Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

In the first year of Daxia, on the third day of April,

On the northern slope of the First Ape Peak of Five Apes Mountain, Xiao Kangcheng and his party of three steadily advanced across the snow, pushing a wooden-wheeled cart.

"Why does this cart feel less strenuous to push than it did last month?"

"It seems like the ice layer on the ground has thickened."

Hearing the conversation of the two people beside him, Xiao Kangcheng frowned slightly, drew his knife, lowered his body, and stabbed it into the ground. After taking out a few pieces of ice and observing them, he said in a deep voice: "It has thickened. I estimate that in a few days, the cold wave will officially arrive."

The ground in the Ice Abyss World is covered with snow all year round, and there is also a layer of ice beneath the snow. The ice layer usually doesn't change much, except for these two months of the cold wave period each year, when it suddenly thickens two to three times. This is also the basis for people in the Five Apes Mountain area to judge the upcoming cold wave.

Although Lu Shun and Xiao Ping also had Earth Digging Realm cultivation, their experience was naturally not as rich as that of Xiao Kangcheng, the leader.

Hearing that the cold wave was only a few days away, the expressions of the two became a bit more serious.

However, looking at the ten bags of coal on the wooden cart, Lu Shun smiled again as he thought of something, and said: "This time, 50,000 catties of coal can all be used to exchange for Chen fruit and beast meat, and we can also exchange for some extra beast skins and wound medicine. This cold wave, our camp should have a better time."

"We don't need to exchange for iron, so we have more to spare. Every time at the barter market, I see the Zhu River and Tongling camps exchanging so many supplies for iron ore, and I'm so envious. Thanks to that Lord Xia Chuan, who gave us 10,000 catties right away. Leader, do you think their Daxia camp has so much iron ore that they can't use it all?"

"Not only iron ore, but also three long swords, and that 10,000-catty iron fetal bow. I estimate that only the Three Tigers camp has it in the entire Five Apes Mountain. The Zhu River and Tongling camps can't make such good bows either."

Hearing the words of the two, Xiao Kangcheng also showed a smile on his face.

The three things Xia Chuan sent the day before yesterday really shocked them.

Does Daxia have so much iron ore that they can't use it all?

Xiao Kangcheng still didn't dare to answer the question raised by Lu Shun, and a trace of hesitation flashed in his eyes as he said: "That's not necessarily true. When we see Xiao Yuan and Ning'er and her two sisters later, we'll ask and it will naturally be clear."

Lu Shun and Xiao Ping nodded upon hearing this, and a hint of anticipation appeared in their eyes.

The day before yesterday, Xiao Yuan took Xiao Ning and her sister Xiao Yu to Daxia, and they all knew about it, so they couldn't help but feel a little expectant.

Perhaps, the Daxia camp is really like what Xia Chuan said…

"Leader, are you so sure that Xia Chuan will also come to the barter market?"

Xiao Ping asked curiously. The day before yesterday, Xia Chuan only found out the time and location of the barter market in the camp, and didn't say that he would come. Xiao Kangcheng was very sure, and set off with them as soon as night fell tonight.

Xiao Kangcheng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said: "Didn't you notice that he already knows a lot about the situation of the camps in the Five Apes Mountain area? I suspect that the Daxia camp has already figured out this area, and I even suspect that they may have already had actual contact with the Three Tigers camp…"

Had actual contact with the Three Tigers camp?

Lu Shun and Xiao Ping looked at each other, and a hint of surprise rose on their faces.

"Reporting, sir, Yuwen Si has already rescued the person. He arrested a lot of people and looks very angry. Something must have happened to Hong Guang and his team."

Xiao Kangcheng recalled the words that the last person who arrived the day before yesterday said in Xia Chuan's ear, and his speculation became more and more certain.

However, after all, it was just a guess, and he didn't directly tell the two of them.

The three continued to push the cart forward, and soon circled to the side of the mountain wall on the northern slope.

Seeing three large trees lined up not far away, Xiao Kangcheng's expression suddenly relaxed.

"We're here."

