Chapter 195: Beehive Dilemma, Digging Earth Cultivators Surge

Three days ago, on the fifth day of the fifth month in the first year of Da Xia.

Ten li north of Mirror Valley, three hurried figures finally halted in the snow.

Puh…………

After holding out for a long time, Chen Yingyuan relaxed his spirit, and the suppressed blood in his throat gushed out; his body staggered, and had it not been for Chen Yingba and Wu Tianxing quickly supporting him, he would have collapsed to the ground.

"Big brother, how are you?"

"Leader, are you alright?"

Chen Yingyuan waved his hand slightly, signaling he was fine, then turned to look southward, his pupils still holding a trace of shock.

"I thought with He Yuanhun's mishap, we could easily extend our reach into Arrow Bamboo Forest—but this Xia Hong is terrifyingly strong; I estimate even all three of us together might not be able to take him down!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yingba lowered his head, his eyes filled with both hatred and self-reproach.

Beside him, Wu Tianxing's face also grew solemn as he said: "That Xia Hong likely saw us hiding behind from the start. Judging by his final reaction, I suspect he seriously considered keeping us—but lacked full confidence, so he didn't act."

He paused slightly, then looked at Chen Yingyuan and continued: "I think this man isn't foolish. He clearly understood your intentions. He's even harder to deal with than He Yuanhun. We've already made an enemy—henceforth, we must be extra cautious."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yingyuan's face immediately twisted with regret.

Wu Tianxing's meaning was clear: the man wasn't stupid. He'd come with two Upper Cold-Resistant cultivators and struck first—his probing intent was obvious. Xia Hong couldn't possibly have missed it.

From the moment he chose to probe, the enmity between the two camps was already sealed, irreversible.

I should've just apologized right then—no need for such greed.

"We barely got rid of one ruthless one, thought we could catch a breath—and now a harsher one appears. I was foolish. How could Xia Hong be this strong? And yet…"

Chen Yingyuan muttered to himself, then suddenly remembered something and turned sharply to Chen Yingba: "What's the real situation with the Da Xia camp? You said they were only a medium-sized camp one and a half years ago. The leader must've gained some rare opportunity to become this strong—and you claimed they had barely any Digging Earth cultivators. Is that true?"

Barely any Digging Earth cultivators?

Just moments ago in the six wooden huts of Mirror Valley, Chen Yingyuan had sensed at least a hundred Digging Earth aura signatures—among them, six or seven had already begun reshaping their skin membranes.

And this was only Mirror Valley—not even their main base.

Every piece of intelligence Chen Yingba had provided was utterly false.

How could Chen Yingyuan not be furious?

Chen Yingba's face now showed a hint of anger as he said grimly: "Big brother, I didn't lie. This information came from a squad leader named Luo Ming in our hunting group."

"Luo Ming joined our camp last year. He claimed he came from a camp east of Redwood Ridge and had a decent relationship with the leader of Da Xia."

"When I heard Da Xia was so weak, I assumed Mirror Immortal Camp had suffered some mishap and Da Xia had taken advantage—I came here myself."

The rest of the situation, of course, didn't need Chen Yingba to explain further.

Chen Yingyuan said nothing, only lowered his head into thought.

He trusted his younger brother Chen Yingba completely.

Coincidentally, he remembered Luo Ming.

"Wasn't he the one who joined last year with three Digging Earth cultivators, twelve people total? If I recall correctly, he said their Luo Ge camp was wiped out by a Guiguai, and the twelve of them barely escaped, right?"

Chen Yingba nodded. "Yes, big brother—that's him."

Wu Tianxing chimed in: "I know him too. Luo Ming is strong—he currently leads a hunting squad. Of the eleven who came with him last year, eight have become Digging Earth cultivators, all under his squad."

Chen Yingyuan's brow tightened further.

Even if Luo Ming was capable, he was merely a squad leader under the Beehive Hunting Group—most squad leaders hadn't even reached the peak of Digging Earth.

How could such a man have a close relationship with Xia Hong, who had nearly killed him just now?

Either Luo Ming was lying…

Or Xia Hong truly possessed some extraordinary opportunity, growing from a mere Digging Earth cultivator to this strength in just one and a half years?

The thought stirred intense greed in Chen Yingyuan—but it lasted only three or four breaths. As soon as the memory of his near-death struggle with Xia Hong flashed in his mind, he crushed it instantly.

He'd almost died just now—no more reckless thoughts.

