Chapter 137: Integrating the Heroes of Wuba Ridge

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After Linghu Chong arrived at Five Hegemon Ridge through a twist of fate, he was greeted by sycophantic adoration from everyone around him—adoration that came straight from the heart.

Linghu Chong was not receiving such reverence because of Ren Yingying, but because of the Four Friends of Jiangnan. Although the Four Friends had secluded themselves in Plum Manor for nearly twenty years, far from the power struggles of the Sun Moon Divine Cult, they were still members of its middle and upper ranks. Naturally, each of them had friends of his own.

Once the Four Friends spread the word that the Immortal Peak Sect possessed a cure for the Corpse-Mind Pill and that Linghu Chong could dispel its poison—and then demonstrated it with their own bodies—the heroes gathered at Five Hegemon Ridge were thrown into another uproar.

Linghu Chong raised a hand and rolled his eyes. With a series of sharp taps, he either pressed or jabbed at Blue Phoenix, the Yellow River Ancestor, and One-Finger Ping, forcing the corpse worms from their bodies.

“Thank you, Big Brother Linghu!” Blue Phoenix wound herself around him like a beautiful serpent.

“Thank you, Young Hero Linghu!” The two men, the Yellow River Ancestor and One-Finger Ping, wept tears of joy and embraced each other tightly.

“Thank you, Young Hero Linghu! My illness can be cured! It can really be cured…”

As the famed physician known as the Killing Doctor, One-Finger Ping knew better than anyone how difficult it was to eradicate the Corpse-Mind Pill completely. He also knew the agony caused when the pill’s poison erupted. Now that the corpse worms had been expelled and the poison neutralized, One-Finger Ping leaped about wildly, laughing like a child.

Hearing was not believing; seeing was believing. Linghu Chong had neutralized the Corpse-Mind Pill poison in four people before the assembled heroes. The crowd grew even more frenzied in its worship, creating the almost comical spectacle of “the Great Immortal Linghu, whose magic knows no bounds; possessed of both literary virtue and martial glory, destined to unite the martial world.”

Linghu Chong stood at the highest point of Five Hegemon Ridge and pressed both hands downward. The crowd immediately fell silent.

“Great arts cannot be passed on lightly, and deadly poison cannot be dispelled without cost. My Immortal Peak Sect is not offering charity. If you wish me to remove the Corpse-Mind Pill poison from your bodies, each of you must agree to several conditions.

“First, you must join the Immortal Peak Sect and become outer disciples. Do not think I am taking advantage of your predicament. Consider this: if the Sun Moon Divine Cult could force you to swallow the Corpse-Mind Pill once, it can force you to swallow it a second time. Once you join the Immortal Peak Sect, we will have both the responsibility and the duty to protect our disciples.

“If you refuse to become an outer disciple of the Immortal Peak Sect, then I have neither the responsibility nor the obligation to cure you. Whether you join is for you to decide. If you do not wish to join, then I bid you farewell.”

“Young Hero Linghu, we will join the Immortal Peak Sect!”

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“We’re joining!”

“Young Hero Linghu—no, we should call you Senior Brother now! Senior Brother, your junior disciple offers his respects.”

“Exactly, exactly! Senior Brother, this junior pays his respects…”

The assembled heroes hurriedly echoed one another. Their words meant nothing; for the moment, they would flatter Linghu Chong and persuade him to remove the Corpse-Mind Pill poison from their bodies.

Linghu Chong smiled faintly and continued, “Second, no one receives rewards without earning them. If you want me to cure you, you must make a contribution to the Immortal Peak Sect by completing the tasks we assign. The greater your contribution and the more tasks you complete, the earlier you will gain the right to have your poison removed.

“Third, I do not care what you did before joining the Immortal Peak Sect. After joining, however, you must obey the sect’s rules. You must not harm fellow disciples, take lives recklessly, bully the weak, assault women, or commit any similar offense…”

Linghu Chong recited the sect’s rules in full, along with its contribution-point system. He had the Yellow River Ancestor and One-Finger Ping write everything down so that the assembled heroes could read it for themselves.

