On the rooftop of the Star Brilliance Commerce main branch's attic, Li Xuan sipped spirit tea and gazed into the distance.
Three days had passed, and many branch managers from divisions closer to the Maya Continent had already arrived. However, Li Xuan had not granted them an audience; he had even stopped Luo Xuan from meeting them.
As for Yang Xiao and Qin Guang's teams, they had already sent back the first wave of news.
The situation within the branches was dire. Corruption and decay had reached appalling levels. And this was merely the first report.
Considering that a significant number of branch managers had arrived, Li Xuan, after a brief period of thought, issued new directives. The branch managers were to be investigated first. Li Xuan gave them only eight days for this task.
Fortunately, all branches were equipped with teleportation arrays. Of course, only high-ranking officials from the main and branch offices could use them. This made the time constraints manageable.
Otherwise, if Yang Xiao and Qin Guang’s teams had to travel by airship to each branch, it would take not three months, but perhaps even three years to complete the investigation.
During these three days, Li Xuan had also asked Luo Xuan to send him the dossiers of the nineteen selected individuals. Without exception, they were all loyal to the Star Brilliance Commerce. This point greatly pleased Li Xuan regarding the discernment of Yang Xiao, Qin Guang, and Tie Ning.
As another five days passed, all the branch managers from the four-dimensional space had arrived. Li Xuan looked at the information he had gathered, rubbed his forehead, and then stood up.
"Young Master, are you planning to summon them?" Lian Qiao, who had been arranged by Luo Xuan to await Li Xuan's orders, asked immediately upon seeing him.
Li Xuan smiled and shook his head, "Not yet. Let's temper their spirits first."
Lian Qiao stuck out her tongue, her admiration for the young master deepening. Although Li Xuan seemed to be merely idling away his time here for the past few days, Lian Qiao knew clearly that everything behind the scenes had already been meticulously sorted out by him.
The stewards in the main branch had been given strict orders not to leak any information. Even the sixteen Saint-level enforcers of the main branch had been recalled. Lian Qiao understood that Li Xuan’s actions this time were like thunder.
"What is Sister Xuan doing?" Li Xuan stretched and then sat down, asking.
Lian Qiao replied with a wry smile, "Miss is reading in her room."
Li Xuan nodded slightly, "Sister Xuan has been handling these matters for so many years; she has worked hard. This time, I will resolve it myself."
Li Xuan also understood that Luo Xuan might have noticed many problems, but many issues were not as simple to handle as they appeared on the surface. It was already quite commendable that Luo Xuan had managed to achieve what she had.
Whoosh!
With a whistling sound, the Elder appeared before Li Xuan.
"Young Master, the assembly hall is ready," the Elder said with a bow.
Li Xuan nodded slightly, then slowly closed his eyes.
An hour passed. The Elder and Lian Qiao exchanged glances and remained silent. Since their Young Master had not spoken, they, as subordinates, could not act. Moreover, during this meeting, they had also noticed something.
The current Li Xuan seemed even more composed than when they had met him before.
Buzz!
With a humming sound, a message instantly appeared before Li Xuan. At this moment, Li Xuan also opened his eyes. After reading the message, he smiled slightly.
"Elder, please arrange for a meeting tomorrow," Li Xuan said to the Elder.
"Yes!" The Elder immediately bowed in response.
"Out of 3,650 branches, two-thirds are corrupt. What use are such parasites? If this continues, what future does Star Brilliance Commerce have?" Li Xuan murmured, his expression gradually turning cold.
Lian Qiao, standing beside him, swallowed in shock. Although she had vaguely guessed that the number of people involved would be significant, she had not expected it to be so large. Furthermore, judging by Li Xuan's expression, he clearly had no intention of letting any of them off the hook.
"Oh, right, Lian Qiao. I once met a very interesting friend named Chen Xingyu. Well, he's taken a liking to you," Li Xuan suddenly remembered something and said, looking at Lian Qiao.
Lian Qiao was startled, and her face instantly flushed red.
"I had someone investigate this Chen Xingyu as well. His family background is clean. Although his family's influence is only second-rate, it's still quite good in this four-dimensional space. If you think it's acceptable, Lian Qiao, I can find a time for him to meet you?" Seeing Lian Qiao remain silent, Li Xuan spoke again.
"Brother Xuan, when did you start playing matchmaker?" As soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, Luo Xuan's voice sounded.
"Miss." Hearing Luo Xuan's voice, Lian Qiao seemed to have found her backbone. She hurried to Luo Xuan's side and grabbed her arm.
Li Xuan let out a wry smile and then recounted his encounter with Chen Xingyu.
"Lian Qiao, didn't you mention this to me before? The fellow you spoke of, could he be the Chen Xingyu that Brother Xuan is talking about?" Luo Xuan pondered for a moment, her eyes then lit up as she looked at Lian Qiao.
Hearing this, Lian Qiao's face turned even redder. Li Xuan was momentarily stunned.
Lian Qiao's reaction suggested there might be a chance.
"It seems I'll have to have Chen Xingyu come over first to find out," Li Xuan said with a smile, seeing that Lian Qiao was still not speaking. He then took out the communication stone given to him by Chen Xingyu. Soon, a message was sent.
After more than ten breaths, there was no response from the communication stone. Li Xuan frowned. Had something happened to Chen Xingyu? Even Lian Qiao, standing beside him, looked at Luo Xuan with some anxiety.
"Perhaps he is in seclusion cultivating. Let's wait for news," Li Xuan said after a moment's thought. Then, he turned to Luo Xuan, "Sister Xuan, are you here for something?"
Luo Xuan nodded slightly and said, "Brother Xuan, what are your plans for those branch managers? Are you going to execute them all, or give them a chance?"
Li Xuan frowned slightly and replied, "What are Sister Xuan's thoughts?"
Luo Xuan thought for a moment, "If we suppress and execute them all, I worry it might cause a significant backlash. Moreover, for Star Brilliance Commerce, while not fatal, it would be a severe blow. I fear that if interested parties discover this situation, it could jeopardize our status in Star Brilliance Commerce."
Li Xuan then smiled and said, "Sister Xuan, I have my own plans. Even if it's a severe blow, it's better than being rotten to the core. I believe there are no lack of business prodigies in the various branches. Furthermore, if other commerce guilds have any intentions, I don't mind making them disappear entirely."
"Alright, it seems Brother Xuan has everything under control. In that case, I truly won't interfere this time," Luo Xuan said with a smile.
Li Xuan nodded with a smile, "Sister Xuan, a long pain is worse than a short one. For the future of Star Brilliance Commerce, it's also a challenge left to me by my parents. This time, I cannot be soft-hearted. Rest assured, Sister Xuan, I will handle it."
Luo Xuan smiled and nodded, "My Brother Xuan has truly grown up."