Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 357 Volunteering and Risking One's Life

Xu Ning stared at the map on the furnace wall, his expression still hesitant.

Last year, when the exploration team reached the Qinghepu area, they discovered Dajue Temple. He immediately sent someone to report it to Xiacheng, and he still remembers the reply from the magistrate.

'Dajue Temple is likely associated with supernatural phenomena; proceed with extreme caution.'

It was because of that sentence that he had been so cautious for the past six months.

The problem is that during the six months he lived in Hexia Village, he didn't find anything related to the supernatural.

“Small torches, fire-condensing oil, silverware—I have so many ways to sense strange things, yet I haven’t found the slightest problem. This basically confirms that the more than 50,000 people in Hexia Village, including the 27 cold-resistant level people who had been to Dajue Temple, are all normal humans. It’s just that their minds have been completely controlled by Dajue Temple.”

Thinking of this, Xu Ning looked down at the only woman among the five people, smiled and asked in a low voice, "Qiaoru, are they pressuring you to have a baby again?"

Since it was an undercover operation, there would definitely be dangers. Bringing other women to pretend to be a family would be unsafe and could easily expose the deception, so Xu Ning simply brought his wife along.

Hong Qiaoru is Hong Guang's eldest daughter. The two met in the first year of the Great Xia Dynasty under Hong Guang's matchmaking, and got married the following year. They now have two sons and one daughter.

Originally, Hong Qiaoru lived in Xiacheng with her three children, but in recent years, as the importance of the Wuyuan outpost has increased, Xu Ning, as the magistrate, has become increasingly busy and has no time to return to Xiacheng.

The two had only been married for a short time, and Hong Qiaoru could not bear such a long period of separation. After the Cold Festival this year, she simply took the child and came to Wuyuan to find him, and just then she encountered this incident.

Seeing that the other four were looking at her, Hong Qiaoru blushed slightly and nodded, saying, "They keep urging me every day. The women in this camp are all like crazy. They keep saying how great it is to be pregnant. It's so annoying. If I wasn't afraid of being exposed, I really wouldn't want to talk to them."

Xu Ning chuckled softly after hearing his wife's words, but his expression immediately turned serious.

Interestingly, among the six of them, the one who gathered the most information happened to be Hong Qiaoru, who had access to the adult women in Hexia Village.

The reason is simple: everyone in Hexia Village seems to be possessed, giving birth all the time. As soon as you enter the camp, you can see that almost all the women are either heavily pregnant or pregnant. Moreover, they not only give birth themselves, but also encourage others to give birth.

They had children for no other reason than to raise them to the age of six and then send them to Dajue Temple every February.

Xu Ning had previously thought that only Hexia Village was like this, but after staying here for half a year, he was shocked to find that all eighteen households in the three villages of Qinghepu were like this.

According to what Hong Qiaoru heard, these children would be taken away in batches by people sent by Dajue Temple every February after they turned six. If they passed the test, they could become monks and receive instruction from the master. Even if they failed, they would still have the opportunity to become monks with hair and bring their families to the vicinity of Dajue Temple, where they could live a life free from worries about food and clothing. At the very least, Dajue Temple said that when the children turned twenty, they would be sent back to their respective camps.

He was having a lot of children just to send them to Dajue Temple. Based on this alone, even though Xu Ning hadn't found anything related to the supernatural in Hexia Village in the past six months, he still firmly believed Si Cheng's statement that "Dajue Temple should be related to the supernatural."

There's definitely something wrong with that. What kind of parents have children just to give them away? And Dajue Temple's promise is also questionable. If they pass the test, they can stay there; if they don't, they can only be sent back when they turn twenty.

In other words, regardless of whether the test is passed or not, the child cannot come back.

“They’ll send them back after they turn twenty. Dajue Temple has only been in Qinghepu for seven years. The first batch of children they took away seven years ago are only fifteen years old now. Who can say for sure whether they’ll be back in five years? Judging from the current fervor of the three villages and eighteen families for Dajue Temple, even if they’re not sent back when the time comes, no one will have any objections.”

