The Skeleton Gang members were shocked, but none of them dared to say anything. Instead, they all looked at their three leaders. In any case, their leaders had always been the ones to make all decisions. The only thing they had ever done was obey.
The three leaders dragged their injured bodies forth and knelt down. They said, “We pledge our allegiance to the young master, we swear our eternal loyalty to the young master.”
With the three leaders on their knees, the other members did not dare to remain standing. All of them knelt down and chanted, “We pledge our allegiance to the young master, we swear our eternal loyalty to the young master.”
Not one of them dared to voice any disagreement. Just look at the majestic nether prison devil puppet standing to the side. Whenever they looked at the puppet, they would feel like they were akin to bugs that could be crushed easily. They might be vicious criminals, but they still feared death. Otherwise, none of them would have surrendered during the Noxious Blood Gang’s invasion.
“Splendid. Although I am your young master, the three leaders will still be the ones leading you. I only need you to carry out my commands when required,” said Xiang Shaoyun.
Everyone heaved a breath of relief. They were already used to being led by the three Skeletons. They would have a hard time getting used to taking orders from someone else out of the blue. Unknown to them, their three leaders were already obeying Xiang Shaoyun’s every command.
Xiang Shaoyun then ended the meeting and had them start cleaning up the mess from the battle. The battle earlier had destroyed many buildings, and it was necessary to rebuild them. He also dismissed the three Skeletons so they could focus on healing while he sat there silently waiting for Du Xuanhao and the others to return.
As he waited, he started contemplating the growth of the Skeleton Gang. Now that he was officially a master of the gang, he would naturally not allow them to continue committing crimes. He had to think of a win-win solution that could both make them stronger and more obedient. That way, they would be much more useful to him in the future.
At this time, Han Xuewei’s voice rang out, “Young Master Xiang, what are you thinking about?”
Her voice was as gentle as water, such that Xiang Shaoyun did not feel annoyed even with his train of thought interrupted. He smiled and said, “I completely forgot you were here. Men, serve some tea.”
“No, that’s nothing. I was just curious seeing you frowning in thought. Don’t mind me,” said Han Xuewei in a considerate manner.
Han Qianwei was slightly envious when she saw that. She had always been a mistrustful person who did not know how to mince her words. Thus, she was unlike her younger sister who enjoyed more adoration from others. Right now, she wished she could be like her younger sister and establish a closer relationship with Xiang Shaoyun.
“You’re my friends. There is no need to be so courteous,” said Xiang Shaoyun with a smile. He then sighed. “I’m just vexed as to how I should develop the Skeleton Gang moving forward.”
“What is there to be worried about? I thought the three original leaders are still going to be running the gang? Just let them deal with it,” Han Xuewei gave an innocent reply.
Han Qianwei finally found an opportunity to join in the conversation, “Sister, do you think Young Master Xiang will associate himself with criminals? He is definitely trying to rebuild a brand new Skeleton Gang.”
Xiang Shaoyun looked at Han Qianwei in astonishment. “Yes, you’re right. The original Skeleton Gang has a terrible reputation. Now that they are mine, I won’t permit them to commit all sorts of crimes like they used to.”
“I have a suggestion that might be helpful,” said Han Qianwei confidently.
“Oh? What’s your suggestion?” Xiang Shaoyun asked, his interest piqued.
“The goal of any organization is survival. Some hunt demonic beasts for a living, some gather natural treasures, and some mine the various precious ores. So you can start with that. Of course, it will be even better if they can have their own store. But for that, you will need some people handling the supervisory roles,” said Han Qianwei.
Xiang Shaoyun was hit with a realization, and he clapped and said, “Well said! Why didn’t I think of something that simple? Thank you, Han Qianwei!”
“Hehe, you just haven’t thought of it yet. With your intelligence, it’s only a matter of time before you thought of the same even without me telling you,” said Han Qianwei with a smile.
When Han Qianwei smiled, it was as if an iceberg was melting, blooming with beauty and life. Seeing that, Xiang Shaoyun blurted, “You look really pretty when you smile. You should smile more.”
Han Qianwei blushed, but inwardly, she was overjoyed.
She took the chance to say more, “The Skeleton Gang members have been criminals for too long. It won’t be easy for them to just change. I think you can first get them to organize a hunting group to go hunt some devilish beasts. They can harvest a large amount of devil materials that way. At the same time, they can also temper themselves. Naturally, people will die, but the survivors will be the cream of the crop. As for the devil materials, they can be exchanged for contribution points. This is a very common method of operation used by many organizations.”
“You’re right. But will granting them that much freedom lead to them eventually leaving the Skeleton Gang?” Han Xuewei asked.
“I’ve taken that into consideration as well,” Han Qianwei replied. She looked at Xiang Shaoyun and continued, “For any organization, rewards and punishments are important. There are only two situations where a group sent by an organization does not return. They have either died or defected. The former is not that bad, but the latter can only mean that the organization in question does not have a proper system of reward and punishment. That is why there would be defections. Therefore, the first step is to establish a proper system of reward and punishment. That is something you have to work with personally, Young Master Xiang. I believe in you.”
Xiang Shaoyun pondered on her words while recalling how his father used to run the Ziling Sect. He immediately had a sense of enlightenment.
“Well said! Although those practices seem completely normal and seem like anyone can think of them, few people will actually put that much thought into it. You will be a great helper for your future husband!” said Xiang Shaoyun cheerfully.
“You are too polite,” said Han Qianwei happily.
Xiang Shaoyun’s final sentence had filled her with joy. Finally, he noticed her good points. Han Xuewei’s expression dimmed, but she did not feel any envy. Rather, she was annoyed with herself for being useless.
Xiang Shaoyun continued chatting with the two on some more details in relation to running an organization, and he increasingly understood how he should run the Skeleton Gang. He had always been an intelligent person. He merely lacked experience in this aspect. With a nudge from Han Qianwei, he knew what to do.
Before long, Du Xuanhao, Han Pojun, and the others returned. Because the Noxious Blood Gang had sent all their elites on the invasion, with the deaths of those elites, their headquarters had been easily defeated. Those who resisted had been killed, and only a small number who had surrendered were spared. In other words, both the Skeleton Gang and the Noxious Blood Gang were now under Xiang Shaoyun’s control.
