Chapter 161: The Downfall of the Hao Family
Chapter 161: The Downfall of the Hao Family
Outside the hall.
A butler, his clothes stained with blood, stumbled inside.
"Master, it's bad news! The soldiers are attacking our compound, and the Yu Family's forces are here too..."
By the time he finished speaking, he noticed the tall figure of Chen Mu, dressed in the official uniform of the Inspector General's Office, standing before He Zhengya and He Guangxun. His voice abruptly halted, as if someone had grabbed his throat.
The butler's entire body trembled, and he fell to the ground, unable to stand up, kicking his legs backward in fear.
Chen Mu paid no attention to the butler beside him and barely acknowledged his presence. Instead, he fixed his gaze upon He Zhengya.
"You've won."
"The Yu Family has won."
"It's all over."
Leaning on his wooden staff, He Zhengya's straight back leaned back against the chair. His voice carried an air of endless weariness and sighs.
"Not yet," Chen Mu said calmly. "Your Hao Family still has forces outside, and He Wuyou is still alive. Perhaps the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion has already found a way to keep them in check. It's too early to say it's truly over."
He Zhengya managed a self-mocking laugh. "What's the use? We've become nothing more than cannon fodder for the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion. It's impossible to rebuild such a foundation now, a legacy of over a hundred years..."
He knew it all too well.
From the moment Chen Mu appeared in the Hao Family's main hall, everything had already ended.
This meant that the Hao Family's last assassination attempt on Chen Mu had failed, even with the help of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion. The Pavilion had also completely abandoned this branch of the family in the city, as the current Hao Family within the city held no value for them to preserve. All that remained were the younger generation and the weak.
Even if He Wuyou's group managed to escape the watchful eye of Yan Jingqing with the Pavilion's assistance, they would still end up as expendable pawns for the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion.
The Seven Mysteries Sect would never allow any branch of the Hao Family to continue their bloodline in other parts of Jade Province. Similarly, the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion had no interest in supporting the Hao Family's development in Mystic State. They would only use them as a disposable force.
Even though He Wuyou, a Five Viscera Realm cultivator, was still alive, it held no significance.
From this day forward, He Wuyou had nowhere to go. He couldn't escape the Seven Mysteries Sect's pursuit in Jade Province, nor could he find refuge in Mystic State without the protection of the Mystic Mechanism Pavilion. Even with his Five Viscera Realm strength, he could only follow the Pavilion's orders and struggle to survive.
At this moment, He Zhengya stared at Chen Mu and said, "The Yu Family's luck is indeed remarkable. They picked up Xu Yichuan, and then they plucked you from the bottom. If it wasn't Xu Hongyu who discovered you but someone from our Hao Family, perhaps the outcome would have been different."
"There are no what-ifs in this world," Chen Mu said calmly.
"Even if there were, the destination would be the same; only the journey would differ slightly."
The Hao and Yu Families were worlds apart.
The Yu Family, facing difficulties, was desperate for talent. When Xu Hongyu first met Chen Mu, her initial impression was that he was a capable individual worth nurturing. She believed he could become a clerk, helping her alleviate some of her burdens in the future.
But at that time, why would the Hao Family care about a mere clerk? Almost all the clerks in the southern district were from the Hao Family.
If they didn't care about clerks, they certainly wouldn't have paid attention to Chen Mu, who only seemed to have some potential to become a clerk after further cultivation.
Moreover, considering the Hao Family's style, if that night Chen Mu had killed Tang Quan and encountered He Mingxuan instead of Xu Hongyu, he might have been killed on the spot to prevent any information about Tang Quan from leaking out.
It was destined from the start.
There was no way the Hao Family's ship could carry Chen Mu.
By the time he truly displayed his talent and became worthy of the Hao Family's attention, it was already too late for them.
"He Mingxuan, He Mingzhen, He Guangzong... They must have all died by your hand. Perhaps, as you said, the Hao Family couldn't bring you into their fold. But I should have noticed you earlier; we wouldn't be in this situation today."
He Zhengya's gaze dropped slightly.
Chen Mu slowly said, "Enough of this chatter. I only have one question..."
He Zhengya looked up at Chen Mu and said calmly, "You want to ask about Xu Yichuan, don't you? You should be able to guess that."
"..."
Chen Mu sighed.
Suddenly, he drew his sword and slashed it forward, releasing a burst of sword light as wind and thunder converged.