Upon hearing Xu Ning's words, Bai Shanqiu immediately replied, "We can't blame these people. According to what we've learned, seven years ago, there wasn't even a large camp here. If Dajue Temple hadn't come here, they definitely wouldn't be living such a good life now."

Hong Qiaoru nodded and said, "For every child we hand over, we can get 10000 catties of beast meat and 1000 catties of beast blood. Not to mention that Dajue Temple also told them that the children can come back when they turn twenty. With such a large amount of supplies, if we take them to most of the weak camps, even if we openly say that we are buying children, I estimate that many people would be willing."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning and the other four all sighed slightly.

Hong Qiaoru's words were a bit conservative. The Great Xia Dynasty had also come through difficult times step by step, so how could it not understand how hard those weak camps had to live?

For 10000 catties of animal meat and 1000 catties of animal blood, at that price, most people would be willing to buy a child from a weaker camp.

"Moreover, in the past, the area around Qinghepu was often plagued by cold beasts from the water that would come ashore and cause trouble. I heard that Dajue Temple solved this problem. Judging from these points alone, if those six-year-old children were really fine after being taken away, then I really can't see any problems with Dajue Temple other than enticing these women to have children."

"The greatest villains appear loyal, and the greatest evils appear good. The more you can't see the problem, the more it proves that something is amiss. If it's really just about opening the temple gates to accept disciples, then why set a rule that they can only return when they are twenty years old? Don't you think that this Dajue Temple is spending so many resources to integrate the entire Qinghepu just to raise these people to help them mass-produce six-year-old children?"

With Xia Chuan's reminder, Xu Ning was clearly much more sober than the other five. He paused here, a serious look on his face, and continued, "Take Hexia Village as an example. We've only been here for half a year, and they've already had nearly four thousand newborns. Almost every day, more than twenty babies are born, while the number of adults has hardly changed. You should have noticed that in the entire Hexia Village, you can't find a single child between the ages of six and fourteen."

"You do the math. Based on what we've seen in the last six months, how many children did Dajue Temple take away from Hexia Village in the previous seven years?"

This number would normally be impossible to calculate, but the population structure of Hexia Village is so stable that there is almost no change in the number of adults, so it is easier to deduce.

Seven years is not a very long time span, and most women can maintain their fertility. Hexia Village currently has 17,000 households, and like other camps in Bingyuan, the elderly make up less than 10% of them.

"Seven years ago, the first batch of children taken away, based on the current population structure, I estimate there were around two thousand. If we extrapolate normally, the number will be about the same every year for the next five years."

But things changed last year. The frenzy of childbirth among the women of Hexia Village began seven years ago after the arrival of the Dajue Temple. I estimate that at least 12,000 children were taken in last year, and the number will only be higher at the beginning of this year. As for next year, based on my observations in the village over the first six months, the number of children turning six by February next year will be at least 15,000.

Seven years ago, when Dajue Temple came to Qinghepu, the women of Hexia Village started having children like crazy. By that calculation, the first batch of children born collectively turned six years old last year, which is why the number of children has skyrocketed since last year.

The one who made this speculation was the one on the left of the two young men.

After listening, Xu Ning looked at the man and a look of admiration immediately appeared on his face.

"Xiang Liang's calculations are similar to mine. In other words, Hexia Village alone sent at least 35,000 children to Dajue Temple in the first seven years. And that's just Hexia Village. In the entire Qinghepu area, there are three villages and eighteen households. Have you ever calculated how many children were sent in those seven years?"

gulp...

Upon hearing this, the five people below lowered their heads and pondered for a moment, their faces filled with horror.

“There are at least 150,000 or more. Of those who are sent there, only five can return each year, which is what the people of Hexia Village call the monks with hair. In the first seven years, that's only 35 people. In the three villages and eighteen families, that's just over a hundred people in total, which is less than a fraction. Based on what we know so far, what do you think the people of Hexia Village will do if the first batch of children turn 20 in five years, even if Dajue Temple doesn't send them back?”

