Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 458 Little Sister Cai Shiqin, Xia Hong in the Library
On the eighth day of the tenth month in the 297th year of the Caiqiu calendar, during the day...

Located in the western part of the prefectural governor's residence in Linchu County, this is a guest residence.

The biting wind made the trees in the courtyard sway from side to side;

The biting cold light shone down mercilessly, and the frost that kept condensing on the roof and exterior walls had long since solidified into ice films.

A row of icicles hanging from the eaves, though not as exaggerated as the icy wilderness outside the city which is more than ten meters long, is still more than a meter long; the snowflakes flying and swirling irregularly in the air seem to be telling a story of restlessness and unease.

Fortunately, every room in the side courtyard had a coal stove lit, and the high-temperature air currents caused most of the snowflakes to melt before they even hit the ground. In addition, the servants kept tidying up and cleaning, so there was no snow accumulation.

“Clang clang clang... Clang…”

Behind the courtyard, from within the purple bamboo grove, a clear and melodious guqin melody suddenly emanated.

The music was sometimes vast and expansive like distant mountains; sometimes clear and cold like celestial music; and sometimes long and drawn out like human speech. It was not only captivating and extremely beautiful, but it also seemed to have a moving magic that gradually calmed down the raging snowflakes in the courtyard, so that they stopped flying and swirling wildly and slowly fell to the ground.

A dozen or so servants dressed in coarse linen clothes, who were sweeping the courtyard, had long since stopped what they were doing, closed their eyes and listened intently to the music, their faces full of intoxication and enjoyment. They were completely unaware that a row of maids carrying food boxes had entered the courtyard and were walking toward the bamboo grove.

"Hehehe, these silly boys, they've been frozen in place by the music again."

"Is this piece the 'Chu Feng' by Chen Cang?"

“That’s right, the princess rarely plays this piece, it must have been played by Miss Su.”

"Miss Su has only been learning for about a month, right? It usually takes most people at least half a year to learn a piece of music, and she's learned it so quickly!"

"Nonsense. When Miss Su entered the manor more than three months ago, her self-composed piece 'Teacher's Grace' amazed everyone. Even the eldest prince praised her, saying that she was a natural musical prodigy and that she could learn songs much faster than ordinary people."

"Yes, yes, I remember now, she can compose her own piano pieces, so learning pieces must be a piece of cake for her."

………………

As the maids whispered among themselves, they followed the sound of the zither along the bluestone path, winding their way through the bamboo forest until they reached the depths of the bamboo grove. There, a delicate five-cornered pavilion draped in warm-colored gauze curtains came into view.

On the pavilion, two beautiful young women, one in green and one in white, sat facing each other.

A slight breeze lifted the curtain, revealing two stunningly beautiful faces that instantly overshadowed the five-cornered pavilion and the tranquil bamboo grove.

The girl on the left wore a sky-blue brocade dress with gold thread embellishments; her long black hair was tied back with two exquisitely crafted silver phoenix hairpins; the silver dragon ornament on her forehead, upon closer inspection, was actually made of hundreds of tiny sequins the size of fish scales, which shone brightly and dazzlingly under the cold light.

She wore a milky white jade ring around her neck and two emerald green jade pendants at her waist. Although she exuded nobility, there was no arrogance between her brows. Her beautiful eyes were as calm and gentle as autumn water, and a soft smile played on her lips as she quietly watched the white-skirted girl playing the zither opposite her.
The girl on the right wore a white dress made of brocade, the hem of which swayed gently in the wind like flowing clouds; the hem was embroidered with lotus patterns in very light silver thread, which only shimmered slightly when the sunlight turned, like the flowing moonlight; her black hair was loosely tied up with a white jade hairpin, revealing her fair and radiant face.

She also wore a warm yellow jade ring around her neck and two moon-white jade pendants at her waist. Although her temperament was not as noble as the former, she exuded a unique elegance and tranquility.

Before her sat a five-stringed zither, about two meters long. Each of its five strings emitted a different color of spiritual light: gold, blue, red, and yellow. As her slender, pale fingers gently caressed the strings, the five colors of spiritual light spread slowly outwards, accompanied by beautiful melodies, creating a truly mysterious effect.

