Judging by his attire, he was the leader of the Crown Prince’s dark guard camp. However, Lu Ye had already removed and destroyed the tokens that identified them.
Without a word, the Hell Envoy moved like a ghost, his palm striking the man and splattering his brains. His movements were as swift as black lightning.
Witnessing this terrifying scene with their own eyes, everyone was so stunned they dared not move, nor even exhale.
Lu Ye stood tall, exuding a killing aura like that of Yama, the King of Hell. He surveyed them all and roared, "Anyone who dares disrespect the Pavilion Master shall be killed—without mercy!"
"My goodness, my man is so handsome, so manly!"
Bai Sheng was swooning internally, but she sneered outwardly, "A mere whelp dares to be presumptuous before this Pavilion Master!"
"Acting, I can do that too," she thought. She'd seen many formidable female villains in wuxia dramas, and imitating them was quite impressive, like Dongfang Bubai, the cult leader.
"Hell Envoy, continue!" Tian Wai Fei Xue raised his hand, his voice carrying an imposing presence.
"Yes!" Lu Ye responded respectfully, then leaped to Bai Sheng's side. He picked up a loudspeaker and announced, "Our Ghost Shadow Pavilion has been hidden in the martial world for centuries, with thousands of disciples. However, due to offending some martial sects, we were ambushed, resulting in countless casualties. Only one thousand one hundred and twenty-nine of us remain.
You have all been poisoned by an exotic aphrodisiac, causing you to lose your memories and your martial arts. It was the Pavilion Master and I who, after great effort, rescued you from the enemy."
Lu Ye's words stirred considerable ripples among the thousand-plus people.
"Our martial arts were crippled? Does that mean we all had martial arts before?"
"Which son of a bitch sect dared to ambush us, the Ghost Shadow Pavilion? How dare they cripple my martial arts!"
"I suspect those sects that ambushed us must have been in places with oases. Do you all remember? Where we were held, the ground was covered in grass, and there were trees!"
"Mhm, mhm, I also felt grass and trees, and I heard horses neighing and roosters crowing!"
"The Pavilion Master is truly amazing, to have rescued so many of us from so far away."
"Yes, our martial arts were all crippled, rendering us useless, yet the Pavilion Master did not abandon us!"
Lu Ye scanned everyone and continued, "Although you have lost all your martial arts, the Pavilion Master still found a way to rescue you because you are all disciples of the Ghost Shadow Pavilion! As long as you are loyal to the Ghost Shadow Pavilion, the Pavilion Master will always protect you!
Now, everyone look at your right arm. There is a number written there, from one to one thousand one hundred and thirty. This number will temporarily be your designation.
From now on, the Pavilion Master will observe your performance to decide your fate. Those who perform well can continue to stay in the Ghost Shadow Pavilion, and the Pavilion Master will find a way to find an antidote and help you recover your martial arts. Those who perform poorly will be expelled from the Ghost Shadow Pavilion to fend for themselves!
However, if anyone wishes to leave the Ghost Shadow Pavilion now, you may step forward. The Ghost Shadow Pavilion will let you go!"
Lu Ye finished speaking and his gaze swept coldly across the entire assembly.
Not a single one of the thousand-plus people moved.
They had lost their martial arts and had no money. If they left the Ghost Shadow Pavilion, how would they survive? Moreover, looking around, although it was a desert, there was plenty of food, meat, and vegetables. Eating their fill should not be a problem.
Lu Ye announced sternly, "Today, the Pavilion Master has given everyone the opportunity to choose freely. Since no one wishes to leave, then all of you are disciples of our Ghost Shadow Pavilion.
From this day forward, for those loyal to the Ghost Shadow Pavilion, the Ghost Shadow Pavilion will be their eternal backing! For those who betray the Ghost Shadow Pavilion, death!"
Hearing the word "death," everyone shivered. Earlier, they had witnessed the martial prowess of this Hell Envoy. If the Hell Envoy was so powerful, then the Pavilion Master must be even more so.
They had finally escaped the hellish pit, and they could not afford to gamble with their lives anymore.
"Starting today, we will rebuild the Ghost Shadow Pavilion base. Later, I will invite an architectural master to help us reconstruct our home. Everyone must follow the master's arrangements, and we must complete the base within a month.
For ease of management, we have selected 11 Ghost Envoys: numbers 1, 101, 201, 301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801, 901, and 1001. They will temporarily serve as the 11 Ghost Envoys, each managing approximately 100 people."
These 11 Ghost Envoys were carefully chosen by Bai Sheng and Lu Ye after observing them for some time. Their numbers were written on their designations beforehand.
Of course, these Ghost Envoys were temporary. When it came time to re-select personnel from the thousand-plus people, the positions would be reassigned.
Lu Ye had the 11 Ghost Envoys step forward so everyone could recognize them.
Then he instructed number 1 to manage numbers 2 to 100, and so on.
Despite their hunger and exhaustion, the 11 Ghost Envoys stood as straight as they could. Being chosen as a Ghost Envoy meant a better future and not being abandoned by the Ghost Shadow Pavilion; they could not afford any mistakes.
After arranging the Ghost Envoys, Lu Ye told them to organize their groups to cook. After a hearty meal, they would begin building houses in the afternoon.
Soon, dozens of large pots were steaming. Each large group had two pots, one for rice and one for dishes. The rice was white rice, and the dish was braised chicken with mushrooms.
They hadn't eaten a full meal in over twenty days and were all gaunt. Smelling the chicken cooking, their mouths watered like a flowing stream.
The 100 people in each large group huddled around the pots, eagerly awaiting the food to cook faster.
Like waiting for the stars and the moon, the food finally arrived in their bowls.
Over a thousand people, holding large bowls, squatted in their respective teams and ate ravenously. The sound of their shoveling rice was like the roar of ocean waves, resounding loudly.
After lunch, a masked man arrived on horseback.
Lu Ye immediately stepped forward and whispered, "Brother Feng, this is the Ghost Shadow Pavilion base that my wife wants to build. You will be troublesome for the next month helping to build the residential compound. Here are the blueprints for the base. These thousand-plus people are at your disposal."
"Hmm, don't worry, sir, I will complete the task as soon as possible," Feng Pingyuan said confidently.
Looking at everything before him, Feng Pingyuan was utterly shocked. Unknowingly, the Madam and the Sir had managed to enlist over a thousand people! And they had established a martial sect, the Ghost Shadow Pavilion! This was simply… too formidable!
However, only he from Hongshu Village knew about this matter, and he felt exceptionally proud.
After lunch, the base construction, under Feng Pingyuan's arrangement, proceeded with great vigor.
Lu Ye specifically cordoned off the entrance to the cave and told everyone not to disturb this area, as he would personally build a unique small garden for the Pavilion Master.
Upon hearing this, Feng Pingyuan naturally understood. The Sir and Madam were showing off their affection again.
Bai Sheng, as the Pavilion Master, had to maintain an air of mystery, so she had left on Bai Xue early on.