Aside from materials for Artifact Refining, Wu Zhaoyang had also taken a Qiankun Bag to store the materials.

After they both had chosen their items,

Shen Qiang said to the silent, beautiful, Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang, "Take whatever you want."

The beautiful Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang, with a look of surprise in her beautiful eyes, said to Shen Qiang, "Boss, your recent fight with the people from Long Yan Sword Sect was to help me; I'm already feeling quite embarrassed, how can I take anything else?"

Shen Qiang chuckled and said, "The Long Yan Sword Sect is your enemy as well as an enemy of Shen's Holding, and you are one of Shen's own. After facing life and death, it would be unreasonable to have no gains. Moreover, from my perspective, if these items can be of use to you and can enhance your strength even slightly, I am happy to see you take them."

"Because the stronger you are, the stronger Shen's Holding becomes. We are all family here; we share both glory and loss. No one is exempt from external threats, so if there's anything here that you can use, please don't hold back."

Hearing these words, the beautiful Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang silently contemplated for a moment, then reached for a Qiankun Bag and a Jade Talisman on the table, and smiled at Shen Qiang saying, "Thank you, boss."

Shen Qiang smiled, then turned to look at Bianyi, who was eagerly staring at the Storage Ring.

He pushed forward the Storage Ring, soft armor, and about a dozen Jade Talismans, and said, "Your Cultivation is only at the Golden Core Stage. Although this soft armor isn't particularly good, it is still a Magical Treasure. You wearing it, along with these Jade Talismans, which aren't of great use but can be activated with injected True Yuan, undoubtedly adds several chances for you to save your life."

Bianyi was stunned, "All these are for me?"

Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow and said, "I don't want to spout any nonsense about rewards based on contributions. No matter whether Shen's rises or not, I hope that we can all stay alive. So, let's save all the moving speeches for when Shen's truly stands at the peak of the Cultivation World, when we'll have plenty of time to talk about these things."

"For now, all we can do is make every possible effort to strengthen ourselves quickly."

After speaking, Shen Qiang gathered the rest of the items on the table and placed them into a Qiankun Bag, passed it to Xiu Ju, and while telling the waiter they could serve the food, he said in a deep voice, "Just now, we targeted those people from Long Yan Sword Sect."

"This morning, they dumped the corpse of Jiang Hanyang's friend by the river, and now they are all dead." Looking at Jiang Hanyang, Shen Qiang said, "But this matter definitely won't just go away. Next, the Long Yan Sword Sect will undoubtedly gather their strength to launch a deadly strike against us."

"So starting today, Wu Zhaoyang and Lan Yong, the two of you must stay together at all times to avoid falling into traps when isolated."

After speaking about Lan Yong and Wu Zhaoyang, Shen Qiang looked at Bianyi and said, "I've given you money before; I want you to find a trustworthy expert above the Mixed Element Realm to protect you closely."

Bianyi looked at the beautiful Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang with a smile and said, "Boss, I think Xiao Jiang is quite suitable."

Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow and said, "She is a strategist, it makes more sense for her to remain behind the scenes, so I won't have her appear in public often."

Bianyi smiled and said, "That's fine, no problem, I'll find someone to protect me within a week."

Shen Qiang nodded, then looked at the beautiful Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang and said, "You've just joined Shen's, and there might be some things you still don't quite understand. In fact, there aren't many Cultivators in Shen's, so there's currently no suitable person to form a team with you. If you have someone trustworthy, I welcome you to invite them to join you. As for the salary, Shen's will not let him down."

Hearing this, the beautiful Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang sadly remained silent for a while before smiling and saying, "I don't have many friends in the Cultivation World, and my Cultivation has already reached the Yang God Realm. Self-protection is not a big problem."

Shen Qiang was silent for a moment and then said, "Alright, you are free to move as you wish. If you feel unsafe and bored on your own, you can always find any of us. Bianyi can arrange a position for you in the company, with a base salary of one hundred thousand per month, the same as Wu Zhaoyang and Lan Yong, with year-end bonuses."

The beautiful Heroic Thief Jiang Hanyang smiled and said, "Actually, you don't need to pay me."

Shen Qiang raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "Don't say such meaningless things. No matter your reason for joining Shen's, everyone needs to make a living. One hundred thousand as a base salary might still be a little low for a Yang God Realm expert like yourself, but I want you and everyone here to understand one thing: Shen's is not just mine, Shen Qiang's; it belongs to us all."

"I, Shen Qiang, don't want to pretend hypocritically to make promises I can't keep, but I, Shen Qiang, can guarantee that as long as we are honest with each other and do not harm Shen's interests, as long as I am here, as long as Shen's Holding is here, none of us will ever be bullied again, and the same will apply to our children in the future."

Looking at everyone present, Shen Qiang calmly stated, "I climbed up from the bottom. I'm very aware of the difficulties of being poor and powerless. From elementary school to middle school, to university, to internships, even to entering the Cultivation World, although I have always been doubted by others, I, Shen Qiang, have still been advancing."

"Because this is life! If I, Shen Qiang, cannot accept living a mediocre life forever, being ridiculed, and despised everywhere I go, then the only thing I can do is fight! Strive! And make a standout success!"

"I don't want to live this life with an indifferent attitude."

"Neither do I want to squat alone in a corner, feeling aggrieved after being mocked and bullied."

"Because that has no meaning at all!"

Shen Qiang said forcefully, "Because that will only make those who bullied me feel happy, feel joyful! Because the more destitute I am, the more proud they become!"

Looking at everyone present, Shen Qiang paused for a moment before continuing, "But the world is cruel, and it's not always possible to have things the way you want, especially in the Cultivation World. To rise, one must pay a price. Without struggle, effort, and sacrifice, there would be no gains. If at this moment our hearts waver even slightly, perhaps we can never advance on the path to success."

Picking up a cup of wine from the table, Shen Qiang calmly stated, "And now, Long Yan Sword Sect has already become our mortal enemy, our conflicts with them cannot be settled through reason or money. So sometimes, I think, on the day the real battle begins, there might be deaths among us."

"If such a situation arises, I require everyone not to cry because we simply do not need that kind of useless weakness!"

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