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Chapter 452, Sense of Distance

Most members of the Hua family are physical cultivators, and those with spiritual roots are dual cultivators of both body and spirit. Physical cultivators need to eat, and it has to be highly nourishing food.

Hua Dalang took out a blood-red fish about ten meters long from his storage ring. The fish's body shone with a metallic luster, its scales were like inlaid red jade, and its tail fin was still twitching slightly. It was clear that it had just died and its blood had not yet dissipated.

"What is this?" Aunt Hua exclaimed in surprise.

Hua Dalang: "This is a dragonfish I hunted. Eating it can enhance one's qi and blood." Knowing that his family needed meat, he would always buy some monster meat in advance every time he returned home.

Aunt Hua Er and Aunt Hua Si's eyes lit up, and they rolled up their sleeves with smiles as they went to process the dragonfish.

Over the years, they had worked in the kitchen of the Xuanyuan Mansion and had seen all kinds of monster meat, so they knew that this dragon fish was a great tonic for body cultivators.

The Xuanyuan Mansion offers good benefits, but the resources provided can only sustain basic cultivation. Physical cultivation is very taxing, so if you want to continuously improve your strength, you need to find other ways.

The Hua family members in the Xuanyuan Mansion mostly did logistical support work and were rarely assigned to missions, so they had little opportunity to earn extra money.

Fortunately, Hua Dalang and Hua Liulang would bring some cultivation resources with them every time they returned home.

"Wow! This is amazing! We're in for a treat tonight, we're going to eat dragonfish!"

The younger generation, including Hua Qiniang and Hua Baniang, also gathered around, chattering as they helped hold down the fish's tail and sharpen the knife, their movements swift and skillful.

Grandma Hua also took out some ingredients that she had saved up but couldn't bear to eat and gave them to Aunt Hua the Second and Aunt Hua the Fourth.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of scaling and chopping bones, mixed with the rich aroma of food, and the smell of cooking wafted through the air.

Listening to the laughter and chatter coming from the kitchen, Hua Changxi had the illusion of returning to the Hua family courtyard in Xiuzhengfang. She felt a warmth in her heart, but also a sense of emptiness.

Since embarking on the path of cultivation, she had long been accustomed to tranquility and focus. She longed to be closer to this intense atmosphere of worldly affairs, but she no longer had the same desire to participate as she had in her childhood.

To dispel the overwhelming sense of alienation in her heart, Hua Changxi could only try to shift her attention. She looked at Yao Shi and spoke to her in a low voice.

"Mother, what's going on between Third Brother and Zhu Qinghuan?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Yao immediately smiled and said, "Qinghuan is a girl with a gentle nature and is very sensible in her actions. She and your third brother both like to study pharmacology, and they fell in love after a while."

Hua Changxi looked at Yao's reaction and asked, "Mother, do you like Zhu Qinghuan very much?"

Madam Yao smiled and said, "Not only do I like her, but your grandparents are also very satisfied." She paused, then added, "What, you don't like her?"

Hua Changxi shook his head.

Madam Yao looked at her daughter, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Do you think Qinghuan deliberately approached your third brother because of you?" As she spoke, she grabbed Hua Changxi's hand.

“Ninth Sister, I know your concerns. Perhaps Qinghuan does have such thoughts, but she is truly good to Sanlang. Haven’t you noticed that Sanlang has become much more composed and clear-headed these days?”

"Your third brother has always had a lot of ambition bottled up inside him."

"This is also your father's and my fault. We didn't care about him enough in the past."

"Of our five children, apart from your tenth mother who left home early, your father and I have placed all our hopes on your eldest brother. Sixth Brother is impulsive and needs to be kept under close supervision, and you..."

Madam Yao glanced at Hua Changxi with a hint of helpless indulgence: "You're the most troublesome, the one who gives your father and me the most headaches."

"As for your third brother, since he has always worked in the family pharmacy, your father and I thought he had a promising future, so we inevitably neglected him a bit."

