Chapter 128: Newborn, Yue Yuan

As soon as Xia Hong and his group withdrew, the entire area near the cliff face fell into sudden silence.

After more than a hundred breaths, He Meng led fourteen men out from the arrow bamboo forest once more. Gazing from afar at the silhouettes of the Great Xia group, He Meng's expression was gloomy, a flash of chilliness crossing his eyes.

"Hmph! Posting sentries at the rear—these people are quite cautious!"

"There are too many of them, and the leaders are quite capable; we can't force them to stay."

"That leader named Xia Hong, the long blade in his hand is stained with the Rat King's blood. His strength is formidable; even if he hasn't reached the Frost-Resisting Realm, he shouldn't be far off."

"Over a hundred Woodcutting Realm experts, and they're equipped with over a hundred bows. This is just an outing, not counting those left behind. This Great Xia must be a large-scale camp."

"There's a high probability they have a Frost-Resisting Realm expert. It must be a large-scale camp, no doubt!"

"Didn't Lu He say that here in Red Wood Ridge, there's only one medium-sized camp called Luo Ge, plus five or six small camps? How did a Great Xia camp suddenly pop up?"

Hearing the others' discussion, He Meng lowered his head. Recalling how Xia Hong had led over a hundred men to tell his group to get lost, the chill in his eyes grew even more intense.

His demand for all the prey had, of course, just been a probe.

If Xia Hong had agreed or even wavered, he would have been able to gauge the caliber and strength of the Great Xia camp.

But Xia Hong's flat refusal and immediate hostility instead made him feel a bit more wary.

Therefore, even knowing that the Great Xia group, having just successfully driven away hundreds of gnawing rats, couldn't possibly have many iron arrows left.

And knowing Xia Hong and his men were not at their peak, he still led his group and held back.

"What exactly is going on with this Great Xia? We'll know once we go back and ask Old Lu and the others. If it really is a large-scale camp with at least two thousand people, reporting it to the lord will be a top-tier merit. Let's go!"

Hearing this, the group nodded, their expressions somewhat excited; clearly, the "top-tier merit" He Meng mentioned held a strong attraction for them.

………………

He Meng and his men disappeared back into the arrow bamboo forest, while on the other side, Xia Hong, trembling with fear, led the Great Xia group and finally returned to the valley encampment.

"Seal the passage, everyone get inside. For the next three days, all outdoor activities are to stop. We'll make arrangements after three days!"

Xia Hong returned to the second-floor hall of the wooden house and immediately issued the order.

"Yes, Leader!"

Xia Chuan and the others clearly understood that he was worried the people from the Mirror Immortal camp might come to scout Great Xia's true strength in the coming days, so they nodded in response.

"Send all eighty-three gnawing rats to the Camp Supply Office; have Tong Xinglong and his two brothers speed up the processing. Luo Yuan, and anyone else injured, hurry and arrange for treatment!"

No sooner had Xia Hong finished speaking than several women rushed up, pressed him onto the chair behind him, and began cleaning and bandaging the soles of his feet.

Luo Yuan had entered the house first, and as soon as he came in, he had been carried upstairs, so not many people had seen the bloody hole in his shoulder.

But at this moment, the soles of Xia Hong's feet were exposed directly before everyone's eyes.

Hiss…………

Seeing that bloody hole, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

The bloody hole, the size of an infant's fist, pierced through the entire sole of his foot. Even though the Golden Sore Powder was already taking effect, some of the flesh around the hole had not yet closed, and one could see straight through it.

To have such a large hole pierced through the sole of one's foot—how painful must that be!

Those who had stayed in the camp tonight and hadn't gone out felt a chill down their backs upon seeing such a gruesome wound, and their hearts were immediately filled with reverence for Xia Hong.

The hundred or so who had gone out, thinking of the severe injury Xia Hong had sustained on his foot, yet he had still confronted the Mirror Immortal camp people and even walked all the way back as if nothing were wrong—looking at Xia Hong now, their eyes were filled with even more respect.

