Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

The next day, at the city center, Main Hall of the Hou Mansion

Hou Yuxiao sat alone at the head, followed by Hou Yucheng and four others, and then Su Li, Xiong Nutao, and Zhang Kong, the three leaders of the Upper Hou Sect. At the very end were the twelve faction heads of the Lower Hou Sect, led by Hou Ying and Hou Cun.

"The five leaders of the Upper Hou Sect, Hou Fei and Gao Hu are not present, hence their absence. Apart from these two, the fifteen members of the clan with official roles have all arrived."

Hou Yuduan counted the number of people, then turned and bowed towards Hou Yuxiao at the head, creating an immediate solemn atmosphere among the crowd.

Hou Yuxiao nodded, looking at the people below. Apart from Fourth Elder, the cultivation of the rest had almost not changed, and most of the twelve faction heads of the Lower Hou Sect were still at the Seventh Level of Body Opening.

It was impossible to expect significant changes in just under twenty days. It was already a pleasant surprise that Hou Yujie had broken through to the Gang Qi Realm, and it would be far too greedy to expect more.

"Now that Zhaoyang is our Hou Clan's city, we need to start intervening in all the major and minor affairs of the city. Old Fifth, you've been handling the city's security, tell us about the situation!"

Hou Yuduan stepped forward and said, "Zhaoyang City has a population of 320,000, four streets and a large residential area. For governance by martial artists, only 500 people are needed. Currently, all martial artists above the third level have entered the Hou Sect. I've organized the remaining five hundred or so into a City Defense Army. Based on the effects over the past ten days, it's been quite good."

Hou Yuxiao's eyes brightened slightly, and the words 'Xingnan Prefecture Army' immediately came to his mind. Why must everyone adhere to the rules of the prefectural city? Why did Fan Longhe, the county magistrate, dare to go against the top expert Ding Dian?

The role played by the thirty thousand warriors of Xingnan Prefecture Army was significant.

At advanced levels of martial cultivation, where one can split mountains or separate the sea, tactics involving numerous fighters indeed become ineffective. But that depends on the type of masses—like the Xingnan Prefecture Army, composed of martial artists at least at the fifth level of body refinement and numbered over ten thousand, which certainly poses a threat even to grandmasters.

Zhaoyang will not have a County Lord from now on. All the order within the city will be maintained by the Hou Clan. The City Defense Army organized by Hou Yuduan is very necessary!

The total number of Hou Family warriors currently is 969, with more than five hundred below the third level, which is not very strong, but more than enough to manage over three hundred thousand ordinary people.

Hou Yuxiao pondered for a moment, then looked at Hou Yuduan and praised, "Old Fifth has done a good job. However, the name 'City Defense Army' needs to be changed. This group not only needs to maintain order in the city but also defend Zhaoyang and repel all foreign enemies. Let's call them Zhaoyang Iron Guards."

Of course, the rules must not be exceeded, they can only be maintained within ten thousand at most. All martial artists below the third level should be incorporated into it."

The regulations for the members of third-tier forces can only be below ten thousand. The mention of 'exceeding' by Hou Yuxiao was virtually redundant since there aren't even more than a thousand warriors in all of Zhaoyang County to breach the regulations even if one wanted to.

The name 'Zhaoyang Iron Guards' visibly excited everyone.

"Big brother, who will be the commander?"

Before Hou Yuduan could speak, Hou Yucheng, somewhat impatient, said, looking eager to try, prompting Hou Yuxiao to ponder for a moment before nodding.

"The commander of the Zhaoyang Iron Guards will be you. If any significant issues arise in the city, I will hold you accountable."

"Don't worry, big brother. Whoever dares to mess around, my broadsword will be the first to show him no mercy!"

"Without rules, there is no circle. The rules of Zhaoyang City will directly follow those of the prefectural city. As long as both parties agree, private duels are allowed within the city. Of course, all property damage from such duels shall be compensated by the Zhaoyang Iron Guards according to the assessment. Yucheng, having been with me to the prefectural city, you should know how to handle it, right?"

