Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 365 The Hostage and Master-Disciple Relationship, Bei Shuo's Thoughts, and Da Jue Temple's Move

October 15th, 131st year of the Moo calendar, during the day

The Dongling outpost is a wooden house about 100 meters away from the main building.

Zhu Baixu, Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, Nie Shen, and Yang He were sitting around the coal stove with their senior brother Lu Yun. There were also thirteen other young people of similar age, around fourteen or fifteen years old, sitting around two other coal stoves.

A group of teenagers, who are at the peak of their energy, and who have clearly just experienced something major and are all bearing some injuries, are not sleepy at all in the middle of the day. They are huddled together, excitedly discussing something.

"Tonight's hunt was really exciting! I've never hunted in Beining Mountain by myself before. Every time I went out, there was always a bunch of people following me. It wasn't until I actually fought the cold beast one-on-one that I realized that they were all just flattering me. With my basic strength of 15,000 jin, I almost couldn't even beat a low-level cold beast."

“Me too. When I left the camp last night, I saw Zhao Shanyu leading a group of people. I thought it would be like when we hunted in the camp before, and if anything went wrong, they would immediately take action. But I was knocked away by that demon sheep and flew more than ten meters away. I spat out several mouthfuls of blood. When I saw that none of them moved, I realized that this time they were serious.”

"It's a pity that we were a bit lacking in strength. We only managed to hunt down a few low-level cold beasts. It was the six of them, including our senior brother, who were much stronger. The six of them worked together and almost managed to hunt down that mid-level Black Fiend Eagle."

"There's nothing we can do. That Black Fiend Eagle's ability to fly is too strong. Although our senior brothers are stronger than us, they are only at the Earth-Digging Realm. It's still too difficult for them to hunt down mid-level cold beasts."

"Luo An and his five friends are really amazing! They not only successfully captured and killed the Black Fiend Eagle by setting a trap with iron chains, but also hunted down four low-level Crimson Phoenixes. All five were birds of prey and cold beasts. They made a huge profit."

"No wonder the five of them can freely enter and exit the main building. Not only are they strong, but their talent is also far superior to ours."

………………

As everyone discussed, their gazes frequently drifted towards Lu Yun and his group of six in the center.

Little did they know that when they talked about Luo An and his group of five, Lu Yun and the other six were also filled with surprise and envy.

"Senior Brother, Luo An and Zou Ping, those five people, were all from Master's old camp, right?"

Zhu Baixu suddenly spoke in a low voice, asking Lu Yun, who was in the middle.

As soon as he spoke, Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, Nie Shen, and Yang He all turned to look at him, their faces filled with curiosity.

Lu Yun didn't answer, but instead raised an eyebrow and asked Zhu Baixu, "Why do you say that? How did you figure that out?"

Zhu Baixu lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's not talk about Zhao Yuanshan. She is Zhao Shanyu's niece. The key is that I can tell that the hunting habits of those five people are very similar to those of Master and Zhao Shanyu. The martial arts moves they used when fighting the cold beasts are also the same. In addition, only those five people in the entire camp can freely enter and exit the main building. If they are not people from Master's former camp, I really can't think of any other reason."

“I agree with Senior Brother Zhu’s statement; only this explanation makes sense.”

“I have already asked other people at the camp. They all arrived at Dongling on the 10th of last month. They must be people from Master’s old camp.”

…………

As soon as Zhu Baixu spoke, Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, Nie Shen, and Yang He all whispered their agreement, clearly sharing similar thoughts.

Considering that the five had been in Dongling for almost a month, Lu Yun didn't say anything more, but simply nodded, which resolved their confusion.

"Sure enough!"

Compared to a month ago, Zhu Baixu had become much more composed. Seeing Lu Yun nod in confirmation of his guess, he nodded slightly, a glint of light in his eyes, and asked, "Senior Brother, was Master's former camp very, very strong? I've noticed that Master and Zhao Shanyu and their ilk never considered themselves Beishuo people. Ten days ago, when Inspector He came, they didn't give him a good look, and didn't even let him into the main building. They just dismissed him with a few simple words. I've lived in Beining Mountain for so long, and I've never seen any camp dare to act like that!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Wuji and the other three nodded. They had all been present when He Wuyang came to Dongling to find their master, Lu Yang, ten days ago.

Even without mentioning this incident, just the scene a month ago, on the night of the martial arts competition at Zhuling Camp, where Lu Yang angrily rebuked He Wuyang in front of the eight families of Beining Mountain, is enough to prove that Zhu Baixu's words were not mere conjecture.

