Chapter 35

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Chapter 35: Growth

     

In the conference hall of the Piaomiao Sect, the Piaomiao Six Tigers, along with Zhang Chengyue, were discussing the development of the sect and the upcoming meeting between Ou Peng and several other sects on the day of the Dragon Raising Its Head Festival, on the second day of the second lunar month.

     

Ou Peng still sat in his usual seat, looking at the several fellow martial brothers in front of him, with whom he had grown up with. After nearly ten days of rest, he seemed to have fully mastered his suddenly increased martial power. The divine light in his eyes had become restrained, and from his appearance, one could not tell that he was a martial arts master. He had truly returned to a state of natural simplicity.

     

Ou Peng was very pleased. In fact, he wasn’t the only one in a good mood. Except for Zhang Chengyue, who hadn’t taken any pills, everyone else was feeling extremely happy. Of course, after nearly ten days of further training, their initially excited emotions had calmed down. Now, what they needed to do was to readjust the development strategy of the Piaomiao Sect, striving to strengthen the sect’s power so that they could one day become a super sect on par with Dalin Temple, Incense-Spreading Cult, and Heaven’s Way Alliance.

     

Ou Peng coughed lightly to clear his throat and began to speak: “Fellow martial brothers, I once again congratulate everyone on the great advancement of your martial arts.”

     

The others returned the gesture and said: “The same to you, the same to you. Thank you, Sect Master, for making this possible.”

     

Ou Peng continued: “Now that our Piaomiao Sect’s strength has greatly improved, I wonder if there have been any movements from the other three sects. Chengyue, do we have any news from that side?”

     

Zhang Chengyue promptly replied: “Reporting to the Sect Master, we have received news from Ten Thousand Swords Peak. Sword Master Wan Chengjiu and several protectors of the sect went into seclusion for several days. Upon emerging, they, like Master and Senior Uncles here, have not been seeing outsiders, presumably having also enhanced their martial skills. The Tan Family operates as a family-run organization, and our spies have been unable to penetrate their higher echelons, so we are unaware of their specific situation. As for Yanming Mountain, we are even more ashamed, as we have no means of infiltrating. The outer servants know very little, and we are completely in the dark about the inner estate’s circumstances.”

     

Ou Peng was not very pleased and said: “Chengyue, you have already done a lot of work in this area, but this is still not enough. If we want to expand the Piaomiao Sect in the future, we cannot afford to have no information. You need to speed up your efforts and use various methods to plant our spies within each sect. Without intelligence, we are like blind men.”

     

Zhang Chengyue, full of guilt, said: “Yes, Master, I will certainly pay more attention in the future.”

     

Ou Peng continued: “This is my fault for not instructing you properly. In the past, I only had you focus on practicing martial arts. Now, I need to teach you more about the sect’s affairs. In this regard, you should learn more from your Fourth Senior Uncle. Be more diligent from now on.”

     

Zhang Chengyue nodded in agreement.

     

Then, Ou Peng said: “The Medicine Hall has refined another batch of pills from the herbs in the secret realm. We now have nearly fifty pills in total. Fellow Martial Brothers, when you return, inform your direct disciples to gather in the Training Hall tomorrow afternoon, and prepare to go to the secret chambers to practice in seclusion. Make sure to pay attention to secrecy. Also, Chengyue, notify your junior brothers as well.”

     

Everyone indicated their understanding.

     

After some thought, Ou Peng said: “Chengyue, select some of the second and third-generation disciples with good aptitude to come to the council hall tomorrow. We still need to expand our core disciples.”

     

At this moment, Fourth Elder Shangguan interjected, saying: “Senior Brother Sect Master, now that our Piaomiao Sect’s strength has greatly increased, we should consider how to expand our sphere of influence.”

     

Ou Peng nodded and said: “Yes, this is indeed one of the topics for which I’ve gathered you all here today.”

     

First Elder Hu suggested: “Fourth Brother, expansion isn’t something that can be accomplished overnight. Do you have any concrete plans?”

