Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 352 Trying to Cheat, Dongling's Strength, Lu Yang's Skill

The village-level camp pays tribute to Beishuo once every six months.

每次上贡的物资为60斤玉骨、1000斤兽血、5000吨铁矿石、7500吨煤石，所以未来五年，东岭三家的总上贡物资就是1800斤玉骨、30000斤兽血、15万吨铁矿石、22万5千吨煤石。

Such a massive amount of tribute, even if divided equally among the five households, would still be an extremely staggering burden.

They were just a village-level camp.

1800 jin of jade bones. Assuming each high-level cold beast yields 3 jin of bones, that's equivalent to 600 high-level cold beasts. Divided among the five families, that means each family will have to hunt an additional 120 high-level cold beasts over the next five years.

How... how is this possible?

The requirement of paying tribute with 60 catties of jade bones every six months was set by Beishuo City based on the hunting capabilities of village-level camps. Each village-level camp could only hunt 3 to 5 high-level cold beasts per month. Zhuling was slightly better, but it was impossible for it to exceed 10.

The key point is that hunting high-level cold beasts is risky.

If you're lucky, you might only get injured while being cold-resistant; if you're unlucky, you could die.

There are also losses. Hunting pills, traps, weapons, and bows and arrows all need to be exchanged in Beishuo Town. They don't have silver, so they can only exchange them with large amounts of iron ore, coal, animal meat, and animal blood. Of course, those with overflowing hunting abilities, like Zhu Ling, can also exchange them with precious jade bones.

Putting all that aside, even if the five families sold everything they owned and managed to scrape together the supplies, wouldn't these people at the Cold Resistance level still need to cultivate?

Buying cold-resistant cultivation pills in Beishuo Town also costs money.

Don't forget, the tribute materials that the three families of Dongling will have to pay for the next five years are added to their pay, and they also have their own tribute every six months.

It's not that they can't come up with the money. The five families have been established in Beining Mountain for decades, and they have accumulated a considerable fortune over the years.

The question is, if they give all their resources as tribute, do they still need to develop their own economy?
The cultivation speed at the Cold Resistance level is inherently slow. Without elixirs, there is no way to increase strength. As a result, the risk of hunting high-level cold beasts is even greater.

If the Digging Realm limit isn't broken, and no new Cold Resistance level monsters appear, the camp's hunting capabilities will only get worse.
Without new excavation sites emerging, even mining capabilities decline, creating a vicious cycle. Under this cycle, the camp's strength will only weaken, eventually leading to its demise.

Zhu Tong naturally understood this principle. Today's martial arts competition was his plan to scheme against Dongling. If Dongling lost, they would basically be unable to cause any trouble in Beining Mountain in the future.

But I never expected that I would be the one to lose.

Of course, he wasn't the only one. Faced with Lu Yang's questioning, the leaders of the other four families all turned pale and couldn't utter a single word.

Any objections?
Of course there are, but Zhu Yang has already left.

What else could they do?
Let's unite and cheat!

Zhu Tong silently exchanged glances with Nie Ying, Bai Bo, Wan Tianhe, and Yang Quan, as if he had made up his mind and was about to speak.

"Chief Zhu, and the other four chiefs, should all know that Zhu Yangyuan is a powerful figure. Why don't they dare to use their power to intimidate others?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Yang spoke first, posing a question to the five of them.

Zhu Tong and the other four froze, swallowing back the words that were about to be spoken.

Wang Tao, standing behind Lu Yang, stepped forward slightly and chuckled, “Our great Lord Yang Zun of Bei Shuo is known for his absolute word. The nine towns of Mo Ao Mountain have always had the saying that it is better to have a promise from Lord Yang Zun than ten thousand catties of silver. With such a lord, the entire Bei Shuo has naturally developed a tradition of keeping one’s word. As the head of the Bei Shuo Supervisory Council, how dare Zhu Yang take the lead in ruining the lord’s reputation?”

Yang Zun was known for his trustworthiness in the nine towns of Mo'ao.

