"Also, there's something else I need to inform you about," Lin Xi said.
"Please go ahead."
"Your application to establish the 'Ziyang Sect' has been approved by headquarters. Given the current circumstances, which are quite different from when you applied, some of your conditions have been relaxed. Our headquarters' new Azure Banner Captain will be in touch with you shortly to discuss the specifics."
"A new one? Who is it?" I asked, concerned about dealing with someone I didn't know.
"You'll find out when they arrive. My sister needs to return to headquarters, and from now on, all matters concerning Fucheng Sabia, and even the broader Northeast Sabia region, will be under the Azure Banner Captain's responsibility."
"...Alright, then."
Not long after my call, Lin Chi arrived with her suitcase to bid me farewell. I took the opportunity to ask her about the new Azure Banner Captain. Lin Chi checked her watch and said they should be arriving soon, asking me to wait.
About five minutes after Lin Chi left, a black Audi sedan drove into the Fucheng branch of Sabia. The Sabia comrades at the unit recognized the Beijing license plate and immediately stepped forward, forming a welcoming line. I joined the group, hoping to make a good impression on the leader.
The Fucheng Sabia leader opened the rear right door, and a graceful, familiar leg clad in jeans emerged. The beautiful owner of the leg soon stepped out, removed her sunglasses, and gave me a slight smile.
"What the hell, it's you!"
Shen Xingyue!
She was the captain of the Jinling Azure Banner team, three ranks below the headquarters' Azure Banner Captain!
If she were indeed the new headquarters Azure Banner Captain, that would be a promotion of three ranks, an extraordinary leap!
"Tsk, can you say something nice!" Shen Xingyue glared at me before shaking hands with the local Sabia leaders. They were all familiar with each other, but her new position necessitated a formal introduction.
When it was my turn, I extended my hand, but Shen Xingyue deliberately dodged it, shook hands with the fox demon instead, and then entered the building.
Did she have an issue with me?
I followed the group into the office building and into the conference room. This time, it was a larger conference room. Behind the main stage hung a long red banner with a lengthy message about some ideology and standing tall, concluding with a declaration of a cadre assembly for the Sabia Fucheng branch.
There were three seats on the main stage, and my name wasn't among them, so I could only sit in the back row as an observer. Shen Xingyue occupied the center seat, with a leader from Sabia's headquarters organization department on her left, who had come to deliver the appointment, and the Fucheng Sabia bureau chief on her right.
From the organization department leader's introduction, I learned that although Shen Xingyue was the captain of the Jinling Azure Banner team, her rank was already on par with the Jinling Sabia bureau chief. She was a high-ranking official in a lower position, so this promotion to headquarters Azure Banner Captain was only a one-rank advancement, in line with organizational regulations, with no undue influence involved.
Furthermore, the leader specifically highlighted Shen Xingyue's performance in the Battle of Cuiping Mountain, where she severely injured the Demon Hunter organization and sustained injuries herself. She was awarded a personal second-class merit citation by headquarters, implying her advancement was hard-won through personal sacrifice, making it logical and justifiable.
The meeting was held here because, in addition to being appointed as the headquarters Azure Banner Captain, Shen Xingyue was also concurrently appointed as the new bureau chief of the Sabia Fucheng branch.
Next, the Fucheng Sabia bureau chief delivered a welcome speech. It turned out he was about to retire. After this reassignment, he would be relieved of his leadership duties but would receive a higher rank, providing him with better retirement benefits, a common practice within the system.
Finally, Shen Xingyue delivered her acceptance speech.
On stage, Shen Xingyue was very formal, her tone and demeanor perfectly embodying the leadership persona.
After the assembly concluded, the old leader took Shen Xingyue to tour her office. It wasn't the old leader's former office but a newly renovated space specifically for Shen Xingyue. Due to her higher rank, her office space allocation was more generous, reaching sixty square meters. The Fucheng Sabia did not have such a large office, so two adjacent offices were combined into one large room (with a visible beam indicating the former partition). The interior was decorated with solemnity and meticulousness, featuring a large window at the back, an over two-meter-long solid wood desk, a bookshelf to the side, a reception area opposite, and behind a screen, a single bed for rest, as well as an en-suite bathroom with a shower, making it entirely habitable.