Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

172: Chapter 124: The Arrogant Mirror Immortal Camp 172: Chapter 124: The Arrogant Mirror Immortal Camp Fifteen people walked out of the bamboo forest.

Upon seeing the appearance of these fifteen people, everyone present—whether it was Xia Hong, Xia Chuan, Luo Yuan, or the others—felt a simultaneous jolt in their hearts, regardless of their outward expressions.

“They’re all so young!”

“And they’re all wearing beast skin clothing too.”

Judging by their appearance, the fifteen in front of them seemed to be of a similar age to the brothers Xia Hong and Xia Chuan.

Though Xia Hong rarely mentioned his own age, everyone at the camp knew, thanks to the early settlers of Great Xia, that he had just turned nineteen this year.

Xia Chuan was even younger, having just turned seventeen.

In the Ice Abyss world, where the average lifespan was only about forty years, the younger one was, the greater potential they possessed—this was common knowledge.

Not only was Xia Hong the strongest in the camp, but his potential for growth, simply based on his age, was unmatched by anyone there.

Even Xia Chuan, who had been taught by the Wood Puppet Monster, couldn’t compare.

And now, the fifteen people who walked out of the bamboo forest were evidently of a similar age to the brothers Xia Hong and Xia Chuan.

More than that, the clothing on these fifteen people wasn’t just beast skin skirts, but complete outfits.

The youth who had just questioned them was even wearing a golden-brown beast skin coat, from some unknown Cold Beast.

“I am Xia Hong, leader of the Great Xia Camp in Redwood Ridge.

Indeed, we drove the rodent herd into the bamboo forest just now.

But as far as we know, there are no other human camps in the Arrow Bamboo Forest.

May I ask which camp you are from?”

As Xia Hong spoke, he lit a torch and, along with Xia Chuan, Zhao Long, and two others who also held torches, moved closer to the newcomers.

If someone were to place a hand on his back at that moment, they would find it soaked with cold sweat, and his body trembling at a very subtle frequency.

There was no choice, it hurt!

Although the sole of his foot, pierced by the Mouse King, had been treated with Golden Sore Powder, it wasn’t an ordinary wound and thus didn’t heal quickly.

“Great Xia?”

“A leader in the Earth-digging Realm, truly weak.”

“Their numbers aren’t small, though.”

…

Upon hearing the mocking tones from the other group, Xia Chuan and the others holding torches immediately showed displeased expressions.

Yet, Xia Hong remained unperturbed, quickly analyzing the information in their words.

The other party had mentioned Old Lu and even knew about the Rogel Camp.

It was likely that Lu He had merged the entire Lu Shang Camp into the camp these fifteen people belonged to.

Fifteen people in the Earth-digging Realm, all in full clothing and armed with longbows, emerging from the Arrow Bamboo Forest—there was no denying the strength of their camp.

However, Xia Hong was most concerned about their earlier mockery aimed at him.

The leader in the Earth-digging Realm, truly weak.

Given their casual mention of the Hive Camp earlier, it wasn’t hard to deduce that there must be a Cold Resistance Level or higher strongman in this group’s camp.

Large-scale, perhaps even giant, or more?

“Mirror Immortal Camp, He Meng!

Leader Xia Hong, this Arrow Bamboo Forest has been under our camp’s domain since three months ago.

What do you mean by driving the rodent herd inside?”

The speaker was estimated to be about two meters tall, towering even over Xia Hong, equipped with a longbow and wielding a broad-bladed sword.

He stepped forward as he spoke, his voice loud and carrying a heavy sense of pressure, intentionally pausing before adding “Leader” after Xia Hong’s name.

The distance between the fifteen people and Xia Hong was now less than ten meters, and Duan Meng, the leader, was even closer, just five or six meters away, with the torchlight illuminating their faces.

Seeing that the torchlight didn’t elicit any strange reactions from the fifteen, Xia Hong felt a portion of his tense heart relax.

Unafraid of the torchlight and with no connection to deceitful monsters, there was nothing much to fear.

It wasn’t surprising that Xia Hong was cautious; according to Luo Ming, the Ice Tree matured once every four months, causing Cold Beasts to flock to the Arrow Bamboo Forest.

This alone indicated that a human camp here was unlikely.

Although this group of fifteen, including He Meng, claimed to have taken over the Arrow Bamboo Forest three months ago, there was no telling if it was true.

The lack of fear towards torches implied a low likelihood of dealing with deceitful monsters.

Of course, that didn’t mean there were no issues at all.

He Meng’s aggressive tone and the fierce expression on his torch-illuminated face showed that he was determined to address the matter of them driving the rodent herd into the Arrow Bamboo Forest.

“Since it only became yours three months ago, it stands to reason that we in Great Xia were unaware.

Moreover, we haven’t caused any casualties, so why be so aggressive?”

Perhaps it was He Meng and his group’s arrogant demeanor that pushed Xia Chuan to step out and speak.

However, upon hearing his words, no one from the opposite side responded.

He Meng merely gave him a disdainful glance and continued to focus on Xia Hong without saying a word.

Xia Chuan’s chest slightly heaved with anger, a flash of ire crossing his face.

Clearly, the other party deemed him unworthy of speaking, preferring only to converse with Xia Hong.

Xia Hong raised a hand to stop Xia Chuan from speaking further, his expression darkening significantly.

He stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, “An unintended mistake.

If you insist on pursuing it, then let’s not waste words, just lay down your terms!”

He Meng lifted his gaze slightly, realizing Xia Hong might be about to yield.

His face showed even more contempt as he raised the broad-bladed sword in his hand, pointing at the rodent corpses on the ground, and said arrogantly:

“Since you recognize your mistake, consider that pile of mouse meat on the ground as your compensation to the Mirror Immortal Camp.

