Chapter 161: Willing to Follow the Leader's Orders

Right!

However, allowing a group of people to have their way too easily wouldn't be appropriate. Shi Chun instinctively feigned reluctance, immediately raising a hand to stop them. “Everyone, don’t get ahead of yourselves,” he said. “I have no intention of merely coasting until the conference ends. I genuinely plan to do my utmost for Xuanzhou to win. So, please don’t look to me to be the leader.” He seemed intent on drawing a clear line. His words left everyone stunned, their gazes filled with suspicion. Were his intentions true or false?

Mai Zhanchang’s eyes darted around, then he suddenly declared in a loud voice, “Everyone here is working hard for Xuanzhou; no one plans to coast until the conference ends!”

At his shout, everyone instantly understood and responded in kind. “Exactly, we’re all here to do our best for Xuanzhou; no one is slacking off!” “Brother Wang,” someone called out, “we would never slack off!” “Brother Wang, you’re overthinking it,” another added, “who among us here hasn’t been giving their all for Xuanzhou?” “If you don’t believe me, look at the knife and sword wounds on my body; which one looks like it came from slacking off?” The louder and more boisterous their shouts, the more it seemed they were looking down on Wang Sheng and his group.

“Alright, you know our group’s intentions,” Feng Cheng said, his voice like a sudden incantation that drowned out the clamor from An Mo. Then he calmly stated, “Since you all insist so strongly, I can only reluctantly accept your kindness. However, I’ll lay out the ground rules now: I’m not as devious as you might think. I’m not here to help Wang Sheng win the championship. If any of you dare to go back on your word, slack off, or disobey orders, don’t blame me for being unmerciful when the time comes.”

In short, he added, “I’m the one who started this. And given that I am Mulan Qingqing’s fiancé, there’s no one more suitable to lead.”

Everyone finally realized: “Wang Sheng, what are you doing, breathing such big air, boasting so much? If you didn’t plan to slack off, then why are we here? This whole situation began because Wang Sheng’s slacking off was discovered.”

Later, Lan'er mistakenly believed the news from Mai Zhanchang and their group, thinking that Wang Sheng’s side had genuinely acquired over eighty thousand Insect Spirit Crystals. At the time, he found it strange; after retreating from Yuehai, he had heard Guan Wen say there were only eighty-odd crystals. How did it become eighty thousand-plus after just a few days in Yuehai?

“We pledge to obey the Head Boss’s command!”

When one person complained, they were taken away for a private talk one by one. When several complained, they were also taken away one by one.

Gradually, more people began to respond, and their voices quickly unified across the open field.

Amidst the shouts, Chu Shaotang gestured for his fellow disciples to push the white cloth bags filled with Insect Spirit Crystals to Lan'er.

“We pledge to obey the Head Boss’s command!” “We pledge to obey the Head Boss’s command!”…

After the Insect Spirit Crystals were collected, Lan'er immediately led the personnel from the seven surrounding sects to categorize the eighty-plus arriving individuals, sorting them by strength.

As for striving for Wang Sheng to win the championship, whoever took that seriously was foolish. If they genuinely had that ambition, they wouldn't have gathered here.

At this moment, Lan'er was not there; he didn't need to handle these simple matters. He felt Wu Jinliang was capable enough.

“That depends on what kind of information you want to gather,” Xiang Xuanzhou replied. “It’s impossible to know everything. They’ve already joined the ranks quite early, so it’s difficult to learn any core details now.” After Lan'er checked, the quantity was correct. He then took a pre-prepared white cloth bag from his waist, which also contained Insect Spirit Crystals—the result of Guan Wen’s recent search in Yuehai. After Yan Ji confiscated them, they ended up in his hands, with eighteen remaining. Feng Cheng said, “I just want to know three simple things: the exact location of their forces, their precise numbers, and their strength. Can you provide this to me at any time?” Anyone said to be strong was taken away for a talk. Mai Zhanchang and others didn't risk talking to them; instead, following Feng Cheng's instructions, they first led the individuals aside to calm them down and prevent them from returning, waiting for Feng Cheng to return and speak with each of them personally. “If Shi Chun says one, I will never say two.” After completing this task without a moment's pause, Lan'er immediately handed all the personnel over to Wu Jinliang.

Wu Jinliang didn't argue with him; he just grinned, inviting him to rest aside before approaching again. Mai Zhanchang and his group would then take the people away for private talks in secluded areas, saying, “The Head Boss requests your presence.” “Now you say you weren’t slacking off? Who would believe that? Anyone who does must be crazy if they think you can just fool us like that!”

Xiang Xuanzhou gave him a glare, then stuffed the three white cloth bags back into his arms, and took out a pair of communication talismans to contact people one by one.

Following that were hand gestures, as well as sound and light signals, which had to be understood. In a valley, Lan'er and Xiang Xuanzhou met again.

Shi Chun, surrounded by the clamoring crowd, remained silent, his hands clasped over his belly, his face expressionless. He simply waited, letting them shout to their hearts' content.

“We shall follow Shi Chun's lead!”

Seeing the group's fervent shouting, Wu Jinliang, who was blocked by the crowd, felt somewhat touched by the group’s “sincere” enthusiasm. So he too yelled loudly, “You are our Head Boss, the Head Boss!”

“Yes, it works!”

