Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 420 Smoke Lake and Blood Poison Plain, Wang Yuxiu, the Xiang Clan's Rise to Power
Five kilometers west of Xia City, snow fog filled the sky and a biting wind raged.

Six figures stood guard beside a large tree, their faces tense.

A snowy forest landscape painting was hanging on a large tree. If Hou Ming were here now, he would immediately recognize that it was exactly the same as the snowy landscape painting of Redwood Ridge that he had just seen in his room in the North Fifth District.

Of course, if he were really here, he would recognize at a glance that the six people guarding this painting were none other than Chu Dongning, whom he was trying to capture.

laugh…………

Suddenly, a light shone from the snow scene painting on the tree, and then two arms quickly stretched out from it. Immediately afterwards, a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in plain clothes jumped directly out of the painting.

"Little princess!"

"Did the Xia people bully you, little princess?"

Upon seeing Chu Yan'er emerge from inside, the expressions of the four middle-aged men, including Chu Dongning, immediately relaxed. However, the two young men, Chen Yu and Chen Huang, noticed that Chu Yan'er had revealed her true appearance and immediately became furious, asking her if she had been bullied by the people of Da Xia.

tear…………

As soon as Chu Yan'er came out, she tore up the painting. Turning her head, her pretty face was full of embarrassment and anger, and she had no mood to pay attention to Chen Yu and Chen Huang.

With your current strength and status, you're not qualified to come here and say these things to me. It would be more appropriate for your parents to come.

Her mind kept replaying Xia Hong's words, and she couldn't help but clench her fists under her sleeves, her expression full of resentment.

"That despicable Xia Hong dared to say that I, the princess, am not qualified to speak to him like that, and dared to treat me like a child! How despicable!"

As a descendant of the Fangbo lineage, and one of the most talented among them, Chu Yan'er was cherished by her great-grandfather, the Prefect of Yanling, from a young age. When she was granted the title of Princess of Yanling at the age of thirteen, the Fangbo personally bestowed upon her the title of "Pearl of Chencang"...

Her status in Chencang was so high that she was treated like an ignorant child by a mere Xianyang-level lord of a town-level camp.

“Young Princess, how dare Xia Hong be so rude! Let’s return to Yanling County and report to the Prefect, and have him come and teach him a lesson in person…”

"The prefect is busy with countless affairs of state; how can he trouble others with such a trivial matter?"

Hearing Chen Yu's angry words, the four middle-aged men, including Chu Dongning, immediately frowned, but their expressions relaxed as Chu Yan'er spoke.

As a young princess, she was much more sensible than others.

Despite her embarrassment and anger, Chu Yan'er knew very well why Xia Hong had just gotten angry. Ultimately, she had no grounds for argument, and besides, she wouldn't bother her great-grandfather to travel all the way to Xia City for such a trivial matter.

Moreover, this Daxia Town is clearly not to be trifled with.

Chu Yan'er gazed eastward, where the city wall, five kilometers away, was only faintly visible as an outline. Her expression flickered several times before she slowly spoke:

"This Xia Hong is not easy to deal with, let's leave quickly!"

Where are you going?

However, before Chu Yan'er could finish speaking and before the six of them could even tidy up, a slightly teasing voice came from above their heads.

Chu Yan'er's face froze instantly, and the other six people also felt their hair stand on end. They subconsciously drew their weapons and looked up with extremely panicked expressions.

When the seven looked up, Xia Hong, dressed in black, stood in mid-air. Their faces showed not only fear and panic, but also a strong sense of disbelief.

How can this be……

How did Xia Hong know that the seven of them were here?

Seeing the fear in the eyes of the seven people, Xia Hong naturally knew what they were thinking, and immediately shook his head and sneered twice.

Xia City was built against Shuanglong Valley, with its main gate on the west side. The most recent expansion was in August of the third year of the Great Xia Dynasty. Currently, the western city wall is 20 kilometers long, and the north and south walls are both 15 kilometers long, with a total area of ​​300 square kilometers.

The monitoring range of the Level 5 Zonglingzimu Stele can radiate outwards for 50 kilometers.

Therefore, not only in Xia City, but also in the nearly 30-kilometer area surrounding Xia City, the Mother Monument can clearly detect the activity trajectory of any alien life form.

