Chapter 27: Distribution (Part 1)

Only now did Oupeng take a small porcelain bottle from his chest and hand it to Hu Lao Da. Hu Lao Da took the bottle and carefully examined the words on it. Even he, a man of steady temperament, trembled, almost dropping the bottle in shock at the three words.

Hu Lao Da sat there, holding the bottle, and fell silent.

Li Lao Er and Liu Lao Wu, seeing Hu Lao Da's reaction, curiously walked up and peered at the bottle from both sides.

"Life-Extending Pill?" Both of them exclaimed in surprise.

The difference was in the second sentence:

Li Lao Er said, "There's actually such a thing!?"

Liu Lao Wu said, "What is this thing!?"

Hu Lao Da and Li Lao Er's expressions were unpredictable, their brows furrowing deeper.

Liu Lao Wu, puzzled by their reactions, turned to look at Oupeng, Shangguan Lao Si, and Xu Lao Liu. The three of them also had serious expressions.

After a moment, Hu Lao Da took a deep breath, seemingly making a decision. He composed himself, straightened up, and returned the small porcelain bottle to Oupeng.

He said, "Third Brother, how do you plan to handle it?"

Oupeng noticed the change in his address. This "Third Brother" was a genuine brotherly term, not the formal "Junior Master," indicating that Hu Lao Da was speaking to him as an elder brother.

Oupeng quickly replied respectfully, "Big Brother, isn't this about calling all the brothers together to discuss it?"

Hu Lao Da shook his head and said, "Third Brother, you shouldn't show this to the brothers. You should keep it yourself."

Oupeng smiled bitterly and said, "Big Brother, I've thought about it, but this thing was obtained from the secret place, and there were four identical boxes. I don't know if the others have the same thing. Moreover, when I opened it here, I was careless, and Lao Si, Lao Liu, Ah Hai, and Qing'er were all present. I couldn't keep it a secret."

Hu Lao Da said, "I see. Well, since that's the case, you should keep it for now. This is not something we can handle. Don't take it privately. When the time comes, bring it out again, hoping to get rid of this burden."

The others were deep in thought, but Liu Lao Wu was particularly frustrated. He grabbed Xu Lao Liu and asked, "Sixth Brother, what is this 'Life-Extending Pill'?"

Xu Lao Liu, irritated, said, "Fifth Brother, didn't you just say it was the legendary elixir of immortality? This is it, capable of extending one's life by ten years."

"Ah~" Liu Lao Wu exclaimed, "There's actually such a thing? Why not bring it out quickly, one for each, and extend our lives by ten years?"

Li Lao Er mocked him, "Extend our lives by ten years? Once you take it and people find out, they'll come after you, and you won't even live an extra day."

Liu Lao Wu struggled and said, "I'll run after I take it. Where will they find me?"

Li Lao Er sneered, "Everyone in the martial world will be after you. Where will you run? What about the Piaomiao Sect? What about your family?"

Liu Lao Wu, hearing this, didn't know how to respond. He blinked and smacked his lips, raising his eyebrows and said almost shamelessly, "You guys will cover for me, what do I have to fear?"

Li Lao Er also pursed his lips and ignored him.

Hu Lao Da glared at Liu Lao Wu and said, "Fifth Brother, you're not a young man anymore. Can you think before you act? Who knows if this thing is real? Even if it is, who among us six should take it? As your Second Brother said, if you take it, you'll be hunted by the entire martial world. No one can handle that. It's better to keep it safe, wait for the situation to develop, and if someone we can't handle comes, we'll announce it to the martial world and pass this hot potato on. If nothing happens, we'll decide later."

Liu Lao Wu picked up the wine bottle and took a big gulp, saying, "I only have a mouth, I don't understand anything else. Just give me a share when the time comes."

Oupeng turned to the other brothers and asked, "Brothers, what do you think of Big Brother's idea?"

Shangguan Lao Si stroked his beard and said, "Big Brother's words align with my thoughts. These past few days, I've been thinking about this. Instead of hoping for an unreliable ten years of life, it's better to live the present days peacefully. We shouldn't ruin the great foundation of the Piaomiao Sect. If anything happens, Third Brother, you must handle it well. Otherwise, it might backfire."

Li Lao Er nodded without a word.

Xu Lao Liu smiled and said, "I'll follow Big Brother and Fourth Brother."

Liu Lao Wu ignored Oupeng's gaze, drinking on his own. Oupeng's gaze swept past him, ignoring him.

Seeing no objections, Oupeng continued, "Then I'll keep this thing and see how the situation develops."

Liu Lao Wu, seeing Oupeng ignore him, muttered to himself, "You ignore me, but you should at least ask for my opinion."

