Chapter 128: The Most Humane “HR Director” in History
In front of a newly挂牌 courtyard of the Ascension Group, crowds were surging.
The words on the plaque were personally inscribed by Chu Feng — “Employee Care and Ideological Development Department”, the strokes bold and flowing, brimming with imposing momentum.
It was just a pity that the disciple responsible for hanging the plaque had rather poor craftsmanship: the left side was high, the right side low, crooked and slanted, like a drunk man staggering about.
Even so, this place had still become the most eye-catching spot in the entire group.
Because its minister was Murong Xue.
And also because something unheard of for thousands of years in the Eastern Wasteland cultivation world was being done here — issuing compensation funds, and moreover, on a “lifetime basis”.
Inside the discussion hall, Murong Xue wore a plain dress and sat upright with dignified composure. On the long desk before her, there were no mountain-like stacks of official documents, only a thin register and a heavy storage pouch.
“Next, the family of Li Ergou.”
Outside the door, a hunched old woman with a face weathered by hardship was supported by a female disciple of the group, trembling as she slowly walked in.
The moment she saw Murong Xue seated at the place of honor — a figure like a celestial fairy — her legs went weak in fright and she was about to kneel down.
“You mustn’t, Elder.”
Murong Xue’s figure flickered, and she was already in front of the old woman, personally supporting her.
Her voice was very gentle, carrying a power that soothed the heart.
“Your son, Li Ergou, was a hero of the group. We invited you here not to make you kneel, but to thank you.”
Tears instantly welled up in the old woman’s clouded eyes, her lips trembling as she was unable to utter a single word.
Murong Xue said nothing more, only taking three items out from the storage pouch.
A bottle of pills.
“This is the ‘Longevity-Extending Pill’. When mortals take it, it can ensure that you and your spouse remain free of illness and enjoy your natural lifespan in peace.”
A money pouch.
“There are one thousand taels of gold here, enough for the two of you to live a prosperous life in the mortal world.”
Finally, a green jade token.
“This is the group’s Third-Tier Offering token. In the future, every month you may use it to come to the group and receive a portion of cultivation resources.”
“It isn’t much, but it’s enough for a newly initiated cultivator to live without worry over food and clothing.”
The old woman stared at the items before her, completely dumbfounded.
She had lived her whole life — when had she ever seen such a scene?
“Immortal maiden… this… this is too much… we… we can’t take it…”
“This is what Ergou exchanged his life for. It is his honor, and it is also what the group owes you.”
Murong Xue gently placed the items into the old woman’s arms and said softly,
“Please rest assured. The group keeps its word. From now on, you are family members of our Ascension Group.”
After seeing the old woman off, Murong Xue’s eyes also reddened slightly.
These past few days, she had seen far too many such scenes.
The grief of white-haired parents sending off black-haired children, the confusion of young children losing their fathers.
Every single time, it struck her Dao heart with tremendous force.
She began to understand that those cold words Chu Feng spoke — “users”, “leeks”, “assets” — behind every single number was a living person, a flesh-and-blood family.
She also began to understand why Chu Feng had agreed to her seemingly “cost-regardless” compensation plan.
Perhaps that man was not truly cold-blooded.
He was merely accustomed to using a merchant’s perspective to place what he deemed a worthy “cost” on things that could not be measured by price.
“Next, the family of Zhang Tiezhu.”
Along with the announcement, a robust-voiced woman dragged along a seven- or eight-year-old boy and strode in with a domineering air.
This woman was precisely Wang Cuihua, the widow of the fallen disciple Zhang Tiezhu.
The moment she entered, her eyes did not even glance at Murong Xue, instead rolling around inside and outside the hall. That gaze didn’t look like someone here to receive compensation — it looked more like someone appraising a price.
“You’re that… whatever minister?”
Wang Cuihua sized Murong Xue up from top to bottom and curled her lips.
Murong Xue frowned slightly, but still said politely:
“I am. May I ask who you are…”
“My man, Zhang Tiezhu! He died for your group! I’ve heard it all — you give houses, land, and money, and it’s for life!”
“I don’t want those useless things. Isn’t your group doing some ‘original shares’?”
“Give my kid a hundred shares! Then we’ll call it settled!”
Wang Cuihua planted her hands on her hips, her voice sharp, with an attitude of refusing to leave unless she got what she wanted.
The little boy beside her was so frightened that he shrank his neck and dared not speak.