Others would need to look at the mother monument to determine the activity patterns of those outsiders, but Xia Hong, as the host, doesn't even need to look at it; he can simply activate the system.

The moment Chu Yan'er disappeared from the side hall of the prison department, the mother monument immediately responded. He had been thinking that since Chu Yan'er had this kind of spatial ability, she must have already run far away.

Unexpectedly, within moments, seven new life forms were detected in Hongmu Ridge, five kilometers west of Xia City.

Clearly, Chu Yan'er's skills are not yet fully developed. Her ability to travel through space using her paintings is limited in distance, and it is most likely less than 30 kilometers.

Of course, this description of not having mastered the skills is only applicable to the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Great Xia has a ancestral spirit stele, and its detection range is exactly over 30 kilometers. Other camps don't have such a magical thing. With this ability, it's no wonder that Chu Yan'er dared to leave Chencang and come to the southern foothills so easily.

Xia Hong remained silent for a long time, and the seven people below became increasingly uneasy. Chen Yu, who had just clamored to notify the Prefect of Yanling County to personally teach Xia Hong a lesson, was now as frightened as a quail and had no temper at all.

Of the seven, Chu Yan'er was the only one whose expression remained relatively normal. Knowing that there was no escape, she simply put down her weapon, stepped forward, clasped her hands in a gesture of apology, and looked at Xia Hong, saying, "Yan'er shouldn't have attacked the children in the city today. I beg Lord Xia Hong..."

“You are a smart man, so I won’t waste any more words. You have a good background, and killing you would be risky. Although I am not afraid, I am not willing to make enemies with Chen Cang. Therefore, I will not do anything to you.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Yan'er immediately relaxed, but when she noticed Xia Hong's gaze shift to Chu Dongning and the other six, her expression immediately tensed up.

“This lord is not a bloodthirsty person. As long as you tell me the route to Chencang, all six of them can leave safely.”

Hearing Xia Hong's uncompromising tone, Chu Yan'er's expression darkened slightly, but she made her decision almost instantly, cupping her hands and saying, "Starting from the northern border of Beishuo Town, travel about 50 kilometers north along Mount Mo'ao, and you'll see a giant lake called Yanze Lake. We usually detour around the lake, but Lord Xia Hong can fly directly there. On the other side of Yanze Lake, you'll see a large area shrouded in red mist, called the Blood Miasma Plain. Crossing the Blood Miasma Plain will take you to Chencang..."

At this point, Chu Yan'er paused for a moment before continuing, "Of course, both Yanze Lake and Xue Zhangyuan are dangerous areas. Every time we go, we need two Xianyang-level escorts. Lord Xia Hong is powerful, so he should not be afraid of those dangers."

After speaking, she lowered her head and pondered for a moment, a deep sense of apology appearing on her face. She looked up at Xia Hong and said sincerely, "Yan'er was wrong to try to harm those children. If Lord Xia Hong really goes to Chencang, he will definitely enter through Yanling. At that time, please come to the county city as a guest. Yan'er will definitely apologize to Lord Xia Hong properly!"

Xia Hong's face showed a strange expression as he stared at Chu Yan'er until she became a little embarrassed. He then waved his hand slightly and said, "Alright, you can all leave now. Don't stay in the Great Xia territory. If I catch you a second time, things won't be so good."

"Yan'er takes her leave!"

Chu Yan'er dared not delay any longer. She bowed and took her leave, then immediately led Chu Dongning and the other six people to rush south towards the snow forest. Clearly, she intended to follow Xia Hong's instructions and leave the territory of Great Xia by going to the north bank of the Xinghe River.

Xia Hong watched the seven figures disappear, shook his head, and returned to Xia City.

The Great Xia Inner City, Prison Department Main Hall
"This Chu Yan'er loves to be clever. She just blurted it out so readily, which is unlike her personality. I reckon that of the route she gave, only the places Yanze Lake and Xue Zhangyuan are real; the rest are unreliable!"

After Xia Hong finished telling him about what happened outside the city, Xia Chuan shook his head repeatedly.

