Chapter 180

In the first year of Daxia, the first day of the fourth month, deep night.

Inside the valley, construction of the new wooden building continued in full swing.

Though only ten days had passed since it began, the three-story outline of the new building was already taking shape, and the focus of labor had shifted from the outer walls to the interior.

Unlike the original, the new building's outer walls used vast quantities of iron, with critical sections even thickened and reinforced—anyone could plainly see that its defensive capability far exceeded the old one by several times or more.

At the valley entrance, a group of several hundred people were slowly entering.

Every person in this group wore animal-skin skirts; some even had tattered ones, and several children simply wrapped themselves in single animal hides, clearly having traveled a great distance, their lips blue from cold.

After entering the valley and looking around, they all halted simultaneously, their faces filled with awe and excitement:

"We've arrived—this valley is our Daxia base."

"So warm—there's no bonfire, yet the temperature is so high."

"They're burning coal, look at that white smoke."

"So much wood—the valley sides are nearly piled to the brim!"

"Wood? Look over there on the ground—it's all iron and coal."

"Gah… look over there—that's cold-beast meat, and so many hides—must be thousands, just lying there casually?"

"These two wooden huts are huge!"

"Not just these two outside—look inside, there are three more, and that one under construction—its outer walls use so much iron?"

"Gah… not just the walls, the interior uses tons of iron too."

"Are these stones on the ground all coal?"

………………

Since the main building was still under construction, both temporary huts were needed for housing, so all recent acquisitions—wood, coal, iron, beast meat, beast blood, beast hides—were piled along both sides of the valley.

For Daxia's people, the materials gathered over the past ten days were routine, but for others, they were extraordinary.

Zeng Fan, standing at the front of the crowd, stared at everything in the valley with disbelief, even pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Once he confirmed it was real, his face lit up with wild joy and excitement, barely holding back a cry.

"It's real—the Stone Lord never lied to me, never lied to us!"

Three days ago, after hearing Stone Ping's extravagant claims, he hadn't believed a word—he thought even if Daxia was strong, it couldn't rival Three Tiger Camp.

Having lived for years in Five Ape Mountain, haunted by the shadow of Three Tiger Camp, Zeng Fan couldn't imagine any camp stronger than theirs.

Agreeing to bring over three hundred people to join Daxia was, for Zeng Fan, a desperate last resort.

Their Zengping Camp's base was on Four Ape Peak, very close to Three Tiger Camp.

Over the past few years, as Three Tiger Camp's atrocities became known, many small camps stopped falling for their tricks—but their lives grew harder by the day.

Because previously, Three Tiger Camp had hidden its true nature, using deception and bribes; now, it no longer bothered with pretense, simply hunting down small camps outright, and every one found met a horrific end.

With a severe cold snap approaching, Three Tiger Camp likely needed more slave bait, so their searches nearby had grown increasingly frequent, making logging expeditions far riskier.

Especially after two near-misses where their base's location almost got discovered—Zeng Fan had been terrified.

He'd heard enough from others to know that if Three Tiger Camp found them, their fate would be utterly dreadful.

Zeng Fan had considered joining a medium-sized camp in Five Ape Mountain, but he knew the two medium camps on Four Ape Peak had neither the capacity nor the willingness to take in three hundred people.

Beyond Four Ape Peak, he couldn't reach any farther locations, let alone find another camp willing to accept them—even if he risked finding a third medium camp, the result would likely be the same as the two nearby.

At this critical moment, Stone Ping's appearance was his last straw. Even if he didn't believe Stone Ping's description of Daxia, even if he distrusted him, he had no choice but to gamble.

Three days ago, after much hesitation, he agreed to Stone Ping's proposal: return to notify his camp, pack up, and migrate to Daxia at nightfall three days later.

Actually, last night before dark, when he saw Stone Ping arrive with nearly thirty fully armed men, claiming they'd escort the migration, his doubts had already begun to waver.

