Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 114 - 097, Abundant financial resources, deployed in the Prefectural City

"Ever since the family head left on the first day of March, Head Escort Wang has been busy for two days. With the support of West Cloud Escort Agency, our Hou Family’s Zhaoyang Escort Agency formally established its presence in the Prefectural City, monopolizing all goods sent to Zhaoyang. We also handle some business in Yulin County. From the third day of March up to the twenty-fifth day of April, we took on thirty-five orders in total, with a gross profit of 43,000 silver taels."

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

"Then there’s the Qinglong Association managed by Gao Cheng and his daughter. The family head once mentioned that the Qinglong Association should operate underground, prioritizing survival, so Gao Cheng didn’t reveal much to his subordinates. However, the name of the Qinglong Token has already spread throughout the circles of minor forces and martial artists of Ten Layers of Body Openings in the Prefectural City, gaining no small reputation. Gao Cheng, finding out that his subordinates were returning, gave a total of 42,000 silver notes. No doubt, this is also the revenue of the past month-plus!"

Hou Fei’s tone was somewhat excited. In fact, announcing these two income sources, not just he, but the four people in the main hall, including Hou Yucheng, all showed signs of excitement.

"Eighty-five thousand taels!"

Even Hou Yuxiao, who had already counted the amount on the silver notes in his hand, showed a faint surprise.

The situation with Wang Gong’s Zhaoyang Escort Agency was still manageable, supported by West Cloud Escort Agency, with orders from over twenty minor forces in the county, as well as goods going back and forth between Zhaoyang County and Tongling County, all having been taken over by the Hou Clan. A total profit of more than forty thousand taels for almost two months was within reason.

Gao Cheng’s Qinglong Association, with 42,000 taels, is currently only taking orders from martial artists of the Open Body Realm. According to the price of 2,000 silver taels per Qinglong Bronze Order set by Hou Yuxiao at the beginning, it means that during this time, the Qinglong Association sold a total of 21 Qinglong Tokens?

"How many orders did the Qinglong Association take on in total within the county?"

"The Prefectural City had thirteen, Yulin County had two, and Baiye County had one. The targets were all martial artists of Ten Layers of Body Openings from lesser forces."

As per the rules of the Qinglong Association, they take orders upon seeing the token. They sold twenty-one Qinglong Tokens and completed fifteen orders, which means there are still six tokens scattered in others’ hands.

Hou Yuxiao’s expression grew even more astonished. He had left the Prefectural City for just over fifty days, and fifteen orders meant they were essentially taking on one order every three days.

Hou Fei obviously noticed Hou Yuxiao’s surprise and said, "Both Gao Cheng and Gao Hu have broken through to Half-Step Gang Qi at the beginning of this month. Assassinating martial artists of Ten Layers of Body Opening has been a matter of one hit, one kill!"

Hou Yuxiao’s expression froze, then a hint of joy emerged. Only then did he remember that Gao Cheng and Gao Hu were the eldest martial artists in the clan and they had already been at the peak of Ten Layers of Body Opening for a while. It wasn’t surprising that they made a breakthrough to Half-Step Gang Qi this time in the county.

"With such high-frequency assassinations by the Qinglong Association, has it attracted significant attention from the county authorities?"

After asking, Hou Yuxiao immediately realized, recalling what Leader Gui had just said to him. He didn’t wait for Hou Fei to answer but took the initiative to walk around with a smile appearing on his face.

"That’s right, that’s right. With news of a rank five demon spreading, who would pay attention to a mere Qinglong Association? After all, those assassinated so far are just insignificant characters from lesser forces."

Seeing Hou Fei nod, Hou Yuxiao continued to ask, "What about Qijue Gate? In that previous period, has Yu Guixin sent anyone to trouble you?"

Hou Fei sneered and said, "The family head may not know this, but Qijue Gate is now too busy to take care of itself. That demon with a sheep’s head and human body was first seen in Baiye County, capturing two warriors of Qijue Gate from the Gang Qi Realm; it was also the first to seek help from Ding Dian!"

"So, the county is already in a state of panic?"

Hou Fei nodded, his eyes showing a somber look, "At first, when only Baiye County and Yulin County reported incidents, there were rumors in the county, but it wasn’t too bad. But ever since that demon broke into the Prefectural City and had a fight with Fan Longhe and Ding Dian, people have started to become afraid.

