Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 579 Xia Hong Presents a Sword, Improving Bone Structure

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, just before dawn

At the Guangning Mountain Camp, Su Xing'er and her three siblings walked out of the south gate and embarked on the road down the mountain, braving the wind and snow.

The four walked for a long time without speaking, their dejected mood written all over their faces.

"I never expected that my good intentions would backfire. I helped the Xia army take Guangning Mountain. I thought that Hou Bing could put in a good word for us so that we could see our master, but he was dismissed from his post. The message that the commander sent to us was full of praise, but his attitude was so perfunctory. It seems that we really made a mistake this time!"

After a long silence, it was the second son, Su Zhi, who finally spoke.

Su Xing'er and the other two sighed slightly upon hearing this.

They had been waiting at the entrance of the commander's tent for a long time, only to see Hou Bing walk out dejectedly and leave without even saying hello.

The Xia army commander, Yuwen Tao, did not summon them at all, but only sent a silver-armored junior officer in his tent to deliver a message to them.

"You four have made invaluable contributions to the capture of Guangning Mountain. The Ministry of War has recorded your merits, and you will be rewarded accordingly upon returning to Xia City. You may now return home!"

The four were somewhat confused, but fortunately, Luo Cheng, who had given them some pointers earlier, kindly explained it to them again. They then learned that although Hou Bing had won military merit this time, his position as commander of the Flying Peng Army had been directly revoked.

Su Xing'er was incredibly perceptive. While waiting outside the main tent, she had a vague idea that the capture of Guangning Mountain might have been a case of being rewarded but not actually achieving anything. Considering that Hou Bing had gained military merit but lost his position, the answer was quite obvious.

The Great Xia leadership had no intention of taking Guangning Mountain. Hou Bing instigated Yuwen Yong to launch a preemptive strike, which successfully brought it down. The soldiers fought a bloody battle, and the leadership could only grit their teeth and accept it, but that didn't mean they truly approved of it.

At the very least, the attitude of the commander-in-chief, Yuwen Tao, has made it clear that he does not approve of them, so his perfunctory treatment of the four siblings is therefore understandable.

However, this completely ruined their plan to gain recognition from the higher-ups of the Great Xia through military achievements and attract their master's attention.

"The reason we went astray this time is ultimately because we know too little about the higher-ups of the Great Xia Dynasty, and our strength is too weak. Even if we did something, it would be difficult to attract the attention of the Master... Lord."

Thinking of what Luo Cheng had said at the entrance of the command tent, Su Zhi still couldn't bring himself to call him "Master," and instead addressed him as "Lord," his expression slightly bitter.

Su Xing'er and the other two had no way to refute it. Thinking of the entrance to the commander's tent, there were at least hundreds of young people like Luo Cheng. Their qualifications were not even in the top tier. The three of them felt somewhat powerless.

"The fourth brother's strength is currently 44, which is already quite good. However, the Dragon Guards and their group are mostly over 40, and the key is that they look about the same age as the fourth brother, some even younger. Isn't the strength of the scions of the powerful families of Great Xia a bit too exaggerated?"

“We stayed in Linchu Prefecture for a few months, and I remember it very clearly. Even the sons of the regional governors in Linchu Prefecture weren’t at this level!”

"The Great Xia is actually just a town-level camp? That's impossible!"

………………

Su Zhi was somewhat confused at this moment. As he had more and more contact with the Xia people and had more and more conversations, he now knew that the Great Xia was still just a town-level camp.

But whether it was Xia Jun's direct defeat of Cai Qiu or the overall strength that Great Xia had shown so far, he found it hard to believe.

How is this possible? It's just a town-level camp.
"Alright, let's not dwell on this. Now we need to think carefully about what we should do next!"

Su Xing'er interrupted her three brothers' thoughts abruptly, saying in a low voice, "We caused too much trouble in Changqing Valley, and our identities have already been exposed. It's no longer realistic to continue infiltrating Caiqiu and acting under the name of the Frost Ashes Society..."

She paused slightly at this point, her expression turning somewhat somber.

The three of them, including Su Jing, also looked dejected.

Their greatest value to the Great Xia Dynasty lay in secretly operating in Caiqiu under the name of the Frost Ashes Society. However, with the Changqing Valley Uprising, their identities have been exposed, and it is no longer possible for them to remain hidden in Caiqiu.

This means they are of no value to the Great Xia.

Having witnessed the power of the Xia army, they knew very well that with their limited strength, it might not be difficult to establish themselves in the Great Xia, but it was unrealistic to expect to attract Xia Hong's attention.

