ushernet Chapter 860 The North (2)
Chapter 860 The North (2)
Chapter 860 The North (Part 12)
"this…..."
Yuanjue and Jiamo looked at each other, their emotions complicated.
The seal within the forbidden area, and the immense problem of suppressing the Demon Lord's severed arm, had troubled Shouyi Temple for countless years, costing countless lives.
I should have told you you had this ability...
Let alone forming an alliance.
Even if Shouyi Temple reveres you as its master and obeys your commands, it would be done willingly...
Why make such a big fuss...?
"Alright. Enough with the small talk." Han Yi said calmly, "Next, let's discuss the convoy's itinerary, and then..." He paused, his gaze fixed on a spot, "and... the aftermath of this severed arm..."
Han Yi spoke with a commanding tone, his manner aggressive, yet despite being on someone else's turf, he exuded the composure of a host.
Yuanjue and the other two didn't seem to mind, nodding knowingly as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Thus, the three of them loudly plotted together.
A series of arrangements were quickly finalized.
……………
……………
Thirty li east of Jingming Town.
Fenghua Temple.
Inside a small, earthen-yellow temple.
The woman's cries, pleas for mercy, and screams echoed faintly throughout the space. At the main gate, a young novice monk sweeping the floor looked on with pity, unable to bear the sight, and was just about to throw down his broom to report to the elder.
But then, a vicious curse, filled with heavy resentment and sounding like the howling of a demon, sent chills down his spine and made him shudder.
"Why…..."
A crunch.
Inside the temple, the dark red door of a side room opened, and an elderly man with a medicine bag hanging on his arm and a medicine box in his hand walked out with a sigh.
He carried a white ape on his shoulder, and sighed in a remarkably human manner, his expression one of helplessness.
"How about it?"
The people outside the side room immediately surrounded it, their faces filled with anxiety.
"Alas... a heart ailment... requires a heart remedy... medicine can only provide temporary relief, but it cannot cure the root cause..." The old man sighed deeply, said no more, and left on his own.
His performance immediately dampened everyone's spirits.
The outcome is self-evident.
"Even the White Ape Medicine King said so..." Hu Liuyun muttered to himself, somewhat helplessly, "For Youyou's illness... who else can we turn to..."
“Youyou is truly unfortunate… Master… shouldn’t have…” A slightly plump, middle-aged woman sobbed, holding a handkerchief.
This woman is Hu Youyou's biological mother, her third sister, Ye Qingshu.
"Shut up! That's just womanly thinking!!"
She was fine when she wasn't crying, but as soon as she heard the crying, Hu Liuyun instantly became furious and shouted angrily, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't been so indulgent and reckless, how could Youyou have been so easily swayed? If it weren't for you..." His face turned red, his teeth chattered, and he was so angry that he almost wanted to vomit blood.
Their daughter secretly ran away and disappeared without a trace.
When they were finally found, not only was her body gone, but even...
My heart is gone too.
For most families in this world.
This is especially true for many large families that consider themselves prestigious and influential.
The purity of an unmarried woman is still a very important factor when it comes to marriage.
It is no exaggeration to say that it largely determines the kind of husband a woman will have in the future.
Whether the man is also from a large family, whether he is a direct descendant, whether he has inheritance rights, his appearance, temperament, potential, family status, etc. This point.
Even though the Hu family is a family with a strong lineage of martial arts and relatively open family traditions, with fewer restrictions on women in the family, they are not immune to the common customs and have some concerns.
Most importantly...
If Hu Youyou had only lost her innocence, that would be one thing.
As long as you admit your mistakes, resolutely cut off all contact with outsiders, obey your family's arrangements, stay at home obediently, and wait for blind dates.
Perhaps she won't find a husband with a family background similar to the Hu family.
However, finding a refined gentleman from a middle-class family, especially a scholarly one, should not be a problem.
It can also guarantee a life of plenty and wealth.
But Hu Youyou refused to accept it.
They completely surrendered their bodies and minds to others, as if possessed.
