New Steward

That afternoon, Yang Chen heard some news in the dining hall: the new steward, Chen Jinhai, had arrived in Area 8 and had already completed the handover with Lin Chuan.

Quite a few people were discussing the new steward in private, mostly guessing at his temperament.

When Lin Chuan had been around, the disciples of Area 8 had gotten along fairly well, and there had occasionally been unexpected resource rewards. But that was not the atmosphere of the entire Labor Peak. In fact, quite the opposite was true. Aside from the two or three areas with strong stewards, disciples in the other areas did not live nearly so carefree.

If Area 8 wanted to remain as stable as it had been under Lin Chuan, there was little hope. Most stewards skimmed profits while in office; that was an open secret.

"I just hope he won't go too far."

Yang Chen bit into a braised black-eyed rabbit leg, hoping inwardly that the new steward would not be too greedy.

His tolerance for risk was high. As long as Chen Jinhai did not set his sights on him, he did not care whether the sect's monthly resource allotment was a little more or a little less.

As he ate, the Sound Transmission Bamboo trembled faintly.

Yang Chen took out the Sound Transmission Bamboo, and Wang Feng's voice came through.

"Junior Brother Yang, I'll come find you a little later."

Yang Chen replied with an okay and did not think much of it. After enjoying his meal, he returned to his residence.

Not long after he sat down, Wang Feng hurried over with a grim expression. Yang Chen poured him a cup of water, which Wang Feng drained in one gulp.

Yang Chen immediately realized that something bad had probably happened.

Sure enough, after setting down the cup, Wang Feng said heavily, "Martial Uncle Lin has already left the sect."

Yang Chen's expression remained unchanged. He had expected this news. Looking at Wang Feng, he hesitated before asking, "Senior Brother, you don't look well. Did something happen?"

Wang Feng sighed. "The new steward summoned all the supervisors and used all sorts of pretexts to demand spirit crystals. Every supervisor had to hand over thirty spirit crystals. I refused, so I was stripped of my supervisory position. From now on, I'm no longer the supervisor of the spirit field area."

Yang Chen frowned. This new steward was far too direct in his purpose. He did not even bother putting on an act before demanding spirit crystals. He had clearly come to Area 8 to scrape it clean.

This was not good news.

Wang Feng sighed again as he spoke. "There's one more thing. From now on, Junior Brother, you'll have to go to the town yourself to buy supplies."

Yang Chen was startled. "Why is that?"

"Heh, someone has their eye on us." Wang Feng gave a cold laugh, anger brewing in his eyes. "In short, Junior Brother, you must be careful from now on. Once Chen Jinhai officially takes office, he'll definitely rack his brains trying to squeeze out spirit crystals."

"I asked my little sister about it. Chen Jinhai paid a heavy price to become the steward of Area 8. You should understand what I mean."

"Oh, right. The resources you need can all be bought at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in town. There are many people there and many prying eyes, so remember not to flaunt your wealth, lest someone targets you."

Yang Chen nodded slightly. Since things had come to this, he could only deal with whatever came his way.

"What are your plans from now on, Senior Brother?"

Wang Feng shook his head repeatedly. "I only hope Chen Jinhai doesn't make trouble for me. What plans could I possibly have? I'll take things one step at a time. I also need to prepare to make a push for the Outer Sect."

"Let's not talk about it for now. I still have several places to visit."

Wang Feng rose and left. After seeing him off, Yang Chen fell silent for a moment before temporarily putting the matter out of his mind.

Two days passed in a flash.

At last, there was movement on the mountainside. That afternoon, Chen Jinhai led the various supervisors of Area 8 to the plaza beside the dining hall.

Yang Chen and the others had received the news in advance and had been waiting in the plaza for quite some time.

As they watched the group arrive, all the disciples curiously observed the man at the front.

He wore white robes and had a well-proportioned figure. He looked around thirty-four or thirty-five, with fairly ordinary features and a warm smile on his face that made people feel as though a spring breeze had washed over them.

Yang Chen thought, This is a smiling tiger.

If what Wang Feng had said was true, then Chen Jinhai was the sort of person who would be difficult to deal with.

