Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

December 28, The Late You Hour

As night began to fall, a half-full moon slowly rose into the sky.

Cold winds brushed past, gradually bringing a chill, and the number of pedestrians on Changle Street dwindled.

In stark contrast to the bleak scene outside, the main hall of the Hou Mansion was a different world entirely—lit brightly, with a dozen figures seated solemnly within.

Hou Yuxiao sat alone at the main seat, his brow furrowed, deep in thought.

The three people closest to him were the Second Elder Hou Yucheng, the Third Elder Hou Yuling, and the Fourth Elder Hou Yujie, with the five sons of the Hou Family—only Hou Yuduan was absent.

Beyond them were Hou Fei, Hou Ying, and Hou Cun, and standing behind these three were ten seldom seen faces of the clan—all warriors of Six Levels of Body Unsealing.

The leader of Upper Hou Gate's Kui Sector Hou Fei, The Twelve leaders of Lower Hou Sect, along with four warriors of the Tenth Level of Body Opening—these seventeen people, in terms of both their personal abilities and the forces they commanded, could be regarded as the strongest martial force the Hou Family could muster.

Their gathering here, summoned by Hou Yuxiao, made their purpose clear without a word!

Hou Yuxiao looked up at the bright moonlight outside the window, and finally, his tight brow relaxed. It appeared he had made a decision. He turned back to the sixteen people and began to speak in a deep tone.

"Gentlemen, it's been two years of lying low—I imagine you're all quite stifled by now!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's breathing grew noticeably heavier.

All who stood there were the core strength of the family.

Most of them had grown up with the Hou siblings; the older ones had been with Hou Tong from the early days and witnessed the siblings grow up.

Their loyalty to the Hou Family could withstand any test.

Since the incident two years ago, life had been exceedingly difficult for the family!

Flying Eagle Sect, Green Wolf Gang, and Happy Forest not only suppressed the Hou Family everywhere, they had killed many of their brothers. The County Lord Ren Feng, having taken most of the Hou Family's wealth, still shook them down incessantly.

What was even more infuriating was that despite the huge sacrifices from the Hou Family, that old scoundrel Ren Feng continued to side with those three powers, intent on driving the Hou Mansion to extinction.

Although the situation had improved considerably six months ago after the Hou Yuxiao fought Tie Budong to a draw, and their business gradually returned to normal, the pent-up frustration in their hearts had never diminished.

"Our family's strength is not yet strong enough, acting rashly is inappropriate."

"Hold on a little longer, when we make our move, we must solve this once and for all, to strike the snake dead without getting bitten!"

"It's close, just a bit more improvement in cultivation and we will soon be able to act."

......

If it weren't for Hou Yuxiao, the family head, continuously suppressing their desire for revenge, saying that the family still needed to amass strength, they would have acted long ago.

Today, after Hou Yuxiao returned from Shengxin Residence, he summoned them for their first full gathering, and everyone internally had their answer. Now, Hou Yuxiao's query unquestionably only served to fuel the fire of anger in their hearts.

"Big brother, give the order! Those bastards, my broadsword can barely contain itself anymore."

Hou Yucheng clenched his left fist and rested his right hand on the hilt of the broadsword at his waist, ready to burst into action, unclear if it was the broadsword or he himself that couldn't wait any longer.

"Two years ago, that young bastard from Tie Tucheng kicked me. I remember it vividly; I've waited too long for this day, to let that brat know how costly that kick was!"

The small-framed Hou Fei also stepped forward and added his piece.

Everyone showed a slight smile at his words—this kid sure held a grudge!

"Cough cough..."

Although Fourth Elder Hou Yujie only coughed lightly, the murderous intent in his eyes was denser than anyone else's.

The rest were also full of fervor, and even those who did not speak had an aggressive aura, with their weapons nearly twitching at their sides.

Such high spirits!

Seeing the excited crowd in the hall, a hint of sharpness flashed in Hou Yuxiao's eyes as he began to lay out the plans for tonight.

"Second Elder, Fourth Elder, you will lead the twelve heads of Lower Hou Sect to Feiyun Street's Flying Eagle Sect, and find Tie Budong and his son—kill them without mercy. Leave the other followers of Flying Eagle Sect alive if they do not resist."

"Third Mother, you and Hou Fei will lead the troops of Upper Hou Gate's Kui Sector to Dongkang Street's Green Wolf Gang. Gang Leader Tan Gang, along with his four disciples—these five must be eliminated. Dongkang Street is close to Pingyang Street; the county government and Prison Admin Department might send reinforcements. I have dispatched others to support you, remember not to harm them by mistake!"

When Hou Yuling heard her assignment, she immediately wondered, "Other people?"

The martial strength of the Hou Family relied solely on the Hou Clan. Who else was there? Not only Hou Yuling, but Hou Yucheng, Hou Yujie, and others also showed perplexed expressions.

"Happy Forest is our own people!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and then showed expressions of disbelief.

The Happy Forest, which had been opposing them along with the Flying Eagle Sect and Green Wolf Gang for the past two years, turned out to be their own people... How could this be possible?

"There's no need to doubt. More than twenty years ago when Father first arrived in Zhaoyang County, he adopted the siblings Gao Cheng and Gao Hu. Although Father was strong at that time, he had just arrived and couldn't act too ostentatiously. Thus, he funded the establishment of Happy Forest to handle some unsavory tasks for the family.