With the merit they had made this time, the Great Xia would not treat them unfairly. But what the four of them sought at this moment was no longer wealth and status. Seeing Xia Hong had become their greatest obsession.

"Let's go back to Qingtan Village first! Brother Luo just said that Great Xia is about to make peace with Caiqiu, and many people in Qingyugou can choose to stay where they are or move to the southern foothills. Let's go see Grandpa Su first and see what the people of Qingtan Village are planning, and then we'll decide what to do next..."

"Miss Su!"

Before Su Xing'er could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a voice.

The four men turned around and saw that the newcomer was none other than Luo Cheng, who had just spoken with them at the entrance of the command tent.

Luo Cheng, carrying a long spear and a long, narrow knife, approached Su Xing'er with a complex expression, a mixture of confusion and envy.

"Brother Luo, what brings you here?"

Su Xing'er was naturally confused and quickly asked.

Luo Cheng didn't answer. Instead, he handed the knife in his hand to Su Xing'er, and then said with a hint of amusement, "This knife is called Silver Sparrow. The lord instructed me to give it to you."

Su Xing'er was stunned upon hearing this, then her face was filled with excitement, and her eyes even welled up with tears. She almost trembled as she took the Silver Sparrow Blade.

The blade was very heavy, weighing between 400,000 and 500,000 jin (approximately 200,000 to 250,000 kg), which was just right for her at this stage. It was clearly forged specifically for her. There were countless patterns on the blade, but the color indicated that it was a 10,000-level forged blade. A 10,000-level forged blade with this weight was undoubtedly made of pure silver. The key was that there was also a layer of black substance attached to the blade surface. When Su Xing'er pressed her finger against the blade, a stinging sensation immediately rushed to her mind.

"Master... Lord, you still remember Xing'er, you still remember Xing'er..."

Su Xing'er was so overwhelmed with emotion that she forgot she was in front of strangers. She hugged the long sword and wept uncontrollably. The three Su brothers, seeing the long sword in Su Xing'er's hand, were also filled with joy, clearly realizing the significance of Xia Hong's gift of the sword.

Luo Cheng didn't interrupt Su Xing'er, but the envy in his eyes grew even stronger. Compared to the three Su brothers, he undoubtedly knew better how valuable the sword given by the lord was.

As far as he knew, since the rise of the Great Xia from Tupo, Lord Xia Hong had rarely given away weapons. It was even rarer for him to specifically instruct the craftsmen to forge them and give them away.

Given Xia Hong's current status, the Silver Sparrow Blade he presented has long transcended the category of a weapon.

To give a simple example, more than ten years ago, during the early days of the Great Xia Earth Slope, the first ten-forged greatsword was forged by the lord himself, and Xia Hong named it Jinghan.

As far as Luo Cheng knew, the Frost-Slaying Blade eventually ended up in the hands of Yuan Sizheng of the Garrison Command. If it were an ordinary ten-forged greatsword, it would probably be left lying on the street in Xia City today and no one would even look at it; it would be completely worthless.

In the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Yuan clan established its ancestral temple. The first thing Yuan Sizheng did was to designate the Jinghan Blade as a family heirloom of the Yuan clan, which only the clan head was qualified to wear.

Things become valuable because of the person who brought them to them. Xia Hong held an extremely high position in the hearts of the Xia people. Even the most ordinary thing would become immeasurably valuable once it passed through his hands. This was the consequence of the Xia people's fanatical worship.

That is why the Jinghan sword, which Xia Hong personally crafted, is so valuable that Yuan Cheng would consider it a family heirloom, even though it is just an ordinary ten-forged sword.

Although Xia Hong did not forge this Silver Sparrow himself, he ordered the craftsmen to specially forge it. Moreover, Luo Cheng had also handled it. Just by looking at its weight and material, he immediately recognized that it was tailor-made for Su Xing'er.

The key point is that among the weapons the lord currently uses, there is a ceremonial sword called Dragon Sparrow, and he named the sword that he specially gave to Su Xing'er Silver Sparrow.

Su Xing'er's aptitude is not even as good as his own, let alone compared to the two princes. How could the lord possibly have the idea of ​​taking her as a disciple?

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Brother Luo..."

Su Xing'er couldn't possibly see how complicated Luo Cheng's feelings were at that moment. She just assumed that her reaction was too exaggerated and made Luo Cheng laugh at her.

Luo Cheng shook his head, gazing longingly at the Silver Sparrow Blade, thinking to himself, "If the lord were willing to give me a weapon, I would gladly die for it!"

