Marvel: The other side of the double-passing door is Devouring the Stars

Chapter 495 Expelled from the Family!

"I appreciate Mr. Lin's kindness," Luo Wen said, "However, I do have something I'd like to ask the Lin family for help with."

"Please speak!" Lin Tianxiong immediately sat up straight.

“My cousin Luo Shuang works at Virtual Universe Company in Donghai City,” Luo Wen said. “She’s new here and doesn’t know anyone. If she needs any help in Kyoto in the future, I hope the Lin family will look after her.”

"That's it?" Lin Tianxiong paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "No problem! Young Friend Luo's cousin is a distinguished guest of the Lin family! Not just in Kyoto, but throughout all of China, if she encounters any trouble, the Lin family will help resolve it!"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Lin," Luo Wen said, clasping his hands in thanks.

“Of course, of course,” Lin Tianxiong waved his hand. “However, young friend Luo, this favor is too great. Simply taking care of your cousin is far from enough. How about this: my Lin family has several properties in Beijing, with an annual net profit of about fifty million. Starting this year, I will give you a dividend of five million every year for ten years. This is not a repayment, just a small token of my appreciation.”

"This..." Rowan was about to refuse.

“Young friend Luo,” Lin Fenghai said from the side, “please don’t refuse. This is a gesture of goodwill from the Lin family. If you don’t accept it, it will only make us uneasy.”

Luo Wen pondered for a moment, then finally nodded: "Then thank you very much, Mr. Lin."

"Excellent, excellent!" Lin Tianxiong exclaimed with delight. "Now I feel at ease. Come, let's have some tea!"

Just then, Lin Feng suddenly said, "Grandpa, Dad, there's something else I must tell you."

"What is it?" Lin Tianxiong asked his grandson.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and recounted everything that happened on Fog Island—how he formed a team, how he discovered the Thousand-Year Blood Lotus, how he was betrayed by Zhao Yunfei and Sun Hao, and how he was severely injured and left to die deep in Fog Island.

Overcome with emotion, Lin Feng's eyes welled up with tears: "Grandpa, Dad, they not only stole the Blood Lotus, but they also tried to kill me! If it weren't for Senior Luo, I would already be dead in the mouth of the Mist Dragon! Our Lin family absolutely cannot let this go!"

After hearing Lin Feng's account, the atmosphere in the living room instantly froze.

Lin Tianxiong's face was terrifyingly gloomy, and his eyes flashed with a cold light. As a peak ninth-level star-level expert, his aura unconsciously emanated, and the temperature in the entire living room seemed to drop several degrees.

"Zhao Yunfei, Sun Hao, Li Xue," Lin Tianxiong read the three names carefully, "Good, very good, truly excellent!"

"Dad," Lin Fenghai roared, "those three beasts dared to lay a hand on Xiaofeng like that! Let's leave the Zhao and Sun families aside for now, but that freelance martial artist named Li Xue—I'll send men to arrest her right now!"

"Wait," Lin Tianxiong raised his hand to stop him, "This matter needs careful consideration. Zhao Yunfei is from the Zhao family, and Sun Hao is a direct descendant of the Sun family. If we take direct action, it will provoke a backlash from both families."

“But Dad,” Lin Fenghai said, “are we just going to let this go? They want Xiaofeng dead!”

“Of course we can’t let it go,” Lin Tianxiong sneered, “but we need to be methodical. Xiaofeng, do you have any evidence for this?”

“Yes,” Lin Feng nodded, “My armor's recording system recorded the entire process. From their turning hostile and attacking me to injuring me and throwing me down, there are complete video and audio recordings.”

“Very good,” Lin Tianxiong nodded. “That makes things easier. Feng Hai, you do three things immediately. First, upload the video footage to the Martial Arts Forum and the Virtual Universe Company's internal network, so everyone can see the true faces of these three people. Second, contact the Martial Arts Association and formally file a complaint against Zhao Yunfei, Sun Hao, and Li Xue, requesting the Association to intervene in the investigation. Third, send letters to the Zhao and Sun families, demanding an explanation.”

"Understood!" Lin Fenghai immediately stood up. "I'll get on it right now!"

“Wait a minute,” Rowan suddenly said, “Mr. Lin, I have a suggestion.”

“Young friend Luo, please speak,” Lin Tianxiong said, looking at Luo Wen.

“This matter can’t be handled by the Lin family alone,” Luo Wen said. “Both the Zhao and Sun families have powerful connections. If it’s just the Lin family making a unilateral accusation, they might join forces to exert pressure. But if I also appear as a witness, the situation will be different.”

Lin Tianxiong's eyes lit up: "Young friend Luo means..."