Xiang Liang recalled what he had seen and heard in Hexia Village and said in a deep voice, "Whenever Dajue Temple is mentioned, everyone in Hexia Village, from top to bottom, shows fanaticism. I suspect that even if Dajue Temple asked them to die, they would do it immediately. If we make up a reason that the child can't come back, they would probably believe it unconditionally and wouldn't react at all."

A mother who carries her child for ten months and raises him to the age of six with great care, only to send him away in a daze and never see him again, is acting against human nature. If it weren't for their fervent faith in Dajue Temple, how could the people of Hexia Village do such a thing?
The promise to send them back when they turn twenty is nothing but an empty promise. Whether it will be honored or not is entirely up to Dajue Temple. What happened to those children after they went to Dajue Temple, whether they are alive or dead, is still unknown.

"If the magistrate's deduction is correct, and Dajue Temple is indeed connected to supernatural beings, then these children have most likely already met with misfortune. The most important thing now is to find out what Dajue Temple is doing with these children..."

After pondering for a moment, Xu Ning's expression became extremely solemn.

The monsters that Da Xia had encountered before all evolved by killing people, thereby increasing their strength. But the one like Da Jue Temple, which only has six-year-old children and specifically bewitches humans to breed children for it, is obviously much more complicated.

"Sir, do you still not want to leave Hexia Village?"

Bai Shanqiu, despite his age, was naturally quite adept at reading people, and he had already discerned Xu Ning's thoughts.

Xia Hong's order was brought back by him. The order was very clear: Xu Ning was to lead his men to withdraw from Hexia Village and not to have any further contact with Dajue Temple.

Xu Ning was saying all this simply because he didn't want to leave so soon and wanted to stay in Hexia Village to gather more information. However, doing so would be disobeying the lord's orders, which was the reason for his inner turmoil.

Seeing Xu Ning nod, Bai Shanqiu remained silent for a moment, about to speak, but was interrupted by Xiang Liang beside him.

"My lord, please take your men back to Wuyuan first, and let me stay here!"

Upon hearing Xiang Liang's words, Bai Shanqiu was slightly taken aback.

The other three, including Xu Ning, immediately turned to look at the young man, their faces showing varying degrees of surprise.

The lord himself made the judgment that Dajue Temple was dangerous and Hexia Village was unsafe. Even with Xu Ning's strength, Xia Hong told him to retreat immediately. Now, he took the initiative to stay in Hexia Village to continue gathering information. You can imagine how much courage that took.

Xiang Liang was clearly not acting on impulse. Seeing that all five of them were looking at him, he cupped his hands to Xu Ning and said in a deep voice, "Sir, Wang Chuan already suspects us. If the six of us leave together, wouldn't that confirm the problem? It won't be so easy for him to plant someone else in the future. I'm only at the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm right now, so I'm not too conspicuous. Besides, Wang Chuan clearly intends to recruit me as his son-in-law. It's most suitable for me to stay here." Hearing Xiang Liang's words, a hint of interest flashed across Xu Ning's face.

Wang Chuan is the leader of Hexia Village. It is because of Wang Chuan's suspicion that the six of them have a hard time making progress in Hexia Village and find it difficult to obtain useful information.

As for Xiang Liang's claim that Wang Chuan intended to recruit him as a son-in-law, that is indeed true, but it was entirely a coincidence.

In March, Xu Ning led five people to infiltrate Hexia Village, having put in a lot of effort.

While a small hunting team from Hexia Village was out, he secretly followed them and used some tricks to lure a few mid-level cold beasts over. The hunting team was in danger, and then he and five others pretended to be refugees passing through the area and rescued them. This is how he successfully infiltrated Hexia Village.

As luck would have it, Wang Chuan's daughter, Wang Yuxiu, was in that hunting team at the time. Xiang Liang's heroic rescue of her naturally won Wang Yuxiu's favor, which led to Wang Chuan's subsequent intention to recruit him as his son-in-law.

