Chapter 53: Unexplained Hostility |
As Xia Hong had previously mentioned, Rogge Camp's territory only covered about a kilometer around the outer perimeter of Redwood Ridge. Finding a group of fifty to sixty people within this range wasn't difficult.
Xia Hong had almost reached the kilometer boundary when he spotted the group. However, he immediately sensed something off about the atmosphere, which was why he hadn't revealed himself immediately. Now that someone had called him out, he naturally took the opportunity to descend.
With just a quick glance at the crowd, Xia Hong immediately identified the person who had exposed him and another man standing nearby as Yang Ning and Li Hu. The reason was simple - their outfits were far too eye-catching.
They wore brown fur coats with smooth white fur collars clearly made from Frost Beast tails, paired with glossy black leather boots. Compared to them, everyone else - including Xia Hong himself - looked like beggars. Even though Xia Hong's memories contained many luxurious garments, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy seeing their complete outfits.
After wearing nothing but animal hide skirts for four months, his longing for proper clothing had reached unbearable levels.
As Xia Hong observed the group, Luo Ming stepped forward. After studying Xia Hong briefly, he ventured a guess: "Xia Hong? Old Ding's son?"
Seeing Xia Hong nod, Luo Ming's face broke into a smile. He had feared Great Xia Camp had already fallen victim to the Wood Puppet Abomination, but it seemed they still survived. Remembering Xia Hong's earlier words, he quickly added, "I'm Luo Ming. What's this urgent matter you need to tell me about?"
Though Xia Hong noticed the tense atmosphere, the situation was too critical for hesitation. He spoke directly: "Leader Luo, during your entire expedition, did the Wood Puppet Abomination never appear? It's highly possible the creature has infiltrated Rogge Camp."
Xia Hong wasn't unwilling to explain in detail, but with lives at stake, he wanted to get these people back to camp as quickly as possible. Every moment counted. So he kept it brief.
Piiiiiiii...
Seeing their doubtful expressions, Xia Hong first blew his bone whistle to summon Xia Chuan and the others, then quickly summarized the situations with Shi Qing and Shi Dong, as well as Boulder Camp's destruction.
By the time Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, and their four companions arrived, Xia Hong had finished explaining. Watching Luo Ming's increasingly grim expression, Xia Hong urgently added: "Without doubt, those first four encounters were the Wood Puppet Abomination deliberately misleading you. It controlled Shi Dong to infiltrate Rogge Camp and likely left something behind before following Shi Qing to Boulder Camp."
"After slaughtering over a hundred people at Boulder Camp, its power has grown tremendously. Rogge Camp has even more ordinary people. If it kills unchecked, soon no one will be able to stop it. Leader Luo, you must return to camp immediately, or the consequences will be unimaginable!"
So focused on convincing Luo Ming, Xia Hong completely missed how Li Hu's already unpleasant expression darkened further when he mentioned the Wood Puppet Abomination had tricked them four times. Li Hu's earlier outburst had been precisely because Hong Mu suggested they'd been outsmarted by the creature. Now Xia Hong was repeating the same accusation, reigniting Li Hu's barely-contained rage.
"We left Rogge Camp barely two hours ago. If that thing infiltrated, we would have noticed! And if Shi Dong was fake, why would he leave with Shi Qing instead of staying? Full of holes! Another blathering idiot!" Li Hu's sudden verbal assault caught Xia Hong off guard, freezing his expression.
But Xia Hong didn't react immediately. Instead, he studied Li Hu with narrowed eyes, puzzling over this inexplicable hostility.
Xia Hong could endure the insult, but Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng and the others who'd just arrived couldn't. To Great Xia Camp's members, Xia Hong was their absolute spiritual pillar. Those who regularly accompanied him on expeditions practically worshipped him. How could they tolerate an outsider insulting Xia Hong to his face?
"What kind of idiot are you, daring to shout at our leader like that?"
"If you can't understand such clear explanations, either your ears or your brain must be broken."
"Dressed like gentlemen but spewing filth from their mouths..."
"Enough!" Xia Hong cut them off sharply as Xia Chuan and the others grew increasingly offensive and Li Hu's face visibly reddened with anger. He didn't think they were wrong, but wanted to avoid conflict.
Li Hu's chest heaved, clearly about to explode. Worried this would waste more precious time, Xia Hong addressed Luo Ming seriously: "Leader Luo, we're all just trying to survive around Redwood Ridge. I risked coming here to warn you because I don't want to see Rogge Camp suffer heavy losses. I'm even willing to help."
"Even if you don't believe me, think of the thousand lives in your camp. At least go back and check. If nothing's happened, I'll gladly apologize. How about that?"
These words finally snapped Luo Ming to attention. He suddenly realized the key point: whether Xia Hong lied didn't matter. What mattered were those thousand lives.
"Everyone, come back with me to check. If this is true..." Luo Ming's voice trailed off as growing panic set in. After exchanging glances with his camp members, he immediately sprinted toward Rogge Camp.
Xia Hong naturally said nothing more. Ninety percent certain the Wood Puppet Abomination was at Rogge Camp, he immediately followed Luo Ming with his six companions.
Hong Gang, Huang Yong, Lu He, and Chen Ying had originally intended to leave, but after Xia Hong's intervention, they exchanged glances and ultimately followed Luo Ming back to Rogge Camp. Though they disagreed with Yang Ning and Li Hu, they genuinely respected Luo Ming. If Rogge Camp was truly in danger, they wouldn't stand by idly.
Soon only Yang Ning and Li Hu remained.
"Big brother, why did you stop me? Those little bastards insulted me! We should kill a few of those backwater savages to teach them a lesson!" Li Hu fumed. He hadn't restrained himself earlier - only Yang Ning's intervention had prevented violence.
Yang Ning lowered his gaze thoughtfully before looking up. "Don't underestimate that Xia Hong. He's nearly as strong as you."
Li Hu scoffed. "Because I didn't notice him hiding earlier? Some stealth skills don't impress me. When he came down, I observed his muscle movements - he can't lift more than ten thousand jin. He's nowhere near my level!"
Yang Ning nodded without arguing. "Let's follow them. If it's true and that Wood Puppet Abomination is at Rogge Camp... If not, we'll just leave."
"Fine. But before we go, I'm teaching those little bastards a lesson!"
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