Bai Shengwu was also a Great Owl, on par with many other infamous ruffians.

This fellow was deep and untamed in spirit.

This time, the collective effort to resist Queen Lin owed much to him.

Yang Fei strolled over slowly.

"I heard Bai Shengwu is a clever man, who boasts the nickname 'White Zhuge Liang.' Let's have a look at the smart fellow inside this sack."

With that, he signaled Yan Wuxin to untie the rope closing the sack.

After Yan Wuxin unfurled the rope, a head, bloodied like a gourd, popped out of the sack.

The man appeared to be in his forties, with a pale complexion.

His Armani suit was crumpled as if it were a mop, and his body showed multiple bloodstains.

The most terrifying aspect was that one of his ears was missing from his head, and the flesh was a bloody blur.

The jagged wound appeared as if it had been gruesomely torn off by hand.

Most bizarre of all, he was biting an ear in his mouth.

Judging by the wound and its appearance, it was his own ear.

Yang Wuxin and Zhang Yuan saw everything very clearly.

This person was none other than Bai Shengwu, the most cunning among the thirteen Great Owls.

Lin Xueyi's heart pounded as she looked at the two men in the sack, severely injured.

Before this, Lin Xueyi couldn't even bear to watch a chicken being killed, let alone such violent and brutal injury.

The blood and cruelty of the Underworld far exceeded Lin Xueyi's imagination.

However, Lin Xueyi was a smart woman.

She firmly remembered Yang Fei's instructions; even if the sky fell, she was to stay calm and face it nonchalantly.

So, despite Lin Xueyi's racing heart, her face displayed an air of indifference.

This demeanor made others perceive her as unfathomable and impenetrable.

When Bai Shengwu wriggled out of the pitch-black sack, he found the light blinding.

At one glance at the hall, he knew he had arrived at Fanlin Temple, and his heart instantly turned cold.

Realizing the situation quickly, he immediately knelt down and began knocking his head on the floor like pounding garlic, apologizing to Lin Xueyi.

"I'm sorry, Queen Lin, please spare me, I will never dare again," he pled.

Yan Wuxin chuckled.

"This wretch is tightly crafty; he must have heard something and went into hiding."

"Qiu Yidao and I searched for him all night and finally found him at one of his mistresses' home."

"We were annoyed by his shouting, so we tore off his ear and made him swallow it."

Yan Wuxin spoke casually, but Yang Wuxin and Zhang Yuan were utterly terrified.

Who said that with the downfall of the Golden-Faced Buddha, the Three Swords, Two Gods, and Five Ghost Kings would collapse like a pack of monkeys?

The now Golden-Faced Buddha Group was even more powerful and fierce.

Moreover, by the looks of Queen Lin, such thrilling underworld strife didn't bother her at all.

A real dragon doesn't cross rivers—indeed.

In fact, the high and mighty Lin Xueyi.

On hearing Yan Wuxin's words, nearly gagged, her face turning ashen.

Luckily, Lin Xueyi had applied some light makeup, so even if her complexion paled, others couldn't tell.

And this bearing of composed grandeur immediately subdued those present.

Lin Xueyi barely managed to control her stomach's discomfort and gently lifted her hand, signaling Bai Shengwu to rise.

She said coldly, "Let's wait a bit longer; some brothers have yet to arrive."

Her simple words left Bai Shengwu and Zhang Yuan, among others, shaking in fear.

Could it be that over the night, all the major ruffians who hadn't reported at Fanlin Temple had fallen into Lin Xueyi's hands?

In the following minutes, the speculation of the major ruffians turned into reality.

As if it was all prearranged.

Next to arrive were Meng Po and another Ghost King, Shen Feng, from among the Five Ghost Kings.

The two captured Deng Sancheng, another major ruffian from Haima City.

Among the Five Ghost Kings, one called Wang Wei and one called Lonely Madman were present.

Two men had captured the notorious ruffian from the new city, Faan Chan.

...

Within half an hour, all thirteen of the big ruffians under the former Golden-Faced Buddha had arrived.

Except for the five who voluntarily came to Fanlin Temple to check-in.

The remaining eight were beaten and maimed, and brought to the council hall in sacks.

Looking at the unlucky eight, Qing Yang was overjoyed.

However, Li Shun had an expression as if everything was as expected.

Only Yang Wuxin and Zhang Yuan had been repeatedly shocked, looking utterly devastated.

The two felt a chilling sensation down their spines.

If it had not been for their old loyalty to the Golden-Faced Buddha, coming to Fanlin Temple to pay respects,

They would now be among those severed limbs stuffed into sacks, likely including two more.

Even Dong Wenxue, who had been severely beaten by Yang Fei, was staring wide-eyed.

He felt incredibly lucky.

Dong Wenxue had been angry after being beaten by Yang Fei,

but seeing the condition of his peers, he felt enormously relieved.

After all, he had only suffered a few slaps to the face.

Compared to what his peers in the sacks had endured, it was like heaven and earth.

Lin Xueyi, with an indifferent expression, knocked on the table.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's start the meeting."

This demonstration meeting was actually unnecessary, as its purpose had already been achieved.

The eight ruffians in the sacks, how could they dare to defy Lin Xueyi?

Among the other five, Li Shun and Qing Yang publicly supported Lin Xueyi.

The remaining three had been scared witless.

During the meeting, Lin Xueyi enacted new rules for Lanting Group.

The most critical stipulation was the prohibition of drug trafficking, arms dealing, and human trafficking.

The business of the thirteen ruffians would still be taxed at fifteen percent according to the old rules established by the Golden-Faced Buddha.

Besides this, Lin Xueyi proposed a new management model.

Lin Xueyi invited the ruffians to convert their enterprises into shares within Lanting Group, becoming actual stakeholders of Lanting Group.

In other words, these ruffians could become shareholders of Lanting Group.

They would manage their businesses and underworld operations while receiving monthly salaries.

At the end of the year, they could collect dividends according to their shares.

This new management style was actually conceived by Yang Fei.

Managing the underworld via a corporate board of directors.

This mutual interest would effectively control turbulence in the underworld, consolidating core strength.

As for Queen Lin taking a fifteen percent share of the dividends,

it came as no surprise to the thirteen ruffians and was acceptable to them.

However, they were increasingly astonished by Lin Xueyi's second proposed management method.

According to Lin Xueyi's management style, by joining Lanting Group,

their enterprises would become properties of Lanting Group while also gaining shares in the group.

Consequently, they could manage their enterprises and receive an annual salary of several million.

And when it came to dividends, these would likely amount to at least tens of millions.

The most important aspect was not the money, but the sense of security and belonging.

Just by joining Lanting Group, they would gain the protection of Queen Lin.

Whoever wanted to confront them would have to reckon with Queen Lin first.

Gauging the power displayed by Queen Lin today,

it seemed she could even rival the legendary Great Owls of the imperial level.

With such a backing, no matter how turbulent the Mortal World became, they would not be afraid.

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