Chapter 183: The Exchange, Murder, and the Great Xia Gospel

In the first year of Da Xia, the third day of the fourth month

On the northern slope of Yi Peak in Wu Yuan Mountain, Xiao Kangcheng and his group of three pushed a wooden-wheeled cart steadily forward through the snow.

"This cart feels lighter to push than it did last month."

"Seems the ice layer on the ground has thickened."

Hearing the two beside him, Xiao Kangcheng frowned slightly, drew his blade, crouched low, and stabbed it into the ground; after pulling out a few shards of ice and examining them, he said gravely: "It has thickened—likely no more than a few days before the cold tide arrives."

The ground of the Ice Abyss World is Changnian covered in snow, beneath which lies a layer of ice; this ice layer normally changes little, but every year during the two-month cold tide period, it suddenly thickens two to three times—this is how humans in the Wu Yuan Mountain region judge the imminent arrival of the cold tide.

Lu Shun and Xiao Ping, though both Foundation Establishment cultivators, naturally lacked the experience of their leader, Xiao Kangcheng.

Hearing the cold tide was only days away, their expressions grew noticeably more serious.

Yet as they looked at the ten sacks of coal stone on the cart, Lu Shun smiled again and said: "With fifty thousand catties of coal stone this time, we can trade it all for Chen Guo and beast meat, plus extra beast hides and external wound medicine—this cold tide, our camp's prospects should improve a bit."

"No need to trade for iron—we're much better off. Every time we come to the Exchange, I see Zhu He and Tongling camps trading so much ore for supplies, and I'm envious. Thanks to Lord Xia Chuan, he just hands out ten thousand catties at a time. Leader, don't you think their Da Xia camp has more iron ore than they can possibly use?"

"Not just iron ore—three long swords, and that ten-thousand-catty iron-core bow—I bet only Sanhu Camp has such things in all of Wu Yuan Mountain; Zhu He and Tongling can't even forge bows this good."

Hearing their words, Xiao Kangcheng also smiled.

The three items Xia Chuan delivered the day before had truly shocked them.

Does Da Xia's iron ore really last forever?

For Lu Shun's question, Xiao Kangcheng still dared not answer directly; his eyes flickered with hesitation as he said: "Not necessarily—we'll find out soon enough when we see Xiao Yuan and Ning and the others."

Hearing this, Lu Shun and Xiao Ping nodded, their eyes bright with anticipation.

The night before, Xiao Yuan had taken Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu to Da Xia—they all knew, and couldn't help but feel hopeful.

Perhaps Da Xia Camp truly is as Xia Chuan claimed…

"Leader, are you so certain that Xia Chuan will come to the Exchange?"

Xiao Ping asked curiously; the night before, Xia Chuan had merely inquired about the time and location of the Exchange, without saying he'd come himself—yet Xiao Kangcheng was utterly certain, and had led them out the moment night fell.

Xiao Kangcheng paused, then nodded: "Didn't you notice? He already knows a great deal about the camps in this region. I suspect Da Xia Camp has long mapped out this entire area—and I even suspect they've already made actual contact with Sanhu Camp…"

Made actual contact with Sanhu Camp?

Lu Shun and Xiao Ping exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock.

"My lord, Director Yuwen has rescued the captives—arrested many people; he's furious. Hong Guang's squad must have encountered serious trouble."

Xiao Kangcheng recalled the final man who arrived the night before, whispering those words into Xia Chuan's ear—and his suspicions grew firmer.

But since it was only speculation, he didn't voice it to the two.

The three continued pushing the cart, soon circling to the base of the northern cliff.

Seeing three large trees lined up nearby, Xiao Kangcheng's expression relaxed.

"We're here."

Lu Shun and Xiao Ping had been here before; hearing this, they too eased up and pushed the cart closer to the three trees.

As they neared the trees and rounded to the cliff behind them, a cave lit by a campfire came clearly into view.

Faint shadows moved near the cave entrance; the three immediately quickened their pace and soon reached the mouth.

Someone inside clearly noticed their approach—a middle-aged man in beast-hide clothing, flanked by others wielding large knives, rushed out; upon recognizing Xiao Kangcheng, he lowered his guard and grinned:

"Old Xiao, you're late—only you and Old Chen are missing."

"Old Zhu, you stand there talking without a care—Old Chen and I are from Wu Yuan Peak, the farthest away, so of course we arrive last."