In addition, after a month in Dongling, what they saw and heard made the five of them extremely curious about the strength of their master Lu Yang's former camp.

Dongling arrived in Beining Mountain only four years ago. In just four years, he has become the leader of the eight families in Beining Mountain. Lu Yang and his group are so powerful that the other seven families are curious about their origins. As the sons of the leaders, Zhu Baixu and his group of five naturally know some inside information.

Having lived here for over a month, as my understanding of Dongling deepened, I was amazed by its strength and became increasingly curious about the strength of my master Lu Yang's former camp, eager to find out more.

“I’ve discovered that almost everyone in Dongling who can freely enter and exit the main building is at the peak of the Earth-Digging Realm. On the night of the Zhuling martial arts competition, including Master and the three adults Zhao Shanyu, a total of sixty-two Cold-Resistant level cultivators appeared in Dongling. I thought that was the full strength of Dongling, but in the past month, I’ve seen at least twenty new Cold-Resistant level faces here, none of whom were the ones who appeared on the night of Zhuling. How can Dongling be so strong? Could the place where Master used to live also be a town-level camp?”

Zhu Baixu didn't hide anything and directly shared his observations from the previous month, along with his guesses, clearly showing that he had complete trust in his senior brother Lu Yun.

Let alone seventy or eighty, even if Dongling has hundreds of cold-resistant level troops, they shouldn't be able to contact the town-level camps. After all, which of the nine towns of Mo'ao doesn't have thousands of cold-resistant level troops?

The problem is that they can all see that Master Lu Yang and the Dongling group's attitude towards Beishuo Town is clearly different from that of the locals from Beining Mountain.

It wasn't just that they angrily rebuked Inspector He Wuyang for his behavior; when discussing Beishuo Town in their daily conversations, Master Lu Yang, Shan Yu Zhao Hu, and others did not speak in a subservient tone at all, and even occasionally made disrespectful remarks, which was simply incomprehensible to Zhu Baixu and the others.

Aside from the fact that their master Lu Yang and others also came from town-level camps, they really couldn't find any other reasonable explanation.

Lu Yun did not answer Zhu Baixu's question. Instead, he looked around at the eighteen people in the room and said in a low voice, "There are nineteen of us in total. We are all disciples of our master. As the eldest brother, I will not hide anything from you. I cannot confirm whether our master came from a town-level camp, but I am sure that the camp he used to be in was probably not much weaker than Beishuo, even if it was not as strong."

Upon receiving confirmation from their senior brother Lu Yun, the expressions of all the young people in the room suddenly changed, and their expressions began to shift rapidly.

Lu Yun continued, "You've all seen the situation in Dongling. And have you ever seen the elixirs, fine wine, salt, and martial arts techniques that Master has bestowed upon you over the past month? Even Beishuo City might not have those things, right?"

Interestingly, there were nineteen teenagers in the room. It was estimated that Lu Yun had the lowest social standing, while Zhu Baixu and the other five were the sons of the leaders. The remaining thirteen were all descendants of the Cold Resistance level. Given their backgrounds, they had naturally come into contact with many good things, including some elixirs and medicines brought by their elders from Beishuo Town.

To be honest, the things that Master Lu Yang gave them during the past month of instruction were no less than those in Beishuo, and some of them were even things that Beishuo town might not have.

Seeing his fellow disciples all bowing their heads in deep thought, Lu Yun immediately pressed on, saying, "Fellow disciples, I know that most of you came to Dongling with the idea of ​​being hostages. But you all have witnessed how Master treated you people over the past month."

He paused slightly before continuing, "I wouldn't say I've taught you everything I know, but I've genuinely treated you all as my own disciples. To be honest, I've been under my master's tutelage for over two years, and it wasn't until last year that you received the treatment you have now. Putting aside everything else, just considering the four items—refined salt, beast spirit pills, blood wound pills, and aged wine—currently, in the entire Dongling camp, apart from the five hundred-plus people in the main building, the number of people qualified to exchange them at the supply depot is less than a hundred, and we nineteen of us are among them."

The group of teenagers were not very mature yet. In addition, what Lu Yun said was basically true. Moreover, for the past month, Lu Yang had not treated them as hostages and had indeed been fulfilling his duties as a master. Therefore, when they heard this, they were all slightly moved.

Seeing the change in everyone's expressions, Lu Yun knew that his words had had an effect. He stood up and said loudly to everyone, "Fellow junior brothers, although I am the senior brother, I am also a member of Dongling. Most of you were present at the Zhuling martial arts competition a month ago, and you know more about it than I do. You should all know who is right and who is wrong."

