Planet Pulverizer: A Mortal's Ascent

Chapter 112: Rumors

Jing Gufeng personally pushed Jing Yunshan off the bridge, Jing Zhengqi needed help from the members of the Five Elements Sect to do it, while Jing Gufeng resolutely jumped down himself.

In the end, none of them survived since they weren't professional divers. The slim chance of survival wasn't as easy to grasp as people had imagined.

Li Pin watched the scene from afar at the Riverscape Marvel with an indifferent expression.

This was his way of giving closure to "Li Pin."

An Wanyi might have been the initial cause of everything, but Jing Yunshan was the one truly at fault for fanning the flames and forcing him to jump into the lake through media pressure.

Li Pin looked away, took out his phone, and dialed Zhao Yuan's number again.

"How about the other one?" said Li Pin.

However, Li Pin immediately recalled something and added, "Follow my plan."

Zhao Yuan was momentarily taken aback but quickly replied.

—Understood.

***

Meanwhile, in a hotel beside the Jiang Province Grand Bridge, An Wanyi watched as the three Jing family members jumped off the bridge. Her face turned ghostly pale, drained of all color.

She wasn't the only one affected. Beside her, An Youran was trembling uncontrollably with fear.

An Youran hurriedly said, "I agree... I agree to go to Young Master Li's residence as a maid. No matter what I have to do... I agree to everything."

"Oh? I thought someone with your superstar status would at least try to maintain some dignity."

The people standing in front of them were Yun Yi, the young hall master of the Four Pillars Martial Hall, and an elegant woman in her thirties.

By now, the Four Pillars Martial Hall had already pledged allegiance to Lian Hongchen, joining forces with the Five Elements Sect, Jiang Qingyue, and the others.

Yun Yi took a glance at An Wanyi. "And you?"

An Wanyi was too terrified to respond, trembling uncontrollably.

An Youran, fully aware of the harsh realities of the world, quickly answered on her behalf in a quivering voice, "W-we both agree."

"Then change into these clothes, dress up properly, and learn how to serve. You'll go tonight," Yun Yi said nonchalantly, opening the door to leave. "Mrs. Qing, make sure they learn well."

The woman bowed politely. "Rest assured, Young Master Yun. We are professionals."

After Yun Yi left, the woman turned her gaze to the two trembling women and smiled slightly. "For two sisters, there are many ways to train you. Come."

She took out two sets of clothes from the side. "Get changed first."

An Wanyi stared at the barely-there garments, so embarrassed she nearly forgot her fear. "We... have to wear these?"

The woman indifferently responded, "What's the matter? You don't want to wear them?"

An Wanyi was at a loss for words. "I..."

She didn't know how she was feeling, unsure if she was trying to maintain her dignity as a woman or...

However, before An Wanyi could come to a decision, the door was pushed open again and Yun Yi rushed in. "Alright, there's no need for further lessons. You don't need to learn anything. Just go to prison for three years and pay a 300 million breach of contract penalty."

Three years, three years in prison!?

As soon as she heard this, An Wanyi abandoned all other concerns and hurriedly said, "I'll get changed! I'll get changed right away! I'll learn immediately!"

"Too late!"

Three years might not seem long, but the 300 million penalty could take them a lifetime to repay.

For these two women who were used to the spotlight and the glamorous world, this was a fate far worse than death....

***

That night, Li Pin received a message from Zhao Yuan. With that, the incident was put to rest.

The next day, around noon, having been out all morning, Li Yunyao and Lin Xiaolu rushed in excitedly after being out all morning.

Li Yunyao happily showed off a small black notebook and proudly said, "Brother, look! I got my driving license!"

Li Pin's eyes lit up upon seeing it. "Oh?"

He immediately stood up and said, "What are we waiting for? Let's go buy a car."

Li Yunyao had clearly been waiting for this day for a long time. "Awesome!"

"What kind of car do you want?" Li Pin asked.

"We're not very familiar with cars. Brother, just choose what you like! We'll be fine as long as we get to drive as well!"

To Li Yunyao, buying a car felt somewhat distant and significant, so she didn't dare to say too much, fearing it might influence Li Pin's decision.

"If it was me..." Li Pin thought of Fang Yubai's car. "How about a Blue Horse X7? Also, since you mentioned not being familiar with cars, I'm not either. So, let's call someone who knows about cars."

Li Pin whipped out his phone and called Fang Yubai.

Since the finals for the Jiang Province Martial Competition were approaching, Fang Yubai was in Jiang Province. Upon receiving Li Pin's call, they quickly arranged a meeting point.

"I'll buy a car for myself. If you two girls have any preferences, you can buy them separately," said Li Pin after hanging up. However, he quickly waved his hand and added, "Forget it. We'll just go to the auto mall and see what's available. We'll buy whatever catches our eye."

Zhao Yuan transferred six million to him yesterday. With this large sum, there was no car in Jiang Province that Li Pin couldn't afford.

Soon, the three of them left the house, hailed a taxi, and headed toward the auto mall.

However, due to the Jiang Province Martial Competition finals, countless people from all over Jiang Province had flocked there to join the unprecedented grand event, causing an unprecedented surge in the city's traffic.

The traffic was unbearable; there were people everywhere, and the roads were jammed with vehicles.