Seeing the man, Xiao Kangcheng couldn't help but tease back.

Zhu Xing, leader of Zhu He Camp.

The Exchange, though jointly organized by eleven mid-sized camps in Wu Yuan Mountain and nominally equal in status, was far from equal in practice.

Mutual exchange of supplies.

In plain terms: each takes what they need.

It sounded good—but in practice, it wasn't.

All camps lived in the same region, so their available resources were roughly similar; differences arose only from strength—some camps had wider ranges and stronger hunting, thus gathering more varied and abundant supplies.

Iron ore and cold beasts were the two most representative resources.

Zhu He Camp was no weak force—over twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators—but lacked sufficient weapons, so their hunting capacity never improved, and their beast meat supply remained inadequate.

Some things trigger chain reactions.

With insufficient beast meat, cultivation advances slowly; Foundation Establishment numbers stagnate; camp range can't expand; cold beasts become scarce; hunting experience grows slowly…

Without iron ore, you can't forge enough weapons;

Without weapons, you can't expand your range, find, or kill more cold beasts;

Without cold beasts, cultivation stalls, range remains limited, and iron ore becomes even harder to find.

It was a perfect closed loop!

Everyone knew iron ore was vital.

Thus, Zhu He Camp's demand for iron ore was enormous.

In Wu Yuan Mountain's eleven mid-sized camps, eight others suffered the same iron shortage.

Only Zhu He and Tongling had iron ore—and knowing the other nine were desperate, how could they casually distribute it?

Twenty to twenty-five catties of coal for one catty of iron—prices set this high, and each month at the Exchange, both camps offered exactly the same amount: five thousand catties.

Five thousand each, totaling ten thousand.

Even if evenly split, each camp could get at most fifteen hundred catties.

Zhu He wasn't stupid; neither were the other eight camp leaders.

Zhu He and Tongling were exploiting them with iron.

They all knew it—but had no way to stop it.

Weapons and tools wore out.

Especially weapons—fighting cold beasts, even minor blade chipping caused massive wear and tear; let alone bows, whose arrows were lost after being fired.

Getting over a thousand catties of iron each month at least maintained basic weapon and tool needs, kept some hunting capacity, allowed occasional cold beast kills, and ensured safety.

Lose even that thousand catties, and when weapons broke, hunting became far more dangerous—not to mention basic tasks like chopping trees becoming difficult.

So even knowing they were being exploited, they dared not complain; each month, they came willingly, smiling, to be exploited again.

"Old Xiao, go in first—Old Chen just arrived; I'll go get him."

Hearing Zhu Xing, Xiao Kangcheng turned and saw three more figures approaching—he knew it was Chen Hua from Xifeng Camp—and nodded, walking into the cave.

"Old Xiao's here."

"Hahaha, you brought plenty of coal."

"Cold tide's coming—we've got to prepare more."

"We brought plenty too—everyone wants to trade more."

…………

Monthly Exchanges had made the eleven camp leaders familiar with each other; as Xiao Kangcheng exchanged greetings, he observed the cave's interior.

Besides Tongling and Zhu He, who brought only two sacks, the other seven camps each brought as much as their own—nearly ten sacks of varying sizes.

Yet most of their gazes still fixed on the sacks of Tongling and Zhu He.

"Ah…"

Seeing this, Xiao Kangcheng sighed inwardly.

Mutual consent—hardly exploitation.

At least Tongling and Zhu He each month still offered over a thousand catties of iron ore to these nine camps—if they refused outright, you'd have no recourse.

Sanhu Camp had iron ore too—but dare you go trade with them?

"Old Chen's here—everyone's arrived!"

Soon, Zhu Xing led Chen Hua and his group inside.

The cave was spacious; even the area lit by the campfire spanned over twenty meters wide. The forty-plus men from eleven groups formed a circle around the fire—no crowding at all.

Seeing all had taken their places, Zhu Xing announced:

"The Exchange begins!"

As usual, Zhu Xing and Tongling's leader, Meng Yuan, would announce the amount of iron ore and cold beast meat available, then the other nine camps would bid with coal or other goods.

The pattern held—he spoke, and Meng Yuan stepped forward.

Thud… Thud…

But just as both opened their mouths—

Two heavy impacts suddenly rang out from deep within the cave.

Two unknown objects flew toward the campfire.

