Chapter 179

In the Ice Abyss world, the weaker a camp's people, the more they yearn to merge into a stronger camp—this is undeniable.

After all, the stronger the camp, the higher the survival rate, the better the environment, and the more abundant the supplies; anyone with a functioning mind understands this.

Of course, a few camps have high-ranking members unwilling to relinquish their privileged status, leading to resistance and desperate efforts to block mergers.

But Xiao Kangcheng and his daughter Xiao Ning, despite brief contact, Xia Chuan could firmly conclude they were not such people.

If not that, then what other reason could there be?

Remembering his lack of knowledge about the camps in the Five Monkeys Mountain region, Xia Chuan fell silent for a moment, then asked: "You all seem hesitant—could you tell me the reason? I am unworthy, but within my own camp, I hold some influence. If your demands are not excessive, I can vouch for my leader's agreement. What do you say?"

Xia Chuan's question received no reply; instead, after he spoke, Xiao Kangcheng and the others grew even more wary.

The silence stretched for over ten breaths before Xiao Kangcheng gave a subtle signal to one of the hunters, who immediately turned and left.

Xia Chuan's expression darkened slightly; though his gaze grew cautious, he was not overly concerned—he had just saved Xiao Ning, and given Xiao Kangcheng's character, he would not order an attack.

Indeed, the man returned shortly.

But on his back he carried a snow-maned beast and a frost wolf, walking over and placing both carcasses directly before Xia Chuan.

This was clearly a dismissal.

Seeing the two carcasses, Xia Chuan instantly understood their meaning.

"Today, you saved my daughter, Xia Chuan. I am deeply grateful. Aside from people, anything in Xiao River Camp you find worthy, I will gladly offer you. But please, do not mention anything else."

Xiao Kangcheng's tone had turned abruptly harsh; Xia Chuan was caught off guard.

He had not expected them to refuse outright without even explaining—his carefully prepared arguments were now useless.

Though he wished to try again, seeing the clear resistance on Xiao Kangcheng's face, he realized further effort would backfire and held his tongue.

He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then raised it with a faint smile:

"Master Xiao, I saved your daughter today purely by chance—I had no ulterior motive…"

After speaking, Xia Chuan paused, locking eyes with Xiao Ning; his sincerity made her rigid expression flicker with slight avoidance.

"If you do not welcome me, then I shall leave!"

With that, Xia Chuan rose without delay, bowed to Xiao Kangcheng, and walked out.

"Master, the two carcasses on the ground…"

Xiao Kangcheng reminded him to take the prey, but Xia Chuan did not turn back—he simply followed the path he had entered and walked out.

Just before exiting, Xia Chuan remembered something, halted, removed the iron token from his waist, and tossed it toward Xiao Kangcheng.

"In the coming days, many from Great Xia will be active along the northern shore. To avoid unnecessary conflict, I give you this token. If you encounter trouble, try using it—it may help."

Xiao Kangcheng caught the token; though his expression softened slightly, he remained wary—only after confirming Xia Chuan had left the cave did he sit back down, his wariness gradually turning to regret and self-reproach.

"Truly, strangers must never be brought into camp—I was foolish. Now not only have we revealed our location, but our strength is fully exposed. If this man harbors ill intent, our situation is dire…"

Hearing Xiao Kangcheng's words, Xiao Ning and her siblings, along with the hunting team, grew grim.

"Leader, it's not your fault. Xia Chuan was perfectly amiable from start to finish, and his appearance was highly deceptive—he only revealed his true intent after entering our base. None of us suspected."

"What ill intent? Even if he's strong, he's only one man. We didn't even lift a hand against him today—that's already mercy."

"But he knows our location. What if he returns and brings the entire Great Xia camp with him?"

"Let them come. Do you really believe his words? If Great Xia were truly as powerful as he claimed, why would they bother absorbing us? I think he was just lying to trick us."

"Of course—he's just like the Three Tigers Camp: sweet talk to lure us in, then once we're there, ordinary folk and Timber Realm cultivators become slave laborers or frost beast bait."

"Five Monkeys Mountain was already ruined by those three tigers—now this Great Xia shows up too?"

"The cold wave's coming again. What a season of troubles!"

"Enough. For now, tell everyone in camp not to wander far at night, and to cut wood only nearby. Go spread the word."

After listening to the group's chatter, Xiao Kangcheng cut them off.

Everyone dispersed to deliver the orders, except Xiao Ning, who remained still.

Seeing her eldest daughter clutching the token Xia Chuan had left, her expression distant, Xiao Kangcheng looked at her, his face growing peculiar.

"Ning'er, you're not still thinking…"

Xiao Ning snapped out of her daze, saw her father's gaze, and stamped her foot in annoyance: "Father, what are you imagining?"

She paused, raised the token, and her expression grew solemn: "I just think the craftsmanship of this token—Three Tigers Camp couldn't make it. Even if Xia Chuan exaggerated, Great Xia's strength is likely formidable, perhaps even comparable to Three Tigers Camp."

