Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains-Chapter 85 - 71. Are you good at fighting? [Begging for the first order!!!]

Even though the sky was so dim that it somewhat affected visibility, as they approached the gate of Tongling City, a sense of grandeur still surged towards everyone.

The towering city walls stretched across dozens of miles from north to south, and with the naked eye, one could hardly see their ends. The two black iron city gates, standing twenty meters high—twice the height of Zhaoyang County's walls—made people look up in awe and feel a profound sense of insignificance.

Even though Hou Yuxiao had lived two lives, he was still incredibly shocked, not merely by the sight of Tongling City itself.

If an ordinary Prefectural City was this majestic, what would Xingnan Prefecture City be like? What about Tao City in Xiayuan? And what about the legendary capital of Yongzhou?

"These city gates are forged from ten thousand refinements of fine iron. It's rumored that each of the four gates of Tongling County weighs a million catties and requires the combined strength of a hundred martial artists to open or close. Once shut, they can even hold off a grandmaster for a while. The first time I came to the Prefectural City and saw these gates, I was so stunned that I couldn't speak for a long time!"

Hou Yuling lifted the curtain of the carriage, saw Hou Yuxiao and others outside staring dumbfounded at the gates and unable to speak, and chuckled behind her hand. Obviously, she had anticipated this reaction.

Among the crowd, only Wang Gong, who had wandered the lands for many years, kept a normal expression on his face. He nodded slightly and sighed softly, "Twenty li for a county, fifty li for a prefecture, over a hundred for a prefectural city. The iron mines gathered by the Great Yu Dynasty were all used to build these magnificent cities, aiming to create an eternal divine dynasty. Who would have thought that these grand cities would remain, yet Great Yu itself would be gone!

In my youth, I once heard a poem by a great Confucian from the Bailu Academy, 'The strong cities of Shenzhou still stand today, yet the Great Yu Dynasty is nowhere to be seen. Such is the impermanence of the world, a truly pitiable and lamentable sight!'

Upon hearing this poem, everyone felt a sense of insignificance rise within them and nodded thoughtfully. Only Hou Yuxiao, who was on horseback, looked at the iron city before him, a trace of greed flickering deep in his eyes.

However, he quickly suppressed his desire. These things were not something he could afford to think about at the moment.

"Dismount and line up!"

Even though it was getting dark, the queue of carts and horses entering the city still stretched for about a thousand meters. Hou Yuxiao, spotting an acquaintance at the city gate, naturally did not want to draw too much attention. He pulled his group along and joined the queue honestly.

"Big brother, that kid staring at the city gate is the one you tricked, right?"

Hou Yucheng came forward and said in a tone that was clearly gloating.

At that moment, Hou Yuling also lifted the curtain of the carriage, looked at the figure at the city gate, and chuckled lightly behind her hand, "Isn't it obvious? I received news from the county last month. Cheng Yue, the Magistrate, almost lost Zhaoyang within three hours of taking office. He has practically become the butt of jokes in the county. Fan County Magistrate was furious, and under pressure, his master Ding Dian stripped him of his position and punished him to guard the gate for three months."

Hou Yuxiao shook his head and, looking at Cheng Yue at the city gate, felt not much schadenfreude. Instead, his eyes showed a pondering look.

There were four city gates in Tongling County, and Cheng Yue happened to be guarding the East City Gate. Knowing that he would be coming to the Prefectural City during this period, it was clear Cheng Yue was looking for trouble.

Regardless of his thoughts, the queue continued to move forward.

The reason for lining up to enter the city was twofold: firstly, because there were too many people entering the city, order needed to maintained; secondly, there was a need to check the road permits. If there were people coming from other states or even other regions, they had to register in advance, a measure to ensure the city's safety.

Neither procedure was overly complicated. Since most people entering from the East City Gate came from the direction of Zhaoyang County, the queue moved quickly.

It wasn't long before Hou Yuxiao and his group were less than ten meters from the city gate.

"Gentlemen, please present your road permits."

The two soldiers, clad in black armor, were both fifth-level body-refinement martial artists. Seeing that Hou Yuxiao's group of thirty-odd people included no one with a lower cultivation level than themselves, they spoke quite politely.