"If Qinghuan hadn't told me that Sanlang had always wanted to gain the approval of me and your father, and to be valued by the family, I wouldn't have known that this child had so many things hidden in his heart."

Yao looked at Hua Changxi and said, "I heard from Qinghuan that your third brother has been acting rashly and impetuously in many of the things he has done at Danyuan Peak."

"However, he didn't have bad intentions, nor was he entirely self-centered. He just felt that you were the younger sister and he was the older brother, and that you were the closest people to each other, so you were definitely more reliable than outsiders."

“You don’t use him, but use outsiders instead, which shows a lack of trust in him. He’s very upset, so he can’t help but get angry at you.” “But he’s already changing. He knows that at Danyuan Peak, he can no longer treat you like a younger sister from his family.”

"Ninth Sister, I know you don't like your family interfering in your affairs, but could you be a little nicer to your third brother?"

Hua Changxi didn't speak, but turned to look at Zhu Qinghuan, who was standing in the courtyard with Sheng Yuantang, helping out. The two were chatting and laughing, and their mannerisms were very familiar.

She is no longer the power-hungry novice who was resentful after being rejected as an apprentice due to underhanded dealings by the Department of Medicine.

She has already gained some understanding of how power operates and flows.

If Danyuan Peak, Lingguang Hall, and Wuzhi Mountain were a ship, then she would be the helmsman, determining the ship's course.

To ensure the ship's proper functioning and to guarantee that it sails in the direction she desires, she will inevitably need some people who 'follow her will'.

These people could be selected by building a complete screening system, but that would be too time-consuming.

To save energy and time, she was actually using her own people.

The absolute fairness and justice she hopes to achieve is actually very difficult to achieve in reality.

In that case, why not give important positions to family members?

Hua Changxi's eyes sparkled.

Just because something is difficult to achieve, does that mean we should compromise?

“Mother, Dan Yuan Peak and Dan Ding Peak have a complete and transparent talent selection mechanism. As long as Third Brother is capable enough, he will not be overlooked.”

Looking at her daughter, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in Yao's eyes, but she still said gently, "Your idea is good, but people have different degrees of closeness and distance. Can you be sure that the managers you appoint will really treat everyone fairly?"

Hua Changxi's eyes, no longer flickering, became firm: "Some things may not be perfect, but I will strive to improve them." It's time to install karma suggestion boxes on Danyuan Peak and Danding Peak as well.

Madam Yao stopped talking and only sighed inwardly.

Hua Changxi paused for a moment, then changed the subject: "Mother, what about Sister Yuantang and my eldest brother? How are they?"

Hearing this, Yao's smile deepened: "Yuantang is a steady and meticulous child, and he is very considerate in his dealings with people. Your older brother may not say it, but his eyes soften every time he mentions Yuantang."

“Our whole family likes her. Even your grandmother said that Yuan Tang is a rare find.”

Hua Changxi nodded. After finishing talking about Hua Dalang and Hua Sanlang, she found that she couldn't find any other topics. Even when facing her own mother, there seemed to be an invisible mist between them.

Yao seemed to sense the awkwardness and felt somewhat uncomfortable, creating a tense atmosphere between mother and daughter.

Fortunately, just then a loud shout came from outside the courtyard: "I'm back!"

It's Hua Minghe.

Hua Changxi strode out of the room and immediately saw a tall figure clad in Xuanyuan armor stride into the courtyard. Dust from the training ground still clung to his shoulder armor, and he was slightly sweaty but full of energy.

"Ninth Sister!"

Hua Minghe's voice was a little hoarse, and his expression was somewhat excited.

"Father."

Hua Changxi let Hua Minghe walk quickly forward and pull her up and down to look her over.

After a while, Hua Minghe grinned and ruffled her hair with his rough hands: "My Ninth Sister is getting more and more beautiful."

Hua Changxi smiled brightly, then let Hua Minghe lead her into the hall. (End of Chapter)