"Who's there!"

"Someone hiding inside?"

"Who are you? Sneaking around—come out!"

………………

The circle around the fire instantly turned pale; they scattered outward, shouting angrily toward the cave's depths.

At the same time, the flying objects landed near the fire—everyone saw them clearly.

They froze.

The objects were two men, bound entirely in ropes.

"Mmm… mmm… mmm…"

Both men had their mouths pierced through by iron arrows; previously, something had sealed their mouths shut, and the force of their flight had torn it loose, producing muffled, gurgling screams.

Tap… tap… tap…

Before they could make out the two figures on the ground, a steady footstep echoed from deep within the cave. Everyone turned, their expressions tightening instantly.

Only the three from Xiao He's camp showed a hint of suspicion.

Xia Chuan, clad in a black cloak, stepped slowly from the shadows at the cave's depths toward the group, a faint smile on his face as he spoke:

"Senior elders, no need to panic. I am Xia Chuan, Deputy Director of the Great Xia Camp. I've come today with no ill intent—only to deliver a great gift to you all!"

Under the flickering firelight, the moment they saw Xia Chuan, Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the other eight camp leaders all stiffened.

Ignoring his youthful, handsome face, merely his black cloak, leather boots, and blue fur-lined hat were enough to shock everyone present.

Not to mention the slender, long blade at his waist.

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

Combined with the two bodies lying on the ground—and the force with which they'd been flung out—

Meng Yuan and Zhu Xing exchanged a glance, both faces heavy with gravity.

"Lord Xia Chuan, you've truly come!"

The moment Xiao Kangcheng spoke, everyone else turned to him with angry glares.

"Don't blame Headman Xiao. I've said it—I came today with no ill intent, only to deliver a gift. Do any of you senior elders recognize these two on the ground?"

Xia Chuan had no intention of harming Xiao Kangcheng; after helping him defuse the tension, he immediately gestured for everyone to look closely at the two bodies.

Though wary, the group turned their eyes to the ground. "This… this isn't Liu Erhu?"

After careful inspection, Meng Yuan was the first to exclaim in shock.

Still doubtful, he turned to the other man—and upon seeing him, gasped again: "Liu Sanhu!"

At Meng Yuan's words, the other ten camp leaders—even Xiao Kangcheng, who had suspected—could not help but lean down for a closer look.

"It really is Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu!"

"The Sanhu Camp… couldn't this man have…"

"Was the Sanhu Camp wiped out by this Great Xia Camp?"

………

Once they confirmed the two bodies were indeed the leaders of the Sanhu Camp, everyone's gaze toward Xia Chuan changed completely—and countless suspicions stirred in their hearts.

Seeing they had recognized the two, Xia Chuan's eyes brightened—it saved him considerable effort. He smiled and continued:

"The Sanhu Camp has long terrorized the Five Apes Mountains, bringing you all much trouble. Now that Great Xia has arrived, we cannot tolerate such evil. Today, not only these two ringleaders—but Yuwen Tao, come in!"

In one look/p>

At the end of his words, Xia Chuan called out toward the cave entrance.

Everyone followed his voice, quickly turning toward the mouth of the cave.

Outside, Yuwen Tao led over a hundred men surging in—not anyone else but the Great Xia hunting team.

Nearly every one carried one or two prisoners, tightly bound with ropes: men, women, even some elderly. Their only common trait: a thick aura of malice radiating from them.

Identical to Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu.

Yuwen Tao himself carried two prisoners; upon entering, he kicked them down and bowed to Xia Chuan: "My lord!"

The others followed suit, kicking their prisoners forward, then bowing respectfully to Xia Chuan before standing motionless behind them.

After Yuwen Tao and his men bowed, the entire cave fell into deathly silence.

Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, the other eight camps, and even Xiao Kangcheng—all eyes fixed on Yuwen Tao and his group, pupils trembling, faces filled with horror.

Xia Chuan scanned the crowd, observing their reactions, and let a faint smile curl his lips—he said nothing.

He knew exactly why they reacted this way.

Silence was meant to give them time to process.

"They're all wearing full sets of leather armor?"

"Each one has a longbow and a greatsword?"

"Look at that one—his double-bladed greataxe is enormous. How much iron ore did that take? Surely more than two or three thousand catties?"

"Swords, daggers, axes, long staves, spears—so many weapons."

