Under the same night sky, in Misty Manor, within the Council Hall, no one slept either.
That night, countless thick tallow candles, each as thick as a child's arm, had been lit in the Council Hall, making the entire chamber as bright as day.
Compared with the bustle of daytime, there were only six people in the Council Hall now.
That was right—six people, the renowned Misty Six Tigers of the martial world.
Oupeng still sat in the Sect Leader's chair. To his left sat Hu Yunyi, the eldest, and Li Jian, the second; to his right were Shangguan Fengliu, the fourth, Liu Qingyang, the fifth, and Xu Peihua, the sixth.
Hu the Eldest was a sturdy middle-aged man. He dressed simply, even somewhat old-fashionedly. At a glance, most people would have taken him for an old farmer. His features were ordinary as well, with thick brows and large eyes. Summoned back by the sect's urgent order, he showed no haste to ask what had happened, instead leisurely savoring the clear tea in his hand.
Li the Second was a tall, gaunt-faced man clad in a green robe. A sword rested across his knees, and his face was utterly cold, as though strangers were forbidden to approach. He truly lived up to his name. At the moment, Li Jian had his head lowered and his eyes half narrowed, no one knowing what he was thinking.
Across from them, Liu the Fifth was a short, fat man. His clothes were even more rough and plain, exposing the black hair on his chest. Two Great Broadaxes lay at his feet, while the table beside him held not tea, but a small flask of wine. His bearing truly did not suit his name at all. From time to time, he raised the flask for a sip, his eyes constantly darting about—at Oupeng, at the eldest and second brothers, and finally at Shangguan the Fourth and Xu the Sixth, who were speaking together in low voices.
Shangguan the Fourth and Xu the Sixth naturally knew why they had gathered to discuss matters tonight. Their faces were full of excitement as they whispered to each other. Xu the Sixth's seat had originally been at the very end, but he had stubbornly traded places with Liu the Fifth just to sit nearer Shangguan the Fourth. Liu the Fifth watched them eagerly as they leaned close and chatted animatedly, unable to catch a word himself. He was so anxious that he nearly scratched at his ears and cheeks, but this was the Council Hall, where loud clamor was forbidden. He could only gulp down wine in irritation and wait quietly for Oupeng to speak.
Oupeng seemed to be pondering something as well, paying little attention to his fellow brothers.
Only after the brothers below had begun to grow impatient did Oupeng raise his head, look over their familiar faces, and speak.
"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Fifth Brother, you only returned to the sect this afternoon. You have traveled by boat and horse without even having time to rest. Yet there is indeed an important matter I need to discuss with you. Do not blame Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother either. This time, I gave a death order that the matter be kept sealed. It is of great importance, so I had no choice but to be cautious."
Hu the Eldest slowly set down his teacup and said, "Sect Leader Junior Brother has always handled matters with steadiness, and we have all deeply admired that. There is nothing to blame. Still, since you say this matter is of great importance, I would like to hear it in detail. The martial world has been calm of late. The major sects have been hiding their light and biding their time, while even the Demonic Cult has furled its banners and beaten its drums, as though they had all gone home to farm. This should be an opportunity for our Misty Sect to expand its influence. Could it be that Junior Brother has some good plan?"
Li the Second, however, was unconvinced. He said coldly, "The martial world speaks through strength. Without superior martial arts, any scheme is useless. I say we should not engage in underhanded plots. Better to practice our swords more."
Hu the Eldest knew that this second junior brother of his had a cold face but a warm heart, and never considered others' feelings when he spoke. These words were not directed at him, and they were reasonable besides, so he did not take offense. Liu the Fifth, meanwhile, chimed in, raising an axe as he said, "Third Brother, which little bastard is looking for trouble? I'll go chop him down right now."
Shangguan the Fourth and Xu the Sixth merely watched the three of them with smiles, saying nothing.
Oupeng did not know whether to laugh or cry. He waved Liu the Fifth down and said, "Fifth Brother, sit down. Be patient. It is not as sinister as you make it sound." Then he turned to Hu the Eldest and Li the Second. "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, this is not a matter of fighting some sect for territory, nor is there any need for underhanded schemes."
He paused deliberately before saying, "I called all of you here because there is good news."
The three of them became even more confused, all furrowing their brows. Liu the Fifth asked, "Third Brother, what good fortune has fallen onto our heads?"
Li the Second said, "Could a pie have fallen from the sky?"
Hu the Eldest said nothing at first. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Third Brother, could this be related to that old beggar you mentioned last time?"
Oupeng smiled and nodded.
Liu the Fifth was delighted. "Damn it, that old beggar really was not lying? I had already thrown this matter to the back of my mind. A whole year has passed—who would still remember it?"
Li the Second still wore the same stiff expression. "When did you go out? You seem to have stayed in the sect all year. How did I not know you had gone anywhere?"
"I did not go myself," Oupeng said.
Liu the Fifth cut in at once, pointing at Shangguan the Fourth and Xu the Sixth. "I was wondering why these two had been muttering together from the moment they came in. So you two went! Why did you not say anything beforehand?"
Xu the Sixth hurriedly said, "Fifth Brother has it wrong. We only learned about it a few days ago ourselves."
