Chapter 8: Shanzhai Reform? I'll Collect IQ Tax First!

Lin Xuan, or rather, now Consultant Lin, set his first fire upon taking office, throwing the entire Black Wind Shanzhai into a state of chaos.

"Article One of the Hygiene Regulations: Defecating or urinating in public is prohibited. Violators will be fined one tael of silver and be responsible for cleaning the Shanzhai’s latrines for three days!"

"Article Two: Personal belongings must be kept tidy, and bedding must not have any foul odors. Those who fail spot checks will be fined five mace of silver!"

"Article Three: Littering in public areas is strictly prohibited. Violators will..."

Holding a megaphone made temporarily from tree bark, Lin Xuan stood on the open ground in front of the Justice Hall, reading his "Black Wind Shanzhai Basic Law" to the group of bandits below, who were sallow-faced, weak-kneed, yet forced to muster their spirits to listen.

The bandits’ faces turned green as they listened.

We are bandits! Bandits who rob houses, drink from large bowls, and eat meat in large chunks! Now we actually have to care about personal hygiene? And tidy up our belongings? This is fucking harder than being in jail!

"Consultant Lin... this, is this a bit..." a small leader couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

Lin Xuan glared, his Foundation Establishment seventh-layer pressure radiating faintly. Although it was only a sliver, it was enough to make these bandits, who were at most at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment and currently feeling weak all over, feel a chill in their hearts.

"A bit what?" Lin Xuan asked slowly. "Think there are too many rules? Uncomfortable?"

He walked up to the small leader, patted his shoulder, and said with a pained expression, "Brother, your thinking is very dangerous! Our Black Wind Shanzhai is transforming now! We are going for a high-end route! Image! Pay attention to your image! Think about it, in the future, when those wealthy young masters and young ladies come here for 'specialty tourism,' and the moment they walk in they smell urine and feces, and see you all looking disheveled like beggars, will they still be willing to spend money? They are here to experience life, not to experience a refugee camp!"

"We must make the customers feel that every cent they spend is worth it!" Lin Xuan waved his arms, full of passion. "This is called—professionalism!"

[Ding! Detected the confusion and frustration of Bandit A/B/C, Emotion Points +2333!]

[Ding! Detected that Small Leader D's worldview has been impacted, Emotion Points +444!]

The bandits were completely bewildered by his "professionalism theory." Although they felt something was wrong, it seemed... a bit reasonable?

The Great Master Black Bear, clutching his still-aching stomach, looked at Lin Xuan with a complex expression. He felt that this "consultant" was gaining more prestige than he, the leader, had. But thinking of that bizarre mass diarrhea, the mysterious theft from the storehouse, and the blueprint of the "business empire" in Lin Xuan's mouth, he gritted his teeth and chose to support him.

"Listen to Consultant Lin! Whoever dares to disobey, I will be the first to not spare him!" Black Bear roared in a muffled voice, effectively backing Lin Xuan.

The bandits immediately fell silent, as if they were cicadas in winter.

Lin Xuan nodded with satisfaction and began his second step—collecting IQ tax.

"Alright, the basic regulations have been read. Now, we proceed to the pre-job basic training for our three core industries: Black Wind Logistics, Black Wind Tourism, and the Black Wind Mercenary Group!" Lin Xuan cleared his throat. "This training aims to improve your professional quality, service awareness, and business capabilities. It is the cornerstone of the road to financial freedom!"

"Considering the current financial difficulties of the Shanzhai, this training will only charge the minimum cost price—ten taels of silver per person!"

What?! Training? And it costs money?! Ten taels of silver?!

The bandits exploded! Sometimes, after risking their lives to rob someone, what they get individually isn't even ten taels! Now they have to pay ten taels just to listen to a few words?!

"Consultant Lin! This... this is too expensive!"

"Exactly! Where would we get the money!"

"Isn't this just robbery?!"

Lin Xuan had long anticipated their reaction, a smile of "everything is under control" appearing on his face.

"Expensive? Brothers, you need to look at the long term!" He said earnestly. "This ten taels of silver is an investment in your future! Think about it, after training, you will master professional logistics management knowledge, superb tourism service skills, and standardized mercenary mission processes. In the future, when you take on a big business deal, the money you earn will be more than just a hundred or a thousand taels?"

"If you are reluctant to invest this ten taels of silver now, you can only watch others eat and drink well in the future while you remain a bottom-tier lackey with no future!"

"Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared and have foresight!"

As he spoke, he secretly gave Black Bear a wink.

Black Bear understood. Although he was also muttering in his heart, he still bit the bullet and roared: "What are you arguing about! Could Consultant Lin harm us? I'll pay this money for you first! It will be deducted from your future dividends! All of you, study hard!"

