Chapter Sixty: The Wind Rises and Clouds Gather

  Third watch, looking for a collection.

  It's lively now. Just as the big families had left, those who took advantage of the opportunity to sneak in exposed the shocking things that had happened. Now, the He family is thoroughly lively.

  Before long, a large number of versions were circulating outside. Some said that the He family's house had collapsed and was destroyed. Some said that He had done something wrong with someone there and ruined it. There were even rumors that He was very abnormal, often smashing and hitting there, and as a result, he turned purple over time, and such rumors began to circulate continuously.

  After all, He's nature was not very good in the past, and he often stirred up trouble everywhere. The incident of forcibly taking a civilian woman also happened before. So at this time, people with grievances or those who liked to gossip used this incident to make a fuss.

  The prestige of the He family was reduced to its limit in an instant, and the reputation of the He family also encountered a huge problem.

  In the end, He's family couldn't withstand the pressure and came out to clarify. They said that He was bitten by a centipede while sleeping yesterday. This made not only Huo Hai laugh, but also everyone who knew about this incident started laughing.

  Then all sorts of strange versions began to circulate. Even among the most accepted versions in the streets, it was said that He's family was so arrogant that they even dared to bully a centipede. As a result, they were bitten back by the centipede. This time, the reputation of He's family would not be greatly damaged because of this matter. However, He himself would probably never dare to show his face again.

  Fortunately, He Wang is about to go to Huang Cheng Academy, otherwise the He family wouldn't know where to send He Wang. Outside, it's just a joke, but in other families, it's not that simple.

  Huo's family, several absolutely loyal elders, were sitting together with the master of the house, discussing this matter. Huo Kai's face was exceptionally serious: "You say, what is going on with this matter? Is someone targeting the He family as a whole or the entire Western Frontier?"

  If it were just a matter of the He family, that would be no big deal and everyone would even applaud. The He family's downfall is music to the ears of the Huo family, as the pressure to develop will decrease to its lowest point. The He and Huo families have never gotten along anyway. Even if the He family were to give up their position as a top-tier family in Western China, the Huo family and other families would gain even more resources.

  If it's aimed at the entire Western Territory, then it's a different story. The He family might just be the vanguard, and after they're destroyed, other families will take their turn. Even if that's not the case, once the He family is eliminated, what powerful force will penetrate deep into the Western Territory?

  At that time, these top families also had to face great challenges, and things were not so simple.

  "You say, it might be an accident." An elder had just said a sentence, and the others looked at him with eyes as if they were looking at an idiot. The elder quickly withdrew his head, knowing that he had said something foolish.

  "What an accident, what kind of accident could lead to such a result. From our internal news, we know that last night, the He family had a lot of things happen overnight. Many important buildings collapsed, and at dawn, they were attacked by a large number of insects. Especially He Lao Er, who was even bitten by a poisonous centipede... Do you think this is an accident?"

  Next to him, an old man with a furious face and hair shouted angrily. Everyone didn't think much of it, this old guy had always had a notoriously bad temper. With so many bugs, who would believe that it wasn't human sabotage?

  One or two things like this might be okay, but when they happen at the same time, it's different. They've already figured out some specific things that happened last night through their scouts. Except for He being bitten by a centipede and now being half-dead. The most ridiculous thing is that the He family's outhouse collapsed, trapping their fourth family member inside.

  But none of them could laugh at this. The matter seemed amusing, but the hidden problem was extremely serious. This silent and strange sneak attack method was not something they could do.

  Not even in imagination, no one could have thought of it. If they were to be ambushed, would they still be able to live well? This person or organization that is secretly attacking them wants to destroy the He family and thinks it's easy as pie. But what are they doing, why do they want to make such a move, is it just for fun?

  In their view, this was absolutely not the case. "I think that the organization behind He's family is likely to make a foray into the Western Frontier. The reason they targeted He's family might be to make a name for themselves." Finally, an elder spoke up with his head lowered.

  It can only be like this, and looking at the situation, this organization is probably a spy ring that steals intelligence, gathers information, and commits theft. It's even possible that it's an assassination organization, as only such organizations would use this method to make a name for themselves. These organizations have never been officially recognized, but they are always the most dangerous and indispensable ones.

  Think about it, in the western border, there really isn't a specialized organization like this. All the families that do this kind of thing use their own family's cultivated strength. Or else, they use spirit stones, gold and silver to buy some mercenaries and adventurers.