It only took Li Yunyao ten minutes of sitting in the cab to regret coming out. "It was better in the morning. Why is it so congested now? Today is just not a good day to go out."

Li Pin shared her sentiment and nodded.

The driver smiled and chimed in, "Today is the final showdown for the youth and intermediate categories of the Jiang Province Martial Competition. Even though the adult category's final is still a few days away, we're already in the most intense phase. We naturally have more of the crowd...."

He then seemed to remember something and added, "Let's see, the top ten should be announced by now."

He turned on the car radio, and soon, the announcements began.

"Jiang Province's champion! The young prodigy from the capital city has lived up to expectations and has finally claimed first place in Jiang Province! His victory was earned with every punch and kick, tempered with real gold and fiery trials, built with countless blood and sweat. Truly a well-deserved victory...!"

Listening to the radio's praise of Gu Haoran, Li Yunyao became a bit dissatisfied.

She scoffed, "What's so great about that prodigy from the capital city? Just a product of shady dealings. If it weren't for the fact that my... my idol, Li Pin, was unfairly treated and withdrew from the competition, would Gu Haoran have stood a chance? Even Hallmaster Fang Lingjue could probably have taught him a lesson."

"Young lady, you're mistaken," the driver said with a righteous tone. "The martial society has already clarified the rumors about Li Pin withdrawing. It's clear that he was arrogant and didn't respect the referee. He wanted to fight the referee over a minor issue, not realizing that the referee with the surname Zhou was actually an Aura Cultivation Grandmaster. He hit a solid wall."

The driver continued indignantly, "He was never a match for Grandmaster Zhou. But as a referee, Grandmaster Zhou couldn't actually go all out against a competitor. So, he held back at crucial moments."

He went on with anger, "But Li Pin... despite Grandmaster Zhou showing him leniency, he viciously attacked and killed the grandmaster...! Grandmasters are formidable! Even though Li Pin used despicable means to kill Grandmaster Zhou, the grandmaster's Aura Force still struck him, leaving him severely injured.

"Not even an astral equipment could heal him. In the end, he was too weak to continue fighting and spread rumors about the organizers' shady dealings, choosing to withdraw—"

"You're talking nonsense!" Li Yunyao exclaimed before the taxi driver could finish, unable to contain herself.

She snapped, "It's not like that at all. It was clearly the referee named Zhou Chaoguang and another contestant from the Solar Vermillion Sect, Han Li, who colluded together. When my brother... my idol was fighting Han Li, Zhou Chaoguang kept interfering in the fight and disrupting his performance.

"After Han Li was defeated, Zhou Chaoguang even tried to kill Li Pin! That's why my idol had to fight back with all his might and ended up killing Zhou Chaoguang!"

"Young lady, you see Li Pin as your idol. Naturally, you will think he can do no wrong. But knowing someone's face doesn't mean you know their heart," the taxi driver said earnestly. "Think about it. Even if Li Pin started practicing martial arts from birth, he's only twenty-two years old.

"According to reports, he wasted several years of training and only resumed practicing martial arts more than half a year ago. Given his attitude toward martial arts and relative inexperience, how could he possibly defeat a grandmaster? It's not believable! Even rumors need to be grounded in some semblance of reality."

Li Yunyao countered anxiously, "Why can't he? Even though he's young, he's been working so hard, practicing martial arts until eleven at night. How could he not defeat a grandmaster?"

"I'm not arguing with you, young lady. I understand that you youngsters think highly of your idol, but we need to be reasonable and rely on evidence. The Five Elements Sect claims there's a conspiracy, but does that mean there really is one?

"Maybe the Five Elements Sect just lost and couldn't accept it, so they're trying to hype up Li Pin's debut. The martial society is such a large organization. Why would they conspire against him?"

The driver paused and continued, "We should trust the official information and not listen to gossip."

Li Yunyao's face was wreathed in anxiety. She couldn't help but feel utter helplessness in the face of the enormous martial society. "Rumors... How could they be rumors? It's all true. Why don't you believe it!?"

"It's alright, Yaoyao, it's just a provincial-level martial competition," Li Pin said.

"But brother... None of them believed you. They all blamed you and said you were at fault... But it was them who were in the wrong..."

As Li Yunyao spoke, a look of deep anxiety washed over her face. Her eyes welled up with tears, betraying a mix of resentment over everyone's doubt in Li Pin and a growing fear of the world's harshness.

People never realized the extent of the damage harsh words could inflict until they were the ones targeted by rumors.

It's just like the saying, "When everyone points a finger, even a healthy person could die."[1]

Li Pin stroked her hair and comforted her softly, "Yaoyao, it's alright. Everything will be fine."

As he comforted her, Li Yunyao's tears began to flow uncontrollably. "Brother, they all misunderstood you..."

"Umm..."

At that moment, the taxi driver seemed to have recognized Li Pin's identity. He quickly retracted his neck and said, "Sir... I didn't realize you were..."

"It's alright. I should have been more cautious. I didn't expect for these rumors to affect the people around me as well. But... I think it's not too late," Li Pin said, glancing ahead. "Please turn around."

After a pause, he calmly added, "Take us back to the martial competition venue."

1. excessive public opinion could crush a person. ☜

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