Chapter 98: Li Luo's Tactics

Facing Li Luo's half-smiling expression, Pang Pang Qianchi's eye twitched slightly; he had never imagined that Li Luo would directly pull out such a devastating weapon.

The exact situation of the Xiyang House branch in Tianshu Prefecture had not been reported to headquarters before, so even Pang Pang Qianchi was not particularly clear on what exactly had happened over there...

And now he understood—the reason the Xiyang House branch had such a tremendous improvement was precisely because of Li Luo's secret technique source water with a purity as high as Qi Pin Mi Fa.

But how could Li Luo possibly possess secret technique source water of this caliber?!

Could it be something left behind by the two Prefecture Lords? But if that were the case, why hadn't they brought it out earlier? With secret technique source water of this quality, Xiyang House would surely be many times more prosperous than it is now!

Pang Pang Qianchi's heart was in turmoil, and at this moment Li Luo paid him no more attention, instead looking at the other Material Refiners and saying, "Now, do I have the qualifications to serve as the President-General?"

The hall fell silent; the Material Refiners who had been clamoring earlier now looked somewhat embarrassed and kept quiet.

But this silence was clearly a form of tacit acknowledgment.

The anger on Elder Zheng Ping's face finally dissipated completely at this moment, and he said with a smile, "I have no objections."

He represented some of the Zhongli Sect within Xiyang House, and his speaking up now clearly indicated he intended to fully support Li Luo.

Pang Pang Qianchi stared at this scene with an expressionless face, his heart filled with inexpressible annoyance. Originally, today he had been certain to claim the position of President-General, but Li Luo had suddenly burst onto the scene and utterly destroyed the opportunity he had painstakingly engineered.

At this point, he had no reason left to obstruct Li Luo from taking the position of President-General.

Fortunately, however, he had already secretly won over many Material Refiners beforehand, so even though Li Luo had won this round, it could not really be considered a true victory.

He could arrange for those he had won over to slowly continue their open and covert struggles with Li Luo. Moreover, Li Luo would inevitably have to go to the Sacred Mystic Star Academy afterward, so the time he spent presiding over headquarters would not be too long. Once he left, wouldn't this Xiyang House still be at the beck and call of Pang Pang Qianchi?

This Xiyang House headquarters had long been managed by him into an airtight fortress—did they really think that just because a young Prefecture Lord had arrived, something could be changed?

Thinking these thoughts, Pang Pang Qianchi's mood gradually calmed. So be it, let the struggle continue slowly. Manager Pei Hao had already said that as long as they held out until next year's Prefecture Sacrifice, he would make his move then. And once the Luo Lan Prefecture changed hands, what young Prefecture Lord would anyone still regard?

As Pang Pang Qianchi fell silent, Li Luo swept his gaze across the entire hall and said with a smile, "Since everyone has no objections, from now on I shall serve as the President-General of Xiyang House headquarters. I ask for your kind support going forward."

Many of the Material Refiners in the hall cupped their hands in congratulations—after all, Qi Pin Mi Fa source water was truly very attractive.

"They say a new official sets three fires upon taking office, so let me light this first fire."

Li Luo smiled, his gaze falling on Pang Pang Qianchi, and said, "Vice President Pang has rendered meritorious service through hard work. I shall grant you a one-year leave for now—rest and recuperate at home."

This was clearly an attempt to temporarily sideline Pang Pang Qianchi.

Upon hearing this, Pang Pang Qianchi's expression remained quite calm. This young Prefecture Lord was a bit naive—did he really think that sidelining him could sever his power within Xiyang House?

Those he had secretly won over would naturally become his eyes and ears, allowing him to interfere with Xiyang House's various affairs in another form.

In the crowd, some Material Refiners furrowed their brows—Li Luo's move seemed a bit too hasty, and it might not necessarily be beneficial to Xiyang House's stability.

But before anyone could speak up to defend Pang Pang Qianchi, Li Luo suddenly said, "I know that among you, some have already been won over by Pang Pang Qianchi and have joined Manager Pei Hao's camp."

These words immediately caused many people's hearts to jolt, their expressions subtly turning somewhat unnatural.

Pang Pang Qianchi also furrowed his brow. He stared at Li Luo, unsure what this young Prefecture Lord intended to do. Such matters were not hard to guess, but what could he actually do about it?