Xia Hong smiled and said, "After all, she came from a regional military governorship and didn't cause any serious consequences. It's better to avoid trouble. Besides, we still need her to help us figure out the real route to Chencang!"

Xia Chuan immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Yanling County should be the name of a subordinate district of Chencang. This Chu Yan'er has the title of a little princess and welcomes Big Brother to visit Yanling County. She acts as if she is the host. It seems that her status in Chencang is really high."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have let her go so easily!"

Xia Hong's gaze sharpened slightly, and then he said in a deep voice, "Collect all the paintings she made in the city over the past half month, and have the logistics department screen them all with yellow candles. Destroy any that are problematic, and return the rest to her."

"yes, Sir!"

Chu Yan'er's paintings are not cheap; a single painting can cost over a thousand taels of silver. Moreover, all of those paintings have owners and are considered private property. He can't just confiscate and destroy other people's things without permission.

Torches and fire-condensing oil can only be used directly against monsters; while yellow candles are a new exchange item that appears after the Zongling Stele is upgraded to level five. Although the description only says that monsters' methods will be ineffective within the range of the light, it can actually be used to detect some extraordinary methods, which is very suitable for the current situation.

Xia Hong already knew about the rise of the painting industry in Xia City and the popularity of portraits of women. Whether it was women's growing love for beauty or their pursuit of art such as paintings, these were signs of the vigorous development of material civilization in the Great Xia Dynasty, and Xia Hong naturally would not stop them.

"I will personally oversee Chu Yan'er's matter. You should focus all your energy on the Eight Towns, speed up the integration of the people from Jiangxia and Muyin Towns into the Great Xia system, divide and win over the other six towns, and facilitate the alliance of the Nine Towns as soon as possible."

I reckon this Chu Yan'er is just being clever on her own; she's probably not some important figure from Chencang who specifically sent her to negotiate with us. This means that Chencang can't launch a large-scale southward invasion into the Nine Towns region anytime soon, so we still have plenty of time.

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan paused slightly, but quickly recovered after a moment's thought. He turned to look at Xia Hong, his eyes filled with admiration.

Yup!

That's the correct answer. If Chencang could move south quickly, there would generally be two options: either send an important figure to formally negotiate, or not allow anyone to appear, so as not to alert the enemy.

Chu Yan'er's condition is clearly abnormal.

"So, it seems that Chu Yan'er only came to Xia City and did nothing, but in fact she has done us a great favor!"

Confirming that Chencang could not move south in the short term was a huge help to the Great Xia!
Xia Hong chuckled twice and said, "That's why we must teach the young people in the camp well. Otherwise, they will all be arrogant and look down on everyone. They will suffer great losses outside without even realizing it. I don't want Great Xia to produce a bunch of young people like Yang Ning and Chu Yan'er in the future."

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuan's expression immediately became solemn, and he nodded emphatically, saying, "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely instruct all departments to strictly discipline their subordinates!"

"Now that we know Chencang can't head south in the short term, we must seize this window of opportunity to improve the camp's strength as much as possible. I'm going into seclusion now, so I'll leave Xia City to you for now. Don't call me unless it's something important."

"I obey my orders!"

Xia Chuan immediately cupped his hands in agreement, a look of excitement on his face. He knew that Li Xuanling would soon break through, and Great Xia would soon have its fourth Manifestation Yang level cultivator.

"What's the deal with Xiang Liang?"

Just as Xia Hong was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a Silver Token Warden standing outside the hall. Sensing that it was Xiang Liang, he immediately asked him a question out of curiosity.

Xia Chuan also noticed this and immediately said, "When Chu Yan'er and her group came from the north bank of Xinghe last month, they must have deliberately used tricks to befriend Xiang Liang. Chu Yan'er was able to sneak into the inner city tonight because of Xiang Liang's recommendation. He is probably afraid of being punished by me, so he is standing there to apologize."

Given Chu Yan'er's strength and methods, it was normal for Xiang Liang to be manipulated. Xia Hong shook his head slightly, said nothing, and left the prison hall. Seeing Xia Hong leave, Xia Chuan also came out, looked at Xiang Liang who was standing in the hall with a nervous expression, shook his head, and walked towards him.

………………

"Sister-in-law, dinner is ready, come down and eat!"

