Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 105: Chapter 88: The Secretary Does Her Job, You Do the Secretary

Cangxuan City, City Lord’s Mansion.

The very next morning after Li Chang’an had the recruitment notices posted, the area outside the City Lord’s Mansion was already teeming with people. Droves of talented individuals had heard the news, forming a line that stretched for dozens of meters.

And this was after Li Chang’an, seeing the massive crowd, had raised the screening criteria overnight.

If he hadn’t raised the criteria, the entire City Lord’s Mansion would likely have been completely mobbed.

To be a secretary for a Reincarnator, managing the affairs of an entire city—how many people would fight tooth and nail for such an opportunity and still fail to get it?

Typically, an opportunity like this would never even be available to the public.

It would be filled internally within Reincarnator circles.

But now, someone was actually recruiting publicly.

Who knew how many people had heard the news and rushed over through the night.

Li Chang’an conducted some initial interviews. Since the position was for a secretary, his first choice was naturally a young, beautiful woman. After all, Li Chang’an was a normal man; he had no peculiar desire to have another guy following him around all day, waiting on him hand and foot.

However, whether it was because his standards were too high or the young women outside simply didn’t perform well, Li Chang’an interviewed for a whole morning yet failed to find anyone who caught his eye.

Of course, Li Chang’an actually knew the real reason.

Last night, Su Ruobing’s secretary, Wang Miao, had performed so exceptionally well that she had raised the bar for his expectations of the secretarial profession.

But then again, who was Su Ruobing?

She was the Chairman of the Linjiang Reincarnator Association. Her secretary had undergone formal training and even held a position within the Association.

And while he was also a City Lord with plenty of power and influence, he was hampered by his humble origins. He had no foundation of his own, so how could he possibly pick a suitable candidate out of a vast sea of people?

After some thought, Li Chang’an decided not to lower his standards. He gave some Rebirth Points to the unsuccessful interviewees for their travel expenses and then sent them all on their way.

A personal secretary had to be someone whose background you knew inside and out.

It wasn’t a position where one could simply settle.

Therefore, after long consideration, Li Chang’an decided to call Su Ruobing.

Su Ruobing was clearly a little surprised to receive his call. “Li, what made you think of calling me?” she asked. “Is there something you need my help with?”

Li Chang’an exchanged some pleasantries. “Chairman Su, I received the gift you sent yesterday. Thank you for your support. I’m calling to ask if you might know of any suitable candidates for a secretary. This city is so large, and I’m struggling to find the right person to help me manage it!”

’He had already made up his mind.’

’If Su Ruobing didn’t have any suitable candidates, he would recruit a professional team from the Reincarnator forums for now. He’d make do with them temporarily and take his time scouting for real talent later.’

Hearing his request, Su Ruobing was clearly taken aback for a moment.

In her efforts to convince Li Chang’an to stay in Linjiang, she had considered numerous aspects of his compensation package, but it had never occurred to her that he wouldn’t even have a single trusted person to recommend for a secretarial role.

Then she remembered that Li Chang’an was an orphan, and it all clicked. “Of course we do,” she said, enlightened. “Quite a few, in fact. Every year, many children from Reincarnator Families fail to bind a Rebirth Mark and have to seek employment elsewhere!”

“And your post is a top-tier one, so there should be plenty of people willing to apply. I’ll have Wang Miao get in touch with some for you. They’ve all received formal training within their families and should be more than capable of meeting your requirements…”

Li Chang’an quickly replied, “Thank you, Chairman!”

’It feels great to have a powerful backer,’ he thought.

Su Ruobing smiled. This was a trivial matter for her. In fact, she was quite pleased that Li Chang’an had taken the initiative to call and ask for her help.

After all, trust and relationships are built through communication.

She wasn’t afraid of Li Chang’an calling her for help.

What she feared was him being unwilling to contact her at all.

With that thought, Su Ruobing paused before changing the subject. “By the way, Governor Hu has personally submitted the Martial Dao Evolution Path you uploaded to Kyoto. If all goes well, we should have the final verdict in about ten days…”

“You should prepare for the worst, but regardless of whether Kyoto approves it, we here in Xiangnan Province have already passed it. The rewards we’re issuing you are top-tier and should be credited to you within twenty-four hours. Just keep an eye out for them!”

Although before he left, Hu Xiuyuan had pounded his chest and sworn that the Martial Dao Evolution Path Li Chang’an submitted would definitely catch the attention of the highest authorities.

But with these things, nothing was ever certain until the final decision was made.

Therefore, Su Ruobing was proactively managing his expectations to prevent him from getting his hopes up too high.

The review process for an Evolution Path involved multiple tiers, and rewards were issued at each tier accordingly.

In other words, even if the Evolution Path Li Chang’an submitted didn’t pass the final review, it wouldn’t stop the lower-level authorities that had already approved it from issuing their rewards.

After all, just because Kyoto or the Human Alliance might not see high value in the path didn’t mean the local authorities couldn’t adopt it; the rewards would just be less substantial.

Su Ruobing was bringing this up now to reassure Li Chang’an, making it clear that the organization wouldn’t shortchange those who made valuable contributions.

Hearing this, Li Chang’an’s expression grew a little more serious. “Understood. Chairman, I’d almost forgotten about it until you mentioned it. I actually had some new findings from my latest rebirth. Once I get through this busy period, I might have to trouble you to get them reviewed as well!”

’Almost forgot about it…’

Su Ruobing’s lips twitched. For a rare moment, she secretly rolled her eyes.