"Leader, please focus on recovering from your injuries!"

Xia Chuan leaned in to look at the wound on the sole of Xia Hong's foot, his face full of worry.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Long and the others also spoke up one after another.

"That's right, Leader, you've suffered such a severe injury, please rest."

"If the people from the Mirror Immortal camp dare to come, I'll fight them to the death!"

"Yes, Leader, you rest, we'll handle the rest."

…………

Looking at the worry in everyone's eyes, Xia Hong felt a slight warmth in his heart. Seeing that everyone in the camp had gathered together, and remembering that he hadn't told them about tonight's victory after being away for so long, he pondered for a moment and said:

"By the way, you all saw those gnawing rats we brought back, right?"

Those who had gone out tonight, of course, knew what Xia Hong was about to say, and looks of pride appeared on their faces.

Most of those who hadn't gone out had also guessed it, and looks of anticipation appeared on their faces.

"The gnawing rat pack on the north slope has been driven away; we are safe!"

…………

Except for the hundred or so who had gone out, everyone else, upon hearing Xia Hong's words, instantly showed joy on their faces. After a moment of silence, a burst of intense cheering erupted.

"I knew it! With the Leader taking action, those gnawing rats were bound to suffer!"

"Hahahaha, those beasts, they caused the deaths of so many of us a while ago; today, they finally got their retribution."

"The valley is safe, the valley is safe! The Leader is mighty!"

"The Leader is mighty!"

………………

The people of Great Xia, who had been plagued by the gnawing rat pack for over a month, finally felt relieved. Chen Ying and his son, who had joined Great Xia later, and the two hundred or so people from Chen Ye's camp, were even more ecstatic.

Especially those who had lost relatives to the gnawing rats were so moved that they shed tears, looking at Xia Hong with eyes full of gratitude and reverence.

For the humans of the Frozen Abyss World, the greatest need is a sense of security.

This sense of security is not psychological; it is practical.

With the gnawing rat pack entrenched less than two kilometers away, everyone had been in a state of constant fear during this period.

If not for this, the group wouldn't have been able to show such high enthusiasm for forging bows and practicing archery over the past twenty days.

It could be said that for this past month, everyone in the Great Xia camp had a sword hanging over their heads. A sword that could fall at any moment.

And at this very moment, with Xia Hong's announcement, this sword had finally disappeared.

One can imagine the excitement in everyone's hearts right now.

"Waa…………"

The cheering was suddenly interrupted by a loud infant's cry.

Everyone instantly quieted down, and even Xia Hong couldn't help but turn his head to look toward the room from which the baby's cry had come.

The cry was heard very clearly; it came from the room closest to the hall.

"A baby? Whose family had a child?"

"Mine, mine, it's my family's!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out in the crowd, and then a figure quickly squeezed out and rushed directly toward the room.

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"Yue Feng?"

Seeing that person, Xia Hong, Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and many others in the Great Xia camp were momentarily stunned.

And as for Yue Feng, who had rushed over, before he could even enter, the door was opened from the inside.

Three women walked out of the room. The one in the middle, being supported, was about seventeen or eighteen years old, draped in an animal hide cloak, holding a baby in her arms. Her walking posture was somewhat weak; she was clearly the new mother.

Although her face was very pale, looking at the baby in her arms, her mouth was full of smiles, and her eyes were full of joy.

"Brother Feng, it's a son. I've given you a son."

"Hahahaha, that's great! Wan, you've worked hard!"

………………

Watching Yue Feng happily holding his son, Xia Hong's expression was somewhat strange. He turned to look at Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, Lin Kai, and the others, and seeing not a hint of surprise on their faces, he immediately understood that he was the only one kept in the dark about Yue Feng having a wife.