Xiao Kangcheng took the token, examined it closely, and his expression grew grave.

The token was rectangular, about the size of a fist. On its front, besides the raised "Cloud Dragon," a tiny character "Xia" sat at the top. The rest of the surface and edges were deliberately engraved with cloud patterns, enhancing its elegance.

Iron in the Ice Abyss world is extremely dense—a fist-sized piece weighs forty to fifty jin. This token, Xiao Kangcheng judged with a light lift, weighed over fifty jin.

It wasn't that making a token was hard—it was that anyone willing to expend so much iron on a single token, and to invest effort into crafting ornate cloud patterns, revealed much.

"Great Xia camp lacks neither Earth-Dig Realm cultivators, nor iron, nor coal, and perhaps even lacks no frost beast meat. Just these few points prove their strength rivals that of Three Tigers Camp."

Hearing his daughter's words, Xiao Kangcheng frowned, recalling the two carcasses on the ground that Xia Chuan hadn't even glanced at, and the iron scabbard of the slender longsword at his waist—he nodded slightly.

"But Father…"

Xiao Ning hesitated, a blush rising on her cheeks, then continued:

"I feel Xia Chuan is different from the people of Three Tigers Camp."

Oh no.

Seeing his daughter's reaction, Xiao Kangcheng instantly thought of two words.

Hero saves beauty—especially when the hero is strikingly handsome, young, and possesses formidable strength, coupled with an air of noble grace. It was natural his daughter would be moved.

Not just in Xiao River Camp, but across Five Monkeys Mountain, Xiao Ning had always dismissed every young talent. Now, at eighteen, still unmarried, Xiao Kangcheng had been anxious. Here was finally a suitable match—and he should be happy.

But the problem was: he knew nothing about Xia Chuan, and the man had clearly shown intent to absorb them. His heart was filled more with unease and hesitation.

The precedent of Three Tigers Camp was far too stark.

If Great Xia was like them, this wouldn't be a good match—it would be a dire peril.

"Let's wait and see. As Xia Chuan said, many from Great Xia will soon be active along the northern shore. We'll observe then."

………………Just as Xiao Kangcheng and the others were uneasy, Xia Chuan had just learned from Zhao Hu the reason for their reaction.

"So, Three Tigers Camp previously tricked many camps into merging, but their rule is to concentrate all resources for the top leadership—only the families of Earth-Dig Realm cultivators are spared; Timber Realm and ordinary folk become slave laborers or frost beast bait, and their fates are grim?"

Hearing Xia Chuan's question, Zhao Hu, who had spoken at length, first nodded, then shook his head: "Not just Timber Realm and ordinary folk—even some Earth-Dig Realm cultivators couldn't escape. I heard that even some Earth-Dig Realm cultivators were forced to obey the three leaders because their families were held hostage."

Even Earth-Dig Realm cultivators were threatened!

Xia Chuan's brow furrowed; before he could speak, Zhao Hu continued:

"Originally, Five Monkeys Mountain had twenty to thirty thousand people, with thirty to forty camps—over ten medium-sized, over twenty small. Three Tigers Camp was one of the medium-sized ones. Using this method, they nearly destroyed six or seven out of ten small camps, and even tricked two medium-sized camps. Only after survivors from those two camps exposed the truth did others become harder to deceive."

Hearing this, Xia Chuan finally understood why Xiao Kangcheng and the others had reacted that way.

Perhaps Xiao River Camp had been tricked before—just not successfully.

"After swindling so many people, how strong is Three Tigers Camp?"

Hearing the question, Zhao Hu frowned slightly and shook his head: "The small river camp I found had only two hundred people. They knew little, and were extremely wary. I'd have learned nothing without using a few… methods."

Used some methods?

Xia Chuan raised an eyebrow, looked at Zhao Hu and the nine men of the Steel-Mane Squad, and noticed their expressions shifting away—he understood immediately.

Either they'd beaten someone, or threatened them.

It made sense: ten Earth-Dig Realm cultivators facing a small camp of two hundred could easily crush them.

Under such circumstances, Zhao Hu wouldn't have been as courteous as Xia Chuan had been to Xiao River Camp—their status and strength were too vastly unequal.

"Director Shi, these camps are too suspicious of us to communicate properly. It's better to be firm—just bring them into the camp directly. Once they experience the many benefits of joining Great Xia, they'll naturally stop resisting."

Recalling his own experience at Xiao River Camp, Xia Chuan understood Zhao Hu's logic but didn't immediately agree. After a moment's thought, he shook his head:

"This method shouldn't be used often. Only in extreme cases with very small camps. Mostly, we must rely on persuasion. After all, we're absorbing people into our camp—if they form negative impressions before even arriving, integration slows, and ultimately, we're the ones who suffer."

Here, Xia Chuan paused, his expression solemn:

"Killing is absolutely forbidden."

Hearing these final words, Zhao Hu immediately waved his hand and laughed:

"Each person is fifty contribution points—I wouldn't dare kill them!"

