Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1295 - 424: Reaping What One Sows, Hezang’s Orphan, Upheaval and Hatred_4

Clenching his teeth, he had no choice but to trail behind the two men.

"Wow, brother, you're incredible, taking down the Blood Jade Fox in merely two strikes."

"Hahaha, look at all this fox fur—we're gonna be wealthy now, filthy rich!"

......

The initial few hours passed without a hitch.

He successively slew over twenty Intermediate Cold Beasts, among them nine Blood Jade Foxes. Ji Jiang stood by, cheering endlessly. Once the haul grew too heavy to haul further, he proposed to his sister that they retreat and come back the next day.

Ah Jiang nodded in agreement. After bundling the prey, the siblings prepared to head back.

Yet right then, disaster struck abruptly!

From the shadows, a crimson-robed middle-aged man brandishing a Xia-Made Knife leaped out suddenly.

"Just you two lowly siblings, daring to challenge the Zhao Family?"

"Joining the Dragon Martial Army changes nothing!"

"At Nine Manes strength, the Lord won't spare you a glance."

"For blocking Yuanxiu’s marriage, you die!"

"Lord Zhao, spare my sister, please don't kill my sister!"

"The wedding's canceled—Ji Jiang won't wed Xu An. Don't kill him, Lord Zhao, I beg you... don't kill my sister!"

"Kill me instead! Ji Hong deserves death for obstructing your daughter's marriage. Spare my sister, Lord Zhao, I'm begging you—spare her!"

.........

"Ah!!!"

Amid the snow, Ji Hong unleashed a shrill scream.

He snapped awake from the nightmare at last.

Ji Hong bolted upright, eyes blazing red, hands sensing something amiss. His body froze rigid, then with sheer horror twisting his face, he lowered his gaze ever so slowly.

Fear gripped him utterly; even that simple drop of his head dragged on forever. Finally peering down at the woman's body below, his soul seemed ripped away—mouth gaping silently, no words escaping.

For more than a hundred breaths, Ji Hong remained frozen like that.

Then laughter erupted from him as he reached out, tenderly smoothing Ji Jiang’s face back to normal, stroking her brow over and over.

"Ah Jiang, you're just sleeping."

"Ah Jiang, don't frighten brother—don't lie there, wake up."

Though Ji Hong's voice stayed eerily steady, his quaking frame and hands, plus tears pouring down his cheeks, betrayed his full grasp of Ji Jiang’s fate.

Still, denial gripped him—he wouldn't accept his sister as a lifeless corpse. Fists balled so tight that blood trickled from his palms, yet his tone held calm:

"Ah Jiang, you hate dirt—don't lie in the snow."

"Rise up; brother's got heaps of beast hides for you to craft gorgeous outfits!"

"Brother's joined the Dragon Martial Army officially now. Back in Bashang, I'll hunt Advanced Cold Beast pelts specially for you—your shop's trade will boom. Get up, Ah Jiang, get up!"

"Ah Jiang, Ah Jiang, Ah Jiang, ah........."

Ultimately, after chanting "Ah Jiang" thrice with no reply, Ji Hong threw his head skyward in a gut-wrenching, frenzied howl. From his eyes flowed not tears, but crimson blood.

"Oh......"

A heavy sigh echoed from behind. Ji Hong whipped around instinctively, silent but with eyes like glacial daggers.

"It’s you!"

Recognizing the arrival, memory shards flickered in Ji Hong’s mind. Wariness eased from his features, though he uttered no words, merely swiveling back to gaze blankly at the body sprawled in the snow.

Chen Yiqing drew near step by step, sympathy etching his face. "Little brother Ji Hong, what grudge exists between you siblings and Hongmen Chief Executioner Zhao Bao? You begged so pitifully, yet he slaughtered without mercy, alas..."

Ji Hong offered no reply, face locked in dull vacancy.

"Luckily, I just secured permanent residency in Hongmen City and have been hunting around Beining Mountain lately. I stumbled upon Zhao Bao ambushing you two, but alas, I arrived a beat too late."

"Zhao Bao’s power overwhelms. Though I battled fiercely, I scarcely saved your life, sustaining heavy wounds myself..."

With Ji Hong still mute, Chen Yiqing's brow creased. Clutching his chest gash, he murmured softly, "Brother Ji Hong, the departed can't return. Focus now on survival!"

At those words, a faint gleam ignited in Ji Hong’s eyes. He shot a look toward Hongmen, hatred carving deep lines into his visage, then growled hoarsely, "Thanks for rescuing me, Senior Chen. I need to go back to Xia City—I'll report to the Lord; he'll back me for sure."

Chen Yiqing's frown deepened at that. He pressed urgently, "Brother Ji Hong, pardon my bluntness, but you siblings together don't match Zhao Bao's value alone—not with the mighty Zhao Family propping him up. Even reaching your Lord might prove futile, and moreover..."

He halted a moment, then pressed on, "Zhao Bao slew your sister right before you. He'll crave your death to seal lips now. With the Zhao Family's vast reach and him as Hongmen Chief Executioner, preparations are surely ironclad. Trekking to Xia City will be nigh impossible for you."