Legend has it that more than a hundred years ago, when Yang Zun was still at the Cold Resistance level, he was seriously injured during a hunt and was rescued by a giant camp. He promised the camp that no matter what trouble he encountered in the future, he could come to him once, and he would help him solve it.

At that time, Beishuo itself was only a giant camp, and Yang Zun was only at the Cold Resistance level. They just took it as a polite remark and didn't take it seriously.

As it turned out, over the next fifty years, Yang Zun's cultivation level steadily increased, and Bei Shuo also rose to prominence on the southern slopes of Mount Mo'ao, its camp growing stronger day by day, eventually joining the ranks of the Nine Towns.
The giant camp that saved him back then had been destroyed by Jinshan Town, one of the three northern towns, ten years earlier.

This matter should have been over, since that camp hadn't sought Yang Zun's help when it was destroyed.

Unexpectedly, the descendants of that camp actually managed to sneak into Beishuo City by chance, and even met Yang Zun in person. They brought up the events of that year and asked Yang Zun if he still remembered.

It happened more than fifty years ago, and it was just a huge camp. Even if Yang Zun didn't remember it, probably no one would say anything.

Not only did he remember, but he also agreed to the man's request to help their camp seek revenge on Jinshan Town!

It should be noted that Jinshan has the longest history among the three northern towns and was once recognized as the top town among the nine towns. No one expected that Yang Zun would cause trouble for Jinshan Town because of a promise made more than 50 years ago.

The two towns of Jinshan and Beishuo fought fiercely, and in the end, the culprit who destroyed the giant camp was personally killed by Yang Zun. Jinshan Town not only suffered a great loss in this battle, but also lost its title as the leader of the nine towns, which was a great loss of face.

The saying that "a promise from Yang Zun is worth more than ten thousand catties of silver" spread widely among the nine towns of Mo'ao after this incident.

Putting everything else aside, Yang Zun's reputation for integrity spread quickly. As such, the people of Beishuo Town, who regarded Yang Zun as a great lord, naturally had to emulate him.

Zhu Yang dared not use his power to intimidate others, partly out of fear of Gu Tianxiong and Huang Yuanshou, but the deeper reason was that he dared not tarnish Beishuo's reputation for keeping its word.

Just before the competition started, Lu Yang repeatedly asked whether he was representing the Beishuo Supervisory Council. Zhu Yang gave a clear answer that his every word and action represented Beishuo.

So, if he dares to use his power to intimidate others today and help Zhu Ling to forcefully renege on his promises, and if He Wuyang is there as a witness, and this matter is brought before Gu Tianxiong and Huang Yuanshou, it would be too lenient to convict him of a crime that damages the reputation of Beishuo.

If he were charged with tarnishing the lord's reputation, that would be a serious matter.

The environment of the Ice Abyss dictates that in any camp, the lord is an absolutely supreme being, revered as a god by everyone in the camp. This is even more true for powerful town-level camps like Beishuo.

Of course, the same applies to the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Great Xia Prison Department has clear laws stipulating that anyone who dares to dishonor the lord's reputation will be subject to a year of forced labor or, in serious cases, execution.

Whether Yang Zun himself cares about tarnishing the lord's reputation is uncertain, but his large following in Beishuo City certainly won't stand for it.

This is the core reason why Zhu Yang dares not use his power to intimidate others today.

He was already old, and now that he's been exiled to Jingxi, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that he's being marginalized by the Censorate.

Many people are eyeing his position as head of the academy!
If he were to be branded with such a serious crime as disgracing the lord's reputation, he would certainly lose his position as the head of the academy, regardless of the final outcome.

In other words, even Zhu Yang wouldn't dare to take on this crime, so how could the leaders of the five families in Zhuling dare to take it?
Lu Yang looked down at the five people, his face full of smiles.

Of course I wouldn't dare!

He's got his hands on these five companies today.

"Chief Lu, five years is far too long..."

After a long silence, Zhu Tong finally spoke.

His tone carried a hint of threat. After a pause, he continued in a low voice, "If we hand over so many supplies, our five families will basically have no way to survive. We can't agree to that. Even if you report this to Dean Gu, we still won't hand them over."

