Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1201 - 405: Taking the Blame, Struggle for First Place, Playing Dirty When Outmatched, Smoldering with Anger

Xia Chuan and his companions were utterly shocked to discover that this was merely the start.

Once Yang Ning finished speaking, both Cao Qianyang and Long Mingyuan hovering in the sky whipped their heads toward South City. From the crowd gathered close to the Main Building of the Government Office in South City, two youths around Yang Ning's age quickly moved ahead.

Resentment covered their faces completely, and the moment they advanced, they furiously jabbed fingers at the pair of Divine Machine Crossbows, yelling out:

"On the night of September 3rd, Director of the Great Xia Military Department, Yuwen Dao, killed our Yangqu Merchant’s President, Cao Tianhong, along with eight others. Cao Yuanwu was also present that night. If there’s any falsehood, like Brother Yang, may my cultivation never advance in this life, and may I be struck by five thunders in the future!"

"On September 5th during the day, Director of the Great Xia Camp Supply Department, Qiu Peng, killed our Dragon Valley Merchant’s President, Long Wenyan, along with nine others. Long Bohai witnessed it with his own eyes. If there’s any falsehood, like Brother Yang and Brother Cao, may my cultivation never advance in this life, and may I be struck by five thunders in the future!"

......

Hearing these words left Yuwen Dao and Qiu Peng completely stunned!

They traded glances with Cao Yuanwu and Long Bohai, noting their fingers quivering faintly and eyes brimming with intense resentment and rage. In that instant, a doubt crept in whether they themselves had carried out the killings.

"Who wouldn’t swear an oath? I, Yuan Cheng, also swear, if it really was me..."

At that point, Yuan Cheng snapped back to reality. Remaining quiet would mean those three grave charges would definitely stick to Great Xia right then.

"It was on my order as the lord, that they did the killing!"

Yet, before Yuan Cheng could complete his statement, another voice cut him off.

From the northwest area of the Ministry Building, heading toward Hongmen Pass, four silhouettes abruptly dashed into view, much like the earlier arrival of Yang Zhun and his twelve followers. These four figures also radiated a fierce, intense glow, which swiftly heated up the surroundings around the Ministry Building.

"Finally arrived!"

"He directly admitted it."

"Was it really people from Great Xia who did the killing?"

"Lord Xia Hong admitted it with his own mouth, what’s there to doubt?"

"But... why?"

"Yeah, Great Xia had no reason to kill the Three Towns Chamber of Commerce’s people, right?"

"After selling so many cultivation resources, why would Great Xia kill them?"

......

With Xia Hong's emergence and his straightforward confession of ordering the killings, chaos broke out in all of South City as discussions exploded.

Most folks right away accepted that Great Xia was behind the murders; just a handful sensed something off and started raising questions.

As Xia Hong's declaration echoed to Zhao’s Restaurant in South City, the faces of eight individuals in the upscale room on the top floor turned grim instantly.

"Xia Hong, directly admitted?"

"Shouldn’t there have been disputes?"

"Isn’t this different from what we anticipated?"

"Did Xia Hong just take the blame?"

......

Out of the eight, only Chen Yiqing and Chu Yan’er stayed quiet.

Chen Yiqing wore an exceptionally dark look;

Chu Yan’er creased her brows deeply, evidently deep in contemplation.

Before long, Chu Yan’er pieced it together, lifted her gaze, and fixed it on Xia Hong who had just shown up far away, her eyes gleaming with realization as she remarked, "Xia Hong must have guessed this trap. He knew all along that Yang Zhun and the others were confident enough to make everyone in the Eight Towns believe that it was Great Xia who did it. So he delayed revealing himself, letting Xia Chuan force Yang Zhun’s tactics out first.

Once Yang Ning and the other two spoke, he knew it was a confused and unclear account, and no matter how they tried to self-verify, it wouldn’t be clear. Instead of self-verifying before the Six Towns, letting Great Xia fall into a disadvantage, it was better to actively shoulder the blame.

What a formidable Lord of Great Xia, having such courage!"

The seven who heard this were initially baffled by her explanation, but clarity dawned after a moment of reflection, and their faces showed subtle shifts.

Yuan Cheng had been on the verge of making his own oath, and not only him—everyone across the city could tell that Xia Hong had deliberately jumped in to claim responsibility.

It’s not that Yuan Cheng’s oaths were useless, but at this pivotal juncture, even if he swore one, it wouldn’t change the fact that Yang Ning, Cao Yuanwu, and Long Bohai’s statements had already planted the seed of truth in minds. Even if Yuan Cheng swore, the credibility he earned wouldn’t exceed that of those three.

Moreover, the oaths of these three were to accuse and testify;

If Great Xia were to also swear, it would be a self-verification.

Once trapped in self-verification, the consequences would be more than just a simple disadvantage.

"But even taking this blame won’t gain Xia Hong any favor, the Six Towns having suffered such humiliation won’t take it lying down. In the future, Great Xia will still have a difficult time at Moao’s Southern Slope!"

Evidently, as the mastermind behind it all, Chen Yiqing’s voice carried clear traces of reluctance.

Chu Yan’er picked up on it naturally; she gave a slight shake of her head and went on in a hushed tone while eyeing Xia Hong from afar: "It’s only a temporary measure, Xia Hong won’t have come so far without having a backup plan.

Today was supposed to be the Six Towns banding together to suppress Great Xia, but now it seems, it’ll become Great Xia using the Six Towns to establish authority, solidifying its position as the hegemon of Moao."

She halted briefly, then gazed up at Xia Hong soaring in the heavens, a flicker of apprehension in her eyes as she added: "Uncle Chen, you’ve misjudged this time!"

Chen Yiqing’s eyebrows knit tightly at her words, and he turned to stare at Xia Hong, reluctance still lingering in his gaze.

......

"It was on my order as the lord, that they did the killing!"

As Xia Hong declared this, Yang Zhun, Qin Feng, and Shangguan Yang first displayed clear surprise, then flared with fury in a flash.

At the same time, Cao Qianyang and Long Mingyuan’s wrath ignited immediately, their cheeks burning crimson. Lord of Chui Mountain, Duan Hong, went even further—letting out a cold sneer as he bellowed in rage, "It’s good you have the guts to admit it. I have long since declared that Great Xia and the recently destroyed Dajue Temple are birds of a feather, bound to be the new scourge of Moao’s Southern Slope. And in just over four months, it has indeed come true."