?"

Hua Changxi saw the eye contact between the two and suddenly had an idea: "Eunuch Yu said you have ten pharmacies in the capital. Where are they located?"

Hearing this, Zhuo Lin's eyelids jumped, but he still replied: "Four in the inner city, six in the outer city."

Hua Changxi smiled: "If I say I want these ten pharmacies, is the big merchant Zhuo willing to give them?"

In the two months of teaching pharmacological knowledge to the people under her in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Bureaus, she realized that the scope of such teaching was too narrow and too small.

If she wanted to popularize pharmacological knowledge, perhaps she should find a way to expand outward.

On Zhou Qiuyu's side, the first volume of "Martial Artist Medicinal Herbs" had been organized and sold in the pharmacy. Those who wanted to learn medicine should buy it.

Zhuo Lin saw that Hua Changxi really wanted his pharmacies, and she wanted all ten, so he was naturally unwilling: "Little sister Hua, the pharmacy is a family business passed down by ancestors, it is really..."

Hua Changxi: "Buying and selling requires mutual consent. If you are unwilling, I won't force you. We just need to trade martial artist pills."

"Brother Yu knows where my Shennong Hall Pharmacy is. You write a list, let Brother Yu take it to your pharmacy to find the manager, and pay the money and take the pills."

Zhuo Lin saw Hua Changxi directly skip the spirit pills and was anxious again: "Little sister Hua, I am willing to give more silver..."

Hua Changxi interrupted him: "I said, silver cannot buy spirit pills."

"Big merchant Zhuo, you should not know much about cultivators. In this day and age, spirit pills are pills for many cultivators, but also opportunities."

"You are a merchant, you don't need me to tell you how important opportunities are, right?"

"How about this, you go back and inquire first. If you still want to buy spirit pills, we will talk again. However, by then, it depends on whether I still need pharmacies."

Zhuo Lin looked at Eunuch Yu for help again. Eunuch Yu turned his head away helplessly. He had no chips to talk to Hua Changxi right now.

Seeing Eunuch Yu so unreliable, Zhuo Lin was furious.

Ten pharmacies...

In the capital, under the feet of the Emperor, power-holders gathered. These ten pharmacies were opened with his countless energy. Thinking of handing them over, his heart ached and bled.

But spirit pills...

"The pharmacies can belong to little sister Hua, but how many spirit pills can little sister Hua provide me?"

Hua Changxi saw Zhuo Lin agree, her eyes flashed with excitement, thought for a moment, and said indifferently: "First-grade spirit pills, those that increase cultivation, heal injuries, restore spiritual energy, and detoxify—I can provide them all."

"However, you must keep the source of the spirit pills secret. I don't like trouble."

Zhuo Lin saw that Hua Changxi could actually take out so many spirit pills and was overjoyed. He didn't want others to know that Hua Changxi had spirit pills and grab the Zhuo family's business, so he agreed immediately.

Hua Changxi: "Verbal words are not safe. I need a drop of your blood."

Zhuo Lin was stunned and looked at Eunuch Yu.

Eunuch Yu looked at Yu Gui again.

Finally, Yu Gui asked: "Little sister Changxi, what do you want blood for?"

Hua Changxi: "To make a heart-demon oath. Don't worry, as long as you don't violate the promise, nothing will happen."

Zhuo Lin, Eunuch Yu, and Yu Gui knew very little about cultivators. After hesitating for a while, Zhuo Lin bit his finger for the sake of the spirit pills.

Eunuch Yu and Yu Gui looked at each other. Although Hua Changxi didn't let them bleed, they also knew about the spirit pills. After thinking about it, the two also bit their fingers.

Hua Changxi saw this and raised her eyebrows.

Yu Gui just wanted to ask how to give Hua Changxi blood, when he saw a drop of blood fly out from his fingertip and float in front of him.

Hua Changxi looked at the three: "Just make the oath."

Zhuo Lin, Eunuch Yu, and Yu Gui all made the promise not to leak that Hua Changxi provided spirit pills.

As soon as the oath was finished, Zhuo Lin, Eunuch Yu, and Yu Gui stared wide-eyed, watching the blood twist and change, turning into a spell that sank into their eyebrows.

The three felt a shock in their hearts. Whenever the thought of betraying the promise appeared in their minds, they would feel a palpitation.

Hua Changxi saw that they had made the heart-demon oath and looked at Zhuo Lin: "Later, we will go to handle the pharmacy handover and formulate the pill purchase contract."

As she spoke, she looked at Eunuch Yu. Seeing that he and Yu Gui were so sensible just now, she took the initiative to ask.

"Eunuch Yu, what do you want to know about cultivators?"

Eunuch Yu's expression shook, and he sat up straight: "I want to know how to become a cultivator?"

Yu Gui and Zhuo Lin also looked at Hua Changxi seriously.

Hua Changxi: "There are two ways to become a cultivator. One is to be born with spiritual meridians. Those with spiritual meridians, as long as they have suitable cultivation techniques, can embark on the path of cultivation in places with spiritual energy."

"The other way is that people born without spiritual meridians can reshape spiritual meridians by refining spirit pills from heavenly materials and earthly treasures."

Eunuch Yu immediately asked: "How do I know if I have spiritual meridians?"

Hua Changxi: "There is a kind of stone called Spirit Measuring Stone, which can measure a person's spiritual meridians."

Eunuch Yu asked again: "If there are no spiritual meridians, what spirit pills can reshape spiritual meridians?"

Hua Changxi: "As far as I know, Creation Pills, as well as Rebirth Pills plus attribute spirit pills, can all reshape spiritual meridians."