"Regardless, we absolutely cannot provoke Da Xia. We must be even more cautious than we were with Mirror Immortal Camp. He Yuanhun was once personally intimidated by someone from Longshan. Xia Hong hasn't been. Who knows if he'll suddenly turn on us? At this critical moment…"

Seeing his brother's sentence unfinished, Chen Yingba looked confused.

But Wu Tianxing, clearly aware of something, asked quietly: "Leader, is the situation on Longshan worsening?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Yingyuan nodded. "Last month's Longshan Alliance meeting had only ten camps attend. Zhao Yang Camp outdid last year—sent not a single person. They're openly disregarding Longshan."

Wu Tianxing's expression grew grave as he said slowly: "The Alliance Master is old, nearing his end. Hou Hu of Zhao Yang is at his peak—his camp grows stronger daily. Such arrogance is understandable."

"But it's not just arrogance. On my trip to Longshan, I heard Hou Hu is secretly coercing or bribing other camps, preparing to overthrow our old Alliance Master and establish a Zhao Yang Alliance!"

"Sssss… So the old master hasn't stopped him?"

"Stopped him? How? Right now, the eldest son calls the shots. The old master hasn't shown himself. If not for our covert scouts, I'd suspect he's already dead."

Wu Tianxing's expression flickered as he whispered: "Leader, if this is true, our Beehive Camp must prepare early."

Chen Yingyuan's brow tightened—he understood Wu Tianxing's implication perfectly.

The Longshan Right Alliance had held firm for the past fifteen years solely because the old master and his Longshan Camp were strong enough to dominate.

When the man dies, his policies die with him.

With just a mere eldest son to hold things together…

If the Longshan Right Alliance collapses and Chen Yingyuan hasn't secured another alliance, the fate of Beehive Camp will be grim.

Strong enemies lie to the north and west—and now a Da Xia Camp has emerged to the south, one not bound by alliance treaties…

"Let me think. Hou Hu isn't a good man either. The old master lent him grain and men to help him inherit Zhao Yang Camp—he owed the old master a great debt. Only thirteen years passed, and as soon as his strength grew, he turned on his benefactor. Who would dare ally with such a man? Let's wait."

Wu Tianxing's face froze momentarily, then he asked: "What about the Alliance Master's decree? Ten jin of Jade Bone, five million jin of iron ore, plus another hostage—we must comply fully?"

This question instantly darkened Chen Yingyuan's expression.

Chen Yingba, also aware of the decree, could not hold back his anger: "I think this eldest son has lost his mind! The old master is dying, the Longshan Right Alliance is clearly crumbling—and he's still hoarding wealth and plundering us? Isn't he forcing our ten camps to rebel? Big brother, I say we join Hou Hu!"

As soon as he finished, Chen Yingyuan's brow furrowed sharply.

Wu Tianxing said nothing, his gaze shifting away immediately.

"If it were that simple, you fool!"

Chen Yingyuan cursed inwardly, with no patience to explain to his blunt brother. He sighed deeply: "This decree still grants us a year's grace. Beehive is the farthest from Longshan—we'll wait and see how the other camps respond before deciding."

He paused, glanced at Chen Yingba, then continued:

"Xia Hong is dangerous. For now, lead your hunting group to stay away from Mirror Valley."

"Yes, big brother."

Seeing Chen Yingba nod, Chen Yingyuan turned to Wu Tianxing:

"Old Wu, contact Luo Ming. See if you can gather more information about Da Xia. If possible, try to reestablish trade relations. They've taken over Mirror Immortal's territory—Arrow Bamboo Forest must be theirs too. Bamboo silk and snow bamboo are still valuable in Longshan Right. Get as much as you can. Also, iron ore and coal—they likely need cold beast meat too."

Wu Tianxing nodded, signaling understanding.

………………

First year of Da Xia, May 18

The valley's wooden tower echoed with another burst of noise.

"Who's getting married today?"

"The tenth couple—hurry and go see!"

"Today it's Zhao Bao, captain of the Golden Eagle Squad."

"The last one, right? Tonight we'll get another bowl of salted meat broth." "Tsk tsk… that broth smells so good—I'm already salivating just thinking about it."

"That broth? It's got salt in it."

"No wonder it smells so good. I heard salt is ground from mid-grade beast bones mixed with other herbs. The Supply Department charges 500 contribution points per jin—insanely expensive. Only the captains of the top hunting squads can afford it."

