Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

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At the early Hai hour, before anything had happened in Zhaoyang County,

on a small path ten miles north of the official road to the east of the town, three young figures were weaving through the dense forest. Leading the group were a man and a woman whose cultivation was clearly more profound, and they were hurrying the person in the middle forward together.

"Senior Brother, this is my first time taking a small path; could there be ghosts and demons causing trouble?"

Tian Honglu glanced back at the dense jungle with a hint of fear in her voice.

"I don't know. I only took a small path once when I was going to Dongyang County five years ago. Elder Lu led the team then, and we had over forty people. We encountered a fox demon on the way and lost more than ten people before we finally escaped with our lives!"

Tian Honglu immediately exclaimed in shock, "Elder Lu has reached the Gathering Evil Phase in his cultivation, and he couldn't overcome an ordinary fox demon?"

Duan Zhengqi nodded, a trace of fear crossing his face as he recalled the memory.

Five years ago, he was only at the Seventh Level of Body Opening. The ten or more people who died were his senior brothers, and thinking of the fox demon's strangeness, he looked back at the dense jungle. His already soaked back broke out in cold sweat once again.

After the decline of the Great Yu Dynasty, the Monster Hunting Bureau collapsed completely, and the demons of this world were no longer restrained. With the thirteen provinces of the world each governing themselves and waging continual warfare over the past several hundred years, human conflicts often led to great turmoil, and the number of demons that arose in various places increased even more.

Although these demons were all cunning and possessed extraordinary strength, there were some places they dared not tread, such as cities with large populations and, notably, the official roads built during the Great Yu Dynasty, using the blood and flesh of unparalleled demons!

Not to mention the demons who had cultivated for hundreds or even thousands of years until they became spirits, even the ordinary ghosts and evil spirits were beyond the means of common martial artists to deal with.

Only martial artists above the Gathering Malevolence Phase with blood malevolence could deter ordinary ghosts and evil spirits, hence there's a saying among the common people that martial artists below the Gathering Malevolence Phase should never take small paths.

And yet, here they were, three of them, one at Ten Layers of Body Openings, another at nine, plus one at five Layers of Body Refinement, daring to take a small path.

If this were told to others, chances are no one would believe it.

Duan Zhengqi looked at Hou Yuduan beside him and felt a sense of the absurd wash over him; he thought the whole thing was bizarre no matter how he considered it.

He and his junior sister had been confined next to Hou Yuduan's residence all this time. He was also aware that Tian Honglu had been getting along quite well with Hou Yuduan recently, but he was a more experienced person and not as naive as his junior sister.

From the beginning, he had kept an eye on Hou Yuduan, who appeared humble and courteous, despite the several good impressions the man had left on him.

After all, this person was the younger brother of the Thousand-Faced Handsome Man Hou Yuxiao. At the end of the day, he was still someone from the Demon Path. Duan Zhengqi didn't believe for a second that Hou Yuduan had no ulterior motives in getting close to his junior sister.

But it turned out that Hou Yuduan really had no ulterior motives. Not only did he lack ulterior motives, but he also often brought medicine for healing, shared news from the outside, and even promised that he would speak to his elder brother, Hou Yuxiao, about letting the two of them leave.

After several such interactions, Duan Zhengqi started to waver.

It was like finding a true good man in a den of thieves; Hou Yuduan was truly different from his other siblings.

If he was only wavering before, then after tonight, he truly recognized Hou Yuduan as not a bad person.

Tonight, in the Xu hour, Hou Yuduan rushed to their room and cured the poison for him and his junior sister Tian Honglu, telling them that after the Xu hour, there would be no one in Hou Mansion, not even his elder brothers, and urged them to escape quickly.

That's right, Hou Yuduan... actually let them go!

When they finally stepped out of the Hou Mansion's gate and found truly no one was there, Duan Zhengqi still felt bewildered.

Junior Sister Tian Honglu, on the other hand, looked happy, saying that Hou Yuduan had kept his promise. She smugly said to him, "See, Senior Brother, I told you Hou Yuduan would definitely let us go. He is not like those bastard brothers; he is a good person..."

In the end, Duan Zhengqi could only accept his junior sister's opinion and really believed in Hou Yuduan. Not believing wasn't an option anymore; they were now almost out of Yongzhou and approaching Xuzhou.

Even if Hou Yuduan was up to something, he couldn't possibly have taken it this far!

This Brother Hou, he really is a good person!

So thought Duan Zhengqi, looking at Hou Yuduan with an increasingly gentle gaze.

As Tian Honglu was busy rushing along with her Senior Brother and dragging Hou Yuduan in the middle, she suddenly felt more effort was needed to pull. Turning around, she saw Hou Yuduan looking at her innocently. Looking down, she burst into laughter.

It turned out that Hou Yuduan, sandwiched between them, simply couldn't keep up. His legs were flailing about and not even touching the ground, as they dragged him along the whole way...

"No wonder we're moving so slow. You are such a drag! You're actually slacking off while walking!"

Hou Yuduan's face turned red, and he helplessly explained, "It's not that I'm slacking off. You two are just too fast, and I'm having a hard time keeping up."

"All right, junior sister. It's understandable that Brother Hou is a bit weaker in cultivation. Let's hurry on. We're only about five miles from leaving Yongzhou. We've been lucky not to encounter any evil spirits on the way; let's not have troubles in the last few miles!"

"Yeah yeah, let's hurry. It'd be terrible to run into an evil spirit now!"

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After finishing her words, Tian Honglu pouted. She noticed that ever since they left the Hou Mansion, Senior Brother had stopped talking about Hou Yuduan harboring malicious intentions.

In the past, it was always Senior Brother who badmouthed Hou Yuduan, and she would come to his defense, but now she found herself speaking ill of Hou Yuduan, and Duan Zhengqi was the one defending him.

