Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

The river wind was sometimes biting cold, sometimes gentle, and below the river, enormous creatures often swam by, among which there were even some aquatic spirits emitting a faint Demon Qi.

Gao Changlong and the two others circled the small boat, guarding it for over three hours, until the sky began to darken, and the three people inside finally emerged.

"I have said all there is to say, the choice is yours, Master Lu!"

Hou Yuxiao was the first to bow to Lu Kangping. Lu Kangping's expression never looked pleasant, and upon hearing these words, he merely nodded slightly without making any response.

After saying this, Hou Yuxiao then looked at Lu Yuanfu, who was standing beside him, and gently cupped his hands, saying, "Aside from meeting with Master Lu this time, I also wished to drink and chat with Brother Lu, but alas, I am mired in various affairs and must postpone until another time. Safe travels, Brother Lu."

Lu Yuanfu, maintaining his courteous demeanor, hurriedly bowed in return.

"Changlong, escort Master Lu for a bit."

"Yes, Family Head!"

From afar, Gao Changlong quickly approached the boat at hearing the call and respectfully saw off the two from the Lu Family.

The river wind blew gently. Hou Yuxiao stood alone at the bow, gazing northward, his brows furrowed as he gradually sank into thought. Only when a figure in white flew from the distance and slowly approached the bow did he withdraw from his meditations, turn, and speak:

"Have all the people of Longxiang County been evacuated?"

"It's only been four days, and moving all 5.7 million inhabitants to Wanyang County isn't happening so quickly. But in the past two days, the River Lord has already reduced the rainfall, and the situation of the disaster victims has improved significantly. Third Sister has been hastening with the family, and it is estimated they'll need about ten more days. They should manage to evacuate everyone before the flood overtakes Longxiang County; there should be no major issues!"

The newcomer was none other than Hou Yuduan, who had just rushed over from Si Shui County.

Detecting a heavy tone in Hou Yuduan's voice, Hou Yuxiao lightly shook his head, looked into his eyes for a moment, then gently shook his head again and smiled, "What, can't stand the malpractices of the Hedong Alliance?"

Hou Yuduan nodded emphatically, his emotions visibly wavering for a moment but soon controlled himself, lowering his head and speaking in a subdued voice, "Before going to Si Shui County, I still held some hope for the Hedong Righteous Alliance. But now, it seems they're just birds of a feather with the Great Jin."

"In a way, we... are no different!"

After saying this, seeing Hou Yuduan fall into silence, Hou Yuxiao took a slight breath, turned toward the river, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes as he continued:

"Behind every glorious victory lies a mountain of bones. These Holy Lands have ruled the states for over a millennium, and none of them have hands clean of blood. Whose path to ascendancy wasn't paved with heaps of corpses?

No need to mention the distant past, just look at the people throughout the world. Up to now, they still believe the wilderness being overrun by demons is due to their prowess. As for Taixi, Ni Han, and Long Yu, those three mightiest Immortal Grade demons, the Holy Lands could easily slay them. What are the scattered demons of the wilderness to these Holy Lands?"

Speaking of demons, Hou Yuxiao shook his head repeatedly, his face full of lamentation.

He recalled years past, fearing the wilderness, whether from texts or the common folk's accounts, invariably saying the wilderness was the domain of demons, casting a long shadow over the people of Shenzhou.

The death of the three great demons has amply illustrated that demons are by no means an insoluble problem for humans. The sole reason for the current situation is the Holy Land's connivance.

"Demons feed on martial artists' blood, born from the mingling of Heaven's Essence and blood grievances. They originated from humans, and wheresoever strife continues, powerful demons will ceaselessly emerge. One may as well say rather than the Holy Lands' indulgence, they have mass-produced demons.

Demons occupying the wilderness actually aids them in controlling the state's populace, while enhancing commoners' dependency on martial artists. Slaying demons boosts the Holy Lands' prestige, like the Ziqing Holy Sect, Bailu Academy, Haoran Holy Sect, and the formerly existing Leiyin Temple. Is their capacity to slay demons lacking? In the end, only four words suffice..."

"Foster bandits for self-preservation!"

Upon hearing these four words from Hou Yuxiao's mouth, Hou Yuduan's expression turned slightly despondent, somewhat disappointed, with a somewhat undisguisable hue of hatred.

The despondence came from his benevolent heart but also from an admission that the Hou Clan's rise was not much different from these Holy Lands. They too killed, annihilated, and wiped out clans, relying on the Holy Lands, even on demons, just like them.

The disappointment stemmed from his previous noble expectations for the Righteous Holy Lands, especially for the Bailu Academy and Haoran Holy Sect, now utterly shattered. If a Third Grade demon like the River Lord can take orders from the Hedong Alliance, what about other lesser demons or even stronger First Grade demons? Could they also be colluding with them or the Great Jin?

As Hou Yuxiao said, fostering bandits for self-preservation, the long-standing presence of demons over the thirteen states of the world is a deliberate result of these Holy Lands' indulgence. Now that Great Jin's struggle to conquer the world has just begun, one doesn't know how many powerful demons will emerge under these Holy Lands.

As for hatred, Hou Yuduan didn't even know what he hated—was it these sanctimonious Holy Lands? Not entirely, since the Hou Clan was no different; was it the Great Jin, who aspired to conquer the world? Certainly not. What he hated, perhaps, was this muddled world where demons and humans mingle, undifferentiated between good and evil.