Chapter 431 - 336

Even though the other Huang Family People opposed him, collective opposition was futile; the family head insisted on doing it his way.

In a moment of desperation for wealth, someone came up with an idea, in addition to the family’s regular business, they added another occupation, that of masked robbers.

This thought had occurred a few days earlier when Lai Jianlin was welcoming two friends, and then in Huang Family territory, a fight broke out with a pursuer.

If it hadn’t been for the people of the Luo Family rushing over, Lai Jianlin and his son, along with his friends, would have been surrounded and annihilated.

That time, the Huang Family People were all masked, carrying out the attack.

After the first time, there came a second; they chose to rob individuals who passed through their family’s territory alone.

Such robbery, of course, entailed killing the victims so that no one could find evidence to prove their guilt.

The heavens have a net of justice that is vast and fails to let wrongdoers slip through, yet they thought they were being secretive, unaware that their deeds had reached the ears of some scouts from families within Immortal Lord City.

Since the victims were not members of their own families, nobody came forward to uphold justice.

Meddling in others’ affairs comes at a cost, and people who pursue justice felt that if it wasn’t worth it, they wouldn’t bother.

The Huang Family People would not always rob in the same place; they struck east and hit west, and so far, no one had found any leverage against them.

As they got the hang of it, they began to work as assassins in addition to robbers.

Family Head Huang had people organize a team for missions, all made up of middle-aged men from the family.

He did not allow his grandson to join, for he had already lost one and this was the last seed he had planted.

Being an assassin or a robber was dangerous work; he did not let the younger people participate because they were the family’s future hope.

The faces of the middle-aged men were somewhat familiar to many, but with masks and their faces covered, they remained silent or disguised their voices during murders to conceal their crimes.

After a few jobs, although the wealth they acquired wasn’t substantial, they enjoyed using these ill-gotten gains and turned it into a profession.

They even formed an organization, indeed, releasing word on the Martial World’s dark streets that anyone in need of such services could approach them for any mission, whether it was murder or treasure theft.

That night, just as Family Head Huang stepped out of his room, he was met by his son coming in to report.

He had already handed over some of the family’s affairs to his son, elevating himself to elder and focusing on cultivation, uninvolved in family matters unless it was something significant.

This was also the case in many families where the elder handed over affairs to the next generation, using the time to devote themselves to cultivation, fearing that as they aged, life grew short and their Cultivation remained stagnant.

An elder was the backbone of a family, and they only made appearances when absolutely necessary.

He had not been in seclusion, neglecting everything because he was somewhat worried his son would not handle some matters well, or might miss opportunities for improving his Cultivation.

As long as there was money, one could buy Supreme Elixirs, and with opportunity, one could steal Supreme Elixirs.

In their case, they had only managed to rob medium and high-grade Pills; they had never stolen a Supreme Elixir.

The Huang Family People understood that those who truly possessed Supreme Elixirs would consume them immediately to improve their Cultivation and would not leave them for robbers.

Those who robbed Supreme Elixirs were even talked about in the Martial World; the mighty felt ashamed, as having one or half an elixir wouldn’t elevate someone significantly.

Every increase in power required preparation for the next; having previously enjoyed the benefits of Supreme Elixirs, even in seclusion, he couldn’t focus on cultivation.

“Father, I’ve heard that the Luo Family and Lai Family people have returned from outside, bringing back a few people with them.”

Acting as the Family Head, while his son was not yet mature enough to manage the affairs, he had to take over his father’s responsibilities.

This time, his father went to purchase Supreme Elixirs, and although several elders got their share, his son and he did not, not to mention his wife and mother.

Acting as head of the family, he always yearned for revenge; the whereabouts of his deceased son, who was supposedly able to cultivate, were unknown, supposedly taken somewhere by his master, the Taoist who had disappeared.

People from the Huang Family covertly went to the Mount Tai Sect to find that Taoist, hoping to see Huang Chen.

The people of the Mount Tai Sect said that the Taoist had left over a month ago and had not returned.

They did not believe it, so they went to the Taoist’s courtyard, only to hear the same story from the people there.

With no other choice, they could only return.

Huang Chen’s younger brother, who had heard of his older brother’s murder and had not seen him for several years, was even more heartbroken and distressed.

The Huang Family People had no choice but to have more disciples become scouts, monitoring the movements of other families in Immortal Lord City.

Perhaps their own family people were also monitoring them; it was merely a method of self-protection.

If they did not do so, they could be framed and wiped out without even realizing it.

“Is there another incident?” Family Head Huang frowned, in charge but momentarily unable to grasp the intricacies of the situation.

“Father, could it be that they are expanding their forces?

If they band together, it could be detrimental to us,” a son suggested.

Having heard his son say this, Family Head Huang had been troubled by this matter before.

In the past, only the Luo Family and Lai Family formed an alliance.

They had always been on guard against them, fearing they would join forces to wrest away their position as the First Family.

Watching the Luo Family and Lai Family rise more rapidly, their concern could only be buried in their hearts.

By leveraging their schemes and intrigue, they were still able to secure their position as the First Family.

But having previously offended the Jiang Family, which now joined forces with the Luo Family and the Lai Family, the comparison in family numbers increased by two-thirds.

Even if they could ally with smaller families, they stood no chance of winning.

A critical point was that they were currently involved in robbery and murder.

These unspeakable secrets could not be entrusted to outsiders, and involving others would require costly rewards.

The foundation of their first-rate family was not so fragile that purchasing a few Supreme Elixirs would bankrupt them, but with so many people to support in the family, they desired more money to buy more Supreme Elixirs.

Some resources were apparent, such as the cash they had on hand, and recruiting soldiers and horses also required significant expenditures.

At the moment, they could not afford to suffer for Supreme Elixirs.

Having committed theft and murder for them, how could they share the spoils with others?

Managing newly recruited outsiders, if done poorly, could become a headache and potentially bring in external thieves, leaving hidden dangers for the family.

“Keep having people watch them.

They are definitely up to something else.

As long as they don’t compete with us for resources, we just need to closely monitor them and not provoke them for now,” he advised.

The Acting Family Head nodded at his father’s words and went out to arrange for people to watch the Luo and Lai Families.

They did not overlook the Jiang Family.

The next day, a scout reported that people from the Luo, Lai, and Jiang Families, including guests from the Luo Family who had arrived the previous day, were purchasing items on the streets of Immortal Lord City.

The Acting Family Head felt there was something unusual upon hearing this news.

Ordinarily, purchases were made by those in charge of various tasks within a family.

With the elites from their families all in action, there certainly must be a significant event taking place, especially with the presence of Luo Family’s guests in Immortal Lord City.

It could be simply relayed that they were visiting the city to shop, but such a large-scale procurement definitely had other implications.

When three families’ young members moved out together, what could that represent?

The Acting Family Head continued to instruct scouts to watch closely while discussing matters with his father and several Elders.

“The scout reported that their purchases were mostly food, utensils, and seasonings, with less emphasis on Cultivators’ Magical Treasures.”

The Acting Family Head relayed the scout’s information, leaving everyone a bit puzzled.

Perhaps the young disciples of these three families were embarking on a journey either for apprenticeship or to join forces for some training?

They only heard of numerous purchases, but not a single word was uttered about the purpose behind these procurements.

The Huang Family People also had their share of failures.

Their usual strength lay in their cunning plans, but not being able to discover information was their weakness.

No one wanted to befriend, let alone cooperate with, a family that habitually engaged in conspiracies and deceptions.

Everyone was cautious around them, guarding not only business matters but also their most crucial secrets, lest they fall prey to their malevolence.