“That’s right, Chief Lu, we simply can’t afford that many.”

"Putting everything else aside, 15 tons of iron ore, if divided among each household, is 3 tons, which is almost half the total mining volume of an iron mine. It's impossible for the five of us to have people mining every day for the next five years."

"I'm sorry, Yanggu cannot produce so many things."

"I, Wan Xing, am in the same boat; I can't produce it either."

The four leaders hurriedly followed Zhu Tong and expressed their opinions.

Seeing that the five people clearly had no intention of admitting their mistake, Lu Yang's smile gradually faded, and his eyes lowered instantly.

"Chief Lu, perhaps we should..."

"He Wuyang, shut up!"

Seeing that He Wuyang was about to speak up for the five of them, Zhu Tong's eyes lit up with joy, but this joy was quickly wiped away by Lu Yang's angry rebuke.

Lu Yang actually spoke up and angrily told He Wuyang to shut up.

How dare he?

Not only Zhu Tong, Bai Bo and the other four leaders, but even Zi Jing and Hong Fan, who were standing behind Lu Yang, were instantly stunned.

The leaders of the seven families all looked up at Lu Yang first, and then their gazes shifted to He Wuyang, who had been angrily told to shut up, behind them.

What happened next was something completely unfamiliar to them!
He Wuyang's face flushed crimson, revealing his extreme anger. Yet, despite his rage, he managed to force his expression back to normal after three or four breaths, then turned and left the venue as if nothing had happened.

………………

He Wuyang, a proper inspector of the Northern Shuo Black Label, was scolded by a village-level camp leader, but he left without saying a word.

The scene unfolding at this moment shook the seven leaders a hundred times more than when Zhu Yang had just left.

why?
why?
Zhu Tong and his six companions looked horrified, their minds filled with confusion.

"Since you can't produce this much, how dare you propose this bet to me in the first place? You were sure that Dongling would lose, weren't you?"

Having witnessed He Wuyang's angry rebuke and subsequent retreat, Lu Yang's deep, furious voice now carried a much greater weight in the eyes of Zhu Tong and his group of five.

The five men dared not meet his gaze and immediately lowered their heads.

Seeing that the five of them still acted as if they were dead pigs unafraid of boiling water, Lu Yang sneered twice and continued, "The principle of accepting defeat in a bet is an unchanging truth since ancient times. You probably think that even if Dean Gu knows about this, he won't care about your little things. At most, you'll just get a beating. So even if you don't give them to me, there's nothing I can do about it, right?"

The five people remained silent with their heads down.

"If you think that way, you're sorely mistaken!"

Lu Yang sneered and continued, "Since you won't give it to us, then Dongling will take it ourselves. From today onwards, Dongling will send people to patrol the Beishan area every night. From now on, none of your five families will be allowed to set foot in Beining Mountain again!"

Zhu Tong and the other four had their heads down. Upon hearing this, they were first taken aback, and then their expressions became strange.

All eight families live along the northern mountain range. Not to mention that hunting and gathering require going into the mountains, their coal and iron mines are all located in the mountains. If we can really prevent them from entering the mountains from now on, that would indeed be a ruthless move.

The problem is, how could Lu Yang possibly manage to blockade the area along the Beishan line?
Dongling has 29 Cold-resistant level cultivators and over 400 people at the Earth-digging realm, making it the strongest of the eight families. However, if they want to blockade the entire North Mountain line, not only can Dongling alone not do it, but even if the Ziqiang and Hongyuan families are added together, it would be absolutely impossible.

The Zhu Ling family alone has fourteen Cold Resistance level individuals. Adding the other four families, the total number of Cold Resistance level individuals from the five families is at least forty. And this is just the Cold Resistance level. The Digging Realm Limit and Digging Realm groups combined are no less than the three families of Dongling. How can they block them?

"Come in, everyone!"

As if he could read the minds of the five people, Lu Yang first sneered, then turned his head and shouted loudly towards the outer perimeter of Zhu Ling's camp.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass into Zhuling Village!"

"Stop right there."