In the past few days, it’s not just a state of panic in the county; many people are packing up their valuables and preparing to flee. Seeing the situation getting more chaotic, Fan Longhe took the initiative to disclose the news. Only after hearing that Master Fanyin himself was coming, did the people in the city calm down a bit.

Currently, the official roads leading to the Prefectural City from the three counties are almost deserted. Not to mention the common folk, even some martial artists wouldn’t leave the city unless absolutely necessary!"

Hou Yuxiao’s expression changed slightly. Leader Gui hadn’t told him about this situation just now. If it weren’t for Hou Fei, he wouldn’t have known how severe things had become.

"Family Head, when I just returned, I was puzzled. Both Baiye County and Yulin County already had rumors of demons appearing, so why is there no issue in Zhaoyang? When I entered the city, it seemed like there was nothing unusual!"

Hearing this, Hou Yuxiao exchanged a glance with Hou Yujie beside him, and their gazes unwittingly swept across Hou Yuduan.

"Indeed, no demons appeared in Zhaoyang!"

Hou Yuxiao affirmed Hou Fei’s statement, then looked at everyone and said, "Now that the Prefectural City has sent Master Fanyin, even if the demon is strong, it can’t be stronger than the Holy Church. So, you all don’t need to worry about this."

Hou Yujie also nodded and said, "Master Fanyin is one of the eight guardians of the Holy Church, Jialan. Regardless of whether the rank-five demon is real or fake, even if it is real, he should be able to handle it. Even if he can’t, the Holy Church has even more powerful figures. We really don’t need to worry."

The reassurances from the two of them caused Hou Yucheng, Hou Yuling, and Hou Fei to freeze for a moment. In their memory, their eldest brother, Hou Yuxiao, was someone extremely cautious. Why was he suddenly so bold...

Only Hou Yuduan next to them looked hesitant, as if wanting to say something, but the words remained unspoken, revealing a hint of helplessness.

"Old Fifth, this time for the trip to the Prison Admin Department, our Hou Clan will be represented by you!"

Hou Yuduan, who had previously been eager to go, now seemed to have new thoughts upon hearing his name called by Hou Yuxiao, but after pondering for a moment, a look of resignation appeared on his face as he nodded.

"Yes, Big Brother!"

Hou Yuxiao observed the change in Hou Yuduan’s expressions before and after, his eyes reflecting contemplation. Then he turned to look at Hou Yujie and said, "Fourth Elder, this time you will also go to the Prefectural City to take care of the matters of Zhaoyang Escort Agency and the Qinglong Association."

"Yes, Big Brother!"

Hou Yujie saluted and accepted the order, his face revealing a hint of excitement. He hadn’t been able to accompany Hou Yuxiao to the Prefectural City last time due to his breakthrough, but now he was finally going.

Management of the escort agency was manageable; he would likely just serve as a figurehead for now. Wang Gong probably wouldn’t receive any goods that required his escort at the moment, so his main focus would be on the Qinglong Association. Now that he, a Warrior of the Gang Qi Realm, was heading there, the Qinglong Association would do more than just issue bronze orders!

"Fourth Elder, before we are absolutely certain, the Qinglong Association cannot issue the Silver Order, or else, if we mess this up, it’ll be hard to conduct business afterward, understand?"

Seeing the expression on Fourth Elder’s face, Hou Yuxiao immediately reminded him with a warning.

"Don’t worry, big brother, I understand how important the reputation of the Qinglong Association is and how much money it can bring our family. I won’t ruin it!"

Only then did Hou Yuxiao nod, instructing the others to leave while keeping Hou Yujie behind.

Once everyone had left, Hou Yujie immediately spoke to Hou Yuxiao.

"Big brother, Leader Gui mentioned that demon is Maiden Hong, didn’t he?"

"Very likely!"

Even though Hou Yujie had been almost certain while Leader Gui was present, he couldn’t help but seek confirmation from Hou Yuxiao. Hearing his response, a look of shock appeared on his face.

"A fifth-grade demon, Old Fifth is doomed then?" After pondering for a moment, Hou Yujie’s face turned slightly unsightly.