"Cheng..."

As the last note faded, the girl gently pressed her ten fingers down on the strings. Only after the music ended did she look up at the girl in green, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"It sounds so good, Xing'er! You're learning so fast! You can already play this Chu Feng piece just as well as I can!"

Hearing the praise from the girl in green, Su Xing'er's beautiful eyes immediately curved into crescent shapes, and she couldn't help but show her pride and say, "It's all thanks to Sister Shiqin, such a good teacher, otherwise how could Xing'er have learned so quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Cai Shiqin shook her head, her face full of gentle smiles. Seeing that a group of maids were already waiting outside the pavilion with food boxes, she smiled and said, "You must be hungry after playing for so long. Today I had the chef prepare some good dishes. Xing'er, come and try them with me and see how they taste."

The two women were clearly very close. Before Su Xing'er could answer, Cai Shiqin stood up, grabbed her arm, and led her directly to the main hall of the side courtyard. She also waved to the maids, signaling them to come and set up the banquet.

Knowing Cai Shiqin's temperament, Su Xing'er naturally wouldn't refuse again. She waved her hand to put the Five-Colored Demonic Sound Zither into her body and followed her to the main hall. Turning her head, she saw the snowflakes falling continuously above the bamboo forest, and a trace of reminiscence rose slightly in her eyes.

Before she knew it, she had been living in the prefectural governor's mansion for almost four months.

On April 20th, the four siblings followed their master Hong Yu from Qinghua City. They traveled for more than a month, stopping and starting along the way, and finally arrived at Linchu County, the largest city in western Caiqiu, on June 7th.

Previously, because of Hu Tiejiang's matter, she had told her three older brothers that their master, Hong Yu, wanted to train them to rebel against Cai Qiu. If at that time there was still a hint of speculation, then after more than a month of travel from Qinghua City to Linchu County, Su Xing'er was almost certain that Hong Yu had this idea.

Along the way, Hong Yu frequently took them to visit slave villages, clearly intending to let them experience the hardships and difficulties of the lower classes. In addition, he would ask them their opinions on the six-class system from time to time. The guiding meaning was too strong. Not to mention Su Xing'er, even her three older brothers, Su Jing, could see it.

Of course, even if they could see it, they didn't object at all. Even setting aside Hong Yu's great kindness to them, they also deeply resented the six-class registration system, after all, their parents died because of it.

Of course, these things can only be kept in mind for now.

Just as their master said, overthrowing a system that has been in place for hundreds of years and is deeply rooted in people's hearts is not something that can be done overnight. Even for him, it is extremely difficult, let alone for the four siblings.

"Improving one's strength is the most important thing. If you want to shake this system, you need to have at least the strength of the Manifestation Yang level to be considered qualified."

Recalling what Hong Yu had said on the way, Su Xing'er's expression hardened slightly. She gently pushed aside these random thoughts and continued to recall the subsequent events leading up to her arrival in Linchu County.

Having experienced Qinghua City, she thought she wouldn't be surprised by anything when entering Linchu County City. However, on the day she entered the city on June 7th, she and her three brothers were still deeply shocked.

It seems that the people in Linchu County City already knew they were coming.

On the day they entered the city, they had just verified their identities at the city gate and had not yet officially entered the city when the city guards politely invited them to the prefect's residence. Cai Yunlan, the eldest son of Cai Qiuyang, the prefect of Linchu, and the eldest son of the prefect's family, personally led more than a hundred people from the entire family out of the residence to welcome them.

Such high-level treatment refreshed Su Xing'er's understanding of her master Hong Yu's strength. It was at that moment that she clearly realized how valuable Hong Yu's previous statement, "There is no one in Qinghua City who can threaten me," really was.

Just like when they entered Qinghua City at the beginning of the year, on the very night they entered Linchu County, Hong Yu was invited to a banquet by the eldest prince again. This time, however, the four siblings were also among those invited.

After the banquet, the prefectural governor's mansion arranged for them to stay in this guest house. After that, Hong Yu led them to stay in the prefectural governor's mansion.