     

Fourth Elder Shangguan replied: “I’ve been pondering this issue these past few days, and I have some preliminary ideas now.”

     

Ou Peng smiled and said: “Then go ahead and share. Who doesn’t know you are the wisdom treasure of our Piaomiao Sect?”

     

Fourth Elder Shangguan said: “Actually, this idea isn’t complicated. I think the first step is to follow Senior Brother’s idea and enhance the strength of our core disciples. We should form elite teams from these core disciples and assign them to the External Affairs Hall to carry out our expansion tasks. The Ten Thousand Swords Peak to our south has likely also increased its strength significantly due to this opportunity, so it’s not advisable to clash with them at this stage. Moreover, Senior Brother might even form an alliance with them in the future, so we should avoid any moves in the south. To the east, we have the Luo River Gang, and to the west, there’s the Golden Crow Sect. Their strengths have been slightly inferior to ours in the past, making them suitable targets for our actions. However, as one is to the east and the other to the west, striking at both simultaneously would spread our forces too thin. This requires careful consideration from Senior Brother.”

     

Ou Peng pondered briefly and then said: “For now, let’s target the Luo River Gang. The Golden Crow Sect in the west has overlapping influence with Ten Thousand Swords Peak. They might be colluding with each other, or maybe Ten Thousand Swords Peak is also eyeing them. Once we form an alliance with Wan Chengjiu of Ten Thousand Swords Peak, we can then gauge his intentions. The Luo River Gang has always been rooted in the Luo River, which is something we lack. Now, while they are still relatively weak, we should seize the opportunity to absorb them. Expanding both our land and water influence will bring endless benefits to our Piaomiao Sect.”

     

First Elder Hu offered a suggestion: “Third Junior Brother, the waterways are indeed our weak point. Why not target the Xinrong Sect to the east instead? After all, the Xinrong Sect doesn’t have a deep foundation, and we are more confident in our capabilities on land.”

     

Ou Peng smiled and said to First Elder Hu: “Great Senior Brother, both you and I have been deceived by the Xinrong Sect’s low profile. I’ve just received news that the sect master of the Xinrong Sect is an expelled disciple from the law enforcement elder of Dalin Temple. It’s clear that the Xinrong Sect is a pawn planted by the Dalin Temple in Pingyang City and Yu City. We mustn’t act recklessly. Besides, although the Luo River Gang has a background in waterways, if we make our move wisely, there’s still a good chance of success.”

     

Ou Peng took a sip of tea and continued: “Furthermore, our Piaomiao Sect has always been established on land. Our position in Pingyang City is sandwiched between the Luo River Gang, Golden Crow Sect, and Xinrong Sect, leaving us with limited room for development. If we take control of the Luo River Gang’s power and utilize the Luo River, we can expand both to the east and west, which would be extremely advantageous for the development of our sect.”

     

The others remained silent, lost in deep thought.

     

After half a cup of tea, Fourth Elder Shangguan spoke up, saying: “Third Brother, following this plan, it seems that our sect may not have enough manpower.”

     

Ou Peng said: “I’ve had this in mind for a while. The development of the Piaomiao Sect requires manpower. In the past, we focused on quality, but now that our high-level senior disciples have grown stronger, it’s evident that we lack an adequate number of low-level junior disciples. Here’s the plan, Chengyue, consider recruiting a new batch of disciples to strengthen our sect. You can take charge of the specifics.”

     

Zhang Chengyue nodded in agreement.

     

Then, Ou Peng said to Zhang Chengyue: “Chengyue, you may go now. Inform your junior brothers and take some rest yourself. Prepare to advance your martial art tomorrow.”

     

Zhang Chengyue’s face flushed with excitement as he bowed and withdrew.

     

Fifth Elder Liu, who had remained silent all along, spoke up at this moment: “Isn’t it just advancing your martial art? Look at you, Chengyue, getting all worked up.”

     

In his heart, Zhang Chengyue thought; “Great Senior Uncle, that’s improving our martial skill we’re talking about! How can I not be excited? I heard that you, old man, boosted your martial prowess by twenty years in one go. Who wouldn’t be excited?”

