Jing Family

Jing Family Villa.

Since no one had notified him that the board meeting would be convened, Jing Gufeng did not learn that he had been kicked off the board until three in the afternoon.

Chairman Zhang Minglong's backstabbing left Jing Gufeng furious beyond measure.

The Jing Family was, after all, a recognized name in Canglong City.

Though they had not truly entered high society, the hundreds of millions in assets accumulated over generations had given them considerable influence in the education, publishing, and printing industries.

Now that he had been swept out of Hanyang University, he directly called Zhang Minglong.

Considering that the Zhang Family was somewhat more powerful than the Jing Family and had close ties with several high-ranking local officials, he forcibly suppressed his anger. "Chairman Zhang, I wonder what I did wrong to warrant such a grand mobilization against me?"

"Old Jing, if I were you, I wouldn't have made this call."

Zhang Minglong's voice came through the phone, revealing neither joy nor anger. "You should know that although I'm the chairman, I don't have the authority to casually do whatever I want to a director. But why did every single board member unanimously approve this decision? You might as well think carefully about whom you offended."

"Me? Whom did I offend?"

Jing Gufeng frowned.

The Jing Family naturally had competitors in their various industries, but none possessed enough power to influence the entire Hanyang University board.

After all, which Hanyang University director was not worth over a hundred million and a prominent figure in the local area?

"Chairman, just tell me plainly. Which important figure has taken a dislike to me? At least then I'll know which Buddha to worship and where to find the temple."

Jing Gufeng said.

The other side fell silent for a moment. Considering the friendship built through their years of cooperation, Zhang Minglong offered a few roundabout hints before finally saying, "Mayor Tian called me last night. Canglong City is currently competing to be named an advanced education city in Jiangzhou."

"Mayor Tian!?"

Jing Gufeng froze.

Then his heart jolted, and dizziness washed over him.

How had he offended such a major figure!?

"This... I've never had any dealings with Mayor Tian..."

"Mayor Tian has recently been keeping a very close eye on people in the education industry abusing their authority to dismiss others without cause. We're under great pressure as well. So I hope you can understand. That's all. Come complete the handover, and let's part on good terms."

Zhang Minglong said nothing further and hung up.

Listening to the dead tone on the phone, Jing Gufeng's expression grew even uglier.

"Abusing authority? Dismissal?"

He could not help thinking of Li Pin, who had repeatedly refused to give him any face.

Originally, he had planned to have Jing Yunshan use compensation as an excuse to lure Li Pin into demanding an exorbitant sum, then accuse him of extortion afterward.

Yet Li Pin simply never came to Hanyang University, and he turned a blind eye to Jing Yunshan's repeated invitations to apologize.

Left with no alternative, Jing Gufeng had spread word that Li Pin had been expelled, intending to lure him to the university to argue his case.

And yet...

There was still no movement from him.

Even after Jing Gufeng had truly expelled Li Pin, he showed no reaction whatsoever, as though nothing about Hanyang University mattered to him at all.

Faced with such a martial artist who would not yield to oil or salt, Jing Gufeng had strength but nowhere to apply it.

Now the board had suddenly pulled this stunt and even brought up his expulsion of a student...

Was this Li Pin's counterattack!?

As for the news that Li Pin had beaten the Cat Demon to death, killed Wang Daoyi, and already reached Embrace Dan, it was far beyond the reach of his social circle.

"Bad news, Dad! Something's happened!"

At that moment, shouting came from outside.

Jing Zhengqi hurried in. "Several suppliers of our printing plant have all announced the termination of their cooperation with us. People are causing trouble at all three of our training institutions, and some have even been injured. Even our publishing businesses have all exploded at the same time..."

At this point, anger flashed in his eyes. "Someone is targeting us!"

Jing Gufeng's expression changed.

They moved this fast!?

He immediately took out his phone and made a call.

The moment the call connected, before he could even ask anything, an urgent voice came from the other end. "Old Jing, how did you offend the Five Elements Sect!? You know better than I do what kind of weight the Five Elements Sect carries! The actual influence of such a Martial World force is several times greater than its apparent scale. Hurry and find out exactly how you offended the Five Elements Sect's higher-ups. Then prepare generous gifts and personally go to apologize, or your Jing Family can forget about gaining a foothold in Canglong City from now on."

"The Five Elements Sect!?"

Jing Gufeng's pupils contracted. "The number one Martial World force in Canglong City, the Five Elements Sect!?"

"Who else could it be besides that Five Elements Sect?"

The voice continued, "Who in both the legal and underworld spheres would dare deny the Five Elements Sect face? We simply cannot afford to provoke such a colossal entity! If you don't settle this matter properly, I'm afraid it won't just be a matter of losing money. If things go badly, lives may be at stake! That's all I can say. Handle it yourself."

With that, he quickly hung up as well.

"The Five Elements Sect! The Five Elements Sect!"

At this moment, Jing Gufeng no longer merely felt weighed down. Fear had already appeared in his eyes.

The Five Elements Sect was a Martial World force.

Why did the state grant martial artists all sorts of privileges!?

Because martial artists possessed strength far beyond ordinary people.

When one carried a weapon, the intent to kill arose; when a common man flew into rage, blood splashed five steps away.

Those had never been empty words.

Ordinary Level 1 and Level 2 Martial Artists, even Hua Jin masters, were still manageable.

The Public Security Division of the Garrison Department could deal with them.

But upon reaching Embrace Dan, a martial artist's strength became "inhuman," and the difficulty of dealing with them rose geometrically.

Trap them inside a house?

They would smash through the wall and leave.

Have them dive underwater, and they could hold their breath for half an hour.

Such people could even go days without food, water, or sleep.

How could the difficulty of dealing with them be merely a little greater!?

It could be said that if an Embrace Dan martial master disregarded the law and targeted a force like the Jing Family with a perish-together mindset, everyone in the Jing Family could be slaughtered.

And the Five Elements Sect, Canglong City's number one Martial World force, had more than one such "inhuman" monster.

"If the Five Elements Sect is exerting pressure behind the scenes, then Mayor Tian stepping in and forcing Zhang Minglong to kick me off the board is perfectly normal. But we have never had any dealings with the Five Elements Sect. Why would such a colossal entity target a tiny Jing Family like ours!?"

Jing Gufeng's heart was filled with unease.

He kept making calls on his phone.

Those with well-informed connections simply refused to answer, and some even turned off their phones.

Those who were poorly informed had no idea what had happened at all.

After making calls for nearly an hour, Jing Gufeng obtained crucial intelligence from a department manager working at Xingyao International Center. Combined with his own deductions, he finally arrived at a terrifying conclusion.

"Li Pin became a Level 2 Martial Artist at just twenty-two. His martial arts talent must be extraordinary. It's highly likely that Old Master Cao Tianyou, the sect master of the Five Elements Sect, took him as a disciple! So the Five Elements Sect is standing up for him!?"

Once he understood this, all the fog abruptly parted.

Enlightenment immediately dawned on him.

"Our Jing Family is being besieged by the Five Elements Sect because of Li Pin, whom I expelled not long ago!?"