Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 427 Reaping What You Sow: The Orphan of Hezang, Shocking Changes and Hatred

“Chengping is indeed not a heinous criminal. I’ve met his eldest son, Chengyang. He’s been the apple of his eye since he was little. If his memories hadn’t been altered, he would never have had the idea of ​​murdering an adult. Sigh…”

Watching Cheng Ping leave the main hall, Li Longkai sighed softly.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he cupped his hands and said to Lin Kai, "My lord, as of last night, the last messenger to deliver the message to Beishuo has returned. Now, the portraits of the six people in Chencang, including Chu Yan'er and the already killed Chu Dongning, have been received by all eight towns..."

At this point, Li Longkai paused, then continued with a somber expression, "Of course, the edicts sent to the eight garrisons clearly state that these seven people, as well as the person who instigated the conflict among the nine garrisons in the previous six months, all came from the Caiqiu garrison."

"it is good!"

Lin Kai nodded immediately upon hearing this, then shook his head with a cold smile and said, "To lay a hand on a child under ten years old in Xia City; to arbitrarily alter other people's memories in order to incite conflict among the nine towns—from the actions of these eight people, we can basically deduce the style of the Chencang leadership. They are ruthless in achieving their goals, carelessly disregard human life, think they are the most important people in the world, and don't treat others as human beings. Even if such a camp were to reach the level of a regional military governor, it would still be a great scourge. Since they like to instigate conflict, let them reap what they sow."

Li Longkai immediately nodded emphatically, clearly agreeing with Lin Kai's words.

This is indeed the case!
In order to incite conflict in the nine towns, Chen Cang killed at least two hundred people in the first half of the year. Moreover, it was all indiscriminate killing. Anyone with a little influence in their respective towns would become his target.

To kill Lin Kai, Chen Cang was even willing to kill Cheng Yang, Cheng Ping's son, who was still a minor. This shows how ruthless Chen Cang was.

If it were just him alone, it could be considered an isolated case, but the fact that Chu Yan'er and her group of seven infiltrated Xia City and attempted to take action against a group of children in the inner city is much more convincing.

This is just a glimpse into the whole picture. In all the camps of Ice Abyss, the behavior of the upper echelons is basically the same. If these eight people act in this way, then the higher-ups in Chencang are definitely not much better.

Thinking of this, Li Long felt a surge of disgust towards Chen Cang and sneered, "There are quite a few Cai Qiu spies hiding in the Nine Towns. Once the portraits of these seven men are widely circulated, the blame for instigating the Nine Towns will be firmly placed on Cai Qiu's head. Those spies will definitely send the news back, and then it will be useless for Chen Cang to explain. The two warlords will inevitably develop a rift because of this..."

Li Longkai had already learned from Lin Kai that framing Cai Qiu for the bad deeds committed by the Chencang people was Xia Hong's idea, so he couldn't help but show his admiration before continuing with a smile: "Lord's move is truly brilliant, hahaha!"

Lin Kai couldn't help but laugh, his face also full of admiration.

Xia Hong's move was truly brilliant!

Judging from Cai Qiu's current practice of only sending spies, they are most likely worried that it will arouse the vigilance and defense of the Nine Towns, so they do not want to reveal themselves to the people of the Nine Towns too early.

Da Xia's act of calling a deer a horse by deliberately portraying Chu Yan'er and her group as people from Caiqiu not only exposed Caiqiu completely, but also pinned all the nearly two hundred lives lost by Chen Cang on them.

If the Caiqiu leadership thought about it for a moment, they would naturally conclude that Chen Cang, in order to seize the initiative in expansion, chose to commit murder and frame someone, deliberately provoking the Nine Towns to be wary of Caiqiu.

When the time comes, no amount of explanation will help!
After all, the Great Xia was the weaker party, and it also produced accurate portraits of Chu Yan'er and the other seven. No matter how clever Cai Qiu was, he could not have imagined that the Great Xia was deliberately causing trouble. In addition, both sides wanted to expand towards the southern foothills, which naturally created conflict. Whether from the perspective of motive or result, it could only be that Chen Cang deliberately framed them.

