The turmoil in the Lu Shan Sect finally subsided.
With the support of everyone, Lin Zhitong truly took over the Lu Shan Sect.
After this internal strife, the Lu Shan Sect was severely weakened and in ruins. Not only was the sect in chaos internally, but it also affected the various smaller sects under the Lu Shan Sect.
Now that the internal conflict was over, it was time for Lin Zhitong to settle accounts.
Although she was still injured, it did not prevent her from controlling the Lu Shan Sect and directing elders and disciples to carry out tasks.
First, she ordered the arrest of all two-faced individuals within the Lu Shan Sect who colluded with the Skin Painter. These people were the instigators and helpers of the Lu Shan Sect's chaos, the most unstable factors.
Lin Zhitong dealt with these people according to their crimes. For lesser offenses, their cultivation was abolished, and they were expelled from the sect, forbidden to set foot in Jianzhou Province for the rest of their lives. For more serious offenses, they were imprisoned in the Lu Shan Sect's dungeons, never to see the light of day again.
And this was merely the punishment for those within the Lu Shan Sect.
Lin Zhitong's approach to the smaller sects under the Lu Shan Sect was different. She completely ignored the sects that supported the Skin Painter, as if she did not take them seriously at all.
What she did was to continuously allocate funds and share outer sect techniques of the Lu Shan Sect with the sects that supported her, and to recruit talented disciples from these smaller sects to come to the Lu Shan Sect for further training and study.
In short, the sects that had previously supported her now received enviable benefits.
Especially the Tian Hai Society, where Sun Tang resided, its status soared within a few days, subtly becoming the leading sect under the Lu Shan Sect.
The sects that did not support Lin Zhitong naturally received no such benefits. Not only that, but they were also constantly worried that Lin Zhitong might exert pressure on them.
Gradually, internal conflicts began to emerge within these smaller sects.
A portion of people within the smaller sects who had supported Lin Zhitong in the first place, now saw Sun Tang and others thriving, being promoted by Lin Zhitong and the Lu Shan Sect, and step by step stepping on their heads. They couldn't help but start blaming those who chose to support the Skin Painter.
Naturally, the two sides quarreled fiercely, and even cases of physical altercations occurred.
Although things had not reached that point, it was foreseeable that these smaller sects would eventually disintegrate due to this conflict.
At that time, those who remained would be the ones who supported Lin Zhitong. Lin Zhitong would then provide them with assistance and bring them under her wing, and there would be no one disloyal to the Lu Shan Sect in the entire Rongcheng.
This was Lin Zhitong's brilliance. She did not seek revenge at all, yet achieved the desired effect.
As a strong woman in the workplace, Lin Zhitong had many such methods, but she lacked opportunities to display them in the past. Now that she was the sect leader of the Lu Shan Sect, she had to ensure that the entire Rongcheng and the Lu Shan Sect were of one mind.
The affairs of the Lu Shan Sect kept Lin Zhitong extremely busy.
At the same time, Yan Shouyi was also not idle.
The day after the succession ceremony, Yu Lumen and others left Rongcheng one after another. According to the plan they had previously discussed, they would team up and go to various sects to investigate the Twelve Zodiacs.
This made the folk research society, which had just become lively, feel a bit desolate.
Fortunately, within two days, Wang Jiwang and He Xiping, who were handling matters in Chang'an, returned. Returning with them were the Ma siblings, Ma Xingping and Ma Jinxuan.
Both were inheritors of folk sects. Upon hearing of the establishment of the folk research society, they unhesitatingly joined, preparing to become part of this big family.
On the other hand, Yan Shouyi contacted Yin Tang and Huang Ying, storytellers from Qiantang, and asked them to help publicize the folk research society.
Through their efforts, the reputation of the folk research society quickly spread. All those in the Xuanmen knew that there was a base for folk sects in Rongcheng, Jianzhou.
The leader of this base was Yan Shouyi, a descendant of Lu Ban, and his father was Yan Chou, the founder of the Xuan Shan Sect.
With the connection to Yan Chou, the background of the folk research society became very reliable.
Within a week, Yan Shouyi's mailbox received hundreds of emails from all over the country, all from inheritors of folk sects scattered across the land!
However, only a few people explicitly stated their desire to come to Rongcheng. Most of them were probing, asking many questions about the folk research society.
"What are the strength requirements to join the folk research society?"
"Will joining the folk research society restrict our freedom?"
"Do we have any responsibilities to bear after joining the folk research society?"
Questions like these were innumerable. Yan Shouyi patiently replied at first.
"As long as they are inheritors of folk sects, they can come to the folk research society."
"The establishment of the folk research society aims to unite folk sects and will not impose any restrictions on anyone."
"The folk research society is responsible to all inheritors of folk sects. Inheritors of folk sects can leave the folk research society at any time. If inheritors of sects need help, the folk research society will provide all possible assistance."
To put it crudely, the folk research society was an ideal utopia.
Because they had the strong financial backing of the Lin family and the auspicious location of West Lake, Yan Shouyi and the others lacked nothing. No matter how many inheritors of folk sects came, they could support them all.
If they had to define the folk research society, Yan Shouyi believed it was a mutual aid folk organization.
The grand aspiration of protecting all living beings was naturally implied. The two most important immediate objectives were to protect other inheritors of folk sects and to confront Li Genmiao's new Xuan Shan Sect.
The content of the inquiries in the emails was mostly the same. Yan Shouyi soon became numb from replying and delegated the work to his assistant sisters, Lin Yu and Lin Yin.
Lin Yu and Lin Yin were considered relatively trustworthy among ordinary people. Only Lin Ruofu, Ye Chengfu, and Xia Zhi ranked above them.
Fortunately, the efficiency of the sisters was quite high. In just one day, they helped Yan Shouyi recruit twenty-one inheritors of folk sects!
And these twenty-one inheritors of folk sects would arrive in Rongcheng one after another within half a month!
Do not underestimate these twenty-one inheritors of folk sects. It is known that in a large city like Qiantang, there are only about forty-something such individuals, and that was under the condition of Shen Shuzhen's diligent development over many years.
Rongcheng was not as developed as Qiantang. Now, with the sudden addition of nearly thirty people from folk sects, the folk research society could definitely be considered to have risen rapidly.
But this was only the first step.
According to the plan of Yan Shouyi and Wang Jiwang, the folk research society should ultimately develop into a nationwide force.
Inheritors of folk sects were distributed all over the country, so the folk research society should have a presence in every city. All the inheritors would be connected point to line, and then the lines would weave into a large net!
Any demon who dared to harm living beings would be nipped in the bud by the great net of the folk research society!
At that time, the world would be peaceful, and there would be no more demons or monsters in the world!