While waiting for the Hall Master of the Medicine Hall, Ouyang Peng helplessly picked up the last small box, which looked utterly ordinary. Yet his heart brimmed with anticipation. In the short time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had already seen treasures he had never encountered in the first half of his life. What treasure could this box hold? Could it be something even more miraculous than the Longevity Pill?
The box felt cool in his hand and surprisingly heavy. Ouyang Peng held it before his eyes and examined it carefully. The entire box seemed formed from a single piece, and he had no idea what material it was made of. There was not even a trace of a lid, and he could not tell where it was meant to be opened. He tried all four sides, prying upward and pressing downward, but nothing worked. He could not exactly bite it open with his teeth, could he? Ouyang Peng secretly mocked himself, then set the box back on the table and called everyone over to inspect it.
The crowd gathered around it for quite a while. Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother stepped forward and tried several methods as well, but none succeeded. Zhang Chengyue frowned. "Master, could it require something like a key?"
Sixth Brother rolled his eyes at him. "Nephew, if it needs a key, there should at least be a keyhole. There's no lock on this box, much less any visible hidden lock. How are you supposed to use one?"
Zhang Chengyue reddened somewhat and stood there awkwardly without rebutting him.
Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing had seen this box in the Secret Realm before, and Wen Wenhai had even tried opening it. Seeing that neither his master nor his martial uncles could open it now, he did not dare offer any new ideas. Xue Qing, however, was intensely interested in the box she had won through rock paper scissors. She even lifted it to her ear and shook it, hoping to hear whether anything inside made a sound, but to no avail.
Just as everyone was at their wits' end, Bai Dong, Hall Master of the Medicine Hall, and Elder He Yunpu arrived at the Council Hall. After paying their respects to the gang leader and the others, Zhang Chengyue led them to the square table holding the medicinal herbs. Their reaction exceeded everyone's imagination—not because they were unexpectedly unsurprised, but because their astonishment was excessive beyond measure. From the instant they saw the contents of the bundle, their eyeballs seemed to stop moving. Their feet seemed rooted to the ground, unable to shift even half a step. They pointed at the medicinal herbs with trembling arms, while the drool flowed from their mouths until it nearly reached the floor.
Only after half the time it took to drink a cup of tea did the two regain their senses. They paid no attention to the amused expressions of the onlookers enjoying their embarrassment and instead muttered to themselves, "This is six-hundred-year-old ginseng. This is six-hundred-year-old Panax Notoginseng. This is four-hundred-year-old Tian Jing. This is... seven-hundred-year-old Golden Thread Grass? That's right, exactly as recorded in the Herbal Codex. And this? Am I seeing things? Thousand-year-old Dragon Slaying Grass? How is that possible? But, 'The roots are mostly thin and cord-like, curved. The stems stand erect, solitary or clustered, with fine longitudinal striations, hairless or with sparse white hairs near the tips. The upper portions are often branched. The upper surfaces of the leaves are dark green and the undersides lighter; basal leaves are stalked, ovate-elliptical, with blunt rounded or sharp serrations along the edges. At one hundred years, the teeth are silver; at one thousand years, the teeth are gold.' Th-this... these golden serrated edges! Heaven, am I dreaming?" As Hall Master Bai spoke, he gave himself a fierce slap across the face. Then the pain made him suck in his breath through pursed lips.
Meanwhile, Elder He Yunpu muttered medicinal names that no one else understood, his face equally filled with disbelief. Finally, he picked up a medicinal herb shaped like a hand and said, "What is this? A cactus?"
Hall Master Bai said, "Don't spout nonsense. The Herbal Codex says cacti have thorns. Did it prick your hand? That is Fish Hand Grass."
Elder He was displeased as well. "The Herbal Codex says Fish Hand Grass has the shape of three fingers. This one clearly has four."
Hall Master Bai examined it closely, then shook his head. "I don't know, I don't know. And these remaining fourth- and fifth-grade medicinal herbs also seem to be things I've never seen before. I only wonder whether the Herbal Codex records them."
Elder He narrowed his eyes and thought carefully before nodding in agreement. "I don't know. I have studied too little, studied too little."
Ouyang Peng promptly cut in. "Hall Master Bai, Elder He!"
His words jolted the two awake. Only then did they realize they were in the Council Hall, not the Medicine Hall where they usually discussed scholarship. They hurriedly cupped their hands toward everyone. "Seeing so many fine medicinal herbs filled us with secret delight, and we could not restrain ourselves. We ask the gang leader and everyone else to forgive us."
Everyone returned the gesture and said it was no matter.
Ouyang Peng said, "Gentlemen, what are the value and uses of these medicinal herbs?"
Elder He said, "Gang Leader, where did you obtain these strange medicinal herbs? Ginseng, Panax Notoginseng, Tian Jing, He Shou Wu, and the like are ordinary varieties, but the age of these herbs is truly terrifying. Even hundred-year-old specimens are exceedingly rare, yet the worst among these is already three hundred years old. Golden Thread Grass and Snake Gallbladder Grass are excellent medicines for external injuries, while Snake Mouth Grass, Coral Grass, and Stone Wind Medicine are sacred medicines for treating internal injuries. The rest are all rare medicinal herbs. If they are combined with other herbs and prepared according to the principles of ruler and minister, yin and yang, they will surely produce treasures rarely seen in the world."
