Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 91: Family

Solar Vermillion Sect.

Listening to the faint buzz on the other end of the line, Qiu Chufeng knew that Chairman Lin was clearly displeased with him. However, what did it matter if Lin Yuzhi was displeased? He couldn't risk jeopardizing the entire Solar Vermillion Sect just to appease him.

Even if he had angered Lin Yuzhi, he could always avoid him and focus on developing the sect's branches in the capital city during his tenure.

However, taking any action against Li Pin, who was a rising star expected to excel in the national competition, at such sensitive times would be nothing short of a fatal mistake. Such a move could cause the entire Solar Vermillion Sect to be pulled up along with its roots.[1]

"Li Pin!"

Faced with no choice, Qiu Chufeng quickly channeled the humiliation and anger from Lin Yuzhi's reprimand onto Li Pin. He was the leader of a major faction! He commanded thousands of disciples, more than a hundred of whom were capable of combat! He was also a man who managed assets worth billions. Yet, he had been utterly humiliated by a mere Core... Aura Force martial artist!

This was a disgrace he could not tolerate.

Despite his burning desire to take revenge on Li Pin, he found himself powerless to act. This helplessness made the Sect Master of the Solar Vermillion Sect so furious that he was gritting his teeth.

Soon, a commotion from outside grew increasingly loud.

Already on edge and furious, Qiu Chufeng felt overwhelmed. As the noise intensified, Qiu Chuyun, the person responsible for managing the sect's affairs, had no choice but to come in and consult him, "Sect Master, the Zhou family is becoming increasingly audacious with their demands. They insist we give them an explanation regarding Zhou Chaoguang's death. Even that old man from the Zhou family is on his way to Jiang Province."

Qiu Chufeng's anger was about to boil over. "Explanation? What kind of explanation do they want? They're just after money! I've already offered a property in the capital as compensation, but they're still not satisfied!"

Real estate prices in the capital city were astronomical. Even in the outskirts, they started at a hundred thousand per square meter. Offering a building meant sacrificing billions, equivalent to several years of the Solar Vermillion Sect's earnings from the capital city.

Yet the Zhou family remained unsatisfied, continuing to create a commotion and seemingly escalating the situation further.

Qiu Chufeng fumed, "So what if Zhou Chaoguang is dead? Do they think our Solar Vermillion Sect is running a charity?"

"They clearly won't let this go," Qiu Chuyun said, pausing briefly. "According to that old man, if we don't provide a satisfactory explanation, they'll escalate the matter to the Martial Association. Even though we left no evidence and the investigation team is currently active in Jiang Province, letting the Zhou family continue their uproar could cost us dearly."

"They wouldn't dare!" Qiu Chufeng's eyes flashed with fury. "That old man is courting death!"

Qiu Chuyun remained silent.

After a moment of intense rage, Qiu Chufeng had no choice but to suppress his anger and murderous intent.

Compared to the Zhou family, the investigation team was a far more significant threat. Despite the Zhou family's uproar, their status limited their ability to act recklessly. The investigation team, on the other hand....

They represented the country's law enforcement that specifically targeted martial artists. Now that Lin Yuzhi was clearly dissatisfied with them, he naturally wouldn't be willing to shield them from the investigation team's pressure.

The investigation team was well known for their aggressive tactics and large-scale raids, so if they got a hold of the Solar Vermillion Sect, the consequences would be catastrophic.

The investigation team could legally seize and divide up the sect's billions of yuan of assets. This way, the sect's members would be paraded as examples, serving as a warning to others.

"Li Pin defies me! And now the Zhou family thinks they can do the same!?" Qiu Chufeng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "No matter the cost, we must weather this storm."

He issued a cold order, "Gather the funds and deal with the Zhou family first. I won't let this matter slide so easily!"

***

The next day, to Li Pin's surprise—though not entirely unexpected—he found that there were no matches scheduled for him again. It had been two consecutive days without any scheduled bouts.

He wasn't alone, even Fang Lingjue had managed to have a rare day off. However, this left him somewhat disappointed, especially since he was at a crucial moment in mastering Aura Force.

Despite having no matches, Li Pin's day was far from idle because Ms. Li, Li Yunyao, and Lin Xiaolu arrived in Jiang Province, escorted by Meng Shan, the chairman of the Liuchuan County Martial Society.

By the time Li Pin arrived with the car he borrowed from Fang Lingjue, Meng Shan had shed his usual casual demeanor. The chairman was now reserved, even showing signs of respect.

As a member of the martial arts community, he had closely followed Li Pin's performance in the Jiang Province Martial Competition. He was well aware that Li Pin had been easily defeating his opponents.

Especially after the news spread that Li Pin had killed Zhou Chaoguang, a referee at the Aura Cultivation realm, Li Pin's reputation soared. Many were eagerly waiting to see him win the championship and become Jiang Province's top martial artist.

Under these circumstances, Meng Shan could not afford to treat him with the same attitude as before.

"I always knew my son is the most outstanding and would achieve great things," Ms. Li said, her face full of joy upon seeing Li Pin again.

The moment Li Yunyao saw Li Pin, she exclaimed, "Brother! You are amazing!"

She immediately leapt into his arm, her eyes sparkling like stars.

Li Pin quickly hugged her back and, with the momentum of her jump, spun around once before setting her down. "I know I'm great. You don't need to praise me like that."

"Brother! I will definitely look up to you as my role model!" Lin Xiaolu added, her face flushed with admiration.

"Well then, you'd better give it your best," Li Pin said with a smile.

Seeing Li Pin reunited with his family, Meng Shan, reading the room, politely excused himself and left.

Li Pin also didn't linger either and said, "Come on, let me show you our new home. The moving company's trucks will arrive this afternoon."

"Wait," Mrs. Li said, "your sister and brother-in-law want to join us too. They have invited us for lunch."

Li Pin was a bit surprised. "Oh?"

"Are you still upset with your sister?" Mrs. Li asked cautiously.

"Hmm?"

Li Pin was puzzled for a moment. Then, it dawned on him. A few days before his transmigration, he had blocked his sister, Li Yunyan, due to her persistent calls and attempts to persuade him. Their last conversation had been through Mrs. Li's phone. He had completely forgotten about it.

He never expected this to be the reason Li Yunyan hadn't contacted him.

"No," Li Pin responded, unblocking Li Yunyan in front of Ms. Li.

This brought a heartfelt smile to Ms. Li's face.

As a simple country woman with not much power, she struggled to control her children's behavior, sometimes even feeling hesitant to speak loudly in front of them. Nevertheless, she genuinely hoped her children could all get along together and have a loving relationship.

At this moment, Ms. Li's phone rang.

She answered the call, and soon, they heard Li Yunyan's voice on the other end.

Shortly after Mrs. Li provided their location, a sleek black seven-seater business car arrived.

Sitting in the front passenger seat was Li Yunyan, her refined features now even more gentle due to her pregnancy.

The driver was Qin Guangming, her brother-in-law who had visited their home before.

In addition to the couple, there was a young girl in the back seat, around eighteen or nineteen years old, slightly older than Li Yunyao.

She was curiously observing the group through the window, particularly focusing on Li Pin. As she studied him, he abruptly shifted his gaze to her.

There was something familiar about her. He had once felt this way before back in Zanglong City, from the Astral Cultivator, Shang Feng.

1. disastrous ending to the Solar Vermillion Sect. ☜