Su Yang returned to the city and immediately sought out Hou Shilin to inquire about the current situation of the Hou Family. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NoveI-Fire.ɴet
According to Hou Shilin, the Hou Family was now at a critical juncture of life and death.
Because of the death of Xue Tianzhuo, the Xue Family had completely fallen out with the Hou Family and was intent on destroying them.
Such incidents are very rare among the great clans, and once they happen, they are often insoluble unless one of the clans is utterly defeated. Otherwise, the battle cannot end.
Hou Xiangde had already gone to the Capital City to deal with the matter through his connections. Likewise, Old Master Xue was not idle, he too had gone to the Capital City, using his influence to counter Hou Xiangde.
Now was the time for a tug of war between the two sides. Ultimately, Hou Xiangde’s seniority fell short of Old Master Xue’s, hence the situation for the Hou Family was not optimistic.
Su Yang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "If the Xue Family were gone, where would this matter end up?"
"This must not happen!" Hou Shilin’s eyes widened as he said anxiously, "The Xue Family is one of the Ten Great Families of The Provincial Capital, stronger than our Hou Family. Such a large family can crush the other completely in a war, but it cannot exterminate them completely, as that would violate the rules."
"Moreover, the Xue Family is different from the Ding Family; there’s a union among the Ten Great Families. If the Xue Family were completely exterminated, that... that would mean becoming enemies with the other Nine Great Families, which is very unwise. By then, I fear the whole Pingnan Province would be against us, and the Hou Family would truly be finished!"
"Is that so?" Su Yang said, "But the Xue Family hired Eight-Faced Yama to kill you, isn’t that already attempting to exterminate you completely?"
"If the Xue Family has lost a person and our Hou Family has lost a person, this is an exchange, not extermination," Hou Shilin said. "Of course, their hiring Eight-Faced Yama does indeed violate the rules, but it is not a severe offense. The families in the Provincial Capital can turn a blind eye to it!"
"I see!" Su Yang had an epiphany, took a deep breath, and then suddenly said, "What if the Xue Family was not destroyed by us?"
"Ah?" Hou Shilin was perplexed and said, "Not destroyed by us, how could that be possible? The Xue Family does not have many enemies, and no one dares to do such a thing, right?"
Su Yang said, "I’m just asking you, if the Xue Family was not destroyed by us, what would happen then?"
"If the Xue Family was not destroyed by us, then things would go much smoother," Hou Shilin said. "If the Xue Family is gone, then our Hou Family will have no more troubles, and these matters will pass."
"Good!" Su Yang nodded slowly, stood up and said, "I’ll make a trip to The Provincial Capital tomorrow, wait for my good news!"
"You... You’re really going to the Xue Family?" Hou Shilin asked with a look of panic and whispered, "Su Yang, the Xue Family is not like those families in Nanluo City. The strength of the Xue Family is extraordinary. Any one of the Ten Great Families should not be underestimated!"
"I’m not underestimating them, I’m just making a visit, don’t worry," Su Yang said with a light smile, patting Hou Shilin’s shoulder, "Rest assured, there will be no problems."
Hou Shilin was half-convinced, but looking into Su Yang’s determined eyes, he finally nodded slowly.
At the same time, at Lin Ze Ping’s house, Lin Ze Ping was furiously arguing with Fang Cui, and several of Fang Cui’s relatives were also present.
"Fang Cui, have you lost your mind?" Lin Ze Ping bellowed angrily, "You went out for a bit and came back a completely different person. What’s with the sudden change in attitude? Weren’t we fine before this?"
"Yeah, sis, what happened?" Fang Jianhong also asked in a low voice. He and Fang Hui had arrived early this evening, just waiting for good news from Fang Cui.
If Su Yang and Lin Qingru’s marriage went ahead, he would be their nephew-in-law. With that kind of connection, surely Su Yang would help them, right?
"What happened?" Fang Cui glanced at them and said, "That Su fellow is simply not good enough for my daughter, what do you expect me to say? Moreover, have you seen the look in the eyes of those people from the Su Family? Their arrogance is sky-high. What are they so proud of? Have they forgotten who they used to be? Do they really think they’ve become noble? Let me tell you, even if a beggar wears an imperial robe, he’s still a beggar and will never amount to anything."
"Su Yang and Qingru’s marriage has long been decided, what do you mean by ’not amounting to anything’?" Lin Ze Ping retorted angrily, "We were discussing a marriage, not family backgrounds, weren’t we?"
"Don’t you start with me about that marriage. I wasn’t even angry until you brought it up. Now it’s all I can think about!" Fang Cui snapped, "What’s so great about Su Yang? What right does he have to marry my daughter?"
"Sis..." Fang Hui tugged at Fang Cui’s sleeve and whispered, "The Su Yang of today is not the same as before. Don’t talk like that..."
"Shut up!" Fang Cui glared at her and said, "’Not the same as before’? Let me tell you, he’ll soon be back to farming the land. Not the same as before, my foot! Is he worthy of those words?"
"What?" Fang Hui gasped, puzzled, "What happened?"
"You don’t know?" Fang Cui said, "The Hou Family’s in trouble. Hou Xiaolian and Hou Xiaozhi have been taken in for investigation, Qingyun Clubhouse is sealed off, and their top henchman Ling Zi has been arrested. The Hou Family is basically finished now, and Su Yang’s backing is completely gone!"
"Really?" Fang Jianhong suddenly perked up, "When did this happen? The Hou Family is such a big clan, how could it collapse just like that?"
"Of course, it’s because a more powerful family is pulling the strings!" Fang Cui sneered, "You’ve heard of the Xue Family of the Provincial Capital, right? Xue Tianzhuo, their grandson, died in Nanluo City, and his death is connected to the Hou Family. It’s the Xue Family who’s out to destroy the Hou Family!"
"So it’s the Xue Family!" Fang Jianhong grew even more excited, "Then the Hou Family is truly doomed this time?"
"I’ve already told you the Hou Family is definitely finished," Fang Cui sneered, "Without the Hou Family, what is Su Yang? Does he think he can live in that luxurious villa? Does he think he’ll still have all that money? Does he think he can strut around showing off? I’m telling you, in a couple of days, he’ll come crawling back to his old home, his face covered in dust, and go back to being a farmer!"
"Hahaha..." Fang Hui burst into laughter, speaking venomously, "Serves them right! To hell with them, I’ve always despised them. What do they think they are? A wild chicken lands on the dining table and thinks it’s a phoenix? Daring to make a scene in my mall, to kick me out of my own store? Fine, in a couple of days, I’ll personally visit his house and see if he dares to be so arrogant again!"
"Without the Hou Family, what is someone with the surname Su anyway!" Fang Jianhong clenched his teeth fiercely and said, "Right, I’ll call the hospital director now and get them to use their connections to take over Su Yang’s projects. Humph, without the Hou Family, no one will back Su Yang up. Will he dare refuse to cooperate with us then? If he doesn’t, I’ll break his damn legs!"