"Hahaha, yes, they're too valuable to kill."

"We don't do losing deals."

"Hahaha…"

Zhao Hu's Steel-Mane Squad members burst into laughter, joining in.

Xia Chuan smiled faintly too—indeed, killing was unlikely.

The three main sources of expansion contribution points were:

First, map expansion—one point per ten meters.

Second, discovering camps—from small to colossal, 500 to 10, 00 points.

Third, recruiting outsiders—fifty points per person, no upper limit.

A hunting squad's share from killing a low-level frost beast might be around thirty points—fifty contribution points equaled two hunts. Who would be foolish enough to kill these people?

"Master, we're back!"

Xia Chuan turned to see Shi Ping and the other eight members of the Cloud Dragon Squad approaching from nearby.

"You're so cheerful—did you find something?"

Seeing Shi Ping's excited expression, Xia Chuan asked with a sense of intuition.

Shi Ping nodded firmly: "I found a Timber Team—over twenty people, led by Shen Dong. Their camp is Mu River, with over four hundred people. I've spoken with Shen Dong. They're wary of outsiders and didn't agree outright, but said if our invitation is sincere, they'll meet us again at the usual spot. They'll send someone to inspect Great Xia—if the truth matches, they'll merge their entire camp."

Of course—not just Xiao River Camp, but every camp in Five Monkeys Mountain had been made suspicious by Three Tigers Camp.

Xia Chuan studied Shi Ping, made a rough estimate, then shook his head.

Encountering a Timber Team meant Shi Ping didn't know Mu River Camp's exact location—he'd likely met Shen Dong's group in the dense forest.

Shen Dong was certainly afraid that Shi Ping and the other nine were too strong to refuse outright, and unsure whether Shi Ping might use force, so he deliberately used the excuse of sending someone ahead to visit Great Xia on their next meeting, to ensure his own safety.

Most likely, next time at the usual spot, the other side won't show up.

Xia Chuan looked around and saw all his team members and Zhao Hu's team present; he said nothing more, merely pondered for a moment before leading everyone back.

Shi Ping wasn't foolish; seeing Xia Chuan's lack of interest in his discovery, he struck up a conversation with Zhao Hu on the return journey and learned about the Three Tiger Camp in Five Ape Mountain and the surrounding camps—his expression immediately darkened.

He realized he'd likely been fooled by Shen Dong.

If they don't come next time to the usual spot, where will he go to find them?

"Don't worry—we've had decent luck; at least we've found something. The Xuanwu squad has been patrolling here for days and found nothing. Long Wu and Shen Wu squads both came to help him. We still have over twenty days—spend more effort here going forward, and our chances are greater than theirs!"

Hearing Xia Chuan's words, Shi Ping's expression improved considerably.

Right now, the camps are competing for the position of Exploitation Department Chief. Judging from Xuanwu Squad's recent movements, Hong Guang is determined to win this post; Long Wu and Shen Wu squads, led by Yuwen Tao and Hong Tian respectively, clearly intend to support him.

"The boss has high hopes for me—I absolutely cannot let him down. Yunjiao Squad has already met this month's hunting quota. From now on, I'll come here every night and must recruit enough people to secure this Chief position!"

Thinking of how Xia Chuan had brought the entire Yunjiao Squad—and even brought Zhao Hu's Golden Eagle Squad—to help him fight for that Chief position, Shi Ping silently resolved within himself: he must not lose.

Leading the group, Xia Chuan synthesized the reports from Zhao Hu and Shi Ping in his mind, his eyes revealing a flicker of thought.

"The problem must lie with the Three Tiger Camp. To bring all these camps under Great Xia, we must first resolve the Three Tiger Camp. Small camps know little—our breakthrough must still be the Xiaohe Camp!"

This isn't like before, when Da Chuan, Da Shi, Huang Zhao… these families, though not close to Great Xia, all scraped by in Red Wood Ridge; we didn't know each other inside out, but we had some basic ties, so merging wasn't so difficult.

Five Ape Mountain is different: geographically distant from Great Xia, and with completely different conditions—people won't just blindly follow you after hearing a few words.

In the Bingyuan World, trust is a precious thing.

Especially for small, weak camps.

"Luo Yuan, Yuan Cheng, Zhao Long, Zhao Bao, Huang Yong—their monthly quotas should all be done. Starting tomorrow night, summon all five squads here to investigate the Five Ape Mountain camps. Try to locate the Three Tiger Camp—I want to see just how terrifying these three tigers really are!"

Hearing Xia Chuan's words, Zhao Bao's face lit up with excitement.

"Heh, with so many people coming, it'll be lively. Even if we haven't met our quota, there aren't many cold beasts on the north bank, but if you look hard enough, you'll find some—hunting a few is no big deal."

Shi Ping, however, realized Xia Chuan intended to bring the other five hunting squads here to help him—and suddenly felt even greater pressure.

(End of Chapter)