Chapter 9

"Hall Master Pei looks to be in high spirits," said Duan Wujiu, one of the seven hall masters.

He was a man who appeared somewhat weathered and disheveled, sporting stubble and half-open eyes, as if he had been dragged out of bed before he was fully awake.

"I'm alright," Pei Yan replied.

Today was the day for the weekly meeting. From early in the morning—a full hour before the meeting was set to begin—the seven hall masters had been waiting at the Lanqing Palace. Even Qi Tianyu and Hui Dikong, who usually cared nothing for worldly affairs, had arrived unexpectedly early, clutching thick, detailed reports.

Qin Jun had yet to arrive. The heavy, foul-smelling wind of the Demon Realm blew into the wide-open doors of the Lanqing Palace, transforming into a cool, refreshing breeze.

Pei Yan was in a good mood; he even had the leisure to style his hair. Having convinced himself he had grasped the Palace Master's instructions, he was confident he could perfectly seize the opportunity to expand into new business lines.

The other hall masters, however, were not in such high spirits.

Yanyue, appearing deeply troubled, stood to the side. "It seems Hall Master Pei has gained deep insight from the Palace Master, having written such a comprehensive report early on. Unlike the rest of us, who have racked our brains only to produce such eyesores. I fear Hall Master Pei will have to shoulder the burden of this new business line."

An awkward silence spread.

For the first time, Pei Yan reflected on whether he should have been more low-key.

The joy of an impending promotion and raise completely overshadowed the fear of being targeted. One-track-minded Pei Yan suddenly had a bizarre epiphany and said with great humility, "Naturally, it cannot compare to the profound insights of you seniors; mine are merely shallow opinions. I must humbly ask for your guidance and learn from Hall Master Yanyue. The Palace Master has praised Hall Master Yanyue extensively and entrusted you with great responsibility—you are a role model for us all. I hear you haven't been able to rest well lately, so your report must be truly magnificent and will surely be highly commended by the Palace Master."

*Strange,* Yanyue thought. *The new Palace Master only said a few words to him; how did Pei Yan turn into such a loyal dog?*

Pei Yan continued, "I am but a simple warrior, nowhere near as resourceful as Hall Master Yanyue. I just wrote my report casually; it only came to a hundred or so pages."

Shentu Suxin, who had remained indifferent until now, gasped. "You wrote over a hundred pages?"

Pei Yan smiled shyly. "Just over three hundred, nothing worth mentioning."

Yanyue clapped in praise. "Worthy of Hall Master Pei, who could devise a way to squirrel away four thousand catties of premium magic crystal ore. To be able to write three hundred pages—I have been burning the midnight oil, exhausting my mind, and only managed a little over two hundred. I am truly impressed."

Shentu Suxin, listening from the side, looked down at the thin three pages in her own hands, covered in large, blocky characters.

The young girl with twin buns was filled with shock. She leaned over to peek at the characters on Pei Yan's pages, looking back and forth between his and her own.

There was even an oil stain on her paper.

*It's over,* she thought.

Shentu Suxin tentatively asked, "What happens if the report is not well-written?"

Pei Yan smiled. "Perhaps a demotion or a pay cut."

*It is truly over,* Shentu Suxin thought in despair. A demotion wasn't scary, but a pay cut was. Looking at the oil stain on her first page, she suddenly felt it would become an indelible blemish on her life.

Shentu Suxin crouched down and circulated her inner energy, attempting to remove the stain with a Dust-Clearing Spell. But the spell could only remove dust, not oil; instead, it made her already unsightly handwriting look even more wretched.

Amidst these subtle probes, Long Langbai arrived. He was carrying a stack of items, which appeared to be the reports submitted by others in the Demon Palace.

Pei Yan stepped forward to help, only to have Long Langbai nimbly dodge him.

The youth smiled, revealing a canine tooth. "Easy there, Hall Master Pei. We must maintain a clear division of roles; this is the assistant's job."

Long Langbai walked forward with the items. "Everyone, this way. A new meeting room has been opened here. The... the Palace Master will be here shortly."

Before the hall masters could process what a "meeting room" meant, they were shocked by this newly partitioned area within the Lanqing Palace.

The Lanqing Palace was vast and magnificent, capable of holding a thousand people. Previously, it had been quite empty, but now it was clearly marked into various sections, shielded by screens in the middle. Each area was like a block of tofu, performing its duties in an orderly fashion.

