I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 39 A combination of kindness and power
Even Zhang Lin was shocked.

The last time Xie An lifted 700 kilograms in front of Tang Qingyun, he seemed a bit exhausted. Now he was much more relaxed. This kind of supernatural power already made Zhang Lin stand back and be in awe.

I thought I should make good friends with this mysterious old man in the future.

As for the other disciples present, they had originally followed Zhang Biao and were used to being idle and unruly. They did not take the newly appointed old deacon seriously. Now, seeing the old man display such supernatural power, they were all shocked.

A seven-hundred-jin stone lock!
Looking at the entire black market, only the Grand Deacon Lin Yun and Wei Xiangzhu could lift it with one arm. Zhang Biao could never do it.

Seeing Xie An's cold and fierce eyes, he felt that this old man was not easy to get along with. He had to keep his tail between his legs and behave himself from now on.

Only Liang Zhi narrowed his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.

Wang Xiang lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and thought to himself that the new deacon appointed by the higher-ups was indeed not someone to be trifled with.

Xie An continued to pretend to be ruthless: "I don't care how you did things under Zhang Biao before. If you follow me in the future, you must work diligently and be down-to-earth. I hate dirty things the most. If anyone does not agree with my ideas, you can leave now and find another job. I will never stop you."

Xie An knew that in troubled times, people's hearts were not very good.

Not to mention the Tiger and Wolf Sect, a martial arts sect.

Just the words "tiger" and "wolf" are enough to show the style of this sect.

Like a wolf or a tiger.

How can you control your subordinates if you don't use some tough measures?
As expected, Xie An's approach greatly shocked his subordinates.

However, what surprised Xie An was that... no one stood up to express their opinion.

Until Liang Zhi spoke first, "I am Liang Zhi, and I am willing to serve you as a servant."

Others followed suit and spoke.

"I am Wang Xiang, your servant, and I am willing to serve you at your service."

"I am Xiaoliu, your humble servant, and I have been serving you like a dog and a horse."

"Me too..."

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze lingering on Liang Zhi for a moment longer. "Everyone, go back and get busy. Liang Zhi, you stay for a moment."

Xie An saw that Liang Zhi was the leader of this group and held great prestige among his men. If he wanted to command his men well, Liang Zhi was the key.

Then it is necessary to keep him for a private talk.

Xie An didn't want to cause problems in his black market business just after arriving here because of his poor management of his subordinates. Otherwise, if Wei Xiangzhu and the chief steward knew about it, they would only feel incompetent.

At Xie An's age, he was no longer impatient. But he also knew that when it was time to act decisively, there should be no hesitation.

The actions and attitude on the first day in office are particularly important.

All the disciples clasped their fists and retreated.

Seeing that Xie An, the steward, was beginning to be effective in intimidating his subordinates, Zhang Lin found an excuse to take Zhou Xing away, saying that he would come later to call Xie An for lunch.

As soon as he walked out of the yard, Zhou Xing couldn't help but say, "Boss, this new deacon... is really capable."

Zhang Lin nodded in agreement. "Indeed. He usually appears polite, but when it comes time to show his teeth, he's absolutely ruthless. He's a ruthless character. With Elder Tang Qingyun's attention, I'm afraid he'll gain a firm foothold soon, even overshadowing me."

Zhou Xing was a little indignant and wiped his neck, "Then do you want to..."

Snapped!
Zhang Lin slammed him on the head. "You're out of your mind. I recommended him to join, and we have a good relationship. If he becomes successful in the future, I'll benefit too. The underworld is not about fighting and killing, but about the ways of the world. You should learn from him."

Zhou Xing lowered his head: "I understand."

"You know shit."

"..."

……

living room.

Xie An sat in the chief seat, while Liang Zhi stood respectfully in front.

Xie An had been looking at Liang Zhi, but he did not see any fear on the old man's face. Instead, he looked very calm.

With this mentality, Xie An felt that he was something.

If the other party was simply afraid of him, it would be easier to control him. He could just use force directly. But now, it would take more effort.

After a long silence, Xie An finally spoke, "How many years have you followed Zhang Biao?"

"Five years."

"Well, you were in charge of the black market accounts before?"

"Yes."

"Go get the account book and show it to me."

Finally, Liang Zhi, who was usually calm, had a rare flash of panic in his eyes. But he didn't dare to refute anything. He said yes and left. Not long after, he walked back in carrying a pile of account books.

There are more than a dozen account books, about two feet high.

Liang Zhi originally thought that the old man was just pretending to be a deacon, but he didn't expect that the old man would actually carefully read through the books one by one.

Tick-tock. Sweat immediately broke out on Liang Zhi's forehead.

Even on a very cold day, he couldn't help but see beads of sweat streaming down his forehead.

He worked as a black market accountant for five years, how could he not make some money?

