Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1342 - 436: Qingxun Treasure Tree, Black Wind General and the Toll, Blood and Rescue (Part 4)

With a profoundly stern expression, Zhu Yan gazed into the inky black night sky, gauged the direction roughly, and swiftly soared off to the west.

Traveling northward some four or five kilometers, he rapidly located a team of roughly fifty soldiers.

Fully equipped, the group of about fifty soldiers stood watch at the cave entrance. Spotting a figure flying in from above, they snapped to attention at once, then eased up when they made out Zhu Yan.

The commander, a middle-aged fellow in Ten Thousand Forged Armor, advanced first and bowed to Zhu Yan. "He Qing pays respect to Lord General!"

Zhu Yan gave a nod, cast a look into the cave mouth, and spoke in an icy tone, "I have urgent matters and need to return to the County City first. After delivering the people, you return here."

"Subordinate obeys the command!"

He Qing bowed to accept the order, but discovered Zhu Yan had vanished already.

Turning to the fifty soldiers at his back, he issued a direct command, "Bring out the people in the cave. Take them to the Bone-Eroding Path, quickly!"

Hearing the order, the fifty soldiers sprang into action, hurrying into the cave.

"Animals, get up!"

Smack...

"Stop sleeping, it’s time to move."

Bam...

"Get up quickly."

"A herd of animals, get up quickly!"

...

Curses, lashes, orders, blows... such noises rang out nonstop from the cave depths, until soon enough, youths around twenty years old were dragged out under escort by over fifty soldiers.

Though terror and dread marked their faces, these youths stayed docile amid the soldiers' threats and swearing. Yet their builds were sturdy, hinting at cultivation prowess, dressed in cotton garb, some even with weapons belted at their sides.

"Move ahead quickly!"

He Qing, at the head of his fifty soldiers, drove the five hundred youths southward like sheep toward the Bone-Eroding Path.

"Sir, spare me! I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die."

"I am willing to enter lowly status in Bai Shui City, just spare my life, sir."

"Spare me, please sir."

Smack...

"If you dare to babble on, I’ll slaughter you right here."

"Get up, keep moving forward!"

...

Evidently, this batch of five hundred youths fully grasped their grim destiny.

Despair etched most of their features; some dropped to their knees begging the soldiers for pity, only to get whipped and battered in return. After repeated attempts, they stopped pleading and trudged onward.

Less than five kilometers separated the soldiers' camp from the Bone-Eroding Path, letting the five hundred captives reach its gateway in barely half an hour.

The Bone-Eroding Path loomed ahead, wrapped in dark fog just ten meters away, buckling many youths' knees. Even the ones feigning composure showed terror and worry in their widened eyes.

"Alright, get in there!"

He Qing strode up to the foremost cluster of youths, yanked his Big Saber from his belt, aimed it at the Bone-Eroding Path, and bellowed at them to go inside.

Fear and horror twisted the faces of those up front. One, paralyzed by fright, spun around to kneel before He Qing in desperate appeal.

"Dare to come again!"

Yet He Qing offered no mercy.

Roaring fiercely, he hoisted the youth and hurled him straight into the Bone-Eroding Path.

Whoosh...

Thrown inside, the Black Wind flayed his flesh in an instant, dropping a bare skeleton to the ground.

"Get in there, whoever dares to babble again..."

"Brothers, we’re going to die anyway, let’s fight them!"

"We have five hundred people, if we fight, maybe there’s a chance."

"Yeah, don’t listen to them, fight these scoundrels!"

...

Amid the crowd, four or five youths bellowed in rage, cutting off He Qing's warning and igniting the others' will to survive. Eyes turned to the surrounding armored troops as bottled-up fury exploded in battle cries.

"Fight them."

"We’re going to die anyway, might as well take a bite out of them."

"Damn Cai Qiu County Guard Army, just a group of murderers."

"Brothers, fight them."

...

Over five hundred souls burned with fury; following a barrage of furious yells, they surged at the armored soldiers from every side.

Most lacked arms, so they rushed the troops empty-handed.

Such a wild assault spelled doom.

"A herd of animals trying to overturn the sky, leave them breathing, throw them all in!"

He Qing had clearly foreseen this very moment, displaying no hint of surprise. With a sneer, he barked commands at his soldiers before charging into the mob, seizing the youths and flinging them straight into the Bone-Eroding Path.

"A bunch not even reaching Cold Resistance Level, daring to stir up the heavens."

"Haha, come on, brothers, let’s see who tosses in the most!"

"You’re on, hahaha, loser foots the bill for drinks at Bai Shui!"

"Watch those in the center closely—they’re the ringleaders."

"And that girl over there, hehe, keep her for some fun afterward."

…

Obeying his directives, the over fifty soldiers encircled the young crowd like hungry wolves, blocking any escape from the core. They refrained from storming inward, merely snatching victims from the edges and hurling them inside.

Before a hundred breaths had passed, more than half of the five hundred had been cast into the path.