Chapter 157: Inheritance Rights, Strategic Retreat [Sorry for the Delay]

Xia Hong fell silent for a moment, then walked up to the three children and asked softly:

"What are your names? How old are you?"

"Report, Captain, my name is Li Yan, I am five years old."

"Li Ting, three years old."

"Report, Captain, my name is Li Feng, I am four years old."

Hearing the three children answer, their voices trembling with sobs, Xia Hong couldn't help but step forward and stroke their heads.

Li Yan and Li Ting were Li Yun's sons; Li Feng was the only son of Li Pingkai.

From the fur-lined children's jackets they wore, and the full sets of clothing on the two widows, it was clear these two families had once been among the top tier in living standards.

Of course—Li Yun and Li Pingkai were both hunting team members, among the camp's strongest contributors of merit points; as their families, their lives had naturally been very comfortable.

Precisely because of this, the five widows and orphans before him now felt even greater anguish.

Just as their lives were improving, they were suddenly struck by this catastrophe.

Xia Hong gently squatted before the three children and suddenly asked:

"I failed to protect your fathers. Do you three hate me?"

"Captain…"

"Big Brother…"

Xia Hong raised a hand behind him, signaling Xia Chuan and the others who wished to speak to remain silent, then fixed his gaze on the three children, waiting for their answers.

The two widows had stopped crying, their expressions tense—they didn't understand why Xia Hong asked this, and feared the children might say the wrong thing.

Though Xia Hong's tone was gentle, the children's youth showed: seeing everyone staring at them, they immediately shrank back, their expressions turning timid, instinctively seeking their mothers.

"Don't be afraid—just answer me."

This single sentence calmed the children.

After more than ten breaths, someone finally spoke.

"I don't hate the Captain. My father said that without him, he could never have broken through to Excavation Realm; I could never have eaten cold-beast meat as supplementary food, or worn new clothes. Without the Captain, none of us would live as we do now."

Surprisingly, it was Li Ting who spoke—the only one among the three who hadn't added "Report, Captain" when Xia Hong asked their names, and whose tone had been cold.

Xia Hong had assumed he was the least articulate of the three.

As soon as Li Ting spoke, his older brother Li Yan followed immediately.

"Xia Chuan just said the hunting team was ambushed by the Mirror Immortal Camp. My father was surely killed by them. I don't hate the Captain—I only hate the Mirror Immortal Camp. When I grow up, I will kill them to avenge my father."

"My father said the Captain is the best person to us. The food I eat, the clothes I wear, the house I live in—all come from the Captain. Ting-ge is right: the ones who killed my father are surely from the Mirror Immortal Camp. When I grow up, I will avenge my father too!"

Though their voices were childish, they carried an unusual resolve.

There was sincere reverence and admiration for Xia Hong—and also deep, unyielding hatred for their fathers' killers.

Hearing this, everyone else present grew more solemn.

Xia Hong, after listening to the children, felt even heavier inside.

Children aren't like adults—they don't overthink or calculate. The probability of hearing truth from them is high, especially under sudden circumstances like this.

The unconditional trust, deep reverence, and gratitude in their words, Xia Hong could feel them clearly—and it was precisely this that filled him with the greatest guilt.

Turning to look at the crowd, Xia Hong spoke in a low voice:

"Today's disaster is my fault. Listen to me first…"

Seeing the hunting team and others ready to protest, Xia Hong immediately raised his hand to silence them, then continued: "I underestimated the Mirror Immortal Camp's strength and overestimated my own. Before I understood the enemy's situation, I recklessly led you into repeated confrontations—and that's what caused this tragedy. The deaths of Li Yun and Li Pingkai—I, as Captain, bear undeniable responsibility!"

"Captain, I disagree. In the end, we all fought to hold onto Hongmu Ridge. It wasn't just you—we all thought the same. No matter how strong the Mirror Immortal Camp is, if we must fight, we fight."

"I agree. The Captain isn't at fault. From the moment He Meng and his group first showed their intentions, if we gave up the north, Hongmu Ridge would soon be entirely lost to outsiders. Fortunately, we had the Captain leading us—otherwise, our territory would already belong to someone else."

"If we don't fight, there are only two paths: wait to die, or let all of Great Xia merge into the Mirror Immortal Camp and bow before them. I'd rather die like Li Yun and Li Pingkai than suffer humiliation elsewhere."

"The debt for Li Yun and Li Pingkai belongs solely to the Mirror Immortal Camp. They were the first to provoke; they were the first to cross the border; they were the first to kill. With their strength, they've bullied us too far—then let's fight them to the death."

…………

Seeing the crowd's rising fury, Xia Hong felt a strange, indescribable emotion.

His guilt, of course, wasn't over choosing to clash with the Mirror Immortal Camp in the first place—Great Xia's survival on Hongmu Ridge inevitably meant conflict with them.

Giving up the northern territory would have been easy.