Unexpectedly, Happy Forest developed quite well. Father worried that taking it back would cause the County Lord to be wary, so he didn't make this public. I didn't know about it either until Gao Cheng came to inform me after Father passed away two years ago!"

"So that means, the incident with Gao Wenwen…" Hou Yuling suddenly looked solemn.

When everyone heard Hou Yuling's remark, they suddenly remembered. Two years ago, Hou Yuxiao had used a facial transformation to dishonor Gao Wenwen, sparking a bloody feud between Happy Forest and the Flying Eagle Sect. They had found it very strange at the time, but now they instantly understood, as if enlightened.

Hou Yuxiao nodded and said, "That incident was a play acted out by Gao Cheng and me to prevent the three families from uniting. At that time, Father had just passed away, and our strength was too weak; we had no choice but to resort to this!"

After hearing the explanation, Hou Yuling looked at Hou Yuxiao, showing a faintly resentful expression, "Big brother, you've kept me in such agony. I thought Wenwen truly loved me and wanted to be with me. It turns out it was all my wishful thinking!"

......

Hou Yuxiao's eyebrows darkened as he spoke, "Wenwen was following Father's orders. She, a maiden, made such a sacrifice, already disregarding her reputation. If she continued mingling with me, things would truly become unclear, so I could only have her be with you instead."

"But couldn't you have told me earlier? I thought it was my own clever tactics that made Wenwen devoted to me!"

"Your tactics are not bad either; hasn't Bai Yujie been utterly charmed by you!"

This helpless response sounded to Hou Yuling like praise for himself. His face immediately showed a touch of pride, as if he was self-congratulating on his superior flirting skills.

Learning that Happy Forest was also their own people, everyone's confidence evidently grew stronger, and their fighting spirit rose accordingly.

With the four lesser powers of Zhaoyang, their Hou Family already ranked first. Considering that Happy Forest was also their own, the fate of the Flying Eagle Sect and Green Wolf Gang was already sealed.

Only County Lord Ren Feng and Warden Chief Cheng Yue remained to be considered.

The reason why no third-tier power had emerged in Zhaoyang County for so many years was closely related to County Lord Ren Feng. Now that a new Warden Chief had arrived, and someone with significant influence at that, everyone showed a hint of worry.

"Ren Feng, that old coot, I provoked him this afternoon, thinking I fell for his scheme. He will definitely be guarding that gold mine tonight. The county government is not a concern. As for this new Warden Chief, you need not worry, I will personally meet with him!"

With that statement from Hou Yuxiao, the last of everyone's concerns was dispelled.

"Remember, your task is to eliminate the ringleaders. The core members of the Flying Eagle Sect and Green Wolf Gang are just a few; kill them, and that's it. As for the remaining martial artists, as long as they are not utterly stubborn, they can be spared.

After all, once the two clans are wiped out, Zhaoyang County will still be under our control. If we kill everyone, recovery will not be so easy."

Seeing everyone nod, Hou Yuxiao looked towards the eastern side of the county town. His pupils revealed a hint of gloom as he solemnly said, "Tonight might see some major disturbances. Just focus on your tasks!

Remember, everything should commence at the Hour of Hai. Once it arrives, send them on their way. Whatever else happens, just ignore it."

Although they did not understand his reasoning, they all knelt respectfully and said, "As you command!"

Hou Yuxiao waved his hand lightly, and everyone quickly withdrew from the main hall.

After discussing for such a long time, the You Hour had already passed, and it was now the third quarter of the Xu hour, with one more hour left. They had plenty of time to prepare.

Hou Yuxiao took a deep breath and took out a silver token from his bosom. The front of the token was engraved with a vividly lifelike Three-Legged King Cauldron. He barely managed to activate the Gang Qi, quietly infusing it into the token, which immediately emitted a flicker of luminescence.

As the luminescence gradually intensified, Hou Yuxiao quickly withdrew the Gang Qi, and only then a look of relief appeared on his face.

"The Flying Eagle Sect and Green Wolf Gang are no longer to be feared. Second Elder and his group should be able to handle it. Ren Feng has been deceived by me; the only concern is Cheng Yue.

A cultivator in the Qi Gathering Second Realm, Collecting Evil Phase, he is even more troublesome than Ren Feng!"

Hou Yuxiao's tone became slightly grave. Dealing with one Ren Feng was somewhat beyond his capabilities; now facing Cheng Yue in a direct confrontation was virtually impossible.

"He wants us four families to avoid infighting, fearing the imminent arrival of the Righteous Path martial artists, aiming to consolidate the county's warriors to stand against the Righteous Path. At this critical moment, I've boldly struck, destroying both the Flying Eagle Sect and the Green Wolf Gang, basically deeply offending him.

Likely a combination of diplomacy and force, if he is willing to listen to me and cooperate against the Righteous Path from Tianling County, that wouldn't be bad. If he disagrees, then let someone else deal with him!"

Hou Yuxiao's expression gradually became resolute. The extermination of the Flying Eagle Sect and Green Wolf Gang by the Hou family was already a done deal, with the clansmen set to move out during the Hour of Hai.

Given such significant disturbance, Cheng Yue would definitely notice. If he intervened, the Hou family's plans for tonight could not be accomplished.

Hou Yuxiao tidied up and, making use of the night, dashed across rooftops heading for the vicinity of the county government...