Big Stone Camp

If the timing had been right, Xia Hong would have praised Xia Chuan.

He had initially worried that his younger brother, being young, would be impatient, but he hadn't expected him to be so clever.

Judging by the expressions on Wang Ming's and the other three's faces.

It seemed only the four of them had come tonight.

Xia Hong narrowed his eyes, scanning the four men before finally settling his gaze on the large saber in Wang Ming's hand, contemplating whether to keep them here.

He had his reasons for venturing out tonight.

Unbeknownst to him, Xia Hong's appraising gaze was interpreted by Wang Ming as him considering whether to inform Xia Ding.

Wang Ming wasn't afraid of three young people fighting desperately.

But if they couldn't be taken down quickly, or if one of them escaped, and Xia Ding's people were called over, it would be a fight to the death.

No, if Xia Ding really brought over more than ten people from the Lumbering Realm.

Even with this saber, the four of them would be dead tonight.

Wang Ming pondered for a moment, then quickly made his decision.

"Two worthy nephews, there's no need for this. We'll leave the Crystal Fruit and go. We will never trespass on Great Xia's territory again. Farewell!"

Having made his decision, Wang Ming no longer hesitated. He signaled his companions to put down the Crystal Fruit they had picked, said their goodbyes, and quickly led the three of them towards the west, retreating without looking back.

Xia Hong watched the four men leave until they disappeared. After a while, he turned back and gave Xia Chuan a thumbs-up.

"Good job, kid. That was all you!"

Xia Chuan chuckled, "We definitely couldn't win a fight, so we had to bluff and scare them away."

Hearing this, Xia Hong's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

It was clearly unwise to engage in a direct conflict with Big Stone Camp at this time.

Xia Ding and the Lumber Team had already been missing for over a month. After such a long time without appearing in the Redwood Ridge area, the people from Big Stone Camp must have noticed.

Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to cross the border so brazenly to scavenge.

If more time passed, who knew what else they might guess.

In the previous three encounters, Xia Hong had faced them with seven or more people, so he could only endure.

But tonight, there were only four of them, and no archers.

With such a golden opportunity, Xia Hong naturally wouldn't miss it.

He believed that after this incident, the people from Big Stone Camp wouldn't be so brazen for a while.

"However, we still need to find a way to get Yue Feng and the others to break through as soon as possible. This kind of bluff can only be used once or twice at most. Using it too often will expose us."

Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng had already shouldered the Crystal Fruit from the ground. Sensing its weight, which was over a thousand pounds, their faces lit up with smiles.

It was their first time out, and to have such a harvest was indeed worth celebrating.

"Alright, remember the location of the third Ice Vast Tree. Now, follow me to chop wood. Tonight, each of you will chop one tree to take back."

The two quickly agreed and hurried to catch up with Xia Hong.

East of Redwood Ridge, north of the earthen slope where the Great Xia Camp was located, stood a straight mountain about a hundred meters high.

The mountain was shaped like a vertical tower, about fifty to sixty meters wide. Its summit was completely covered in snow, and only the extending trees were weighed down by snowflakes. The rest of the mountain was composed of dark, black stones.

These stones were not only black but also covered with a thick layer of crystals, clearly formed by years of freezing from the cold air.

A long vine hung from the eastern side of the mountain.

At this moment, four figures were rapidly climbing the vine.

Despite being over a hundred meters high, the four moved quickly, reaching the mountaintop in just a few minutes.

The summit was a fifty-meter-wide platform, with no trees.

After reaching the top, the four walked directly to the center, pushed aside some snow-covered ground, and a five-meter-wide square wooden board was revealed.

The leader, familiar with the routine, lifted the wooden board, revealing a three-meter-diameter hole beneath. A flicker of fire immediately appeared from within the opening.

The four jumped into the cave one by one. The last one down smoothly brought the wooden board with him, covering the hole again.

