Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 391 Spy and Agents in Eight Towns, Xia Chuan's Demeanor, News from Beyond the Borders
Lu Yang led his men to open up the secret passage to Hanqiong. The next time they heard news from Beishuo was in August of the third year of the Great Xia Dynasty, which was exactly five years ago.

Over the past five years, Lu Yang led a group of people to take Dongling as their base and Daxia as their backing, either controlling or infiltrating Beining Mountain and even the entire Jingxi District, and their achievements were considerable.

However, in order not to arouse the vigilance of the higher-ups in Beishuo and to ensure the absolute safety of Hanqiong's secret passage, Lu Yang always maintained a respectful distance from Beishuo City. He was extremely cautious even when it came to gathering information, let alone infiltrating it.

Even so, five years is enough time for him to figure out many things about Beishuo City, even if he only inquires indirectly.

He had already learned about Yang Ning and Li Hu two years ago, in September of the sixth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, and sent the information back to Xia City.

Xia Chuan and the others knew everything about the two men, from their backgrounds and ages to their approximate cultivation levels and strengths, and even what positions they held in Beishuo City.

Qiu Peng reacted strongly because he was one of the witnesses. He remembered clearly the arrogant and domineering attitude of Yang and Li from beginning to end in Hongmu Ridge, their disrespectful words to Lord Xia Hong, and how they severely injured Xia Chuan and almost took him away from Hongmu Ridge.

People generally have a deep memory of the humiliation they suffered when they were insignificant. Qiu Peng was no exception. He had an exceptionally deep impression of Yang and Li. When Lu Yang sent news of the two back to Da Xia two years ago, he did mention that he wanted to go to Beishuo City to kill the two of them himself. However, at that time, his strength was still somewhat lacking, and Xia Hong and Xia Chuan both stopped him, so he had to give up.
It is worth mentioning that Xu Ning was not present on the night that Twin Dragon Valley annihilated the Wooden Puppet Demon nine years ago because his right eyeball was blinded by the Demon Sheep.

Although he wasn't present, Yuan Cheng and the others told him everything that happened that night after they returned to the camp. So he knew all about Xia Chuan's near death at Li Hu's hands, including how he was almost taken to Beishuo City by Yang Ning and the other man.

Given Xia Hong and Xia Chuan's standing in his eyes, and considering Yang and Li's actions back then, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to sentence them to death. It's perfectly normal for him to react in the same way as Qiu Peng.

"Don't get so excited, sit down first!"

Unlike the two men, Xia Chuan's reaction after hearing the story was unusually calm. His face didn't even show the slightest ripple. He simply raised his hand in a gesture of apology, smiling as he gestured for the two men to sit down first. Then he looked at Yuan Cheng and asked, "Did they sneak in with that Han Peng, using fake identities?"

Yuan Cheng nodded and replied, "They both used the identity of Jinyang Village, and their aliases were even simpler, just Liu Ning and Liu Hu. When I saw their names and appearances, I was already 80% certain. I just went to the Jushousi to get all the information on the cold-resistant level from the nine villages under the jurisdiction of Yinhe Valley and compared it with the information. I found no information that matched the two of them, so I'm basically certain."

"Then it can definitely be these two!"

Qiu Peng immediately took over the conversation, nodding emphatically.

Before entering Hongmen City, everyone must strictly register their personal information. This is not only for the convenience of city management, but more importantly, the jurisdiction must use this information to verify and screen the true identity of the registrants.

Lu Yang has been in Beishuo for five years. In addition, the spies sent by Daxia to infiltrate various towns last October have long been playing their role. They may not be able to find out the core situation of the eight towns, but they have no difficulty in grasping the basic situation of all village-level camps within the territory of the eight towns.

With the increasingly sophisticated intelligence network, Xia City already knew exactly how many districts each of the eight towns had, how many villages were in each district, how many Cold-Resistant level beings were in each village, and even the specific strength of some of the Cold-Resistant level beings.

Since the Great Xia announced the opening of Hongmen Port in July, more than 20,000 people from various towns have come here in an endless stream. Although the vast majority of them are using their real identities to trade with the Great Xia openly, there are also a small number of people with ulterior motives who have sneaked in using false identities.

Yuan Cheng has been stationed at Hongmen for the past two months. Relying on the intelligence network of the Great Xia Dynasty spread across the eight towns, he personally led the Hongmen Garrison and has already exposed more than 300 people who infiltrated using false identities. He is quite experienced, which is probably part of the reason why he was able to see through Yang Ning and Li Hu at a glance today.