With the Great Master speaking and even "advancing" the payment, the bandits immediately lost their temper, though each of them wore a bitter face, as if they had been cut to the bone.

[Ding! Detected the bandits' heartache, suspicion, and forced acceptance, Emotion Points +6666!]

Lin Xuan felt secretly pleased; this wave of "internal financing" was simply perfect. Of course, he didn't really care about this bit of money; he wanted to establish his authority and make them form a habitual way of thinking: "Listen to Consultant Lin, although it hurts, there might be meat to eat."

The training content left the bandits even more confused. Things like "the customer is the Dao," "smiling service," "standardized processes," and "differentiated competition"... all sorts of modern business jargon were thrown at them, comparable to listening to a heavenly scripture.

But Lin Xuan didn't care; this was the effect he wanted. The less they understood, the more unfathomable he appeared.

Just as the training was in full swing and the bandits were drowsy—

"Report—!"

A bandit on lookout duty scrambled into the Justice Hall, his face panicked: "Great Master! It's bad! Down the mountain... a merchant caravan is passing by. Looking at the flag, it's... it's the Four Seas Trading Company!"

Four Seas Trading Company?!

The expressions of Black Bear and several veteran bandits changed. This was a massive trading company that spanned several large cities, with immense power and extremely strong guards; it was not something their small Shanzhai could afford to provoke. In the past, when they encountered them, they would obediently hide, not daring to make a sound.

"Damn it, bad luck!" Black Bear spat. "Everyone disperse, disperse! Wait until they pass!"

"Wait!"

Lin Xuan stopped them, his eyes shining brightly, as if he had seen the perfect prey.

"Great Master, isn't our first business deal delivered to our doorstep?"

"What?" Black Bear was stunned. "Consultant Lin, are you crazy? That's the Four Seas Trading Company! We can't afford to provoke them!"

"Who said we were going to provoke them?" Lin Xuan revealed an unfathomable smile. "We are going to do business and discuss cooperation."

"Cooperation?" Black Bear and the bandits were all stunned. We, a bunch of bandits, are going to discuss cooperation with the Four Seas Trading Company?

"That's right!" Lin Xuan tidied his robes. Although they were still tattered, he wore them with the air of a fallen aristocrat. "The first business of Black Wind Logistics is to provide... security consulting services for the Four Seas Trading Company!"

Security consulting? A bandit den going to a trading company to say, "I'll teach you how to defend against bandits"?

All the bandits looked at Lin Xuan as if he were a fool.

[Ding! Detected Black Bear's disbelief, Emotion Points +777!]

[Ding! Detected the collective consensus of all bandits that "the consultant is crazy," Emotion Points +8888!]

"Consultant Lin, this... can this work? Don't let us get ourselves involved without even making the deal..." Black Bear's heart was pounding.

"Rest assured." Lin Xuan was full of confidence. "The key to success lies in the pitch and the entry point. You just wait and watch the show."

He pointed to two bandits who looked a bit sharper: "You, and you, come down the mountain with me. Remember, you are not bandits now; you are client managers for Black Wind Logistics! Stand up straight!"

After speaking, Lin Xuan ignored Black Bear's worried gaze and, leading the two trembling "client managers," swaggered toward the path the caravan had to take.

Down the mountain, the Four Seas Trading Company's caravan was moving slowly. The team was long, the guards were elite, and it was indeed imposing.

The three of them blocked the middle of the road.

"Stop! Who goes there?!" The leader of the caravan guards, a middle-aged man with a steady aura and sharp eyes (Foundation Establishment eighth-layer cultivation), immediately stepped forward, hand on his sword hilt, and shouted sternly.

The two "client managers" were so scared their legs were trembling.

Lin Xuan, however, stepped forward with a calm smile, cupped his hands toward the guard leader, and said loudly:

"Brother, I am Lin Xuan, Chief Strategic Consultant for Black Wind Logistics. Passing by this place, I saw that your caravan's guard layout is quite methodical, but upon closer inspection, there are still several fatal flaws that could be exploited by bandits, so I came specifically to remind you."

As soon as he said this, not only were the caravan guards stunned, but the two bandits behind him were also dumbfounded.

Consultant... isn't your opening line a bit too direct?

The guard leader, upon hearing this, laughed in anger: "Heh! Where did this young brat come from, speaking so boldly! My Four Seas Trading Company's guard layout was taught by a master; how can you point fingers here? Get out of the way immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite!"

Lin Xuan was not panicked at all; instead, he shook his head and sighed: "Sigh, loyal words are hard to hear. Brother, please look, the third cargo vehicle on your left has too much distance between guards, the forest on the right is too close, making it easy to ambush archers, and the early warning mechanism at the end of the team... tsk tsk, there are at least three loopholes. If you encounter fierce bandits familiar with the terrain here, a single round of surprise attacks would leave your caravan unable to attend to both ends, resulting in heavy losses."