The three became more bewildered still.
Oupeng quickly explained, "Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother truly did not go either. I sent A Hai and Qing'er."
Upon hearing that, Liu the Fifth sprang to his feet. "For something this important, you actually sent two disciples? Weren't you afraid something might go wrong?"
Hu the Eldest shot him a glare. "Can you stop jumping at every little thing? Did they not return safely? Otherwise, would we be sitting here peacefully discussing this matter?"
Xu the Sixth thought for a moment. "That is true."
Oupeng smiled and explained, "This is how it was. To avoid alerting the eyes and ears of other sects and giving them a chance to fish in troubled waters, neither I, the head of the Tan Family, nor the Sword Master of Wan Jian Peak went. We only sent second-generation disciples from our respective sides to a location chosen beforehand. Hermit Yanming, who drew little notice in the martial world, led them there."
Li the Second spoke up. "This Hermit Yanming's martial arts are mediocre, though he is clever enough. Still, he is deeply calculating. A Hai and Qing'er might suffer for going with him."
Hu the Eldest said, "Since Third Brother and the others trusted him enough to let him lead them, they must have had a way to guard against him."
Oupeng rubbed his nose and said, "Eldest Brother is exactly right. Before they left, all three parties sent trusted people to his Yanming Villa. In turn, he sent people to escort his wife and children separately to our sects. Only after the matter was completed could we escort his wife and children back, while exchanging our people at the same time."
Hu the Eldest asked, "Whom did you send?"
"Naturally, Yan'er," Oupeng said.
Hu the Eldest nodded.
Oupeng continued, "She returned only a few days ago and is resting at the manor now."
Hu the Eldest said, "For such a matter, only she was suited to go. She has had a hard time."
Li the Second said, "She is your younger sister. Naturally, she should help her elder brother bear his burdens. But Hermit Yanming did not play any tricks? That is truly strange."
Only then did Oupeng smile until his eyes curved even more. "How could he not? He proposed using rock paper scissors in place of martial arts to determine how the treasures would be divided. In the end, Qing'er beat him so thoroughly that he was left in complete disarray."
Liu the Fifth laughed as well. "Exactly. That girl never loses when it comes to guessing this. She even used it to get me drunk once. Hermit Yanming really lifted a rock only to smash his own foot."
Oupeng continued, "Most laughable of all, he even falsely passed on an imperial decree, claiming that any extra treasures should be obtained according to fate—whoever got them could keep them. Yet there were no extra treasures inside. They merely divided the medicinal herbs, and he only got a few extra portions. Man proposes, Heaven disposes."
"Medicinal herbs?" Liu the Fifth interrupted at once. "No divine weapons or legendary blades made it into our hands?"
Xu the Sixth said solemnly, "Of course there was. There was a Pangu Axe!"
Liu the Fifth immediately leaped up and rushed before Oupeng. "Really, Third Brother? This Pangu Axe is a weapon I have dreamed of day and night! This time, you must give it to me. I will use it to cleave this martial world in two!"
Before Oupeng could speak, Hu the Eldest barked, "Sixth Brother, go back and sit down. This is the Council Hall. Do not forget the rules."
Liu the Fifth feared Hu the Eldest greatly. He slunk back to his seat, looking utterly wronged as he said, "Eldest Brother, this is my dream. You cannot destroy it. I am set on having that axe."
Li the Second spoke. "You actually believe in something like the Pangu Axe? How about I trade you the Xuanyuan Sword for it?"
Liu the Fifth muttered, "You do not have the Xuanyuan Sword."
Li the Second immediately replied, "And you have even less of a Pangu Axe."
Hu the Eldest spoke then. "Do not listen to Sixth Brother's nonsense. The Pangu Axe is only a legend. How could it possibly exist?"
At that moment, Oupeng said mysteriously, "Although Sixth Brother was joking, Eldest Brother, you truly misjudged this time. There really was something legendary inside!"
This time, even Hu the Eldest was moved. "What was it? Was it not medicinal herbs?"
Oupeng was quite satisfied to see Hu the Eldest so astonished. "The medicinal herbs were only an additional harvest. The true treasure was something else."
Liu the Fifth was displeased. "If it was not the Pangu Axe, what legendary treasure could it be? The Xuanyuan Sword? The Heavenly Recommendation Chapter of God Cultivation? The Elixir of Immortality?"
Shangguan the Fourth finally spoke. "Fifth Brother is truly impressive. You actually guessed it right. It is something I could not even dream of."
The remaining three were genuinely stunned. Hu the Eldest glanced at Li the Second and gave him a look. Li the Second shot to his feet, used his lightness skill, and drifted from the Council Hall in a blur. He sprang onto the roof and swiftly circled the entire hall. Finally, he stood upon the eaves and listened carefully for half the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Only then did he leap down, stride back to his seat, and say to Hu the Eldest, "There are no idle outsiders nearby."
Hu the Eldest nodded, then turned his gaze toward Oupeng.
Liu the Fifth was still staring blankly, apparently unable to understand what the two were doing.
Hu the Eldest said to Oupeng, "Third Brother, tell us in detail about the treasure inside."