Merely from their aura, he could tell all thirty men were Earth-Digging Realm—let alone their finely made clothing and the variety of iron weapons they carried. Zeng Fan had lived in Five Ape Mountain for years and had never seen such things.

Even if Daxia wasn't stronger than Three Tiger Camp, it was likely nearly equal—that was Zeng Fan's thought before departure last night.

Now, as he stepped fully into the Daxia valley and saw what lay before him, he realized how wildly wrong his earlier assumptions had been.

Leaving aside everything else, the mountains of wood, coal, iron ore, cold-beast meat, and various cold-beast materials piled along the valley sides, plus that huge barrel of red blood he couldn't identify—these alone proved Daxia's strength far surpassed Three Tiger Camp.

Just the iron visible in the central building under construction must weigh tens of thousands of jin.

Tens of thousands of jin!

How many weapons could that forge?

And they're using it to build houses?

No—behind the wooden building were two more structures, and from the one on the right, iron was continuously being carried out and delivered to the main building.

He even saw batches of weapons being carried out.

Even more absurdly, the man who carried them out simply tossed them onto a wooden board on the southern side of the valley.

That board already held hundreds of greatswords and bows.

"Chief, look at the clothes—everyone in Daxia Camp wears full outfits, even those…"

Hearing his companion's words, Zeng Fan followed his gaze—and his pupils shrank, his expression freezing as if struck.

"Luo An, it's your turn to be the cold-beast today—I'm the team leader."

"Alright, I'm starting—howl…"

"Xiao Ping, grab the rope—the rest of you, follow me, attack!"

………………

A group of twenty to thirty children, seemingly only three or four years old, played with wooden sticks and swords on the southern side of the valley, clearly playing a hunting game.

What stunned Zeng Fan and the others was that every child wore a full set of animal-skin padded jackets, colored black, blue, brown, green, and white.

"Gulp…"

Zeng Fan swallowed hard; most of those who entered the valley with him stared blankly, clearly stunned.

Only the younger children, with fewer thoughts, looked at the children's clothing with intense envy.

"Old Zeng, you're here too, hahaha!"

Suddenly, a man hauling wood from the southern cliff seemed to notice Zeng Fan for the first time, shouting as he approached, face beaming.

Zeng Fan snapped out of his daze, looked up, and froze.

"Old Kong, what are you doing here?"

Besides the two medium camps, Zeng Fan didn't know how many small camps hid on Four Ape Peak—but he knew two that bordered his Zengping Camp.

One was Konghe Camp, and the man before him, Kong Ning, was its leader—they'd met while logging before and had gotten along well.

"You think only you can come? Heh, weren't you brought here by the Stone Lord too?"

"Yes."

Meeting a familiar face in this unfamiliar camp lifted Zeng Fan's spirits—he immediately pulled Kong Ning aside to ask questions.

Seeing the valley's condition, he was certain Daxia was stronger than Three Tiger Camp; now he needed to confirm whether Stone Ping's promises to him were true.

As they talked, Zeng Fan's expression brightened, his excitement growing.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the building under construction, Meng Ao, Zhu Kang, and Hong Yu were watching the newcomers.

Zhu Kang's expression shifted slightly: "This is the fourth group, brought back by the Yunjiao squad—should count toward Stone Ping's tally."

Meng Ao nodded, turning to Hong Yu and asking quietly: "Hong Shu brought back two camps, but their populations seem small—Xiao Yu, do you know the exact numbers?"

Hearing them, Hong Yu looked away, his expression somber, and replied: "Brother Tao and Father brought back two camps totaling 482 people. Luo Yuan's HuBao squad brought back Konghe Camp first—329 people. This group looks like another three hundred—Stone Ping is currently leading."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ao and Zhu Kang both paused slightly.

Most Earth-Digging cultivators didn't know the camp was competing for the position of Exploration Department Chief—but the three of them, as sons of the contenders, understood clearly.

They knew the apparent competitors were Hong Guang and Stone Ping, but the real contest was between Deputy Director Xia Chuan and Hunting Department Chief Yuwen Tao.

