Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 361: 189. Xizhao, the Sword Chief, lives up to his name

New Yu Era 1322, early August

The season was already autumn. Despite the barrier of the city walls, the townspeople could still feel the chill in the air.

Over a mile inside the western city gates, there were no longer any residents to be seen. In their place were three distinct military formations of martial artists, each dressed differently.

The closest to the front was the original Silver Armored Army tasked with defending Wanyang County, numbering around three thousand; the middle group wore orange-yellow, with each of their backs bearing the pattern of a golden tripod representing three clans. Clearly, they were sect members from Tianding Sect, numbering over five thousand; the group at the very back differed from the rest, with no uniform dress and a number counted to be over four thousand.

In comparison, it was clear that the Silver Armored Army had the highest discipline, followed by the members of the Tianding Sect. Though their discipline wasn't the strictest, their uniform attire and serious demeanors indicated that they were aware of the weight of their duty standing there.

But the back row of over four thousand was a bit more complicated to describe.

Their attire was not only varied, but their expressions were also disorganized; some showed fear at the sight of the great army on the city walls, some hung their heads not knowing what to think, others appeared impatient, and there were even large groups huddled together, whispering and chatting...

"It's been five days now, and the Yongzhou Army still hasn't moved on the city walls. Are they really not planning to attack, or do they have some trick up their sleeve?"

"It's hard to say. With an army of over a hundred thousand, how could they care about us few? I think they're definitely up to something. We mustn't let our guard down, or we'll die without knowing how it happened!"

"What's there to fear? With the Silver Armored Army and the people from Tianding Sect in front, they'll be the first to die if it comes to that. It won't be our turn to step up first."

"Lu Guanqing took forty thousand troops to attack Tongling on Rakshasa Festival and failed, which was bad enough. But he also brought this big disaster upon us. Now we're short-handed and dragged out here just to make up the numbers. I'm not risking my life for them. If things look bad, I'll surrender right away!"

"Surrender? That's the Demon Sect's army. Once they enter the city, they'll start killing. Where will they give you time to surrender? Your thinking is quite optimistic."

"This... the Demon Sect's army wouldn't kill indiscriminately, would they? Really massacre the whole city?"

"If there's really no other way, maybe we can try to escape in the chaos..."

"Alas, the world is in turmoil!"

......

Wan Xiaolou read the lips of the people around him, picking up on their discussions, and as he looked around, he realized that basically no one believed they could hold the Prefectural City. He exchanged a glance with Su Li by his side and said softly, "They're all just a rabble. Relying on these people to defend the city, it's likely to fall apart even faster!"

"Do you think Lu Guanqing doesn't know that? These people can only serve as cannon fodder at best. It's the Silver Armored Army and the members of the Tianding Sect who are the core forces. Together they make up nearly eight thousand, and with the City-Protecting Sword Array and that Sword Chief Xizhao, the Yongzhou Army won't find it that easy to breach the city."

"A hundred and seventy thousand forces can't break through eight thousand?" Wan Xiaolou's eyes revealed a trace of doubt. He didn't have much of a concept of warfare, but he at least understood basic numbers. A difference in force more than twenty times over made him feel much like those who had been discussing earlier: that if the Yongzhou Army wanted to, they could quickly break through the city.

Su Li shook his head and explained in a low voice, "Right now, it's just the western city wall. A hundred and seventy thousand troops can't possibly attack at the same time along one wall. Those defending only need to guard against, at most, the first wave of tens of thousands. Although I haven't seen this City-Protecting Sword Array that people talk about, the Yongzhou Army has been quiet for five days now. It must be related to the Sword Array, or at least they are wary of it."

Moreover, there's also the Sword Chief Xizhao, Gu Tianyun. Even if over a hundred thousand soldiers forcefully break in, they still have to face such a top-tier expert. Even if they breach the city, it would likely come at heavy losses, and there's even a possibility that they wouldn't succeed!"

With that explanation, Wan Xiaolou understood. He looked up at the Yongzhou troops on the city wall, ready for battle, and disappointment showed in his eyes as he said in a low voice, "The master probably didn't come with them. Otherwise, he would have contacted us by now!"

Su Li nodded, glanced at the thirty Geng Division brothers gathered nearby, and a trace of worry appeared in his eyes. He was unclear about what had happened in Tongling; he could only guess from the fact that Lu Guanqing had returned with ten thousand surviving troops that Xuzhou had failed and the Holy Church had probably managed to hold Tongling. Otherwise, they wouldn't have the spare troops to send such a large force over here.

However, what he was really concerned about was the condition of the Hou Clan!

If Hou Yuxiao didn't come with the Yongzhou Army, did that mean that the family might have encountered some misfortune amid the turmoil in Tongling? If that were true, what should he do with these thirty brothers from the Geng Division he led?

To be fair, Su Li didn't want the Hou Clan to fall into trouble. Although he had only switched from the Flying Eagle Sect to the Hou Clan at the end of last year, and one might say his sense of belonging to the Hou Clan wasn't very strong, when put in their shoes, the treatment he had received over the past half-year had been far better than the previous five years at the Flying Eagle Sect. Breaking through to the Gang Qi Realm was something he hadn't even dared to dream of before.

With rapid advancement in his cultivation and far superior treatment than before, to a roving martial artist like him who had struggled on his own since childhood, the Hou Clan was like heaven. Moreover, Hou Yuxiao's numerous actions, and the rapid rise of the Hou Clan, even ascending among the ranks to become a third-tier power, showed him the vast potential of the clan.

From the moment the family head, not bearing grudges, appointed him as the head of the Geng Division, Su Li had developed a true sense of belonging to the Hou Clan. Therefore, he sincerely hoped the Hou Clan would continue to grow and prosper. However, the current situation left him with some grim suspicions.