It was just that he was proficient in accounting and kept it secret. In addition, Zhang Biao was a rough man and did not investigate carefully. So he was able to get away with it.

I didn't expect that this newly appointed deacon...seems difficult to deal with.

The problem is... Xie An thought the same way.

Since force cannot intimidate Liang Zhi, let's start with the accounts.

Xie An, who had experienced the information explosion era in his previous life, had a far greater understanding of human nature than the average person in this world. He did have some insight.

However, Xie An did not understand accounting...

Xie An spent a full hour carefully looking through the five account books, but couldn't find a single problem. These accounts were too complicated, and it was not comparable to the small work of a pawnshop.

For example, the accounts record the selling prices and commissions of various weapons and medicinal supplements. How could Xie An know the prices of these weapons and medicinal supplements that he had never heard of? Moreover, the selling prices of the same weapons and medicinal supplements would fluctuate over time, making it extremely difficult to track.

I really don't see the problem...

But the deterrent effect has already taken place.

Xie An saw Liang Zhi sweating profusely from the corner of his eye, and he knew there was something wrong with the account. He then calmly lied to Liang Zhi, "Liang Zhi, you've done a lot of tricks in the account book. If I hand it over to the incense master and the chief deacon, I'm afraid... your life will be in danger."

Liang Zhi was immediately panicked. How could he know that Xie An couldn't understand the accounts? How could he know that Xie An was trying to trick him?

People who have something to hide are already half guilty.

In addition, Xie An had previously displayed his peerless martial arts skills, with a ferocious and cruel face. Now he had carefully examined the account book for an hour and even said that he would report it and his life would be in danger... Liang Zhi was so scared that he peed his pants.

pat.

Liang Zhi knelt on the ground and confessed everything, "Please, Deacon, have mercy on me. Although I have made some small moves, I have never committed any major acts of greed, nor have I violated the rules of the black market. It's just that my old mother is seriously ill and the medicine is expensive. That's why I became a little greedy!!"

Xie An breathed a sigh of relief.

Really useful!

However, Xie An did not express his opinion. Instead, he slowly put down the account book and looked down coldly at Liang Zhi who was kneeling on the ground.

The more this happened, the more panicked Liang Zhi became.

Bang bang bang.

Liang Zhi kowtowed fiercely, "I was wrong. From now on, I will never be greedy again. And please, Deacon, don't report this to the incense master and the chief deacon. From now on, I will follow your lead."

Xie An's eyes were stern. "You said your mother was seriously ill, but you were deceiving me?"

Liang Zhi pointed to the sky and said, "I never say a word of falsehood. If I do, I will be struck by lightning and die a miserable death."

Xie An nodded, his attitude finally softening. "I can forgive you for your filial piety. But in order to prevent this from happening again, I need you to write a letter of guarantee, stating your fault and promising that it won't happen again. I'll keep the letter of guarantee. Just work hard in the future, and I won't tell anyone else."

Liang Zhi collapsed to the ground.

He was no longer a rookie, so he knew that Xie An's move was to completely control him. With this confession, he would not be able to refute anything Xie An asked him to do in the future.

But he had no choice.

I thought I could handle the new deacon no matter how difficult he was. But I didn't expect him to be so cunning and shrewd.

On the first day of taking office, you must control yourself tightly.

Finally, Liang Zhi dejectedly wrote a letter of guarantee and put his fingerprints on it at Xie An's request.

Xie An accepted the letter of guarantee and put it in his pocket, only then did he feel satisfied.

It’s not that Xie An is cruel, but if he doesn’t have some tricks and strategies when he is in the martial arts world, he will be killed sooner or later.

Surviving in troubled times, people's hearts are treacherous, this is not just talk.

Indeed, Xie An did not intend to use this to threaten Liang Zhi. He just wanted to manage the black market after taking office so that he could gain a firm foothold.

Having a sword in your hand but not using it and not having a sword... are two completely different things.

The so-called combination of kindness and power.

The majesty has intimidated people, so it is time to show mercy.

Xie An stood up from his seat and helped Liang Zhi to his feet. "Although you did a lot of tricks in the account book, it is well organized. It shows that you are a talent and worthy of being used. Unfortunately, Zhang Biao can't distinguish right from wrong and can't recognize talent, so he buried you. As long as you do well in the future, he may promote you to deputy deacon in the future."

Liang Zhi suddenly looked up and looked at Xie An in disbelief, his eyes a little hot.

When he worked under Zhang Biao, he was often scolded and cursed by Zhang Biao, and never treated him as a human being. Although this new deacon was strict and experienced, he actually knew that he had great talent.

It is said that a gentleman will die for his confidant. Although Liang Zhi felt more than that at the moment, he was still very excited to be appreciated by others.

I suddenly felt that this new deacon had a big vision and that there was hope in following him.

(End of this chapter)