Hong Yu would go out from time to time, and no one knew what he did. In any case, the Prefectural Governor's Mansion treated the four siblings better and better. More than thirty maids were sent to them, and there were no less than a hundred servants, all of whom were at the Cold Resistance level.

In particular, last month, on the 20th of September, the eldest prince sent someone to deliver a new golden register to the four siblings, which directly upgraded their register to the first rank of Caiqiu.

This is why her current attire is on par with that of Princess Cai Shiqin.

She inexplicably became a member of a hereditary family. If she were still that clueless little girl from Changqing Valley, she would probably be laughing in her dreams.

But things are different now. Having been influenced by her master Hong Yu for almost a year, and knowing what Hong Yu would need her to do in the future, Su Xing'er has long since lost all illusions about this so-called book.

She knew very well that regardless of their noble or hereditary status, all four of them owed their existence to their master, Hong Yu, and had nothing to do with her. Their most important task at the moment was to improve their strength, strive to help their master as soon as possible, and repay him.

Having lived in the county town for almost four months, Su Xing'er dared not slack off in her cultivation. When she set off from Qinghua City on April 20th, her basic strength was over 9 manes, and now it has 16 manes. The increase of 7 manes in five months is enough to prove her diligence.

Her diligence was so great that even Hong Yu couldn't bear to look at it anymore. Last month, he specifically reminded her to slow down her cultivation progress and suggested that she leave the guest residence and make some friends of the same age in the prefect's mansion.

Su Xing'er naturally obeyed Hong Yu's orders without question.

The young princess Cai Shiqin in front of her was someone she had just met last month.

It was quite a coincidence that Su Xing'er has only been learning the piano for a total of five months. Her learning began when she casually hummed a song on her way to school in May.

One day, when she was bored on the journey, she remembered the Mo'ao Song that Hu Tiejiang sang when she traveled with him to Qinghua City. Her three older brothers were all taciturn, and her master Hong Yu would never chat with them. Feeling really bored, Su Xing'er started singing.

Unexpectedly, this singing caught Hong Yu's attention.

Having grown up in the impoverished and remote Changqing Valley, Su Xing'er never imagined that she would come into contact with something like a zither. In fact, when Hong Yu first took out this five-colored zither, she didn't even know it was a musical instrument.

But things were different once she started playing. Especially after her master Hong Yu gave her a general explanation of the basic music theory of the five notes of the guqin, she was as if she had divine assistance. In less than a day, she mastered the five notes of the guqin.

What happened next was even more outrageous!

Although she had mastered the five-tone playing method, she didn't have sheet music and couldn't play any complete pieces. She could only rely on her own guesswork and improvisation. But how easy is it to compose a piece of music?

“I’ve heard people say that any musical score can move people as long as it incorporates the composer’s emotions. Try this method and see if it works.”

In the end, it was a casual reminder from Hong Yu that enlightened her, and thus the song "Teacher's Kindness" came into being.

Looking back now, Cai Shiqin must have noticed her when she played her self-composed piece "Teacher's Kindness" at the banquet when she entered the mansion in June. However, due to her long period of seclusion, Cai Shiqin probably didn't have the nerve to come and find her.

However, after she took the initiative to leave the secluded courtyard last month, Cai Shiqin received the news and immediately sent her maid to invite her, and the two successfully became acquainted.

Compared to her mediocre piano skills, Cai Shiqin was different.

It is said that she changed her name after being granted the title of princess, which shows how deep her love for the zither is.

Of course, passion is secondary; skill level is the primary factor.

Cai Qianshan, the governor of Caiqiu, was an excellent musician. Everyone in the prefecture he led loved listening to the zither. At various banquets held by noble families, people would often have someone play the zither to entertain them. Noble ladies and daughters of prominent families also openly embraced the art of playing the zither. Even some ordinary people started listening and learning from him.

The widespread popularity of the instrument led to a high level of enthusiasm for the art of playing the qin (a seven-stringed zither), resulting in an astonishingly high status for qin players in the regional military commands.

Of course, a high status ultimately results in a song being extremely difficult to obtain!
Hiring a musician to play always costs a lot of money.

