Chapter 1990: Chapter 1987: Skull Temple
The female server almost entered the long series of numbers with trembling hands, and when the sound indicating a successful transfer chimed, everyone finally snapped out of it.
"Get lost, next time you dare come causing trouble, it won’t be as simple as just throwing you out." Lin Tian’s gaze swept over the debt collectors, a cold glint in his eyes, causing the young men, including Mr. Guo, to shiver, feeling a chilling cold wind pass through their bodies.
"Young man, you’ve got guts, see you around!" Mr. Guo threw out a token farewell and left with his underlings, incidentally carrying away a few of the injured.
Once the debt collectors left, the employees of the villa cheered excitedly, and soon lively discussions filled the air; by now, quite a few employees had gathered to watch.
"Is he really our new boss? He’s so handsome and cool." A female server was extremely excited, yet found it hard to believe.
"The contract is there, how can it be fake? Besides, if he wasn’t the new boss, who would inject funds into the villa?" Another employee immediately refuted.
"That young master from the Ma Family always pretends to be cool, but the new boss is the real deal." Another employee praised.
"By the way, how come none of the Ma Family showed up during all this?"
"Those folks from the Ma Family draw high salaries but don’t work; how can one count on them?" An employee expressed contempt.
"Shh, keep your voice down; if it reaches their ears, be careful they don’t come after you." Another employee kindly warned.
...
These discussions reached Lin Tian’s ears, especially the ones concerning the Ma Family.
"Vice President Yu..." Lin Tian turned to face the middle-aged man, who promptly came over. Lin Tian said coldly, "From today, fire all the Ma Family members, the vacant positions will be filled through competitive interviews; every employee will have the chance to apply, and you will be in charge."
"Wow..." The employees gasped in surprise, even more excited than before.
This meant everyone had a fair chance to compete, and when they looked at Lin Tian, their eyes were filled with curiosity, admiration, and now also reverence.
Lin Tian glanced over the group and further instructed the middle-aged man, "Fair competition is my only requirement; if I receive complaints from employees, handle it yourself."
The middle-aged man showed no nervousness upon hearing this, instead showing admiration and solemnly assuring, "Rest assured, Boss Lin, all the recruitment processes will be open; objections can be raised, and I won’t let anyone unfit rise to harm everyone’s livelihood."
Lin Tian was very satisfied with this reaction; if the prospect of fair competition had scared him, it would only show that he was unreliable.
"Boss Lin, I have one more question: Who will interview for the general manager position?" Vice President Yu asked again.
Lin Tian smiled slightly and said, "The interview just happened."
"What..." Everyone was puzzled, wondering whom the new boss had interviewed just now.
"I’ve seen your performance; that’s the interview. From now on, you are Mr. Yu, not Vice President Yu." Lin Tian smiled calmly.
Mr. Yu was delighted, then became serious again: "Thank you, Boss, for your trust."
"Alright, make the arrangements; I have business to attend to, so I’ll be leaving." Lin Tian waved his hand, not lingering any longer; his purpose here was the Qiong Gou Jade, and inadvertently buying the villa was just an incidental episode.
Everyone made way for Lin Tian and his group. As they walked past a security guard with one shoe missing, Lin Tian turned to Mr. Yu and said, "Don’t forget to reimburse this gentleman with a new pair of shoes, he did a great job."
Thinking back to the opening scene, everyone couldn’t help but laugh, and amid the laughter, Lin Tian left the hall.
Walking along the road, Xiao Manxuan chuckled, "No Jade Pendant found, but instead bought a villa first; if Sister knows, will she say you made a loss?"
"Won’t be a loss; the villa business is okay, just that most profits were squandered by Ma Mingcai, hence the lack of funds in the villa." Yao Xiaoting said.
"Brother Lin, will those savage debt collectors come to retaliate?" Yao Xiaoke glanced sideways at Lin Tian, a bit worried.
"Retaliate? They’d better control themselves and not do something stupid." Zhang Lingyu, with brows raised and a smile in her eyes, showed no concern.
Then, the sisters noticed that Lin Tian’s group of four all wore the same expression, adding another layer of mystery to Lin Tian in their eyes.
The sisters led Lin Tian’s group forward and out the villa’s back door, as they had mentioned, there was indeed a small path. The path was paved with stone slabs, yet many areas were now covered in weeds, suggesting few people walked it regularly.
On either side of the path, some tree roots could be seen, likely remnants of dug-up peach trees. Further onward, Lin Tian heard the sound of water, and soon a mountain stream appeared before their eyes.
The stream water was clear, with a riverbed full of pebble stones, just as the sisters had described.
"The Jade Pendant was found a bit downstream, but we need to go upstream." Yao Xiaoting looked around at the surroundings and said.
"Lingyu, look at the Compass, see if there’s any response?" Lin Tian reminded.
The Beautiful Sky Master pulled out the delicate Compass and placed it on her palm; the sisters widened their eyes with curiosity as they watched the needle spin twice, finally stopping to point at Yao Xiaoke.
Yao Xiaoke blinked, playfully began moving left and right, and the Compass needle swung accordingly, consistently pointing at her.
"So magical, Sister Lingyu, are you a Feng Shui Master?" Yao Xiaoke was very curious.
Zhang Lingyu only smiled, not explaining, unaware of the group of four’s identity.
They continued upstream along the mountain stream, the abandoned path was difficult to navigate, yet the sisters showed no signs of delicacy, walking with agility.
The further they went, the more desolate the surroundings became. After rounding a cluster of shrubs, a pond suddenly appeared before their eyes. Around ten meters from the pond, hidden amidst weeds, stood an ancient temple.
The pond was very still, the water flowed silently, the surroundings were devoid of bird calls, with weeds and a dilapidated ancient temple. Even though the sun hung high in the sky, it felt devoid of life.
"Such heavy yin energy..." Zhang Lingyu moved forward a few steps, frowning, but as she spoke, the Compass needle started spinning rapidly, no longer pointing at Yao Xiaoke.
"What’s going on?" Xiao Manxuan asked in surprise, while becoming alert.
"The energy field is chaotic; we might be very close." Zhang Lingyu didn’t feel anxious; instead, her eyes shone.
"Let’s go, check out the Skull Temple." Lin Tian said quickly, darting toward the Skull Temple, with Xu Feibai following.
Zhang Lingyu and Xiao Manxuan stayed behind with the sisters, as this place was peculiar, the Beautiful Sky Master protected the sisters from any sudden incidents.
Once closer, Lin Tian finally saw the Skull Temple; it was a very simple temple, with only a statue inside, but since the roof collapsed, the statue had fallen to the ground.
The wooden table had also rotted, the incense burner rolled on the ground, unknown vines grew on the walls, exceptionally desolate.
"Such a peculiar statue." Zhang Lingyu walked in, looking at the statue, puzzled.
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