"I remember them both; they're both commanders of the Northern Shuo Garrison, and they have nothing to do with the Chamber of Commerce. What are they doing at Hongmen?"

Upon hearing Xia Chuan's words, Yuan Cheng immediately replied, "What else could it be? They must be spies sent by Beishuo Town, just like those people before, trying to find out the true strength of our Great Xia."

Xia Chuan didn't speak, but simply shook his head slightly.

Qiu Peng had calmed down by now. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said to Yuan Cheng, "What's the use of sending people to Hongmen City to find out the strength of the Great Xia? Hongmen is open to the Eight Towns now, so there's no need to use a false identity to come in."

Yuan Cheng immediately realized what was happening, and his expression hardened slightly.

Hongmen City is not only a trading port and the gateway to the north, but also a window for the Great Xia to showcase its strength to the outside world. Its position is of paramount importance. Not only are the Yunjiao Army and Tulong, totaling 8,000 troops, stationed here, but also a group of high-ranking officials of the Great Xia, including Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng, personally overseeing the city.

No matter how important it is, in the end, it is just a outpost of the Great Xia. It is simply unrealistic to try to find out the true strength of the Great Xia through this place.

If they wanted to get a real understanding of the situation in Daxia, the only way was to go to Xia City. The Eight Towns surely understood this.

In fact, that's exactly what the Eight Towns did. Ever since the Feast at Hongmen in April, their spying on Xia City has been almost non-stop.

"Over the past four months, Li Sizheng of the Prison Department led his men to arrest more than 100 Cold-Resistant level spies from eight towns outside Xia City. Jiangxia and Muyin were slightly better off, as they only sent one group of people. After we released that group, Sicheng personally sent a letter of warning, and the two towns did not dare to send anyone else."

The other six towns are really persistent! They've been sending spies wave after wave, it seems like they're never going to stop. I suspect the prison department hasn't caught many spies lately because those people have already figured out the safe distance from Xia City.”

Qiu Peng's words were amusing, and Xia Chuan and the other two immediately smiled.

"The Lord's Spirit Mother and Child Stele is indeed too miraculous. Within fifty kilometers of Xia City, any outsider who intrudes will be immediately monitored. The spies from the Eight Towns cannot even get close to Xia City, let alone sneak into the city to investigate the situation."

Qiu Peng had been traveling back and forth between Xia City and Hongmen during this period, so he knew a lot about the situation at home. When he mentioned the Zongling Mother-Child Stele, his face was full of admiration, but then he thought of something and his expression darkened as he continued, "The only pity is that this Mother-Child Stele cannot be used to identify spies in the city. Xia City is now receiving a large influx of people from time to time, and it is hard to guarantee that there will be spies arranged in advance by the Eight Towns who will infiltrate the city with the others."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Cheng and Xu Ning nodded, their expressions both slightly somber.

The Zongling Mother-Child Stele's surveillance over a radius of fifty kilometers around Xia City can only target external life forms that are not part of the Great Xia camp. This means that people from other camps who successfully join the Great Xia are no longer subject to its surveillance.

If the Eight Towns are smart enough, they can send people to infiltrate some normal camps in advance, and then take advantage of the Great Xia's expansion and annexation of these camps to pretend to become members of the Great Xia and sneak into Xia City. It is not a difficult thing.

This problem is basically unsolvable.

They can't possibly pin their hopes on Lord Xia Hong to produce another divine object that can distinguish whether others are truly sincere in joining the Great Xia, can they?

Thinking of this, the three of them suddenly looked up and realized that Xia Chuan, who was sitting in the main seat, had a smile on his face. A glimmer of hope immediately rose on their faces.

"I know what you're thinking. Regarding the issue of spies in the Six Towns, I consulted the lord in early June. He said that as the population of our Xia City increases, it's inevitable that spies from other camps will infiltrate. We can only strengthen our defenses; it's impossible to completely eliminate them. However, compared to other camps, our Great Xia does have a set of methods for identification..."

At this point, Xia Chuan paused, closed his eyes, his body trembled slightly, and three blood-red vertical cloud patterns appeared between his brows.

"It's a sacred rune!"

Upon seeing Xia Chuan reveal the Great Xia Sacred Mark, Qiu Peng and the other two's eyes lit up, and they all had some vague guesses in their hearts.

Xia Chuan pointed to the sacred runes and continued, "You should all have sacred rune bloodlines by now. The lord said that only those who sincerely join the Great Xia and undergo body transformation in the Sacred Cauldron for more than half a year can obtain the latent Great Xia sacred rune bloodline..."

