Chapter 785: Commission Fully Waived

A month had already passed since Xu Yang established the Sacred Flame Sect. During this month, the Sacred Flame Sect had developed at an astonishing speed, far exceeding Yun San's initial assessment of Xu Yang's capabilities.

In Xu Yang's own words, the team's ability to achieve such steady and rapid development was largely due to the united efforts of the five Dharma Kings of the Sacred Flame Sect. Moreover, the five thousand loyal troops currently under Xu Yang and Yun San's command were all diligent and eager to learn, working tirelessly to strengthen their own abilities, which consequently brought a powerful boost to the entire team. This progress was not only reflected in the team's overall combat strength but also in its growing influence. The name of the Sacred Flame Sect was becoming more widespread, and now almost half the alliance had heard of it.

Of course, such rapid development also brought Xu Yang considerable trouble. Particularly concerning the Law Enforcement Hall, since its leader was secretly assassinated by Xu Yang's people, Old Tan now disguised himself as the leader, controlling the entire department. However, Xu Yang and the others clearly understood that this deception could not last indefinitely. To truly break free from this situation, they needed to establish a firm foothold on a larger stage under the name of the Sacred Flame Sect.

Now, Xu Yang's Sacred Flame Sect was well-equipped and powerful, and its warriors were all eager, longing for an opportunity to achieve great deeds. Such an opportunity did not take long to appear.

It should be noted that across the entire Yingzhou Continent, county cities served as the most fundamental administrative units for the populace. For residents of various county cities to engage in trade, they almost always relied on a unified method: market fairs! Among several relatively friendly neighboring county cities, it was a common way of life for people to travel back and forth, exchanging goods and conducting commercial trade. On average, there were two large market fairs each month.

Meanwhile, bandits and brigands living in the wilderness between county cities, in public areas, often took advantage of the trade periods to create chaos and profit. Of course, some relatively powerful bandits even openly robbed merchants, and frequently clashed with the Law Enforcement Hall. This was an accepted truth of survival on the continent.

Therefore, during the market fair trade between county cities, the Law Enforcement Hall was often invited to personally provide escort, and even the movements of the trading convoys were generally coordinated. Since the Sacred Flame Sect now controlled the Law Enforcement Hall of Changle County, it was natural that Xu Yang would arrange for people to escort the market fairs there.

“This is the list of members for this market fair escort. Please take a look yourself!”

The market fair activity was neither too big nor too small. After all, there were plenty of bandits and brigands lurking around, and if the escort force was too small, it could easily become a target. “If the escort was too large, the human resource consumption and expenses would be considerable. Moreover, we are not performing voluntary labor; any timely escort provided by a team charges a certain commission fee from the market members. If we send too many people, the large commission fee would itself add pressure on the populace.”

At this moment, Xu Yang was seated in the central main seat of the Yun Mansion, flanked by the five Dharma Kings of the Sacred Flame Sect and Old Tan himself. Yun San, responsible for external affairs, was not present in the mansion. Xu Yang casually glanced at the list and simply shook his head with a smile.

“From today onwards,” Xu Yang declared, “all commissions for escorting trading convoys in Changle County will be waived. Any convoy belonging to our own people will receive free escort. As for the portion of the commission that should be distributed to our brothers, I will find a way to cover it.”

Xu Yang's seemingly casual remark completely stunned every Dharma King of the Sacred Flame Sect present. After all, such a precedent of completely waiving commissions had never been achieved in any county city. Only the Central Domain, under imperial rule, had ever seen such a precedent, where commissions were waived in the name of the imperial family, and even then, it was not permanent. Undoubtedly, Xu Yang's groundbreaking welfare arrangement was indeed unprecedented.

“Sect Master,” the Shadow Master, who managed the Sacred Flame Sect's income and expenditures, couldn't help but interject, “I know you are righteous and benevolent, and of course, this is for the good of our people. However, this commission fee is quite substantial; we also need funds for our daily operations. Our daily expenses basically rely on this main source of income.”

“Hahaha, you don't need to feel so much pressure,” Xu Yang replied. “I'm certainly not speaking idly. It's just that our financial resources don't need to come directly from the people. Didn't you just say there are many bandits and brigands in this vicinity? They are all extremely wealthy. This time, if we intentionally reveal a small weakness, lure the snakes out of their holes, and then trap them like turtles in a jar, we can properly fleece these bandits. I'd like to see if they still dare to target the people of Changle County in the future. This way, on one hand, we can solve our economic problems, and on the other hand, we can naturally establish our reputation. From now on, I want all bandits and marauders in this vicinity to never dare to target us again. This is our true objective.”

It must be said that Xu Yang's vision and way of handling matters already surpassed everyone else's, and the five Dharma Kings had no choice but to obey. In fact, they greatly admired Xu Yang's almost domineering way of solving problems.

“Hahaha, as the saying goes, 'a great hero serves their country and its people!'” one of the Dharma Kings exclaimed. “Although the Sect Master never claims to be a hero, the things you do are often far more substantial than those who merely seek fame. I believe it won't be long before all the people under our governance will be deeply grateful to the Sect Master.”

Xu Yang calmly shook his head. “As you know, I am not someone who places too much importance on reputation. It's simply that my way of solving problems gets to the root cause. If we don't possess sufficient power, then others will always dictate the rules. Therefore, we must always be the ones to set the rules! That is the fundamental meaning of us constantly becoming stronger.”

Understanding Xu Yang's true intention, everyone nodded in agreement, simultaneously bowing and cupping their fists towards him.

“Since the Sect Master has already decided to do this,” Old Tan declared, “what is there for us to hesitate about? This time, the list doesn't need to be drafted at all. We just need to send out a small group as bait to accompany the trading convoy. As long as any bandits or brigands dare to target us, the five Dharma Kings will go all out under the Sect Master's personal leadership. This time, we will make sure they suffer greatly.”

“Don't worry, Old Tan,” Xu Yang replied. “I will arrange the specific operation. This time, I will secretly embed some Shadow Guards within the convoy to ensure the absolute safety of the populace. As soon as anything is discovered, they will report back to us immediately, thus ensuring the entire trade operation is foolproof!”