Li Bao, after excreting her waste products in the toilet, rushed towards the dining area. She was hungry and thirsty, being asleep for two days. Who wouldn't be?
She had a sweaty look on her face, after just having left the toilet. Walking to the dining area was a bother for her, still feeling weak in the legs.
She proceeded to her bedroom instead of the dining area and called a servant, with the intention of making the servant bring food to her.
.....
Since the news was filled with the riot in front of the Hou auction, every one of the families in the city wondered one thing only: did the Hou clan lose the pills?
Before the riot occurred, if one of the citizens was asked about what they were hyped up about, it would be the Gem Light Pills that the Hou auction was supposedly selling the next week.
But now, if one was asked the same question, they would be filled with doubt over their answer. They were still excited about the pills, sure, but they were scared for their life as well.
It was said that the mob successfully infiltrated through the Hou auction house's guards, who knows when they might do it again? Although the objective of the riot was unknown, it was certain that they were planning to go to the Hou auction house. Maybe for the pills, or maybe for something else, one thing was for sure, the item was inside the Hou auction house that day. The Hou family could have taken action and hid the coveted item already, no one knew.
Nonetheless, everyone was still thrilled for the pill auctioning. The atmosphere was relatively peaceful, unlike in the Hou mansion.
In the Hou family, the situation was not good.
"Incompetent guards!"
Hou Ju was the daughter of an esteemed elder in the Hou clan, so she was assigned as the auction house's resident practitioner. The Hou family also assigned one of their two pill makers in the auction house.
Having one pill maker was already impressive, but having two was overkill! The Hou family had power within the city, and if push came to shove, they had some power outside the city as well. They could always seek refuge there should a calamity befall this humble city.
Even if they were powerful in the city though, no one had more authority than the most powerful clan, the Zhou family. When this Zhou clan heard about the disorder that happened near Hou property, they promptly blamed everything on them. The Zhou clan said it was their fault they had such a valuable item on their hands when they couldn't protect it.
The Hou clan was being pressured now. They were being pressured to submit the item they had to the Zhou clan, even if they knew it was unreasonable. The Zhou clan had power, and they did too, but not as much as the Zhou clan. They had to give them some face.
Hou Ju was, in particular, the one to blame. She was way stronger than the guards who defended the auction house, yet she chose to stay asleep in her office with the comfort of the "Scary Formation, Phase II". She could have easily turned the tides of the battle if she had appeared, but instead, she chose to act all stupid, thinking there was an earthquake trembling underneath a wooden table.
There was also the matter of Li Bai's feet, but the Hou clan couldn't care less about that. The trash injured, and the trash not injured. There was no difference. The compensation was just formalities.
When they found out about the failures of the woman called Hou Ju, she started getting ostracized within the clan. The commoners were looked down on, so of course, the defeat of the Hou auction house in the hands of mere commoners was going to be laughed at.
Nevertheless, the Zhou clan still somewhat respected the Hou clan, because if they pressured them too much, the Hou clan would have left this backwater city.
The Hou clan was a bit relieved they were valued by the Zhou clan, else they would have immediately been driven out.
The guards that were beat up by the commoners were not given any compensation, but they were all fired from their jobs. The Hou clan needed to be more ready if another riot breaks out. That was why they hired new guards that were a lot stronger than the guards from before.