Xia Chuan stopped there and didn't continue.

Because Qiu Peng and the other two looked very excited, they had obviously already understood.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Xu Ning couldn't help but speak up: "The Lord said in the Xia Ritual System that all Xia people have hidden holy runes in their bloodline. There are only two ways to stimulate the growth of holy runes in the bloodline. One is to rely on the bloodline talent to grow them on their own. The earlier they grow, the higher the talent. For example, the two young masters of the Si Cheng family."
Another way is through cultivation; after breaking through to the Cold Resistance level, one's bloodline will automatically become dominant, and a sacred mark will inevitably grow between the eyebrows.

Upon hearing Xu Ning mention the two young masters of the Si family, Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng couldn't help but turn to look at Xia Chuan, nodding with envy.

Qiu Peng has three children. His eldest son, Qiu Hong, who is the most talented, only developed the sacred mark at the age of five. Yuan Cheng currently has a son and a daughter. His son, Yuan Shao, also developed the mark after he turned five last year.

At the age of five, Qiu Hong and Yuan Shao's aptitude is far ahead of other children of the same age in Xia City, but compared to Xia Yuzong and Xia Yu Ning, they are definitely not good enough.

Both of them were born with holy markings.

Currently, there has been no third case in the entire Xia region.

Of course, all of this is to exclude the two princes.

Not many people in Xia City knew about Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng's talents, except for Yuan Cheng, Qiu Peng, and Xu Ning, who happened to be among them.

Comparing your child to the two princes is pointless, especially since they wouldn't even consider it. Even if they did compare them, not only would you, but your child would also suffer some loss of self-esteem. Why bother?

Of course, these are all digressions.

The most important part of Xu Ning's words was the last sentence: as long as someone from the Great Xia Dynasty breaks through to the Cold Resistance level, their bloodline will automatically become dominant, and a holy mark will inevitably grow between their eyebrows.

Combining this with what Xia Chuan just said, the meaning is already quite clear.

Yuan Cheng's expression brightened slightly, and he said with delight, "In other words, anyone who has been in the camp for more than half a year, has the cultivation level of the Cold Resistance level but has not grown the Saint Mark, can basically be determined to be a spy sent by another camp."

Qiu Peng also said excitedly, "That's right! In this way, as long as time goes on, any spies from the six towns who have the cultivation level of the Cold Resistance level will be exposed. We just need to conduct regular screenings."

Xia Chuan smiled and nodded, a cold glint in his eyes. "In the past four months, a total of 218 people have joined the Great Xia's Cold-Resistant Rank through various channels. These people have all been closely monitored. Once the six-month period is over, we will be able to find out whether they are human or not!"

This screening method is not foolproof; for example, it cannot detect people with the cultivation level of the Earth-Digging Realm.

The four of them naturally had this in mind, but they all tacitly refrained from mentioning it. The reason was simple: cultivation level meant authority. With the current strength of the Great Xia, those at the Earth-Digging Realm were destined not to have much access to anything. Even if the Eight Towns really sent Earth-Digging Realm spies to infiltrate the city, they would not be able to play any role. Moreover, given the abundance of resources in the Great Xia, these people would inevitably change sides over time if they weren't stupid. There was no need to worry at all.

"So, Yang Ning and Li Hu are definitely not spies sent by Beishuo Town. Then what are they doing here?"

Qiu Peng brought the topic back. As he had just said, if Beishuo Town wanted to investigate the situation of Daxia, they would not choose to come to Hongmen. Sending someone in disguise would be even more unnecessary. This basically leads to the conclusion that Yang and Li were definitely not sent by Beishuo Town.

"The convoy of the Beishuo Chamber of Commerce arrived on August 27th, two days earlier than the Jinshan Chamber of Commerce. Those two haven't gone to see anyone from the Beishuo Chamber of Commerce since they entered the city, so it shouldn't have been arranged in advance."

Hearing Yuan Cheng's words, Xia Chuan looked even more puzzled.

These two men are both commanders of the Northern Shuo Town Imperial Army and have no connection with the Northern Shuo Chamber of Commerce. It is indeed puzzling that they would suddenly come all this way.

"These two idiots came here on their own, could they be..."

Qiu Peng suddenly thought of something, and his expression turned strange. After speaking, he saw Xia Chuan looking at him and said with a hint of speculation, "Since we remember what happened nine years ago, they should remember it too. In nine years, our Great Xia has developed from a small camp to its current scale. The speed is indeed unbelievable. Any normal person would have wild thoughts if they knew. Could it be that those two heard about the Great Xia and wanted to come here in person to confirm something?"