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

A series of urgent screams suddenly came from the outskirts of the camp. Upon hearing the final warning of enemy attack, Zhu Tong and the other Cold-resistant soldiers, as well as the group from the Zhuling camp below, all changed their expressions immediately.

"Zhu Da, get out..."

Zhu Tong was about to send his second brother out to check, but before he could finish speaking, more than fifty people rushed in from the outer perimeter of the camp. Seeing the speed at which those fifty-odd people were moving on the ground, his expression froze instantly.

Fifty-eight men rushed in from the outskirts of the camp, led by Zhu Shun, a military officer from the Dongling Camp Supply Division. Behind him were fifty-seven men, each clad in black iron armor. The armor was covered in thousands of dense silver forging patterns, almost rivaling the sheer black color. Bai Bo, Nie Ying, Wan Tianhe, and Yang Quan were no exception; even Hong Fan and Zi Jing, who had personally visited the Dongling camp, were somewhat numb as they looked at the fifty-odd men behind Zhu Shun.

"Zhu Shun?"

"This……"

"Thousand-Refined Armor? Dongling has so many Thousand-Refined Armor?"

"Gulp, where did this come from?"

"They're all...all of them are at the Cold Protection level!"

"Are these people from Dongling?"

"How can it be!"

………………

"Zhu Shun pays his respects to the leader."

"We pay our respects to our leader!"

Zhu Shun led fifty-eight people to Lu Yang and bowed in unison. The release of so many Cold-Resistant level blood energy instantly silenced the group of Cold-Resistant level members from Zhu Tong and the other seven families.

"No need to be polite, just get up!"

Lu Yang nodded to Zhu Shun, signaling everyone to stand up, before turning to look at Zhu Tong and the others with a mocking expression.

Luo An is the son of Luo Yuan, the director of the Hunting Department; Zou Ping is the son of Zou Yuankai, the garrison commander of Wushuang; Zhao Yuanshan is the daughter of Zhao Long, the commander of the soon-to-be-established Eighth Army, and also the niece of Zhao Hu; Xiao Yan is the cousin of the two wives of the directors; and Luo Cheng is the son of Luo Ming, the garrison commander of Jinggu.

The five juniors who came to compete tonight are all of extraordinary status. How could he feel at ease knowing that they only brought Zhao Hu and the other two with them?
Of course, more importantly, he had already guessed that Zhu Tong would refuse to admit defeat. He brought people over to tell Zhu Tong and his group that even if they wanted to deny it, it would be impossible for them.

For the first three years, although these more than 500 people lived in Beining Mountain, they were still able to enjoy the cultivation resources of Xia City. They even enjoyed the quota of the Martial Arts Pavilion as normal. Furthermore, because they found out a lot about the specific situation of Mo'ao Nine Towns and made great contributions to the camp, they also received some preferential treatment from Xia City's resources.

Twenty-nine Cold-Resistant level personnel? That's ancient history. When competing for that iron mine at the beginning of the year, he was worried that Dongling's strength would be exposed too much at once, causing unnecessary trouble, so he only sent such a small number of people. It wasn't because Dongling only had twenty-nine Cold-Resistant level personnel.

"Brother Hong, Brother Zi, since the five families of Zhuling have lost and refuse to admit their debt, then let the three of us join forces to blockade the Beishan area for five years, as if they are paying off their debt. I wonder if you two agree to my idea?"

"A bettor should accept the consequences; that's the only way!"

"The five families of Zhuling broke their promise first. I think Chief Lu's idea is feasible. Blocking the Beishan area for five years is a legitimate way to make the five families pay their debts. Even if it comes to Beishuo City, our three families are not afraid."

Seeing how powerful Dongling was, Zijing and Hongfan had no reason to disagree.

Hong Fan, in particular, directly revealed Lu Yang's meaning.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tong and his four companions were utterly devastated, their expressions extremely flustered.

Lu Yang has proven that Dongling has the ability to blockade the Beishan area, and he even has a legitimate reason to make the five families pay off their debts.

In this way, their path to complaining to Beishuo was completely cut off.

We can't win a fight, and now even resorting to cheating won't work.