"Then, sir, now that we've notified all eight towns, can we also release the portraits of those seven people throughout the entire Great Xia territory?"

"Of course! Not just those seven..."

Lin Kai gave a direct answer, then paused before continuing, "After Chen Cang's ambush at Fengyang Village failed, he should have known that his methods of altering memories had become ineffective here. He shouldn't be able to make a move again, but just in case, we should still make sure all his information is released to prevent a repeat of the Cheng Ping situation."

Li Longkai immediately nodded. Last October, after the Three Towns Chamber of Commerce case was solved, Si Cheng suggested that the higher-ups of the Eight Towns should not disclose the person's ability to alter memories in order not to alert the suspect. The situation in the other eight towns was unclear, but the Great Xia had not disclosed it all.

To date, only mid- to high-ranking officials in various regions, as well as soldiers with higher authority, are aware of this matter.

The advantage of altering memories lies in its secrecy and inevitability. Once many people know about it and become wary, coupled with the fact that the Great Xia has ways to break it, it becomes difficult to succeed.

Therefore, making it public completely will also put an end to this person's intention to continue to instigate conflicts in the Nine Towns through such means.

"We will officially announce it at dawn, and post portraits of Chu Yan'er and the other six, as well as general information about Chen Cang, all over the inside and outside of the South City. We will also send someone to Ba Shang to inform Lord Xu to make it public there as well."

"My subordinates will do it now!"

…………

Just as Lin Kai and Li Longkai were discussing and reaching a conclusion in the main hall.

South City, West District, No. 172
The door was pushed open from the outside, and a young man in black, who looked to be in his early twenties with a gloomy face, strode in. He nervously closed the door and then hurriedly walked into the inner room.

As soon as the young man in black entered the inner room, he immediately pulled open his shirt.

A small silver cat was tattooed prominently on his chest.

The kitten's body only occupied half of the young man's chest, probably about the size of an adult's palm, but its eight thick, long silver tails almost completely covered the young man's upper body.

The kitten was entirely silver-white except for its four black paws, which seemed to be surrounded by a layer of black mist. The details of its fur were clearly visible, and its silver-white pupils were exceptionally conspicuous. It was tilting its head back, opening its mouth to reveal its sharp fangs, as if it could bite off the black-clad youth's neck at any moment.

The young man looked down at the silver eight-tailed cat, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes, but then he seemed to realize something and spoke angrily:

“That Shadow Demon Worm has been killed. You can’t act recklessly anymore. There are more and more people patrolling the South City these days, and they are getting stronger and stronger. I was even targeted when I went to Wanbaolou to buy pills. If you act rashly again, you will kill both of us.”

As soon as the young man in black finished speaking, the cat tattoo on his chest immediately burst into a burst of bright silver-white light.

As the bright light rose, the young man's expression began to show pain, and the pain clearly intensified until his expression became almost distorted with agony. He couldn't help but collapse to the ground with a thud.

"Ho...ho..."

That wasn't all. He kept making suppressed, low moans of pain in his throat, his body twisting and struggling on the ground. His waist and abdomen suddenly thrust upwards, his hands and feet bracing themselves against the ground behind him, his limbs contorting at unbelievable angles.

As the youth's limbs became increasingly contorted, a layer of fine silver down suddenly grew on his body. His eyes gradually enlarged, his nose slowly shrank, and his hands and feet began to become sharp, clearly indicating that he was undergoing some kind of bestial transformation.

However, this transformation into a beast only went halfway before it abruptly stopped.

"I risked my life to help you escape from Hezang, and stole so much silver for you to buy cultivation resources to become stronger. You not only don't appreciate it, but you also dare to yell at me?"

As the beast transformation abruptly stopped, the young man in black spoke, but this time it was not his own voice, but a chilling female voice, clearly coming from the cat demon inside him.

"That sounds nice, but you stole silver... mainly for yourself. Don't think I don't know you've secretly infected more than ten people with feline distemper. What exactly are you trying to do? You saw it last September. This Great Xia lord is very powerful. If we really lured him here, we would both die!"

