Chapter 43: Jing Family
At the Jing Family’s Compound.
Having not been notified of the board meeting, it was only by three in the afternoon that Jing Gufeng came to learn of his expulsion from the board.
Chairman Zhang Minglong's backstabbing had infuriated Jing Gufeng.
The Jing Family was a name that echoed through the streets of Zanglong City. They hadn't truly ascended to the pinnacle of society, but with the hundreds of millions of assets accumulated over generations, they were still able to extend their influence into the education, publishing, and printing industries.
Thrust out of Hanyang University like a discarded object, Jing Gufeng took out his phone and immediately dialed Chairman Zhang Minglong's number.
Aware of the Zhang family's influence, which extended even to higher-ranking local government officials, he suppressed his anger and spoke with a measured tone, "Chairman Zhang, I'm curious to know what I have done to warrant such drastic action from you."
—Old Jing[1], if I were you, I wouldn't have made this phone call.
Zhang Minglong's voice echoed through the phone line, devoid of any emotion.
—You should know very well, that though I may be the chairman, my power is not enough to dismiss directors at will. So why is it that, this time, all the directors unanimously approved of this decision? Perhaps you should take some time to reflect on who you might have offended.
Jing Gufeng frowned. "Me? Who did I offend?"
The Jing Family was involved in several industries, so they naturally had competition. However, none of these competitors should have enough power to influence the entire Hanyang University's Board of Directors. After all, those who could become members of the board were all worth over a hundred million yuan and were well-known figures in the community.
"Chairman, just be frank with me. Who is this prominent figure I may have offended? At least, this way I'll know where to turn to appease them," Jing Gufeng said.
The other end of the line went silent.
Chairman Zhang had been speaking in a roundabout way earlier out of consideration for the friendly relationship he’s had with Jing Gufeng over the years. However, with Jing Gufeng’s urging, Chairman Zhang decided to not beat around the bush anymore.
—I received a phone call from Mayor Tian last night. As of now, Zanglong City is trying to compete to be a Jiang Province Advanced Education City.
Jing Gufeng was astounded. "Mayor Tian!"
A jolt of shock ran through his heart, and a wave of dizziness washed through his mind.
How could I have offended such an important figure!
"How… I have never had any interactions with Mayor Tian before…."
—Mayor Tian has been closely monitoring the recent incidents of abuse of power in the education industry, where students have been expelled without cause. We're under a lot of pressure too. I hope you can understand our situation. Let's just hand over your responsibilities now. It is better to part ways peacefully.
Zhang Minglong hung up, not adding another word.
As Jing Gufeng heard the busy signal on the phone, his expression grew increasingly grim.
"Abuse of power? Expelled?"
At this moment, his mind couldn't help but wander to Li Pin, the person who had repeatedly disrespected him.
His original plan was to have Jing Yunshan offer compensation to Li Pin. This would hopefully provoke Li Pin into making an unreasonable demand, creating an opportunity to accuse him of extortion. However, Li Pin never returned to Hanyang University and completely disregarded Jing Yunshan's repeated invitations for apologies.
Out of desperation, he could only start spreading rumors about Li Pin getting expelled in an attempt to lure him to the university to argue his case. Still… Li Pin didn't make a move.
Even after Li Pin was officially expelled, he remained completely unresponsive, as if he didn't care in the least about Hanyang University's affairs. Faced with such an uncooperative martial artist, Jing Yunshan also found himself powerless.
The board's sudden move… Bringing up the student expulsion… Could this be his counterattack!?
As for the news that Li Pin killed a demonic cat, struck down Wang Daoyi, and has already condensed his qi to form a Core, he would have no way of knowing about it in his social circle.
At this moment, a voice came through from outside. "Father! Something has gone terribly wrong!"
Jing Zhengqi rushed in, his face etched with worry. "All of our printing factory's suppliers have announced that they are ending their partnerships with us. There've been people stirring up trouble at all three of our training institutions, with some people even getting injured. And to top it all off, our publishing business has just collapsed!"