Stone Ping had no right to compete with Hong Guang—he was merely an ordinary member of the Yunjiao squad, while Hong Guang led the Xuanwu squad.

But Stone Ping had Deputy Director Xia Chuan backing him; recently, Xia Chuan sent all seven hunting squads of Daxia to the northern shore, ostensibly for hunting, but everyone knew it was to recruit more people for Stone Ping.

Of course, Hong Guang wasn't idle either—he rallied not only his own Xuanwu squad but also Yuwen Tao, along with Longwu, Shenwu, Zhenwu, Yingwu, and Xiongwu squads—nearly all six squads were deployed nightly to the northern shore to find people.

The current situation: when Daxia squads find camps and bring in people, the contribution points go to the squad leaders, but the credit is recorded under Stone Ping's name; on Yuwen Tao's side, the same applies—but the credit goes to Hong Guang.

It all stems from Head Leader Xia Hong's earlier statement: "Whoever brings in the most people within a month gets the Exploration Department Chief position."

"There's still twenty days left—no one knows the outcome yet. Stone Ping has more people, but his strength lags behind ours—I'm sure Hong Shu will win this position, Xiao Yu, don't worry!"

Seeing Hong Yu's gloomy expression, Zhu Kang assumed he feared his father would lose and quickly reassured him.

Meng Ao nodded: "My father also said Deputy Director Xia's strength is inferior to Tao Ge's. Among the sixty-seven Earth-Digging cultivators supporting Stone Ping, not one has reached the 30, 00-jin limit—our side has six. From strength alone, Hong Shu shouldn't lose."

Hearing their reassurances, Hong Yu shook his head, hesitated, then slowly said: "You misunderstand—I'm not worried Father will lose to Stone Ping. I'm wondering—is this Chief position really that important?"

Father has been rushing to the northern shore every night, dragging Uncle Hong, Uncle Zhu, and others along—even last night he didn't return to camp. All this effort for a single Chief position? I think it's not worth it!"

Hearing this, Zhu and Meng fell silent. Hong Guang's pursuit of the Chief position was ultimately about giving their group of later-arriving Mirror Immortals more influence in Daxia.

Logically, they should support him.

But after spending time in Daxia, all three had subtly shifted in mindset—so Hong Yu's words made sense to them.

"Daxia distributes all resources based on individual contribution, which ultimately ties to strength—the stronger you are, the more you contribute."

"The Six Department Chief positions are merely symbols of status—no real benefits, and they consume vast amounts of cultivation time with trivial duties, severely hindering advancement."

"Most importantly, whether Head Leader or Department Chief, they treat us latecomers no differently than their own people—so why obsess over a Chief position? Better to focus on improving our own strength—once strength rises, status naturally follows!"

Hong Yu's words struck like thunder. Zhu and Meng said nothing, but their faces showed clear agreement—they deeply endorsed his view.

"We're lowly; even if we think this way, no one listens."

"Father and the others must fight—it's beyond us. We should focus on improving our own strength first. Once we gain some voice in the Hunting Department, things will improve."

Hearing his two friends, Hong Yu nodded and said no more.

All three returned to their unfinished work, but their eyes kept glancing toward the martial arts hall on the left behind the wooden building, filled with longing.

In one look/p>

………………

The previous three camps had already been absorbed, and Da Xia clearly had ample experience; soon after, Lin Kai's men settled the group of over three hundred led by Zeng Fan.

Loggers, adults, and children were all registered in orderly fashion.

Having gone from leader to an ordinary member of Da Xia, Zeng Fan felt a pang of emotion, but mostly relief—after all, his life as a leader had been worse than that of an ordinary Da Xia member.

Walking out from the temporary wooden hut on the right, he immediately spotted Kong Ning, and was about to speak with him when Shi Ping called out to him.

"Zeng Fan, Kong Ning, come with me!"

Both camps had been brought over by Shi Ping; as leaders, the two were naturally familiar with him. At his call, they immediately followed him toward the wooden hut on the left.

"My lord, what do you need from us?"