Inner city, Xiang Mansion

Xiang Rong, who had just finished cooking, called out to the upstairs, then turned around and saw her second brother, Xiang Yan, already sneaking a bite at the table. She immediately put her hands on her hips and scolded him angrily, "Second brother, if you sneak any more food, do you believe I'll tell Mother when we get back that you'll never be allowed to stay at my eldest brother's house again?"

Xiang Yan immediately put down his chopsticks, quickly swallowed the food in his mouth, and looked at his sister with a grin, saying, "Rong'er, don't be angry. I just came back from hunting and I'm really hungry. I promise I won't eat a single bite from now on, and we'll eat when your older brother comes back, okay?"

"No need to wait. Your older brother is on business in the outer city. Who knows when he'll be back? The three of us can just eat right away!"

A soft voice came from upstairs, and Xiang Rong and Xiang Yan quickly stood up and turned to look upstairs.

On the second floor, a beautiful woman in a blue dress, six months pregnant, slowly descended the stairs with the help of two maids and took her seat.

The woman in green was none other than Wang Yuxiu, the eldest daughter of Wang Chuan, the former leader of Qinghepuhexia Village.

As a resident of Hexia Village, Wang Yuxiu was undoubtedly lucky. Almost everyone who was controlled by Dajue Temple at the end of April took Yuanhun Pills and recited the Rebirth Mantra, ultimately losing their lives.

Only Hexia Village was spared because the Xia army had taken control of the village that night. All 50,000 villagers were unexpectedly spared.

Wang Yuxiu was one of them. Now, not only has Dajue Temple been destroyed, but its true nature was also completely exposed during the final battle of Ba Shang. Naturally, Wang Yuxiu and the rest of Hexia Village would no longer believe them.

In a way, it was a blessing in disguise. The more than 50,000 people in Hexia Village were the first group of people that the Great Xia absorbed after it moved eastward from the north bank of the Xinghe River. Based on the principle of first come, first served, compared with the more than one million people who were later incorporated into Bashang, these more than 50,000 people were grateful for the Great Xia's life-saving grace and did not have the psychological burden of being a town dweller. Therefore, they quickly integrated into the Great Xia and are now living a good life.

The luckiest one, of course, is Wang Yuxiu.

Her father, Wang Chuan, and her third brother, Wang Yuwen, were both dead. When Wang Yuxiu first arrived in Xiacheng, she was in a daze. After learning that Xiang Liang was an undercover agent, she thought that Xiang Liang had no feelings for her at all and was just pretending to be with her in order to successfully infiltrate Hexia Village.

With this in mind, she never went to find Xiang Liang, only wanting to live out her remaining years peacefully in Xia City.

Unexpectedly, after Xiang Liang returned from Wuyuan in mid-May, he immediately found her and declared that he wanted to marry her.

Wang Yuxiu was already deeply in love with Xiang Liang. Realizing that her previous thoughts were wrong and that Xiang Liang's actions in Hexia Village were not just for show, she wept with joy and knew that she would have someone to rely on again from now on.

At that time, she did not realize how happy she would be to marry Xiang Liang.

Xiang Liang was granted the title of Ninth-Rank Xuanling Viscount in early May thanks to his immense merit in infiltrating Dajue Temple. Keep in mind that he is only 24 years old this year. Being granted a title at this age already caused quite a stir, especially considering his superior combat physique and cold-resistant cultivation.

It's no exaggeration to say that when Xiang Liang returned to Xia City in mid-May, at least a hundred people came to his house to propose marriage. They practically wore out his doorstep, and among them were even some daughters of prominent families in Xia City.

Under such circumstances, Xiang Liang chose to marry her, a woman of shallow origin and without any background. One can imagine how moved Wang Yuxiu was at that time.

What's even more remarkable is that none of Xiang Liang's father, Xiang Ping, mother, Zhou Ying, or even his younger brother, Xiang Yan, and younger sister, Xiang Rong, objected.

Leaving aside the fact that the quality of life in Daxia far surpasses that of Hexia Village, Wang Yuxiu married into the family at the end of May, and now her baby is more than four months along. Because of her marriage to Xiang Liang, she not only lives directly in the inner city, but also received the title of a ninth-rank lady right after marriage. Now, she also has two maids to take care of her daily life. Not to mention the neighbors, many families in the inner city envy her.