However, the moment she heard “new findings,” her interest was piqued. She perked up, asking eagerly, “What is it about?”

Li Chang’an answered openly, “It’s about the Martial Dao, of course!”

Questions flooded Su Ruobing’s mind. ’Since when were there so many Martial Dao Evolution Paths to be found in the Rebirth Worlds? And why were there never any for the Magic Evolution Path, the one she specialized in?’

Of course, while she was interested, she noticed Li Chang’an showed no desire to elaborate, so she didn’t get her hopes up.

’After all, if it were truly that important, Li Chang’an wouldn’t be so calm about it.’

’Besides, the last surprise Li Chang’an delivered was already huge. Su Ruobing never imagined that a surprise of that magnitude could be replicated so soon.’

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Chang’an ended the call.

It had to be said, having connections in high places really made things happen fast.

That very afternoon, a little after three, a maglev train from the Reincarnator Association hovered in the air. Over twenty women, all with graceful figures and stunning beauty, emerged from it.

Upon seeing Li Chang’an, the women all adopted a humble posture, bowing deeply to him in a grand salute.

The woman at the head of the group stepped forward, a hint of nervousness in her voice. “Honorable Reincarnator, my name is Zhao Xi. We are all here to apply for the position of secretary!”

The young women in the group were all around Li Chang’an’s age.

The oldest was likely in her early twenties.

The youngest was the same age as Li Chang’an: eighteen.

They were almost all scions of branch families raised within Reincarnator Families. They had received excellent, specialized educations from a young age. On their eighteenth birthdays, if they successfully awakened a Rebirth Mark, they could have become official members of a major Reincarnator Family.

But if they failed, their fate wasn’t necessarily any better than that of an ordinary young woman.

After all, their knowledge and worldview from childhood meant they couldn’t be as easily satisfied as ordinary people, and Reincarnator Families did not support idlers.

Aside from a few exceptionally talented individuals who were allowed to stay, the vast majority were sent away to find work on their own.

Li Chang’an’s gaze slowly swept over the group of women.

Their appearances, their bearing, and the sophistication they revealed in their speech and behavior were a world apart from the motley crew of ordinary people he had interviewed that morning.

The only thing that gave Li Chang’an pause was that every single one of these women was astonishingly beautiful, making him slightly suspicious that they might be nothing more than pretty faces with no substance.

’Still, since Su Ruobing sent them, their abilities must be up to par,’ he reasoned.

With that in mind, Li Chang’an spoke. “I need someone capable, not just a pretty face. So, who among you considers herself the most competent?”

At his question, many of the applicants hesitated—not because they lacked ability, but because they were all trying to formulate the perfect response.

Only the young woman named Zhao Xi took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and steeled herself. Blushing, she said, “Honorable Reincarnator, my name is Zhao Xi, from the Zhao Family of neighboring Yang City. I’ve received systematic training since I was a child in Spiritual Object cultivation, city management, and mineral extraction. You know what they say: ’A secretary takes care of business. When there’s no business… you take care of the secretary.’ As long as it solves your problems, Honorable Reincarnator, I’m willing to do anything!”

’Wait, what was that about “when there’s no business… you take care of the secretary”?’

’That’s slander!’

’Pure, unadulterated slander!’

Li Chang’an looked her up and down a few times, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.

Still, the fact that she was willing to put it all on the line in front of so many people certainly proved she was different.

As someone in power, Li Chang’an wasn’t afraid of his subordinates being bold enough to stand out; he cared even less about *how* they chose to get his attention.

That, in itself, was a privilege enjoyed by those who held power.

The fact that Zhao Xi understood this—whether she had bluffed her way to this insight or grasped it intentionally—proved she possessed both sufficient wisdom and courage.

Therefore, after a moment’s thought, Li Chang’an nodded and said, “Zhao Xi, is it? Alright. You’re hired.”

Sometimes, the gap between people’s destinies widens simply based on whether or not you dare to reach out when an opportunity arises.

A moment ago, these young women might have all been standing on the same starting line.

The next, their fates were already worlds apart.

Li Chang’an paused, then after a moment’s thought, continued, “The rest of you, don’t be in a hurry to leave. We’re rebuilding everything from the ground up here. Anyone who is capable and willing to work can stay. Zhao Xi, you’ll conduct their interviews. As for salary and benefits, we can be generous.”

Having delegated these tedious matters, Li Chang’an stood up and left.

The whole reason he’d hired a secretary was because his time was precious; he couldn’t possibly handle everything himself.

Now that he had delegated the authority, if Zhao Xi was as capable as she claimed, he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. She would be able to deliver a satisfactory result.

’It feels good to be a hands-off boss!’ Returning to the tidied-up City Lord’s Mansion, Li Chang’an stretched, climbed into bed, and had a wonderful sleep.

After two back-to-back rebirths, he was mentally exhausted.

He would need to rest in the Main World for a while before he could undergo another rebirth.

Furthermore, while the S+ Level Energy Infusion had been incredible, Li Chang’an’s strength had only recovered to eighty percent of its peak.

This was equivalent to a Late Stage Level Two Martial Arts Evolver in the Main World.

To fully recover the remaining twenty percent of his Cultivation, he would have to spend a significant amount of time in arduous training.

But now that he was back in the Main World, would Li Chang’an really choose to restore his Cultivation through painstaking meditation like other Reincarnators?

’Of course not!’

He was used to just brute-forcing his power back with Energy Stones.

…