Although Xu Ning understood that Xiang Liang was the most suitable person to stay here, he still refused after much deliberation, shaking his head and saying, "No, it's too dangerous for you to stay here alone. What if something happens and there's no one to help..."

"It's really not appropriate for Xiang Liang to be here alone. Even if he knows some important news, there's no one to deliver it. My lord, please let me stay as well!"

Xu Ning's expression froze slightly as Bai Shanqiu interrupted him.

Bai Shanqiu clearly wanted to stay, but Xiang Liang beat him to it. He could see that, of course. Since Xiang Liang had offered to stay, no one would blame him even if he didn't say anything.

Everyone knows how dangerous it is to stay behind.

"If it weren't for the lord, let alone breaking through to the Cold Resistance level, it's uncertain whether I, Bai, would even be alive today. It's time for these old bones of mine to do more for the Great Xia."

Xu Ning looked at Bai Shanqiu and Xiang Liang, a hint of emotion appearing in his eyes before he slowly said in a deep voice, "I originally intended to stay here myself, but with my strength, it would be difficult to gain Wang Chuan's trust. You two are indeed more suitable than me, but you know how dangerous it is to stay here. I will not force you. I will only ask you once: are you truly willing?"

Seeing the two nod firmly in response, Xu Ning's expression also became cheerful.

"Alright, since you've volunteered, I won't say much more. I'll just tell you that this operation to investigate Dajue Temple is of great significance to our Great Xia. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to bring the five of you to infiltrate Hexia Village and stay here for a full six months."

"If you truly achieve something later, I will personally petition the lord for your commendation; of course, even if I don't find any useful information, I will not treat you unfairly based on your current initiative to volunteer."

Bai Shanqiu and Xiang Liang had clearly been waiting for these words. They exchanged a glance, bowed to Xu Ning at the same time, and spoke in unison.

"Thank you very much, sir!"

Xu Ning nodded and said, "In that case, let's set off in the next few days. The other four of you should pack your things. Qiaoru and Liu Kai, tomorrow night, pretend to take the child out to gather. When Liu Kai comes back, make some marks on his body and say that something bad happened while gathering. Qiaoru and the child were taken away by a cold beast. I went out with you to look for them in a hurry. This way, it shouldn't arouse the suspicion of Wang Chuan and the others."

In the Ice Abyss Camp, it's perfectly normal for a few people to go missing. As long as there's a reasonable excuse, it won't arouse any suspicion, especially since there are six members of their family here, and two of them are still here.

All five nodded, and then Xu Ning began to arrange the specific details of their departure the following night. The six of them discussed for a long time before dispersing.

After returning to his room, Xu Ning did not rest, but continued to look at the map, his gaze always fixed on the location of Qinghe Village, his expression full of hesitation.

…………

The 16th day of the ninth month in the seventh year of the Great Xia Dynasty

As night fell, Xu Ning's retreat plan began in an orderly manner.

Fortunately, Xu Ning brought the child who played the eldest grandson, who was already ten years old. It wasn't unreasonable for Hong Qiaoru to bring her ten-year-old son along to help with the collection, so no one suspected her.

Less than an hour after the three went out, Liu Kai returned injured and told Xu Ning in a panic that his wife and children had met with misfortune in the wilderness and had been carried away by a cold beast.

Xu Ning, in a moment of panic, went to Wang Chuan to explain the situation, saying that he wanted to go out with Liu Kai to look for his wife. Wang Chuan was clearly still somewhat wary of him. Although he said he would send someone to help him search, it was clear that it was mostly just polite talk.

Xu Ning was happy to agree, and after saying thank you to the leader, he quickly signaled Liu Kai to lead the way, and hurriedly followed him out of Hexia Village.

After leaving Hexia Village, the two walked more than ten kilometers westward along the riverbank and soon met up with Hong Qiaoru and the other two ahead of them.

"Go 15 kilometers west from here and you'll reach Baiyang. Liu Kai should know the way well, so you can take the two of them back!"