He certainly wouldn't say these words directly. He withdrew his gaze and continued, "Besides this sword, the lord also asked me to pass on a message to you: don't rush to see him. You will see him when the time is right. Great Xia doesn't have Caiqiu's six-rank system. Everything depends on strength. He told you not to get involved in Qingyugou's affairs anymore. Go back to Xia City and live there for a while. Truly integrate into Great Xia and become Xia people. Making your strength stronger and stronger is the best way to repay him!"

When Su Xing'er met Luo Cheng's gaze, she realized that everything he had said outside the command tent was true. With Xia Hong's strength, nothing that happened on Guangning Mountain could be hidden from him.

She closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, then opened them, let out a long sigh, and her previous gloom vanished. Smiling, she said to Luo Cheng, "Please, Brother Luo, pass on a message to the lord: tell him that Xing'er understands..."

"Can't take it!"

Luo Cheng waved his hand to interrupt Su Xing'er and said with a wry smile, "Besides delivering a message to you, the lord has also given me a task. He wants me to take you back to Xia City first, introduce you to the situation of the Great Xia territory along the way, and help you settle down in the city."

When Luo Cheng said this, his tone was somewhat inexplicable, clearly indicating that he had been confused ever since he received the mission.

Su Xing'er felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this, assuming that her master, Xia Hong, still cherished their master-disciple relationship and was therefore so concerned about her.

The second brother, Su Zhi, sized up Luo Cheng and then stared at his sister for a while. He seemed to realize something, and a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Alright, let's set off then! Anyway, we have to follow the lord's orders. I've been away for a long time, so I might as well go back to Xia City to see my mother and younger siblings."

As soon as Luo Cheng spoke, Su Xing'er and the other three stopped dawdling and followed him toward Qingyu Gully on the south side.

From Guangning Mountain to Xiacheng, the distance is at least over a thousand kilometers. The area north of the Erosion Path is not bad, but once you cross the Erosion Path and enter the southern foothills, it will be much safer with Luo Cheng, a local, leading the way.

"Brother Luo, how old is the lord this year? I heard from the Xia soldiers that it's only the thirteenth year of the Great Xia Dynasty. How come the Great Xia calendar is so short?"

Su Xing'er was full of questions about her master Xia Hong and the Great Xia Dynasty. She hadn't walked for long before she started asking Luo Cheng. The five young people chatted and laughed, making the journey quite lively and not boring at all.

………………

"Luo Cheng is too young; he doesn't seem to have figured out my intentions!"

In the main tent of Guangning Mountain, recalling Luo Cheng's bewildered and confused expression when he had just instructed Luo Cheng to do something, Xia Hong's expression became somewhat strange, and then he couldn't help but shake his head and smile.

“Those destined to be together will find their match; there’s no need to worry about them. I should also set off to check on the situation at the Bone-Corroding Path, but before that…”

The main tent was empty. Xia Hong sat cross-legged, and a dark red skeletal figure over eight feet tall quickly appeared behind him.

"I've reached eight and a half feet. It's only been half a month since I left Yang City. Those three Golden Saint Pills have saved me at least ten years of hard cultivation. Now, as long as I finish this last half foot and break through to the later stage, my strength should see a significant increase."

When Bei Shuo killed Yang Zun, Xia Hong's basic strength was 78 jun. It was impossible for him to improve in such a short time. However, the subsequent effects of the Golden Saint Pill gradually took effect, greatly enhancing his Bone Form Golden Body.

"Yang City is truly a magical place. The Golden Saint Pill can only be used three times in a lifetime, and yet such a pill still exists. It's a pity that it's too expensive, costing 3000 million taels of silver for just one. If it weren't for the money I got from selling the Calamity Qi Pearl, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it..."

Xia Hong took out a golden elixir from the yellow mustard bag. Looking at the shimmering golden pill, he was filled with admiration, and his eyes were filled with anticipation.

"The seller was very curious and didn't know why I wanted to buy four pills. He even told me directly that the Golden Saint Pill was impossible to imitate and advised me to only buy three. I refused to believe it. No matter how strong the Golden Saint Pill was, it couldn't be more powerful than the system. Even if the Alchemy Pavilion couldn't imitate it now, who knows what the future would bring."

Xia Hong knew very well that his own aptitude was exceptional, saving him more than ten years of arduous cultivation. If others with inferior aptitude used it, the effect would be even more terrifying. Once this Golden Saint Pill could be replicated, the difficulty and process of cultivating to the Manifest Yang level in the Great Xia Dynasty would be greatly shortened.

Cultivating at the Manifestation Yang level isn't that difficult, but what it will affect later is how many times you reach the Tribulation Body realm.

He had no choice but to take it seriously. Even if it were 300 million, he would have to take it out!

(End of this chapter)