The "tofu" before them was a long table surrounded by chairs, with a massive projection wall at one end, the purpose of which was unclear.

Pei Yan and the others approached, wondering where they should sit. Looking at the arrangement, it was impossible to tell which was the main seat.

Long Langbai placed everything at the end opposite the projection wall. Pei Yan finally felt relieved; this was where Qin Jun would sit, so he should sit at her side. Considering Long Langbai was both the Young Master and the Special Assistant, the right side was more prestigious, so he should sit on the left.

Pei Yan felt he had considered everything thoroughly and stepped forward to take his seat.

?

"Shentu Suxin, what are you doing? I'm supposed to sit here." His seat had been snatched by Shentu Suxin, who only knew how to eat.

"Oh," Shentu Suxin replied, clearly having thought of nothing. "I just sat down randomly. Don't be so formal; you can sit next to me, I don't mind."

Pei Yan: "..." *I don't care if you mind, I care quite a lot.*

Pei Yan wanted to speak, but Qin Jun had already arrived.

Having not seen her for two days, the new Palace Master, thrust into power, had undergone a transformation.

She walked in, stepping through light and shadow, her hem fluttering with her stride. Red silk threads trailed from the woman's black-and-white attire. Underneath, she wore a white, front-buttoned inner robe, and over it, a long black coat embroidered with gold, like the iridescent wings of a raven passing through the air. Her long hair was half-tied behind her head with a red cord strung with copper coins, exuding a strange, uncanny beauty. As she moved, the coins clinked softly like soul-summoning bells, unsettling the heart.

Her complexion remained pale, her long lashes casting shadows over her eyes, and no emotion could be read in her blade-like gaze.

*A bizarre beauty,* everyone thought.

No one understood why she dressed this way. Qin Jun didn't understand it either; she had found the red cord tied to her wrist and felt it was in the way, but she didn't want to throw it away because her name was engraved on it, so she simply tied it in her hair.

After entering, Qin Jun nodded slightly to everyone, sat in the chair where Long Langbai had placed the items, and gestured with her hand. "Everyone, please be seated."

Sparse, scattered responses echoed as they took their seats.

An invisible pressure made the hall masters, who were usually accustomed to acting as they pleased, uncharacteristically well-behaved, sitting honestly in their chairs like students preparing for a serious lecture.

Qin Jun spoke directly: "Since everyone is here, let us begin. You are all veterans of the Demon Palace, having worked together for a long time, but communication between the halls is inevitably poor. Let's start with self-introductions, discuss your accomplishments over the years, and align our granularity."

The moment she spoke, the feeling of strangeness deepened.

Qin Jun looked at Shentu Suxin, who sat on her left. "Hall Master Shentu, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Shentu Suxin was busy staring at her report. The nonsense she had scribbled down was useless at this critical moment. She stared at the illegible scrawls, sinking into deep despair.

Suddenly, she cleared her throat, stood up as if going to her execution.

She walked to the projection wall, pinched a seal with her palm, and injected her energy. The gray, dull wall rippled like water, revealing images.

In the images, members of her hall were dutifully guarding the Demon Palace, patrolling the perimeter, and a small team was escorting magic crystal ore toward the headquarters.

"I am Shentu Suxin. These are the good deeds I have done. I have been in the Demon Palace for thirty-six years and have always been doing these things. My introduction is complete. Thank you."

Qin Jun: "..."

"Good, thank you for the introduction, Hall Master Shentu," Qin Jun said. "In the future, when introducing or reporting, you can provide specific quantification—such as the number of people under your command, the volume of tasks completed, the effectiveness of patrols, the quantity of goods transported, and your management philosophy. This will help everyone understand you better and facilitate the grading of your personal performance."

"Hall Master Shentu's introduction was concise and clear, which is very worthy of learning. Everyone can take reference from it to empower and increase the efficiency of our weekly meetings. Considering time constraints, each person is allocated a fifteen-minute reporting window."

After she finished speaking, Qin Jun leaned over to whisper to Long Langbai, asking him to collect the reports of the other hall masters.

Then, she looked up and said, "Next, Hall Master Pei Yan."

Pei Yan looked at the three hundred pages of report in his hand, stunned. How was he supposed to finish three hundred pages in fifteen minutes?

As for the projection wall—he knew his subordinates better than anyone. They were all currently lazing around waiting for new mining orders, and very few were working properly. If these unrefined images were shown, his career as a hall master would be over.