He Zhengya lifted his wooden staff, which shattered into countless splinters, revealing a straight and slender sword within. The sword clashed with Chen Mu's blade in midair, but it only held for a brief moment before the entire sword began to crack and shatter, eventually exploding into pieces.
A sharp hiss split the air.
The blade pierced his chest, shattering the back of his chair and slicing through the wooden pillar behind him.
He Zhengya remained seated, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth as he stared at Chen Mu with a final glimmer of confusion in his eyes. With difficulty, he asked, "What... What level of strength do you possess?"
"A little stronger than you."
Chen Mu slowly turned away, no longer looking at He Zhengya.
He Zhengya's gaze fixed on Chen Mu's departing figure, his eyes gradually losing their luster. Blood gushed from the wound in his chest, staining the crystal-like floor tiles crimson. Eventually, his head drooped, all life fading as he sat there, transforming into a corpse.
Chen Mu strolled out of the hall.
At this moment, Han Guang seemed to realize something. He struggled to speak, pleading, "Spare me... I never plotted to kill you. Mingxuan and the others deserved their fate. I can serve the Yu family..."
A white light flashed.
Han Guang's head flew up, accompanied by a spray of blood, his eyes filled with regret and resentment.
"Noisy."
Chen Mu didn't even glance at the flying head or the slowly collapsing body.
He Zhengya still had a hint of the Hao family head's dignity, but compared to him, Han Guang was hardly worth looking at, and as for He Mingxuan and his ilk, they weren't even worth evaluating. It was said that the Yu family had been struggling with succession for the past two generations, but how much better could the Hao family be? If not for Han Guang's slight strength, at least a Bone Forging Realm cultivator, Chen Mu would have felt he had dirtied his hands by killing such a person.
"..."
The steward, who had fallen to the side, was drenched in cold sweat, trembling in fear, not daring to breathe. He kept his eyes fixed on Chen Mu as he exited the hall.
His chest heaved violently for a few moments, and then a glimmer of joy appeared. He struggled to his feet and attempted to flee outside the hall, desperate to escape. But before he could take more than a few steps, soldiers from the Inspector Bureau and the City Defense Bureau surrounded him from all directions.
"Spare me! Spare me!"
The steward knelt and begged for mercy, raising his hands in supplication.
However, the armored soldiers of the City Defense Bureau were cold as ice. With a swift thrust of their spears, they pierced the steward's chest, pinning him to the ground. "The Hao family has committed treason! No one will be spared!"
The steward coughed up blood, his weakening hands struggling to cover the wound in his chest. But he couldn't stop the gushing blood, and his eyes, too, revealed despair. Eventually, his head slumped to the side, and he fell to the ground, his life slowly ebbing away.
Outside.
In the open courtyard in front of the Hao family hall.
Chen Mu strolled in, his gaze indifferent.
Shouts and screams echoed from all directions, and panicked servants and clan members of the Hao family could be seen fleeing in all directions.
At this moment.
An inner city clerk from the City Defense Bureau, clad in heavy armor, led several delicately dressed women with disheveled hair and bound hands and feet. They were forced to kneel before Chen Mu.
"Sir, what should we do with the Hao family's women?"
The clerk bowed respectfully to Chen Mu and asked.
Chen Mu glanced at the women of the Hao family. They all appeared young, around sixteen or seventeen years old. Some had eyes filled with resentment and hatred, while others wept uncontrollably, and some stared blankly.
Finally.
Chen Mu waved his hand and said, "Leave none alive."
There might be innocent members within the Hao family, perhaps even many. Among them were women of similar age to Chen Yue and Yu Ru, and there were even infants and toddlers as young as one or two years old.
But this was a family extermination.
If the roles were reversed, if he had never come to this world, and Yu Jiujiang's vitality had declined, unable to maintain his Organ Realm strength, leading to the Yu family's fall to the Hao family, then Xu Hongyu, Xiao He, Yu Ru, and everyone else would have faced a similar fate, perhaps even enduring inhumane torture before their deaths.
Chen Mu didn't consider himself a cruel person, but having experienced countless trials to reach this point, he was no longer a merciful man either. Since they had reached this final step, he would make it simpler and easier, sending all the Hao family members on their way.
Mercy only breeds lingering hatred.
More deaths now meant fewer deaths in the future.
"Yes."
The clerk from the City Defense Bureau was taken aback but still obeyed the order.