Finally, Linghu Chong gathered his inner strength and shouted, “Consider everything carefully. Once you have made up your minds, come forward and register!”

When he finished speaking, he had the Yellow River Ancestor, One-Finger Ping, and the others begin compiling a roster on the spot. Just as Linghu Chong expected, the heroes at Five Hegemon Ridge joined the Immortal Peak Sect one after another, becoming outer disciples.

Linghu Chong knew that these people were a mixed lot. Quite a few of them were not sincerely joining the Immortal Peak Sect at all; they merely wanted him to remove the Corpse-Mind Pill poison from their bodies. But he did not care. So long as they could be made useful for the moment, that was enough.

When the roster was complete, Linghu Chong glanced over it. Good heavens—there were 2,048 people.

With the help of the Yellow River Ancestor and One-Finger Ping, Linghu Chong immediately selected more than a hundred men with relatively good reputations and formed them into an inspection corps. He divided everyone else into eighty roughly equal teams.

Linghu Chong ordered them to help him collect grain. He had not forgotten his mission for a moment. Before setting out, he assigned their tasks according to the instructions recorded on the scroll and sternly ordered the heroes to put aside their personal tempers.

Whenever they arrived at a place, they had to report to the local authorities first. Then, under official supervision, they were to collect thirty percent of the crop as land rent and hand it over to the authorities.

After the rent had been collected, they were to return to Five Hegemon Ridge and regroup before proceeding to Shaolin to bring back the Holy Maiden. In truth, the heroes no longer cared whether the Holy Maiden was brought back, but Linghu Chong had given the order, and they had no choice but to obey.

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Linghu Chong repeatedly instructed them to collect the rent in a civilized manner. Anyone who caused trouble would be expelled from the Immortal Peak Sect and left to fend for himself. Naturally, if they encountered a Shaolin grain-collection team, they were permitted to strike without mercy.

Linghu Chong’s ruthlessness provoked a wave of wild cheers from the heroes. They were all the sort who feared neither Heaven nor Earth, and his harshness suited their tastes perfectly. Their recognition of him deepened yet again.

At the same time, Linghu Chong stressed that if they truly encountered a Shaolin grain-collection team, they must return any surplus grain to the tenant farmers after seizing it. Anyone who embezzled so much as a grain would be expelled from the Immortal Peak Sect.

Linghu Chong knew these people’s character all too well. After sending them out, he selected the members of the inspection corps with the best lightness skills and had them follow the grain-collection teams from a distance. Any violation could then be reported immediately.

Naturally, apprehending evildoers would also count toward their contribution points.

The members of the inspection corps were delighted when they heard this. They immediately circulated their lightness skill and sped after the teams like wisps of smoke.

Once everyone had departed, Linghu Chong could not help letting out a long breath. He felt that he had already pushed his abilities to their absolute limit.

“Senior Brother, what an impressive arrangement.”

A man stepped out from the inspection corps and bowed. Seeing Linghu Chong’s puzzled expression, he hurriedly introduced himself.

“This junior is Ji Wushi, known by the nickname ‘Nothing Can Be Done.’ My martial arts are mediocre, but these eyes of mine are exceptionally sharp.”

“Are your eyes sharper than mine?”

Linghu Chong’s eyes suddenly turned white as he fixed Ji Wushi with an intense stare.

Ji Wushi’s heart trembled, and his complexion changed drastically. He felt as though Linghu Chong had seen straight through him, inside and out. Under the gaze of those eyes, he possessed no secrets whatsoever.

“These are the White Eyes,” Linghu Chong said calmly. “They were bestowed upon me by my Grand-Uncle Master, Yang Xin, of the Immortal Peak Sect.”

“How is that possible?” Ji Wushi stared at him in utter disbelief.