The Council Hall was a large hall with many chairs neatly arranged. It was usually the place for the high-level members of the sect to discuss matters.
Today, there were very few people in the Council Hall, but the atmosphere was particularly solemn.
Ou Peng's original smiling face when seeing off his wife turned serious as soon as he entered the Council Hall. The few people following behind him also had serious expressions. Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing, although they were Ou Peng's direct disciples and core subordinates, had rarely come to the Council Hall. After entering, they naturally followed the rules, standing not far from the entrance, not daring to move recklessly. The Fourth and Sixth of the Six Misty Tigers and Ou Peng's chief disciple, Zhang Chengyue, stood in front of their seats according to the usual rules, waiting for Ou Peng to take his seat first.
Ou Peng walked to the innermost part of the hall, where there was a large chair. He turned around and sat down, facing everyone. The others saw him sit down and carefully took their own seats.
Ou Peng looked at everyone and then said to Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing, "You two, come over and find a seat."
Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing said in unison, "Thank you, Master." Then they found two chairs at the lower end and sat down.
Ou Peng said, "Tell me about the whole incident."
Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing glanced at each other, and Wen Wenhai said, "Yes, Master. The events were like this." After that, Wen Wenhai explained the events from their departure from the Piaomiao Sect to the encounter with the two Martial Uncles just now, including the incident of saving Zhang Cai's family, in detail. Xue Qing's leaving a token for Zhang Cai and the three medicinal materials they had collected themselves in the secret land's medicine field were not mentioned, but he added, "There are also two things that need to be explained, please allow us to report them later."
After pondering for a moment, Ou Peng nodded in agreement.
Then, Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing put the brocade box and the small flat box as well as the medicinal materials collected from the secret land on the square table beside Ou Peng.
Ou Peng did not open the brocade box but said to the Fourth Brother, "You go and get things done first. We'll wait for you." The Fourth Brother said, "Yes." Then he got up and hurried away. Only Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing showed confusion in their eyes, while the others remained silent.
It didn't take long for the Fourth Brother to come back. He nodded to Ou Peng and then took his seat again.
It was then that Ou Peng said, "Thank you all for your hard work. We finally have some rewards after all this time. Let's see what treasures are here." With a smile on his face as he spoke.
Neither Wen Wenhai nor Xue Qing knew this, but Ou Peng, the Gang Master, was usually approachable with a warm smile, but he was always extremely serious in the Council Hall. They had never seen him smile before. Today, he was so unusual that he aroused the curiosity of those who knew the situation. Their eager eyes revealed that they were looking forward to the treasures that would make the Gang Master smile.
Ou Peng first took the brocade box and carefully opened it. Inside was a small book, which felt soft to the touch, neither paper nor silk. The cover had a large character "Sword" written on it, which was similar to "Misty". The word, however, exuded a sharp and murderous aura. Ou Peng stared at the word and opened the book. He flipped through the contents and put it aside, squinting his eyes in thought, not saying anything or giving any indications.
After a while, Ou Peng turned his gaze to the brocade box again and examined it carefully. Suddenly, his eyes flashed with excitement as he reached into the box and took out the tray underneath the small book, revealing three small bottles placed side by side. The brocade box had actually two layers, with the compartment for the small book taking up only a third of the box's height. Ou Peng was even more careful as he took out one of the bottles, which was actually carved from jade and sealed with an unknown material. The words "Qi Boosting Pill" were written on the bottle! Ou Peng was overjoyed. The Qi Boosting Pill was something from hundreds of years ago that increased inner strength. The recipe had long been lost, and according to the records in the sect, taking one Qi Boosting Pill could increase one's strength by thirty years. If he took one, his strength would... As Ou Peng thought about it, his hand began to tremble slightly.
He carefully put the bottle back in the box and took out another. This bottle was identical to the previous one, except the words "Strengthening Bone Pill" were written on it. Ou Peng frowned slightly, wondering what use this could have. Strengthening bones? His sect's records didn't mention it, but since it was placed alongside the Qi Boosting Pill, it must be an extraordinary treasure. He decided to ask the other three sects when he got the chance. Perhaps their records would have details about it. He carefully put the bottle back.