"Expensive, yes—but the effects are astonishing. I heard from several Supply Department elders that long-term salt consumption boosts cultivation talent and extends lifespan!"

"Lifespan?"

"The aged liquor is good too. Yesterday I asked the Supply Department—guess how many contribution points for one jin?"

"How much?"

"A hundred points."

"Sssss… That's outrageous!"

"Even if it's expensive, you've noticed—many Digging Earth cultivators who received aged liquor didn't drink it. They saved it for their children or nephews in the Woodcutting Realm. I heard it boosts cultivation."

Not a single word was wrong! 【86】 "Huh?"

"Huh?"

………………

Ever since Xia Hong announced that the next ten newlywed couples would be treated to the same wedding banquet as Xia Chuan's, the valley's wooden tower had never been quiet—each day, a new couple married.

The most burdened by this was Qiu Peng, head of the Supply Department.

"Ten weddings in ten days, plus your own, that's eleven in a row. Our Supply Department has bled dry."

On the top floor of the wooden tower, Xia Chuan had donned his black cloak again. Hearing Qiu Peng's complaint, he asked: "Used up a lot of supplies?"

Qiu Peng nodded immediately, opening his ledger with a weary face: "Over twenty thousand people—all except infants—got a taste of meat broth. One wedding requires thirty jin of salt, fifteen hundred jin of beast meat, and ten bottles of aged liquor. Calculated in contribution points, we've spent nearly two hundred thousand over these eleven days."

Beast meat was cheap, but salt cost 500 points per jin, aged liquor 100 points per jin—Qiu Peng's figures were daily costs. Multiply by eleven, and the total was indeed over 180, 00.

"We only had 400 jin of salt to begin with—half this month's supply is gone. New salt hasn't been produced yet. Aside from what's reserved for the leader, no one else can even exchange for any. The aged liquor situation is the same."

Watching Qiu Peng's exhausted, household-manager expression, Xia Chuan couldn't help smiling lightly:

"Salt and aged liquor are so expensive, few can afford them. Lately, everyone's been saving contribution points to build houses—hardly anyone's come to trade. Better to distribute them now than let them sit unused. Let the people taste them."

Qiu Peng's eyes lit up. "You're right! Right now, aside from the leader, no one can afford these. And this past half-month has thoroughly advertised them. I hear many in the Hunting Department are obsessed with the aged liquor—come daily asking if any's available, but won't trade. Hahaha."

Aged liquor truly was a wonder!

Rich, fragrant liquor—swallowed, warmth spread through the body, cultivation strength rose.

Who could resist?

Hearing that the Hunting Division had been inquiring about Chen Nian but hesitated to exchange it, Xia Chuan couldn't help shaking his head and letting out a few soft laughs, picturing their predicament.

But then he straightened his expression and said, "We've consumed so many resources recently—surely the camp's strength has increased significantly?"

Every resource consumed can be converted into strength.

Not to mention Chen Nian, salt, and meat—all three are vital resources for boosting strength. With so much consumed in eleven weddings, it follows that the camp's strength must have risen substantially lately.

Qiu Peng's expression brightened at this, nodding with a smile: "Of course. The three thousand-plus from Mirror Immortal arrived nearly two months ago, and the people from Five Ape Mountain merged in over a month ago. In these past eleven days, thanks to these three items, their momentum has suddenly surged—more and more are breaking through."

Saying this, Qiu Peng pulled out a register from his person, flipped through several pages, and continued enthusiastically: "As of yesterday, our camp has 792 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, and even more Wood-Chopping Realm cultivators—6, 21 in total."

"Moreover, based on my observations at the Martial Hall recently, another two hundred or so Earth-Digging Realm cultivators will break through over the next month, and the Wood-Chopping Realm numbers will keep rising without end!"

Over the next month, another two hundred or so will break into the Earth-Digging Realm.

The Martial Hall is under Qiu Peng's management; every day, two hundred cultivators enter for training, all vetted by him. His word carries high credibility.

That means, before July, the Xia Camp's Earth-Digging Realm cultivators will surpass a thousand; the Wood-Chopping Realm could even reach ten thousand!

Xia Chuan's expression brightened, his face filled with both joy and concern.

"No wonder Yuwen Tao recently came to me, saying he wants to further relax the limits on hunting team sizes—it's because there are so many more Earth-Digging Realm cultivators now, and our current number of hunting teams is too few."

Qiu Peng knew this situation well and nodded: "We've only added seven new hunting teams recently, bringing the total to just thirty. Right now, nearly two hundred people still haven't joined any team. This issue must be resolved."