The young man in black still refused to back down. After roaring these words, he gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain in his body, and continued, "I finally escaped from Hezang. I'm going back to take revenge. Don't even think about killing me here. If you act without my permission again, we're done for... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, he let out a scream. The beast transformation that had stopped started again, and even faster than before. In less than two or three breaths, his body shrank to less than half its original size. His entire body was almost covered with silvery-white fur, his limbs turned into claws, and his face became exactly like a cat's.

"A clean break? You wish! Do you think things are still like when we first escaped Hezang, where we have to discuss everything? I've completely assimilated your internal organs with feline distemper. If it weren't for the convenience of continuing to blend in with the crowd, I would have already taken over your body long ago, hehehehehehe..."

The cat demon let out a piercing, cruel laugh, then said in a maniacal tone, "You have no choice but to obey me now. This Hongmen City not only has a lot of silver, but also so many people with considerable cultivation levels. It's perfect for me to recuperate, perfect for me, hehehehehe..."

………………

The ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, the second day of the third month, during the day.
Northwest of Hongmen, on the outer perimeter of the southern side of Beining Mountain.

In the quiet snow-covered forest, a female corpse lay supine on the snow. The woman appeared to be under twenty years old. There was a deep cut on her neck, with the bones clearly visible, almost severing her head.

Although it is clear that she was quite good-looking when she was alive, she is now a corpse. With her pupils wide open and her face still showing the expression of terror before death, she can hardly be described as beautiful.

A young man in black was kneeling on the woman's body.

The young man had two knife wounds on his back, and the blood inside was frozen by the cold air. However, judging from his faint breathing, unlike the female corpse on the ground, he was not dead, but had only fallen into a coma.

Even though the young man was unconscious, he still spread his arms wide, desperately protecting the female corpse below. His face was full of terror and pleading. From his facial expression and the snow stains on his forehead, it was not hard to guess that when he woke up, he must have begged the murderer not to kill him.

"Brother, Father and Mother have been killed by the wooden puppet. What will we do now?"

"Brother, the lord is amazing! He's caught another game. Can you get a share?"

"Brother, you've broken through to the Lumberjack Realm! That's great, hahaha!"

"Ah Jiang has also broken through to the Lumberjack Realm, hahaha!"

"Brother, we're moving to the valley. We'll be living in a new place from now on."

…………

Ji Hong suddenly had a very long dream.

The dream began more than ten years ago on the earthen slope of Daxia. He was fourteen years old at the time, holding his nine-year-old sister Ji Jiang, and witnessed his parents being killed by the wooden puppet. That was the darkest moment in his and his sister's lives.

Ji Hong remembers it clearly. At that time, he even had the thought of taking his sister with him to die, thinking that as long as he did that, he could continue to live with his parents.

But his life changed after that.

Lord Xia Hong returned with his first prey; he and his sister received their first share of animal meat; his basic strength broke through 5,000 jin, and he joined the logging team; he moved from the earthen slope to the valley with his sister and everyone else in the camp; he moved into the wooden house in the main building with his sister; later, his sister also broke through to the logging realm; after the Great Xia Valley was reorganized, he earned enough contribution points to buy land and moved into his new home with his sister...

Having survived the darkest hour and with Xia Hong taking over as lord, the lives of the brother and sister began to improve day by day. Meat, clothing, refined salt, fine wine, elixirs... all sorts of novel supplies sprang up in the camp like mushrooms after rain, and they began to live a happy life that they could never have imagined before.

"Brother, I want to join your hunting team, please let me go."

"The Logistics Department is so boring, bro, I'm going to the Summer Clothing Workshop in the Craftsmen's Department!"

"Brother, I've broken through, and I even have a top-tier battle physique! Hahaha, how about that? Aren't I amazing? Amazing, right?"

"Brother, you've broken through too! And you even have the aptitude for a top-tier battle physique! That's fantastic!"

"Guess who I am?"

The dream continues.

His younger sister, Ji Jiang, was far more talented than her useless older brother. At just fifteen years old, her basic strength was already close to the limit of 30,000 jin, and she was still arguing with him about joining the hunting team.

Of course, in the end, I rejected it myself.

It's too dangerous for a girl to fight with wild beasts outside. It's safer for her to stay in the supply depot and stay in Xia City.