Afterward, Ou Peng took out the last bottle, and when he saw the three words on it, he couldn't help but stand up, his eyes wide open. Everyone in the Council Hall also stood up immediately, not knowing what incredible thing the Gang Master had seen.
Ou Peng calmed himself down, suppressing his excitement, and sat back down. He waved his hand for the others to sit down as well. He regretted not having Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing go to the secret chamber alone, so that these things would not have been displayed in front of everyone, forcing them to know about it. These items were too precious, and not that he did not trust his people, but if the news leaked, it could bring about the destruction of the gang.
With that in mind, Ou Peng closed his eyes and fell deep into thought.Everyone looked strangely at the gang leader's reaction, startled and quite unusual.
When Ou Peng finally made up his mind and opened his eyes, he immediately resumed his original expression. He put the bottle back in the box, picked up the small booklet, and handed it to Zhang Chengyue, saying, "Show it to your Martial Uncle and let everyone have a look."
After the small booklet had been passed around, Ou Peng said, "Chengyue, make a copy of this sword manual and give it to your Sixth Martial Uncle. This sword manual will be placed in our sect's Book Pavilion and stored carefully."
Zhang Chengyue nodded in agreement. Then Ou Peng spoke to Lao Liu, "Lao Liu, you are in charge of training disciples. Find a few with outstanding aptitude to cultivate this sword technique. Our Misty Sect's swordsmanship will have one more branch."
Lao Liu replied, "Yes, leader, I will do my best to promote the swordsmanship of our sect."
Ou Peng nodded silently.
Then, Ou Peng said to the crowd, "You must keep today's events secret. It is the highest secret of our Misty Sect, especially what I will tell you later. I will inform the boss, Second Brother, and Fifth Brother."
Everyone stood up and promised to keep the secret.
Afterward, Ou Peng told everyone the names of the medicines in the first two bottles. Envious looks filled their eyes, wondering how many were inside the bottles and if they could get their share.
In the end, Ou Peng said "There is another bottle containing pills, rumored to be 'Longevity Pills', but it's unknown if the rumors are true."
As soon as the words fell, everyone's expressions became beyond strange.
The "Longevity Pill" was not like the "Qi Boosting Pill," well-known in Rivers and Gardens as a legendary medicine that could enhance power. Neither was it like the "Strengthening Bone Pill," unknown even to the Misty Sect. The "Longevity Pill," rumored to extend one's life for ten years, was widely known among both martial artists and ordinary people alike. It had been the stuff of legends for thousands of years but had never actually appeared. As a result, people treated it as a joke or a fabrication by storytellers. Now, suddenly appearing in the Council Hall of the Misty Sect along with the "Qi Boosting Pill", and with the same packaging, it was no wonder everyone had mixed feelings of amusement and surprise.
Is it real? Or fake?
Regardless, everyone knew that if other famous sects found out, endless jealousy and conflict would follow. It was not impossible for such a thing to lead to the sect's destruction.
No wonder the gang leader was so solemn about this. This matter seemed to have come to an end. But had the other three sects received the same items?
Everyone, including Ou Peng, began to wonder.
Next, Ou Peng opened the package containing the medicinal herbs. Once again, he was stunned. Ginseng, Panax Notoginseng, Mountain Spirit, Polygonum multiflorum... There were so many that he couldn't even name them all. He looked at the package with mixed feelings, glad to have gotten so many valuable items. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have bothered with restraint and secrecy, and he wouldn't have let Yanming Hermit manipulate him. He should have gone straight to the confrontation. He suspected the old man must have gotten quite a few benefits this time, but at least A Hai and Qing Er had returned safely, and the items hadn't been lost. Otherwise, it would have been too late to regret it.
It was no wonder Ou Peng had so many thoughts. What they had seen before might have been legends, in which no one knew the truth, and the quantity was limited. However, the herbs before them were tangible, and a centuries-old ginseng, for example, could save a life in a critical moment. When combined with other herbs to make elixirs, their effects could be even greater. He had heard from A Hai about the abundance of herbs in the secret land but had thought Yanming Hermit was exaggerating. Now, it seemed he needed to be more attentive, especially with the various forces collaborating in the secret land.
Under the curious gaze of everyone, Ou Peng excitedly asked Zhang Chengyue to quickly inform the Hall Master and Elder of the Pharmaceutical Hall to come to the Council Hall.