The current upper limit for low-level hunting teams is twenty; thirty fully staffed teams mean six hundred total. We still have nearly two hundred unassigned, and the number will only grow.

Xia Chuan frowned. This problem was truly hard to solve.

Raising the team size limit was out of the question.

Hunting isn't warfare—it's not true that more people means better results. In fact, once numbers grow too large, coordination becomes harder, and it risks attracting large groups of Cold Beasts—or even Guiguai.

He himself led hunting expeditions, so he knew well: for hunting low-level Cold Beasts, twenty people is essentially the limit. Adding more doesn't help—it wastes manpower, offers no benefit, and instead becomes a burden, potentially lowering overall efficiency, even dangerously so.

"My lord, what if we follow the leader's suggestion and form a non-hunting unit dedicated to patrolling our Xia territory?"

Xia Chuan's face showed a flicker of interest at this, but he quickly shook his head. "You're in charge of the Supply Division—you know the accounts better than I do. Can the camp afford to support a full-time, non-producing unit right now?"

Qiu Peng fell silent, thought for a moment, then helplessly shook his head.

"I overthought it. To be honest, the camp's meat supply is already barely covering demand. As Earth-Digging Realm cultivators increase, daily meat consumption keeps rising. Without the top few hunting teams, we couldn't even keep up."

Xia Chuan's expression turned grave. "How much Cold Beast meat does the camp consume daily now? What's the Supply Division's current reserve?"

"Just for Wood-Chopping and Earth-Digging Realm cultivators, we need 35, 00 jin daily—that's 1. 5 million jin monthly. Add the roughly ten thousand reservists, who each get 1–2 jin daily based on base strength, totaling about 15, 00 jin daily, or 450, 00 jin monthly. Children under six are negligible. Just these two groups total 1. million jin monthly."

Wood-Chopping Realm cultivators need 3–5 jin per day; Earth-Digging Realm need 7–10 jin. Based on Qiu Peng's figures and taking the midpoints, 35, 00 jin is accurate. Reservists, with 1–2 jin daily based on base strength, average about 15, 00 jin for ten thousand—his calculation is essentially correct.

So Qiu Peng's numbers are accurate.

1. million jin, at 1, 00 jin per low-level Cold Beast, means the camp must hunt at least 1, 00 Cold Beasts monthly just to meet demand.

With only thirty hunting teams total, each team must kill forty Cold Beasts monthly to maintain supply.

That's nearly triple the original minimum quota of fifteen per team.

Xia Chuan calculated this in his mind, then frowned sharply.

No wonder they could barely keep up, relying only on the top few teams.

This consumption rate was truly staggering.

But there was no choice—meat was key to the camp's continued strength growth. Unless population was capped, meat demand would inevitably keep rising.

"Reducing meat rations is unrealistic. Limiting population is impossible. We must find a way to supply more. If meat is insufficient, we'll create more teams—lower the base strength requirement for forming teams from 20, 00 jin to 15, 00 jin. That should be enough."

Qiu Peng immediately nodded. "That would be more than sufficient. Fewer than two ten-thousand jin base strength cultivators, but many over fifteen thousand. Many of our earliest members already meet this standard. But this will likely increase casualties during hunts."

Xia Chuan said gravely, "Casualties are unavoidable. The camp already has a meat deficit. Some risk is necessary. They've reached this level thanks to the meat hunted by those before them. Now it's their turn to provide for those below."

Qiu Peng nodded, a look of agreement in his eyes.

He himself had once risen from nothing, fueled by Cold Beast meat brought back by Xia Hong, and now his base strength had surpassed twenty thousand jin.

By the way, you kid—are you still planning to stay on my team?

Xia Chuan suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Qiu Peng.

Qiu Peng chuckled. "I was just about to bring it up!"

In fact, Qiu Peng had met the base strength requirement days ago and qualified to form his own hunting team. But staying in Xia Chuan's Yunjiao Team earned more contribution points, so he'd held off.

But now he couldn't. The Hunting Division was short teams. As Supply Division's Chief, he had to think of the camp's interests—he couldn't keep benefiting from Xia Chuan's team.

Xia Chuan nodded, then paused and extended a hand. "Wait a moment. I have a major operation in two days. Leave after it's done."

Qiu Peng froze, then immediately understood what Xia Chuan meant—his expression sharply brightened.

"Yes, my lord."

(End of Chapter)