Chapter 20

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Chapter 20: The Box

     

While waiting for the Medicine Hall, Ou Peng hesitantly picked up the last seemingly ordinary small box. His heart was filled with even more anticipation. In the brief span of time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had already seen treasures he had never seen in the first half of his life. He wondered what treasures lay within this box. Could there be something even more miraculous than the Longevity Pills?

     

The box felt cool to the touch and was surprisingly heavy. Ou Peng held it up to his eyes and examined it carefully. The entire box seemed seamless, and he couldn’t discern what material it was made of. There were no traces of a lid either, and he didn’t know where to open it from. Ou Peng tried pushing on the four sides, pulling up, pressing down, but nothing worked. He couldn’t possibly use his teeth, could he? Ou Peng chuckled at himself inwardly, then placed the box back on the table and called the others over to take a look.

     

Everyone gathered around and looked at it for a while. The Fourth Elder and Sixth Elder also tried various methods, but none worked. Zhang Chengyue frowned and said: “Master, could it be that we need something like a key?”

     

The Sixth Elder rolled his eyes and said: “Martial Nephew, even if we need a key, there should be a keyhole to match it, right? This box doesn’t have a lock, let alone any visible or hidden locks. How can we use a key?”

     

Zhang Chengyue blushed a little, stood there awkwardly, and didn’t argue.

     

Wen Wenhai and Xue Qing had seen this box before in the secret realm. Wen Wenhai had even tried to open it himself. Seeing that neither their Master nor their Senior Brother could open it, he didn’t dare to suggest a new approach. It was Xue Qing who, looking at the box she had won with rock-paper-scissors, felt particularly interested. She even shook it near her ear to listen for any sound inside, but unfortunately, it had no effect.

     

Just when everyone was at a loss, the head of the Medicine Hall, Bai Dong, and the elder He Yunpu arrived at the council hall. After greeting the Sect Master and everyone else, Zhang Chengyue led them to the table where the medicines were placed. The reactions of these two were beyond everyone’s imagination. It’s not that they were not surprised as expected, but their astonishment was excessive. They seemed frozen from the moment they laid eyes on the contents of the package. Their eyes didn’t seem to move at all, their feet glued to the ground, unable to take a single step. Their fingers pointed at the medicinal herbs, their arms trembling, and drool almost dripped to the ground from their mouths.

     

After half a cup of tea’s time passed, the two finally snapped out of it. They didn’t pay attention to the amused expressions of the people around them who were enjoying their embarrassment. They spoke to themselves: “This is ginseng is over six hundred years old, this Tianqi is over six hundred years old, this a four hundred years old Mountain Essense, and this is? Seven hundred years old Golden Thread Grass? That’s right, it’s exactly as recorded in the <Herbal Encyclopedia>. And this one? Am I seeing things? A thousand-year-old Dragon-Slaying Herb? How is that possible? But, ‘most of its roots are slender and curvy. The stem is erect, born solitary or clustered, with vertical fine lines, hairless or with slightly white fine hairs at the apex, mostly branched in the upper part. The upper surface of the leaf is deep green, while the lower surface is lighter in color. The basal leaves have stalks, are ovate-elliptic in shape, and the margins are rounded or sharply serrated. At a hundred years old they have silver teeth, and at a thousand years old give birth to golden teeth.’ This… these golden edges, oh my god, am I dreaming?” As he spoke, Hall Master Bai slapped himself hard on the face. Then, he winced in pain, sucking air through his teeth.

     

Meanwhile, Elder He Yunpu was also muttering incomprehensible names of medicinal herbs, with an equally incredulous expression on his face. Finally, he picked up a herb the size of a palm and said: “What’s this? Is it Immortal Hand Grass?”

     

Hall Master Bai replied: “Stop talking nonsense. According to the <Herbal Encyclopedia>, Immortal Hand Grass has thorns. Did it prick your hand? This is Fish Hand Grass.”

     

Elder He became displeased as well, saying: “The <Herbal Encyclopedia> says Fish Hand Grass is in the shape of three fingers, but this one clearly has four.”

     

Hall Master Bai examined it carefully and shook his head, saying: “I don’t know, I don’t know. Even these remaining four to five types of medicinal herbs seem unfamiliar. I wonder if the <Herbal Encyclopedia> has any records of them?”

     

Elder He squinted his eyes, pondering carefully, and nodded in agreement: “I don’t know. I’ve learned too little, I’ve learned too little.”

     

At this moment, Ou Peng interjected: “Hall Master Bai, Elder He!”

     

This sentence awakened the two of them. They realized they were in the council hall, not their usual place for academic discussions at the Medicine Hall. They quickly bowed to everyone, saying: “We are delighted to see so many good medicinal herbs, so we couldn’t contain our excitement. Please forgive us, Sect Master and everyone.”

     

Everyone returned the gesture and said it was no problem.

     

Ou Peng asked: “Two gentlemen, how valuable and effective are these herbs?”

     

Elder He said: “Sect Master, I wonder where these rare medicinal herbs came from? Ginseng, Tianqi, Mountain Essense, Fu-Ti, and the like are common breeds, but the age of these herbs is truly astonishing. A hundred-year-old herbs are already extremely rare, and the worst of these are three hundred years old. Golden Thread Grass, Snake Gall Grass, and others are excellent medicines for treating external injuries, while Snake Mouth Grass, Coral Grass, and Stone Wind Herb are holy medicines for treating internal injuries. The others are all rare medicinal herbs. When combined with other herbs according to the principles of ruler and subject, Yin and Yang, they will surely produce extraordinary medicines.”