"Not just that—look at their waists. Each wears a token. That token looks like iron too."

"Look at that man's neck—is that a tooth ornament?"

"That's a spiky wolf's fang. Each spiky wolf has only two. That strand must have over a hundred."

"Sssss…"

………………

A murmur had begun to ripple through the crowd.

Hearing the whispers behind them, Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan felt ashamed and snapped back to glare at their men—but when they turned again to look at Yuwen Tao's group, their own horror betrayed them.

Even their leaders were stunned—how much more so their subordinates?

Compared to everyone else in the Five Apes Mountains, these Great Xia men—clothing, weapons, even casual ornaments—were glaringly conspicuous.

So conspicuous they couldn't look away.

The cave remained utterly silent for forty to fifty breaths after Yuwen Tao's group entered. Only when someone finally tore their gaze from them did Xia Chuan feel the moment was right. He stepped slowly behind Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu, gripped the hilt of his blade, and his eyes flashed with cold light.

"These beasts, emboldened by their strength, have acted without restraint—enslaving others, treating human life as worthless, and using their own kin as bait to hunt cold beasts. Such corruption of human ethics, such rampant evil—now that Great Xia has come to the Five Apes Mountains, how could we allow such monsters to live? My first gift today is to rid the Five Apes Mountains of these villains."

Crack—

As Xia Chuan finished speaking, a jet-black blade-light flashed like lightning from his hand. Before anyone could react, only the sharp *crack* reached their ears—and Liu Erhu and Liu Sanhu lay decapitated.

Swish!

Plop… plop…

Immediately after Xia Chuan drew his blade and killed the two, Yuwen Tao and his hundred men drew their weapons and slaughtered the hundred-plus prisoners they had brought in.

Over a hundred lives ended in less than three breaths.

The cave was utterly silent, save for the crackling of the bonfire. A stench of blood filled the air. Everyone stared at the hundred-odd corpses sprawled on the ground—and swallowed hard.

They looked up at Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, and the others—faces twisted with delight, shock, awe, and a faint thread of fear.

Delight: because the Sanhu Camp, the scourge of the Five Apes Mountains, was gone!

Shock: because it had been destroyed in such an absurd manner.

They didn't even know the full story—yet the two leaders of Sanhu Camp, plus over a hundred followers, had been executed like criminals.

Awe: naturally, at Xia Chuan, Yuwen Tao, and the overwhelming power they represented—the Great Xia Camp.

And the fear? Simple.

The eleven camp leaders present here were not fools.

Great Xia had come to the Five Apes Mountains…

That was what Xia Chuan had just said.

That statement, combined with his brutal, bloody execution of the Sanhu Camp leaders before all eleven medium-sized camps—

This statement, coupled with his brutal and bloody slaughter of the Three Tiger Camp's men before the eyes of eleven medium-sized camps,

He was simply delivering a warning, a show of dominance.

As for his true purpose…

They didn't know—and it was precisely because they didn't know that fear stirred in their hearts.

Would this Great Xia Camp now stay in the Five Apes Mountains?

Would they become like the old Sanhu Camp?

With the power Great Xia had just displayed—if they did…

"Zhu Xing pays homage to Lord Xia! Thank you, Lord Xia Chuan, for ridding the Five Apes Mountains of this great evil! From now on, any command from Great Xia—my Zhuhe Camp will obey without hesitation!"

"Zhu Xing pays homage to my lord! Thank you, Lord Xia Chuan, for eliminating this great scourge from Five Ape Mountain. From now on, should the Great Xia issue any command, my Zhu He Camp dares not disobey!"

Seeing Zhu Xing speak first, Meng Yuan cursed inwardly and quickly stepped forward to bow deeply to Xia Chuan:

"Meng Yuan pays homage to Lord Xia! Your righteous intervention moves me deeply. From now on, my Tongling Camp will recognize Great Xia as our master. Whatever Great Xia needs—whatever we have—we will offer without question, with both hands!"

"Meng Yuan pays homage to my lord! My lord's righteous intervention fills me with boundless gratitude. From now on, my Tongling Camp likewise pledges allegiance to the Great Xia. Whatever the Great Xia requires, my Tongling Camp will gladly offer it without hesitation, with both hands."