Beneath the opening was a huge square space, over thirty meters in diameter.

This space was thirty to forty meters high from top to bottom, and it was divided into a level by wood and stones in the middle.

On the stone floor part, a bonfire more than two meters high was burning.

Three to four hundred people were gathered around the bonfire, chatting and laughing.

A few children were playing nearby.

The people here clearly had better spirits than those in Great Xia.

As soon as the four jumped down, someone from the crowd immediately smiled and walked towards them.

However, upon approaching and seeing that the four were empty-handed, that person's face immediately showed confusion.

"Old Wang, why are you back empty-handed?"

"Bad luck, don't even mention it. Where's the boss? I need to talk to him about something."

"He's practicing archery on the lower level."

"Got it, we'll head over there first."

After a brief exchange, Wang Ming quickly headed towards the east side of the cave.

The stone wall on the east side sloped gently downwards. Wang Ming followed the incline and soon reached the lower level of the cave.

The lower level was similar in space to the upper level, with a bonfire lit, though smaller than the one above.

There were two people by the bonfire, facing a wooden board on the wall, drawing their bows and shooting arrows.

"Boss, there's something going on at Redwood Ridge."

Upon hearing Wang Ming's words, both men lowered their bows and arrows simultaneously, turning to look at him.

Both appeared to be middle-aged and of similar build, lean and with calloused hands from holding bows.

Not only their builds but even their features bore a seventy percent resemblance.

However, the man on the left had a scar about an inch long across his face. Combined with his fierce expression and slightly darker complexion, he exuded an intimidating aura.

The one on the right was a shade fairer than the former and had a kind demeanor.

Wang Ming walked directly towards the man on the right.

It was clear that the "boss" he mentioned was the one on the right.

Seeing Wang Ming approach, the man narrowed his eyes and asked calmly, "What's the situation?"

"We just went to the outskirts to pick Crystal Fruit and ran into three people from Great Xia."

"Old Ding?"

"No, his two sons."

Hearing Wang Ming's reply, Shi Qing was first stunned, then his eyes showed disbelief. He asked again, "Old Ding's two sons, are you sure?"

Wang Ming pondered for a moment, then nodded affirmatively, "Sure. Those two brats, I saw them clearly. They look a lot like Old Ding, and their ages match. They're definitely his sons."

"How old are his two sons? With those thirteen people from Great Xia, where did they get the extra Frost Beast meat to let their two sons cultivate?"

Shi Dong, who had been silent until now, exclaimed.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he turned and noticed his elder brother Shi Qing's expression had turned somewhat grim.

Although Shi Dong had a fiery temper, he wasn't stupid and immediately grasped the key issue.

"Big brother, you suspect that Old Ding and his group got lucky with that Snow Mane last time?"

Wang Ming slapped his forehead, realization dawning on him. "Right, it must be! Those thirteen from Great Xia are far weaker than us. For years, they've only been able to rely on luck to pick up Frost Beast carcasses. They barely have enough for themselves to cultivate, so how could they have extra Frost Beast meat for their two sons? It must have been that Snow Mane."

The three reached a consensus, and their expressions immediately turned extremely grim.

The last time they hunted that Snow Mane, they had lost three lives, and the one wielding the knife was Shi Qing's third brother, Shi Kong.

They had still been forced to flee in disarray, returning with nothing.

Now, learning that the Great Xia Camp had reaped the benefits, their feelings could only be imagined.

It wasn't just about them getting lucky; it was highly possible that when they were hunting the Snow Mane last time, the people from Great Xia had been hiding in the shadows all along.

They only came out to take advantage after they had fled.

"To dare play such a dirty trick behind our backs! In a few days, we'll go to Redwood Ridge. I'll lead the team personally. I want to see what Great Xia's strength is like now."

Shi Qing's voice was chilling. His usually kind face suddenly became much more somber.

Beside him, Shi Dong and Wang Ming were filled with righteous anger.