Xiao Ping and Lu Shun were not coming for the first time, and they also relaxed a lot when they heard the sound, and continued to push the cart closer to the three big trees.

When they approached the three big trees and circled to the mountain wall behind, a cave lit with a bonfire suddenly came into view.

Faintly, they could see figures moving inside the cave. The three immediately quickened their pace and soon arrived at the entrance of the cave.

Someone in the cave clearly noticed the approaching three people. A middle-aged man in animal skin clothes led a few people holding broadswords and ran out. When he saw clearly that it was Xiao Kangcheng, he immediately put down his guard and said with a smile:

"Old Xiao, you're a little late. Only you and Old Chen are left."

"Old Zhu, you're talking without thinking. Old Chen and I are both from the Five Apes Peak side, and we're the furthest away, so of course we'll be the latest."

Seeing the person who came, Xiao Kangcheng couldn't help but joke.

Zhu Xing, the leader of the Zhu River camp.

The barter market was jointly organized by the eleven medium-sized camps on the Five Apes Mountain. On the surface, everyone is equal, but in reality, it's not like that.

The so-called barter is to exchange materials with each other.

To put it bluntly, everyone gets what they need.

It seems good, but the actual exchange is not like that.

Everyone lives in the same area, and the resources they can obtain are roughly the same. It's just that due to the difference in strength, some camps have a larger range of activities and stronger hunting abilities, and the resources they can collect and obtain, whether in terms of type or quantity, are more.

Iron ore and cold beasts are two relatively representative resources.

The Xiao River camp is also not weak, with more than twenty Earth Digging Realm cultivators, but it is because they do not have sufficient weapons that their hunting ability has not been able to improve, and the corresponding supply of beast meat has naturally not kept up.

Some things will have a chain reaction.

Once the supply of beast meat can't keep up, the improvement of strength will be slow, and the number of Earth Digging Realm cultivators will not increase, which will prevent the camp from expanding its range of activities. In this way, there will be very few cold beasts that can be found, and the improvement of hunting experience will be slow…

Without iron ore, enough weapons cannot be made;

Without weapons, it is impossible to expand the range of activities, and it is impossible to find and hunt more cold beasts;

And without cold beasts, strength cannot continue to improve, and the range of activities is still restricted, so it is even more impossible to find iron ore.

This is almost a perfect closed loop!

Everyone knows that iron ore is very important.

Therefore, the Xiao River camp has a great demand for iron ore.

And on the Five Apes Mountain, there are eight other camps like them that lack iron.

Among the eleven medium-sized camps in the entire Five Apes Mountain, only the Zhu River and Tongling medium-sized camps have iron ore, and knowing that the other nine camps lack iron, how could these two camps casually circulate iron ore to them?

It takes 20 to 25 catties of coal to exchange for 1 catty of iron. Not only is the price set so high, but at the monthly barter market, the amount of iron ore that these two companies take out is surprisingly consistent, only 5,000 catties.

5,000 for each, adding up to only 10,000.

Even if it is evenly divided, each family can get at most 1,500 catties.

Xiao River is not stupid, and the leaders of the other eight camps are not stupid either.

The Zhu River and Tongling camps are using iron to exploit them.

They all understand in their hearts, but there is nothing they can do.

Weapons and tools are all subject to wear and tear.

Especially weapons. When fighting against cold beasts, not to mention anything else, the wear and tear from just the edge rolling is surprisingly large; not to mention bows and arrows, which cannot be recovered after being shot out.

Being able to exchange more than a thousand catties of iron every month can at least maintain the weapons and tools needed by the camp, have a certain hunting ability, and hunt some cold beasts every month, and safety is greatly guaranteed.

If they don't even have these thousand catties a month, once the weapons and tools in their hands are damaged, the danger of hunting cold beasts will greatly increase, not to mention that even basic things like cutting trees will become difficult.

Therefore, even if they know they are being exploited, there is nothing they can do. Not only do they not dare to say anything, but they even have to come over happily every month to be exploited by the two companies.

"Old Xiao, go in first. Old Chen has also arrived. I'll go pick him up."