After receiving replies for each situation, Lan'er threw aside the eight white cloth bags, took out an atlas, and marked it according to the information from the communication talismans.

However, these words left a slight weight on everyone’s minds, making them vaguely feel that something wasn’t quite right.

Xiang Xuanzhou was completely bewildered. Feng Cheng said expressionlessly, “If I lead, will my words carry authority?”

People from several sects were talking to one individual in a secluded spot. “From today onwards, Feng Cheng will be your leader.”

The matter was thus settled. Afterward, they proceeded to a cave to formally hand over the Insect Spirit Crystals. The quantity would certainly need to be counted; after an equal division, there were one thousand four hundred and eighty-one crystals.

After a good while, Chu Shaotang grew tired of the endless clamor and shouted for them to stop. Then, with a playful smile, he said to Feng Cheng, “Shi Chun, you see, the will of the crowd is hard to defy, and their enthusiasm is hard to refuse. Please, don’t decline any further!” Mai Zhanchang, standing nearby, gave him a strange look. He observed that the methods of Brother Wang and his junior brother were sometimes truly crude, yet they truly dared to act.

Later, it was only after hearing Mulan Qingqing’s explanation that he understood what was going on. It was a rumor intentionally spread by Feng Cheng’s side to deceive the forces from other continents, allowing the Insect Spirit Crystals in their hands to be concentrated to the greatest extent, thereby reducing the frequency of Feng Cheng’s forces having to make a move. There was no need for pretense; he was too lazy to argue back and forth with these people. He simply accepted their offer with a slight gesture; all he wanted was a verbal commitment. He didn’t care whether their sincerity would last.

The emphasis in his words was clear. No one was foolish; many immediately understood the unspoken implications: if he messed around with them arbitrarily, they wouldn’t listen.

There wasn't much time left; the conference's end was approaching, and they couldn't afford any delays.

It seemed to be some kind of outdated stuff, yet they were repeatedly drilled on these seemingly complex things. It made the group feel uneasy, making them wonder if the plan was truly to have their ragtag bunch seize the Insect Spirit Crystals.

Xiang Xuanzhou held the bag of Insect Spirit Crystals, a bit confused, and asked suspiciously, “What do you mean—?”

Lan'er said nothing. He took out another pre-prepared white cloth bag from his waist—this one empty—then counted out one hundred and seventy-seven Insect Spirit Crystals from those Xiang Xuanzhou had brought, put them into the empty bag, tied the opening, and handed it to Xiang Xuanzhou.

Upon hearing this, Chu Shaotang immediately perked up, patting his chest. “It’ll work, absolutely! Won’t it, everyone?”

Xiang Xuanzhou guaranteed, “That’s no problem.” Now, holding eight bags of Insect Spirit Crystals—the numbers were inconsistent—Xiang Xuanzhou was utterly bewildered. “Didn't you borrow my Insect Spirit Crystals?” he couldn't help but ask. “How did they get returned to me in the blink of an eye, and with an extra eighteen? What do you mean? What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Head Boss, Head Boss, Head Boss…”

Lan'er said, “Good, contact them now. I need to get a general understanding immediately.” The eight thousand four hundred plus individuals were directly divided into ten groups.

How the talks went was unknown, but none of the people taken for talks ever returned. Occasionally, faint sounds of fighting could be heard.

Following this, they assembled, regrouped, then reassembled, constantly circling the surrounding areas. Wu Jinliang carefully designated locations.

After the crowd quieted slightly, Chu Shaotang again responded, “As long as it's to strive for Wang Sheng to win the championship, we pledge to obey the Head Boss’s command!”

So many people shouting, so many people surrounding him and shouting, it left Lan'er feeling a bit disoriented. He looked around at everyone, as if transported back to the past.

Some people initially cooperated reluctantly, but grew impatient after prolonged drills, grumbling and complaining.

No words like ‘leader’ or ‘commander’ had the same infectious appeal as ‘Head Boss.’ Soon, the group of people across the open field began to chant it in unison.

The drills consisted of nothing more than forming up and circling. After scattering, at a single command, each team's members had to at least know which team they belonged to, ensuring they weren't confused about their comrades and didn't join the wrong team during assembly.

What made them even more uneasy was that the large man in charge of the drills gave the impression of being highly skilled in troop deployment. Though his words were crude, his actions were smooth, like someone accustomed to leading brawls. The combination of hand gestures, sound signals, and light signals wasn’t random either; there was a practical logic to it. Yet, hardly anyone bothered to look back, and those who did saw no issue, some even joined the shouts, “Yes, Head Boss!”

From the Insect Spirit Crystals given by Xiang Xuanzhou, he selected eighty crystals, added them to the eighteen already remaining, totaling one hundred and eight crystals, put them into a bag, and then handed it to the other party.

After more than twenty people were taken away for talks and never returned, the complex drills finally became much smoother. Even those with complaints still followed orders.

Lan'er calmly said, “No rush, I’ll tell you. You’re in charge of these twelve groups of people, infiltrating the teams from various continents. You can maintain control of their situations, right?”

Back in the Living Prison, his subordinates from Dong Siyuan were less shameless than some of these people; they would do anything to survive. If he were to rely on their character to get things done, he wouldn't accomplish anything. The key was how he controlled them.

There are two types of effort: one that yields results after hard work, and another that amounts to nothing substantial. Everyone took Lan'er’s words about effort merely as polite rhetoric.