She could never have imagined such a life, not even when she was dreaming back in Hexia Village.

Wang Yuxiu's thoughts returned to the present. Looking at the five exquisite dishes on the table, she turned to her sister-in-law Xiang Rong and said with a hint of reproach, "Why don't you just have the maid cook? You keep coming here to cook for me. People might think I'm mistreating my sister-in-law..."

The two maids standing nearby couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this; the second brother, Xiang Yan, couldn't hold back and pointed at his sister, bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha……"

"Shut up, you brat, what are you laughing at..."

Xiang Rong immediately glared at her second brother, then turned to her sister-in-law Wang Yuxiu and said seriously, "Sister-in-law, our parents said that since our eldest brother has been granted a title, and our Xiang family has already established a lineage in the ancestral temple, we will be considered a major lineage of the Great Xia Dynasty from now on, no longer the small and insignificant family we used to be."

With my elder brother's abilities, he's definitely not just a ninth-rank Xuanling Viscount; his rank will surely continue to rise in the future. Our Xiang family will become one of the top families in Xia City sooner or later.

The son you are carrying is the eldest son of the Xiang family, the main heir to his elder brother's title and legacy. The most important task for the Xiang family now is to take good care of you and ensure the child's safe delivery.

Xiang Rong's expression grew more and more serious as she spoke. She paused for a moment before continuing, "Mother said that she couldn't refuse you, otherwise she would have moved here long ago to take care of you. She had no other choice but to send me, a lowly soldier, to take her place and look after you."

Seeing her sister-in-law speak with such seriousness, Wang Yuxiu felt both amused and touched. She also subconsciously stroked her belly, her eyes filled with maternal tenderness.

Why are you all just sitting there without eating?

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from outside the door, and everyone in the room immediately stood up with joy on their faces.

"My lord is back."

"Brother, you're up so early today!"

"Alright, alright, you're heavily pregnant, so don't get up."

The man who walked in from outside was none other than Xiang Liang, the head of the family. He was not surprised to see his younger brother and sister-in-law. When he saw his wife trying to stand up, he quickly stepped forward and pressed her down again.

"Brother, what good news happened to you today?"

"What are you so happy about?"

From the moment he entered, Xiang Liang had a smile on his face. Xiang Yan and Xiang Rong, the siblings, had noticed this long ago and couldn't help but ask him about it as soon as he sat down.

Wang Yuxiu was naturally curious as well, and turned her head to look at her husband with a smile.

"Hahaha, your big brother here is getting promoted again!"

Seeing the three pairs of expectant eyes, Xiang Liang couldn't help but burst into laughter and told them the answer.

"He's getting promoted again!"

"Big brother, you're amazing! You were promoted to Silver Order Warden in just over half a month, right? And you've already been promoted again!"

Looking at the adoring eyes of his younger siblings and wife, Xiang Liang felt incredibly satisfied, and the smile on his lips became even more irrepressible.

He hadn't expected this promotion at all.

Just now in the main hall of the prison department, the Vice Minister did give him a severe scolding because of Chu Yan'er's matter, and warned him not to deal with people of unknown origin in the future.

He was extremely nervous at the time, feeling that there would definitely be further punishment after the training.

To everyone's surprise, after the reprimand, Xia Chuan not only did not punish him, but praised him instead, because of his recent performance in the prison department. He even asked him if he was interested in becoming a deputy prison warden in Hongmen City.

How could he not be interested in a promotion?

At the beginning of this year, the official ranks in Daxia were adjusted again, and they are still divided into six ranks:
The first rank was Si Cheng; the second rank was Si Zheng of the Eight Ministries; the third rank was Fu Si Zheng; the heads of the Eight Ministries in the outer city districts and the major garrisons such as Longshan, Wuyuan, and Dongling, as well as the military commanders, were all fourth rank; the deputy heads of the Eight Ministries, the garrison commanders of all the smaller garrisons, and the military deputy commanders were all fifth rank; and the military captains, as well as some additional official positions set up in Xia City, were sixth rank.