A heavy look also appeared in Hou Yuxiao’s eyes as he shook his head and said, "Didn’t Leader Gui mention earlier that we’re not sure whether she is a fifth-grade demon? Moreover, the experts from the Holy Church will arrive soon, and it won’t be our turn to deal with her.

What’s more, her follower has been to the Prefectural City, Baiye and Yulin Counties, but conspicuously, nowhere near our Zhaoyang – that proves, at the least, that she bears us no ill will, least of all would she harm Old Fifth.

Right now, the entire county is in panic because of her, yet she deliberately avoids targeting our Hou Clan. Given that, we should just observe the changes and take this opportunity to strengthen ourselves first.

Even if she fully recuperates and becomes unbeatable in Tongling County, in the worst case, we’ll take Old Fifth and flee from here!"

Hearing these words, Hou Yujie’s expression darkened slightly, as the Hou Family had just managed to take control of Zhaoyang, and the thought of losing it for no good reason was hard for him to bear.

"I think Old Fifth knows the truth about Maiden Hong," Hou Yuxiao suddenly brought up, and Hou Yujie’s expression turned to one of disbelief, "How could that be possible? If Old Fifth knew she was a demon, would he still dare to associate with her?"

"In front of Old Fifth, that Maiden Hong doesn’t seem like a demon at all..."

Immediately, the image of Maiden Hong’s gentle, water-like demeanor that night in the dilapidated temple sprung into Hou Yujie’s mind, worsening the grim look on his face.

"If trouble comes, we will deal with it. If floods come, we will block them with dirt. There is no use in worrying about things that haven’t happened yet. This time, I’m having you go to the Prefectural City too – aside from looking after the Escort Agency and the Qinglong Association, pay extra attention to Old Fifth. It would be best if you could keep him from getting too close to that Maiden Hong."

Hou Yujie nodded firmly, "Understood, big brother!"

"Alright, you should go rest now. Tomorrow morning, head to the Prefectural City with Leader Gui and Old Fifth. Have Hou Fei report back immediately if anything happens."

Hou Yuxiao watched as Hou Yujie left, then remained alone in the main hall, settling into a meditative state on his chair.

"We should use this demon to distract the Prefectural City’s attention. Both the Escort Agency and the Qinglong Association can seize this chance to develop quickly. If that Maiden Hong really is the Blood Demon and fully recovers, Master Fanyin certainly won’t be a match for her, and that’s when real trouble will begin!"

After murmuring to himself, Hou Yuxiao’s brow furrowed with confusion...

The Blood Demon from over 1,300 years ago, even defeated once by Mo Yunzi, how could she just come back to life, especially at this particular moment, and why?

"Leader Gui said that demons arise from the work of Resentful Spirits, and Resentful Spirits proliferate during times of great chaos; thus, during the decline of the Wuzong era, demons ran rampant. Although Zhaoyang County is under the rule of the Demon Path, no mass slaughter has taken place..."

At this thought, Hou Yuxiao suddenly narrowed his eyes in concentration, abruptly standing up from his chair with a look of shock crossing his face.

Who says Zhaoyang hasn’t been thrown into chaos?

Just five months ago, a major disturbance occurred in Zhaoyang. He had been so fixated on the demon and Hou Yuduan’s affair that he’d forgotten all about the events that had previously occurred...

"No wonder, no wonder the Mountain Sword Sect had come to the city and started killing, and Tian Fazheng even killed his own sister. That means, behind this Blood Demon issue, The Righteous Path is involved too. The issues from five months ago weren’t just probing; they also laid a foundation for future disasters!"

The more Hou Yuxiao thought about it, the more mortified he became, and as he felt his Gathering Evil Phase cultivation, the thought of Tian Fazheng and Gu Chenfeng made him feel utterly powerless.

"I can’t continue like this; at this rate of cultivation, when will I ever achieve anything? If the first round was premeditated by The Righteous Path, then this second round will undoubtedly bring significant actions. With my paltry power, not to mention protecting Zhaoyang, it’ll be difficult even to save myself..."

Hou Yuxiao directed his mind towards the golden pages in his mind, saw the two rows of numbers, and gritted his teeth fiercely, with a fierce look in his eyes.

Merits: 95238

Karmic Obstacles: 1273

"I must increase my cultivation quickly!"