"Everyone may think their secret dealings with Pang Pang Qianchi are very well hidden, but perhaps you have underestimated the intelligence capabilities of Luo Lan Prefecture..."

Li Luo's expression was calm as he took out a scroll sealed with a wax stamp from his sleeve and said lightly, "Even the list of those won over by Pang Pang Qianchi is right here."

The unrest in the crowd grew even greater, but this time no one spoke up; instead, they quietly waited.

The atmosphere instantly became heavy and tense.

Pang Pang Qianchi stared at Li Luo—was this young Prefecture Lord planning to settle accounts according to the list? If so, that would truly show great resolve, but the price paid would be Xiyang House's complete paralysis.

Xiyang House had already lost some Material Refiners to Han Zhi; if another batch were driven away by Li Luo, honestly speaking, it would be very difficult for Xiyang House to recover its vitality in the short term—this would be an enormous loss.

Elder Zheng Ping's expression also turned solemn. He knew that if the current matter was not handled well, the entire Xiyang House would face a catastrophic blow.

The heavy atmosphere persisted for a while, making it difficult even to breathe.

"I haven't actually opened the list to look at it."

And it was in this frozen atmosphere that Li Luo said lightly, then took out a fire starter and lit the sealed scroll in his hand. As the flames rose, they swiftly consumed the scroll.

Li Luo casually tossed aside the burning scroll.

The eyes of the many Material Refiners in the hall gradually widened at this moment, the flames reflected in their pupils.

They did not understand what Li Luo was doing.

But Pang Pang Qianchi's previously mocking expression slowly darkened at this moment, and a hint of fear began to appear in his gaze toward Li Luo.

He had already guessed what Li Luo intended to do.

"Everyone, the situation of Luo Lan Prefecture these past few years—you all know it. At a time like this, the fact that you can still remain at Xiyang House already shows you still hold some affection for it."

"In these turbulent times, it's only human nature for you to waver. So here, in the name of the young Prefecture Lord, I make this promise: everything you have done before is wiped clean along with this list. As long as you are willing to contribute to Xiyang House in the future, you remain members of Xiyang House."

"So you need not worry that the leverage left behind from being led astray by certain people will become a weapon for them to blackmail and coerce you with."

As Li Luo's calm voice fell, the eyes of many Material Refiners present grew somewhat complicated. Although they did not know whether the list in Li Luo's hand was real, it no longer mattered—what mattered was the young Prefecture Lord's public promise.

Clearly, for the sake of Xiyang House's stability, this young Prefecture Lord had shown the greatest tolerance and magnanimity.

"Furthermore, in the future Xiyang House plans to set aside twenty percent of its annual profits each year. These profits will be distributed in various forms as rewards to Xiyang House's Material Refiners, increasing their compensation and benefits."

If Li Luo's burning of the list earlier had left the many Material Refiners present feeling complicated, then this move caused expressions of joy they could not suppress to surface on their faces.

These Material Refiners had come to the Spiritual Water Marvel Light House for two reasons: first, to improve themselves, and second, naturally, to earn a living—after all, everyone had families depending on them.

And now, Li Luo had first produced high-purity secret technique spiritual water, which would benefit the future growth of Xiyang House's Material Refiners, and now he had raised their compensation. One had to know that twenty percent of Xiyang House's annual profits was no small sum—this wave of benefits could essentially boost Xiyang House's Material Refiners' treatment by a large margin, no less than those Spiritual Water Marvel Light Houses ranked in the top ten.

Therefore, the future Xiyang House could truly be said to have both prospects and prosperity.

How could this not make these Material Refiners ecstatic? And they believed that once these measures were announced, more Material Refiners would likely be willing to come to Xiyang House.

Anyone with a bit of acumen could sense that the future Xiyang House seemed to show signs of taking off.

The gazes of the many Material Refiners present toward Li Luo had already become extremely fervent.

This young Prefecture Lord seemed to possess a power more terrifying than they had imagined.

Meanwhile, Pang Pang Qianchi's face gradually turned somewhat pale at this moment. Li Luo's move had caught him off guard—it had almost directly severed most of the Material Refiners he controlled.

These combined blows had actually pushed the power he had painstakingly built over a long time to the brink of collapse.

At this moment, Pang Pang Qianchi felt a sense of difficulty. This young Prefecture Lord, whom they had previously almost ignored, possessed tactics stronger than they had ever imagined.