Finished!

This time, the five companies have completely failed; besides suffering huge losses, they have nothing...

"Actually, I, Lu, did not want to push Brother Zhu and his five families to this point!"

Just as Zhu Tong was about to admit defeat and back down, he suddenly heard these words, and especially noticed how Lu Yang addressed him. His expression instantly became agitated.

Bai Bo and the other four leaders, just like him, all suddenly looked up at Lu Yang.

Seeing that the five leaders' eyes were all focused on him, Lu Yang shook his head and sighed softly, then continued, "Our eight families all make a living along the North Mountain line. Why must we fight to the death? I only want to lead the people in the camp to live a peaceful life. If it weren't for Brother Zhu's aggressive behavior over the past three years, my Dongling could have been friends with you all."

Hearing this, Zhu Tong was finally certain that Lu Yang's attitude had truly softened. He immediately gritted his teeth, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to him, saying in a solemn tone, "Brother Lu, I was confused for the past three years. With the strength of Dongling, let alone taking away such a small part of our hunting area, it would be only right for them to take away half of my Zhuling hunting area."

As leaders, Bai Bo and the other three reacted quickly. As soon as Zhu Tonghua finished speaking, they immediately rushed to express their support to Lu Yang.

“Chief Lu, I, Bai Yuan, have never intended to antagonize Dongling. The past three years have all been a misunderstanding! Upon returning this time, I, Bai, will certainly keep a close watch on the hunting teams in the camp and prevent them from trespassing into Dongling’s hunting area.”

"Chief Lu's righteousness is truly admirable; I, Wan Xing Camp, will henceforth..."

………………

"it is good!"

After hearing the statements from the five leaders, Lu Yang's face immediately showed approval. He nodded and smiled, saying, "Since you five are so sensible, it would be too unreasonable for me to press you further. However..."

Upon hearing the first sentence, Zhu Tong and his four companions were overjoyed, but their joy was short-lived, as Lu Yang interrupted them with the next two words.

All five of them looked up at him, their expressions unusually uneasy.

"This bet concerns everyone in the camp, and I can't just forgive the debts of all five families with a single word. Let me think..."

Lu Yang looked troubled, then lowered his head to think for a moment before his eyes lit up. He smiled and said to the five men, "How about this? I don't have many hobbies, but taking on disciples is one of them. The talents of the five families today have truly broadened my horizons. If you five leaders don't mind, let your sons become my disciples. They will stay in Dongling for the next five years, and I will personally train them. I guarantee that I will send them back intact after five years. How about that?"

…………

Upon hearing this, Zhu Tong and his four companions immediately became wary.

No one would think that Lu Yang was really planning to take on a disciple.

Sending your son to Dongling is tantamount to taking him hostage, isn't it?

As for the statement that it would be returned intact, that's just empty talk. If there hadn't been any conflict between the two sides in the past five years, that would have been fine, but what if something had happened...?

Upon realizing this, Zhu Tong and the other four immediately became serious.

They instantly understood what Lu Yang meant.

Sending their son there is like taking him hostage. If they behave well for the next five years, their son will be safe and sound. After the debt is settled in five years, Dongling will have no reason to detain their son. If Dongling really doesn't want to release him then, they can ask the Beishuo Supervisory Council to make the decision.

Thinking of this, Zhu Tong, Bai Bo, Wan Tianhe, and Nie Ying all looked at their sons Zhu Baixu, Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, and Nie Shen behind them. Although Yang Quan's son was not there, his expression was the same as the four in front of him, full of struggle and entanglement.

"By the way, I haven't made this clear yet. If the offspring of the five leaders come, 50% of their debts will be waived each year. If the offspring of other Cold-resistant level members come, 10% will be waived each year. That means each family only has six slots. If you agree, I can write the contract by hand right now to waive the debts of the five families for the first year. What do you say?"

Seeing that the five people were starting to struggle, Lu Yang pressed on while the iron was hot. After asking his question and seeing that they didn't react, he thought for a moment and continued, "You five can rest assured. Your sons are in Dongling. They will enjoy all the cultivation resources they are entitled to. You can even visit them anytime. Apart from not being able to take them away, I won't interfere with what they do with you. How about that?"