But once they tasted victory, would they stop at just that one patch?

The Ice Abyss world doesn't believe in cooperation or mutual gain.

One step back often leads to an endless abyss—not open skies.

His true guilt lay in rushing to patrol the northern territory before understanding the enemy's situation.

This was the direct cause of Li Yun and Li Pingkai's deaths.

In truth, Xia Hong had considered the possibility of ambush or encountering the enemy's main force—but at that time, his skin layer had advanced significantly, his base strength had crossed the Cold-Resistant threshold, and his confidence was immense.

Unless both Cold-Resistant experts of the Mirror Immortal Camp acted together, even if he faced three hunting teams like He Meng's, he was certain he could lead everyone away unharmed.

But he never imagined the Mirror Immortal Camp had allied with the Wicked Ones—and tonight, to ambush him, they had nearly emptied their ranks.

Yuwen the Guardian led them: hundreds of Excavation Realm cultivators—nearly the entire force of the Mirror Immortal Camp, save for He Yuanhun.

Moreover, they had been monitoring the valley all along.

From the ambush's layout, the eastern side had the most troops—Yuwen's group clearly arrived from the outer perimeter.

That meant: as soon as Great Xia's hunting team left the valley, the Mirror Immortal Camp knew immediately.

It must have been so—otherwise, how could it be so coincidental?

Xia Hong scanned the valley's perimeter, a flash of cold light in his eyes, then turned back to the camp and said:

"Enough about my mistakes!

Li Yun and Li Pingkai died for the camp. Their widows and children must be supported by the camp. Until Li Yan, Li Ting, and Li Feng reach Excavation Realm, all their cultivation needs will be provided free of charge by the camp.

Furthermore, the homes of Li Pingkai and Li Yun will remain occupied by their families. Their remaining merit points, weapons, and bows will be inherited directly by the children—the camp will reclaim nothing."

Huh…

As Xia Hong finished speaking, everyone in the camp breathed more heavily.

Even some members of the hunting team with children changed expression.

Li Yun and Li Pingkai had both been hunting team members—they lived on the third floor. Now that they were dead, their rooms remained with their families;

Their merit points, bows, and weapons—all passed directly to their children;

Most crucially, the three children and their two mothers would receive all cultivation supplies free of charge until they reached Excavation Realm.

Even in the brutal Ice Abyss, kinship remains the strongest bond between people.

Since Great Xia implemented the merit point system, everyone—men and women alike—worked solely for merit points once their cultivation reached a threshold.

Everyone's hard-earned merit points ultimately served only two purposes: cultivation, and family.

Outside, whether hunting cold-beasts or fighting other camps, even simple tasks like chopping wood or gathering resources—none could guarantee absolute safety.

Xia Hong's words lifted their deepest fears: if you die for the camp, for Great Xia, your widow and children will be cared for best—and your contributions will not vanish, but be inherited intact by your children.

"Inheritance" sounded ordinary—but for these people, it was utterly alien, unimaginable.

Before now, whether Great Xia, Great Stone, Huang Zhao, Great River, or even Luo Ge's camp—none had ever done this.

The reason was simple: under scarce resources, inheritance was impossible. That was normal.

Limited resources must always be prioritized for those of greatest value.

In truth, even today's Great Xia had no abundance of resources. The only surplus—cold-beast meat—would soon grow scarce again due to the Mirror Immortal Camp's invasion.

Though Hongmu Ridge was vast, our hunting grounds were only the outer fringes. With this hunting team's casualties and retreat, the Mirror Immortal Camp's incursion will accelerate—and our hunting territory will shrink further.

Yet under such circumstances, Xia Hong made this decision.

Xia Chuan immediately wanted to speak; Luo Yuan, Zhao Long, and others who had once been with Luo Ge also hesitated, ready to advise against it.

But their eyes fell on Li Yun and Li Pingkai's widows—seeing the faint color returning to the widows' and orphans' faces—they held their tongues.

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"The remaining members of the hunting team—come with me upstairs!"

After announcing his decision, Xia Hong said no more, simply leading everyone up to the third floor.

He didn't reveal the Mirror Immortal Camp's connection to the Wicked Ones before the crowd—fearing panic—but the hunting team needed to know.

Also, after this crushing defeat, the Mirror Immortal Camp would surely make further moves; Great Xia's resource-gathering plans must change.

…………

On the third floor, seeing the fifteen remaining members of the hunting team, Xia Hong sighed inwardly.

He had noticed upon entering the valley: all fifteen bore wounds. The worst were Zhao Bao and Ying Xuan—the former could no longer walk on his left leg, relying on a wooden crutch; the latter had both cheeks pierced, arrows removed but the holes still clearly visible—he could no longer speak.

Xia Hong paused, then revealed everything: the Mirror Immortal Camp's link to the Wicked Ones, and his suspicions.

"Hahahaha, served right! So they've been infiltrated by Wicked Ones? Let's just wait to see how they die."

