Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 539 - 252, Murder in the Dark_2

Hou Yuxiao had not finished speaking when he just let out a sigh, whipped his horse fiercely, and drove away in his carriage.

The sister and brother stood in place for a long time, waiting until Hou Yuxiao’s carriage was out of sight. The blankness that had been on their faces was suddenly gone, replaced by a deep gleam in their eyes, and their expressions were filled with a maturity and shrewdness that belied their ages.

"After exerting the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, we finally managed to escape the Divine Capital. We didn’t perish at the hands of those powerful beings, only to almost be undone by six insignificant thieves. No wonder there’s a saying that a phoenix in adversity is inferior to a chicken—I’ve truly experienced it this time!"

The little girl named Jiang Li shook her head when she heard her brother’s words and said softly, "Being undone is the least of our worries. The broken-realm powerhouses of Great Jin are searching for us in the North. Once we regain our strength and make a move, our aura will surely draw them to us, and at that time, we’ll only have one path left—death."

"So, we actually owe that old man a debt of gratitude. Among the other two sitting in that carriage, one must be a Qiányáng realm expert. They’re probably heading north for the Divine Capital’s feast. If I weren’t worried about revealing our identities, I would really like to warn those three not to rush to the Divine Capital to court death..."

Towards the end, Jiang Yun’s tone became slightly somber. Beside him, Jiang Li nodded in agreement. Clearly, Hou Yuxiao’s trip to the Divine Capital was, in their eyes, no different from courting death.

"With Qinjian Villa leading the way, all of The Righteous Path harbor their own ghosts, the Anti-Jin Alliance has already been strangled in the womb, and the Divine Capital’s banquet is nothing but a castle in the air. Given the current situation in the North, it’s uncertain whether those three can safely reach the Divine Capital. They might well be killed en route."

"That’s true, so what should we do next?"

Hearing the boy’s question, Jiang Li’s young face showed a composed expression. She looked down at the token that Hou Yuxiao had just given them and said softly, "The downfall of the Divine Capital is a foregone conclusion. Continuing to stay in the North means certain death for us. Given our identities, Yangzhou Academy is our last refuge. With their support, and by quietly waiting for the situation in the North to change, we’ll have a chance to turn the tides!"

As she spoke, the little girl paused, gently brushed the hair from her forehead, and said in a low voice, "We’ll head to Baiming Ferry. It’s the perfect opportunity to make use of the token that old man gave us to find a chance to cross the river to the South."

Jiang Yun nodded and followed his sister as they headed south.

...…

Meanwhile, inside the rapidly-moving carriage on the official road to the North, Ding Xiang was peering through the half-drawn curtain at Hou Yuxiao and spoke to Zhan Taiqing with a light laugh.

"I remember the young lady saying that the Master of Hou Family had a kind heart. I didn’t quite believe it before, considering his origins from the Demon Path and his not-so-great reputation. It wasn’t until this journey that I really came to believe it."

"Such small acts of kindness are trivial and hardly worth mentioning."

Although Zhan Taiqing said this, her face didn’t show the usual mockery, indicating that her true thoughts didn’t match her words.

"Small acts of kindness are still kindness. Martial Artists, with their strength and abilities far beyond ordinary people, are easily swayed by arrogance and pride, heartless and without sympathy for the common folk. Along the way, despite Aunt Qing’s mockery, he remained unswayed, helping whenever it was needed. This kindness is indeed precious."

Recalling the miserable state of the refugees seen along the road, Zhan Taiqing fell silent for a while, her eyes softening as she sighed, "When war breaks out, it’s these ordinary people who suffer the most. Not only must they guard against being caught in the crossfire, but they’re also at risk of enslavement or even slaughter by strong and powerful Martial Artists. If every Martial Artist in the world possessed his kindness, that would be fine, but unfortunately, most Martial Artists use their strength to oppress the good-hearted and enslave others, treating ordinary people like cattle, no different from demons."

"That is also true, the young lady once said that one person’s kindness cannot change anything!"

After a moment of silence in the carriage, Zhan Taiqing looked up to see the boundary marker through the window, realizing that they were about to enter Wangchuan Road, and said, "Let’s change to riding horses for the journey ahead. The road up ahead is getting treacherous."

"The Saint Heavenly Fist Sect has already pledged allegiance to Great Jin. If the message from Headquarters is correct, they’re currently joining forces with Emperor Yuliang’s army to attack Jiuhua Dao. The territory is in a state of lockdown. Since we’ve changed our route and deliberately delayed our travel, even if they want to stop us, they shouldn’t be able to pinpoint our location."

