Chapter 150: The Head of the Li Family

Today had brought far too many shocks, even more than when Sun Yibin was serving in the military on dangerous missions. Sun Yibin felt as though his supposedly sharp mind was no longer capable of keeping up. The scene unfolding before his eyes completely shattered his worldview and left him in even deeper awe of Ling Tian. A man who could treat the young master of the Li family like a mere dog was far more powerful than he could have ever imagined.

"Please, hit me twice," Li Wenhao continued to plead, his earlier arrogance completely vanished, reduced now to a whimpering lapdog begging for scraps. Li Wenhao knew that all of this was happening because of his previous insults toward Sun Yibin. If Sun Yibin struck him a few times, perhaps Ling Tian's anger would finally subside.

Recovering from his shock, Sun Yibin gradually recalled how Li Wenhao had bullied him in the past, memory after memory flashing through his mind like scenes from a movie...

"Damn you, I've put up with you for far too long!" Growing angrier by the second, Sun Yibin finally snapped and delivered a fierce kick straight to Li Wenhao's shoulder. In his state of fury, Sun Yibin used his full strength, shattering Li Wenhao's collarbone with a single blow.

Unsatisfied after just one kick, Sun Yibin rushed forward and delivered several more vicious strikes in rapid succession, only stopping when Li Wenhao passed out cold.

Having vented the frustration that had accumulated in his heart for so long, Sun Yibin looked up at the sky and laughed heartily. "Awesome, absolutely damn awesome!" With that, Sun Yibin turned to Ling Tian, bowed respectfully, and said, "Young Master Ling, ever since I chose to follow you, I finally feel like a real, upright man for the very first time."

Ling Tian declared with overwhelming dominance, "I would rather die standing than live on my knees. A man must stand tall and proud between heaven and earth. A man's dignity and status must be fought for by his own hands; even if it means being shattered to pieces, one must never live a life of ignoble survival."

"Well said! From this day forward, my life belongs to you, Ling Tian, to command as you see fit," Sun Yibin said with utmost solemnity. "This is a promise between men."

Ling Tian patted Sun Yibin on the shoulder and smiled. "Come, let's have a cup of tea and rest for a moment. Soon enough, we'll settle accounts properly with Grand Century."

Sun Yibin asked in puzzlement, "Settle accounts? Oh, right, Young Master Ling, I brought everything you asked me to fetch via text message earlier."

"You handled it well," Ling Tian smiled.

After Ling Tian and Sun Yibin returned to their seats, the service staff of Grand Century finally scurried over. They carried the unconscious Li Wenhao away for medical treatment, while the two bodyguards were dragged off like dead dogs.

"Whose audacity is so great that they dare run amok on the Li family's turf?" A majestic-looking Li Fumin walked through the main entrance, accompanied by a dozen bodyguards, his icy gaze locking directly onto Ling Tian. Moments earlier, Li Fumin had received word that Ling Tian had appeared at Grand Century, prompting him to bring a powerful expert along with the specific intention of testing the true extent of Ling Tian's capabilities.

This was Ling Tian's first time seeing Li Fumin, yet from his imposing aura alone, he could deduce that this man must be the head of the Li family. Only someone who had occupied a position of supreme authority for a long time could possess such a presence.

However, one thing baffled Ling Tian: how could the formidable head of the Li family, a truly prominent figure in his own right, have ever fathered such a worthless piece of trash as Li Wenhao?

After briefly sizing up the Li family head, Ling Tian's gaze shifted to the man in black standing right beside him. Dressed in a tight-fitting black martial outfit and appearing to be around thirty years old, the man had a ruthless gleam in his eyes. His temples bulged prominently, radiating an extraordinary presence—this was undoubtedly the master who had neutralized his concealed internal energy.

While Ling Tian was appraising Li Fumin and the man in black, the two of them were simultaneously studying Ling Tian.

Li Fumin tilted his head slightly and whispered to the man in black, "Brother Horan, that person over there is Ling Tian."

The middle-aged man addressed as Horan stared coldly at Ling Tian. From outward appearances, he could not detect anything remarkable, but when he caught a fleeting trace of disdain in Ling Tian's eyes, his expression darkened instantly. "Family Head, this man cannot be underestimated. The internal force he previously left lingering in your son's shoulder was at least at the lower stage of Qi Refinement," Horan said in a low voice.

Li Fumin asked, "Brother Horan, do you feel confident you can handle this person?"

Horan replied, "Without trading blows, I cannot pinpoint his exact strength, but I am confident I can defeat him. He is merely a brash youth in his early twenties; even if his raw power is formidable, he lacks true combat experience."

Reassured by Horan's guarantee, Li Fumin finally breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "Brother Horan, as long as you can help me eliminate Ling Tian, I will reward you handsomely."

"Haha, the Family Head jests. I came here today precisely to help you get rid of Ling Tian," Horan said with extreme self-confidence. Having traveled the martial world for many years, Horan believed himself virtually unrivaled throughout Yunhai City. "Family Head, let's go over there. I'm already growing impatient to test my skills against him."

Leading a retinue of sycophants, Li Fumin strode imposingly over to Ling Tian and demanded arrogantly, "You must be Ling Tian."

Ling Tian calmly replied, "That's right, I am Ling Tian. And you must be Li Fumin, the head of the Li family, I presume?"

"Impudent! Is the name of the Family Head something a person like you is permitted to utter?" A bodyguard instantly stepped forward, shouting coldly and adopting a posture as if ready to teach Ling Tian a harsh lesson.

Ling Tian took a sip of his tea, then slowly said, "Scram off to the side. You have no right to speak here."