"Risen from death, controlled by Wicked Ones without knowing—perfect! The Mirror Immortal Camp is finished."

"Still have the nerve to fight us? What fools!"

"Hahahaha, wonderful, wonderful."

…………

As expected, upon hearing the Mirror Immortal Camp was infiltrated by Wicked Ones, everyone reacted with excitement and joy.

Only Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Yue Feng's smiles faded quickly. After a moment's thought, their expressions turned grave.

Xia Hong met each of their gazes and immediately knew—they had reached the same conclusion as he had.

Under normal circumstances, Great Xia and the Mirror Immortal Camp were hardly allies—but before the treacherous, ruthless Wicked Ones, who saw human lives as grass, that description wasn't excessive.

Especially since they now knew Great Xia's base location.

They have even begun probing Da Xia.

Probing means Da Xia has become their target.

Not just Xia Chuan and the other two, the rest of the hunting team are no fools.

Especially since the incident with the Wooden Puppet Ghost was less than a year ago; many have slowly realized the truth, their earlier joy fading into solemnity.

"When humans and ghosts are mixed together, even they can't tell them apart—how could we? We must avoid the Mirror Immortal encampment for now!"

Xia Hong turned to look at Yue Feng, a flicker of surprise rising in his heart.

He hadn't expected Yue Feng to react the fastest.

After confirming the connection between the Mirror Immortal encampment and the ghosts, his first thought was also to reduce—or even avoid—contact entirely.

Upon hearing this, the others paused to think, then quickly nodded in agreement.

If the Mirror Immortal encampment were purely human, we might still find ways to negotiate, temporarily cede interests, or continue indirect resistance—there would always be options.

But once entangled with ghosts, normal logic no longer applies.

The ghost that has infiltrated the Mirror Immortal encampment is undoubtedly powerful—we need no guesswork—but by what means it controls humans, or what abilities it possesses, we know nothing.

Under these circumstances, avoiding contact is the best choice.

Moreover, Xia Hong just said the ghost must fear the encampment's iron-smelting furnace—meaning, as long as we stay within the valley, we are safe.

Under these circumstances, there's even less reason to contact the Mirror Immortal encampment.

"If Yuwen the Guardian can use the leader's hint to uncover traces of the ghost in the encampment, then spark a major battle, that would be ideal!"

Xia Chuan's words stirred subtle reactions in the others.

In that case, wouldn't Da Xia be able to reap the benefits for free?

Xia Hong understood his meaning, but after thinking, he immediately shook his head.

The probability is negligible.

"What they do, we need not concern ourselves with. Since we now know the Mirror Immortal encampment is a dead end, we need not overreact to them—so long as they don't come looking for trouble, we should focus quietly on strengthening ourselves. I only wonder… whether the ghost will come to us first…"

As Xia Hong spoke those final words, a look of concern crossed his face, but it vanished quickly. He stood up and continued addressing the group:

"Not just the north—we won't go anywhere farther from the valley for now. The camp's essential resources are merely wood, coal, and cold-beast meat.

Starting today, everyone in the camp—including you—all must stay within one kilometer of the valley. This distance just covers the outer five hundred meters of the Redwood Ridge's middle section; even if we harvest all the resources in this area, it will be enough to sustain us for a long time…"

Xia Hong laid out his plans calmly; the others occasionally raised objections, which he considered, then either adjusted or held firm on, and soon the discussion ended.

In essence, it all boiled down to four words: strategic retreat.

Until we know the Mirror Immortal encampment's next moves and the ghost's exact nature, all Da Xia can do is minimize its operational range—while ensuring cultivation remains unaffected—and prioritize safety above all.

A single primary ghost nearly wiped out Luo Ge's entire camp—once numbering thirteen to fourteen hundred, now reduced to fewer than two hundred.

Today's Da Xia is, of course, far stronger than Luo Ge's encampment.

But could the ghost controlling the Mirror Immortal encampment be weaker than that Wooden Puppet Ghost?

Xia Hong's strategic retreat received unanimous approval.

Only Xia Chuan raised a question.

"If none of us go out, Brother, how will you get your cold-beast blood?"

The other hunters instantly realized it too—remembering Xia Hong still needed vast quantities of cold-beast blood and resources to break through the Cold Resistance realm—and their faces darkened with worry.

Xia Hong smiled faintly and shook his head. "Don't worry about me—the Mirror Immortal encampment isn't strong enough to threaten me…"

Except for He Yuanhun—and the ghost behind the Mirror Immortal encampment!

Though his expression remained calm, Xia Hong still felt some unease toward these two unknown figures.

Not just him.

Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, and Yue Feng clearly thought of them too—their pupils flickered with traces of concern.

Today I was out handling matters, exhausted from rushing about, and only just got home—I sincerely apologize to everyone. I'm currently figuring out how to adjust and speed up the pace; please bear with me!

(End of Chapter)