He was spouting nonsense, but he said it in a convincing way. Combined with the terrain, it actually sounded somewhat reasonable. Although the guard leader didn't believe him, his eyes flickered slightly.

"Hmph, alarmist talk! Even if there are loopholes, what does it have to do with you?"

"Naturally, it has to do with me." Lin Xuan's smile remained unchanged. "One of the main services of Black Wind Logistics is to provide 'safe route planning' and 'risk avoidance consulting' services for travelers in this area. Just pay a small consulting fee, and I can provide all the confidential information about the bandit dens, their usual tricks, and weak points in this area, and I can send people to provide temporary protection for your caravan to ensure nothing goes wrong."

He finally revealed his true purpose—collecting protection money, and under the name of "consulting services"!

The guard leader looked as if he had heard a huge joke: "You? A young brat, providing bandit intelligence? And sending guards? I think you look like a bandit scout! Men, take him down!"

Several guards immediately stepped forward.

The two bandits behind Lin Xuan were so scared they almost wet their pants.

Just as the situation was tense—

From a luxuriously decorated carriage in the middle of the caravan, a gentle yet dignified middle-aged male voice came:

"Commander Zhao, wait."

The carriage curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged merchant wearing brocade robes, with a scholarly face but very shrewd eyes, poked his head out. His gaze landed on Lin Xuan, carrying scrutiny and a hint of curiosity.

"Young friend, you call yourself a consultant. You should know that my Four Seas Trading Company relies on the word 'caution' to travel the world. Empty words are no proof; how can I believe you?"

Lin Xuan's heart stirred; he knew the real boss had arrived. His smile grew brighter, and he said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "This gentleman is a sensible person. Empty words are no proof; I am willing to offer a piece of information for free to prove my sincerity."

He paused, lowered his voice, and acted mysterious: "Thirty miles to the east, there is a group of newly arrived 'Blood Wolf Gang' members who specialize in targeting large caravans. Their methods are ruthless, and their leader's cultivation has reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. If your caravan follows the original planned route, you will definitely encounter them tomorrow at noon."

This was half-true and half-false. The Blood Wolf Gang was a rumor he heard from Black Bear, while the location and time were made up. But combined with his firm tone and the "precise" loopholes he pointed out earlier, the effect was outstanding.

The middle-aged merchant's eyes narrowed, and after a moment of contemplation, he suddenly laughed: "Interesting. Young friend is young, but your insight is extraordinary. I am Qian Wanguan, an executive of the Four Seas Trading Company. I wonder how your 'consulting service' charges?"

Lin Xuan held up five fingers and said indifferently: "Five hundred taels of silver. To ensure your caravan passes through this mountain area safely. If you encounter an attack, I will take nothing, and Black Wind Logistics will compensate for your losses."

Five hundred taels! This was not a small amount!

Qian Wanguan's eyes flickered, as if he were weighing the options. Finally, he laughed: "Good! For the sake of your courage and 'sincerity,' I, Qian, will pay these five hundred taels! Consider it building a good relationship!"

He signaled his men to bring the silver notes.

Lin Xuan took the silver notes, tucked them into his chest without even looking, and smiled: "Executive Qian is straightforward! This is the map of the surrounding mountains and safety route suggestions; please keep it. If you have any needs, you can come to the Black Wind Shanzhai... oh no, the Black Wind Logistics headquarters to find me at any time."

He handed over a map he had prepared long ago, drawn in a crooked manner.

Qian Wanguan took the map, gave Lin Xuan a meaningful look, nodded, and ordered the caravan to continue.

Watching the caravan slowly move away, the two bandits behind Lin Xuan were completely petrified, as if they were looking at a god.

Just like that... earned five hundred taels?! And earned it from the Four Seas Trading Company?! Without moving a single blade or gun?!

[Ding! Detected the extreme shock and worship of Bandit A/B, Emotion Points +1999!]

[Ding! Detected that Black Bear and others who were observing in secret were collectively dumbfounded, Emotion Points +8888!]

[Ding! Achievement "Empty-Handed White Wolf" unlocked!]

Lin Xuan weighed the silver notes in his hand, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

"Step one, establish authority, completed."

"Step two, generate revenue, completed."

"Next, it's time to consider how to deal with the 'Blood Wolf Gang' that might actually come, and... how to truly train this group of bandits into usable 'employees'."

He turned around, looked at the two bandits who were still in a daze, and patted them on the shoulders.

"Do you see? This is the power of knowledge, this is vision! From now on, follow Consultant Lin and learn well!"

The two bandits nodded hurriedly, their eyes filled with fanaticism.

At this moment, Lin Xuan's prestige in Black Wind Shanzhai reached its peak.

(End of Chapter Eight)