Chapter 94 The face and substance of the Xiaoyao Sect!
Ding Chunqiu didn't even have the strength to speak. He knew he was finished and he quickly aged.

He practiced Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts, especially Xiao Wuxiang Gong, which gave him profound internal strength and a youthful appearance despite his white hair.

But now that Murong Fu had absorbed all of Ding Chunqiu's internal energy, it was as if his internal energy was dissipated, and he was aging rapidly, and his life would not last long.

"The great threat to our sect has finally been eliminated!"

"I knew that Sect Master Murong would be able to clean up the mess. Ding Chunqiu, who has done so many evil things, has finally received his retribution!"

Although the Eight Friends of Hangu were exhausted, they were all cheered up and looked delighted when they saw Ding Chunqiu was completely defeated.

They thought that this time they would alert the enemy and bring disaster to their sect, but they didn't expect that Ding Chunqiu would walk into the trap himself and was no match for Murong Fu at all.

This Murong Fu is worthy of being the famous Nan Murong, there is no false reputation!
Su Xinghe said: "My disciples, let me detoxify you!"

When Su Xinghe said this, the Eight Friends of Hangu were overjoyed, and some even shed tears. Xue Muhua said excitedly:

"Master, you finally recognized us! Woohoo. I have waited for this day for so long."

"Master!"

The Eight Friends of Hangu were all excited.

Su Xinghe sighed and said, "Back then, we expelled you from the sect to avoid the evildoer Ding Chun. Ding Zhen from looking for trouble with you. Now that Master Murong is reorganizing the Xiaoyao Sect, he naturally wants you to rejoin the Xiaoyao Sect. You must remember that from now on, the Xiaoyao Sect will respect Master Murong as the leader, and you must all listen to Master Murong!"

Kang Guangling said: "Of course! Since we are Xiaoyao disciples, we must respect the master!"

Before the Eight Friends of Hangu came, although they had expectations for Master Murong, they did not have a general impression of him.

After arriving, they saw that Murong Fu easily defeated Ding Chunqiu by himself and intimidated the Xingxiu Sect. Whether it was his martial arts, demeanor, or appearance that looked like a banished immortal, it all exceeded their expectations for the new leader of the Xiaoyao Sect.

Naturally, they were convinced by Murong Fu.

Here, Su Xinghe detoxified his disciples. Zhaixingzi was very tactful and offered them the antidote and explained the situation to show his determination to turn from darkness to light.

Seeing this, Murong Fu said to Zhai Xingzi, "You are indeed a smart man, but the disciples of your Xingxiu Sect have very poor moral integrity and are fickle. How can I accept you with confidence? You have to figure it out yourself."

Zhaixingzi fell into deep thought.

After a while, the poison of the Eight Friends of Hangu was cured and their strength was restored. They all bowed to Murong Fu and expressed their gratitude to him.

"The eight of you are all Xiaoyao Sect disciples, and you are all talented. I will hold a Xiaoyao Sect reorganization meeting later and make some arrangements for you." Murong Fu said, "You have been poisoned for too long. Although the poison has been removed, you are inevitably tired. Go down and rest! I will let A Bi arrange for you to rest. A Bi and you have a deep connection!"

The Eight Friends of Hangu hurriedly thanked them and then went down to rest under A-Bi's arrangement.

Kang Guangling then realized that the disciple he had accepted in the art of playing the zither was actually a maid of Gusu Murong.

It turns out that Yanziwu is in Suzhou, and it is also a very secret place. The water system of Taihu Lake is complex, and it is difficult for ordinary people to find Chanhezhuang.

A-Bi would not advertise to the outside world that she was a member of the Murong family. She just received guidance from Kang Guangling when she was playing the piano outside, so she was considered Kang Guangling's disciple.

As soon as the Eight Friends of Hangu went down, Zhaixingzi knelt in front of Murong Fu and said, "Master Murong, I have figured out a way to make you feel at ease about us."

Murong Fu asked curiously: "What method?"

Zhaixingzi said: "I have a pledge of allegiance, and I have a weak spot!"

Murong Fu smiled slightly and said, "What weakness?"