Hearing Zhu Xing's words, Xiao Kangcheng looked back and found that three more people had arrived behind him. Knowing that Chen Hua of the West Peak camp had also arrived, he immediately nodded and walked towards the cave.

"Old Xiao is here."

"Hahaha, he brought a lot of coal."

"The cold wave has arrived, there's no way around it, we have to prepare more."

"We also brought a lot of things, and we all want to exchange for more."

… … … …

The monthly barter market has made the leaders of the eleven medium-sized camps very familiar with each other. While Xiao Kangcheng greeted everyone, he observed the situation inside the cave.

Except for the Tongling and Zhu River camps, which only brought two bags, the other seven families brought as many things as their own, nearly ten bags of all sizes.

Despite this, the eyes of these seven families were mostly focused on the bags of the Tongling and Zhu River camps.

"Sigh…"

Seeing this scene, Xiao Kangcheng sighed slightly in his heart.

It's a voluntary thing, so exploitation can't really be said.

The Tongling and Zhu River camps are willing to release more than a thousand catties of iron ore to their nine camps every month. If they don't give a catty, there's nothing you can do.

The Three Tigers camp also has iron ore, but the question is, do you dare to exchange it?

"Old Chen is here, everyone is here!"

Soon, Zhu Xing brought Chen Hua and others in.

The space in this cave is very large. The outer part illuminated by the bonfire alone is more than twenty meters wide, and the eleven groups of more than forty people are surrounded in a circle along the bonfire, which does not appear crowded at all.

Seeing that everyone was standing in their positions, Zhu Xing also announced:

"The barter market officially begins!"

According to the usual practice, after Zhu Xing announced the start, he and Meng Yuan, the leader of the Tongling camp, would say the amount of iron ore and cold beast meat they planned to release this time, and then the remaining nine camps would bid, exchanging with coal or other materials.

The situation was indeed the case. As soon as he announced, Meng Yuan next to him stood up.

Bang… Bang…

However, just as the two were about to speak.

Inside the cave, two consecutive heavy impacts suddenly echoed.

Two unidentified objects suddenly flew from the depths of the cave towards the bonfire.

"Who's there!"

"Someone's hiding inside?"

"Who is it, acting so suspiciously, get out here!"

… … … … … …

The crowd surrounding the bonfire instantly changed their expressions, scattering in all directions while angrily shouting towards the depths of the cave.

At the same time, the unidentified objects that had just flown out landed beside the bonfire, and everyone could naturally see them clearly.

Upon seeing this, everyone was stunned.

The things that flew out were actually two people bound with ropes all over their bodies.

"Ugh… ugh… ugh… ugh… … … …"

Both of their mouths had been pierced through with iron arrows. Previously, something must have been used to seal their mouths, but the impact of flying out was too strong, causing the things on their mouths to fall off, and they emitted miserable, stuttering howls.

Step… step… step…

Before they could clearly see the two people on the ground, a steady footstep came from the depths of the cave, and everyone turned their heads to look, their expressions becoming tense.

Only the three people from the Xia River Camp revealed a hint of speculation on their faces.

Xia Chuan, wearing a black cloak, slowly walked out of the shadows in the depths of the cave and stood in front of everyone, with a hint of a smile on his face, and said:

"Everyone, seniors, there's no need to panic. I am Xia Chuan, the Chief Administrator of the Great Xia Camp. I have come here today without any malice, only to deliver a great gift to everyone!"

Illuminated by the firelight, the moment they saw Xia Chuan clearly, Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the others from the other eight camps all narrowed their eyes.

Not to mention Xia Chuan's young and handsome face, just his black cloak, animal skin boots, and blue animal fur hat were enough to shock everyone present.

Not to mention the narrow, long saber hanging at his waist.

Everyone could tell at a glance that the scabbard of that long saber was actually made of iron.

Combining this with the two people lying on the ground and the force with which they had just flown out.

Meng Yuan and Zhu Xing exchanged a look, their expressions filled with solemnity.

"Lord Xia Chuan, you really came!"

