Liu Yutong stepped onto the high platform, her gaze slowly sweeping over every excited face in the audience below.
"Sit!"
With a rustle!
Everyone sat down in unison, their movements crisp and neat.
This scene left the newly arrived waitstaff outside the banquet hall utterly stunned.
The doors to the banquet hall weren't completely shut, leaving a narrow crack.
Outside, several hotel-uniformed waitstaff were secretly peeking through the gap.
They were all new hires from this year. The service industry itself has high turnover, and this was their first time witnessing a gathering of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society in person.
The synchronized standing up and sitting down just now had made them jump.
"My god, what's going on here? A corporate meeting? That's terrifying!"
"Corporate meeting? Look at that crowd in black suits, does that look like a company meeting?"
"Looks more like a... gang meeting to me."
"Whoa, seriously? Are people in that world so brazen about gathering openly now? Doesn't anyone do anything about it?"
"Do something? You want to do something? Even the cops would probably have to put on a polite smile if they saw this scene."
"Look at the girl on the stage, she's as pretty as a movie star, but her aura is so intimidating! I bet she's the daughter of some underworld boss!"
"I think so too!"
"Keep it down, stop talking. It won't be good if we're overheard."
"........"
Right then, a voice from inside happened to carry through.
"First group, to the stage!"
Immediately after, they saw a line of young men spring to their feet, striding towards the front of the stage with visibly excited faces.
For some reason, the waitstaff outside gradually became infected by the atmosphere.
"It's starting, it's starting! This is about getting promoted, right? I know this routine! That's how it goes in the movies. Next, they'll probably swear a blood oath and then hand out some 'tools'."
Their guess was correct; inside, they were indeed 'swearing a blood oath' and handing out items.
It's just that the reality differed quite a bit from what they imagined.
After the first group of ten ascended the stage, Yun Cheng stepped forward to address them:
"Congratulations on becoming core members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society. We hope you will always remember the tenets of our Society!"
The group immediately shouted in unison one of the Society's core maxims: "Be cautious, meticulous, bold, understand the law, and unify knowledge with action!"
Yun Cheng nodded. "Now, please come before the Young Lady to receive your garments and books."
Still, no unnecessary words. The address ended, and the distribution began.
Ma Da and Yu Xin stood on either side of Liu Yutong, continuously handing over the prepared garments and the red-covered 'manuals'.
Liu Yutong then personally presented them to each new core member.
Every Ten Thousand Dragons Society core member who stood before Liu Yutong looked exceptionally excited, their eyes burning with fervor.
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of an ancient imperial appointment ceremony, as if from this moment on, the Young Lady was their acknowledged leader.
Each new member, upon receiving their items, would place a clenched fist over their chest and declare loudly: "I pledge to follow the Young Lady unto death! Betrayers shall suffer three blades, six wounds!"
Hearing this slogan, Liu Yutong's eyelid twitched slightly, and she shot a glance at Ma Da.
It must be you again, coming up with this stuff.
Wasn't it enough to have it plastered on the company walls? Now you have them shouting it one by one.
Fortunately, she was used to Ma Da and the others occasionally implementing their wild ideas and didn't react too strongly.
But the waitstaff outside felt their scalps prickle and their hearts pound.
"Listen to that! 'Three blades, six wounds'—confirmed! They're definitely from the underworld!"
"Do you guys know what they're handing out? That red thing? Is it some special gang manual?"
"I think so! Look at their expressions, it's like they're receiving an imperial decree. Their cohesion is terrifying!"
".…..."
Right at that moment.
Right at that moment, a new member, overwhelmed with excitement, fumbled slightly while receiving the items. The red-covered book nearly slipped from his grasp.
But he reacted quickly and caught it in time.
However, in that instant, the title on the cover became visible to the waitstaff outside.
"The Criminal Law?!"
The waitstaff: "???"
Each wore a face of utter bewilderment.
They never expected the book these seemingly hardened gangsters were receiving to be the Criminal Law?
The contrast was so great it even made them wonder if this was some kind of performance art.
Even more incredibly, they then saw that people inside were being called upon to recite legal articles from memory—and those chosen could actually recite them fluently.
One waiter immediately felt his brain short-circuiting.
"My mind is a mess. I need a moment... This feels even scarier than actual gangsters..."
They finally concluded: it's not easy being in the underworld these days. Being good at fighting isn't enough anymore; you have to be able to recite the Criminal Law too. That's just too hardcore!
Among these waitstaff, a young man with side-swept bangs and a face mask hadn't spoken a word the whole time. He just watched the entire promotion ceremony with an intense, burning gaze.
His look seemed to suggest he was committing every detail of the process to memory.
After the ceremony ended, the man slipped quietly into the restroom. Locking himself in a stall, he yanked down his mask, revealing faint strap marks on his chin, his expression now one of excitement.
"Damn, so that's how it is! So this is how the Ten Thousand Dragons Society rose up! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
"Now I've finally learned the essence. I can definitely make it big in Great South City!"
He then immediately pulled out a notebook and pen tucked into the back of his waistband and began writing furiously, determined to record everything he saw today.
The Secret to the Ten Thousand Dragons Society's Growth and Success (Top Secret)
[1. The boss's aura and prestige are a must. From now on, when I give speeches, I must first coldly sweep my gaze over the crowd for three seconds, then be terse and only say one word: "Sit!" "Stand!" "Eat!"... Must keep them guessing about my thoughts as the boss! Yes! That's the way!]
[2. Uniform battle attire: The Ten Thousand Dragons Society's black suits are standard. On this point, I must innovate. I'll use green battle robes as our standard. After all, the color is easy on the eyes; they won't get tired even after looking at it for a long time. I'll get the brothers unified on this later!]
[3. Be humble and eager to learn! So the Ten Thousand Dragons Society hands out the 'Criminal Law.' I knew it! Just knowing how to fight is outdated. You have to understand the law. That way you know how to fight... ahem, I mean, how to operate flexibly within the legal framework. This is definitely something to study.]
[4. Ritual and ceremony are essential! Blood oaths and the like are weak! Look at them, handing out books and clothes. That's called being cultured, that's called elevating your prestige. I'll have to implement an initiation ceremony for my gang too. They'll also have to pledge to me, 'I pledge to follow unto death...' Well, I haven't thought of a harsher oath yet, I'll work on that later.]
[5. The ultimate secret to success! Relying on me, the boss, alone isn't enough. You also need a 'Young Lady' to command respect! Too bad I'm a guy... but no matter! I can get my little sister to do it! She stabbed me with a compass and made me cry when we fought in fifth grade—her aura is definitely strong enough! From now on, she'll be the 'Little Young Lady'!]
[...]
