Chapter 46: Something's Wrong |
When Shi Qing requested to leave with such polite words, Xia Hong raised an eyebrow slightly, his curiosity growing stronger.
They were currently picking Crystal Fruits within Boulder Camp's territory after all. Trespassing into another camp's domain wasn't a trivial matter in Redwood Ridge. Shi Dong had at least called them out earlier, yet Shi Qing had remained completely silent about their intrusion throughout their encounter, as if turning a blind eye.
Xia Hong's mind stirred. Instead of immediately letting Shi Qing depart, his gaze fell upon the bulging bag on Shi Dong's back - clearly filled with Crystal Fruits. "Leader Shi, why are only the two of you out tonight?"
Shi Qing's expression stiffened momentarily before quickly regaining composure. "Just picking some Crystal Fruits doesn't require many people. Why, Leader Xia, do you know members of our lumberjack team?"
Xia Hong maintained eye contact throughout the exchange, catching that fleeting moment of tension despite Shi Qing's excellent control. He simply nodded with a knowing smile. "In that case, Leader Shi may go first. We'll meet again another day."
"Good. Shi will take his leave now. Until next time, Leader Xia." It was evident Shi Qing was in genuine hurry - the moment Xia Hong gave permission, he practically dragged Shi Dong away without looking back.
Xia Hong watched their retreating figures thoughtfully.
"Leader, just letting them go like that? Not even teaching them a lesson?" Yuan Cheng, who held longstanding grievances against Boulder Camp, had expected some retaliation tonight after Xia Hong stopped them.
Xia Hong shook his head. "Unnecessary. We've harvested enough Crystal Fruits from their territory recently as payback. Moreover... something must have happened at Boulder Camp."
Xia Hong gave Yue Feng an approving smile. Among their lumberjacks, the older man demonstrated notably sharper observation skills.
Though certain Shi Qing had lied, Xia Hong couldn't determine Boulder Camp's exact situation. He'd considered probing earlier but restrained himself - inquiring about another camp's affairs was considered taboo. Just as after Xia Ding and the lumberjack team's annihilation, he'd worried about encountering other camps and had to bluff when meeting Wang Ming's group, pretending Xia Ding's team still existed.
Had he asked directly, Shi Qing wouldn't have answered and would only grow more guarded.
"Enough about them. Tonight's harvest suffices. Let's return. Xu An, Liu Yuan, Li Yuankun - each of you fells one tree tonight. The rest will do two." Deciding not to dwell further, Xia Hong turned to assign remaining tasks.
Since acquiring the Golden-Eyed Demon Goat and subsequent hunts, the camp's Frost Beast meat reserves had swollen. After the Abomination's ambush on Xia Hong, the youths' training fervor intensified. With ample meat supply, three new Lumberjack Realm fighters emerged - all offspring of former lumberjack members as expected. Notably, Xu An was Xu Ning's younger brother.
After Xu Ning lost his right eye during the demon goat incident (though mostly recovered without cultivation impact), Xia Hong minimized his field missions for safety. Perhaps motivated by his brother's injury, Xu An trained relentlessly, becoming the first among the three to break through.
Three new Lumberjack Realm fighters within a month greatly boosted morale for the recently wounded camp. Xu Ning often joked that if one eye could buy three lumberjacks, he'd have gladly offered his left one too. While humor, the gains indeed offset their losses.
With ten Lumberjack Realm fighters plus Xia Hong's Digging Realm leadership, Great Xia Camp now far surpassed its strength under Xia Ding. The Smelting Furnace provided warmth and Abomination protection; Small Torches enhanced their growing hunting capabilities; Concentrated Fire Oil granted combat confidence against Abominations outdoors. Every aspect had elevated by tiers - all from the system's first structure alone.
Xia Hong coveted the remaining eight buildings desperately. Yet even the simplest required iron resources, let alone those needing silver or gold. Thus, he delegated routine lumber and fruit tasks while personally scoured Redwood Ridge and surroundings for coal and iron deposits when not leading hunts. Half a month's solo searching proved fruitless however.
He'd enlist others, but without Digging Realm members who couldn't even break surface soil, mining exploration and eventual extraction rested solely on him.
"Plenty of wood and Crystal Fruits now. Just need more Frost Beast meat. Can't rush the mineral search - once more reach Digging Realm, we'll expand search range and eventually succeed," Xia Hong mused internally as he rejoined the nearly packed-up group.
Approaching them, he noticed Xia Chuan deep in thought. Like Yuan Cheng who'd experienced Boulder Camp's boundary violation before, Xia Chuan had remained silent during Shi Qing's presence. Assuming it related to letting them go, Xia Hong patted his shoulder. "Unhappy about me releasing them?"
But Xia Chuan shook his head hesitantly. "I was wondering... how Shi Dong recognized you immediately. We've only encountered Wang Ming's group before. Even by description, he shouldn't have identified you at first glance among ten people. Something feels off about that!"
Xia Hong froze as if struck by realization. Indeed! During his first post-breakthrough outing, he'd observed from hiding, thus recognizing Shi Qing and Shi Dong. Their second excursion with Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng only involved the fruit-stealing Wang Ming quartet. Neither Shi Qing nor Shi Dong had seen him before.
Fragments connected suddenly in his mind:
Wang Ming's group's corpses previously found in Great Xia territory;
The abandoned blade Shi Qing left behind;
Their prolonged absence from Boulder Camp's domain;
Crystal Fruits carried from the north without other lumberjacks in sight;
Shi Qing's shifting expressions earlier...
Piecing together these clues, Xia Hong's head snapped up, face paling dramatically: "Something's wrong! After them - there's something off about Shi Dong!"
Comments 1