Cai Shiqin is currently the most expensive among all the musicians in Caiqiu, and the price for her to play a piece is as high as 100,000 taels.

Of course, price is secondary; the primary factor is status.

Those who are not of noble birth are not even qualified to invite her; no matter how much money they offer, it's useless.

With such a master of the zither right in front of her, Su Xing'er naturally wanted to seize the opportunity and hoped that the other party could teach her. Coincidentally, Cai Shiqin also greatly admired her talent in the zither, and the two hit it off immediately.

As luck would have it, after the two officially met last month, they discovered upon comparing their birth dates that they were born on the same day, month, and year. Fortunately, Su Xing'er was unaware of her own birth time. The two of them still suspect that they were very likely born at the same moment.

The two were already on the same page because of their shared love of music, and with such an amazing coincidence, their relationship naturally warmed up quickly. Especially after spending some time together, Su Xing'er discovered that although Cai Shiqin was very talented and had a very high status, she was completely unlike other scions of noble families. She never used her power to oppress others, and she was gentle and kind in her dealings with people. When facing people of lower status than herself, she always showed compassion and care.

What is most commendable is that she would actually set aside one day each month to go to the various slums in Linchu County, not only to provide relief funds to those at the bottom of society, but also to play music for them free of charge.

Even without those amazing coincidences, Su Xing'er already had a great liking for Cai Shiqin for this reason alone. Especially after personally accompanying Cai Shiqin to the slum last month and discovering that the other party was not putting on a show, but genuinely sympathizing with the underprivileged, she regarded Cai Shiqin as her true sister.

In just over a month, their relationship had become so close that they could eat and live together. This even made many of the Cai family members in the prefectural governor's mansion, especially those who were originally close to Cai Shiqin, start to feel jealous.

"Xing'er, quickly try this bowl of sorghum noodles. Sorghum is one of the finest ingredients in Chencang and is rarely sold to outsiders. Our entire prefectural government only has a quota of 50,000 catties per year, and even less when it is distributed to each household. I don't even get to eat it often. Try it and see if you like it!"

Although Su Xing'er's thoughts were wandering, it was only for a moment. When she saw Cai Shiqin push a bowl of fragrant brown noodle-like food in front of her, she glanced at it and immediately remembered that she had eaten Lu Su noodles at a banquet four months ago when she first came to the city.

The young woman had clearly forgotten about this. Seeing Cai Shiqin's expectant face, she didn't bring it up. Instead, she picked up a bamboo chopstick, put it in her mouth, and chewed it carefully to calm her restless blood. Then, she exclaimed excitedly, "This is so delicious!"

Seeing her reaction, Cai Shiqin's eyes immediately crinkled into crescent moons with laughter, and she couldn't help but giggle, "If it's delicious, then eat more. I like it too, I'll eat with you."

Seeing Cai Shiqin so happy, Su Xing'er also smiled, but as she smiled, she couldn't help but sigh slightly in her heart.

Although she was in a side courtyard, she had been there for four months and could vaguely sense that the prefect's mansion was rife with infighting and power struggles.

It's easy to understand if you think about it. Cai Qiuyang, the prefect of Linchu County, is a well-known expert in the Tribulation Realm. He is almost two hundred years old this year. He has more than thirty sons, not to mention his grandsons. Conservatively speaking, he has more than a hundred, and if you count further down, there are even more.

In Caiqiu, the titles of Crown Prince and Princess were actual noble titles, not just ordinary appellations. According to the regulations of the Caiqiu military governorship, each prefecture could simultaneously establish five Crown Princes and five Princesses.

With so many descendants living together, whether for practical benefits or to gain the attention of the prefect, it was inevitable that each family would compete for status. Open and covert struggles were unavoidable, not to mention that there were ten noble titles to be won. Who wouldn't want to bring down the other and take the place for themselves?

Cai Shiqin's ability to ascend to the position of princess is undoubtedly due to her exceptional qualities, talents, strength, and even her methods and cunning. However, after knowing her for so long, Su Xing'er could clearly sense that she disliked this kind of life. This was why she liked to come to her so much; it was probably in front of her, a friend with whom she had no vested interests, that she could completely relax and be a true sixteen-year-old girl.