Having recovered his senses, Hall Master Bai hastily said, "Gang Leader, the place where these items were found must be kept under strict secrecy! Dragon Slaying Grass and Peacock Grass among them are the principal ingredients for refining medicines that increase cultivation, like the Qi Boosting Pill. Our Misty Sect's ancient records mention this." At those words, everyone's ears perked up.
Ouyang Peng asked, "Do the records say how to refine the Qi Boosting Pill?"
Hall Master Bai said, "No. The formula for the Qi Boosting Pill was lost long ago. The records only mention several similar pills, whose effects are limited and whose required medicinal herbs are exceedingly rare."
Ouyang Peng said, "Hall Master Bai, take these medicinal herbs back to the Medicine Hall and study their effects. Also, carefully examine the formulas for those pills similar to the Qi Boosting Pill. Make your preparations. Perhaps..."
Ouyang Peng did not finish his sentence, but Hall Master Bai immediately understood. "I will faithfully obey the gang leader's instructions."
Then, together with Elder He, he carefully carried the bundle out of the Council Hall. Ouyang Peng also instructed Zhang Chengyue to assign more men to the Medicine Hall and ensure its protection.
After Hall Master Bai and Elder He departed, Ouyang Peng returned to his seat.
His gaze fell once more on the small box on the table, the one they had exhausted every means to open without success. After some thought, he instructed Zhang Chengyue to summon Hall Master Shi Yukun of the Divine Mechanism Hall. The Divine Mechanism Hall was where the Misty Sect forged Weapons and concealed weapons, and Hall Master Shi was a master Weapons smith in the Pingyang City region.
Before long, Shi Yukun arrived at the Council Hall. He studied the small box for a long while and employed numerous methods, but he too was utterly at a loss.
Still, after hesitating briefly, he asked Ouyang Peng in a probing tone, "Gang Leader, how about having Shi Niu come and try?"
Shi Niu was a brutish man of the Misty Sect who practiced the Great Strength Vajra Hand. His martial arts were nothing remarkable, but his strength was first-rate. With the Great Strength Vajra Hand as his primary art, he ranked first in the gang in terms of pure strength.
Shi Yukun's words awakened the dreamer. The box was merely a container for preserving what lay within. Naturally, it would be best if they could keep the box intact while retrieving its contents. But if they could not preserve it and had no technical way to open it, then there was only brute-force dismantling. Getting the contents out in the end was the kingly path.
Shi Niu soon arrived at the Council Hall. He was a towering, powerfully built man, standing a head taller than everyone in the hall. His body was packed with sturdy muscles, and seeing his honest, simple smile, Ouyang Peng said nothing more. He merely handed him the small box and gave an order. "Open it."
Shi Niu took the box without another word. He exerted force with both hands, intending to wrench it apart from the middle, but the box did not budge in the slightest. Next, he placed it on the ground, took a deep breath, and directed his qi to his dantian. His arms abruptly swelled much thicker, and even his fingers grew larger than before. Then Shi Niu gave a great shout, fixed his eyes on the box, and slammed both hands down. With a dull thump, his pair of fan-like palms struck the box. Yet rather than shattering into fragments as everyone expected, the box was driven flat into the stone floor of the Council Hall.
Shi Niu pulled the box from the stone slab and stared at the completely undamaged box. He scratched his head, looked at the gang leader with an innocent expression, and felt utterly depressed. What kind of thing is this?
After sending Shi Niu away, Ouyang Peng was depressed as well. How was he supposed to deal with this box?
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He drew the treasured sword hanging at his waist, only to sheath it again at once. The remaining people in the Council Hall also had bright eyes; they knew their gang leader had thought of a good way to open the box. Without waiting for Ouyang Peng's command, Zhang Chengyue said to Shi Yukun, "Doesn't Hall Master Shi's hall still have Water Severer? Why not bring it here and give it a try?"
Shi Yukun glanced at Ouyang Peng. Seeing that the gang leader had no objection, he said, "Please wait a moment, Gang Leader and everyone. I will return shortly."
Before long, Shi Yukun returned carrying a saber with an ancient, simple scabbard. He said to Ouyang Peng, "Gang Leader, let me try first."
Ouyang Peng nodded his permission.
Shi Yukun drew the saber from its scabbard. Unlike other sabers, it was not gleaming and bright. Its blade was instead pitch-black, yet whenever light reflected from its surface, it was strangely dazzling, like black lightning.
Shi Yukun raised the saber and first tested it by chopping at one corner of the box. The box showed no reaction. Then he drew a deep breath, raised Water Severer again, and struck down at the corner of the box with all his strength.
Yet there was no cracking sound as everyone had imagined. There was not even the slightest noise. It was as though the blade had struck cotton, while the box remained where it was, completely unscathed.
Ouyang Peng glanced at Shi Yukun, who was preparing to strike again, and said, "Give me the saber."
Ouyang Peng took the saber Shi Yukun handed over and placed the box on the ground in the small hollow Shi Niu had made earlier. Then he directed his qi to his dantian. The color of his face shifted continuously, only stopping after the sixth transformation. Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother watched with envy, both thinking, Senior Brother Sect Leader's Misty Divine Art is so profound—he has already cultivated it to the sixth level.
Ouyang Peng raised Water Severer and poured the true qi within his body into the blade. The saber's formerly black surface no longer remained the same. Infused with the Misty Divine Art, it too began to shimmer with changing colors. Then Ouyang Peng shouted and slashed at the box.