Xia Ding

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xia Ding (夏鼎)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Xia Camp
Occupation/Role	Camp leader; leader of the lumberjack team
Status	Deceased; killed while luring the Redwood Ridge Grotesque away from Great Xia Camp 4
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

Xia Ding led Great Xia Camp during its early survival in the Endless Winter. He commanded its twelve-member lumberjack team, whose work supplied the camp with timber and resources. He was the father of Xia Hong and Xia Chuan, and had taught Xia Hong key survival knowledge about Redwood Ridge, including camp borders, Frost Beast habitats, and tree types. 1 9

Before his death, Xia Ding maintained a resource hierarchy in which Frost Beast meat was primarily allocated to lumberjack-team members and their descendants. The camp’s scarcity of meat made broader cultivation impractical despite his understanding that more Lumbering Realm fighters would strengthen Great Xia. 7 21

When his team returned with news that the Grotesque of Redwood Ridge had emerged and wiped out Iron Peak and Shen Ju camps, Xia Ding immediately ordered Great Xia Camp to seal its cave entrance and extinguish its bonfire. He chose the dangerous cold over exposing the camp to the Grotesque. 2

Xia Ding was killed while deliberately fleeing in the direction opposite Great Xia Camp, attempting to draw the Grotesque away from his family and community. The creature used its knowledge of him to create identical impostors, triggering the confrontation that devastated Great Xia Camp. 4 5

Appearance

Xia Ding was described as a sturdy man who returned from expeditions at the rear of his lumberjack team. 1

• Led twelve lumberjack-team members, forming a thirteen-person expedition group including himself. 1 3
• Wielded a semi-metal stone axe with an iron blade; it was later lost following his death. 10 31
• His likeness could be reproduced in perfect detail by the Redwood Ridge Grotesque, including clothing, expressions, behavior, and apparent strength. 3 4

Personality

Xia Ding was an experienced and pragmatic leader. On learning of the Grotesque threat, he acted urgently and accepted severe short-term hardship—darkness and freezing conditions—to maximize the camp’s chance of survival. He also tried to calm the camp members by sharing what he knew of the creature while they waited through the cold. 2

His final actions show strong protectiveness toward Great Xia Camp. Rather than lead the Grotesque back to the cave, he ran in the opposite direction to lure it away. 4

Abilities & Skills

Lumberjack-Team Combatant

Xia Ding possessed physical strength far beyond the threshold required to enter the Lumbering Realm.

• Had a base strength of over 7,000 jin. 8
• Could exert over 10,000 jin of force when swinging his axe, according to Xia Hong’s observations. 8
• Led Great Xia’s lumberjack team on dangerous expeditions beyond the camp. 1 6

Wilderness Knowledge

Xia Ding passed on practical knowledge of Redwood Ridge’s terrain, resources, and threats.

• Identified Crimson Frost Trees as relatively unsuitable Frost Beast nesting sites because of their fragile branches. 9
• Warned that Golden Scale Trees were favored by Frost Beasts due to their sturdy trunks and branches. 9
• Established Great Xia’s territorial boundary at roughly eight hundred paces east of Redwood Ridge. 9
• Understood that Redwood Ridge’s expanding forest also expanded Frost Beast habitats toward the surrounding camps. 9

Camp Leadership

• Directed the lumberjack team’s resource-gathering work. 1
• Ordered the cave sealed and the bonfire extinguished after receiving news of the Grotesque. 2
• Implemented Great Xia Camp’s earlier Frost Beast meat-rationing system. 7
• Shared information about the Grotesque to keep frightened camp members focused while they endured the cold. 2

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Semi-metal stone axe — A weapon with an iron blade, stone axe head, and wooden handle; it was sharper and more durable than ordinary stone axes. 10 31

Relationships

• Xia Hong — Elder son. Xia Ding recognized Xia Hong’s growing strength and informed him of the 5,000-jin threshold for entering the Lumbering Realm. His death forces Xia Hong to become Great Xia Camp’s new leader. 1 4 6
• Xia Chuan — Younger son. Xia Ding’s death causes Xia Chuan to lose control and attempt to attack the Grotesque impersonating him. 4
• Great Xia lumberjack team — Xia Ding led twelve members on lumbering and resource expeditions; the team was killed alongside him or later replicated and controlled by the Wood Puppet Grotesque. 1 5 24
• Shi Qing — Leader of Big Stone Camp. Shi Qing considered Xia Ding a neighbor who had helped Big Stone Camp during previous hunting shortages. 22
• Redwood Ridge Grotesque — The creature killed Xia Ding and exploited his identity through near-perfect impostors. 3 4
• Wood Puppet Grotesque — Controlled figures identified as Xia Ding and Great Xia lumber-team members during its attacks on Big Stone Camp. 22 24

Story Role / Major Arcs

Grotesque Warning and Camp Lockdown

Xia Ding returns from Redwood Ridge with his lumberjack team after learning that the Grotesque has emerged and that Iron Peak and Shen Ju camps have been destroyed. He orders Great Xia to conceal itself by sealing the cave and extinguishing its fire. 1 2

The Two Xia Dings

A Grotesque-created duplicate of Xia Ding and the lumberjack team arrives at Great Xia Camp, confronting an identical group already within the cave. The copies are impossible to distinguish visually, and both apparent Xia Dings attempt to win the camp’s trust. 3

Xia Hong and Xia Chuan attack both versions, exposing them as wooden-bodied creations. The Grotesque reveals that the real Xia Ding had already died while trying to divert it away from the camp. 4

Posthumous Puppet Incidents

Later, Big Stone Camp encounters a figure appearing as Xia Ding accompanied by the Great Xia lumber team. The group behaves unnaturally, ambushes the Big Stone team, and proves impervious to injuries that should be fatal. 22 23

The apparent Xia Ding and his team are subsequently identified as puppets controlled by the Wood Puppet Grotesque. 24

Notable Quotes

“Put out the bonfire. Everyone, put on everything you can wear and huddle together for warmth. If someone absolutely can't stand it, they can light the bonfire once, and only for ten minutes!” 2

“The Grotesques from Redwood Ridge have come out. The people from Iron Peak and Shen Ju camps are all dead. If we put out the bonfire, we still have a chance to survive. If that Grotesque finds us, we will all die.” 2

Trivia

• Xia Ding’s base strength exceeded 7,000 jin, but his axe techniques could reportedly produce force above 10,000 jin. 8
• His former semi-metal axe was one of the few iron-containing weapons known to Great Xia Camp before Xia Hong acquired iron resources. 10 31
• The destruction of Xia Ding’s lumberjack team reduced Great Xia Camp to 154 survivors and left Xia Hong as its strongest remaining member. 6