Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1487 - 469: Inquiry and Caution, Inside Chen Cang, Returning in Glory and a Bolt from the Blue (Part 3)

Xia Hong brushed aside the thoughts in his mind and recalled the details about Chen Cang he had gleaned from Zhang Qinggu over the past two months, revealing a playful smile.

"Unlike the other Three Vassals, each representing a single lineage, Chen Cang has two Landgrave lineages: Chu and Chen. The reason lies in the fact that today’s entire Chen Cang Feudal Town territory is a merger of the Chen Family and Chu Family over a hundred years ago.

This is somewhat similar to Jiangxia Town in the Southern Slope Territory, with the Jiang Family and the Xiahou Family, except the latter’s power is stronger.

Strictly speaking, the merger back then was forced by the joint pressure from the Cai Qiu and Hezang Feudal Towns, given the situation in Chen Cang at the time. Without joining forces, they’d inevitably be annexed by these two towns.

Both families made concessions; the Chu Family took the Landgrave position, while the Chen Family retained the name of Chen Cang and the city of Longxing, which can be considered a country within a country!"

Xia Hong took out a piece of rough paper and sketched the contours of Chen Cang and Cai Qiu’s territories with a coal pencil, then pointed out the locations of Lin Chu County, Yanling County, and Longxing City.

Longxing City was the Chen Family’s stronghold back then!

By retaining the name Longxing for over a hundred years, it’s evident that while the Chen Family may be united with the Chu Family, there must be ambitious individuals within. Could this Frost Ash Association be...?

Xia Hong put away the playful smile and looked at Yanling County on the map.

"No wonder the westernmost county bordering Yanling is named Lin Chu, because Yanling County was the Chu Family’s stronghold back then. Yanling County City was formerly Chu Mountain, and fifty years ago, Chu Longteng renamed it to Yanling, which effectively diluted the influence of the Chu Family to accelerate integration with the Chen Family. The Landgrave’s demeanor is indeed exceptional!"

Xia Hong showed a trace of admiration while also feeling a bit schadenfreude beneath his eyes.

Chu Longteng changed the name of Chu Mountain, but the Chen Family didn’t respond, stubbornly retaining the name Longxing City, indicating some internal friction between the two families.

"It’s been over a hundred years, and the two families still haven’t fully merged; that’s the deep cohesion of a long-standing aristocratic family. However, because of this, their subjective consciousness is strong, making it difficult for them to play second fiddle to others. Fortunately, Great Xia began in a small place like Moao South Slope; had it been the Moao River, developing to today’s scale would have been questionable, let alone preserving the name Great Xia!"

Recalling the group of seven led by Chu Yan’er who broke into Xia City four years ago, Xia Hong slightly shook his head: "The conflict between the families should focus only on the top level because those at the Tribulation Body Realm and Xianyang Level witnessed the merger firsthand and are stakeholders; the middle and lower levels, as well as the younger generation, did not experience the merger firsthand and remained very loyal to Chen Cang.

Chu Longteng probably hopes to take it slow, wait until this loyal younger generation grows up, and even comes to power to dissolve the family’s internal rift. Then Chen Cang can be as cohesive as the other Three Vassals. Too bad......

They’ve encountered me!

The smile on Xia Hong’s face became evident, irrespective of whether the Frost Ash Association is related to the Chen Family; Great Xia must make use of it.

"Even if there’s no relationship, I can find a way to create one!"

Recalling Chen Yiqing’s sinister deeds in the Nine Towns Territory, Xia Hong’s eyes slightly flashed with a hint of coldness.

This isn’t about justifying his actions. Frankly, even without the misdeeds of Chen Yiqing, his approach to Chen Cang among the Moao River’s Four Vassals was adversarial.

The tone of the Ice Abyss World is survival of the fittest; if Great Xia does not constantly grow, the best-case scenario is that it becomes subordinate to others; the worst-case, it ends up buried by Cold Beasts and Deceitful Monsters, completely extinguished in this extremely cold world.

Neither option is acceptable to Xia Hong!

Thus, hostility with the Moao River Four Vassals is inevitable.

The dangerous venture through the Bone-Eroding Path was fundamentally for intelligence on the Feudal Towns for future conflict preparation.

Having mastered such crucial information, naturally, he had to find a way to leverage it.

"The fact that the Chen and Chu Families haven’t fully merged in over a hundred years serves as a reminder. Though the Eight Towns’ legacy isn’t as profound as these two families, it’s still over a century. When true integration occurs, if mishandled, it could be a significant hidden threat, vulnerable to exploitation..."

Thinking about this, Xia Hong sighed and mused: "It’s already the twelfth year of Great Xia; Jiangxia and Muyin should have merged smoothly by now, and the time is ripe for an alliance. I must act quickly and find a way to return!"

Having made up his mind, Xia Hong waved his hand to summon the Enlightenment Lotus Platform, then sat cross-legged upon it, took a Bone Gathering Pill, swallowed it, and closed his eyes.

Soon, a seven-bzhang-eight-tall Bone Appearance emerged behind him. Once the Bone Appearance manifested, a blood-colored medicinal power exuded, enveloping his body and rapidly condensing into a blood cocoon.

"Two months have passed; the injuries have mostly healed. I can attempt formal cultivation to see if my bones, after consuming Bone Burning Pill, have affected the cultivation speed!"

The cultivation progress of the Xianyang Level is reflected in the growth of the Bone Appearance. Every smallest increment of the Bone Appearance is extremely rare and not easily perceptible. Xia Hong must absorb the entire medicinal power to determine if his cultivation speed remains normal.