I admit that Master sent you people to Dongling to be his disciples, and he must have intended to use you to blackmail the various camps in Beining Mountain. But ask yourselves honestly, if the various camps in Beining Mountain stop targeting Dongling in the future and can coexist peacefully with Dongling, what use would Master have for you hostages?

In the past month, you have met with your families twice. Have you heard Master ask your five camps to do anything?

"For all of you to come here, Master not only forgave so many debts from the five families, but also funded your cultivation. He truly treats you as his disciples. If you still harbor resentment and are unwilling to sincerely accept Master, I think..."

"Senior Brother, you don't need to say anything. I know how Master has treated me over the past month. Once a teacher, always a teacher. From today onwards, I will no longer see myself as a hostage."

Bai Wuji interrupted Lu Yun directly, his voice full of determination. Lu Yang had personally taught him a set of sword techniques half a month ago, and even took a day to take him to the snow forest to practice swordsmanship. He still remembered it vividly.

"Me too. Since Master treats me sincerely, I will repay him with sincerity as well. Although I am still young, I can still tell the difference between sincerity and falsehood."

"Putting everything else aside, my strength has increased by more than 900 jin in this month, which is faster than when I was cultivating in my own camp. Not to mention the improvement in strength, my master cares about my cultivation even more than my father does. He doesn't treat me as a hostage at all."

………………

Hearing Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, Nie Shen, Yang He and others speak one after another, Lu Yun's eyes immediately showed a satisfied look. When the voices of the crowd gradually subsided, he nodded solemnly and said, "Lu Yun did not misjudge people. All of you junior brothers are indeed reasonable people."

At this point, he changed the subject slightly and whispered to everyone, "To be honest, fellow disciples, I estimate that there were more than 500 people who escaped from Master's original camp. Not only Junior Brother Zhu, but I have also discovered at least a hundred unfamiliar faces of the Cold Resistance level over the past few years."

"One hundred!"

"so much?"

…………

Zhu Baixu and the others immediately gasped in surprise, their eyes wide with astonishment.

Unlike them, who had only been there for a month, Lu Yun had lived in Dongling for a long time. In addition, after spending the past month together, Lu Yun already had a lot of prestige among them. His words were undoubtedly more convincing, so the group of teenagers believed him immediately after hearing them.

With over a hundred new faces at the Cold Resistance level, plus the existing hundred people in Dongling, that makes a total of over two hundred Cold Resistance level individuals. The key point is that these are some of the people who escaped from Lu Yang's original camp after the disaster.

How strong must Lu Yang's original camp have been?
“Fellow disciples, you’ve been here for over a month. You should be able to see that Master and Zhao Shanyu don’t care about most of the people in Dongling at all. They clearly don’t have any long-term plans. I estimate that this group of people will leave Beishuo sooner or later to rebuild their homes. Don’t you all want to go and see just how strong Master’s original camp really is?”

Zhu Baixu, Bai Wuji, Wan Qingyu, Nie Shen, Yang He, and the other eighteen people exchanged glances after hearing Lu Yun's words, their expressions filled with anticipation. *Whoosh...*

A cold wind swept across the rooftop, but the group of teenagers inside paid it no mind, continuing to ponder just how strong their master Lu Yang's original camp truly was.

………………

"You managed to train these kids to be so obedient in just one month. What do you think, Lord Wang? My eldest apprentice is quite capable, isn't he?"

Lu Yang, who had just jumped down from the roof of the wooden house towards the main building, couldn't help but smugly show off to Wang Tao next to him.

Wang Tao smiled and said, "Explaining things to them with emotion and reason, and then patiently guiding them, Lu Yun is certainly good, but the key is that you, sir, have really put in a lot of effort with these eighteen people. People are all made of flesh and blood. You, sir, truly treat them as your disciples, and they can naturally feel it. This is the core reason for their transformation."

Recalling what he had done in the past month, Lu Yang nodded slightly and said softly, "It wouldn't be bad to take on some disciples. These young people are just ignorant and arrogant because of their decent backgrounds. But in the end, they are not bad at heart. With some effort in nurturing them, it won't be difficult for them to become successful."

He paused, a hint of confusion on his face, and said, "However, does Lord Wang really think that by developing a relationship with these hostages, he can influence the five camps in Zhuling? In the end, you'll still have to send people to infiltrate them, won't you?"

Wang Tao smiled and said, "Sending people to infiltrate is one thing, and cultivating hostages is another. We must do both. Leaving aside the others for now, Zhu Baixu and the other five are the most outstanding offspring of their respective leaders. It may be too early for them to inherit the camp, but they have special identities and many supporters in their own camps. Once the five of them change their views on Dongling, the impact will be enormous."