Case solved!
Xia Chuan was taken aback for a moment when he heard Qiu Peng's words, but his expression quickly became just as strange as Qiu Peng's, and then he nodded and smiled.

"That's really the case. These two might think that our Great Xia is like the Great Jue Temple, a camp supported by some kind of monster. Once they confirm this, they'll immediately go back to inform Yang Zun and Yang Fa, and then try to deal with us."

Yuan Cheng seemed to have figured it out all at once and then spoke up.

Hearing this, Xia Chuan was basically certain.

Qiu Peng's guess should be correct!
These two, relying on their good backgrounds and having more experience than ordinary people, were fond of being clever and stubborn. Their true colors were already evident nine years ago at Redwood Ridge. For example, they tricked Luo Ming into using a group of people from the surrounding camps as bait to lure the wooden puppet. And after he accidentally killed the wooden puppet, the two of them wanted to kill him, but then said they would take him back to Beishuo, and so on...

Thinking that the two had come for this reason, Xia Chuan chuckled and shook his head with a hint of helplessness on his face.

"Minister Si, that would be wonderful! Let's capture them first, then take them back to Xia City and have some fun to torture them..."

Before Yuan Cheng could finish speaking, Xia Chuan waved his hand to interrupt him.

"There's no need for that. Killing these two won't do any good. Don't they want to confirm if we are the same Great Xia as we were nine years ago? Let them confirm it properly. We can use these two idiots to give Yang Zun and Yang Fa a good scare."

Upon hearing Xia Chuan's words, not only Yuan Cheng, but also Qiu Peng and Xu Ning showed a hint of surprise on their faces, turning to look at him with puzzled expressions.

Li Hu's kick back then almost killed Xia Chuan; Yang Ning later said he would take him to Beishuo, but everyone knew what his true intentions were.

Nine years later, when they met the two again, Xia Chuan's reaction was so indifferent that he didn't even have the slightest thought of revenge, which naturally left the three of them puzzled.

"Don't look at me like that. If these two were stronger, I could kill them on the spot. But one is 21 manes and the other is 14 manes. With such little strength, they really don't interest me. My Great Xia is now focused on the entire Eight Towns Border. Why should I bother with these two clowns?"

With the number of spies in the Six Garrisons increasing, much of the news about the Great Xia Dynasty can no longer be kept secret. It's a good opportunity to use these two to spread the word, further deterring those petty thieves in the Six Garrisons and preventing them from making any further moves!

Perspective determines mindset; this is probably a true reflection of Xia Chuan's words.

Nine years ago, the Great Xia Dynasty had a population of only one or two hundred. At that time, he was only at the Lumberjack Realm cultivation level. He and his older brother Xia Hong worried about how to get a full meal; how to withstand the cold; how to hunt cold beasts to obtain more meat for cultivation; and how to ensure the safety of their settlement...

But now, once this round of migration to Ba Shang ends, the total population of Great Xia will surge to over 250 million. Including Ba Shang City and Jiuqu Camp, the total territory is nearly 2 square kilometers. There are more than 7500 people at the Yu Han level alone, more than 20 at the Jue Di level, and fifteen large armies, including the Yun Jiao Long Wu elite forces... Everything else is completely different from the past.

The Great Xia is not the Great Xia of nine years ago, and he is naturally no longer Xia Chuan of nine years ago. He is now the Grand Secretary of the Great Xia, who is in charge of the eight ministries.

In terms of power, he was second only to the emperor, and his every word and action could affect everyone in the Great Xia. A single order from him could determine life or death, and any decree he issued could decide the honor, disgrace, wealth, and status of countless families. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his power was boundless.

In terms of strength, he is currently the third strongest person in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Apart from his elder brother Xia Hong and sister-in-law Li Xuanling, he is not afraid of anyone. Once he breaks through to the Xianyang level, he will be able to stand on equal footing with all the other lords of the eight towns. In the future, he can practically walk sideways on the southern slope of Mount Mo'ao.

As for wealth, there's no need to elaborate. On certain issues, Xia Chuan believes his ideas are much more extreme than his elder brother's. This can be seen from Xia Hong's many actions and words. He still regards Da Xia as a home created by everyone, and all the products within this home should be shared by everyone. Xia Chuan, on the other hand, believes that Da Xia is Xia Hong's private property. Without Xia Hong, the rise of Da Xia would be impossible.

