Back on Earth, I am the only cultivator.

The next day, early in the morning.

Inside the gatehouse of the Li family manor.

Inside the main building's living room, Li Tiancheng sat upright in the main seat made of golden nanmu wood.

Holding a steaming cup of top-quality Da Hong Pao tea, he listened quietly to Li Wen's report.

"Dad, this is the list of surrender gifts sent by various forces in the city over the past few days. I have checked them all."

Li Wen adjusted his glasses and handed over a document.

"There are many gold and silver treasures, shops and land, and even precious medicinal herbs such as century-old ginseng and snow lotus."

"However, there wasn't a single ancient artifact."

"Ancient relics are priceless treasures, and even if those families are eager to curry favor, they would probably find it extremely difficult to obtain them."

Li Tiancheng took a sip of tea, his gaze calm.

"The number of people giving gifts has decreased in the past few days, and the game of the city gate has been completely won."

"Yes, the Zhao family was destroyed, the Lin family submitted, and now the entire city is under the control of our Li family."

A look of pride appeared on Li Wen's face.

"Foolish!"

Li Tiancheng snorted coldly, interrupting Li Wen's smugness.

"Does our Li family control this?"

"If it weren't for the support of our elders, our Li family would still be at the bottom of the rankings in Mencheng!"

"Alright."

Li Tiancheng waved his hand, his tone softening.

"Go to the storeroom right now and organize all these rare medicinal herbs that have been delivered."

"Let Xiaojing go with you to personally deliver it to the senior."

"Now that our senior lives next door, we should visit him more often and seize the opportunity."

"Yes, I will go and do it right away."

Li Wen bowed in response.

Just as Li Wen was about to leave, Ma Wu, who was guarding the door, hurriedly walked in, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a low voice:

"Master, Han Zhen, the head of the Mencheng Martial Arts Alliance branch, requests an audience."

"Han Zhen?"

Li Tiancheng raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Han Zhen is the highest-ranking official representative of the martial arts in Mencheng. He usually lives a secluded life and rarely takes the initiative to visit.

"Please invite him in, no, I will go to greet him myself."

Li Tiancheng stood up. With his shrewdness, he naturally wouldn't give anyone a handle to use against him regarding etiquette.

A moment later, Li Tiancheng greeted Han Zhen at the door.

However, upon meeting, Li Tiancheng sensed something was amiss.

The usually imposing Han Zhen looked flustered at this moment.

"Minister Han, it is an honor to have you grace my humble abode with your presence so early in the morning."

Li Tiancheng pretended to be concerned and went to greet him.

"Minister Han doesn't look too well. Is he unwell?"

Han Zhen had no time to waste on feigning politeness with Li Tiancheng; he directly stated the purpose of his trip.

"Brother Li, something terrible has happened!"

"I won't lie to you, I just received a top-secret message from the Martial Arts Alliance headquarters."

"Oh? What could have made Minister Han so flustered?"

Li Tiancheng's heart stirred, but his face remained calm.

Han Zhen swallowed hard and whispered:

"The Blood Fiend Society's branch in Mencheng, including all its core members and elders scattered throughout the country, and even its Grandmaster-level leader, all died overnight!"

"What?!"

Even though Li Tiancheng was a man of deep cunning, he was still taken aback upon hearing these words.

He knew about the Blood Fiend Society. This force was deeply entrenched in China and possessed great power. The government had launched several operations to suppress it, but all of them ended in failure.

I never imagined they would all die overnight!

Could it be that Senior Wu Fan made a move?

Thinking of this, Li Tiancheng deliberately probed:

"Minister Han, such a shocking change, and you've come to the Li family...?"

Han Zhen gave a wry smile:

"Brother Li, stop pretending you don't know."

"Everyone in the city now knows that there is an 'unparalleled being' with extraordinary abilities standing behind the Li family."

"Although the Blood Fiend Society has a Grandmaster in charge."

"But to be able to silently eliminate a Grandmaster, and also wipe out tens of thousands of evil cultivators in the process."

"Besides that senior, who else could it be?"

"Han visited today for two reasons: first, to inform the Li family and that senior member of the official stance."

"The Martial Arts Alliance has no intention of pursuing the matter further and fully supports that senior's ruling."

"Secondly, I'm here to put my mind at ease. I hope Brother Li can introduce me to that senior, so I can formally pledge my allegiance and pay my respects!"

After saying this, the usually aloof Minister of the Martial Arts Alliance actually bowed to Li Tiancheng.

Han Zhen is too eager to improve.

Thirteen thousand people were wiped out overnight.

This method is completely beyond the scope of humanity. If that being is unhappy, a single breath could wipe out the entire martial arts world of the Gate City!

He had to choose sides immediately!

"this……"

Li Tiancheng took a deep breath and was about to speak.

Suddenly, a tall and slender young man wearing a black trench coat appeared silently in the center of the living room.

"senior!"

"Greetings, senior!"

Upon seeing this, Li Tiancheng, Li Wen, and Han Zhen all bowed respectfully.