     

[TL_Note: Grass=Herb, same terms used for a medicinal herb’s name]

     

At this moment, Hall Master Bai snapped out of his trance and hastily said: “Sect Master, the location where these things were found must be kept strictly confidential. The Dragon-Slaying Grass and Peacock Grass among them are the main ingredients for refining concoctions similar to Qi-Boosting Pills, which enhance one’s internal energy, which is recorded in our Piaomiao Sect’s ancient books.” As he spoke, everyone’s ears perked up.

     

Ou Peng asked: “Is there any record in the scriptures on how to refine Qi-Boosting Pills?”

     

Hall Master Bai replied: “No, the formula for Qi-Boosting Pills has long been lost. The scriptures only contain records of some similar pills with limited effects, and the required medicinal herbs are also extremely rare.”

     

Ou Peng said: “Hall Master Bai, take these medicinal herbs back to the Medicine Hall for research on their respective effects. Also, examine in detail the formulas of those pills similar to the Qi-Boosting Pill. Be prepared, perhaps…”

     

Before Ou Peng could finish his sentence, Hall Master Bai had already understood. He promptly said: “I will follow Sect Master’s orders.”

     

Then, together with Elder He, they carefully carried the package out of the assembly hall. Ou Peng instructed Zhang Chengyue to allocate more manpower to the Medicine Hall to ensure their protection.

     

After Hall Master Bai and Elder He left, Ou Peng sat back in his chair. His gaze fell on the small box on the table that couldn’t be opened no matter what.

     

After some thought, he instructed Zhang Chengyue to call upon Shi Yukun, the Hall Master of the Divine Forging Hall. The Divine Forging Hall was where the Piaomiao Sect crafted weapons and hidden weapons, and Shi Yukun was a grandmaster weapon maker in the Pingyang City area.

     

Before long, Shi Yukun arrived at the assembly chamber. He observed the small box for a while and tried various methods but to no avail.

     

However, he hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked Ou Peng: “Sect Master, what if we have Shi Niu come over and give it a try?”

     

Shi Niu was a brute in the Piaomiao Sect who practiced the Great Strength Vajra Fist technique. While his martial arts skills weren’t remarkable, his strength was top-notch. Coupled with his specialization in the Great Strength Vajra Fist technique, he was the strongest member in terms of sheer power within the sect.

     

Shi Yukun’s words acted as a wake-up call. The box was merely a container for storing things. While it would be ideal to keep the box intact while retrieving its contents, if that wasn’t possible, the only option left was to open it forcefully. In the end, obtaining the contents was what mattered most.

     

Shi Niu soon also arrived at the council chamber. He was a tall and sturdy man, towering over everyone else in the room, with a muscular physique and honest, simple smile. Ou Peng didn’t say much, he simply handed the small box to Shi Niu and gave him a command: “Open it.”

     

Taking the box, Shi Niu didn’t waste any words. He exerted force with both hands, trying to pry it open from the middle, but the box remained intact. Then, he placed the box on the ground, took a deep breath, and gathered his qi from his dantian. His arms visibly swelled in size and his fingers were also thicker than before. With a loud roar, he focused his gaze on the box and forcefully slammed his hands down on it. There was a muffled sound, and his two palm-leaf fan-like hands landed on the box. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the box didn’t shatter into pieces but was instead flattened by Shi Niu’s force, embedding itself into the stone floor of the assembly chamber.

     

Shi Niu retrieved the box from the stone floor, looking at it intact. He scratched his head, and glanced at the Sect Master with an innocent expression, feeling puzzled. He thought to himself: “What is this thing?”

     

After sending Shi Niu away, Ou Peng felt frustrated as well. How should he deal with this box now?

     

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. He drew the sword hanging from his waist, but then promptly sheathed it again. The remaining people in the assembly chamber also had bright eyes, knowing that the Sect Master had thought of a good way to open the box. Without waiting for Ou Peng’s command, Zhang Chengyue said to Shi Yukun: “Hall Master Shi, don’t you have a ‘River Breaker’ in your hall? Why not give it a try?”

     

Shi Yukun glanced at Ou Peng, seeing no objection from the Master, and said: “Please wait a moment, Sect Master and everyone. I’ll be right back.”

     

Before long, Shi Yu Kun returned with a sword in an antique scabbard. He said to Ou Peng: “Sect Master, let me try first.”

     

Ou Peng nodded in agreement.

     

Shi Yukun drew the sword from its sheath. Unlike other swords, instead of a gleaming surface, it bore a dark, almost obsidian hue. Occasional glints of light reflected off its surface, almost dazzling, resembling flashes of black lightning.

     

Shi Yukun lifted the sword and made a tentative slash at one corner of the box, but there was no reaction. Then, he took a deep breath, raised the ‘River Breaker’ once more, aimed at another corner of the box, and swung with all his might.

     

However, contrary to everyone’s expectations, there was no crackling sound, not even the slightest noise. It was as if the sword had struck cotton. The box remained intact, without any damage.

     

Ou Peng glanced at Shi Yukun, who was preparing to strike again, and said: “Give me the sword.”

     

Ou Peng took the sword handed over by Shi Yukun and placed the box on the small groove created by Shi Niu’s strike. Then, he circulated his qi, his countenance shifted continuously until it reached the sixth change. The onlookers, the Fourth and Sixth Elder, looked at him with envy, thinking to themselves: “Senior Brother Sect Master, proficiency in the Piaomiao Divine Technique is unparalleled, having reached the sixth level.”

     

Ou Peng raised the ‘River Breaker’ and infused his inner energy into the blade. The once dark blade began to change colors under the influence of the Piaomiao Divine Technique. With a loud shout, Ou Peng swung the sword toward the box.