After listening to Yin Minjun, Li Miao said, "Have those who went inside tell me about the situation in the tomb."
An Elder from the Hengshan Sect then came over and meticulously described what he had seen to Li Miao.
After listening, Li Miao exclaimed, "Impressive!"
The scale of this Miao King's Tomb was surprisingly vast. A preliminary exploration revealed it spanned two or three mu of land, contained dozens of tomb chambers, and had passages wide enough for seven or eight people to walk abreast.
Miao King was not a position, but rather a title for the person who held ruling power in the Miao territory.
In different eras and stages, the identity referred to by this Miao King varied. It could be a clan leader, an official, a Tusi, a leader of an insurgent army, or even a legendary human deity.
Judging by the tomb's structure, it should be the burial site of a certain leader from the Miao ethnic group.
It was unclear how it became intertwined with the Jia Yi Divine Skill.
Li Miao asked, "Who will be entering tomorrow?"
Yin Minjun replied, "The major sects are confirmed, and several renowned lone experts will also go. However, the number of participants has not yet been finalized."
Yin Minjun sighed.
"The tomb is full of venomous insects, making it difficult for those with insufficient martial arts to defend themselves. For those with high martial arts, too few people make it hard to guard all around."
"The best method would be for all experts above the third-rate to enter together, but... we simply cannot agree."
Regarding tomb raiding, there's a saying: if a father and son work together, the father keeps watch above while the son works in the tomb.
This is because a father would be reluctant to abandon his son and run, but a son might not feel the same reluctance towards his father.
Of course, this saying is limited to tomb raiders. It's normal for people who do such unscrupulous things to have low moral standards.
However, this also highlights the concerns of the martial artists present at the moment.
Firstly, if too many people enter, how will they divide the Jia Yi Divine Skill once it's obtained?
Secondly, if all the experts go inside and die, and there's no capable person guarding outside, what if they get kicked out of the game?
Thirdly, this is about seizing treasure, and the various factions are in competition. How can they ensure that others won't secretly scheme against them?
Fourthly, if the major sects enter on their own without sharing any spoils with other forces, what if they are accused of breaking the rules of the martial arts world?
There were many martial artists gathered here; logically, one shovel of dirt per person would be enough to excavate this tomb. It was precisely because of mutual suspicion and constant vigilance that they hadn't entered until now.
Currently, the major sects saw that more and more people were arriving and feared that delays would lead to complications, so they decided to negotiate tonight, set a plan, and enter tomorrow.
At present, it was almost dinnertime.
Central Plains people like to discuss matters over meals. The major sects were no exception.
The Hengshan Sect was wealthy and built the largest tent, so the meeting place was set in the tent where Li Miao was currently seated.
Li Miao twirled his fingers and said to Yin Minjun, "Your Hengshan Sect should all stay outside. Don't even think about that Jia Yi Divine Skill; it's not worth it."
"You will be my subordinates from now on. The Jinyiwei's vault has plenty of suitable secret manuals. Do your duties well, and you won't be lacking."
"Why bother fighting for that thing? Most people can't even cultivate it if they get it."
Although Li Miao's Jia Yi Divine Skill had been drastically altered by him, differing greatly from its original form, Li Miao still understood its underlying martial arts principles.
Jia Yi, meaning 'making wedding clothes for others,' refers to a martial art that involves transmitting one's cultivation to others, then breaking through and rising anew. Without a certain level of aptitude and temperament, practicing it would be in vain.
Li Miao pointed at Yin Minjun, then at Yongjie beside her, "Elder Yin, you, I, and this Master will go in together."
Yin Minjun nodded in agreement.
She had come to join the excitement over the Jia Yi Divine Skill because, having pledged allegiance to the imperial court and with an uncertain future, she wanted to accumulate some capital for the Hengshan Sect to secure its position.
Now that Li Miao had spoken, she could only obey.
Soon, it was dinnertime.
Yin Minjun waited outside for the leaders of the major sects to arrive.
The first to arrive was Lao Qifeng, the Chief of the Beggar Clan.
Within the Beggar Clan, actual beggars held little status. It was divided into two factions: the Clean-Clothed and the Filthy-Clothed, with only the Filthy-Clothed faction consisting of true beggars. Those responsible for managing the clan's assets were all from the Clean-Clothed faction.
After all, there aren't many people who are both highly skilled in martial arts and enjoy begging.
So, Chief Lao Qifeng was dressed very respectably, without any semblance of a beggar.
He walked forward, greeted Yin Minjun, and entered the large tent, but then he paused, stunned.
At the main seat, Li Miao was already eating, with several Elders from the Hengshan Sect personally serving him. Some poured wine, some brought dishes, and one Elder even used Hengshan Swordplay to meticulously debone meat, placing it on a plate before serving it to Li Miao.
Lao Qifeng watched for a while, completely frozen.
Yin Minjun, standing nearby, smiled and said, "This is a friend of our Hengshan Sect, an eccentric figure in the martial arts world who doesn't stand on ceremony. Please excuse him, Chief Lao."
Lao Qifeng said nothing, muttering inwardly, "Friend? He's their Hengshan Sect's damn father, isn't he?"
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"Do you serve your own father with such eagerness?"
"Hey, look! Your Elder is even using Hengshan Swordplay to debone fish for him now. Won't your patriarch haunt your dreams tonight and cleave you with a sword?"
Though he thought this, Lao Qifeng didn't feel it necessary to voice it. He pretended not to notice and sat down to the side.
People arrived one after another, and upon entering, they were all taken aback by Li Miao's demeanor. They suppressed their comments and took their seats.
By the time it was dark, everyone had finally arrived.
Li Miao had also finished eating and was leaning back in the main seat, eyes closed in rest, completely ignoring the gazes directed at him.
Clap, clap.
Yin Minjun clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"Greetings, everyone."
"Today, by chance, from all corners of the world, our meeting here is destiny. Let us all drink this cup!"
Everyone echoed in agreement, and the banquet officially began.
As an aside, in typical storybooks, martial arts heroes usually have some artistic talents, like playing the zither or flute, or composing poetry and couplets.
But in reality, don't expect these rough, blade-wielding individuals to have much cultural refinement. Qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting all take time to learn. After a group of people finishes martial arts training, covered in sweat, where would they find the energy to play the zither?
And don't expect these people to be particularly polite. For those accustomed to resorting to violence at the slightest disagreement, it's already quite remarkable for them to wait until after dinner to discuss matters.
Indeed, with half the meal still unfinished, someone could no longer wait and spoke loudly, "Elder Yin, it's getting late, and important matters are at hand. Let's not delay."
"Let's finalize the plan for tomorrow right now!"
Yin Minjun turned to see that the speaker was the lone first-rate expert in the martial arts world, 'Iron Fist Arhat' Cang Feifeng.