In the seventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty, his younger sister actually broke through to the Cold Resistance level before him, and even had a superior combat physique. Ji Hong was overjoyed at the time, and spent a lot of money to buy a pound of Fengyang wine from the supply department to celebrate for his sister.

In the dream, in September of the eighth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, because of the adventure and cooperation with Xiao Heng, they saved a group of people in Jiangxia Town. As a result, they received a special reward from the lord and obtained a pound of dragon blood. They successfully broke through to the Cold Resistance level with their top-grade battle physique.

As soon as he made his breakthrough, he received an invitation from Deputy Commander Yuwen Yong to become a member of the Longwu Army's reserve force, and his reputation instantly spread throughout the entire Ba Shang region.

The dream in this phase ended on the night of September 16th in the eighth year of the Great Xia Dynasty. He followed the Dragon Martial Army to escort supplies to Hongmen City and planned to take a stroll around the South City during his rest period.

As soon as he stepped into the southern city, his younger sister Ji Jiang covered his eyes from behind.

In the dream, Ji Hong seemed to sense something. A look of panic suddenly appeared on his face. He didn't dare to turn his head to look at his sister, and he didn't even want to continue the dream.

However, the dream did not end because of his resistance.

As soon as the Battle of Hongmen ended, he found Lin Kai and helped his sister resolve her issues with Xu An. Although he suffered humiliation at the hands of the three Zhao brothers, a smile would appear on his lips whenever he thought of his sister's clear laughter.

The timeline in the dream took place in the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty.

In February, Long Wujun finally had a vacancy and went from being a reserve soldier to a full member of the Fifth Scouting Team. At the end of February, he had his first rest day after joining the army, a total of seven days off.

Having not seen his younger sister Ji Jiang for five months, Ji Hong packed his things without hesitation, bid farewell to the captain, and headed straight for Hongmen City.

"Brother, you've been supporting me for almost ten years. Now that I can finally earn some contribution points, I thought I'd help you buy some cultivation resources."

"You rely on yourself for everything, and I rely on you too. Your cultivation speed has been slowed down by me. Brother Xu An is only two years older than you. In the early years, your strength was actually very close. The reason you are so far behind now is because of me. Do you want me to feel guilty for the rest of my life?"

"If you could improve your strength faster, wouldn't you be able to protect me better?"

…………

Because of the Yangyuan Pill, Ajiang argued with herself. Of course, just like in the past, the argument ended with her giving in.

"If you could improve your strength faster, wouldn't you be able to protect me better?"

In the dream, Ji Hong repeated his sister's words. He seemed to suddenly remember something, and his expression twisted as he clutched his head, unwilling to let the dream continue. He drew the sword from his waist and slashed wildly in front of him, trying to escape the dream.

However, no matter how hysterical he became, the dream continued...

"Brother, it's so great to have you!"

Upon learning that his sister's shop was facing difficulties, he decided to use his seven days off to take her hunting in Beining Mountain and stock up on more animal hides for her.

He returned on the first day of March. Ah Jiang felt sorry for him and treated him to a meal first, allowing him to rest properly.

Ji Hong was indeed very tired in the army, and he slept straight until the second half of the night on the first day of the third lunar month.

When he woke up, he found that his sister had already packed everything.

So the two of them went into Beining Mountain together. "No...no...don't go into the mountain, don't go into the mountain..."

In the dream, Ji Hong was both present and an outsider. He watched another version of himself leading his sister toward Beining Mountain. Suddenly, he realized something, and his face was filled with fear and panic as he frantically tried to stop the two of them.

But there was nothing he could do; he could only watch helplessly as the two of them plunged into the dark, cold snow-covered forest on the outskirts of Beining Mountain.

He gritted his teeth and could only follow behind the two of them inside.

"Wow, bro, you're amazing! You killed the Blood Jade Fox in just two hits."

"Hahaha, so many fox furs! We're rich now, rich!"

…………

For the first two hours, everything went smoothly.

He hunted down more than twenty mid-level cold beasts, including nine blood jade foxes. Ji Jiang watched the whole time, cheering him on. When he was almost overwhelmed with prey, he suggested to his sister that they go back and come back the next day.

