"Half an hour has passed, the scouts should be back to report by now," Hou Yucheng remarked.
Just as his words fell, a fleet horse galloped down the Official Road. It was not merely by sight that they kept watch. Ever since the army had reached Chi Shui County, numerous scouts from the Shen Clan had been embedded all the way to Hexi territory, forwarding messages every half hour. This was to monitor any movement from Hexi and prepare in advance.
"Report, along the Official Road, there is no anomaly!"
The scout's report was the same as before, and Shen Gufan slightly relaxed.
"The outside world claims that Hou Yuxiao is full of wisdom and strategies. It appears now that such claims are somewhat exaggerated. At this critical time when the Holy Church is retreating and power struggles arise in Xiayuan, Hou Clan clinging to Hexi for temporary safety will only invite greater calamities. The Five Tigers of Hou Clan, hmph!"
By now, with no activities on the Official Road, Shen Gufan was almost certain that Hou Clan had decided not to engage in the conflict for the Prefectural City. Although this was to Shen Clan's advantage, he could not help but scorn Hou Clan a bit more in his heart.
"A despicable minor clan, with some fortune at best. Hexi will be ours sooner or later!"
"Speaking of these 'Five Tigers of Hou Clan,' it was after all the Family Head who gave this nickname to those five from Hou Clan. They have gained great fame through this time; little do they know that the Family Head was merely lulling them into compliance."
"Hahaha, the Family Head is indeed clever..."
A smirk of pride appeared on Shen Gufan's face—the "Five Tigers of Hou Clan" was of course a grand title he had given to those five from Hou Clan, indeed with the intention of numbing their senses. Now it seemed to have indeed worked. Those five probably really thought that as long as Hou Clan stayed out of the conflict for the Prefectural City, his Shen Clan would not touch Hexi. Utterly foolish!
In the dense forest west of the East City Gate, behind the mottled leaves of a large tree, three figures were hidden. The one in the middle enveloped the male and female on either side with his aura. The conversations at the east gate of Chi Shui County were transmitted into their ears without missing a word.
The burly man on the left couldn't help but sneer twice, turning his head to look at the man in the middle teasingly, "Big brother, this Shen Gufan seems to look down on you a bit!"
"Giggle, Old Fifth is smart. He had strictly ordered the clan not to spread the notion of the 'Five Tigers of Hou Clan' a while ago. It seems he had seen through Shen Gufan's malicious intentions early on."
Hearing Old Second and Old Third's words, Hou Yuxiao shook his head slightly and glanced at Shen Gufan and the three others on the East City Gate, a glint flashing in his eyes as he said sternly:
"Victory doesn't come from oneself but from the enemy. Thus, a master of war first makes himself invincible to await the enemy's vulnerability. Being able to say this shows that this Shen Gufan is by no means simple!"
Upon hearing this, Hou Yucheng and Hou Yuling grew much more somber.
Hou Yucheng nodded, saying, "Prefectural City clearly had a definite chance of victory, yet he stationed thirty thousand elite troops in Chi Shui County to guard against us. Shen Gufan's actions are meticulous and cautious; no wonder Shen Clan has been able to conceal itself as a second-rate power in Jinling for so many years. If not for the withdrawal of the Rakshasa Holy Sect, allowing Shen Clan to develop covertly for a few more years, they might indeed become a major threat to our Hou Clan!"
Hou Yuling nodded slightly, her expression flickering as she asked softly, "Big brother, Shen Gufan just said that Ling Hai Mo Zong can't manage, nor do they have the strength to manage his Shen Clan's affairs, which probably means that his Shen Clan has the support of Leiyin Temple, right?"
"Definitely, Ling Hai Mo Zong is an Earth Level power, the ruler of Tao City. With the current strength of his Shen Clan, Shen Gufan wouldn't dare make such a claim if not for the support from Leiyin Temple. Those hundred and twenty thousand troops that can march through wilderness, are likely accompanied by Mystic Realm Masters from Leiyin Temple. But this Shen Gufan, he really keeps his mouth tight; even now, he refuses to confess before his own clan members."
Hearing the two's conversation, Hou Yuxiao looked at the many elite troops of Shen Clan standing on the walls of Chi Shui County, his expression flickering slightly. There definitely weren't many Leiyin Temple masters in Shen Clan at the moment; otherwise, they wouldn't need to guard against Hexi. Moxuzi had said that the monks of Leiyin Temple were too numerous and needed to be divided into several batches from Jizhou heading south; this was the only chance he could currently utilize.
He just lowered his head to ponder for a moment, then stared deeply at Shen Gufan on top of the city gate tower, turned his head and said, "If my Hou Clan's strength were truly as displayed to the outside world, these thirty thousand elite troops would've been more than sufficient. He may be clever for having curried favor with Leiyin Temple, and Shen Gufan might indeed be far-sighted, but he utterly miscalculated the true strength of our Hou Clan, it's not as he imagines!"
Having said this, Hou Yuxiao immediately pulled Old Second and Old Third to retreat toward the east direction. Hou Yucheng and Hou Yuling, only possessing the cultivation of Great Grandmasters, could evade Shen Gufan only by his cover; if they lingered too long, they would risk exposure.
"Big brother, our twenty thousand members of the Red Flame Army are already stationed fifteen li to the east of Chi Shui County in the wilderness, ready to charge at Chi Shui County in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Shen Clan's so-called elite troops stand no chance against us, what are we waiting for, why not attack the city directly?"
Hou Yucheng's eager plea to battle did not receive Hou Yuxiao's response. He shook his head, signalling Hou Yucheng to keep his calm and speaking slowly, "No rush, you will have your chance to fight. You need to look further ahead. Shen Clan alone is not our only formidable enemy. Considering the timing, Fourth Elder and Old Fifth should have already reached the Prefectural City?"
"One hundred and ten thousand troops can't match our pace, but they have already been traveling for two days; by now, they should be close. Big brother, are you thinking of waiting for the time when Xiong Yun Gang and Shen Clan's other one hundred and twenty thousand troops have fought to the brink, then strike to settle things once and for all?"