Eunuch Yu asked again: "How can I get these three kinds of pills?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "Does the Eunuch know why the Embroidered Uniform Guards searched the Servant Hall so extensively some time ago?"

Eunuch Yu and Yu Gui's expressions shook: "Could it be that the pills Leng Xiangru stole were... capable of reshaping spiritual meridians?"

Hua Changxi: "Reshaping spiritual meridians is definitely very difficult. How to embark on the path of cultivation depends on your own skills and opportunities."

Afterward, Eunuch Yu asked Hua Changxi some common sense about cultivators.

Hua Changxi saw that he asked a lot, her eyes turned: "I have an introductory book for cultivators in my hand, called 'Introduction to the Four Arts', which records the four methods most used by cultivators and a lot of common sense. I can take it out and exchange it with the Eunuch."

Eunuch Yu's face was overjoyed, but soon he slumped: "But all I can take out is silver."

Hua Changxi looked around the courtyard: "After cooperating with the Eunuch before, I found that this courtyard is very suitable for refining pills. It is remote and has few people, and no one will disturb me."

Eunuch Yu understood Hua Changxi's meaning and said very simply: "I don't live in this courtyard on weekdays. If you like it, just refine pills in this courtyard."

Hua Changxi smiled: "Then thank you, Eunuch." As she spoke, she took out the handwritten copy of "Introduction to the Four Arts" and handed it to Eunuch Yu.

Eunuch Yu took the book solemnly. Zhuo Lin watched from the side and was very envious.

Afterward, Hua Changxi, the big merchant Zhuo, and Yu Gui first went to handle the pharmacy transfer procedures, and then went to the Shennong Hall Pharmacy to formulate the pill purchase contract.

For the first purchase, Zhuo Lin purchased ten thousand taels of silver worth of pills and took away a batch of first-grade spirit pills.

After sending him away, Hua Changxi and Yu Gui returned to the Medical Department.

On the way, Hua Changxi asked: "Brother Yu, how many Qihuang Halls are there in total?"

Yu Gui: "Eighteen, nine in the Servant Hall, and nine in the Apprentice Hall."

As she spoke, she smiled at Yin Jianxiong and the other Embroidered Uniform Guards.

Yu Gui: "Eunuch Zhou of the First Office, Eunuch Zhao of the Second Office, and Eunuch Jia of the Third Office each occupy two, and the remaining three belong to my godfather."

"Little sister, why do you ask this?"

Hua Changxi smiled: "Haven't I been teaching my subordinates how to recognize medicinal herbs and how to clean them during this period? I found some good seedlings. Now that I have ten more pharmacies, I want to find a courtyard to teach them more, and then let them go to the pharmacy to help me do things."

Yu Gui said "oh" in enlightenment: "My godfather occupies the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Qihuang Halls. If you want to use them, I will go and tell him. He doesn't use the courtyard on weekdays anyway."

Hua Changxi: "Then thank you."

After parting with Yu Gui, Hua Changxi immediately went to the No. 9 Qihuang Hall. Since the wooden plaque flashed before, she had to explore the reason for the wooden plaque's flashing.

The old courtyard in the square was dilapidated. Although the Qihuang Hall was built of stone, it was not much better, and it also carried the atmosphere of long history.

It is said that the pharmacies on the Jiujie are also like this, but because they have been renovated, they don't look too old.

Hua Changxi hadn't been to the Apprentice Hall side and didn't know what the Qihuang Hall was like there, but on the Servant Hall side, she estimated that the people above didn't value it, so they didn't manage the buildings here.

Hua Changxi walked to the stone pillar outside the No. 9 Qihuang Hall, and sure enough, she saw the wooden plaque flash again.

"The wooden plaque and the stone pillar seem to be able to sense each other."

Hua Changxi looked at the neighboring Imperial Physician Hall, walked over quickly, shook the wooden plaque at the stone pillars outside the No. 8 Hall and No. 7 Hall, and saw the wooden plaque flash twice again.

"What is the use of this wooden plaque?"

Hua Changxi returned to the No. 9 Imperial Physician Hall. After entering the courtyard, she carefully looked at everything in the courtyard and didn't find anything unusual.

Hua Changxi had no clue about the role of the wooden plaque, so she could only leave the Imperial Physician Hall first. On the way back, thinking that she didn't say anything when she met Pharmacist Xu before, she went to the Ninth Street.

Pharmacist Xu was in the No. 12 Pharmacy on the Jiujie. To go there from the Servant Hall, one had to pass through the Pilgrimage Road that ran through the Jiujie and led directly to the square.

The Pilgrimage Road was located in the middle of the Jiujie. Hua Changxi stood at the intersection of the square and the Pilgrimage Road, looked forward, and saw the nine-story building on the First Street at a glance.

The high building was built with momentum, but the location was not built correctly. It was not built in the middle, and it felt very out of place with the layout of the Jiujie.

Hua Changxi thought of something, turned back to look at the square, looked at the stone cauldron in the square, and the old courtyard behind the stone cauldron, thought of the magnificent palace and the towering giant tree, and felt that the location of the old courtyard was the most prominent place in the Medical Department.

There were many people on the Jiujie. Hua Changxi stood at the intersection for a while, and some people came out of the pharmacies on both sides. Without staying long, Hua Changxi crossed the intersection and walked toward the No. 12 Pharmacy.

"Eh~"

When passing the intersection, Hua Changxi saw the wooden plaque flash again, and stopped in surprise, looking around.

Soon, her eyes fell on the round pillars standing on both sides of the intersection. At the top of the round pillars hung a colorless and transparent lantern.

Hua Changxi looked at other streets and found that two identical lanterns were hung at the entrance of each street. ===== CHAPTER 95 =====