Zhaixingzi said, "There is a serious internal conflict among the disciples of Xingxiu Sect, and the old monster Xingxiu is also moody. Many senior brothers have died before, and I must consider a way out for myself. Therefore, I built a small villa in the Western Regions, called Baituo Villa, where I have my wife and children. I secretly passed on the martial arts of Xingxiu Sect to my family. If Master Murong needs it, I can place my wife and children with the Murong family at any time."

"White Camel Villa?" Murong Fu asked in surprise, "Your last name is Ouyang?"

Whether it is Zhaixingzi or Chuchenzi, they are Taoist names, not their secular names.

There is no surname like "摘" or "出" in the Hundred Family Surnames.

This Star-Picking Man actually built the White Camel Villa, and Murong Fu thought of a top master of poison in later generations, the Western Poison Ouyang Feng.

If we calculate the time, it is actually the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. In another thirty years, the Northern Song Dynasty will be declared extinct.

When Ouyang Feng and Wang Chongyang were competing in the Huashan Sword Competition, Wang Chongyang had fought against the Jin army before. After his failure, he shut himself in and lived in the Tomb of the Living Dead, from where he was tricked out by Lin Chaoying. Wang Chongyang was one year older than the other four masters.

So judging from age and era, Ouyang Feng, the Western Poison, is most likely one of the grandsons of this Star-Picking Man.

"How does Mr. Murong know that my last name is Ouyang?" Zhaixingzi was shocked.

"Guessed it." Murong Fu said without further ado, "You are a teachable boy! You are a person who knows how to improve. Go and arrange for your family to move to Suzhou. There is heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. It is much more comfortable than the Western Regions! From today on, the Xingxiu Sect will be incorporated into my Xiaoyao Sect and become a branch of the Xiaoyao Sect! You can call me the head! I appoint you as the eldest brother of the Xingxiu Sect, and you will lead all the disciples of the Xingxiu Sect as usual!"

"However, the rules of the Xingxiu Sect must be changed. There is no need to shout exaggerated slogans. You are not sincere anyway. I, Murong Fu, have never engaged in personality cult."

"Secondly, the original challenge rules of Xingxiu Sect will be cancelled. The eldest brother can only be appointed by me and cannot be challenged, otherwise it would be an act of insubordination. If the eldest brother has enough merits, he can enter Xiaoyao Sect and become a Xiaoyao Sect disciple, learning more advanced Xiaoyao Sect martial arts. If he performs well, he can even be accepted as my disciple. The rest of the Xingxiu Sect disciples, if they have accumulated enough merits and done things well, can also be promoted to Xiaoyao Sect disciples, but they need the recommendation of the eldest brother and the inspection of Xiaoyao Sect disciples."

"When the old senior brother steps down, he can recommend a new senior brother, but whether the new brother's proposal is accepted or not is up to me." Murong Fu changed the charter of the Xingxiu Sect with just a few words.

However, Zhaixingzi immediately prostrated himself before Murong Fu, kowtowed repeatedly in excitement: "Thank you for your grace, Master Murong! I, Zhaixingzi, will definitely be loyal to Master Murong, and will not hesitate to go through fire and water!"

Only after Murong Fu accepted his loyalty did his position become more consolidated.

The eldest brother cannot be challenged, so he doesn't have to worry about being surpassed, he doesn't have to live so stressfully, and his position is secure.

This is class stratification!

Since ancient times, there has been no measure that can win people's hearts more effectively than class solidification. If the class is too fluid, people's hearts will become unstable.

Whether it is the last-in-first-out elimination system or the first-in-first-out elimination system, it will make everyone feel insecure and the sect will not be able to truly unite.

Murong Fu abolished the first-elimination system of the Xingxiu Sect. The eldest senior brother no longer had to worry about being overthrown at any time, and the younger brothers no longer had to worry about making progress in their training and being discovered by the eldest senior brother, who would then find a reason to execute them in advance.

In this way, the Xingxiu Sect can become a normal organization and reduce internal friction.

Being able to be promoted to a disciple of the Xiaoyao Sect, and even be accepted as a disciple by Murong Fu, is a class leap!
Solidifying one's own class provides a channel for class transition. At least Zhaixingzi feels that Murong Fu is ten thousand times wiser and greater than Ding Chunqiu.

Just now he was afraid of death and so he surrendered to Murong Fu, but now he is more sincere.

