CHAPTER 492: CHAPTER 502: COVERTLY ASSESSING CHARACTER

Others may not be trustworthy, but Liu Dazhuang is definitely reliable.

Now that Chu Feng has become the Manager, he naturally wants to vigorously promote his own people.

To prevent some individuals from monopolizing power and turning their domain into a private force with absolute authority, the Sect adopted the management methods of the Mortal Kingdom.

This includes a system of promotion by skipping ranks.

For example, Chu Feng is now a Manager and has three Big Chiefs following his orders. If he is dissatisfied with any of the Big Chiefs, he can only remove them if he catches them making a mistake.

After removing one, however, it wouldn’t be as easy to replace them with his own confidante.

Because Chu Feng could only submit a list of promotions, and then it would be decided by those above him. According to the rules, Chu Feng must submit at least two nominations.

The Vice Mountain Master and Mountain Master above him will, through examination and discussion, choose one person from these two nominees to be promoted to Big Chief. The other candidate will be dismissed.

Sometimes, if both nominees are found unqualified, they will both be dismissed.

Chu Feng will then have to select new nominees again.

If multiple submissions fail to pass, and the position of the Big Chief remains vacant, what then? Higher-ups might parachute someone in to directly take on the role of Big Chief.

As one can imagine, although Chu Feng has become a Manager with the authority to manage his three Big Chiefs, nine small leaders, and nearly a hundred Medicine Farmers, he does not have absolute control over his Big Chiefs.

Especially if one of the Big Chiefs has a strong backing, such as being a close confidant of Mao Wu Mountain Master.

In that case, they might not follow Chu Feng’s commands.

Of course, such situations are not common. After all, a current manager has more influence than a former official.

Though Martyr Mao Wu’s position is higher than Chu Feng’s, Chu Feng is the one who can closely manage his three Big Chiefs. If anyone disobeys, he can fully devise a way to deal with them.

As such, even if among his three Big Chiefs there are truly confidants of Mao Wu Mountain Master, they would not dare to reveal themselves.

They would instead choose to disguise their allegiance and outwardly demonstrate loyalty to Chu Feng.

Otherwise, they might not even know how they would die.

If they lacked intelligence, they likely wouldn’t be confidants of Mao Wu Mountain Master in the first place.

Upon taking office, the first thing Chu Feng did was to promote people like Liu Dazhuang. If they remained as lowly Medicine Farmers, always under someone else’s control, they would definitely not be able to help Chu Feng much.

Even being a small leader would be enough for them to alleviate Chu Feng’s worries.

"Summon someone, pass down the order for the three Big Chiefs and eight small leaders to come see me!"

Chu Feng, now the Manager of Medicine Mountain, moved into the spacious courtyard reserved for Managers, living comfortably and with ease. With a house this large, he could completely bring his two beautiful wives, Han Shuang and Han Xiaoying, to live with him.

Han Shuang wears a mask all day long; her beauty is unknown to others, but Chu Feng has had the pleasure of witnessing it.

"I can only take it step by step and secure my position as the Manager before proceeding!"

Chu Feng, who has lived for thousands of years, knows full well that hasty desire cannot yield immediate results. Coveting short-term benefits will not last long.

...

Soon, all three Big Chiefs as well as the eight small leaders arrived. They respectfully stood upright in the hall of Chu Feng’s residence, with their hands hanging down. Accompanying them were six people from the Dan State Branch.

Chu Feng did not go out to meet them right away, but intentionally left them cooling their heels in the living room.

He himself was secretly observing his subordinates from a hidden spot.

No one offered them tea, and no one invited them to sit down. It was as if these people had been forgotten.

Originally, Chu Feng had no intention of calling over Liu Dazhuang and the others, so soon.

Given that he was rather unfamiliar with the other five from the Dan State Branch, he summoned them all to observe their performance.

As time for a cup of tea passed, the over ten people in the living room did not communicate at all. They still maintained a respectful posture and expression.

A quarter of an hour passed!

Half an hour passed!

An hour passed...

After a full two hours of waiting, the three Big Chiefs finally grew somewhat impatient, but none of them dared to show it. Among them, the Big Chief with a square head and broad face appeared to be around forty years old.

He looked quite composed and full of authority.

This man is called Fang Zhengda, and according to what Chu Feng understands, he is the strongest among the three Big Chiefs. Not only does he possess the cultivation of a Late-stage Sword Saint, but he also commands many elite and strong subordinates.

Whether it’s his three small leaders or thirty Medicine Farmers, each has their own special skills.

Here, ’special skills’ refers not to combat ability, but to the ability to cultivate Medicinal Herbs.

The young man to the left hand side of Fang Zhengda, with a frail scholar appearance and pathologically pale skin, had slender fingers and an ethereal quality, emanating an aura of Spirituality throughout his being.

His face carried a bit of pride, with a slight smile at the corners of his mouth, looking down on everything.

It was as if all the people in the world could not catch his discerning eye, exuding a flavor of self-admiration.

This young man is called Wu Ming, and as Chu Feng knows, he has profound research in the cultivation and rapid growth of Medicinal Herbs.

The so-called rapid growth of Medicinal Herbs refers to shortening the growth time of the herbs to reach the desired age.

For instance, Medicinal Herbs that have only been planted for a year can, at harvest, reach the maturity of ten years. Naturally, this involves some special methods.

As for which specific areas to work on, that depends on the abilities of the Medicine Farmers.

There are many aspects that can achieve the effect of rapid growth, such as fertilizers, growth environment, grafting, and so on.

The skinny old man on the far right, holding a dry tobacco pipe in hand, drew on it with gusto, the smoke swirling around him.

The smoke shrouded his face, making it difficult for others to see his real expression.

But he could see the minute expressions of others through the smoke.

Just by observing his calm demeanor, as steady as Grandpa Jiang fishing and content on his fishing deck, it was clear that this old fellow was a slippery and difficult character to deal with.

This man is called Zhong Hong, despite his lean and petite stature, his voice was as resounding as a large bell.

He is also the eldest among the three Big Chiefs.

As for what exactly his special abilities are, it’s not very clear. He likely belongs to the ’jack of all trades’ type—understanding a little about many things but not excelling in any.

Chu Feng hid in a concealed spot to observe the subtle behaviors of each person.

Finally, Fang Zhengda was the first to lose his patience. After looking around, he said to the other two Big Chiefs, "Lord Chu, the new official, called us over and had us wait for a few hours, yet he himself is nowhere to be seen. What’s the meaning of this?"

"Who knows!" Wu Ming was also frequently peeking inside.

"Since Lord Chu has called us all together, he must have his reasons. Perhaps there is some urgent matter that keeps him too busy to spare a moment! We as subordinates should just wait patiently!"

The oldest, Zhong Hong, spoke out in defense of Chu Feng.