Chapter 101, Wooden Fish Sound

Chapter 101, Wooden Fish Sound

Chapter 101, Wooden Fish Sound
After leaving the old courtyard in the square, Hua Changxi returned to his own courtyard, placed the five wooden tablets in his hand on the table one by one, and looked at them quietly, falling into deep thought.

If you take the wooden sign, you will definitely have to pay the corresponding price.

"Is the price to ignite the Dan Fire of Ninth Street?"

If it were just that, Hua Changxi could still accept it, because with the alchemy inheritance of Shennong Ding, she was confident that she could do it.

But she was worried that the cost would be more than that.

Hua Changxi picked up the wooden plaques of Qihuang Hall No. 1 and Qihuang Hall No. 9. The sword patterns on these two wooden plaques were the most profound and had been transformed from flat patterns into "three-dimensional" patterns.

The 'three-dimensional' sword pattern looks like a miniature version of a real sword, and the wooden plaque is just a container for the 'sword'.

After staring at the 'sword' for a long time, Hua Changxi had a strong feeling that the 'sword' inside seemed to be ready to fly out at any time.

If the Alchemy Temple is really just a holy place for alchemy, then the sword pattern engraved on the wooden key that can open the Qihuang Hall would seem a bit abrupt.

Hua Changxi felt that this sword pattern must have other uses, and it was very likely one of the prices she had to pay.

Although he knew that there would be a price to pay, and a high price, Hua Changxi still had no intention of giving up on taking control of the Qihuang Hall first.

First, sharing pharmaceutical knowledge in the Qihuang Hall gave her the illusion of returning to her past life when she was taking classes. She missed the feeling of being immersed in the ocean of knowledge, and doing so also made her feel that it was very meaningful.

Second, unlocking the Qihuang Hall gave her a sense of accomplishment;
Third, every time she unlocks a Qihuang Hall, her training speed will skyrocket. The sword patterns on the wooden sign will become deeper, and her training speed will increase accordingly.

The sword pattern on the number nine wooden sign is deep because the first street elixir fire was ignited, and the sword pattern on the number one wooden sign is deep because the most people go to the number one Qihuang Hall to listen to her explanation of pharmacology.

After more than a month of exploration, she has summed up a pattern: the more profound the medical knowledge taught in the Qihuang Hall and the more people listen to the lectures, the more "three-dimensional" the sword pattern on the wooden sign will be.

Hua Changxi looked at the fifth wooden sign he had just received and walked towards the No. 4 Qihuang Clinic. On the way, he was thinking about how to deal with the matters of Eunuch Jia and the other three.

When we were almost at the No. 4 Qihuang Clinic, we saw Xiao Shouzi, who was beside Eunuch Jia, leading a group of people out of the No. 3 Qihuang Clinic.

"Manager Hua, Eunuch Jia knows that you have opened up a medicinal garden in the No. 3 Qihuang Hall, so he asked me to bring people over to help you tidy it up. It's already been done. Please take a look to see if it works. If not, I'll come back tomorrow to do it again."

"Thank you, sorry for bothering you."

Watching Xiao Shouzi and his group leave, Hua Changxi's face looked a little serious. He walked to the gate of the No. 3 Qihuang Hall and looked at the sword pattern on the stone pillar.

The stone pillar was marked with a sword pattern, which only prevented other people with wooden signs from marking it, but it could not prevent others from entering and leaving the Qihuang Hall.

This cannot be considered as putting the Qihuang Clinic in her hands.

"Is this wooden sign a key? If it is a key, it should be able to restrict others from entering or leaving."

Hua Changxi walked to the outside of the No. 1 Qihuang Hall and looked at the sword patterns on the stone pillar with a frown. Soon, he discovered a point that he had not noticed before: the sword patterns on the stone pillar were concave inward.

Looking at the 'three-dimensional' sword pattern on the wooden sign, and then looking at the sunken sword pattern on the stone pillar, Hua Changxi found that the two seemed to be able to be combined together. He walked to the stone pillar and wanted to align the wooden sign with the sunken part of the sword pattern.

However, Hua Changxi soon withdrew his hand.

She still remembers the noise caused by the ignition of the Dan Fire on the First Street. Who knows what will happen in the Qihuang Hall after the sword patterns are clashed?
It’s better to be careful and come back to check it out at night.

Hua Changxi went to the No. 4 Qihuang Hall to try out the teaching contents of the No. 4 Qihuang Hall. As soon as it got dark, he returned to his own courtyard to make the elixir. At midnight, after making sure that the people who were monitoring in secret had withdrawn, he went to the No. 1 Qihuang Hall.