The increase in power, strength, and wealth had long since broadened Xia Chuan's horizons to a level that was difficult for ordinary people to reach, and his mentality had also quietly changed. In fact, when he heard about Yang Ning and Li Hu from Lu Yang two years ago, he was almost unmoved.

Killing two Cold-Resistant level cultivators from Beishuo Town was not a big burden for him, but if he could use these two Cold-Resistant level cultivators to do something else that was more important to the Great Xia, he would naturally choose the latter.

That's the situation right now!

As more and more spies infiltrate the territory of the Great Xia, the situation of the Great Xia will be exposed sooner or later. For example, there is a very simple problem with the calendar system. Anyone with a bit of intelligence can quickly discover the problem by hearing the year "Great Xia Year 8" and then verifying it by following the clues.

Since it will be exposed sooner or later, we might as well use these two people to scare Beishuo Town first.

"The entire Mo'ao Eight Towns, especially the three families in the north, are now most eager to know the overall strength of the Great Xia, particularly the number of Xianyang-level beings. Previously, they could only confirm that it was my eldest brother. Once the migration to Ba Shang begins, they will definitely assume that Xiang Fuhai has recovered, and thus the Great Xia can rest easy for a long time. My sister-in-law will soon break through, and once Yuwen Tao and I break through, the situation on the southern slope of Mount Mo'ao will be basically clear!"

After a moment of contemplation, Xia Chuan's eyes flashed with ambition. He then turned to Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng and said, "You two call Lin Kai and have him cooperate. First, make sure Yang Ning and Li Hu confirm that Da Xia is the same Da Xia from nine years ago. Then, expose their false identities and expel them according to the rules of Hongmen City. Let them go back to Beishuo to report the news."

Lin Kai originally served in Wuyuan. After Hongmen was opened as a port and built, he was promoted to the position of Shouzheng here.

Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng had already understood Xia Chuan's plan, and their faces were full of admiration. They nodded immediately upon hearing his command.

"Also, keep a close eye on this Han Peng!"
According to Han Feng, Han Peng's aptitude was quite average. He only broke through to the Cold Resistance level in his forties and did not have the aptitude for battle bodies. He broke through to the peak of the Cold Resistance level at the age of seventy-two. His basic strength had always been eight manes until five years ago when his strength suddenly began to increase. Since then, his strength has increased by one mane every year. Given the poverty of Jinyang Village, he definitely could not afford the pills used to improve his strength at the peak of the Cold Resistance level.

Moreover, he was keen on inquiring about news from various towns. When the seven towns were supporting Jiangxia at the end of last year, he went there as well. He even spent money to buy information from the cold-resistant level of other towns, but was unexpectedly discovered by Han Feng.

This person is definitely suspicious. Let's try to make contact with him first; maybe we can uncover some information about external forces.

"I obey my orders!"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng immediately cupped their hands in response, indicating that they knew this matter was even more important than Yang Ning and Li Hu's, and their expressions became much more serious.

"Alright, Xu Ning, come with me to see Xiang Fuhai. It's time to relocate those 90-plus people from Ba Shang!"

After gesturing to Qiu and Yuan, Xia Chuan called Xu Ning and headed straight for the main hall next door. The conversation between Xiang Fuhai and Xiang Tianyang was almost over, and it was time for him to make his appearance.

Qiu Peng and Yuan Cheng also went out, intending to call Lin Kai and go meet Yang Ning and Li Hu together.

………………

Similar to other outposts within the Great Xia territory, the tallest building in Hongmen City was, of course, the Siya Building, which represented the rule of the Great Xia, located right in the center.

However, it differs from other outposts in one aspect: in addition to the Siya Building, there is a giant five-story wooden building of the same height as the Siya Building to the south of Hongmen City.

Not only is it the same height as the Siya Building, but the length of a single wall of this wooden building is a hundred meters, making it at least ten times the size of the Siya Building.

According to the regulations of the Great Xia Ritual System, this wooden building was actually considered to be beyond the permitted limits.

However, considering that Xia Hong personally planned and built this wooden building, the claim of exceeding regulations is naturally unfounded.

At this very moment, Han Peng, leading all the cold-resistant members of the Yinhe Valley caravan, stood in front of this wooden building.

Wanbaolou

Everyone looked up at the three large characters on the banner on the top floor of the wooden building, their expressions incredibly excited and their eyes filled with longing.

"This is the Great Xia Wanbao Tower that's all the rage throughout the Nine Towns right now. It's said that it has everything from pills and weapons for cultivators at the Xianyang level to auxiliary pills for six-year-old children, as well as all sorts of new products created by the Great Xia!"

(End of this chapter)