Disregarding their status as direct descendants and putting the interests of the family aside.
They disregarded the interests of their family and recklessly committed a series of irrational acts that offended powerful enemies and were even impossible to achieve.
This is the key reason why Hu Liuyun cannot tolerate it, and even the entire Hu family cannot accept it.
Think of this.
He could no longer suppress his anger and raised his arm to slap the man.
Snapped.
"Father, calm down!"
She raised her hand, grabbed Hu Liuyun's arm, and whispered.
"Third Sister, you should go back first... I'll handle Youyou's matter."
“Youyou is your sister. She calls you brother. Everything… depends on you…” Ye Qingshu pleaded, wiping away her tears. She didn’t want to leave, but since the government had spoken, she had no choice but to leave first.
Although she was nominally **'s mother, she was ultimately not her biological mother.
The status of a concubine in the third wife's family is far inferior to that of the young master of the Hu family, the future heir of the family.
Moreover, now...
After Hu Youyou was rescued by the police, the entire operation of the Hu family began to subtly change.
First, it was routine expenses like food, clothing, and other necessities; then, the person who ultimately approved them was changed to **.
Then there are personnel transfers, rewards and punishments, resource allocation, etc., all of which require approval from the relevant authorities.
Finally, even on major plans concerning the direction of the family's development, they had to nod in agreement.
This inevitably led to much discussion and speculation among the public.
"Ping'er, what are you going to do?" After Ye Qingshu had walked away, Hu Liuyun looked at the woman and sighed. "We must deal with this as soon as possible. The other branches are all inquiring about Youyou's whereabouts. If they find out about this..."
"What did Grandpa say? I haven't seen him these past few days. Is he still angry with me?" ** asked, frowning. "We should at least hear his opinion."
Last time, in order to support Han Yi, he forcibly used poison to knock out his father and his own grandfather.
His father didn't react much, only remarking that like father, like son, and that the younger generation surpasses the older... He even delegated authority to fully support his son's development because of the strength he had displayed.
Old Master Hu, Hu Guangxiang, the guardian of Zhenhai Stone, was somewhat depressed.
After all.
They bully the weak with their size and the few with their numbers.
Several people attacked at once, and they were all taken down simultaneously...
He was still defeated by a junior from several generations away...
Doesn't he have any pride? If word gets out, where will he put his old face?
So I stayed home for several days in a row, feeling depressed.
“Your grandfather… don’t worry about him,” Hu Liuyun said in a deep voice. “You will be the future head of the family, and everything needs to be decided by you.”
“Youyou… since there is no cure…” After thinking for a moment, he said, “Why not build a Taoist temple and send her to become a nun, so that she can stay away from worldly affairs and pray for the family’s well-being? This would be a way to make amends for her past mistakes.”
"Can you guarantee... she'll behave?"
A glint of malice flashed in Hu Liuyun's eyes.
“Ping’er, why are we pushing you to the forefront now? It’s because we’re afraid that things might get complicated and cause problems later. Our lineage has held the position of family head for several generations, which has long aroused dissatisfaction among the people.”
Before things escalate, as long as you succeed in taking over, no one else can say anything. But if, before things settle down... she causes more trouble... causing you to fail at the last minute... then it's best to..."
He gritted his teeth, speaking each word as if it were bursting from his mouth, his expression pained, speaking with difficulty, and slowly making a throat-slitting gesture.
Although Hu Liuyun usually adored Ye Qingshu, his third wife, and also doted on Hu Youyou.
But at crucial moments.
At this crucial juncture concerning the continuation of their lineage's prosperity.
She has lost her chastity and has been bewitched by her enemies; there is no cure for this, and it will harm the interests of her family.
Once Hu Youyou's affair is exposed, she will become the perfect target for attacks from other branches of the clan.
Colluding with foreign enemies and harming the family... These two charges were pinned on his head.
It is absolutely impossible for him to successfully succeed as the head of the family. If he fails to succeed, someone else will take over.