Ding Xiang’s tone was confident. The message from Headquarters was relayed by the young lady and could not be wrong. Furthermore, since they avoided entering cities by only taking official roads, they should not attract much attention.

"Ditch the carriage and switch to horseback to continue our journey."

Hou Yuxiao also understood Zhan Taiqing’s intentions, knowing she wanted to confuse the enemy’s grasp on their itinerary. As soon as they crossed the boundary marker into Wangchuan territory, he immediately stepped forward to unfasten the reins, and all three mounted their horses—with Zhan Taiqing leading and him and Ding Xiang following—abandoning the carriage to speed along the official road northward.

Although all three possessed Cultivation, they were after all flesh and blood, and could not endure endless shaking without sleep or rest. On average, they stopped every three hours for a one-hour break. This was not their limit, but mainly to consider the exhaustion of the horses, still covering over two thousand li in a day.

New Yu Era 1324, November 25th, night.

"Alright, let’s rest at the decrepit temple up ahead for a bit!"

North of Wangchuan Road, Hou Yuxiao looked at Zhan Taiqing with a strange expression; usually, they needed to walk for more than three hours before Zhan Taiqing would let them rest. It had only been a little more than an hour since their last rest—why were they stopping so soon?

Though he found it odd, Hou Yuxiao didn’t say anything and led his horse toward the decrepit temple beside the road. The temple gate was in disrepair, clearly untouched for many years.

Yet before he could get close, three voices emerged from within the temple.

"North of the River is practically destroyed; the people are displaced and homeless, with refugees scattered throughout the lands, turning it into a veritable hell on earth, alas..."

"There’s no helping it, with the holy lands at war, the common folk suffer!"

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"The chaos of the era is fixed, and this is just the beginning. If the war in the North of the River drags on, I fear there will be even more casualties among the people. I heard that Great Yu has called for the Divine Capital Feast to summon the Eight Great Sacred Lands in a bid to form an Anti-Jin Alliance. If this goes through, the flames of war could burn even fiercer."

"Great Yu has lost the deer for many years; the glory of the Divine Dynasty is long gone. If not for Great Jin’s sentiment toward the old rulers, they would have flipped over Cangyuan Mountain and swept through Zhongzhou by now. Allowing their survival for over four centuries has been an extraordinary act of mercy. Why bother pretending to have the dynastic stature? Don’t they understand that by rekindling the war, the ones to suffer will still be the common people?"

"Do you think those sacred lands that came to the Divine Capital Feast are truly loyal to Great Yu? It’s nothing but fear that Great Jin’s power will swell too rapidly after destroying Yu. Ultimately, everyone harbors their own schemes, wishing not to see Jin too dominant."

"The lives of those commoners don’t matter to anyone, hmph!"

...

Hou Yuxiao’s expression instantly darkened; the three in the temple were clearly intent on making their conversation heard.

He turned back and saw that Zhan Taiqing’s face was still composed, which made him realize why they had stopped to rest after only an hour—and the reason they had come to this inhabited ruin.

Clearly, Zhan Taiqing had already known that someone was waiting inside the temple.

"So you’re saying that if Jin destroys Yu, peace will reign over the world?"

With a cold smile, Zhan Taiqing retorted to the temple.

"Since the Wuzong, the Great Yu Dynasty has been a dynasty in name only. After all, today’s turmoil stems from coveting the imperial throne. Instead of allowing Great Yu to continue its feeble existence, better to annihilate it completely and quickly settle the dispute, restoring peace to the world. Miss Qing, what do you think?"

"Nonsense and gibberish. You, a mouse that hides its head but exposes its tail, dare to speak of overthrowing the Divine Dynasty. Daring to play tricks before me is courting death!"

Zhan Taiqing’s tone was clearly impatient, her face as cold as frost. Channeling a burst of vigorous qi in her hand, she struck a blow towards the temple from afar.

The force of her palm sent Hou Yuxiao’s hair flying high in front of her, but as she watched the temple crumble to dust, her expression remained as somber as the depths of night.

Zhan Taiqing’s unusual arrangements along the way were more than enough to prove the strength of their enemies. Moreover, they had called her Miss Qing, indicating they knew Zhan Taiqing’s identity. Given this, they must understand her strength; yet they confidently stood in their way...

It could only mean that the strength of these three was exceptionally formidable!

As expected, after the temple crumbled to dust, three shadowy figures flickered and boldly stood before them.

Hou Yuxiao’s expression instantly stiffened when he saw the three. It wasn’t recognition that startled him but rather that they were all dressed in garments for night travel, faces covered with specially made masks that made their presence undetectable.

Concealing their true identities, what did this signify?