Ajahn agreed, she packed up the game, and the two were preparing to return home.

But at that moment, a shocking change suddenly occurred!
A middle-aged man dressed in a crimson robe and holding a summer-style sword suddenly leaped out from the shadows.

"You two siblings, with your humble origins, think you can compete with the Zhao family?"

"So what if I joined the Dragon Martial Army?"

"With your strength of 9 manes, even a lord wouldn't give you a second glance."

"Dare to stand in the way of Yuanxiu's marriage, and I'll take your life!"

"Lord Zhao, please don't kill my sister! I beg you, please don't kill my sister!"

"I won't marry him! Ji Jiang will not marry Xu An! Please don't kill him, Lord Zhao! Please don't kill my sister! Please..."

"Kill me! Ji Hong deserves to die! Ji Hong deserves to die! Ji Hong shouldn't have interfered with your daughter's marriage! Spare my sister! I beg you, Lord Zhao, spare my sister!"

………………

"what!!!"

On the snow, Ji Hong suddenly let out a shrill roar.

He finally emerged from the dream.

Ji Hong suddenly sat up, his pupils bloodshot and red. His hands clearly touched something, his body suddenly froze, and then he slowly lowered his head with an expression of extreme terror.

He was clearly afraid of something. The act of bowing his head seemed to take an eternity. When he finally looked down and saw the female corpse beneath him, he was as if his soul had been ripped out. He kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to say something, but he couldn't say anything at all.

Ji Hong maintained this state for over a hundred breaths.

He suddenly laughed, reached out his hands, and restored Ji Jiang's face to normal, then gently stroked her forehead.

"Ah Jiang, you're asleep."

"Ah Jiang, don't scare your brother. You can't lie here. Get up quickly."

Although Ji Hong spoke very calmly, his trembling body and hands, as well as the tears streaming down his face, all proved that he was fully aware of Ji Jiang's current condition.

But he still refused to believe it, refused to believe that his sister on the ground had become a corpse. He clenched his fists tightly, and even though blood was seeping from his palms, he still maintained a calm speaking pace:
"Ah Jiang, you're not very clean, you can't lie on the snow."

"Get up quickly! Your brother has gotten you lots of animal hides. You can make lots of beautiful clothes!"

"Brother is now a full member of the Dragon Martial Army. When I return to Ba Shang, I'll help you collect high-grade cold beast furs. Your shop's business will definitely get better and better then. Get up, A-Jiang, get up!"

“Ajahn, Ajahn, Ajahn, ah………………”

In the end, Ji Hong called out "Ah Jiang" three times, but received no response. He then looked up and let out a hysterical, shrill roar. His eyes were no longer filled with tears, but with bright red blood.

"Why…………"

A sigh suddenly sounded from behind. Ji Hong subconsciously turned his head to look. Although he did not speak, the coldness in his eyes was chilling.

"It's you!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ji Hong suddenly recalled some fragments of memories, and his vigilance immediately relaxed. However, he still didn't say anything and simply turned his head to continue staring blankly at the corpse on the ground.

Chen Yiqing slowly stepped forward, his face full of sympathy, and said, "Brother Ji Hong, what grudge do you and your sister have against Zhao Bao, the chief executioner of Hongmen? You pleaded so earnestly, yet he still insisted on killing you. Alas..."

Ji Hong did not respond, his expression remaining numb.

"It's quite a coincidence. I just got my permanent residency in Hongmen City and have been hunting in Beining Mountain recently. I actually stumbled upon Zhao Bao attacking you two siblings. It's just a pity I arrived a step too late."

"Zhao Bao is too strong. Although I fought desperately, I could only barely save your life, and I myself was seriously injured..."