In his eyes, these women of the Hao family could be sent to the Brothel Bureau to extract some value, or Chen Mu could choose a few for their beauty, to torment and play with. But Chen Mu simply said one word, 'kill'.
"No... please, spare me! I'll do anything..."
"You're Chen Mu! I'll haunt you even in death!"
Several women from the Hao family cried out, some begging for mercy, others filled with resentment and hatred. Before long, the clerk's hand moved, and with a flash of his blade, a head rolled to the ground, silencing the pleas.
Chen Mu didn't spare them a second glance; he continued striding forward, stepping over the bodies and exiting the courtyard.
Then, he saw an old man approaching him. It was Yu Zuting, the same person who had given him the Flowing Silver Ore and asked him to help the Yu Family secure the Xuan Tie Channel. Although both were elderly and had retired from the Yu Family, the remaining forces in the city were limited. The Inspector Bureau, Demon Slayer Bureau, and City Defense Bureau had all been mobilized, but they still lacked sufficient manpower to surround the entire Hao Family compound.
After all, the Hao Family was enormous, with tens of thousands of servants and followers. Moreover, these tens of thousands were not ordinary people; many were skilled in martial arts, and some had even reached the Copper Skin and Iron Muscle Realms.
Consequently, Yu Zuting had mobilized almost all of the Yu Family's forces.
In fact, upon hearing the news, the Yu Family members had rushed over eagerly. Over the years, they had endured the Hao Family's oppression on numerous occasions, and now, finally, the tables had turned, and the clouds had parted to reveal a clear sky.
"The Xuan Tie Ore matter should be fine, right?" Chen Mu asked, looking at Yu Zuting. He hadn't paid much attention to these matters since that day: "After Inspector Yan returns, the various offices in Yu Prefecture will undergo a reshuffle. The Smelting Office may not be entirely handed over to the Yu Family, but we can still occupy more positions. There will also be many other miscellaneous matters to attend to, and you elders may have to stay busy for a long time."
The Hao Family wasn't a small clan; it had its hands in every aspect of Yu Prefecture and its various departments.
Now, within a single day, it had completely fallen, leaving behind numerous vacant positions. The Xue and Xie Families would surely reach out, and even the Four Great Sects might take advantage of this opportunity.
Inspector Yan had always suppressed the Hao Family, but he hadn't allowed the Yu Family to directly annihilate them. This was because he didn't want to cause too much turmoil before resolving the Sky Corpse Sect issue.
But now, the Hao Family had chosen the quickest path to its demise.
"No problem! No problem! Leave it to this old man. No matter how many tasks, I can handle them... Haha, Chen Mu, you're getting married to Hong Yu in the spring. Why not consider my two granddaughters as concubines?"
"There are still some capable people in the Hao Family. I need to deal with them one by one to minimize casualties. You stay here and control the main hall. The Hao Family spent a fortune building this hall, and you'll understand once you step inside."
Chen Mu spoke to Yu Zuting and then walked towards the distance, soon disappearing into the chaos.
Yu Zuting watched Chen Mu's departing figure and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
"He really is..."
He looked at the spacious courtyard before him and the grand hall in the distance, its opulence still evident despite the distance. He recalled how he had given Chen Mu the Flowing Silver Ore, thinking Chen Mu would return to exchange it. But within a few days, Chen Mu had taken a position in the Smelting Office from the Hao Family, forcefully seizing control.
He had thought the matter would be temporarily resolved.
But before long, just after the Lunar New Year celebrations, on the ninth day of the first month, he was suddenly informed by a hurried messenger that the Hao Family's main forces had attacked Chen Mu but were completely annihilated. Chen Mu had gathered the Three Bureaus and surrounded the Hao Family compound, issuing the order to exterminate the Hao Family.
At that moment, Yu Zuting felt a surge of energy, as if his eighty-year-old bones had never been so lively. He picked up a sword he hadn't used in years and rushed towards the Hao Family compound. Upon arrival, he witnessed the entire Hao Family compound being besieged and gradually overwhelmed.
The once-powerful Hao Family, which had been even more influential than the Yu Family, had rapidly declined over just a few years, leading to this final step of confiscation and extermination.
The root cause was that Hong Yu had found Chen Mu in the outskirts of the outer city, and the Yu Family had encountered Chen Mu! Who could have imagined that such a day would come?
(End of Chapter)
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