As soon as Xiao Kangcheng spoke, the others glared at him with anger in their eyes.

"Everyone, don't blame Chief Xiao. As I said, I came here today without any malice, only to deliver a great gift to everyone. I wonder, seniors, do you recognize these two people on the ground?"

Xia Chuan had no intention of harming Xiao Kangcheng. After helping him out of the situation, he immediately continued to speak, signaling everyone to take a good look at the two people on the ground.

Although everyone looked suspicious, they still turned their heads to look at the two people on the ground.

"This… isn't this Liu Erhu?"

After carefully observing for a while, Meng Yuan was the first to exclaim in surprise.

He seemed to still have some doubts, and then went to look at the other person. After seeing him, he exclaimed in shock again: "Liu Sanhu!"

As soon as Meng Yuan said this, the other ten leaders, including Xiao Kangcheng, who had already guessed, couldn't help but lower their heads to take a closer look.

"It really is Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu!"

"Could it be that the Sanhu Camp was…"

"Was the Great Xia Camp destroyed by this Great Xia Camp?"

… … … …

After confirming the identities of the two people on the ground and that they were really the two leaders of the Sanhu Camp, everyone's eyes completely changed when they looked at Xia Chuan again, and countless guesses arose in their hearts at the same time.

Seeing that everyone recognized the two, Xia Chuan's eyes lit up, which saved him a lot of effort. He continued to speak with a smile:

"The Sanhu Camp has committed many evils in the Wuyuan Mountain area, causing a lot of trouble to everyone. Since we, the Great Xia, have come, we naturally cannot tolerate it. Today, not only these two chief culprits, Yuwen Tao, come in!"

Saying the latest and most complete novel, please go to Liu 9 books bar first!

Saying the last, Xia Chuan shouted towards the outside of the cave.

Following his voice, everyone quickly turned their heads to look at the entrance of the cave.

Outside the cave, Yuwen Tao led hundreds of people in a dense crowd. Who else could they be but the hunting team members of the Great Xia?

Almost everyone was holding one or two prisoners in their hands, all tightly bound with ropes. There were men and women, and some were older. The only thing these people had in common was that they all had a strong sense of ferocity on their bodies.

Exactly the same as Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu.

Yuwen Tao was also carrying two people in his hands. After entering, he directly kicked the people down, then cupped his hands and saluted Xia Chuan: "My Lord!"

Seeing this, the others also kicked the prisoners in their hands forward, then respectfully saluted Xia Chuan and stood behind the prisoners without moving.

As Yuwen Tao and the others saluted, the entire cave fell into a deathly silence.

Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the others from the other eight camps, including almost everyone including Xiao Kangcheng, all focused their eyes on Yuwen Tao and the others, their pupils trembling non-stop, their faces full of horror.

Looking around at everyone and seeing the reactions on their faces, Xia Chuan's mouth slightly curved up, and he didn't rush to speak.

He knew very well why these people would have such a reaction.

Not speaking was to give them time to buffer their emotions.

"The clothes they are wearing are all full sets of animal skin clothes?"

"Longbows, broadswords, one for each person?"

"Look at that one, the two-edged giant axe on his back is too big, how much iron ore would it take, I'm afraid it's more than two or three thousand catties?"

"Swords, sabers, axes, long sticks, and spears, so many weapons."

"More than that, look at their waists, they all have a token hanging, that token seems to be made of iron too."

"Look at that person's neck, is that an animal tooth accessory?"

"That seems to be the small tusk of a thorn wolf. A thorn wolf only has two, and that string must have hundreds of them, right?"

"Hiss… … … …"

… … … … … …

Among the crowd, there was already a rustling discussion.

Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan heard the discussion of their own people behind them, felt ashamed, and quickly turned their heads to glare at them, but when they turned back to look at Yuwen Tao and his party, the horror in their eyes still betrayed them.

Even the leaders couldn't help but be shocked, let alone those below them.

Compared with the people in the Wuyuan Mountain area, these people in the Great Xia Camp, whether it was clothing, weapons, or even the casual accessories on their bodies, were too eye-catching.