"Big Brother, you didn't know, did you? Back at the dirt slope, Yue Feng and Lin Wan were already together. I hadn't seen Lin Wan for several months, and I was wondering why she was hiding in her room every day. So she was secretly hiding to have a baby……"

Hearing Xia Chuan's final tease, Xia Hong couldn't help but laugh.

Counting it up, Yue Feng and Lin Wan were both among the oldest members of the Great Xia camp.

After Xia Ding died early on, the first batch of Woodcutting Realm experts he cultivated were Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng, and the second batch were Yue Feng, Lin Kai, Qiu Peng, Xu Ning, and Lu Yang.

Yue Feng was the oldest of the five, so it wasn't strange for him to have a child.

"By the way, I remember, Lin Wan is Lin Kai's older sister, right?"

Xia Chuan nodded and replied, "Yes, Lin Kai took people to the valley entrance to seal the passage. He'll definitely be very happy when he comes back in a while."

Becoming an uncle, naturally, one would be happy.

The Frozen Abyss is not a normal world. Although the men and women in the camp uphold the concept of monogamy through generations, there are no particular requirements for marriage rituals. Most just get together when they fancy each other. It was normal for Xia Hong not to know if he didn't actively inquire.

Xia Hong's heart stirred slightly. He turned to look at Yuan Cheng and the others, then asked Xia Chuan, "Among them, who else has found a wife?"

"Lin Kai, Qiu Peng, Xu Ning, and Lu Yang have all found someone. Yuan Cheng has been getting quite close to Shi Ping's younger sister recently; it should be soon for him too, hahahaha……"

Matters of men and women are always something people can't help but gossip about. Xia Chuan nudged his chin toward Yuan Cheng as he spoke, clearly teasing him.

Seeing Yuan Cheng shyly touching his head, looking bashful, Xia Hong couldn't help but laugh and give him a thumbs up.

"You kid, you've got an eye for it. Keep it up!"

Shi Ping's younger sister is named Shi Lu. When he rescued the Great Stone camp, he had seen her; she was indeed very pretty.

Seeing Xia Chuan still laughing foolishly, he deliberately lowered his face and scolded, "All you know is how to laugh. You should be finding a wife yourself soon!"

Hearing Xia Hong's scolding, Xia Chuan subconsciously shrank his neck. But thinking of something, he immediately turned to look at Xia Hong, his eyes carrying a hint of mockery.

Not just him, but Yuan Cheng, Lin Kai, and many others nearby.

Hearing Xia Hong say this, their expressions suddenly became somewhat strange.

The older brother isn't even married yet, but he's already managing his younger brother.

*Cough, cough, cough*…………

Xia Hong also realized there was a problem with his words and quickly coughed a few times, wanting to change the subject to cover it up.

But as it happened, Yue Feng, holding the child, came over to bail him out.

"Leader, the camp had a great victory today, and my son came at just the right time. Yue Feng boldly asks the Leader to bestow a name upon the child!"

Xia Hong helped up Yue Feng, who intended to bow, took the child from his hands, and a look of agitation appeared on his face.

People in the Frozen Abyss World have strong physiques. Like Lin Wan, after giving birth, she could walk out immediately as if nothing had happened. But a strong adult physique doesn't mean the infant is strong.

In fact, because an infant's constitution is inherently weak, coupled with the harsh environment, the smaller and weaker the camp, the lower the birth rate.

The child in his hands, strictly speaking, was the first child born in the camp since he came to the Frozen Abyss World.

And it was born on this very night, the day of the great victory of driving away the gnawing rat pack.

And it just so happened to be when he had returned and was leading everyone in a meeting on the second floor.

It was indeed extremely significant!

"With the threat of the gnawing rat pack gone, from today on, in this Red Wood Ridge area, Great Xia can be considered worry-free for the short term. This is a new beginning. A newborn arriving at this time is quite fitting."

"Let's call him, Yuan."

"Yue Yuan!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 129 =====