Pei Yan looked at the paper, trying to extract some key points... but how could one find key points in a document filled entirely with sycophantic praise?

"Hall Master Pei, give it to me."

His only hope was taken away by that kid, Long Langbai.

Pei Yan closed his eyes, steeled himself, and blurted out: "My name is Pei Yan, I live at the mouth of the Lijiang River on Langlang Mountain, I am one hundred and forty-three years old, I've been in the Demon Palace for ten years and a hall master for ten years, and I am unmarried."

Qin Jun: "...There was really no need for that much detail."

By the time he realized what he had said, he was already stunned.

All his careful preparation was for nothing, ruined in a moment of panic.

Hall Master Yanyue applauded, smiling. "Hall Master Pei really doesn't treat us like outsiders. It’s just like your relationship with your subordinates—as close as family."

Pei Yan: "..." *So annoying!*

...

One hall master, Yanyue, who barely worked and still messed up the accounts; another, Pei Yan, who only knew how to fight and lead brothers to dig for ore; and the remaining five, who either lay flat and rotted away or spoke only of past glories. They spent their days idling, completely immersed in their own little worlds, playing their own individual games.

In short, this massive Demon Palace had only one business line: mining, then selling the ore. They focused purely on the most basic energy exploitation, doing no purification or deep processing, let alone developing a downstream industry chain.

How could this improve competitiveness? How could they raise funds to prepare for an IPO? How could she realize her life goals of luxury cars, fine horses, and a big house?

Qin Jun flipped through the miscellaneous reports, feeling that they were more fabricated than the stories told on street corners.

The spirit of reporting was commendable, but it couldn't hide the essence of a leaky operation—chaotic organization, unclear division of responsibilities, lazy personnel, and mixed quality... the flaws were endless.

Qin Jun felt that it would be easier to just dream than to get such a ragtag team on the right track and dominate the Demon Realm.

"Here is the thing," Qin Jun said.

At these four words, the other eight people held their breath, focusing their full attention.

"The Demon Palace must develop and formalize. Processes, order, and professionalism must be put on the agenda. The management structure must be flattened, and responsibilities, rewards, and punishments must be clearly defined. The top priority now is to formulate the Demon Palace Management Regulations, ensuring they are strictly executed from the top down. We must optimize the organizational structure and improve professional literacy to empower production and efficiency. Therefore, the employee induction training in three days is crucial. I will personally handle it, and the seven hall masters will each be responsible for one aspect. Write your training plans and deliver them to the Lanqing Palace by tomorrow for my review. Yanyue, you are responsible for Palace regulations and financial reimbursement processes; Pei Yan, you are responsible for mining techniques; Qi Tianyu, you are responsible for the reporting process for crystal ore performance..."

"Hall Master Yanyue and Hall Master Pei Yan will assist me in organizing the training. Hall Master Shentu will handle logistical support. After the training, there will be an assessment and rating, followed by a mutual selection process between employees and hall masters. The quality of the subordinates you get depends on you. As for the others, after submitting your training plans, continue your business as usual. Three days from now, after the training ceremony, come to my residence to report on last quarter's performance. Your current reports will suffice for now; write a revenue growth plan and work analysis for the next quarter and present them at the next weekly meeting."

"Also, based on the performance of your hall members over the past year, provide a ranking assessment. I will use your opinions as a reference to optimize personnel."

The seven hall masters, accustomed to laziness, were stunned. The work they were expected to do in these few days was more than what they had done in years.

"And one more thing—"

*Still more?!*

Qin Jun said nonchalantly, "The financial situation of the Demon Palace is indeed not great. Next quarter, each hall is required to increase output value by at least twenty percent."

Yanyue, who was primarily responsible for the trade and accounts of the crystal ore, knew very well that the current output was already the limit of their production and sales capability; it was impossible to increase it further.

"Palace Master—" Yanyue tried to object.

"The way to maintain corporate operations is simply to increase revenue and reduce expenditure. Do you have any ideas?" Qin Jun interrupted Yanyue.

Silence reigned.

"Since you cannot think of a plan to increase revenue, we will have to reduce expenditure."

Pei Yan asked, "What does that mean?"

Qin Jun smiled. "It means optimizing the team structure."

Qin Jun stood up. "Meeting adjourned. Please keep up the good work."

Everyone: "..."

Optimizing—

It shouldn't be a bad word, right?