So eye-catching that they simply couldn't take their eyes off them.

The entire cave was silent for a full forty or fifty breaths because of the appearance of Yuwen Tao and his party. When someone finally looked away from Yuwen Tao and the others, Xia Chuan felt that it was almost time, and slowly walked behind Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu, grasped the hilt of the saber at his waist, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.

"These beasts, relying on a bit of strength, act recklessly, not only enslaving others, treating human lives like grass, but also using their own people as bait to hunt cold beasts. Such depravity of human relations and many evils, since we, the Great Xia, have come to Wuyuan Mountain, how can we tolerate such evildoers? Today, the first gift that Xia has prepared is to eliminate this group of evildoers for everyone in Wuyuan Mountain."

Crack…

As Xia Chuan's voice fell, a dark saber light, like lightning, suddenly erupted from his hand. Everyone present hadn't even had time to react, and only heard a crack in their ears. Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu on the ground had already been separated from their bodies.

Whoosh!

Puchi… Puchi…

Just after Xia Chuan drew his saber and killed the two, Yuwen Tao and the other hundreds of people immediately drew their weapons and killed all the more than one hundred people they had just escorted over.

More than one hundred lives, all died in less than three breaths.

The entire cave was silent, only the bonfire made a sizzling sound, and a bloody smell rushed into their nostrils. Everyone present looked at the more than one hundred corpses lying scattered on the ground, and couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

They looked up at Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, and the others, their faces showing joy, astonishment, shock, and a hint of fear, which was very complicated.

Joy, because the Sanhu Camp, which had been a scourge to Wuyuan Mountain, was destroyed!

Astonishment, because it was destroyed in such an absurd way.

They didn't even know the ins and outs, and the two chief culprits of the Sanhu Camp, plus more than one hundred people who followed them, were executed.

Shock, naturally because of the strength of Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, and the others in front of them, as well as the Great Xia Camp they represented behind them.

The last bit of fear was even simpler.

The leaders of eleven camps were present today.

They were not fools!

Since the Great Xia Camp has come to Wuyuan Mountain…

This was what Xia Chuan had just said.

This sentence, coupled with the fact that he was now in front of the eleven medium-sized camps, killing the Sanhu Camp in such a domineering and bloody way.

His motive was not difficult to guess.

It was nothing more than to give them a show of strength and have a deterrent effect.

As for the purpose…

They didn't know, and it was precisely because they didn't know Xia Chuan's purpose that fear arose in their hearts.

Is this Great Xia Camp going to stay in Wuyuan Mountain in the future?

Will they be like the previous Sanhu Camp?

With the strength currently displayed by the Great Xia, if that's the case, they…

"Zhu Xing pays respects to Your Lordship! Thank you, Lord Xia Chuan, for eliminating this great scourge for our Wuyuan Mountain. In the future, if the Great Xia has any orders, my Zhu River Camp will dare not disobey!"

This old fox!

Seeing Zhu Xing rushing to speak, Meng Yuan cursed secretly in his heart, and quickly followed behind and bowed to Xia Chuan:

"Meng Yuan pays respects to Your Lordship! Your Lordship took righteous action, and I am endlessly grateful. In the future, my Tongling Camp will also honor the Great Xia, and whatever the Great Xia needs, my Tongling Camp will have, and there will be no second word. We will definitely offer it with both hands!"

"Chen Hua pays respects to Your Lordship! Today…"

"Liu Zhen pays respects to Your Lordship…"

"Kong Xiu pays respects to Your Lordship…"

… … … … … …

As soon as Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan spoke, the remaining eight people almost rushed to respectfully salute Xia Chuan. The words they said were different, but they all expressed the same meaning:

From now on, they will all respect Great Xia, and they will unconditionally obey any order from Great Xia.

This is the effect of deterrence!

Seeing everyone's reaction, a hint of satisfaction appeared deep in Xia Chuan's eyes.

The current effect is undoubtedly what he wants most.

After Hong Guang's incident, he had been considering.

What is the best way for Great Xia to expand?