"Chief Lu, is this really true?"

Zhu Tong was the first to finally ask the question.

Lu Yang smiled and nodded: "The leaders of the seven camps are all here today. If I were lying, I would have no face to stay in Beining Mountain in the future."

Zhu Tong struggled for a long time before finally turning his head to look behind him.

"Father, I am willing to forgive so much debt for the camp!"

Zhu Baixu did not disgrace the reputation of the leader's son. Although you could see that he was a little uneasy, he was still the first to step forward.

"Father, I'm willing to go to Dongling!"

"Father, I'm willing too!"

"Father, let me go to Dongling!"

At fourteen or fifteen years old, they were full of vigor and vitality. Zhu Baixu was the first to step forward, and Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, and Nie Shen, the three young men, were naturally not to be outdone and all stepped forward as well.

Yangquan's son did not come, but seeing that the four families had already reached this point, he could only sigh and cup his hands to Lu Yang, saying, "Yang Gu has also agreed, and I will personally send my son to Dongling in a few days."

"Good, the five leaders are indeed straightforward!"

Lu Yang laughed heartily, then inadvertently exchanged glances with Wang Tao behind him, both of them flashing a hint of triumph in their eyes.

call…………

No one noticed that after Lu Yang and the others had finished their discussion at the Zhuling camp, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the sky above the camp.

"A promise from Yang Zun is worth more than ten thousand catties of silver. How interesting!"

High above the eastern side of Zhuling's base, Xia Hong, dressed in black, was flying through the air. He repeated Wang Tao's words in a low voice, then shook his head and chuckled.

There should be some commonalities in the dating of different camps in Ice Abyss.

Back then, the Longyou calendar and the Xia calendar were only ten days apart, and now the Mo'ao calendar is even closer to the Xia calendar, only four days apart.

According to the Chinese calendar, today is the eleventh day of the ninth month.

The Moo calendar is September 15th.

After leaving Jinggu before dawn on the tenth day of the ninth month, he flew directly along the Shuanglong Mountain wall to Beining Mountain. He spent a day familiarizing himself with the new environment, hunted several birds and cold beasts in the mountains, and then went directly to Dongling.

He learned about the martial arts competition from He Ning and others, and decided to come and see for himself. So he went to Zhu Ling's camp. He had been hiding in mid-air and not only watched the entire competition, but also witnessed Lu Yang's step-by-step plan to target the five leaders.

"Lu Yang's methods are becoming more and more sophisticated. He plans to use the hostages to control the five leaders first, and then take the opportunity to infiltrate the five families to achieve his goal of controlling them. The hostages must have been Wang Tao's idea!"

Lu Yang never intended to take the supplies from the gambling match, and Xia Hong could naturally tell that.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. For the Great Xia, the supplies lost by the five families were indeed a drop in the ocean and wouldn't be of much use. However, exchanging these supplies for five hostages to control the leaders of the five families would be much more effective.

For the past three years, Lu Yang's biggest fear in Dongling has been being noticed by Bei Shuo.

It just so happens that the five families of Zhuling have been keeping an eye on him all day long. Now that he has these five hostages, Dongling has completely eliminated this hidden danger. His methods are indeed very clever.

As for whether it was Wang Tao's idea, that's simple.

Longshan had used this proton-based tactic before.

Wang Tao, being from Longshan, was naturally very familiar with this kind of thing. He was probably the only one who could come up with such an idea for Lu Yang.

"We've seen Mount Mo'ao. Next, it's time to go see the legendary Beishuo Town!"

Xia Hong looked eastward from a distance, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes, and quickened his pace, flying towards Beishuo City.

"Eek, it's him!"

After flying for a while, he noticed something, looked down at the snow below, and a hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

"I just discovered that although Zhu Yang has the peak of the Cold Resistance cultivation, he is clearly only a lower-grade battle body, yet his basic strength is as high as twenty-seven. He must have some special channel to improve it. I'll go ask him about it!"

(End of this chapter)