After Hua Changxi arrived, he walked to the stone pillar and took out wooden sign number one. When the sword pattern on the wooden sign and the depression on the stone pillar were aligned, the wooden sign and the stone pillar were sucked together like the two ends of a magnet with a 'bang'.

Then, a flash of inspiration appeared in the No. 1 Qihuang Clinic.

Hua Changxi stood at the gate of the courtyard and clearly saw that the originally dilapidated courtyard had instantly turned into an empty and holy lobby, with the rich aroma of medicine filling the air.

On the stone walls surrounding the lobby, lifelike patterns emerged, including ordinary plants, spiritual plants, divine plants, and Taoist plants.

In the center of the lobby, due north, a colorful futon is formed. Behind the futon, there is a golden wall clock. Then, with the colorful futon as the center, circles of futons begin to emerge on the left and right sides and directly opposite. The futons continue to radiate outwards, seemingly endless.

Looking at this scene, Hua Changxi shuddered, came back to his senses instantly, and quickly took down the wooden sign.

The moment the wooden sign was removed, the spiritual light disappeared and Qihuang Hall turned back into its original old courtyard.

“Is this the way to open the Qihuang Hall?”

Hua Changxi looked around. Although the noise just now was not big, the spiritual light was the most conspicuous at night. He didn't know if it was seen by others. He was worried that someone would come over, so he used the somersault cloud and flashed away.

In the old courtyard of the square, Gu Xing, who was lying on a recliner with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight towards the direction of the service hall: "Someone has opened the No. 1 Qihuang Hall!"

Hua Changxi knew that the movements at the No. 1 Qihuang Clinic might be seen by others, but she didn't expect that someone would come to her door early the next morning.

Looking at Eunuch Jia and his three companions standing at the gate of the courtyard, Hua Changxi was silent for a while and then let them into the courtyard.

Eunuch Jia looked at Hua Changxi with burning eyes: "Changxi, did you know that there was a flash of light in the No. 1 Qihuang Hall last night?"

Hua Changxi shook his head: "I don't know."

Eunuch Zhao had never met Hua Changxi before, so he didn't want to beat around the bush with her: "Hua Changxi, give us a clear answer. Do you want to cooperate with us?"

Hua Changxi looked at him: "How do you want to cooperate?"

Hearing her say this, Jia Gonggong and the other three looked at each other and said, "If someone wants us to leave the Miscellaneous Service Hall one day in the future, we hope you can protect us."

"Also, we hope to be able to participate in what you are doing at Qihuang Hall."

Hua Changxi looked at them: "I only teach in Qihuang Hall. You can come anytime if you want to attend. As for protecting you, you are not my people, so why should I protect you?" Eunuch Yu: "What should we do to become your people?"

Hua Changxi looked at the four people, and looked like he didn't want to accept them: "You all have masters. It would be bad to recognize me as your master, right?"

Seeing that Hua Changxi actually wanted them to recognize her as their leader, Eunuch Jia and the other three looked a little hesitant.

Seeing that it was already bright outside, Hua Changxi said, "I have to go to Qihuang Hall for class. You guys go back and think about it carefully."

Thinking of the flash of inspiration that occurred in Qihuang Hall last night, Eunuch Yu spoke first while Eunuch Jia and the other two were still hesitating: "Don't think about it, I recognize you as my master."

Hua Changxi is a generous person. Whether it is directly letting Yu Hui take charge of ten pharmacies, or the distribution of medicines they had previously cooperated with her in refining, it can be seen that this person is someone who pays attention to the exchange of interests. As long as she is brought enough value, her return is not demanding.

He was a eunuch, either serving as a slave to this man or that man. It was much better to find a master like Hua Changxi than those ruthless nobles in the palace.

When Eunuch Jia and the other two saw that Eunuch Yu had agreed, they hesitated for a moment and then expressed their opinion as well.

Hua Changxi looked at the four people, flipped his right hand, and the Heart Demon Curse Animal Hide Scroll appeared in his palm: "To recognize me as your master, you must swear the Heart Demon Oath. If you betray me, you will die without a burial place."

Eunuch Yu had already sworn an oath to his inner demons once, so he took the animal skin scroll and guided the other three to swear an oath by dripping blood.

After the four of them had sworn their oaths, Hua Changxi asked, "How many people saw the strangeness at the No. 1 Qihuang Clinic last night?"