While everyone was still speculating, a gaunt supervisor beside Chen Jinhai stepped forward after asking for permission. Yang Chen recognized him. He was the supervisor of the forest grounds, Huang An, from the same cohort as Wang Feng. After the former supervisor of the forest grounds had left the sect, he had taken over the position.

"Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, the person beside me is Steward Chen Jinhai of our Area 8. From now on, Steward Chen will be responsible for all matters, great and small. Next, Steward Chen will say a few words. Please welcome him with applause."

Clap clap clap!

The applause was thunderous. Everyone had to give him at least this much face.

Huang An retreated to one side. Chen Jinhai stepped forward and pressed his hands down in the air, and the scene immediately quieted. He smiled and said, "Martial Uncle Lin has been promoted, and from now on I will take over his position and continue shielding everyone from wind and rain. To be honest, I'm completely in the dark about the duties of a steward. If I do anything wrong in the future, I hope all you Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters will correct me."

A dignified Outer Sect disciple and steward was being so courteous to them that quite a few Labor Disciples were slightly moved and developed a bit of goodwill toward Chen Jinhai.

The real show is yet to come.

Yang Chen guessed that the real matter was about to be brought up.

Sure enough, Chen Jinhai changed the subject. "To better manage Area 8 and safeguard the rights and interests of all disciples, I have decided to make adjustments to some of the existing rules."

The disciples below began making guesses in their hearts.

Chen Jinhai continued, "First, regarding the supervisors at each task site. When Martial Uncle Lin was here, Area 8 had fifteen supervisors. After carefully learning the responsibilities of each supervisor, I discovered that some of their duties overlapped. Therefore, from now on, Area 8 will retain only ten supervisory positions. The capable will take the posts through fair competition."

Quite a few people looked toward the supervisors behind Chen Jinhai. Not one of them showed any unusual reaction, clearly indicating that they had long known about this.

"Second, your current tasks will be redrawn to ensure fairness, justice, and openness, giving everyone a chance to obtain easier tasks."

The moment these words were spoken, many disciples showed wild delight in their eyes. Especially those assigned to arduous tasks in places like the mining area—they practically wanted to clap and cheer.

Zhu Xi, Meng Shijun, and the others, however, had drastic changes in expression. They were all tasks, but the difference in difficulty was like clouds and mud.

The disciples working in the mining area generally had lower cultivation, not merely because they lacked resources, but also because of their daily tasks.

Yang Chen watched coldly. With Wang Feng's earlier words laying the groundwork, he had long expected something like this.

Chen Jinhai's words sounded pleasant, as if he were giving everyone a fair chance. In truth, he was simply making full use of the authority in his hands, treating the tasks as a sickle to harvest the disciples.

He was not the only one who saw through it. Huang Tianyu and Xu Qingqing stood together with another person, watching coldly as well.

After giving everyone some time to digest the news, Chen Jinhai smiled. "The redraw will take place here three days from now, in the afternoon. Be sure not to miss it."

"If you have any questions, you may consult your respective supervisors."

"That is all I have to say. Everyone may speak freely—"

Before Chen Jinhai could finish, Huang An suddenly came forward and whispered something in his ear.

Chen Jinhai's brows knitted tightly, and he said angrily, "What did you say? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Please calm down, sir. I-I only just remembered."

Huang An's face was filled with panic, and even his voice trembled slightly.

The disciples below were utterly baffled by this scene. Watching the two, Yang Chen felt that it looked strangely familiar.

He thought of a term—putting on a double act.

He did not believe Huang An could have forgotten something. To be able to serve as a supervisor, he was at least at the Blood Martial Seventh Level. His memory would be extraordinary; he would hardly forget anything.

Nor did he believe Chen Jinhai would overlook any crucial information. The two were playing off each other, and their purpose was likely only one thing: the news to come would probably make many disciples resistant.

They were laying the groundwork!

As he guessed, Chen Jinhai grimly gave Huang An a harsh reprimand. Huang An looked embarrassed and ashamed as he lowered his head and retreated to one side.

Chen Jinhai looked at everyone and let out a heavy sigh.

"Just now, I learned some bad news."

"Beginning next month, the resources for all Qi Martial Realm disciples in Area 8 will be reduced from three spirit crystals to two, while those for Blood Martial Realm disciples will be reduced from six spirit crystals to four."

The entire crowd erupted.