"Lord Lu, don't forget that my former leader of Longshan, Li Tianhua, used this very tactic of raising hostages to firmly control the eleven families of Longyou for decades."

Hearing this, Lu Yang nodded slightly, clearly having grasped the meaning.

Wang Tao thought of something, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes as he continued, "Moreover, according to recent messages from Xia City, our Great Xia will most likely clash with the Nine Towns on the north bank of the Xinghe River first. In that case, it will probably take a long time for our Dongling to be able to play a role. Since time allows, the infiltration should naturally be carried out more thoroughly and secretly. What could be more thorough and secretive than winning over and controlling the next generation of successors in these camps?"
According to He Wuyang, all five families in Zhuling have spies from Beishuo. If we rashly send people to infiltrate these families and are discovered by Beishuo, the consequences will be unimaginable. Rather than taking such a huge risk, it's better to proceed cautiously.

"Lord Wang's consideration is indeed thorough; I have learned a great deal!"

During their conversation, the two had already entered the main hall of the building. Lu Yang didn't put on any airs. After thinking it over carefully, he realized that the other party's vision and thinking were indeed more meticulous and thoughtful than his own, so he immediately clasped his hands and bowed to express his gratitude.

"You're too kind, Lord Lu!"

Wang Tao, who was in his fifties, felt a slight unease when he saw Lu Yang bowing to him, and quickly returned the bow with his hands clasped in return.

He was the chief of the Dongling Prison, and although he was nominally on the same level as Lu Yang, his position as chief had significantly more real power. Moreover, Dongling was a key outpost. Even disregarding authority, it was truly remarkable that Lu Yang, with his seniority and status in the Great Xia, would show him such great respect.

Lu Yang didn't think so much. After taking the main seat, he picked up a golden edict from Beishuo Town on the table, his eyes flashing slightly, and said, "The infiltration of Beining Mountain can be dealt with slowly, but this edict from Beishuo Town is different. The Minister of Justice sent a message back saying that Beishuo is mobilizing manpower from various villages this time to support the battle between Jiangxia Town and Dajue Temple. Half of them are at the Cold Protection level, and 30% are at the Earth Digging Realm. In our opinion, mobilizing so many people is already quite ruthless, but the Minister of Justice said that Beishuo Town doesn't really intend to help Jiangxia Town..."

"It's understandable. There are more than 50 village-level camps of all sizes in the seven districts of Beishuo. Take the Beiningshan camp as an example. If half of them are at the Cold Resistance level, then there are at least 5 to 8 people. As for the remaining 30% at the Earth Digging level, the stronger village-level camps have more than a thousand people, and the weaker ones probably have three to five hundred. So, the more than 50 camps can gather a total of three to four hundred Cold Resistance level people and 15,000 to 20,000 Earth Digging level people."

Compared to Beishuo Town, what is this level of strength?

Three to four hundred Cold Resistance level, and fifteen to twenty thousand Earth Digging level.

Upon hearing these two numbers, Lu Yang immediately shook his head, instantly understanding what Xia Chuan meant when he said that Bei Shuo had no intention of genuinely helping Jiangxia Town.

Not to mention that not a single soldier from the Northern Shuo army was deployed, and they didn't even want to mobilize the cold-resistant troops in the town, they just seized people from these village-level camps below, which is obviously just to get by.

"Not quite!"

Lu Yang suddenly shook his head and continued, "If the other seven towns could also send out this many people, the situation would be completely different."

Two or three thousand people at the Cold Resistance level and over one hundred thousand at the Earth Digging level are completely different concepts. If the Eight Towns are willing to send so many people to support Jiangxia, then it is barely acceptable.

Wang Tao nodded upon hearing this, his expression slightly furrowed, and said, "It's a pity we're too far from the other seven towns, and we can't gather any information at all. If we rashly go to the town to investigate, we're afraid of attracting attention. It's not a good situation!"

“There’s nothing difficult about it. Didn’t Si Cheng send more than thirty people over a few days ago to spread out and lie in wait in the other eight towns? They all have communication channels with each other, and any news will be sent back in time. Moreover, our people will be going to the town tonight after nightfall. Once we get to Jiangxia, everything will be clear.”

Wang Tao's eyes lit up slightly, and he asked, "Sir, how many people are you taking with you to the town this time?"