Hou Yuxiao nodded and had everyone take out their road permits, including Hou Yuling, Gao Wenwen, and Bai Yujie on the carriage, who also leaned out to present theirs.

The road permit was a token about the size of half a palm, engraved with the word "Zhaoyang."

While the soldiers were examining them, Hou Yuxiao discreetly passed over two bags of silver coins. After taking them, the soldiers' expressions immediately changed, and they handed back the road permits, then waved their hands and smilingly said, "Alright, no problems, go ahead!"

Having money certainly made things easier. The two bags of silver coins totaled only about thirty to fifty liang, and Hou Yuxiao wasn't too distressed about it. He led his group towards the city gate.

"Stop!"

The inevitable had still happened...

A look of resignation flashed in Hou Yuxiao's eyes as he turned to look at the furious Cheng Yue beside him. He put on a smile and feigned surprise, "Eh, isn't this Magistrate Cheng? What a coincidence!"

He had avoided speaking before, but once Hou Yuxiao called out "Magistrate Cheng," the hundred or so soldiers guarding the city suddenly wore peculiar expressions while looking at Cheng Yue. Although no one dared to laugh out loud, their reactions spoke volumes.

Cheng Yue's face turned the color of a liver, and remembering that he still had to guard the gate for another month and a half—all thanks to Hou Yuxiao right in front of him—his anger was uncontrollable.

"I suspect there's something wrong with your carriage. Open it all up; I'm going to search it!"

At this comment, Hou Yucheng's hand immediately went to the handle of his sword, glaring at Cheng Yue. Hou Fei gave a slight cough, and the men from Kui Sector all looked grave.

Hou Yuxiao furrowed his brows, first calmed down Hou Yucheng's actions with a slight hand gesture, then signaled everyone else to relax before addressing Cheng Yue, "Just now, it seemed there was no rule to inspect the goods of others. Magistrate Cheng, are you abusing your power for a personal vendetta?"

"Abusing power for a personal vendetta, with what right do you accuse me of such things? You're courting death!"

Cheng Yue laughed crazily out of anger. Gang Qi surged within him, and his fists, like two sharp swords, paid no heed to the gathered crowd at the city gate and attacked directly at Hou Yuxiao's face.

Gang Qi Shining, body as a weapon, coupled with the Cultivation of the Collecting Evil Phase, Cheng Yue's Gang Qi was exceptionally fierce, unceasing like a tidal wave, striking Hou Yuxiao dozens of times in a row.

In an instant, an open space ten meters in diameter was cleared at the city gate.

Hou Yuxiao's gaze lowered as he drew out his Ape Demon Staff and parried repeatedly.

He truly hadn't expected Cheng Yue to start a fight right at the city gate, but considering Ding Dian was backing him up, it did make sense that he could behave this way.

The Gang Sha Qi in his body was also attached to the Ape Demon Staff, and the shadows cast by the staff that was more than three feet long touched Cheng Yue's double hands. Although it didn't have the upper hand, it still had the advantage of length; in a short time, Cheng Yue couldn't get close to him.

One Fist Gang surged like twin swords leaving no trace, and one staff swung like a dragon thrashing in the sea; in an instant, the city gate became a chaotic battleground, the crowd retreating while showing looks of astonishment.

"Matching Cheng Yue evenly, who is this guy?"

"I don't know, seems like he came from Zhaoyang County."

"From Zhaoyang, I know who it is."

"Who?"

"Have you forgotten the incident at the end of last year in Zhaoyang County? A fierce man emerged from there!"

"Thousand-Faced Handsome Man Hou Yuxiao."

"The one who defeated the Tiger List master Tian Linong?"

"Righteous Path's Demon Extermination List rank 782, Black Ape Demon, Hou Yuxiao!"

......

Hearing the murmurs around him, Cheng Yue's anger intensified; that day, he had risked his life to withstand Tian Linong, but in the end, he became a laughingstock, and the fame all went to Hou Yuxiao.

"The battle in Zhaoyang, Hou Yuxiao strategized step by step and performed much stronger in front of the Holy Maiden compared to you. Plus, being a local snake in Zhaoyang, you, staying long in the prefectural city, cannot beat him, which is quite normal.

