Punishment! Carrot and Stick!

Chen Guangmao's face went deathly pale.

Regret.

Regret unlike anything he had ever felt.

If they had known Lu Fang was an SSS-rank first-advancement class holder, if they had known he had reached this point less than a week after awakening, how would they have dared harbor even the slightest disloyalty?

A management committee, outside protection, reducing the heir to a figurehead.

It was all a joke.

Instead of supporting a true dragon like him, they had thought of carving up his family business.

Just how stupid had they been?

Chen Guangmao slowly lowered his head, his voice hoarse.

"Young master."

"We were wrong."

The moment those words left his mouth.

The faces of the executives in the conference hall who had still been clinging to hope all changed.

Then, one after another, they bowed their heads.

"Young master, we were wrong."

"We failed to recognize your greatness."

"Please punish us, young master."

"We let greed blind us."

"We are willing to accept any punishment."

At this point, they could only accept their fate.

Lu Fang not only held the rightful claim, but his strength also left them in despair.

They no longer dared entertain any thought of resisting.

Lu Fang looked at them calmly.

"From today onward."

"All decision-making authority in the Fangfang Chamber of Commerce returns to me."

"All shares in your possession are also voided and returned to me."

Chen Guangmao and the others were filled with bitterness.

"Yes."

This punishment was far from light. These people had worked for the chamber of commerce their entire lives and had long since become deeply tied to it.

Taking away their shares was tantamount to stripping away a lifetime of accumulated wealth.

Lu Fang considered for a moment, his gaze passing over the ringleaders of this incident one by one.

"Chen Guangmao, Lin Man..."

"Effective immediately, you have no further ties to my Fangfang Chamber of Commerce."

Upon hearing this, Chen Guangmao, Lin Man, and the others all collapsed to the floor.

Lu Fang's words were lightly spoken, but they knew they were utterly finished.

They had lost their shares, lost their positions, and been branded traitors.

They would probably never recover for the rest of their lives.

Lu Fang ignored their loss of composure and looked at the remaining middle managers present.

"As for everyone else, each department's existing operations will continue as usual."

"You will continue handling your original responsibilities."

"The chamber of commerce must not fall into disorder."

"Potion workshops, equipment trading, material procurement, security-everything will remain as it is."

The departmental deputies, who had thought they might suffer the same fate as Chen Guangmao and the others, abruptly raised their heads.

They were all stunned.

Lu Fang looked at them, his voice calm.

"I'm giving you just this one chance over what happened today."

"In the future, if anyone dares entertain thoughts they shouldn't..."

His gaze swept across the room, and he left it there.

Ten Money Ghosts stood silently behind him, each exuding an aura that made them tremble with fear.

They swallowed.

The next second, someone stepped forward, bowed his head, and shouted.

"Young master, you are magnanimous."

"From this day forward, I am willing to serve you to the death!"

Once one person spoke, a second followed.

"I am willing to continue serving the chamber of commerce."

"The Security Department awaits your orders, young master."

"The Equipment Trading Department awaits your orders, young master!"

"The Potion Workshops await your orders, young master!"

"The Materials Supply Department awaits your orders, young master!"

"The External Relations Department awaits your orders, young master!"

Their voices rose in wave after wave.

Everyone was truly afraid.

And truly convinced.

The strength and potential Lu Fang had displayed had completely shattered their ambitions.

More importantly, Lu Fang could clearly have purged them, yet he had chosen to let them keep working.

This was not weakness.

It was a more skillful form of control.

Carrot and stick.

No one remained unconvinced.

Uncle Jiang stood among the crowd, his eyes already red.

As he watched Lu Fang in the center of the room, he suddenly could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down his aged face.

"Young master..."

Jiang Xia briefly panicked.

"Dad, why are you crying again?"

Uncle Jiang raised a hand to wipe his eyes, but no matter how he tried, he could not wipe them dry.

"I'm happy."

"I'm happy for the master and madam."

His voice choked up.

"The young master has truly grown up."

"He knows the chamber of commerce needs to operate, and that it needs these people who know the business."

"First, he subdued them with overwhelming force, then made an example of a few to warn the rest."

"That move was just like the master."

"No, he's even more steady than the master was at his age."

As Jiang Xia watched Lu Fang in the center of the room, his eyes, too, shone startlingly bright.

He did not know much about managing a chamber of commerce.

But he could see that everyone had now submitted.

Jiang Xia sniffed hard.

"I knew it."

"Brother Fang could definitely do it."

In the spectator seats, the prominent figures from the various parties wore equally complicated expressions.

They had originally thought that, with youthful impetuousness, Lu Fang would surely settle scores ruthlessly after winning.

He might even replace everyone in the chamber of commerce, from top to bottom!

In their younger days, they might have done exactly that.

But Lu Fang had not.

He had won.

Yet he had not let victory go to his head.

He knew what he truly wanted.

Not a moment of satisfaction.

But to take over the Fangfang Chamber of Commerce intact.

A chamber of commerce purged to the point of paralysis was meaningless.

Only one that could still operate normally and obeyed him completely had value.

"What fine character."

Someone could not help murmuring.

"That's far rarer than simply being good in a fight."

"SSS-rank talent, SSS-rank character."

"This child of the Lu family has a limitless future."

Above the clouds.

The gray-robed middle-aged man watched the scene in the Fangfang Chamber of Commerce's hall, his eyes full of admiration.

"He has courage."

"He has strategy."

"He has affection."

"He has loyalty."

"He's firm when he needs to be, and knows when to stop."

With that, he turned to the man in black.

"What more could you find fault with?"

The man in black fell silent for a moment.

Then he spoke.

"There's no need to look any further."

The gray-robed middle-aged man raised an eyebrow.

Looking down at Lu Fang, the man in black slowly spoke.

"Lu Fang has passed the assessment."

The gray-robed middle-aged man smiled.

"That should have happened long ago."

Inside the Fangfang Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

Han Qianshan and Ji Xiuneng were just about to step forward to offer their congratulations.

But just then, their communicators vibrated almost simultaneously.

Ji Xiuneng glanced down, and his expression instantly changed.

Han Qianshan's smile also faded.

The two exchanged a look.

Ji Xiuneng lowered his voice.

"We have a lead on the mole."

Han Qianshan's gaze darkened.

"Let's go."

Neither lingered.

As Han Qianshan passed Lu Fang, he merely patted him on the shoulder.

"Well done."

Seeing this, the other guests also knew that the outcome today was settled.

They stepped forward one after another, cupping their hands to congratulate Lu Fang.

"Congratulations, Young Master Lu."

"After today, the Fangfang Chamber of Commerce is on firm footing."

"Young Master Lu, you've accomplished so much at such a young age. You truly put us old fellows to shame."

"If we have the chance to cooperate in the future, please look favorably upon us."

"An SSS-rank first-advancement class holder. What a blessing for Jiang City."

The compliments were far more enthusiastic than before.

Yet everyone left with complicated feelings.

They had originally come today to watch Lu Fang fail.

Instead, they had personally witnessed an eighteen-year-old youth subdue the entire Fangfang Chamber of Commerce as an SSS-rank first-advancement class holder.

They all knew.

From that day on, the name Lu Fang carried an entirely different weight in Jiang City's upper circles.

Soon.

The outsiders in the viewing hall left one after another.

Only members of the Fangfang Chamber of Commerce remained.

Lu Fang took the seat of honor.

It was the seat that had originally belonged to Lu Tianxiong and Su Qingyu.

Watching this, everyone felt an involuntary jolt.

Before, they had thought Lu Fang was too young to hold on to that position.

Now, no one dared think that way again.