Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

"So, elder brother, you promptly formed an alliance through marriage with Zhao Qingxue to establish an early relationship with the Ziqing Holy Sect and make Leiyin Temple hesitate to treat Hexi too harshly?"

Hearing Hou Yujie ask this, Hou Yuxiao knew he had calmed down, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face, and he nodded, "Indeed, in fact, such matters, even if not made public, are not a secret from a powerful force like Leiyin Temple. They must have known about my relationship with the Ziqing Holy Sect long ago. So, to think that this marriage alone would make Leiyin Temple hesitate is far from enough!"

Hou Yuxiao pointed to Hexi on the map, then sequentially pointed to the Tongtian River, Guangling Prefecture, and Lingyuan Prefecture, and looked up at Hou Yuduan and Hou Yujie, asking, "What do you think is our current relationship with these four families?"

Hou Yuduan's brows slightly furrowed, and after a moment of thought, he said, "Our relationship with Tongtian Prefecture is good, but their relationship with Hedong is unclear!"

"What's unclear? The River Lord revived last year, and the warfare around Guangling Prefecture was still ongoing, with a third-grade demon right behind them. Yet, the Wuwei King showed no sign of defense, still wholeheartedly assaulting Xuzhou. Why do you think that is?"

This statement suddenly enlightened Hou Yuduan.

Hou Yujie also realized, looking enlightened, "Elder brother means, is there a connection between Tongtian Prefecture and the Wuwei King?"

Hou Yuduan also seemed to understand something and responded, "Not necessarily a connection, but there must be a common point. Do you remember, five years ago during the turmoil in Tongling, the great power that appeared from the Wanjian Holy Sect?"

"Lord Fengtian, Jing Tianyu!" Hou Yujie quickly recalled.

"I had noticed this person before. It is said that in the 152nd year of the Wuzong era, a million Red Turban rebels at the confluence of the Yunlan Ancient River and the Tongtian River near the borders of Yong and Xu were trying to use water power to breach the gates of Xuzhou through Xingyuan Road, but Jing Tianyu alone, wielding his sword, killed two shattered realm powers and later, with the aid of the River Lord, wiped out a million rebels altogether, earning the title of Lord Fengtian..."

Hou Yujie's brow tightened, "I also remember this. According to the rumors, the River Lord and Jing Tianyu should have had a good relationship, which means they should also have a good relationship with the Wanjian Holy Sect. With this assumption, when the Wuwei King attacked Xuzhou, the River Lord should have been creating chaos in Hou Jing's rear... "

"The rumors are wrong; the River Lord not only doesn't get along with Jing Tianyu but probably hates him to the bone, and may even hold an antagonistic attitude towards the Wanjian Holy Sect. That's right, this is the common point between Tongtian Prefecture and the Wuwei King—they both probably want to target Xuzhou!"

Many events from a thousand years ago are distorted, especially those recorded in annals about the confrontations among top powers; the recorders themselves might not be clear. Overall, since the revival of the River Lord, their relationship with Jing Tianyu, or the Wanjian Holy Sect, is definitely not as the rumors suggest, and it is very likely completely the opposite.

Once Hou Yuduan understood this, he immediately grasped what Hou Yuxiao intended to convey. He pointed to Lingyuan Prefecture on the map, his expression brightened, "The Ziqing Holy Sect has taken Lingyuan Prefecture, which certainly indicates they support the Wuwei King in attacking Xuzhou. Tongtian Prefecture doesn't want Leiyin Temple to occupy Hexi, and neither does the Ziqing Holy Sect, nor does the Wuwei King. Does this not mean that our four families share the same attitude toward Leiyin Temple?"

After he spoke, he and Hou Yujie both looked up at Hou Yuxiao.

"It's more than just that issue. Five years ago during the turmoil in Tongling, when Huangfu Xing tore up the Jin Capital alliance, this sacred land of The World had no more concerns. It was from that moment that Great Jin began fighting on three fronts, and other sacred lands were not idle either!"

The Ziqing Holy Sect, being in Jiaozhou, is very close to the hinterlands of the Central Plains. If they want to advance eastward through Xuzhou, Yangzhou, and Yanzhou, all these places are essential routes. They support the Wuwei King because, in my bold speculation, the Ziqing Holy Sect's army might have already been positioned east of Xuzhou. As soon as the Wanjian Holy Sect shows any slack, they could strike at any time!"