It's not about finding a few people to take the blame; it's about their entire lineage being implicated.
"Why…..."
He let out a long sigh, his face weary. The position of acting head of the family was not easy to hold; he had to handle all sorts of matters, big and small.
And then there's the mess with Hu Youyou, which is exhausting.
"If... he were here... that would be so good..." He didn't know how many times he had sighed today.
Having spent a lot of time with Han Yi, he was influenced in many ways and subconsciously began to think from his friend's perspective.
If Han Yi were in this situation, he would definitely prioritize protecting his family and take immediate action. He would first eliminate the branch with which they had the deepest conflict, making an example of them, and then kill anyone who dared to disobey.
I believe the Hu family will settle down in a few days. What a pity.
**He doesn't have that kind of method, nor does he have that kind of strength.**
The only similarity between him and Han Yi is their shared protectiveness of their own and their strong sense of loyalty.
He couldn't bring himself to kill his sister for his own wealth and status.
"Cripple her martial arts and have her watched day and night. For the time being, send her to a secluded location, and later... we'll talk about it when I'm truly in power," he said helplessly.
"...That's not bad..." Hu Liuyun thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
This is one way to handle it.
He was not a vicious or ruthless person; even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs. He wouldn't have done this unless he was forced to the last resort.
As the head of the main branch of the family, he needs to prioritize the overall interests and the big picture; personal feelings can only take a backseat. Rather than going to great lengths to preserve a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment, a permanent solution is the best one.
They abandoned a concubine's daughter to preserve the eldest son born to the legal wife and to ensure the continuation of the main lineage.
From the perspective of exchanging benefits.
It's obviously worth it.
The two fell silent for a moment, and the atmosphere became strangely quiet.
cough cough.
Hu Liuyun coughed twice, seemingly trying to ease the atmosphere: "Ping'er, do you think... your father has gone too far? But the world is in turmoil now. If you want to survive, you can't stand firm without being ruthless."
Like your friend, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, how did they rise to power? It was because they terrified everyone else…”
At this point, he seemed to realize that his example was not very good, and his voice stopped abruptly. After a moment, Hu Liuyun paused and continued, "Of course, besides being ruthless, you must be careful and cautious in your actions, and keep in mind the four words 'assess the situation.' If you can avoid offending anyone, then do so. A seemingly insignificant little thing can very likely cause a huge mess."
His words carried a hint of regret and a subtle warning.
The former dominant force in the Huayang area.
The mere mention of the name "Ten Thousand Beasts Sect" evokes fear, reverence, and longing in everyone.
Such majesty, such domineering presence!
As a result, one wrong step leads to another.
The once mighty Ten Thousand Beasts Sect could simply disband like that?
It fell apart.
Yunzhou is ultimately still under the control of the Yuanmiao Sect. With a single hand, anyone who disobeys will face the destruction of their family and death.
"He hasn't lost yet," ** couldn't help but retort. "It's true that Yuanmiao Sect sent people to hunt him down, but even the two from the three main peaks couldn't do anything to him, so..."
He looked at Hu Liuyun's expression and didn't continue speaking.
"If you hadn't lost, why would you leave?" Hu Liuyun shook his head slightly. "Temporarily avoiding the limelight, leaving the place deserted... that's just a euphemism... If it weren't for that... your grandfather wouldn't have been going out every day these past few days, trying to find connections and pull strings..."
The Hu family's power is beyond measure.
They were just a slightly larger family in Huayang City.
Compared to the two behemoths, the Myriad Beasts Sect and the Yuanmiao Sect, their level is somewhat low.
Therefore, Hu Liuyun was unaware of the specific details of the clash between the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and the Yuanmiao Sect.
Judging solely from the results...
The Myriad Beasts Sect disbanded, leaving the entire inner city in ruins, deserted and desolate. Everyone fled in panic with the caravan. Meanwhile, the Yuanmiao Sect… remained the same Yuanmiao Sect, high and mighty.
The winner and loser are obvious at a glance.