Kong Ning had been in Da Xia for three days and had some understanding of the camp's setup.

All newcomers like them had been placed in the huts on the right; though he'd never been to the left huts, he'd heard they were where the camp's key figures handled affairs. Shi Ping bringing them there must mean something important.

After so many days, for them to suddenly be summoned today, Kong Ning felt uneasy and uncertain.

Zeng Fan had just arrived and knew nothing—he simply followed behind, and when he heard Kong Ning's question, he too looked curiously at Shi Ping.

Shi Ping didn't turn around, but said: "Don't be nervous. The Si Cheng is requesting to see you. He likely wants to ask about the Five Ape Peaks. Say whatever you know—just don't hide anything."

"Yes, my lord!"

Hearing the words "Si Cheng," Kong Ning's expression brightened instantly.

Beside him, Zeng Fan was confused, but kept following.

Soon, the two followed Shi Ping into the left hut, passed through the main hall to its depths, circled around a three-legged round tripod, and stopped.

Behind the tripod was a large hall partitioned by wooden panels.

Above the hall sat an empty chair, covered with a thick layer of fur padding; below, two rows held over twenty chairs, but only six were occupied—the rest were vacant.

Upon entering the hall, Zeng Fan's gaze locked immediately onto the two figures at the front.

To the left, a man wore a black greatcoat, his face gentle; though seated, his tall frame was evident. Though young, his extraordinary bearing surpassed anyone Zeng Fan had ever seen.

To the right, a man wore a fitted black combat suit, equally young in appearance, but his aura was sharp and harsh. He seemed displeased, his expression grim. As Zeng Fan entered, his gaze pierced like a sword—Zeng Fan felt a flicker of unease.

Zeng Fan had no time to observe the four below, for Shi Ping had already stepped beside the man on the left and spoken.

"Si Cheng, Zeng Fan and Kong Ning have been brought."

Seeing Shi Ping's respectful posture, Zeng Fan realized this young man was the Si Cheng he'd just heard of—and his heart trembled slightly.

Shi Ping had reached the Digging Earth realm and led so many people to assist in the camp's relocation; Zeng Fan had always assumed that even if Shi Ping wasn't the highest-ranking in Da Xia, he was certainly high up.

He never imagined that before this youth, Shi Ping would be so humble.

"Si Cheng must mean 'leader'—Da Xia must call their leader 'Si Cheng.'"

Fresh to this world, Zeng Fan deduced from past experience that this young man must be Da Xia's leader.

"Zeng Fan, Kong Ning, I hear both your camps were stationed at the Five Ape Peaks—is that correct?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Yes, my lord."

At the Si Cheng's first words, Zeng Fan and Kong Ning answered quickly.

"Do you know the location of the Three Tiger Camp?"

At this question, both men paused slightly.

"My lord, I only know the Three Tiger Camp's base is on Middle Ape Peak—I don't know the exact spot. We always avoided them; we'd never dare seek out their location."

After Kong Ning finished speaking, all eyes turned to Zeng Fan.

Zeng Fan's face showed hesitation; he remained silent. Realizing everyone was watching him, his tension grew, and he couldn't speak.

"Relax. Say what you know—even if you're wrong, it doesn't matter."

Seeing Zeng Fan's hesitation, Shi Ping immediately reassured him.

With Shi Ping's assurance, Zeng Fan gained courage, nodded, and spoke:

"Our base is in a cave beneath the Five Ape Peaks. Once, while out cutting wood, I accidentally stumbled upon the Three Tiger Camp's hunting party. I hid in the shadows, but overheard them say they were only five or six hundred meters from their camp. Since we always tried to avoid them, I memorized that spot to prevent accidentally wandering there again."

Crack…

Zeng Fan jumped at the sound the moment he finished speaking.

The man on the right—the young man in the black combat suit with the stern face—had clearly been holding back. He now stood up sharply from his chair.

"My lord, there's no time to waste—I'll lead the team out now!"

Seeing Yuwen Tao's eager expression, the man on the left—Xia Chuan—shook his head slowly and asked gravely: "Are you certain Hong Guang met with an accident?"