Wu Fan casually waved his hand, and a thick stack of file folders floated down and landed in front of them.

"This is a list of all the officials and families in Mencheng who colluded with the Blood Fiend Society and protected Ren'ai Maternity Hospital, as well as their financial transaction records."

"I've already sent those beasts who were directly involved on their way."

"As for these indirectly involved, protective umbrellas that provide shelter, you know what to do, right?"

"Understood! I understand!"

Li Tiancheng and the others replied earnestly.

"Um"

After saying that, Wu Fan disappeared from the hall, leaving behind a tense crowd.

It wasn't until a full five minutes after Wu Fan left that everyone carefully picked up the file folder in front of them.

"Li Wen, immediately utilize all the connections our Li family has in Mencheng!"

"Notify all media outlets to prepare for front-page headlines!"

Li Tiancheng said solemnly.

Han Zhen also stood up, his face ashen.

"I will immediately mobilize the martial arts alliance and the official investigative forces!"

In just half a day.

Public opinion in the city was in an uproar.

The news reports and media headlines were all dominated by the "Renai Women's and Children's Hospital Scandal".

Shocking! Ren'ai Maternity Hospital suspected of major medical malpractice; all those involved have been arrested!

Justice prevails! Several high-ranking officials and their families in Mencheng have been apprehended, and the corrupt hospital involved has been permanently shut down!

One shocking news story after another was revealed.

The entire city was shocked!

Online, angry outcry surged like a tidal wave, with countless netizens' fury repeatedly crashing the servers.

"You beasts! Those are all newborn babies!"

"Shoot them! They must all be shot! Even a thousand cuts wouldn't be enough to quell our hatred!"

Many family members of victims who had died unexpectedly at Renai Hospital wept bitterly in front of the media.

Justice was finally served on this day.

......

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, at a cemetery in the northern suburbs of the city.

The sky was overcast, and a light drizzle shrouded the world in a white curtain of rain.

Wang Hao was wearing a black suit, and his thin frame looked somewhat forlorn in the rain.

In front of him are two brand-new tombstones.

A tombstone inscribed with: The Tomb of My Beloved Wife, Yingying.

The other one was much smaller, with only a few words on it: "Tomb of Beloved Son Xiaobao".

In his hand was a stack of newspapers wrapped in plastic bags, which had not been wet by the rain.

"Yingying... Xiaobao..."

Wang Hao reached out his trembling hand and stroked the photo pasted on the tombstone. The woman in the photo smiled gently, and the child smiled innocently.

"The bad guys have all been caught, and the beasts who killed you are all in hell!"

Wang Hao pulled out a lighter from his pocket and, with trembling hands, lit the newspaper in his hand.

The flames ignited, turning into wisps of smoke that blended into the rain.

"Look, this is the news from recently."

"Justice has returned."

"But……"

Wang Hao could no longer hold back, so he lay down on the tombstone and burst into tears.

"But you can't come back!"

"I want you all! Ahhh!"

Not far away, Wu Fan, Jiang Chuxue, and Wu Xi held umbrellas and quietly watched this scene.

Jiang Chuxue's beautiful eyes filled with tears as she leaned tightly against Wu Fan's shoulder, unable to bear to look any longer.

Wu Xi also lowered her head, tears falling steadily into the rain.

I don't know how much time has passed.

The rain gradually stopped.

The clouds dispersed, and a faint ray of sunlight pierced through the gloom, falling on the tombstone.

Wang Hao slowly stood up from the ground.

He didn't wipe the tears from his face, letting them slide down his cheeks.

Having experienced such a dramatic rise and fall, and the pain of separation and death, Wang Hao seemed to have undergone a transformation.

His swollen eyes no longer held the confusion of the past, but instead a resolute determination that seemed to have seen through life and death.

Wang Hao came to stand in front of Wu Fan.

"thump."

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Hao knelt down in front of Wu Fan once again.

"Wang Hao, what are you doing?"

Jiang Chuxue was startled and wanted to go forward to help him up.

"Sister-in-law! Don't worry about me."

Wang Hao stopped Jiang Chuxue and continued.

"Brother Fan, I have no more attachments in this mortal world."

"My life was saved by you, Brother Fan."

"It was you, Brother Fan, who avenged my wife and children."

"From now on, I want to follow you."

Wang Hao took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and kowtowed heavily.

"Even if I were to be a pawn, pulling your horse and slipping your feet, taking your blows and dying for you, I, Wang Hao, would do it willingly!"

"Please, Brother Fan, take me in!"

Wu Fan looked at his former friend kneeling before him, his eyes filled with resolute determination, and sighed inwardly.

He stepped forward and lifted Wang Hao up by force.

"I don't need you to be my pawn, Wang Hao. Remember, we'll always be brothers."

"Even if you don't say it, I will still bring you to Cloud Peak Manor."

"Let go of those mundane, trivial matters."

"From now on, join me on the path of cultivation and let us see the wider scenery of this world."