Eunuch Jia's role change was quite smooth: "Master, don't worry, we have suppressed this matter and it will not be spread out for the time being."

Even if it wasn't for Hua Changxi, they had to suppress the matter, otherwise it would attract the attention of other powerful people and they would not be able to stay in the Mentoring Hall.

Hua Changxi looked at him and said, "Notify everyone in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to come and listen to my lecture."

Watching Hua Changxi stride away, Eunuch Jia and the other three looked at each other in silence.

“Are we doing this right?”

"In the fight on First Street, very few people who got involved could escape unscathed. What's wrong with us adding a protective amulet to ourselves?"

"The question is, can Master Hua Changxi protect us?"

"The commotion at the No. 1 Qihuang Clinic last night was definitely caused by Master Hua. It must be right to follow her. At least we can save our lives."

After accepting the four eunuchs Jia, and with their mobilization, more and more servants went to the Qihuang Hall to listen to Hua Changxi's lectures.

The sword patterns on the No. 2 and No. 3 wooden signs became "three-dimensional" at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On May 1st, Hua Changxi experimented and found out that what is taught at the No. 4 Qihuang Hall is the direction and composition of the meridians of humans, animals, and plants, which involves anatomy, acupuncture, anesthesia, massage, and other contents.

On May 5th, after the sword pattern was marked on the stone pillar outside the No. 4 Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi visited the old courtyard in the square again and took away the sixth wooden sign.

On May 6, Hua Changxi experimented and found that what was taught at the No. 5 Qihuang Hall was the decomposition, extraction, and fusion of animals, plants, and minerals.

On May 10th, sword patterns were marked on the stone pillars of the No. 5 Qihuang Hall, and Hua Changxi went to the old courtyard in the square to get the seventh wooden sign.

On May 11, Hua Changxi discovered that Qihuang Hall No. 6 was the place where alchemy was taught.

On May 15th, sword patterns were marked on the stone pillars of the No. 6 Qihuang Hall, and Hua Changxi took the eighth wooden sign from the old courtyard in the square.

The teaching content of the No. 7 Qihuang Hall stumped Hua Changxi.

The contents of the previous lectures at the Qihuang Hall were completely based on the tradition of alchemy, but after refining the alchemy, she lost her direction.

Before the No. 6 Qihuang Hall, it can be seen as the stage of systematic explanation of alchemy knowledge, but the No. 9 Qihuang Hall teaches the art of observation, auscultation, questioning and palpation. She really can't figure out what the No. 7 and No. 8 Qihuang Halls in between will teach.

In order to unlock the Qihuang Hall, Hua Changxi has been busy for more than a month. Now that she is stuck, she has some time to think about other things.

She first went back to Feng'anfang to visit Pu Cao and Aniu.

"What's wrong with you?"

Hua Changxi was a little surprised to see that Pu Cao and Aniu were both listless, especially Aniu, whose eyes were bloodshot and he looked in a very bad condition.

Pu Cao glanced at Ah Niu and said, "Ah Niu has been upset recently when he hears the sound of wooden fish at night."

Hua Changxi frowned: "The sound of a wooden fish? The people living around here are all ordinary people, how could there be a sound of a wooden fish? Have you asked?"

Pu Cao nodded: "I specifically asked the people who have houses in Zuoling, and I haven't heard of anyone renting a house to a monk."

When Hua Changxi heard the word "monk", his eyes suddenly flashed and he thought of what happened in Pharmacist Xu's family.

During this period, Pharmacist Xu did not come to see her, and she did not know whether Xu Ling and the monk named Konghai had returned.
Pu Cao seemed to be hesitant to speak: "Chang Xi, I think Ah Niu seems to be possessed by evil spirits, because only he can hear the sound of the wooden fish, I can't hear it at all."

When Hua Changxi heard this, his expression suddenly became serious: "Only Ah Niu can hear the sound of the wooden fish?" Then he looked at Ah Niu, "Are you sure you really heard the sound of the wooden fish and it wasn't a dream?"

Ah Niu nodded affirmatively: "As soon as I fall asleep, I hear the sound of the wooden fish next to my ears, as if it is calling me."

Pu Cao quickly interrupted, "Last month, Aniu got up several times in the middle of the night and wanted to go out as if he had lost his soul. Fortunately, Qingniu lived with Aniu and was able to stop him in time."

"I heard the noise and splashed cold water on Ah Niu to wake him up. Only then did he stop struggling to get out."

Hua Changxi looked at Ah Niu: "Do you feel someone calling you?"

Ah Niu nodded: "Yeah."