The prison warden is a case-handling officer under the prison department who is specifically responsible for maintaining public order and punishing evildoers. There are three levels: gold, silver, and iron. Initially, the prison department set up these levels itself without any official ranks. It was not until June of this year, when Xia Chuan issued an order, that the silver-ranked prison warden was ranked as a sixth-rank officer and the gold-ranked officer as a fifth-rank officer.

Xiang Liang was previously only a Silver Order-level Prison Warden, which is a sixth-rank position, while the Deputy Chief of Justice is a deputy position in the Eighth Division, which is a fifth-rank position. Moreover, he is going to Hongmen City, a popular and important post at the moment. Anyone who is not stupid knows which choice to make.

Xiang Yan was clearly very interested in her elder brother's position, and asked with a bright and lively expression, "Brother, what rank have you been promoted to, and what are you in charge of?"

"The Deputy Chief Enforcer of Hongmen City!"

"A fifth-rank official, in charge of criminal law in Hongmen City, brother, what a great place..."

Upon hearing his second brother speak of rank and duties without hesitation, and even know that Hongmen City was a good place, Xiang Liang's expression turned strange. He said, "You're so young, yet you know quite a bit about these things."

Xiang Yan immediately revealed a smug look and laughed, "Hehe, big brother, don't underestimate me. I've recently made some new friends in the North Fifth District, and they all told me that Hongmen City is now the most bustling place in the entire Nine Towns. It's a melting pot of all sorts of people, and they say that big things happen every day. This kind of place should be the most popular with you, the prison warden."

Hearing his second brother's words, Xiang Liang frowned, put down his chopsticks, and looked up to rebuke him sternly: "Do you even know all the young men in the inner and outer cities? Do you really need to go to the North Fifth District to make friends with those outsiders?"

Hearing the anger in Xiang Liang's voice, Xiang Yan trembled in fright; Xiang Rong rarely saw her brother so angry, and for a moment she forgot to speak.
Wang Yuxiu, seeing that her brother-in-law and sister-in-law were frightened, quickly chided her, saying, "We're eating, why are you making such a loud noise? Can't you talk things out?"

Hearing his wife's words of comfort, Xiang Liang's emotions immediately calmed down. Mainly, he had just suffered a great loss at the hands of Chu Yan'er. According to his superior, Hou Ming, he had almost made a serious mistake, and he was still feeling lingering fear.

His Cold Resistance level cultivation and strength of over six hairs were all taken advantage of by Chu Yan'er. His second brother, Xiang Yan, was only at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm. If he were to mingle with those outsiders from the Fifth District of the North, he would definitely suffer a great loss in the future if he encountered any treacherous people.

“From today onwards, you are not allowed to go to the North Fifth District anymore, and you are not allowed to contact any people of unknown origin. If I find out, you know the consequences!”

Hearing his elder brother's serious tone, Xiang Yan knew he wasn't joking and immediately nodded, saying, "I understand, elder brother!"

Xiang Liang turned to look at his younger sister Xiang Rong, intending to give her a warning as well, but Xiang Rong beat him to it, patting her chest and speaking first.

"Don't worry, big brother, I'm not as mischievous as second brother. I listen to you the most, and I promise I won't make friends with those shady people!"

Seeing his younger sister deliberately acting innocent, Xiang Liang's heavy mood immediately eased. He shook his head, smiled, and said, "Alright, alright, let's eat!"

When the Hefeng camp was struck by disaster, it was only when the eldest brother, Xiang Liang, carried that piece of cold marrow iron to the Great Xia to present as a treasure that he saved all of their lives. Xiang Yan and Xiang Rong, the siblings, have always regarded their eldest brother as their idol since they were young.
In addition, Xiang Liang's two-year-long, life-threatening infiltration not only changed his own fate but also enabled the Xiang clan to turn its fortunes around and successfully join the ranks of the Xia City clans. This undoubtedly increased the importance of Xiang Liang, the eldest brother, in their hearts.

For the two siblings, Xiang Liang's words now carry more weight than their parents'.

The two naturally didn't question him. Realizing that their elder brother strictly forbade them from making friends with outsiders, they immediately remembered this matter firmly in their hearts.

(End of this chapter)