Three points of sincerity is already a lot. For someone like him, it is rare and precious to have three points of sincerity.

"Tell the news to all the Xingxiu disciples and announce the new policy. If anyone is dissatisfied, you know what to do." Murong Fu said.

"Yes, I'll go right away!" Zhaixingzi was full of energy.

Ding Chunqiu was bound to die, but Murong Fu took over all the insects from the Xingxiu Sect.

Don’t be fooled by the funny behavior of these insects; however, they are all top-notch fighters in the martial arts world.

For example, Zhaixingzi's martial arts level is similar to Duan Zhengchun's.

But if Duan Zhengchun met Zhaixingzi, he would be dead for sure, because the effect of his poisonous power was too obvious.

In the original novel, Zhaixingzi met Xiao Feng and was beaten to a pulp by him, which was normal.

The rest of the insects, who were able to survive in the cruel environment of the Xingxiu Sect, all possessed unique skills.

Even the younger A Zi could capture Chu Wanli, one of Duan Zhengchun's four bodyguards, in seconds. She also had a very advanced tortoise breathing technique and could pretend to be dead very vividly.

And they all know how to mix poisons, which are standard biological weapons!
Another detail that is not noticed by most people is that the Xingxiu Sect can mass-produce gunpowder. Ding Chunqiu used gunpowder to break the mechanism designed by Xue Muhua.

Murong Fu would still use such talents, even if they were a bit incompetent.

Ding Chunqiu could PUA them into submission, and Murong Fu was even stronger, so he had the confidence to control these insects.

Expect others to be 100% loyal to you?
Ordinary people may have such delusions, but politicians must understand that everyone in this world is driven by interests.

Loyal people exist, but it is impossible to expect everyone to be loyal.

Even many seemingly loyal behaviors, when examined more closely, are motivated by self-interest.

For example, the Mongols fought for Zhu Yuanzhang and helped him defeat the Yuan Dynasty out of self-interest.

Because the lower-class Mongols were living a miserable life, some were even sold into slavery, and the Yuan Dynasty's large ships were about to sink, so they had to find new ships.

The Han scholars and officials died for the Yuan Dynasty, not out of loyalty, but because the Yuan Dynasty's tax farming allowed them to gain huge economic benefits.

They were extremely sad and angry when their interests were violated, and chose to express their protest by dying for their country.

As long as Murong Fu can bring endless benefits to his followers and lead them from one victory to another, his authority will grow day by day until he can be crowned emperor.

After making arrangements with the Xingxiu Sect, Murong Fu escorted Ding Chunqiu and prepared to hand him over to Wuyazi for disposal.

Su Xinghe came over and reminded him, "Master, these people from the Xingxiu Sect are flatterers and cannot be trusted at all. Master, you can't trust them!"

"I have never trusted them, but I want them to serve me." Murong Fu patted Su Xinghe's shoulder and said, "Brother, the water of the Yangtze River is clear and the water of the Yellow River is turbid, but both have their uses. To promote the sect, we must use both the clear and turbid waters."

Seeing that Su Xinghe was still confused, Murong Fu continued, "A sect needs both face and substance. We are the face. Face is aboveboard and is for treating people to a meal. The substance is for doing dirty work. Here, the face is for treating people to a meal, and there, the substance is for killing a few people. If our Xiaoyao Sect wants to develop, there are many dirty and tiring jobs that we cannot do ourselves. This is the use of people from the Xingxiu Sect!"

"Master, are you going to make our Xiaoyao Sect public?" Su Xinghe understood Murong Fu's subtext and asked.

"Of course." Murong Fu said, "Which sect with a long history is not public? If the Xiaoyao Sect continues to hide its head and show its tail, it will be lost in the long river of history in a few generations. If we want to develop the Xiaoyao Sect, we must make it public, constantly absorb fresh blood, and establish a stable inheritance system, just like the Shaolin Temple next door."

As they were talking, Murong Fu and Su Xinghe, carrying the limp Ding Chunqiu, entered the wooden house.

Wuyazi spotted Ding Chunqiu at a glance and said happily, "My disciple, well done. My Xiaoyao Sect can finally be cleaned up! Ding Zhen, do you still recognize me?!"

(End of this chapter)