     

Zhang Chengyue said aloud: “Of course, Fifth Senior Uncle, you’re right. This disciple should remain calm in all situations,”

     

Ou Peng added: “Don’t listen to your Fifth Senior Uncle’s nonsense. But, don’t get too excited. When you take the pill tomorrow, you should practice with a calm and composed mind, otherwise, you might waste its effectiveness.”

     

Zhang Chengyue hurriedly left, eager to escape from his Fifth Senior Uncle’s gaze.

     

After Zhang Chengyue left the conference hall, Ou Peng finally turned his gaze back and smiled at Fifth Elder Liu, saying: “Fifth Junior Brother, Chengyue is a steady young man. Don’t always tease him.”

     

Sixth Elder Xu chimed in: “Hehe, speaking of which, it’s not like you’re any different, Fifth Brother. Remember when you took the Bone-Strengthening Pill? You came out and drank with Shi Nui until you were truly drunk. If you weren’t happy, could you have gotten that drunk?”

     

Fifth Elder Liu blushed and argued: “I was just absorbing the medicinal effects and was tired from practicing. How else could I have not out drunk Stone Bull?”

     

Everyone burst into laughter.

     

Then, Ou Peng’s expression turned serious as he addressed the group: “Brothers, all the herbs we retrieved from the secret realm last time have been refined. In a few days, it will be the Dragon Raising Its Head Festival on the second day of the second lunar month. We four sects have agreed to meet at Wutong Mountain. This time, we need to discuss the matter of retrieving medicinal herbs from the secret realm again. Perhaps we will also discuss the possibility of forming an alliance. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?”

     

Fourth Elder Shangguan said: “Senior Brother, I think the possibility of forming an alliance is slim.”

     

Ou Peng asked: “Why do you think so?”

     

Fourth Elder Shangguan explained: “Ten Thousand Swords Peak and our Piaomiao Sect can certainly form an alliance. We are both martial sects in the Jianghu, and it’s natural for us to share blessings and face difficulties together. However, Yanming Mountain Villa and the Tan Family, although they are located in the Jianghu, generally do not participate in martial affairs. They have no reason or strength to form an alliance with us.”

     

Ou Peng stroked his chin thoughtfully and said: “A public alliance on the surface is indeed not feasible. Our four sects cannot justify it to other martial factions in terms of development direction, power scope, and composition. If we declare an alliance, it will definitely attract the attention of other sects. We would risk more than we would gain. I lean towards a loose type of alliance, or rather an alliance between the four sect leaders, rather than between the sects themselves. This way, we can share the secrets of the secret realm while keeping the information secure.”

     

First Elder Hu nodded and said: “This approach is good. The purpose of this alliance is only for the secret realm, separate from the interests of the sects. If any party leaks information about the secret realm, the other three sects will unite to punish them.”

     

Ou Peng smiled bitterly and said: “If the information is leaked, there won’t even be a need for the other three sects to punish them. There will soon be bloodshed and chaos in the martial world. That’s why we must strengthen our own power as soon as possible.”

     

Then, Ou Peng turned to Second Elder Li, who had been quiet with lowered eyes the whole time, and asked: “Second Brother, have you looked at that sword manual?”

     

Second Elder Li nodded slightly but remained tight-lipped.

     

Ou Peng didn’t mind and continued: “How many of our Piaomiao Sect’s currently available sword training disciples do you think can switch to practicing from this manual?”

     

Second Elder Li shook his head in response.

     

Ou Peng looked somewhat dejected as he sighed: “Sigh, indeed, switching training methods halfway is not appropriate. Fourth Brother, when Chengyue recruits disciples, you should also select some to practice this sword manual. Meanwhile, please have Second Brother guide them, and it would be best if Second Brother could also take in a few more direct disciples.”

     

Second Elder Li nodded in agreement. Since the significant improvement in his martial skills last time, he seemed to have become even more focused on the study of swordsmanship, speaking very little.