Get out obediently!”

So it turns out they were aiming for the mouse meat pile.

Xia Hong’s frown eased.

The other party’s behavior, so akin to humans, not only failed to anger him but also put him at ease.

Of course, his relief came from confirming the other party’s human identity, not from finding their demand reasonable.

Yet before he could respond, Xia Chuan, Zhao Long, and even all the Logging Realm members from Great Xia behind couldn’t restrain themselves.

“In your dreams!”

“Why should we give you what we fought hard for?”

“These are the spoils we earned with many deaths and injuries, and you want them all?”

“In your dreams!”

“A lion’s big mouth, shameless.”

“Did you also get poisoned by Teng Jiao and become confused?”

……

The rodent corpses on the ground were estimated to number forty to fifty, and including those on the mountain slope and top, there were at least over eighty.

Eighty plus prey surrendered on command—there was no way the fifteen people in front of them would agree with that.

Xia Hong raised his right hand slightly, signaling for everyone to quiet down, and after watching He Meng and the others for a few seconds, a hint of hostility appeared on his face.

“Did you hear that?”

Even before He Meng heard Xia Hong’s inquiry, his face had already turned dark with discomfort from the mocking cries of the crowd.

Now, the expressions of the other fourteen grew even colder.

Though Xia Hong’s words sounded like a question.

The meaning behind it was clear to them.

At the wave of Xia Hong’s hand, the over a hundred people from Great Xia had already drawn bows and arrows, aiming at them, along with the five Earth-digging Realm members up front.

Xia Hong’s words were not just a threat but a clear statement that the prey on the ground belonged to Great Xia, and no one could take them away!

“Leader Xia Hong, to be blunt, Great Xia’s strength isn’t enough to be recognized by the Mirror Immortal Camp.

I warn you, Great Xia cannot afford the consequences of being at odds with us!”

He Meng seemed to add pressure to his words by moving a few steps forward.

He paused, then continued:

“How about this, leave half.

This is the bottom line, and we’ll pretend none of this ever happened.

You can leave.”

Whoosh…

A swift iron arrow suddenly flew towards him as a response.

He Meng quickly retreated several meters, staring at the iron arrow embedded less than a meter from where he had stood, still visibly quivering from the impact, his expression froze.

“Get lost!”

This word was almost shouted out at the fifteen by Xia Hong.

As soon as he spoke, Xia Chuan and the others nearby, along with the over a hundred from Great Xia not far behind, all joined in.

“Get lost!”

Swoosh…

As the crowd shouted “Get lost,” the simultaneous sound of drawing bows and the friction of over a hundred iron arrows against bow bodies was unmistakable to anyone not deaf.

“Alright, Great Xia has guts.

Xia Hong, is it?

The Mirror Immortal Camp will remember!”

As He Meng retreated with his men, they only dared to take four or five rodent corpses along the way, their panicked state forming a stark contrast to their earlier arrogance.

“Hahaha, such little courage.”

“Over a hundred bows; they’re at best in the Earth-digging Realm.

How could they possibly match that herd of rodents?”

“Hahaha, I thought they were something special.”

“Didn’t they flee helter-skelter, haha!”

…

Everyone from Great Xia erupted in laughter.

Yet Xia Hong remained calmly in place, not relaxing even as he watched all fifteen disappear into the Arrow Bamboo Forest.

He waited over a minute before turning to speak to the others evenly:

“Start collecting the prey, and be thorough.

Retrieve all the scattered iron arrows you can, leave none behind!”

“Yes, leader!”

Upon hearing the command, everyone agreed enthusiastically, eagerly turning to gather the rodent corpses on the ground and the iron arrows embedded in them or scattered around.

Xia Chuan, on his side, hoisted Luo Yuan back up again.

Xia Hong moved closer for a look, noticing the bloody wound on Luo Yuan’s shoulder was dressed with Golden Sore Powder and his breathing was gradually stabilizing, giving him much relief.

“Brother, your foot…”

Seeing the blood hole on Xia Hong’s foot, Xia Chuan’s face showed worry, but before he could finish speaking, Xia Hong raised a hand to stop him.

When Xia Hong subtly gestured toward the Arrow Bamboo Forest behind them, Xia Chuan quickly understood, nodding slightly, and said no more.

“Take your time gathering everything without showing any sign of fear.

Once done, have others take Luo Yuan back first; we’ll guard the rear!”

“Yes, brother.”

After speaking softly, Xia Chuan immediately found someone to carry Luo Yuan and led a group to the North Slope Top to clear the prey there.

Though Xia Hong stood still, his gaze was fixed on the direction of the Arrow Bamboo Forest the entire time.

Not until everyone had gathered the prey and arrows did he move.

“There are a total of eighty-three rodents; the iron core bows suffered no damage.

Adding the remaining arrows everyone has to the recovered ones, there are still over 2100 iron arrows left; two people died, with eight severely wounded from the red beam attack by the Mouse King at the end, only about a dozen light injuries.”

While collecting prey, Xia Chuan also gathered information on the number of recovered iron arrows and casualties, and reported it all.

Upon hearing this, Xia Hong said nothing, merely nodding, waiting until everyone—mostly carrying a rodent on their person—finished packing before speaking:

“Let’s head back!”

The group of over a hundred from Great Xia began their journey home.

Xia Hong and Xia Chuan, with four others, kept to the rear of the procession.

“The four of you, stay a bit farther from the group and keep constant watch behind us!”

“Understood, leader!”

The purpose of Xia Hong’s arrangement was clear to the four of them.

They immediately dispersed to the rear of the group and began their vigilance.

In the Ice Abyss world, the locations of different camps had to be kept confidential, especially when one’s own side was still rather weak.

In desperate circumstances, Xia Hong couldn’t trust human nature, nor could he afford to.