Yuwen Tao nodded firmly. "One hundred percent. Hong Guang has served my father for many years—he wouldn't be so reckless. Even if something urgent forced him to stay overnight, he'd send someone back to report. He wouldn't vanish without a trace."

Hearing Yuwen Tao's answer, Xia Chuan's expression darkened.

In the Binghe World, human activity was limited, and the unknown environment was dangerous. Under normal circumstances, no one stayed out overnight unless absolutely necessary.

Hong Guang was nearly forty—old by Binghe World standards—and wouldn't be so ignorant of basic rules.

More importantly, he'd gone out with six members of the Xuanwu Team. Even if something urgent required staying out, he could've sent one man back to report. The Five Ape Peaks are only ten kilometers from Da Xia—round trip wouldn't take long.

"A few days ago, Old Hong told me he'd gotten word of a large camp. He said if we followed the trail, we'd find them soon—and if we negotiated well, we could bring them into Da Xia. I didn't pay much attention then, but now I realize he must have learned about the Three Tiger Camp from somewhere else."

Among the four below, Meng Yi stood up, his face grim. Zhu Ling, Zhu Yuan beside him, and Hong Guang's younger brother Hong Tian all wore expressions of deep concern.

"My lord, let us go search. Delay will bring trouble."

Hong Tian, agitated, directly pleaded with Xia Chuan.

Yuwen Tao said nothing more, but his eyes pleaded just as urgently as Hong Tian's—he was deeply worried about Hong Guang.

Seeing the five men's expressions, Xia Chuan could say nothing more.

"Alright. Go. Prepare properly—take everyone. Have Zeng Fan guide you. Go!"

"Thank you, my lord! We're leaving now!"

Yuwen Tao nodded, gave a glance to Meng Yi and the others, and led the way out of the hut.

Meng Yi and the others said nothing, grabbed the still-dazed Zeng Fan, and rushed out to summon the team.

After everyone left, Shi Ping stepped beside Xia Chuan and spoke gravely:

"My lord, Hong Guang has become too aggressive lately. The two camps he brought back—though their leaders didn't say so outright—clearly were coerced. Using force to increase camp population isn't a good thing."

Xia Chuan shook his head. "Indeed not. It seems he's determined to secure the position of Expansion Department Chief. He rushed straight to the Three Tiger Camp without even gathering proper intelligence. Let him suffer this setback—it'll teach him. Yuwen Tao won't let things go too far. When he returns, I'll speak with him properly."

It wasn't just bad—it was utterly vile.

Da Xia had just undergone a merger; its internal stability was already fragile. Forcing other camps to join by violence wouldn't strengthen the camp—it would only make internal tensions worse.

As Si Cheng, Xia Chuan understood this perfectly. Hong Guang's actions were his own doing. Fortunately, Shi Ping had just brought Zeng Fan, who knew the approximate location of the Three Tiger Camp.

From what he'd learned, the Three Tiger Camp was sizable but weak—its flawed development strategy had crippled its strength. With Yuwen Tao leading so many, finding their base and rescuing Hong Guang shouldn't be difficult.

"You should visit that area more often. The Three Tiger Camp will likely be resolved by Yuwen Tao. Bring in more people from other camps. Only twenty days remain until settlement—don't let us down."

"Yes, my lord! I'll work hard!"

Shi Ping's expression brightened as he nodded firmly.

Xia Chuan remembered something. "By the way, notify Qiu Peng. Have him prepare ten thousand jin of iron ore, three long swords, and a ten-stone iron-core bow. When ready, inform me—I'll go to the north bank tonight."

Hearing the list, Shi Ping's eyes widened in surprise, but then he understood. "My lord… are these items meant for Xiao He Camp?"

Seeing he'd guessed it, Xia Chuan didn't hide it. He smiled and nodded. "Xiao Kangcheng is too cautious. We must show goodwill first. He needs to understand Da Xia's strength—then negotiations will go much smoother."

(End of Chapter)