  "It's probably going to be this way. For the time being, let's hold back and not make any rash moves. No matter what the other party's intentions are, after a few days, we'll be able to see clearly." Huo Kai finally spoke up.

  "So what should we do, just wait like this? If they take action against our family, won't we be beaten passively?" The elder who had just been scolded finally said something a bit more reasonable.

  Huo Kai glared at him fiercely and said in a low voice, "Of course not, our family also needs to take preventive measures. The ability of this organization to steal is terrifying, it can make the pillar of the He family disappear. Moreover, with this matter, we can also arrange things better within the family. At that time, those guys will be caught off guard."

  No matter what, as the head of the household, I always think of the family's interests first. Next is my own interest. By using this matter, even if there are some abnormalities in the family, it won't attract those guys' attention.

  In this way, whether it is gathering intelligence or preparing to deal with them, everything can be better and more thoroughly prepared.

  No matter what happens in the future, family internal problems must be properly cleaned up. If not cleared, this family's direct line will be replaced by a side branch. Even if the family is sparse, Huo Kai does not allow such things to happen.

  "Alright, let's do it. We'll start preparing now. Hehe, come to think of it, this might be a good thing. As long as it doesn't target our Huo family, the He family will definitely not have an easy time after going through this ordeal. Once we clean up our own house, the He family won't have the chance to strike at us either. We'll have more time to develop." An elder stood up and said calmly.

  Others nodded, anyway, let's take it one step at a time. I wonder what kind of expression those guys would have if they knew who was the mastermind behind this incident. The He family is unlucky, and the Huo family is happy in their hearts.

  Other families are also discussing the same thing. The positions they are in are almost the same, and their ideas are actually similar. Anyway, several big families have started to shrink and defend themselves, reminding their family members not to provoke trouble recently.

  Due to the influence of Huo Hai, the public security situation in the entire Western City has unexpectedly improved. To know that normally these young masters run wild everywhere, ordinary small families, even their own women, would not easily go out on the streets.

  While these people were constantly guessing, one person had already vaguely guessed the truth of the matter. That was Miss Ji Wuji, from the Ji family. As soon as she heard about the insect causing trouble, Ji Wuji began to suspect something. A bright light flashed in her eyes: "Insect, could it be that this thing was done by He Hai? Ah, I see, so it was the He family who kidnapped He Yun'er earlier."

  How terrible the insects in Huo Hai were, others didn't know, but Ji Mu was very clear. Looking back, when Xiong Chu was in Nan Shan, after seeing Huo Hai, it seemed that those annoying insects in the mountains and forests had never bothered him again.

  At first, I didn't notice it, but now that I think about it, Huo Hai absolutely had the ability to control these insects. At least mobilizing the insects was still possible. This explains why the He family suffered an insect attack.

  As for the disappearance of the house's main beam, it must have been done by those so-called star worms. The ability of these star worms to eat things made Ji Mu think back and still feel a chill in his heart. This thing can even easily gnaw through metal-forged weapons in a short period of time. Let alone the wood used as the main beam, it's not hard to quickly eat it away.

  "Wait a minute, if he can eat away the main beam, what about other things? Huo Hai probably won't give up so easily."

  Ji Mu had once heard from Huo Hai that these Gu worms could sustain themselves by eating things with spiritual energy, and didn't need to eat anything else. Moreover, it seemed that these things were also the driving force behind the strengthening of the Star Gu.

  How to get stronger, Ji Mu didn't know. But such a good thing, how could Huo Hai give up? The He family indeed had no one die, but things with spiritual power, like spirit stones and the like, should still be quite a few.

  If the Star Gu eats these things, it will be very beneficial to Huo Hai. In that case, the loss of the He family will not be just this little bit. As a young lady from a big family, Ji Mu's way of thinking is naturally different from ordinary people. Starting from a small clue, this matter has been almost settled. If we report this to the family now, it would be a perfect opportunity to thoroughly eliminate the He family.

  And at this time, taking action would be extremely beneficial for the Ji family. But how can this matter be explained?

  Ji Mu furrowed his brow, unsure why he didn't want to say anything. He wasn't sure if his family would believe him, and even if they did, he didn't want to betray Huo Hai. With a sigh, he decided it was better to pretend he knew nothing.