He managed to break through to the Gang Qi Second Realm, Collecting Evil Phase at just twenty-five, his talent is almost as good as yours. Calm down and focus on your martial arts practice. As long as you can prove your strength is stronger than his, the Holy Maiden will still favor you!"

Looking at the Gang Sha Qi encircling Hou Yuxiao's body and recalling those words his master, Ding Dian, had told him, knowing that Hou Yuxiao had already caught the attention of Sikong Yue, jealousy and murderous intention surged more intensely within Cheng Yue's pupils.

"Divine Radiance Earth Gang Sword, you mongrel, die!"

Cheng Yue roared angrily, and the divine radiance Gang Qi inside him burst forth instantly. His hands emitted a sudden intense dark glow, slicing through the air with two energy streams, aiming straight at Hou Yuxiao's brow.

Facing First-Class Martial Arts head-on for the first time, Hou Yuxiao finally revealed a trace of solemnity in his pupils. Gang Sha Qi surged out from within him as well, the Ape Demon Staff Style suddenly concentrated, and with a leap, he swung out thirteen black dragons.

Simultaneously, he thrust the long staff behind him and, with his left fist clenched and right hand formed into a claw, tilted his body, his fist above and claw below, like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, smashing towards Cheng Yue.

In this past half month, he hadn't been idle—Wolf Poison Palm, Twin Ultimate Hand, and even the Buddhist Knife Decision, three second-rate martial arts, he had dabbled in all; but the Twin Ultimate Hand was the one he advanced in quickest, already reaching the Transformative Realm, certainly thanks to the effects of the Minor Rejuvenation Pill.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Bang... Bang…

The black dragons and the fist-claw, as they clashed with Cheng Yue's hands generating the Divine Radiance Earth Gang Sword, created several terrifying sounds; in an instant, dust and smoke filled the sky.

Even though it was completely dark, the crowd surrounding them could still clearly see the terrifying fluctuations of Gang Sha between the two.

After a long while, when the dust settled, the curious and astonished eyes of the crowd finally saw the scene inside—Hou Yuxiao and Cheng Yue, neither had stepped back at all, remaining locked in place in the center of the stage.

Although Cheng Yue's facial expression was calm at the moment, his heart was already tumultuous. It felt like just yesterday when he could have easily swatted Hou Yuxiao away; in just a short period of over a month, Hou Yuxiao could now fight him evenly?

Thinking of this, his murderous intent grew even more intense…

"You damn thing, can you actually fight well?"

As Cheng Yue was about to act, Hou Yuxiao suddenly looked up at him and let out a slightly taunting sneer. His expression chilled, preparing to make another move, but his opponent suddenly pulled out a bronze token and placed it before him.

Seeing the words "New Moon" on the token, Cheng Yue's face stiffened, and then Hou Yuxiao flipped the token over, revealing a map of a starry sky with a waning moon. At that moment, Cheng Yue deflated completely...

"What good is being able to fight if you've got no background, no power..."

Hou Yuxiao took back the token, standing in front of Cheng Yue with a face full of mockery and disdain.

Cheng Yue's fists clenched tightly as he glared at Hou Yuxiao, his eyes nearly bursting into flames, yet he dared not make a move anymore.

Though the New Moon Department had only been recently established by the Holy Maiden two years prior, it held a status within the Holy Church that exceeded even the Prison Admin Department; even if his title as Zhaoyang Prison Warden hadn't been revoked, facing Hou Yuxiao he should have shown respect, let alone now, when his current status was just an ordinary sect member of the Holy Church…

Hou Yuxiao paid no more attention to Cheng Yue's murderous eyes, pretending to be relaxed as he called everyone together to enter the city.

"This problem, I must think of a way to solve it!"

Glancing back at Cheng Yue, he continued to throw a challenging look, although appearing relaxed, Hou Yuxiao felt a chill inside.

Cheng Yue was wary of him, but he was equally wary of Cheng Yue...

He had to admit, if that battle had continued, the outcome would likely have been him losing…

"First-Class Martial Arts are indeed First-Class Martial Arts!"

......

PS: For friends from external stations, if you like it, make sure to subscribe on the Qi Dian APP. Your support is my greatest motivation, thank you!