Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Although the cabin was small, the furnishings and tea sets were complete. Lu Kangping merely chuckled softly at Hou Yuxiao's words and said nothing, maintaining a harmonious demeanor as he seated Lu Yuanfu in front of Hou Yuxiao.

Hou Yuxiao did not speak, but with a self-satisfied expression, he poured tea for the two, then lifted his own cup, sipping lightly with his eyes closed as if to savor the tea.

Lu Kangping also remained silent, taking up his cup and sipping slowly, smacking his lips gently in appreciation.

He unexpectedly... mimicked Hou Yuxiao in appreciating the tea...

Lu Yuanfu, sitting beside them, appeared puzzled at first, but quickly seemed to realize something, joining the other two in silent contemplation.

Thus, the three sat in silence, letting over a hundred breaths pass without any of them speaking, the cabin enveloped in silence, the atmosphere slowly growing somewhat peculiar.

These old foxes truly are not simple...

"Alas..."

Finally, it was Hou Yuxiao who broke the silence with a bitter smile, looking at Lu Kangping, shaking his head and sighing, "Master Lu, Mr. Hou admits defeat!"

"Master Hou... what do you mean by this?"

Seeing Lu Kangping feign innocence, Hou Yuxiao hesitated no longer, and after a brief contemplation, he spoke, "Since Master Lu is willing to honor my invitation, I shall speak frankly and directly..."

Hou Yuxiao paused, then asked with a slight narrowing of his eyes:

"On October 20th, Qinjian Villa, Bailu Academy, Haoran Holy Sect, Wanjian Holy Sect, Ziqing Holy Sect, along with Wuwei King Hou Jing — these six forces convened in Yangzhou, forming the Anti-Jin Alliance. Besides the six, twelve heavenly influential powers from Ji, Yang, Yan, Xu, Qing, and Jiao, as well as the East Sea Alliance, one of the Three Heroes of Yunlan, were present. I heard that the Lu Family was also invited, yet Master Lu did not attend the meeting in Yangzhou. May I ask if this is true or false?"

Hearing this, Lu Kangping's eyes sharpened ever so slightly, evidently surprised that Hexi was aware of this information. After looking intently at Hou Yuxiao, he calmly took a sip of tea, nodded, and remarked:

"Master Hou, your Divine Skills are indeed vast!"

Ignoring the less-than-friendly tone, Hou Yuxiao simply continued asking, "Master Lu, is it because you, like I, fear Great Jin's retribution for not attending the alliance?"

Lu Kangping put down his tea cup, gazing up at Hou Yuxiao. Their eyes met mid-air, with each seemingly seeing something different within the depths of the other's pupils.

"Since Master Hou is well aware, why do you ask what you already know?"

"No, in my opinion, Master Lu's influence is greater than ours in Hexi. Great Jin has the Cao Gang, and the six families of Hedong have the East Sea Alliance in Yunlan. Only the Lu Family remains. This means whoever among Great Jin and Hedong secures the Lu Family's support will almost certainly gain absolute advantage on the ancient Jiang River. I imagine this is why Master Lu refrained from attending the alliance, or should I say, why you withheld attendance..."

At this, Hou Yuxiao paused, glanced at Lu Kangping, then continued softly: "Master Lu intends to wait for a better offer..."

Hearing the phrase "wait for a better offer," Lu Kangping's expression didn't change. He merely smiled at Hou Yuxiao and countered: "Isn't that what you think, Master Hou?"

Of course, that's not what I think!

Hou Yuxiao certainly wouldn't divulge his thoughts, instead nodding with a light smile.

"This little ploy of mine was never meant to deceive Master Lu!"

With that said, Hou Yuxiao abruptly shifted his tone, asking gravely: "Surely, Master Lu now knows the price of waiting for a better offer, correct?"

This question caused Lu Kangping's face to darken.

The Great Drought in Xiapi County and the Flood in Longxiang County, these two disasters in Hexi are no secret, not to him or the world.

"Waiting for a better offer carries a price, and Hexi has already pleased neither side. Surely Master Lu does not wish the Lu Family to end up like Hexi, correct?"

Lu Kangping clearly perceived the gravity in Hou Yuxiao's tone, yet he showed not a hint of fear, instead suddenly smiling.

"Among the three families of Gujiang, my Lu Family stands in the middle. Siding with either would deal a lethal blow to the other. Not only is the Lu Family's role greater than that of Hexi, but our bargaining power is naturally stronger. If Great Jin or Hedong uses the same methods on us as on Hexi, they will only push us to the other side. Mr. Lu anticipates neither has such resolve or courage!"

"Indeed!"

Hou Yuxiao affirmed Lu Kangping's words, but immediately laughed twice, shaking his head: "As Master Lu said, neither Great Jin nor Hedong dares to risk pushing your Lu Family to the other side. But has Master Lu considered whether they can give you what you want?"

What does the Lu Family want?

The Three Heroes of Yunlan, the three great powers of Gujiang, a heavenly-level influence, for the Lu Family or any heavenly-level power in The World, always desires only one thing: to become a Holy Land, like the fallen Leiyin Temple.

"In just eight years, the Holy Lands have shrunk from ten to seven. The future promises no more, only less. Master Lu is a wise man and must see this. Thus, neither Great Jin nor Hedong can satisfy you. If neither can, how will they act?"

If unable to grant the Lu Family's desires, they certainly cannot win them over.

Therefore, to Great Jin and Hedong, they only need to ensure your Lu Family does not side with the other. In such a case, how will they act?

"There are two possibilities."

"First, both may neglect the Lu Family. Great Jin has two routes south: one bypassing Hexi to the north, disregarding you entirely, as I assume the Lu Family would not dare disturb Great Jin's southern march. The other route passes through southeastern Jizhou, the domain of the East Sea Alliance. The Cao Gang would have to traverse the middle reaches to reach Jizhou's southeastern waters. Consequently, the East Sea Alliance would block them. The Cao Gang and the East Sea would not wage war in their respective upstream and downstream controlled areas, and would likely find a way to battle in the middle reaches. With both Great Jin and Hedong supporting them, the Lu Family would lack any grounds to oppose."

"Second, both may act first to prevent the Lu Family from siding with the other, annihilating you and dividing the middle reaches, or possibly already negotiating the partition of your controlled territory. Master Lu, if this is the situation, your family is already lying on the chopping block..."

......

Lu Kangping stood up abruptly, his voice deep and low.

"Master Hou, are you not being alarmist?"

Seeing that the ever-calm Lu Kangping finally showed some change in expression, Hou Yuxiao smiled.

"Master Lu, since you accepted my invitation to meet on the Jiang River, you must already have an answer in your heart. What I see, you must see as well. With this foresight, why not plan early? Great Jin and the Anti-Jin Alliance are at daggers drawn, and the thirteen provinces of the world are all caught in the net. Watching idly is a fatal path. If the Lu Family continues to wait for a better offer, it will face a worse fate than Hexi. Whether I am being alarmist or not, Master Lu surely knows in his heart!"

After saying that, Hou Yuxiao said no more. His demeanor grew even more composed, whereas Lu Kangping's expression, matching his earlier tone, gradually became heavier, even unpleasant.

The three, seated in the small boat, remained silent for a long time.

The atmosphere became utterly stifling.

After over a hundred breaths, Lu Kangping could no longer hold back and spoke.

"Master Hou must have a good plan in mind; please speak directly!"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Hou Yuxiao's face deepened immensely.

"Master Lu, ultimately, one must align with a side. I won't hide it: our Hexi has already sided with Hedong. By order of the alliance, I am here to ask Master Lu to help us with a small task..."