Like Hong Guang, using force directly is too barbaric. Although it can achieve the goal quickly, it can easily make others resentful and cause endless troubles;

And like when I looked for Xiao He's camp before, gradual communication, using gifts to show the camp's strength, although the effect is good, the whole process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, which is not feasible.

Xia Chuan finally figured it out, deterrence plus goodwill is the best way.

Clearly tell these people that Great Xia has the strength, but has no malice towards you. Only by communicating in this way can we follow our own ideas.

The scene before him was completely within Xia Chuan's expectations.

Of course, what he wants is not just these camps respecting Great Xia.

Since everyone said so, then I, Xia, might as well just say it directly...

After Xia Chuan glanced around the crowd, he continued: "What Great Xia camp lacks most now is people!"

Hearing this, only Xiao Kangcheng's expression remained the same.

The faces of the other ten people all changed slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in their pupils.

"Don't worry, Great Xia is different from the Three Tigers Camp..."

Knowing what everyone was thinking, Xia Chuan continued.

"To be honest, under the leadership of my elder brother Xia Hong, Great Xia camp has occupied more than 300 square kilometers of territory.

The entire arrow bamboo forest on the eastern periphery and north side of Hongmu Ridge is now Great Xia's hunting ground, with animal skins, meat, blood, iron ore, coal mines, spiritual herbs, rare treasures, and exotic objects..."

Hearing this, Xiao Kangcheng's expression was a little strange, because Xia Chuan had said it to him once when he first arrived at Xiao He's camp more than ten days ago.

But seeing the reactions of Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and others, he immediately realized that the effect of Xia Chuan's words today would definitely be higher than before.

The fact is also true. The ten leaders, including Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan, and the people from their respective camps behind them, heard Xia Chuan's description of the Great Xia camp. Although some of them were still dubious, many people's expressions gradually revealed a hint of yearning.

This is the benefit of deterrence!

If Xia Chuan hadn't done anything and just said these words dryly, I'm afraid no one present would believe him.

But with Yu Wentao and other hundreds of Earth Realm cultivators, plus the destruction of the Three Tigers Camp right in front of them, these people couldn't help but believe it.

"...So, the only thing Great Xia camp lacks is people!"

After Xia Chuan finished saying this last sentence, everyone present fell silent.

It was unbelievable and even unimaginable in their eyes that resources were so abundant that there was a shortage of people, but Xia Chuan's words just now expressed exactly that.

Whether they believed it or not, the ten leaders present finally understood.

This is to forcibly merge their own camps.

After figuring out Xia Chuan's intention, their eyes immediately became vigilant, and at the same time, the faces of several people even showed obvious resistance.

"Of course, Great Xia will not force any of you to merge. Like Xiao He's camp, each of your camps can send three people to Great Xia to visit and understand. In the end, whether or not to merge is your own business!"

This sentence greatly relieved everyone.

Even a few leaders directly lost the vigilance in their eyes.

"The matter of merging can be regarded as a gospel from Great Xia to you. Whether you can grasp it depends entirely on yourselves, but I have to say something in advance. There will only be one chance for such a direct merger. If you miss it, there will be no more in the future!"

After Xia Chuan finished saying these words, he also gave up the thought of continuing to persuade, changed the topic, and said with a smile: "I heard that most of the camps on your Five Apes Mountain are in urgent need of iron ore. We, Great Xia, are very interested in this mutual trade fair.

If you can come up with something attractive enough, we, Great Xia, will have as much iron ore as you want!"

After saying this last sentence, Xia Chuan signaled to Shi Ping next to him.

Shi Ping nodded and clapped his hands.

The eight members of the Cloud Flood Dragon Team walked out from behind, each carrying a leather bag, and directly opened the bags in front of everyone.

Clang clang... clang clang... ...

Five large bags of iron ore, along with five large bags of nearly a hundred weapons, were dumped on the ground with a clanging sound.

Everyone's eyes were instantly dazed, looking at the large amount of iron ore and hundreds of sharp weapons on the ground, their eyes filled with desire.

Meng Yuan and Zhu Xing were embarrassed to step forward to block the one bag of iron ore they brought.