In the preceding three years, he explored a total area of ​​more than 150 kilometers along the north bank of the Xinghe River. In addition to Wuyuan and Songyang, the Great Xia also established a Baiyang outpost on the eastern periphery of Songyang Ridge.

The outposts are all connected by straight roads. Once the three of them reach Baiyang, someone will be there to meet them, and returning to Wuyuan will be a breeze.

Upon hearing Xu Ning's entrustment, Liu Kai clearly guessed what it was about. He looked up slightly and saw Xu Ning's resolute expression, then hesitated to speak.

"What are you going to do? Do you want to go to Qinghe Village alone, to that Dajue Temple, to continue gathering information?"

Clearly, not only Liu Kai guessed it, but Hong Qiaoru also immediately guessed her husband's thoughts. After questioning him sharply for a few minutes, seeing that Xu Ning's expression remained unmoved, she angrily said, "That Dajue Temple, even the lord thinks it's dangerous and personally ordered you to go back. What are you still going to do there?"

Hearing his wife's angry rebuke, Xu Ning's expression did not change. He said in a deep voice, "It is normal for the lord to be worried about my safety since he did not come here in person to see the situation!"

"During the six months I spent in Hexia Village, I didn't find out anything about the specifics of Dajue Temple, and I left just like that. I'm truly unwilling to accept this. I, Wuyuan Shouzheng, was personally appointed by the lord back then. Dajue Temple is crucial to the great Xia's eastward expansion. If I retreat because of a little danger, how will I have the face to return to see the lord and the Minister of Works in the future?"

Hong Qiaoru clearly didn't understand the phrase "going east to undertake a great cause." She only saw the determination on Xu Ning's face, and her eyes immediately reddened. With a sob in her voice, she said, "If you don't think about me, you should think about Xiao An, Xiao Ping, and Xiao Ying. If something really happens to you, what will we three do in the future?"

Upon hearing the names of the three children, Xu Ning's expression froze, and a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

Seeing his wife's face covered in tears, Xu Ning knew he couldn't persuade her, so he gave Liu Kai a wink, said nothing more, and turned to speed back eastward.

"Xu Ning, come back here! Come back here!"

"Xu Ning, you bastard, you bastard."

…………

"Don't worry, I will definitely come back!"

Hearing his wife's angry shouts from behind, Xu Ning sighed inwardly, then sped towards Qinghe Village according to the map he had memorized.

"Qinghe Village is in the middle section, located roughly north of Hexia Village, about 21 kilometers away. We should be able to get there soon."

The place is called Qinghepu because a small river flows down from Shuanglong Mountain in the north, then merges into the Xing River in the south, and then changes course to flow westward together.

The names of the two villages, Heshang and Hexia, were derived from their respective locations within the small river basins. Qinghe Village, sandwiched between the two villages, occupied the best location, was the strongest, and had the largest population, totaling 110,000.

Of course, Xu Ning wasn't interested in a camp of a mere 110,000 people. The reason he wanted to go to Qinghe Village was because Dajue Temple was located three kilometers east of Qinghe Village, in a place called Chilong Lake.

"Red Dragon Lake is a body of water, and living on water is not easy in itself. I estimate that it will be difficult to get close to Red Dragon Lake, so this trip should start with Qinghe Village. The two places are only three kilometers apart, and there should be quite a few monks from Dajue Temple living in Qinghe Village. Even if we just go there and make contact with a few, it will be good to get a general idea of ​​their strength."

Xu Ning took a deep breath, took out a silver jade pendant from his pocket, examined it for a moment, and then continued to speed up and fly north.

Soon, he saw a wall four or five meters high on the left bank of the river in the distance. Inside the wall were many buildings and many fires were burning, clearly indicating a village settlement.

Xu Ning first looked to the east, a hint of wariness rising in his eyes. He suppressed his curiosity, then patiently searched around Qinghe Village. Finally, he chose a dilapidated wall on the west side, observed it for a long time, and confirmed that no one was patrolling behind the wall. He then quickly slipped inside.

(End of this chapter)