"Liu Zhen pays homage to Lord Xia…"

"Kong Xiu pays homage to Lord Xia…"

………………

As soon as Zhu Xing and Meng Yuan spoke, the remaining eight leaders rushed to bow to Xia Chuan—each with different words, but the same meaning:

From now on, they would all recognize Great Xia as their master. Any command from Great Xia would be obeyed without condition.

This was the effect of intimidation!

Seeing their reactions, Xia Chuan felt a flicker of satisfaction deep in his eyes.

This outcome was exactly what he had wanted.

After Hong Guang's incident, he had been pondering:

What was the best way for Great Xia to expand?

Like Hong Guang—using brute force—was too crude. It achieved results quickly, but bred hatred and endless problems.

And like his earlier approach with Xiao He Camp—gradual negotiation, gifting to demonstrate strength—though effective, it was too slow and exhausting.

Xia Chuan had finally realized: intimidation, paired with goodwill, was the best way.

Clearly show them: Great Xia has power—but no ill will toward you. Only then could communication proceed smoothly, along his own terms.

Clearly tell these people that Great Xia has the strength but harbors no ill will toward you; only then can communication proceed along your own line of thought.

This scene was exactly what Xia Chuan had anticipated.

Of course, what he wanted was not merely these camps acknowledging Great Xia as their superior.

"Since you all say so, then I, Xia, will speak plainly…"

After scanning the group, Xia Chuan continued: "What our Great Xia camp currently lacks most is people!"

Only Xiao Kangcheng's expression remained unchanged.

The other ten men all subtly shifted their expressions, their pupils flashing with surprise.

"Don't worry—our Great Xia is different from the Three Tiger Camp…"

Knowing what they were thinking, Xia Chuan went on.

"To be frank, under my brother Xia Hong's leadership, our Great Xia camp has seized over three hundred square kilometers of territory.

The eastern outskirts of Hongmu Ridge and the entire northern expanse of Arrow Bamboo Forest now belong to our Great Xia hunting grounds—we have furs, meat, blood, iron ore, coal, spiritual herbs, and rare treasures of every kind…"

Hearing this, Xiao Kangcheng's expression turned peculiar, for Xia Chuan had said the same thing to him just days ago.

But seeing the reactions of Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the others, he immediately realized this time, the impact would far exceed the last.

Indeed, Zhu Xing, Meng Yuan, and the other ten leaders—and the men behind them—though some still harbored doubt, many of their expressions gradually revealed longing as they listened to Xia Chuan's description of Great Xia.

This was the benefit of awe!

If Xia Chuan had done nothing but speak these words plainly, not a single person here would have believed him.

But with hundreds of Digging Ground cultivators like Yuwen Tao, and the destruction of the Three Tiger Camp still fresh before their eyes, they had no choice but to believe.

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

After Xia Chuan finished this final sentence, everyone fell silent.

To them, resources so abundant they lacked people was unthinkable—even unimaginable—yet that was precisely what Xia Chuan had implied.

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

He intended to forcibly annex their camps.

Once they grasped Xia Chuan's intent, their gazes turned wary, and several even displayed clear resistance.

"Of course, our Great Xia will not force any of you to merge. Like the Xiao River Camp, each of you may send three men to Great Xia to observe and learn—whether to merge or not remains entirely your own decision!"

This remark brought a great sigh of relief to all present.

A few leaders even saw their wariness vanish entirely.

"The chance to merge is a blessing our Great Xia offers you—whether you seize it depends on you. But I must say this upfront: this opportunity to merge directly comes only once. If you miss it, it will never come again!"

After speaking these words, Xia Chuan abandoned further persuasion and shifted tone, smiling: "I've heard most camps in Five Ape Mountain are desperate for iron ore. This exchange fair interests our Great Xia greatly.

If you bring items of sufficient appeal, our Great Xia has as much iron ore as you need!"

With that, Xia Chuan gave a signal to Shi Ping beside him.

Shi Ping nodded and clapped his hands.

The eight members of the Yunjiao Squad stepped forward, each carrying a leather sack, which they opened openly before the crowd.

Ding ding… qiang qiang…

Five sacks of iron ore, along with five sacks of nearly a hundred weapons, clattered onto the ground.

Everyone's gaze froze, eyes fixed on the vast piles of iron ore and the hundred sharp weapons, filled with longing.

Meng Yuan and Zhu Xing, seeing their own single sack of iron ore, felt embarrassed and instinctively stepped forward to shield it.

(End of chapter)