Hou Yuduan's body trembled slightly, and his expression changed drastically as he said in a deep voice, "Even without considering Leiyin Temple, with the addition of Wanjian Holy Sect and the leader of The Righteous Path, Bailu Academy, two Holy Lands were still unable to resist the Wuwei King. Even Guangling Prefecture has been breached. I didn't quite understand before, but if it's as elder brother said, with Ziqing Holy Sect stationing troops in the east of Xuzhou, then it all makes sense. It turns out Xuzhou, alongside Bailu Academy, is fighting the Wuwei King while also having to guard against Jiaozhou on their flank!"

Hou Yuxiao nodded and added, "Ziqing Holy Sect's main base is located in Jiaozhou. To exert influence on our side, this is the only way. If they want to meddle with the banks of Tongtian River, they too must cultivate their own chess pieces. As of now, both the Wuwei King and our Hexi can be considered as their chess pieces. This is also why Moxuzi, despite knowing that I am using Zhao Qingxue, still agreed to a marriage alliance with our Hou Clan."

"The world is bustling with activity, all for the sake of profit and driven by it!"

Upon hearing Hou Yuduan's sigh, Hou Yuxiao also felt a slight blockage in his heart, but he quickly adjusted his emotions and continued, "It's just mutual usage. Ziqing Holy Sect can regard Wuwei King and our Hou Clan as chess pieces because they have the strength. If one day our Hou Clan possesses such strength, we can do the same to them."

After saying this, he paused for a moment, then continued, "Just like us, and Hou Jing of Wuwei King, we all rely on Ziqing Holy Sect, who in turn also needs our two families in the heart of the Central Plains to mediate for Ziqing Holy Sect's advancement westward from Jiaozhou. The River Lord of Tongtian Prefecture has lived for thousands of years, he must see these things too. That's why he ignores the conflicts in Hedong, while also helping us to resist Leiyin Temple. He knows with Ziqing Holy Sect above us, Leiyin Temple won't overstep its boundaries with Hexi, or with him."

Upon hearing this, Hou Yujie still didn't quite understand, but Hou Yuduan's face showed sudden realization as he looked at the map and asked in a low voice, "Elder brother, are you trying to emulate Hexi and form an alliance in their style, substantially uniting the four families, making Hexi, Tongtian Prefecture, Wuwei King, and Ziqing Holy Sect share both prosperity and loss?"

Hou Yuxiao nodded affirmatively and said, "Exactly, our Hou Clan's strength isn't weak, but we cannot face Leiyin Temple alone, not to mention other Holy Lands coveting Hexi. Without getting into details, if one day the battle of Rakshasa Holy Sect in Bingzhou concludes, they will likely think about us next. This is why we must form a substantial union of the four families, and the more noise it makes, the better. This way, the world will understand that attacking Hexi is equivalent to moving against Tongtian Prefecture, the Wuwei King, and Ziqing Holy Sect. Thus, as long as these three are stable, my Hexi's territory will be as solid as Mount Tai."

"Borrowing a situation to set up a momentum, small force but big influence!"

Hou Yuduan's statement encapsulated all of Hou Yuxiao's scheming. After mulling it over in his mind, he spoke, "Elder brother's idea is good, but not easy to implement. Wuwei King and Tongtian Prefecture are manageable, their strength, even if stronger than Hexi, is limited. A substantial cooperation among the four families is beneficial and harmless to them. The difficulty lies in Ziqing Holy Sect!"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Ziqing Holy Sect's support of the Wuwei King has yet to be declared to the world, and only Moxuzi personally agreed to a marriage alliance with Hexi. This clearly shows a strategy that is advanceable and withdrawable. Simply put, they want to use us but are reluctant to fully commit Ziqing Holy Sect. It has been like this for years. Proposing a real union might not be something they'll agree to!"

"Thus, we need to force their hand. There's no need to mention a substantive union, just forcing Ziqing Holy Sect to reveal one or two significant figures will suffice to show the world the relationship between Hexi and Ziqing Holy Sect..."

With a deep voice, Hou Yuxiao finished speaking, his gaze shifted to Hou Yujie, and he quietly inquired, "Fourth Elder, the Zhu sisters, Zhu Qing and Zhu Lan, are they still with you?"

Hou Yujie, taken aback, nodded and replied, "They are still with me."

"Their father, Zhu Wulei, wasn't he rescued by his clan members two years ago? I remember it was Third Mother who arranged for him to stay in Jianye Prefecture to act as a spy, am I right?"

Somewhat understanding the implication, Hou Yujie spoke in a low voice, "He has been in Jianye Prefecture. After Leiyin Temple entered, he feigned allegiance. Now, he holds a not insignificant position in the external affairs office of Leiyin Temple."

"That's good!"

After Hou Yuxiao spoke, his expression shifted subtly, his mind already formulating plans.