Hou Yucheng nodded, his expression excited, "I understand, big brother!"

The rule from Tongling County, maintaining the order of the prefectural city, indeed played a significant role, but it's also clear that the Xingnan Prefecture Army was the biggest beneficiary.

Fighting is permissible. As long as one can afford to pay, those with average relationships will face steep demands, those in good relations can still get some concessions, and for those in very good relationships, like when Hou Yucheng killed Yu Chendong at Shengxin Residence, Gui Yutang even teamed up with him to humiliate people from Qijue Gate.

Applying this rule to Zhaoyang City would naturally benefit Hou Yucheng the most, the commander of the Zhaoyang Iron Guards, thus his excited expression.

Hou Yuxiao then inquired, "All martial artists above the third level have already entered the Hou Sect, right?"

Xiong Nutao stepped forward respectfully, bowing, "My Xin division's thirty warriors are all present."

Zhang Kong also stepped forward, saying, "My Ren division is also fully present."

The Upper Hou Sect currently has five divisions—Kui, Si, Geng, Xin, Ren—with all 155 members present.

Hou Cun and Hou Ying exchanged glances, nodded, and walked forward to bow and said, "In the Lower Hou Sect's twelve factions, the Zi Shu and Chenlong factions have fully gathered one hundred people each, the remaining ten factions have only six each due to the lack of martial artists above the third level."

If all twelve factions of the Lower Hou Sect were fully staffed, only Hou Cun's Zi Shu Faction and Chenlong Faction would be complete, along with sixty people from the other ten factions, making a total of 262.

Combining the numbers from the Upper and Lower Hou Sects added up to 417. Hou Yuxiao pondered slightly and arrived at this figure, his expression showing a trace of satisfaction. When he left, the clan had 404 martial artists above the third level. To increase by 13 in less than twenty days was quite good!

Hou Yuxiao gave a nod to Hou Yuling beside him, who immediately moved to the side, and lifted a small box, placing it in front of everyone.

Everyone looked at the box with curiosity, but Su Li, who had accompanied Hou Yuxiao to the prefectural city, showed excitement upon seeing the box.

Without further words, Hou Yuxiao directly approached and gently opened the box, releasing a rich fragrance of elixirs instantly spreading from inside, entering the nostrils of everyone who couldn't help but step forward. Seeing the box filled with thumb-sized green pills, their expressions instantly turned excited.

"Is this... a Body Strengthening Pill?"

"So many, there must be hundreds!"

"I've used them back when I was with the Green Wolf Gang. These pills are only sold in the prefecture; each costs at least one hundred taels. With so many, how much money would that be..."

......

Among the fifteen people present, Zhang Kong and Xiong Nutao had been high-ranking members of the Green Wolf Gang and had seen the Body Strengthening Pills before, but even they had never seen so many at once.

For a moment, everyone's breathing became noticeably heavier...

Hou Yuxiao, observing the expressions on everyone's faces, smiled slightly; this scene was within his expectations.

Under the monthly salary system he had set up, each of the fifteen had cultivation between the seventh and eighth level of body opening, and their monthly salary was one hundred taels. Of course, as the Hou Clan was now the lord of Zhaoyang, these upper echelons of the Hou Clan, gained quite a bit through gifts on regular days, amassing up to two hundred taels per month.

To earn more, they would have to undertake private jobs, but such opportunities were not so easy to come by—the jobs that paid well were dangerous, and the lesser ones were unappealing. Thus, for a low-level Martial Artist, life was hard.

A Body Strengthening Pill was something they could afford, but to think of using them long-term was nothing short of delusional.

According to the rules he had set for the Hou Family Warriors, those above the third level could receive one Body Strengthening Pill every month...

"Take out 417 pills. Hou Yuduan, distribute them according to the number of people in each department. Everyone, take them back and hand them over to your subordinates. From now on, on the fifth of each month, they will be issued along with your salaries."

Upon hearing this statement, everyone was visibly moved and fell silent for a moment before they all bowed respectfully to Hou Yuxiao, passionately declaring, "From now on, we shall dedicate our lives to the Hou Clan, to the death!"

