Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1213 - 407: Filial Piety Belongs to the Mu Family, Kindness Belongs to Xia Hong, Moao South Slope Dominator (Part 2)

Fearing any delay, after his words, he whipped his head around and bellowed at the thirteen individuals beneath him: 'Qinghe, you're deluded! The fate I endure now stems entirely from my own actions, bearing no relation to Great Xia. All of you, drop to your knees and beg forgiveness from the Xia Army, vow to never trouble Great Xia again, quickly!'

Bang...

The disciples of the Mu family clearly revered Mu Longhe, their patriarch, immensely. At his command, they immediately fell to their knees without a second thought.

The old man at their forefront, likely Mu Qinghe as named by Mu Longhe, gazed at Xia Hong with sorrowful eyes, cupping his hands in supplication, 'I, Mu Qinghe, offer my respects to the Great Xia Lord! Lord Xia Hong, my father has lost his arms and is as good as disabled, unable to threaten Great Xia any longer. I offer my own life in exchange for his, begging only for Lord Xia Hong's compassion.'

Sacrifice for the father!

Mu Qinghe's declaration of these four words stirred the emotions of all those gathered.

Yet, it wasn't merely this that touched their hearts.

'Mu Qingyu too is ready to stand with my brother and sacrifice for our father!'

'Mu Qingmian offers to die instead of our father, imploring Lord Xia Hong to let him live!'

'Mu Ziyang will perish in my grandfather's stead, Lord Xia Hong, take my life!'

'Mu Ziheng...'

'Mu Yunhua...'

......

Following Mu Qinghe's lead, the other twelve Mu family members, men and women of differing ages kneeling in his wake, eagerly voiced their willingness too.

From relatives similar in age to Mu Qinghe, like his second brother and third sister, down to the youthful members in their early twenties, every one of them was prepared to give their life for this senior, Mu Longhe.

Forget the more than ten thousand residents of South City; even within the ranks of over thirty thousand Xia Army troops, including key figures like Xia Chuan and Yuwen Dao plus other high-ranking Great Xia officials, their faces showed faint changes.

'No clan's loyalty exceeds that of the Mu family; their values should serve as an example for my Great Xia... no, for all the Nine Towns of Moao South Slope and innumerable households!'

Suddenly, the esteemed Xia Hong uttered these words.

No family’s devotion surpasses the Mu family’s!

Bodies of people across Great Xia and the Eight Towns quivered ever so slightly.

Anyone with ears could detect the strong admiration and approval in Xia Hong’s voice.

Given Xia Hong’s position, this remark would undoubtedly circulate rapidly through Moao South Slope, positioning the Mu family as an ideal for families in the Nine Towns.

Through this, Mu Longhe could surely avoid execution.

'Lord Xia Hong, your kindness and righteousness exceed all, a true boon to our Nine Towns!'

'Gratitude to Lord Xia Hong for your grace; Duan is forever thankful!'

Unexpectedly, Yang Zhun and Duan Hong joined forces in this moment.

Yang Zhun led with flattery, while Duan Hong boldly jumped in to express thanks to Lord Xia Hong in Mu Longhe's name.

Such a blatant attempt at claiming credit!

Could these petty tricks elude Xia Hong’s awareness?

Xia Hong lifted his gaze, eyeing the pair with a faint smile before shifting his attention to Mu Longhe, speaking solemnly: 'The Mu family’s display of such values proves you, Mu Longhe, are not irredeemable. Still, Great Xia’s dignity must remain intact. Your offense demands penalty. In light of the devotion shown by the Mu family disciples, this Lord will show exceptional leniency, commuting your death to ten years of labor for Great Xia. Upon finishing the term, you'll be free again—what say you?'

Mu Longhe wouldn't dream of protesting. Unaware that Xia Hong had no plans to end his life anyway, he now grasped that he was spared, his features beaming with relief and elation as he bowed deeply to Xia Hong:

'Many thanks to Lord Xia Hong for your mercy. Mu Longhe is profoundly grateful.'

Father’s life is saved!

Mu Qinghe and the Mu family disciples trailing him rejoiced similarly, all kowtowing to the ground, voicing their thanks and appreciation to Xia Hong with repeated bows.

'Thank you, Lord Xia Hong, for your mercy.'

'Thank you, Lord Xia Hong.'

......

'The Great Xia Lord’s kindness brings prosperity to the Nine Towns from now on!'

'Lord Xia Hong has never been one for needless slaughter. To me, the demise of those Three Towns Chamber of Commerce members reeks of suspicion.'

'Mu Longhe nearly slew Lord Xia Hong’s own sibling, yet such forgiveness highlights Lord Xia Hong’s vast-heartedness!'

'Earlier, Lord Xia Hong declared no family’s devotion tops the Mu family’s. I say we include that no mercy outshines Xia Hong’s!'

'No benevolence surpasses Xia Hong’s, yes, spot on!'

......

High above, Yang Zhun and Duan Hong wore exceedingly grim looks by then.

Duan Hong’s scheme to reap the benefits was crushed by Xia Hong’s ten-year ruling, completely foiling his effort to save Mu Longhe and mend ties with him and the Mu clan. All for nothing now.

Furthermore, with Mu Longhe confined in Great Xia, unless he fully forsook Mu Longhe, Chui Mountain would fall wholly under Xia Hong’s sway for the coming decade.

Totally discarding Mu Longhe meant the Mu family disciples, including numerous key followers loyal to him, would depart Chui Mountain entirely.

A cost too steep to bear!

Yang Zhun’s face twisted in even greater discomfort than Duan Hong’s, particularly as South City’s cheers rang out, laced with endless acclaim for Xia Hong’s generosity, like choking down a pestilent insect.

He was the one who had just extolled Xia Hong’s benevolence!

'Very well, today marks the close of the Hongmen affair!'

Xia Hong at last proclaimed the Hongmen episode’s end.

From the initial influx of Six Towns’ Xianyang Level experts into Hongmen City to his final words wrapping up the incident, almost two hours had passed, with twilight now settling over the sky.

'Xia Chuan, collaborate with Qiu Peng to calculate the Sunlight Pill, Silver Crossbow Arrows, and various supplies used in the army’s mobilization and the fight that followed... Convert all war costs to silver and issue an official edict to the Six Towns. They will cover every bit of the military provisions for this conflict.'