47: Chapter 47 The Demise of the Li Family

The awards ceremony ended on a sour note.

But the scene of Director Li Jianguo being led away in handcuffs was like a heavy bomb, setting off a massive wave in the calm waters of Jiangcheng's high society.

The Li family was finished.

This titan, which had been entrenched in Jiangcheng for decades and controlled nearly half of the God Realm's influence, collapsed overnight.

That night, the heads of countless families in Jiangcheng stayed awake until dawn.

Those forces that were once deeply tied to the Li family felt endangered, frantically cutting off all industries and connections related to them, fearing they would be implicated when the reckoning came.

Phones were ringing off the hook, collaborations were terminated, and the once-bustling Li family residence was now as desolate as a graveyard.

Meanwhile, the families that had once been suppressed by the Li family fell into a state of ecstasy after the brief shock. They were rubbing their hands together, preparing to take a massive share of the power vacuum left behind.

The next morning.

Jiang Xun received a call from the Mayor's secretary, inviting him to the Mayor's office for a chat.

In the office, the Mayor personally brewed a cup of tea for him. His attitude was warm and gentle, completely devoid of the majesty he displayed on stage yesterday.

"Student Jiang Xun, I really must thank you this time. Not only did you win honor for Jiangcheng, but you also helped us root out a massive tumor hidden within our ranks."

The Mayor spoke with great emotion.

"After an overnight interrogation, the issues brought to light by Li Jianguo's case are far more serious than we imagined. For his crimes, being executed ten times over wouldn't be enough."

Jiang Xun sipped his tea calmly without speaking.

"According to the regulations, for a righteous act like yours in exposing major criminal behavior, the municipal government will grant you a reward."

The Mayor pushed a shimmering storage card toward Jiang Xun.

"Inside is one hundred million Faith Points, as well as a batch of rare materials we selected from the seized resources that are most suitable for your current stage. This is what you deserve."

One hundred million Faith Points.

This figure was enough to drive any Silver Rank god mad.

Jiang Xun merely nodded and took the storage card, his expression not changing much.

"Additionally," the Mayor looked at him with a meaningful glint in his eyes, "regarding the Li family's 'unclean assets' in the black market, the disciplinary inspection department cannot directly intervene. However, we absolutely cannot allow this blood money to flow back into the black market."

Jiang Xun understood the Mayor's meaning.

This was the authorities giving him a green light, allowing him to use 'gray' methods to deal with the Li family's illicit assets.

"I understand. Thank you, Mayor."

After leaving the Mayor's office, Jiang Xun immediately contacted Old Ghost.

"Old Ghost, you can move now. The authorities have given their tacit approval, so you can make a bigger scene. Make sure to pull out all of the Li family's roots in the black market!"

"Got it! I've been waiting for those words!"

From the other end of the communicator came Old Ghost's excited and cruel laughter.

"The brothers have been holding back for too long. Just watch!"

Over the next three days, a bloodbath swept through the entire Jiangcheng black market.

Old Ghost personally led his team, carrying out a frantic 'seizure' of all black market shops, warehouses, and secret strongholds associated with the Li family with thunderous momentum.

The thugs and desperados kept by the Li family were no match for Old Ghost and his band of veteran soldiers, who were like wolves and tigers.

Those who resisted had their limbs broken on the spot and were thrown into the sewers.

When the wall falls, everyone pushes.

Many black market merchants who had once been bullied by the Li family also turned their guns and joined the feast of partitioning.

Three days later.

Inside Jiang Xun's Divine Kingdom, looking at the list sent by Old Ghost and the massive amount of resources he had transferred over, even with Jiang Xun's temperament, he couldn't help but gasp.

Faith Crystals were piled into a small mountain over ten meters high, emitting a dazzling light; the quantity exceeded a staggering five hundred million!

Various rare ores, magical plants, and carcasses of high-level creatures were categorized and piled in various corners of the Divine Kingdom, a feast for the eyes.

This did not even include the parts that Old Ghost had directly liquidated or kept for himself.

The amount of wealth the Li family had extorted over the decades was terrifying, far exceeding anyone's imagination.

"I'm rich..."

Jiang Xun stood under that mountain of Faith Crystals, muttering to himself.

Including the one hundred million from the official reward, his total assets now exceeded six hundred million Faith Points.

This wealth, let alone in Jiangcheng, would be enough to make any Gold Rank civilization envious even in the entire Jiangnan Province.

He was not lightheaded from this sudden wealth; instead, he quickly calmed down and began planning the use of these resources.

He opened an anonymous account and, without any hesitation, directly transferred two hundred million Faith Points into it.

Then, he sent the access rights for this account to Lame Zhang.

"Uncle Lame, you handle this money. Establish a pension fund for all the brothers who were disabled or sacrificed in the war but didn't receive proper compensation. If the money isn't enough, find me anytime."

In an ordinary house in the suburbs of Jiangcheng.

Lame Zhang and a dozen or so men who were also missing limbs sat together, silently drinking low-quality spirits.

When Lame Zhang received Jiang Xun's message and saw the long string of zeros in that anonymous account, his calloused hand holding the wine glass began to tremble violently.

"Lame, what's wrong?" asked a man with a missing arm next to him.

Lame Zhang didn't answer; he turned the terminal screen toward everyone.

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands... My goodness, is this... two hundred million?!"

Everyone present was stunned.

They had never seen so much money in their lives.

"This... this money is..."

"It's from that kid Jiang Xun," Lame Zhang's voice was a bit choked up. "He said this is compensation for all the brothers."

The room fell into a dead silence.

In the next second, the man with the missing arm suddenly covered his face with his remaining hand. His broad shoulders shook violently as tears continuously seeped through his fingers, yet he didn't make a sound.

One tough guy after another, these iron-blooded soldiers who bled but never cried on the battlefield, were crying like children at this moment.

They had waited too long.

What they wanted wasn't money, but justice and recognition.

Lame Zhang slowly stood up, downed the spirits in his glass, and then solemnly gave a military salute toward the direction of the window where Jiang Xun was.

Having handled this matter, Jiang Xun looked at the remaining resources in his Divine Kingdom, which were still like mountains and seas, and began to prepare for his upcoming civilization advancement.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared silently behind him.

It was Old Baitou.

The old man looked at the mountain of Faith Crystals, a hint of gratification flashing in his cloudy eyes, but it was mostly solemnity.

He patted Jiang Xun on the shoulder.

"Very good. With these, you have the capital to strike for a higher level."

"However, kid, you must remember. Moving from Silver to Gold is not a simple accumulation of energy. It is a true civilizational leap, a key step that determines your future path."

Old Baitou's voice was incredibly serious.

"Before you strike for Gold Rank, you must do one thing first."

Jiang Xun looked at him and listened intently.

"Fuse with that ancient god fragment I gave you."