Hearing the little girl's question, Tang Xiaoyu gently said, "If you listen to me, uncle won't kill you. If you don't listen to me, uncle will have to kill you."
The little girl was so scared that she hurriedly nodded, "Uncle, we'll listen, we'll listen, please don't kill us."
The other little girls also pleaded that they would listen.
"Since you are all such good obedient children, uncle won't kill you anymore. Instead, I will give you good food and clothes, and raise you chubby and white."
The little girl might have misunderstood something, with tears streaming down her face, but didn't dare cry out, "Uncle, do you want to eat us?"
Tang Xiaoyu was puzzled, "Why do you say that?"
"Because the pigs in our village are raised fat and white before being killed for meat."
Tang Xiaoyu laughed helplessly, "Uncle won't eat you."
"Really?"
"Really, I'll become a puppy if I lied."
"Then I believe you."
Tang Xiaoyu looked at the woman, "What about you?"
The woman took a deep breath, "As long as you don't hurt them, I'll let you do whatever you want with me."
Tang Xiaoyu stepped aside, "My girls, come with me!"
Several little girls obediently walked out of the dark cell, stealing glances at Tang Xiaoyu from time to time.
The woman followed behind them and walked out of the house.
Coming to the yard, a disciple came over quickly to bow, "Sect Leader, everyone has been escorted to the square to await your orders."
"I see, let's go over."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
When the woman and little girls heard the title of Sect Leader, their mouths gaped in disbelief.
Their impression was that the Sect Leader should be a dignified, stern old man. This young man had completely overturned their perception.
The woman thought to herself, [He must be a wretched old man of several hundred years old.]
Tang Xiaoyu came to the square and looked at the people below, nodding satisfactorily.
[Not bad, all fresh blood. Five Peaks Sect has prepared a dowry for Fengxi Sect.]
Five Peaks Sect had over a thousand living disciples, most of whom were children in their teens.
These children were all new disciples recruited in recent years during Five Peaks Sect's rapid expansion, and did not have deep feelings for the sect yet.
Standing in front of these people, Tang Xiaoyu smiled, "Let me introduce myself, I am Tang Xiaoyu, Sect Leader of Fengxi Sect."
"If you don't know how to address me, you can call me by name, or call me Old Tang. If you are over seventy, calling me Little Tang is fine too."
"I don't care how you address me."
Tang Xiaoyu paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
The disciples of Five Peaks Sect would never have imagined the Sect Leader of Fengxi Sect to be this young man, not even seventy years old. What a concept!
In just decades he had reached a level that many couldn't attain in a lifetime.
"I won't kill you, nor will I enslave you."
"I will give you better resources, stronger martial arts, more powerful treasures, and let you witness the birth of a great era."
"You will be the pioneers and guides of this era."
Tang Xiaoyu stopped and looked at everyone, "Life is as insignificant as an ant. One should have the ambition of a swan. Life is as fragile as paper. One should have an unyielding heart."
"I don't care what you were doing before, but I hope you understand now what you should do."
"Is it to shrivel up in this palm-sized sect, pursuing that one in a billion chance of immortality? Or to follow me in shouting 'No' to the injustices of this world?" His passionate voice echoed throughout the square.
Fengxi Sect's disciples raised their swords in hand and shouted in unison, "No, no no!"
The Five Peaks Sect children were easily stirred up and waved their arms shouting along.
The woman who came out of the dark cell mumbled Tang Xiaoyu's words to herself, "Life is as insignificant as an ant. One should have the ambition of a swan. Life is as fragile as paper. One should have an unyielding heart."
Perhaps having understood something, the bewilderment in her eyes was replaced with determination.
She listened carefully to every word Tang Xiaoyu said and remembered them in her heart.
After the crowd quieted down, Tang Xiaoyu calmly continued, "Many of you were born to ordinary families. Before embarking on the path of cultivation,"
"You and your parents lived in destitution. You saw cultivators and had to bow your heads to avoid inviting fatal disaster."
"Yet you dreamed of becoming cultivators to change your own and your families' fates. You hoped that one day you could trample underfoot those cultivators who looked down on you."
Tang Xiaoyu's voice suddenly rose, turning angry, "But after becoming cultivators, do you still remember what you once said?"
"You forgot. You became the very kind of person you once hated the most. You lorded from on high, not allowing commoners to hurt your fragile ego."
"Your conduct disgusts me. Your selfishness enrages me to no end."
The children were filled with righteous indignation, while the older ones were deeply ashamed.
"Please do not forget the oaths you once made, do not forget the you who wanted to change this world."
"I will lead you to fulfill the oaths you once made. We will make the whole world tremble in fear of us."
"Are you willing to follow me? Are you willing to follow me in challenging this world?"
Everyone shouted in unison, proving their willingness with their voices, "Willing, willing, willing!"
Tang Xiaoyu pressed his hand down and the place quieted quickly.
"The words we speak today will soon be forgotten, but everything we do shall go down in history." Tang Xiaoyu passionately declared.
"Victory!"
Everyone was excited, "Victory, victory, victory!"
Those who came to participate in the selection, hearing the shouts, wondered what had happened.
"What's going on? Shouldn't they be shouting 'Kill' to the heavens?"
"I don't know either! But this isn't bad news."
After Tang Xiaoyu's twenty minute-long rousing speech and agitation, the people of Five Peaks Sect and Fengxi Sect were pumped up, eager to change the world immediately.
Everything was going according to Tang Xiaoyu's plan. Five Peaks Sect was gone, but Fengxi Sect had to remain.
Tang Xiaoyu would not follow Tang San's path, destroying Martial God Hall and severing commoners' opportunities to change their fates.
"Continue recruiting disciples, and at the same time, teach those who weren't selected a strength-building martial art."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
He turned to his Eldest Martial Sister, "Eldest martial sister, select two to three hundred disciples to stay here and develop this place. We can't affect the common people because of us."
"Don't worry, I know what to do!"
Tang Xiaoyu brought these Five Peaks Sect people back to Fengxi Sect.
"Sect Leader, the surrounding minor sects have all been dealt with. All promising seeds have been brought back." A disciple reported.
"Very good. Were disciples left at each sect to handle matters?"
"Yes, as you ordered."
"Good. Notify the inner sect Elders to meet in the main hall. I have matters to discuss with them."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Soon, all the inner sect Elders came to the main hall.
Tang Xiaoyu went straight to the point, "This commotion was big. People from above will come to investigate soon."
"Our current strength is not enough to flip the table, so we can only temporarily give up some benefits for now."
Tang Xiaoyu looked at Supreme Elder, "Supreme Elder, you know many people. Please negotiate with above on how much benefits we can let go.
"I believe benefits can make them close one eye and open the other."
Supreme Elder well understood the rationale. "Leave it to me. I'm very familiar with this."
"Then I'll have to trouble you."