Seeing that Ji Hong still did not respond, Chen Yiqing frowned slightly, clutching the knife wound on his chest, and whispered to comfort him, "Brother Ji Hong, the dead cannot be brought back to life. The most urgent thing is to think of a way out!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Hong's eyes regained a little life. He turned his head to look in the direction of Hongmen, a deep-seated hatred appearing on his face. Then, he said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you for saving my life, Senior Chen. I want to go back to Xia City. I want to go back to Xia City to report to the lord. He will definitely stand up for me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yiqing frowned deeply and hurriedly said in a deep voice, "Brother Ji Hong, please forgive my bluntness, but the combined value of you two siblings is not even as much as that of Zhao Bao alone, not to mention the huge Zhao family standing behind him. Even if you were to report this to your lord, I'm afraid you wouldn't get a good result, and..."

At this point, Chen Yiqing paused and continued, "Zhao Bao has already killed your sister, right in front of you. He must be eager to kill you to silence you now. The Zhao clan is numerous and powerful, and he is the chief executioner of Hongmen. He must have made thorough preparations long ago. If you want to return to Xia City, I'm afraid it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven."

Ji Hong's body suddenly trembled violently. He turned to look at Chen Yiqing, his blood-soaked pupils revealing no emotion, and said in a deep voice, "Senior Chen is right. Going back now would mean certain death. I was foolish..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I remember that Senior Chen is from Beishuo Town. Could you point out a way for Ji Hong?"

Chen Yiqing's expression brightened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Brother Ji Hong, I've known you for some time now, so I won't mince words. Given the current power of the Great Xia Dynasty, coupled with the Zhao family's prominence, you'll be targeted sooner or later if you stay in Jiuzhen. Why not leave this place, find a safe place to cultivate diligently, and wait until you've become stronger before returning to seek revenge on the Zhao family for your sister? It won't be too late then, will it?"

Ji Hong immediately nodded and looked at Chen Yiqing, clearly tempted.

“Since Brother Ji Hong trusts me, then come with me, and I will ensure your safety.”

“Alright, then I’ll have to trouble you, Senior Chen, but…”

Ji Hong paused abruptly, holding his sister's body in his arms, and continued, "I can't let A-Jiang's body be left to rot in the wilderness like this. Senior Chen, give me some time. I want to bury A-Jiang properly and pay my respects before I leave."

Chen Yiqing immediately nodded and said, "That's the way to go, but Zhao Bao could send someone to find us at any time, so Brother Ji Hong had better hurry!"

After nodding, Ji Hong stopped talking and got up. He looked around and found a relatively quiet area. He carried his sister's body over there, swept away the snow on the ground, and started digging a pit with both his hands and feet.

Although the ground of the Ice Abyss was hard, he was still a 9-mane strongman, and he quickly dug out a large oval pit two meters deep. After comparing the size of the pit, he jumped out and carefully placed his sister's body into the pit.

Looking at Ji Jiang's body in the pit, his expression was one of extreme pain. He refused to begin burying her and repeatedly looked down at the large knife in his hand, clearly harboring some extreme thoughts.

He suddenly looked up and spoke to Chen Yiqing, who was not far behind him, "Senior Chen, I'd like to speak with my sister alone, is that alright...?"

"Okay, I'll go keep watch in the south. I'll let you know immediately if anyone comes!"

Chen Yiqing naturally had no objection and nodded directly, walking south until he stopped more than a hundred meters away, seemingly keeping watch for Ji Hong.

Ji Hong took a deep breath before starting to fill the pit with soil.

"Ah Jiang, don't worry, your brother will definitely avenge you!"

"Zhao Bao, Zhao Hu, Zhao Long, and the entire Zhao family, I will not let any of them go. I will make them all pay with their lives."

"I'm not strong enough yet. When I get stronger, when I get stronger, no one can stop me. I'll kill them, kill them..."

………………

Inside the pit, Ji Hong kept repeating these words, clearly determined to avenge his sister.

Chen Yiqing, who was more than a hundred meters away, twitched his ears slightly and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

However, he didn't see that Ji Hong, while talking in the pit, quietly took out a yellow candle.

He pushed up Ji Jiang's body and then quietly lit a yellow candle on her back.

The moment the yellow candle lit up, two black dots suddenly appeared in Ji Hong's pupils. The instant the black dots appeared, a look of pain appeared on his face. Then, the two black dots were slowly evaporated by the candlelight and turned into black mist, which emerged from his pupils in wisps.