“I am a student of Blood King Luo and a member of Virtual Universe Company,” Luo Wen said. “I can report this matter to Virtual Universe Company. Virtual Universe Company has always valued the reputation and character of martial artists. If it is confirmed that Zhao Yunfei and Sun Hao have committed such treacherous acts, they will be blacklisted and never allowed to join the company again. This is more severe than any other punishment for them.”

"Brilliant!" Lin Tianxiong exclaimed, slapping the table in admiration. "Young friend Luo's move is a brilliant strike! Although Zhao Yunfei and Sun Hao have family backgrounds, if they are blacklisted by the Virtual Universe Company, their martial arts future will be completely ruined!"

“That’s right,” Rowan nodded. “Moreover, with Virtual Universe Company involved, even if the Zhao and Sun families wanted to protect them, they’d have to think twice. After all, no family would be willing to offend Virtual Universe Company for two good-for-nothing offspring.”

"Young Master Luo is a man of great foresight," Lin Tianxiong praised. "Then let's do it this way! Feng Hai, prepare the video materials. I'll personally contact the higher-ups at Virtual Universe Company. We'll also have Young Master Luo act as a witness and provide a statement. I'm going to make this known to everyone!"

"Yes!" Lin Fenghai immediately went to do it.

Lin Feng looked at Luo Wen gratefully: "Senior, you not only saved my life, but also helped me get justice. This kindness..."

“Stop talking,” Rowan waved his hand. “I can’t stand people who break their promises. They deserve to be punished.”

Over the next few hours, the Lin family sprang into action. Lin Fenghai compiled the video footage recorded by the armor, fully demonstrating how Zhao Yunfei, Sun Hao, and Li Xue turned against each other, how they poisoned Lin Feng, and how they stole the Blood Lotus.

In the video, Zhao Yunfei and Sun Hao's behavior was utterly despicable. Not only were they treacherous, but after injuring Lin Feng, they sneered, "Anyway, there are plenty of monsters on Fog Island, your body won't be found. Just say you were killed by a monster, no one will suspect a thing."

These words enraged everyone.

Lin Tianxiong personally contacted the head of the China region of Virtual Universe Company, a super strong expert at the Domain Lord level. At Lin Tianxiong's request, Luo Wen also submitted a formal complaint to the company through the Virtual Universe Network, along with his testimony as an eyewitness.

At the same time, the Lin family uploaded the video to martial arts forums and various martial arts social platforms.

The video caused a huge uproar as soon as it was released.

"My God, that's outrageous!"

"These are the children raised by the Zhao and Sun families?"

"Betrayal of trust, and even attempting to kill to silence witnesses—this is a disgrace to martial arts!"

"He must be severely punished! This kind of person doesn't deserve to be a martial artist!"

Countless martial arts practitioners condemned Zhao Yunfei and Sun Hao in the comments section. In an instant, the two became the target of public criticism.

Meanwhile, in Donghai City, Zhao Yunfei was at home tallying up the spoils of his trip to Wudao Island. He and Sun Hao had split the thousand-year-old Blood Lotus equally, with Zhao Yunfei receiving half, worth approximately 2.5 million.

"Haha, we've hit the jackpot this time," Zhao Yunfei said smugly, looking at the blood lotus in his hand. "It's good that that idiot Lin Feng died on Fog Island; it saves us trouble later."

Just then, his communicator started vibrating wildly. Messages flooded in, all from his martial arts friends.

"Zhao Yunfei, you're finished!" "You actually did something like this, you're not even human!"

"Quickly check the martial arts forum, you've been exposed!"

Zhao Yunfei was startled and quickly opened the martial arts forum. When he saw the pinned video, his face turned deathly pale.

"How is this possible... Wasn't Lin Feng supposed to die on Kirishima Island? How could he still upload the video?"

His hands trembled as he clicked on the video. When he saw his own ugly face in the video and heard the vicious words he had uttered, he was completely stunned.

“It’s over…it’s all over…”

Zhao Yunfei slumped into his chair, his phone vibrating incessantly with messages of insults and threats. He knew things had escalated beyond repair.

"We must find the head of the family immediately!" Zhao Yunfei stood up abruptly, not bothering to pack his things, and rushed out of the room.

Inside the main residence of the Zhao family manor, Zhao Tianxing was handling official business in his study. As the head of the Zhao family in Donghai City and a fifth-tier stellar-level expert, he had a large number of affairs to deal with every day.

"Master! Master!" Zhao Yunfei rushed into the study without even knocking.

"Outrageous!" Zhao Tianxing looked up and saw the flustered Zhao Yunfei, his brow furrowing. "What kind of behavior is this?"

"Master, something terrible has happened!" Zhao Yunfei knelt on the ground, his voice trembling. "I...I've caused a disaster!"

"Trouble?" Zhao Tianxing put down the documents in his hand. "What kind of trouble could make you panic like this?"

"I...I was on Kirishima..." Zhao Yunfei stammered as he recounted the whole story.