"Sister Shiqin, my master has been staying in the inner courtyard for three days straight. Do you know what he's doing there?"

After a few rounds of meals, Su Xing'er took the handkerchief handed to her by a maid, gently wiped her mouth, and suddenly remembered that her master, Hong Yu, had not returned to the side courtyard for three days. She couldn't help but ask Cai Shiqin about it out of curiosity.

"Senior Hong has been staying in the library for the past three days!"

At the beginning of the month, his eldest uncle asked him to come to the inner courtyard to give some pointers on the martial arts of the young men in the mansion. After teaching for two days, he said that the Cai family's martial arts were all subpar, which made his uncles quite angry.

Then Senior Hong immediately demonstrated six martial arts techniques, and said that if he could be allowed to see them in the library, he would give the six techniques to the prefect's mansion free of charge. My uncle and the others immediately agreed..."

After Cai Shiqin finished speaking, she paused, as if she had remembered something, and continued with a look of surprise: "Xing'er, Senior Hong's martial arts level is too strong. I was there when he was giving martial arts guidance at the beginning of the month. No matter who it was or what the martial arts moves were, as long as they were demonstrated in front of Senior Hong, he could immediately see all the flaws. After his guidance, those moves were immediately different, and their power could be increased by 30 or 40% on the original basis."

"Of course!"

In front of Cai Shiqin, Su Xing'er rarely showed her true nature. Hearing Cai Shiqin praise Hong Yu, she was naturally proud and couldn't help but continue proudly, "Master said that in terms of martial arts talent, no one in the Four Domains can be stronger than him!"

Isn't this claim a bit exaggerated?
Upon hearing this, Cai Shiqin first muttered something to herself, but then, recalling the reactions of the dozen or so uncles in the mansion when Hong Yu instructed them in martial arts at the beginning of the month, she nodded slightly, her eyes genuinely showing approval.

…………

"Achoo..."

The inner courtyard of the prefectural governor's mansion, the third floor of the library.

Xia Hong, who was pretending to casually flip through a book, suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. He quickly closed the book, shook his head with a strange expression, and then sighed softly in his heart.

"It's been over a year since I left home, and my two younger kids must be missing me by now!"

The Five Elements Realm Frost Beasts Illustrated Album

Xia Hong glanced down at the cover of the book in his hand, a hint of excitement rising in the depths of his pupils. He then casually put the book on the shelf and continued to survey the bookshelf in front of him, occasionally pulling out a book to flip through.

"Million-Forged Weapon Essence, useless..."

"Five methods to enhance the cold-resistant combat physique aptitude, hmm, somewhat useful, but unfortunately it has two fewer than my Great Qin, but it's still not bad!"

"The four regions have a variety of rice and millet, including millet, golden wheat, and frozen millet... These kinds of species are basically all available in the Qin Dynasty, so it's not surprising!"

…………

Xia Hong flipped through the books one by one, shaking his head and muttering a few words from time to time. His words and expressions were full of disdain for the contents of the books.

Suddenly, he stopped in front of a shelf.

Essentials of Breakthrough at the Manifestation Yang Level and Essentials of Breakthrough at the Body Tribulation Realm

Looking at the two books on the shelf, a glint of light flashed in Xia Hong's eyes. He suppressed his excitement, picked up the less important books next to him and flipped through them for a while before finally focusing his attention on the two books.

"Different regions may have slightly different breakthrough methods, but it wouldn't hurt to take a look!"

He first reached out and picked up the book on the Manifestation of the Sun level, flipped through it at an extremely fast speed, then shook his head repeatedly, put it back on the shelf, and then picked up the other book.

He was equally quick, putting the book back as soon as he finished reading it. Throughout the process, Xia Hong showed no lingering interest, shaking his head and walking directly to other places to continue searching for other types of books.

"A Five Elements Realm Emperor-level Frost Beast, a Body Tribulation Realm cultivator—so that's how it is! Now I understand everything!"

Stopping in front of another shelf, Xia Hong picked up a book and began to read it. However, if anyone were below him, they would have noticed that his pupils were filled with excitement, and his mind was not on the book at all.

(End of this chapter)