The moment the black energy was completely drained, Ji Hong's body shuddered violently.

"Zhao Bao, Zhao Hu, Zhao Long, and Zhao Yuanxiu, they all have to die!"

"Not only them, but the entire Zhao family, I will not let a single one of them go!"

"Ah Jiang, don't worry, I will definitely slaughter the Zhao family and make them all go down to be buried with you..."

Inside the pit, Ji Hong clenched his fists tightly, still talking, but his gaze had quietly shifted to the direction where Chen Yiqing was standing on the south side. The overwhelming hatred in his pupils was almost tangible, and soon, along with blood and tears, it overflowed from his eyes.

Ji Hong quickly buried his sister's body, then cut down a large tree nearby and quickly made a wooden plank. He then carved the four characters "Tomb of Ji Jiang" on it and placed it at the front of the small mound.

"Senior Chen, let's go!"

Chen Yiqing turned his head and saw that Ji Hong had regained his vitality. He immediately showed a hint of satisfaction, nodded, and led him directly east.

“We can’t go back to Hongmen Realm. If we go east from here and cross Beining Mountain, we’ll reach Jiangyan Realm in Chuishan Town. Once we reach Jiangyan Realm, we can go north and we’ll be basically safe.”

"I'll listen to you, senior!"

........................

In the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, on the fifth day of the third month, at dawn...
"Ah Jiang, Brother Ji, are you home?"

At the entrance of Ji Jiang's residence in the northern district of Hongmen.

Zeng Rou stared at the still-closed door, her face full of confusion.

"It's been four days already, and they've missed it again? They should be back by now, right? Do they all go out hunting during the day?"

On the first day of the third month, the night Ji Hong returned, Zeng Rou already knew about it. Moreover, Ji Hong even took Ji Jiang to Wanbaolou to see her. Unfortunately, she had to work at Wanbaolou at night and couldn't get away. When she finally managed to find some time to return to her residence in Beicheng, she discovered that Ji Hong and his sister had already gone out hunting.

Unfortunately, she was quite busy at the beginning of the month, only getting four hours of rest each day, starting from the last hour of the night.

Zeng Rou was aware that Ji Jiang was worried about the supply of goods. Ji Hong finally had seven days of free time, so he would definitely help Ji Jiang stock up on animal hides. It was understandable that he would go out hunting more often.

But I missed it for four days in a row?
This is too much of a coincidence!
Zeng Rou frowned slightly and suddenly knocked on the door of a neighboring house.

Soon, a young woman came out and, upon seeing Zeng Rou, immediately smiled and said, "Miss Zeng, what brings you here?"

"Sister Zhu, in the past four days, did you see A-Jiang and his brother go out or come back?"

The residents of Beicheng were all from Daxia, and Zeng Rou had been visiting Ji Jiang's house from time to time, so the neighbors all knew each other.

The woman surnamed Zhu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then frowned and said, "I thought A-Jiang had gone back to Xia City with her brother, but no! Her house has been empty for the past four days. No one has come back, and no one has gone out."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Rou's expression froze.

Upon seeing her expression, the woman surnamed Zhu immediately understood what was happening and exclaimed in surprise, "Those siblings haven't returned to Xia City..."

The woman's expression froze for a moment, then she hurriedly said, "She's been gone for four days without returning and hasn't said goodbye to anyone. Something must have happened to her, Miss Zhu. You should go to the prison office to report this and have them investigate what happened."

The Great Xia's management is now very mature. Except for a small number of people, everyone else needs a travel permit to move around within the territory. Moreover, there are resource areas near each outpost, so it's very rare for someone to stay out all night. Even if they really need to stay for several days, they will inform someone in advance. In the case of Ji Jiang and her brother, either they have encountered trouble, or...

"Thank you, Sister Zhu. I'll go to the prison warden to report this right away!"

Zeng Rou's expression instantly tensed up, and without thinking, she turned and ran towards the Siya Building.

The woman surnamed Zhu watched Zeng Rou run away, then turned to look at the locked door next door and sighed softly.

"These brother and sister had just started to get a little better off, and now... sigh, they're such unfortunate people!"

(End of this chapter)