Relationships bound by interest might not be the most solid, but without interest, they definitely wouldn't be solid at all.

Observing their moved expressions at this moment, Hou Yuxiao believed that, at least at this moment, their feelings for the Hou Clan were genuine.

"Since the Hou Clan is divided into upper and lower sections, and the number of cultivators varies, I made these arrangements with a plan in mind.

From now on, all warriors of the Hou Clan will follow my commands exclusively.

The Upper Hou Gate will be under the control of Fourth Master, tasked with attacking and patrolling within Zhaoyang, and capturing fugitives from outside the region.

The Lower Hou Sect will be led by Third Lady, specifically to gather intelligence on the powers within and outside Zhaoyang, and to fully understand the situation concerning our enemies as well as our friends."

Hou Yujie's cold eyes flickered and he nodded heavily. He enjoyed warfare, and the Upper Hou Gate comprised the most elite warriors of the clan, so Hou Yuxiao's arrangement suited him perfectly.

Hou Yuling quickly grasped her own assignment. The Lower Hou Sect had twelve branches that handled the family's secretarial work, tasks she had managed in the prefectural city before, so Hou Yuxiao's arrangement seemed very reasonable to her.

With the orders issued, Su Li, Zhang Kong, and Xiong Nutao immediately bowed to Hou Yujie, clasping their fists and saying, "Subordinates greet Fourth Master!"

Hou Ying and Hou Cun, leading the twelve brigades of the Lower Hou Sect, also mimicked the action, bowing to Hou Yuling respectfully, "Subordinates greet Third Miss!"

Hou Yuxiao had the Body Strengthening Pills distributed according to the numbers in each department, aside from those who were in the prefectural city such as Hou Fei and Gao Hu, totaling over three hundred pills. The recipients joyfully accepted the pills and respectfully bid farewell to Hou Yuxiao.

Once everyone had left, only the siblings remained in the spacious main hall. Looking at his four siblings, Hou Yuxiao then retrieved a box from under his chair and in front of them took out one manual after another. The four siblings immediately became curious and gathered around to take a look.

Rainfall Sword Technique, Fast Knife Technique, Rainbow Shadow Whip Method, Twin Ultimate Hand, Wolf Poison Palm, Black Dragon Thirteen Forms, Buddhist Knife Decision, Rainfall Sword Technique...

The first three belonged to Hou Yujie, Hou Yucheng, and Hou Yuling respectively, showcasing lower-tier Martial Arts they had practiced. Besides the Black Dragon Thirteen Forms, all others were third-tier Martial Arts the family had acquired recently, totaling five styles.

Having seen these Martial Arts before, they looked puzzled at Hou Yuxiao, just about to ask a question when he suddenly took out four more small manuals from the box and placed each next to the first three and the Black Dragon Thirteen Styles.

"Take a look first, and then speak!"

Hou Yuxiao said with a mysterious smile, then walked to the door, softly closed it, his four siblings watched with even greater curiosity, each picking up a manual and starting to read.

Hou Yucheng, flipping through the manual corresponding to the Fast Knife Technique, had only read for less than ten breaths when his pupils suddenly contracted, his breathing became gradually heavier, and his face grew increasingly excited.

Hou Yujie and Hou Yuling, reading the manuals for the Rainfall Sword Technique and Rainbow Shadow Whip Method, wore expressions identical to Hou Yucheng's after a short while.

Only Hou Yuduan, who was not fond of Martial Arts, picked up the manual corresponding to the Black Dragon Thirteen Forms. As he opened it, the first page displayed the words "Lifting Dragon Stick Technique," causing his face to change dramatically immediately.

He continued to leaf through a few more pages, the more he read, the more shocked his expression became.

Seeing the reactions of his second and fourth brothers and his sister, and recalling how Hou Yuxiao had deliberately matched the Martial Arts, a terrifying theory flashed through his mind. He lifted his head, looking at Hou Yuxiao, his eyes filled with shock.

"Improving Martial Arts, Big Brother, your talent for Martial Arts is heaven-defying!"