Hu Lao Da, hearing his muttering, asked, "Fifth Brother, do you have something to say?"

Liu Lao Wu quickly stood up and said, "No, nothing. I just want to ask if that's all we found in the secret place, things that look edible but can't be eaten?"

Hu Lao Da, with a stern face, ignored him and turned to Oupeng.

Oupeng, smiling like a flower, took out two more small porcelain bottles from his chest and handed them to Hu Lao Da.

Hu Lao Da took the bottles and, upon careful inspection, was once again surprised, "Qi-Enhancing Pill? This treasure really exists. It hasn't appeared in the martial world for many years." Li Lao Er, who had been sitting still, couldn't help but move closer, while Shangguan Lao Si, Xu Lao Liu, and Liu Lao Wu remained still. The first two already knew, while the last one asked again, "Qi-Enhancing Pill? What is this thing?"

Coincidentally, Hu Lao Da also said, "Bone-Strengthening Pill? What is this thing?"

Oupeng, with a curved eyebrow, smiled and said, "The Qi-Enhancing Pill, as everyone knows, is the legendary holy medicine that increases one's martial arts power. Those who take it can gain twenty years of power, but only for those practicing internal martial arts. In other words, all the brothers here, except for Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother, will double their internal martial arts skills, saving twenty years of hard practice. However, according to the sect's records, there seem to be some flaws, but they are not clearly stated."

Hearing this, Xu Lao Liu's face turned somewhat unnatural. He had hoped to get a share, but now it seemed the Qi-Enhancing Pill was not for him. He still asked, "Third Brother, can we external martial artists really not take it?"

Liu Lao Wu was also frustrated, "Damn, why is my fate so bad~"

Oupeng, still smiling, said, "I've checked carefully, Sixth Brother. It really doesn't work for external martial artists."

Xu Lao Liu, dejected, sat back in his chair, saying nothing.

Shangguan Lao Si interjected, "Third Brother, how many Qi-Enhancing Pills are in this bottle? We are four people. What if there aren't enough?"

Oupeng smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't dare open it. I only opened it when all the brothers were present."

Hu Lao Da's eyes flickered, and he nodded without a word.

Oupeng, seeing the dejected Liu Lao Wu and Xu Lao Liu, continued, "The Bone-Strengthening Pill is not recorded in our sect's records. I instructed the disciples to gather more information from the other sects. Yesterday, we received news from Dalin Temple that their records mention it."

Oupeng took a sip of tea, ignoring Liu Lao Wu's mournful gaze, and continued, "According to Dalin Temple's records, the Bone-Strengthening Pill is the opposite of the Qi-Enhancing Pill. It is specifically for those practicing external martial arts. Internal martial artists who take it will gain nothing. For external martial artists like Fifth Brother and Sixth Brother, it will enhance the strength of their bones, skin, and muscles, improving their external martial arts skills, roughly equivalent to twenty years of practice."

Liu Lao Wu instantly jumped up, rushing to Hu Lao Da and exclaiming, "Wow, such a good thing, I never even dreamed of it." He reached out to grab the bottle from Hu Lao Da.

However, Hu Lao Da quickly dodged, scolding, "What are you doing, Fifth Brother? So rash?"

Liu Lao Wu, seeing this, smiled sheepishly, "I'm just eager to see what it looks like."

Hu Lao Da scolded, "Sit down properly. You'll get it in a moment."

Liu Lao Wu obediently sat back down.

Xu Lao Liu was also extremely excited, and anyone who experienced such a dramatic shift in emotions would be unable to sit still.

He also looked at the small porcelain bottle with envy.

Hu Lao Da held the two small porcelain bottles, not returning them to Oupeng, and sat down.

He smiled at Oupeng, saying with a satisfied tone, "Third Brother, you're really something. Second Brother, we didn't regret not competing with Third Brother for the position of Master. To obtain so many good things without anyone knowing, your contribution is greater than the founding ancestor. We two can't do that. With these two things, the strength of our Piaomiao Sect will increase significantly."

Hu Lao Da looked at the two porcelain bottles with a thoughtful expression and continued, "Even if there's only one pill in each bottle, we'll have two more top-notch experts. Although we still have a gap compared to top sects like Dalin Temple, among medium-sized sects, we will definitely stand out."

Oupeng, seeing Hu Lao Da's excited expression, said, "Big Brother, you flatter me. I can't live up to such praise. It was just luck, pure luck."

Hu Lao Da said, "Luck is also part of one's strength. Third Brother, there's no need to be modest."

He then continued, "However, I wonder how many pills are in these bottles. It will be difficult to distribute them among our six brothers."

Oupeng interjected, "Big Brother, I brought this out today to let you decide. Although I am the Master, I also hope to become a top expert,