Chapter 50: Hurry and Set Out to Rescue

The southern foothills of Mount Mo'ao, nine towns, Beishu Town, a massive encampment of over a hundred thousand people, Ice Plain, Gu Gu Yuanji, five types of supernatural entities: Crafty Ghost, Wood Puppet Ghost, Yang Ning, Li Hu, Luo Ming…

Shi Qing's answer was long; even after the three descended from Tashan, he had not finished speaking.

Yet the content he described truly opened Xia Hong's eyes.

Although Xia Hong had been in this world for over four months,

in truth, even now, beyond his own little patch of ground, he remained utterly ignorant of the outside world.

He did not even know the exact year or date.

Of course, with humanity reduced to this state, there was probably no proper calendar system left.

Only today, hearing these details from Shi Qing's mouth,

did he learn of the large encampment with over a hundred thousand people, Beishuozhen, and the other eight towns.

And the great lord Yang Zun, mentioned by Yang and Li of Beishuozhen—what realm must such a powerhouse be?

Upon hearing this, a flicker of longing appeared in Xia Hong's eyes.

But he did not forget his mission.

Learning that although Shi Qing had encountered the puppet Xia Ding that night, he was later rescued by Yang, Li, and Luo, and had seen the Wood Puppet Ghost, he hurriedly asked:

"What exactly did the Wood Puppet Ghost look like?"

Shi Qing's eyes flashed with hatred as he whispered, "An old man's appearance, pupils blazing red, devoid of any normal human emotion. In his left hand he held a small knife, in his right, a bundle of transparent threads—both were his weapons."

Xia Hong locked the details firmly in his mind and looked up toward the front.

The migration was already underway at night, and the group of nearly two hundred was too large; fearing any loud noise, their progress had been painfully slow.

Fortunately, Tashan was less than a kilometer from the slope where the Great Xia encampment lay. Even at this pace, it would take little time—estimated to be another fifteen minutes.

Xia Chuan, Liu Liu Yuan Cheng, and the others maintained vigilance around the perimeter, while Xia Hong stayed at the rear with Shi Qing and his son.

Recalling Shi Qing's account of events in Great Xia territory, Xia Hong frowned slightly and continued, "You said that night, including Wang Ming and the other three, eight people died. That means five of you should have survived—why are only you and Shi Dong back? And when exactly was Shi Dong replaced by the Wood Puppet Ghost?"

Shi Qing then recounted how Luo Ming gathered everyone to cooperate with Yang and Li in confronting the Wood Puppet Ghost, including the arrangement of sending people from various encampments as bait.

Hearing that four attempts to lure out the Wood Puppet Ghost with bait had failed, Xia Hong's expression darkened.

And when he learned that Shi Dong had been replaced during the baiting operation—and had even entered Luo Ge's encampment alongside Shi Qing—his face changed instantly.

Not just him—by this point, Shi Qing himself had realized something, his face turning pale as he looked northward, fear etched upon it.

"You mean the Wood Puppet Ghost didn't just infiltrate Luo Ge's encampment through Shi Dong—it watched your entire planning session?"

"It's over… Luo Ge's encampment is in trouble… in trouble…"

Shi Qing didn't hear Xia Hong's question—he kept staring northward at Luo Ge's encampment, muttering "in trouble" over and over.

Xia Hong's face also showed alarm as he shouted, "How many people are in Luo Ge's encampment?"

Shi Qing snapped out of his daze and answered quickly, "I'm not sure—over a thousand."

Over a thousand…

Xia Hong's scalp prickled, a flicker of inner struggle crossing his face.

As Shi Qing said, for the final attempt to lure out the Wood Puppet Ghost, Yang Ning and Li Hu had taken nearly ninety percent of the strong fighters from all the encampments.

That meant those left in Luo Ge's encampment were mostly ordinary people.

The Wood Puppet Demon grew stronger with every life it took.

And from Xia Hong's several observations, its ability to control puppets—both quantity and quality—was rapidly improving.

"It's going to slaughter them all! No—we must go save them."

The thought flashed through Xia Hong's mind; his inner struggle vanished, replaced by unwavering resolve.

Whether they were already dead or not, they had to go immediately.

The Wood Puppet Demon had already made enemies of Great Xia; letting it grow stronger unchecked would inevitably bring ruin to himself and his encampment.

But they couldn't rush in blindly.

Xia Hong carefully organized his thoughts, then turned to Shi Qing:

"You said Yang Ning and Li Hu are very strong—they should be able to handle the Wood Puppet Demon, right?"

Shi Qing nodded, but seeing Xia Hong's expression, realized his intent and hurried to add, "No, Leader—though Yang and Li are powerful, the Wood Puppet Demon has escaped them four times already, and infiltrated Luo Ge's encampment. It's not just strong—it's cunning and deceitful. We shouldn't go to Luo…"

"Not go? Let the people of Luo Ge's encampment all be slaughtered?"

Xia Hong cut him off, exhaled sharply, and fixed him with a serious gaze:

Whether we can save many or not, we can't just let it kill indiscriminately. Didn't Yang and Li say that if this supernatural entity advances to the intermediate level, no human will survive in the Red Wood Ridge region?

"But its power—"

"Don't worry—I have a way to deal with it!"

After saying this, Xia Hong did not continue speaking to Shi Qing—he called out to Xia Chuan and the other nine on patrol.

Ignoring their puzzled expressions, he gave direct orders:

"Xu An, Liu Liu Liu Yuan, Li Li Li Yuankun—you three lead the group to the encampment. It's close now; you shouldn't encounter trouble. Once you arrive, seal the cave entrance immediately—just as before. Anyone who doesn't give the password, no matter who they are, must not be allowed entry."

Xu An, Liu Liu Liu Yuan, and Li Li Li Yuankun had just broken through the Woodcutting Realm—their cultivation was still unstable, so they were left behind at the encampment.

"Yes, Leader!"

Though curious, the three nodded swiftly and obeyed.

"The remaining six—come with me to Luo Ge's encampment. The Wood Puppet Demon is almost certainly causing chaos there right now."

"Yes, Leader!"

Xia Chuan, Liu Liu Yuan Cheng, and the other six nodded without hesitation.

No—not just without hesitation.

They even seemed… excited?

Shi Qing, still lying on Shi Ping's back and watching quietly, thought he had misseen—until he confirmed that Xia Chuan and the others showed no fear, only a hint of eagerness. He was bewildered, his mind repeating one thought:

Are these young men recklessly ignorant—or do they truly have a plan?

"Stone Leader, tell me the exact location of Luo Ge's encampment."

Shi Qing knew he couldn't dissuade Xia Hong, but a flicker of hope arose in him for this group—he quickly gave the location.

After speaking, seeing Xia Hong preparing to depart, he quickly patted his son, signaling him to retrieve the pack they had gathered.

He swiftly pulled out two curved bows and two quivers of arrows, stopping Xia Hong:

"Leader, these bows and arrows are useless to me—take them. Maybe they'll help."

Xia Hong's face lit up with delight as he took the bows.

"Thank you, Stone Leader!"

Without further words, he led Xia Chuan and the other six into the Red Wood Ridge, then raced northward.

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(End of Chapter)