Li Fumin's expression darkened instantly. Ling Tian was using the tactic of scolding the locust while pointing at the mulberry, but as the dignified head of the Li family, Li Fumin could not afford to fly into a direct rage and lose his status in front of Ling Tian. Instead, he waved his hand to signal the bodyguard to back down. Pulling up a chair, Li Fumin sat down directly opposite Ling Tian and said in a deep voice, "Ling Tian, I've heard a great deal about you. Seeing you in person today, you certainly are a talent."

An Qi tugged at Ling Tian's sleeve, then stood up and addressed Li Fumin, "An Qi pays her respects to the Family Head."

Li Fumin waved a hand dismissively at An Qi and said, "Take a seat. I hear you recently acquired a rare treasure—an imperial green jadeite."

An Qi smiled gracefully. "It was obtained purely by chance. Your sources are truly well-informed, Family Head."

Li Fumin chuckled. "I wouldn't call it well-informed; the whole of Yunhai City is reporting on it now. I've always had a fondness for jadeite, and I'm willing to pay fifty million to purchase your imperial green jadeite. What do you say?"

Hearing Li Fumin's words, even the elegant An Qi felt an urge to curse out loud. This old bastard was utterly shameless! An imperial green jadeite worth half a billion—or potentially even more—and he was offering a mere fifty million, speaking with the tone of someone bestowing a generous favor. Yet, given the Li family's overwhelming power and influence in Yunhai City, if they insisted on forcibly purchasing it for fifty million, An Qi would have very few options.

Although the An family was also a prominent aristocratic clan, their base was far away in Pengcheng City, making it difficult for them to project power here. Even if the Nangang clan were to step in, this situation would still be extremely tricky to resolve.

"I'm sorry, but our An family has no intention of selling it. Therefore, I can only offer you my apologies," An Qi said with a faint smile.

Ling Tian let out a cold, scornful laugh. "What a mighty display of prestige from the Li Family Head! An imperial green jadeite worth half a billion is suddenly reduced to fifty million in your hands. Have you lost all sense of shame, you old bastard? Get lost right now and stop swanning around in front of my eyes."

Li Fumin was dumbfounded on the spot. He was the head of one of the four great aristocratic families, one of the four most powerful men in Yunhai City, yet Ling Tian was showing him absolutely no respect. Li Fumin's face darkened menacingly. Horan quickly tugged at Li Fumin's sleeve and muttered in a low voice, "Family Head, do not lose your temper. This man is deliberately trying to provoke you; do not fall into his trap."

Taking a deep breath to suppress the rising anger in his chest, Li Fumin said in a grim tone, "Ling Tian, this is a business transaction between Miss An and myself. It is hardly your place to interfere."

"Old fogey, since you brought up business, let's talk about some business of mine as well. Earlier, when I was dining here, your establishment's card machine malfunctioned, demanding that we settle the bill in cash within half an hour or face legal channels. Well, I've brought the cash now. I have only one demand: count it clearly within half an hour, or else we are going to have a serious talk about this."

Li Fumin had known nothing of this matter. Only after calling over the service staff specifically responsible for billing and questioning them did he finally understand what had happened.

"No problem," Li Fumin agreed readily, then gestured to the attendant to signal that the settlement could proceed.

The attendant walked up to Ling Tian and asked, "Mr. Ling, have you brought the cash?"

Ling Tian pointed toward the dozen large bags piled on the floor and said, "Twelve thousand. Go ahead and count it yourself."

The attendant was instantly stunned. Just over ten thousand yuan should only amount to a small stack at most—how had it turned into a dozen massive bags?

Sun Yibin and Zhang Ding beckoned their men forward to unzip the large bags, tipping them over to reveal mounds of cash cascading out like miniature mountains: one-yuan bills, fifty-cent bills, ten-cent bills...

After taking a quick glance, the attendant was certain that the largest denomination was definitely no greater than five yuan, while the smallest was a mere ten centavos. How on earth was he supposed to finish counting all of this?

"Sun Yibin, start the timer," Ling Tian said indifferently. "Family Head Li, if it isn't counted within half an hour, I'll be demanding an explanation."

Upon seeing Sun Yibin standing respectfully beside Ling Tian, Li Fumin felt a flicker of puzzlement. Before he could fully process what was happening, Ling Tian initiated his offensive.

"Demand an explanation? Ling Tian, paying for a meal you ate is only natural and proper. What sort of explanation could you possibly want?" Li Fumin retorted.

Ling Tian replied calmly, "You have your rules, and I have mine. My time is extremely precious, and I am giving you precisely half a hour. For every second past the deadline, you will compensate me one hundred thousand. Do you understand, great Family Head Li?"

"You are outright extortion," Li Fumin said grimly.

Ling Tian laughed loudly. "Don't make it sound so ugly; I call this treating others according to their own methods. Besides, Young Master here is indeed extorting you—so what? Do you have a problem with that?"

Had Horan not continually warned him to keep his temper in check, Li Fumin would have already erupted. A dignified family head could never tolerate such brazen insolence right in front of him. "Ling Tian, then I shall just wait and see," Li Fumin said, his gaze finally shifting toward Sun Yibin.

"When did you collude with him?" Li Fumin said coldly, heavy reproach dripping from his voice. "The Li family has treated you quite well; I never expected you to turn into a traitor biting the hand that feeds you."

Backed by Ling Tian's formidable presence, Sun Yibin retorted sharply, "Li Fumin, please watch your tone. I have no relationship whatsoever with the Li family, and you have zero qualifications to order me around."