Murong Xue’s expression instantly turned cold.
She had anticipated encountering greedy people, but she hadn’t expected it to be so blatant.
“Madam Zhang, the compensation regulations are fair to everyone.”
Murong Xue explained patiently,
“Original shares are the group’s core assets and are only granted to core executives who have made major contributions to the group. This—”
“I don’t care!”
Wang Cuihua plopped down on the ground and began wailing, slapping her thighs,
“My man’s life is gone, and you’re just using this little bit of stuff to brush us off like beggars! Where’s the justice in this!”
“Everyone, come look! The Ascension Group is bullying us widows and orphans!”
Her shout instantly drew the attention of all the families waiting outside.
For a moment, discussions rose from all sides.
The disciples responsible for maintaining order turned pale and wanted to step forward to stop her, but Murong Xue halted them with a single glance.
This was the first true “thorn” she had encountered since taking office.
It was also the first test Chu Feng had handed to her.
If she couldn’t even handle a village woman throwing a tantrum, then her titles of “Chief Risk Control Officer” and “Minister of Employee Care” would become a colossal joke.
Murong Xue took a deep breath. She did not get angry; instead, she stepped forward and squatted down in front of the woman.
She did not look at the woman, but rather at the frightened little boy, her voice incomparably gentle:
“What’s your name?”
The little boy timidly glanced at his mother and said in a small voice:
“I… I’m called Zhang Xiaobao.”
“Xiaobao, do you want to become a great hero who stands tall between heaven and earth, just like your father?”
Murong Xue asked.
Zhang Xiaobao’s eyes lit up, and he nodded heavily.
“Good.”
Murong Xue smiled. She stood up, her gaze sweeping across all the onlooking families at the doorway, her voice clear and ringing as it spread through the entire courtyard.
“Everyone, I believe you’ve all heard it. Madam Zhang’s request is to secure the group’s original shares for Xiaobao.”
“This request, I cannot agree to.”
As soon as these words fell, Wang Cuihua cried even harder, and the onlookers stirred again.
“But,”
Murong Xue shifted her tone, her voice suddenly rising,
“I can promise this here and now. From today onward, all children of the group’s heroes will automatically enter the ‘Ascension Reserve Elite Cultivation Program’!”
“They will be taught by the group’s best mentors and enjoy resources thirty percent more generous than even Inner Sect disciples!”
“From a young age, what they learn will not only be cultivation methods, but also our group’s most advanced ‘management doctrines’ and ‘operational methods’!”
“So long as they have the ability, in the future, let alone a hundred shares — even becoming a group minister, or even… a core decision-maker, would not be impossible!”
“We cannot give them a present where they rely on their fathers, but we can give them a future where, relying on themselves, they can create infinite possibilities!”
Mu-rong Xue looked at Zhang Xiaobao and said each word distinctly:
“Xiaobao, the road — the group has already paved it for you.”
“But how far you can go in the future, whether you become a hero like your father, or become someone like your mother… who only cries and makes a scene on the ground, depends on your own choice.”
Her words rang out forcefully.
The entire hall fell silent.
Those family members who had been whispering moments before now looked at Wang Cuihua with eyes already carrying a trace of disdain and distance.
Wang Cuihua’s cries abruptly stopped. She realized that she seemed to have been isolated.
Zhang Xiaobao lifted his head and looked at Murong Xue. In those clear eyes was filled with determination and longing.
He forcefully shook off his mother’s hand, walked up to Murong Xue, and, imitating the adults, bowed deeply.
“Minister Sister, I understand! I want to study! I want to become a hero like Daddy!”
Murong Xue touched his head with satisfaction.
Without spilling blood, victory and defeat were decided.
The crisis was resolved just like that.
……
Late at night, Murong Xue rubbed her throbbing temples while organizing the heroic relics received that day.
This was her insistence.
She believed that every single relic carried a family’s longing and must be properly preserved.
Suddenly, her hand touched something hard.
It was a palm-sized black iron fragment, hidden in the close-fitting hidden pouch of a chore-courtyard disciple named Wang Ermazi, icy cold to the touch.
On the iron fragment, using some unknown technique, half of a fragmented star map was carved. The lines were ancient and simple, exuding a desolate aura.
This star map… seemed to point toward an extremely remote corner of the Eastern Wasteland.
Murong Xue frowned. How could a mere chore disciple possess something like this?
She faintly felt that this object might not be simple.