Zhao Tianxing's face grew increasingly grim. After Zhao Yunfei finished speaking, he slammed his hand on the table, which instantly crumbled into dust.

"You bastard!" Zhao Tianxing roared, "How could you do such a thing?! You betray your oath, kill and steal! Are you even a martial artist? You're a beast!"

"Patriarch, I was wrong, I was really wrong," Zhao Yunfei kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead bleeding. "Please save me! The Lin family has already uploaded the video to the martial arts forum, and now everyone is cursing me! And... and I heard that Luo Wen also came forward to testify!"

"Luo Wen? Which Luo Wen?" Zhao Tianxing's expression changed.

"It's Luo Wen, the student of Blood King Luo, that seventh-tier stellar-level cultivator!" Zhao Yunfei said with a mournful face. "It's said that he saved Lin Feng, and now he's reported me to the Virtual Universe Company..."

Zhao Tianxing swayed and almost lost his balance.

Blood King's student? Virtual Universe Company?

With those two names weighing on him, not only would a fifth-tier stellar-level individual like him be unable to withstand it, but the entire Zhao family would be unable to bear it!

"You idiot!" Zhao Tianxing pointed at Zhao Yunfei, his voice trembling. "Do you even know who you've messed with? The Lin family is one thing, but the Blood King's student... do you think we can afford to offend them? And then there's the Virtual Universe Company. Once they get involved, your martial arts career will be completely over!"

"Patriarch, save me, save me!" Zhao Yunfei clung to Zhao Tianxing's leg. "I don't want to be blacklisted by the Virtual Universe Company. I'm still young; my martial arts path can't be ruined like this!"

"Shut up!" Zhao Tianxing kicked him away. "You did something like this, and you still want me to save you? Do you know how much the entire Zhao family will have to pay to save you?"

Just then, the butler rushed in: "Master, the Lin family has sent a letter demanding an explanation. Furthermore, the China branch of Virtual Universe Company has also sent a notice saying they will investigate this matter."

Zhao Tianxing closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It’s over.

The Lin family's letter can be dealt with evasively, but the Virtual Universe Company's investigation is unavoidable. Moreover, there are Blood King's students as witnesses.

“Patriarch…” Zhao Yunfei looked at Zhao Tianxing’s expression and felt utterly hopeless.

“You now have two choices,” Zhao Tianxing opened his eyes, his gaze icy. “First, I will cripple your cultivation right now and personally send you to the Lin family to apologize. That might save face for the Zhao family. Second, you can go to the Lin family yourself to beg for forgiveness and see if they will spare your life.”

"Patriarch... are you really abandoning me?" Zhao Yunfei asked in despair.

"It's not that I don't care about you, it's just that what you did went too far," Zhao Tianxing said coldly. "Betrayal, murder, and robbery—if word gets out, the entire Zhao family will be nailed to the pillar of shame. I'm not killing you because you're a member of the Zhao family."

“I…I choose the second option,” Zhao Yunfei said in a trembling voice, “I will go to the Lin family to apologize myself.”

“Then go now,” Zhao Tianxing turned away, no longer looking at him. “From today onwards, you are no longer a member of the Zhao family.”

Zhao Yunfei was struck dumb, kneeling on the ground speechless for a long time.

Being expelled from the family meant he lost everything—the family's resources, protection, and status.

"Aren't you going to get lost?" Zhao Tianxing shouted coldly.

Zhao Yunfei stood up in a daze and staggered out of the study.

When Zhao Yunfei walked out of the Zhao family gate, his legs were weak.

He never imagined things would develop this way. He thought that with Lin Feng dead on Fog Island, the matter would be forgotten. Unexpectedly, not only was Lin Feng alive, but he was also rescued by Blood King's student. Even worse, the armor's recording system had recorded everything, and now the entire martial arts world knew what he had done.

“It’s over…it’s all over…” Zhao Yunfei muttered to himself, his face ashen.

He stood by the roadside, unsure which way to go. Back to the Zhao family? He'd already been expelled. To the Lin family? He feared they'd cripple him.

But he had no choice.

Zhao Tianxing made it very clear: either he would go to the Lin family to apologize, or Zhao Tianxing would personally cripple him and send him there. Between two evils, he had to choose the lesser one and go himself.

Zhao Yunfei hailed a hovercar and entered his destination—the Lin family in Kyoto.

It takes four hours to travel from Donghai City to Kyoto. During those four hours, Zhao Yunfei sat in the car, replaying the incident in his mind over and over again.

Actually, he didn't intend to go so far. When the Thousand-Year Blood Lotus was discovered on Fog Island, he only wanted a larger share, since he and Sun Hao were stronger than Lin Feng, and a larger share would be reasonable. But Lin Feng disagreed, and a dispute ensued, which escalated into a fight.

(End of this chapter)