Lu Yang smiled and said, "The town edict is very clear: half are at the Cold Resistance level and 30% are at the Earth Digging level. Of course, we should follow its instructions. Last time at the Zhuling martial arts competition, we revealed our true strength, and He Wuyang certainly couldn't hide it from us. So I will lead 31 Cold Resistance level fighters and 450 Earth Digging level fighters over."

"Have you already chosen the people?"

Lu Yang nodded and said, "I've already spoken with Zhao Hu. He'll stay at the camp this time. You, Zhu Shun, and Lin Fan will come with me. We'll also pick a group of Cold Resistance level hunters from our respective hunting teams to make a total of 31 people. The remaining 450 Earth Digging Realm hunters will all be from Bai Song's group. We won't be bringing our own people."

Wang Tao nodded upon hearing this, a look of joy immediately appearing on his face.

This trip from Beishuo to Jiangxia will not only allow us to get a comprehensive view of the Nine Towns, but also to gather more information about Dajue Temple. There will be plenty of opportunities to make contributions, so going with Lu Yang would be the best option.

"We'll set off after nightfall. We're more than 200 kilometers from the town. Although the town's decree said we don't need to bring any supplies, I estimate it will take at least two nights to get there, which means we'll arrive in the town on the night of the 16th."

After everyone gathers in the town, we'll set off for Jiangxia. It's over 800 kilometers, and with so many people, it'll take at least seven or eight days. I estimate we won't arrive in Jiangxia until the 24th or 25th at the earliest.

But a message came from Xia City saying that the gathering date set by Dajue Temple for the eighteen families in the three villages of Qinghepu is tonight…

After pondering for a moment and calculating the days, Lu Yang shook his head and chuckled, becoming increasingly convinced of Xia Chuan's guess.

The situation in the other seven towns is unclear at the moment, but it is basically confirmed that Beishuo has no intention of seriously helping.

If they are reinforcements, they should arrive as quickly as possible. Why would someone deliberately take their time to provide support?

"Just as Si Cheng said, the nine towns of Mo'ao are indeed each harboring their own ulterior motives. However, our Great Xia is happy to see this. If they are truly united and of one mind, then we should be the ones who are worried!"

Lu Yang pondered for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

………………

October 17th, 131st year of the Moo calendar, late at night

Jinbi Village, north bank of the Xinghe River
"Not going hunting today?"

"We'll talk about it the day after tomorrow."

A dark figure suddenly rushed from the snow forest on the west side. The person looked extremely nervous. After reaching the village entrance, he quickly exchanged a secret signal with the guards at the gate, and then rushed directly towards the main building inside the village.

Nighttime is the prime time for humans to hunt and gather, and should be the busiest time of day. However, at this moment, Jinbi Village is deserted. Apart from some houses near the main building where there are lights, the rest of the village is pitch black and completely silent, clearly indicating that it is deserted.

The man returning from outside the village showed no surprise, clearly already aware of the situation. He rushed into the main building, quickly ascended to the top floor, and upon seeing Xiahou Qin seated in the main seat, immediately bowed deeply.
"Lord Xiahou, the people of Qinghe Village have moved. Twenty thousand fully armed Digging Realm warriors and about three hundred Cold Resistance Realm warriors have already left Qinghe Village and are marching eastward toward Jinbi Village. Their speed is not too fast; they can only travel seven or eight kilometers per hour. They are expected to arrive before dawn."

Snap...

"So fast!"

Xiahou Qin, who was sitting in the main seat, stood up abruptly upon hearing this, his face full of shock. He then asked in a deep voice, "Three hundred Cold-resistant level cultivators, twenty thousand Earth-digging level cultivators, and what about those monks from the Zen monastery?"

The man's expression darkened slightly, and he shook his head, replying, "I didn't see any. I only saw a massive army of Digging Realm warriors heading this way, and I didn't spot any gray-robed monks from Dajue Temple along the way."

"That Vajra..."

Xiahou Qin stopped midway through his question. If the Vajra Master had also set off with the army, how could the scouts in front of him have survived to return?

"Over three hundred Cold Resistance level cultivators and twenty thousand Earth Digging level cultivators, and they think they can just attack us directly?"

Xiahou Qin frowned, a hint of confusion on his face. But when he thought of his uncle Xiahou Zhang's previous miserable state and the more than 5,000 monks in Dajue Temple, his expression immediately became more serious.

"Go and inform everyone that something is wrong and that we should be prepared to evacuate at any time!"

"Weren't all the people evacuated? The village is now just a mess..."

The scout paused for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly understood Xiahou Qin's words and nodded emphatically, saying, "I will go and inform them immediately."

(End of this chapter)