At this moment, Hou Yuduan, who was being supported by the two of them, spoke up. Hearing that both of them were afraid of some malevolent spirits, he seemed somewhat disapproving and said, "Why should we fear these despicable evil spirits and demons that cannot stand the light of day? Let's just continue on our journey at a steady pace!"

Tian Honglu couldn't help but snort with laughter on the side. The kid was clearly tired from traveling, but he had to make such a noble-sounding excuse.

"You're only at the fifth level of body refinement and you talk so big. If we really encounter those evil spirits, you'll definitely be the first to turn tail and run!"

Hou Yuduan immediately responded with a serious tone, "A gentleman maintains his integrity and nourishes the vast and mighty Righteous Qi within himself. Even a hundred evils cannot sway it, and this has nothing to do with one's cultivation. I am filled with Righteous Qi; I wouldn't fear them, not to mention evil spirits—even if demons came, I would not be afraid..."

"Hahaha, go on, go on, scholars are always bragging!"

Watching Tian Honglu chuckle and laugh, Hou Yuduan showed a wry smile on his face and had no choice but to continue running wildly along the road with the two of them.

After traveling another five or so miles, they finally saw the boundary markers between two districts. Duan Zhengqi and Tian Honglu simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, releasing Hou Yuduan and looking back at the dense forest they had traversed, their expressions filled with relief.

"After accompanying a friend for a thousand miles, they must part eventually. Senior Brother Duan, Miss Tian, I'll take my leave now. If fate allows, we will meet again!"

"Are you crazy? Without us, how will you get back? No, no, if you're going to leave, we should at least escort you to the Official Road first!"

The fifty-mile stretch at the junction of Xuzhou and Yongzhou did not have a maintained official road. Was Hou Yuduan, a weakling at the fifth level of body refinement, supposed to make his way back through the dense forest alone?

Tian Honglu immediately exclaimed, grabbing Hou Yuduan's arm in a panic, as if afraid he'd truly slip away on his own and lose his life in the process.

"Actually, to tell you the truth, my older brother has already arranged for people to wait for me. As soon as I give a signal, they will come and find me."

Hou Yuduan made up a lie on the spot, and seeing the clearly skeptical expressions on their faces, he paused, a glint of cunning flickering in his eyes, as if he had made some decision.

"Now that it has come to this, I might as well speak frankly. There is no one at the Hou Mansion tonight because your Sword Sect, the Mountain Sword Sect, is currently attacking Zhaoyang County Town!"

......

The complexions of Duan Zhengqi and Tian Honglu changed drastically as they looked up at Hou Yuduan, their faces full of disbelief.

"You don't believe me?"

With a slight sigh, Hou Yuduan asked abruptly, "Senior Brother Duan, Miss Tian, have you ever wondered why you were able to cross provinces so smoothly, and even after crossing, why you were so easily captured by my elder brother?"

It was like a soul-searching question that pulled Tian Honglu and Duan Zhengqi's thoughts back to half a month ago, to the moment they had just left Tianling County...

"The Mountain Sword Sect is the only third-rate power in Tianling County, presumably having full control over the county. Not to mention, Miss Tian, you are the Sect Master's legitimate daughter. While I believe it possible for Senior Brother Duan to leave Xuzhou unnoticed, but Miss Tian..."

As if afraid they would not understand, Hou Yuduan gradually made his point clear, and as he continued to speak, their faces grew increasingly grim.

"Although I am unaware of the specifics, I am certain that someone intentionally brought Miss Tian to Yongzhou. Combined with tonight's action of your father, Tian Linong, leading the Sect Members to attack Zhaoyang, it is clear that this person is looking for a suitable pretext to provoke a war between the two states, exploiting Miss Tian's presence for their scheme.

My older brother must have also realized this point, which is why he deliberately led me to free you two at the last moment tonight. I hope in the future you won't hold a grudge against Brother Hou. After all, it was he—not I—who let you go tonight!"

Upon hearing this, both of them turned pale, especially Tian Honglu, whose expression dramatically changed, with a dense look of disbelief in her pupils, as if something in her heart was collapsing.

"With no outcome from the battle between good and evil in Zhaoyang County Town, I am certain there are people waiting at the borders of Xuzhou for you two. Therefore, I advise you to be careful on your way back!"

Hou Yuduan gave them a deep look, still deep in thought, and after emphasizing the word "careful," he turned and went back the way he had come.

Tian Honglu and Duan Zhengqi deeply pondered in place for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Only at the third watch of the Hai Hour did Duan Zhengqi first clear the thoughts in his mind, his face turning ashen in an instant. When he raised his head, he realized that Tian Honglu was in a daze.

"Junior Sister, that's just their side of the story. Regardless of whether what he said about our sect attacking Zhaoyang is true or false, even if someone is using us, it's not necessarily..."

Duan Zhengqi had entered the sect as a young boy, and being of ordinary background, he had average relations with everyone except for his junior sister Tian Honglu, who did not disdain his background and was willing to play with him—additionally, she often helped him out financially. Thus, Duan Zhengqi genuinely cherished his junior sister.

He had more experience than Tian Honglu, and he understood what Hou Yuduan's words represented. Tian Honglu could discern it, so how could he not? Therefore, he could only console his junior sister at this moment without being able to say much else.

Tian Honglu snapped out of her daze, looked up at Duan Zhengqi, and showed a forced smile, whispering softly, "Senior Brother, I want to go back and see for myself first!"

Duan Zhengqi felt a chill in his heart, remembering Hou Yuduan's words just now. His first instinct was to refuse, but seeing the hopeful look in Tian Honglu's eyes, he could not bring himself to say no.

"Alright, your Senior Brother will accompany you back!"