Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 595 - 275. The Eve of Establishing the Mansion

New Yu Era 1325, early June, Yangping County City

Compared to the other three counties, Yangping could be considered the least prominent in Hexi because of its slightly northern location and the obstructed official road to the north. Outside of specific business dealings or pressing matters, few people made their way there voluntarily, resulting in a consistent loss of population.

Yet even so, it remained a prefectural city overseeing Jinxiang, Donglu, and Shuiyun counties, possessing a certain degree of strength.

Fengbo Hall was a clear testament to this!

Whether before or after Hexi changed rulers, Fengbo Hall remained the undisputed dominant force in Yangping. Not only was its hall master Ke Jiangyun a Second Realm Master of cultivation, but his deputies, Li Wenxuan and Lu Diankang, were also Second Realm Masters, and the sect boasted dozens of warriors of the Gang Qi Realm and over thirty thousand disciples.

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Before Hexi changed hands, there were three second-rate forces: the now-extinct Tianding Sect, Famed Sword Sect from Longxiang, and Fengbo Hall from Yangping.

In terms of individual strength, Ke Jiangyun, a Second Realm Master, certainly could not compare with Yue Wenzhu of Famed Sword Sect or Tong Wudi of Tianding Sect. However, in terms of overall strength, Fengbo Hall was undoubtedly the strongest among the three.

Yangping, despite being the least noticeable of the counties, boasted the strongest force within Fengbo Hall. It seemed illogical, but because it lacked competition from external forces, Fengbo Hall's dominance was unchallenged.

In the central hall of Fengbo Hall's headquarters in the city center, three groups sat facing each other. Naturally, the seat of honor was occupied by Ke Jiangyun, the hall master, flanked by his deputies Li Wenxuan and Lu Diankang.

On the left sat a middle-aged man in green clothes with a tranquil demeanor, a longsword at his waist, topped with an azure dragon jade pendant, exuding an air of scholarly elegance. Behind him stood two persons, an elderly man in green and a young woman in her early twenties wearing a white dress.

On the right was a burly middle-aged man, accompanied by another person who looked seven-parts similar, clearly his brother.

Ke Jiangyun, holding a document in his hands and observing the two-colored lotus mark at its end, obviously issued by the Hou Clan, looked up after a long time and spoke softly, "The Hou Clan has already confirmed the establishment of the prefectural government in Hexi on the first day of next month. The new prefectural capital will be located in Tongling, and all significant forces within the territory are ordered to relocate there. I wonder, gentlemen, what are your plans?"

Neither Yue Wenzhu nor Gao Haicheng on the two sides gave a reply to Ke Jiangyun, but their expressions flickered, not revealing what they were thinking.

The Hou Clan's decree about establishing the prefecture was issued on the tenth day of May. It had been twenty days, and it was almost common knowledge across the four counties. The two men had certainly read it well before, but Ke Jiangyun inviting them today and asking for their views on this matter as soon as they sat down was too conspicuous of him.

"Since neither of you wish to speak, then I will be blunt!"

Ke Jiangyun seemed somewhat impatient and continued in a low tone:

"Originally, whether by location or population, Hexi prefectural capital should have been Wanyang or Longxiang. The Hou Clan's forceful decision to locate it in Tongling clearly signals that Hexi Prefecture will center around Tongling, which has long been under Hou's control. This will inevitably speed up the population drain, and all three of our factions will suffer."

"Moreover, the Hou Clan's order for all significant forces to move their bases to the prefectural capital may not mention it openly, but the intention to meddle in the affairs of all the counties of Hexi is abundantly clear. It's fundamentally pulling the rug out from under us. And if we really do move our bases to the prefectural capital, then we will be completely at the mercy of the Hou Clan, likely losing all hope of turning our fortunes around!"

After hearing Ke Jiangyun's words, both Gao Haicheng and Yue Wenzhu remained composed. They could also see the Hou Clan's intentions as clearly as Ke Jiangyun. Given the opportunity of establishing the Hexi Prefecture, the Hou Clan's intent to consolidate control over their factions, along with all other significant forces, was openly acknowledged.

The problem was, they had no solution. Ke Jiangyun being so forthright about it wasn't particularly useful.

"The Hou Clan has nine commanders, all in the Grandmaster Realm, including Upper Hou Gate Commander Hou Yujie, Lower Hou Gate Commander Hou Yuling, and Zhaoyang Army Commandant Hou Yucheng, all three of whom are Masters of the Three Realms.

Apart from these three, there are also Bai Yunfan, Liu Jianghong, Nie Xinchuan, Li Sanyun, and Gao Cheng—five more Grandmaster-level experts. Excluding these high-ranking officers, to my knowledge, they have at least hidden ten more Grandmaster-level experts. Thus, conservatively estimated, the Hou Clan has at least eighteen Grandmaster-level masters."

"Not to mention the renowned Double Dragons of the Hou Family. Hou Yuxiao was already capable of slaying the great Grandmaster Ding Buhai of Leiyin Temple two years ago. No one knows what his current strength is. As for Fifth Brother Hou Yuduan, he has not made a move for several years, but given that he is on par with Hou Yuxiao, we can tentatively consider him of great Grandmaster strength."

Yue Wenzhu abruptly spoke at length, causing everyone present to break out in a cold sweat. Only Ke Jiangyun and Gao Haicheng, the heads of their respective factions, managed to keep their composure somewhat.

The Gao Family and Fengbo Hall also possessed second-rate strength, and their intelligence-gathering was no worse than the Famed Sword Sect's. The information Yue Wenzhu shared was certainly already known to both Gao Haicheng and Ke Jiangyun. However, their reactions after hearing it were not alike.