The Steward Hall, the central institution responsible for allocating the Yun Clan's vast resources and administering merits, rewards, and general affairs, had always been rich in opportunities for graft, its connections as tangled as roots.
The former Twelfth Elder's faction had spent years weaving an airtight web of vested interests here. Though their patron had fallen, his poison lingered, leaving behind a morass of rotten accounts and countless parasites.
After Yun Li and the others finished jointly "sparring" with Yun Jinglei, he headed straight for the Steward Hall.
The vicious, blood-soaked aura he made no effort to restrain sent clansmen stepping aside along the way, casting startled glances at him.
The towering hall fell abruptly silent at his arrival. The many stewards inside stopped their work, their expressions varied.
"Tenth Young Master, forgive us for failing to welcome you." A smooth-faced, middle-aged steward stepped out from the crowd, his face wreathed in smiles but his eyes holding little respect. "I am Yun Gong, serving, however unworthily, as left deputy administrator. Have you come to redeem contribution points, or..."
Smack!
Yun Li slapped the Appointment Jade Slip down onto the heavy Black Ironwood desk with a backhanded motion. The dull impact made hearts tremble.
"From this day forward, I will take temporary charge of the Steward Hall." His voice was hoarse and icy, his gaze scraping across them like a blade.
Surprise, scrutiny, and even a trace of barely concealed contempt drifted through the air. What did this Branch Lineage brat know about Lineage administration? Not long ago, he had been pleading desperately outside this very hall; now, he had risen on the strength of a ferocious beast's essence and sheer luck.
"Within one incense stick's time, every member of staff will assemble here with all account books from the past