Jing Zhengqi's eyes were spewing flames, and he hissed, "Someone's out to get us!"
A look of shock flashed across Jing Gufeng's face.
So soon!?
With a sense of urgency, he whipped out his phone and punched in a number.
The phone connected. Before he could even ask any questions, a frantic voice erupted from the other end.
—Old Jing! What have you done to offend the Five Elements Sect!? You should know better than me the amount of power they hold in the city! The authority such a martial arts influence wields far exceeds their actual size! Figure out where you've crossed the higher-ups of the Five Elements Sect! Prepare a hefty gift and personally make amends with them! Or else, the Jing Family can really kiss their footholds in Zanglong City goodbye!
Five Elements Sect!?
Jing Gufeng's pupils dilated. "Five Elements Sect… The top martial arts influence of Zanglong City!?"
—Who else could it be?
The voice continued talking.
—The Five Elements Sect is a behemoth that neither the law enforcement nor the criminals would dare to offend. We cannot afford to provoke such a powerful entity! If you don't attend to this matter properly, I'm afraid it won't be just as simple as financial loss! Your life may even be in danger! That's all I can say, the rest, you'll have to figure out yourself.
After saying that, the person quickly hung up his phone.
"Five Elements Sect! The Five Elements Sect!"
At this moment, Jing Gufeng didn't feel resentful at all. All that weighed on his heart was fear, and it was evident in his eyes that were filled with fright.
Five Elements Sect was a martial arts influence!
Why did the kingdom grant martial artists such extensive privileges? That's because martial artists possessed strength that far surpassed that of ordinary people!
One who wielded a sharp weapon inevitably harbored the intent to kill; even a commoner's anger could cause blood to splatter five paces away.[2] This was no empty talk.
Ordinary level-one and level-two martial artists, or even those who mastered Transformative Force, were still manageable for the officers from the Security Affairs Department. However, once the martial artists formed their Core, their power would reach an inhuman level, posing a significantly greater challenge to subdue them.
When cornered in a room, they simply break through the walls. If submerged under water, they could hold their breaths for half an hour!
These people could even go days on end without food, drink, or sleep! The difficulty in subduing them was far beyond mere words!
Should a Core Formation Master disregard the law and set their sights on annihilating the Jing Family with unwavering determination, the entire Jing Family could face imminent extermination.
To top it all off, the Five Elements Sect, as the top martial arts influence in Zanglong City, harbored more than one "inhuman" monster of this kind.
"If Five Elements Sect was the one pulling the strings from behind, it would make perfect sense for Mayor Tian to force Zhang Minglong to kick me out of the Board of Directors. But we've never had any dealings with the Five Elements Sect before! Why would such a prominent figure target a small family like ours!?"
Jing Gufeng's heart was filled with unease.
He frantically dialed his phone, making one call after another.
Some individuals, well-informed about the situation, deliberately chose to ignore his calls, even going so far as to turn off their phones altogether.
Those who were unaware of the events remained ignorant of the chaos that was unfolding.
After nearly an hour of relentless phone calls, Jing Gufeng finally obtained crucial information from a department manager at Star Brilliance International Center. Combining this newfound knowledge with his own deductions, he arrived at a chilling realization.
"Li Pin became a level-two martial artist at the age of twenty-two, so his talents in martial arts must be extraordinary. There is a very high chance that the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect, Cao Tianyou, will want to take him in as a disciple! So, the Five Elements Sect is acting on his behalf!?"
Upon this realization, the fog of confusion surrounding him dissipated. Everything immediately became clear to him.
"The reason why the Jing Family is targeted by the Five Elements Sect is because we expelled Li Pin not long ago!?"
1. Referring to someone as Old <Surname> or Little <Surname> is just a naming convention for nicknames. ☜
2. The idiom explains the inherent danger of possessing power and emphasizes the destructive potential of one's anger when coupled with physical strength or the use of such weapons. ☜
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