Chapter 1803: Chapter 576: Xia Hong Presents a Sword, Bone Appearance Enhanced

January 7th, just before dawn

At the Guangning Mountain Camp, the four siblings of Su Xing’er stepped out of the south gate and set foot on the trail down the mountain amidst the wind and snow.

The four walked for a long time without speaking, their somber moods etched on their faces.

"Who would have thought that our good intentions led to bad outcomes? We helped the Xia Army capture Guangning Mountain, thinking Hou Bing might speak a few good words for us so that we could meet our master, but he was abruptly dismissed, and the message from the commander, though complimentary, was perfunctory—it seems we’ve really miscalculated this time!"

Finally, it was the second brother, Su Zhi, who broke the silence.

Su Xing’er and the other two sighed slightly upon hearing him.

Mere moments ago, they had waited outside the command tent for a long time, only to see Hou Bing come out with his head hung low, leaving without a word.

And as for Yuwen Dao, the commander of the Xia Army, he didn’t summon them, instead sending a Silver Armor General to deliver a message.

"In this successful assault on Guangning Mountain, you four played an indispensable role. The Military Department has recorded your merits. Upon returning to Xia City, rewards shall be arranged; for now, you should go back!"

The four felt bewildered, but fortunately, Brother Luo, who had earlier advised them, kindly explained the situation further, revealing that although Hou Bing achieved military merit, his position as Feipeng Army Commander had been directly revoked.

Su Xing’er, ever perceptive, had already begun to suspect while waiting outside the main tent that while capturing Guangning Mountain might be meritorious, Hou Bing’s loss of position despite gaining merit made the reason quite apparent.

The high-ranking members of Great Xia didn’t actually intend to capture Guangning Mountain. Hou Bing incited Yuwen Yong to take initiative and seize it successfully. Although the soldiers fought desperately, the high ranks had to begrudgingly acknowledge the outcome, but that didn’t mean genuine recognition.

At the very least, Commander Yuwen Dao’s attitude made it clear—he didn’t acknowledge it, hence the perfunctory treatment towards the siblings.

Thus their plan to make a mark through military merit and catch the master’s attention crumbled entirely.

"This time we went in the wrong direction, and fundamentally, it’s due to our lack of understanding of Great Xia’s leadership, and additionally, our strength is too limited—even if we accomplish some things, it’s hardly enough to garner the master’s... the lord’s attention."

Recalling Brother Luo’s words at the command tent, Su Zhi found himself unwilling to refer to ’master,’ instead changing it to ’lord,’ his expression slightly bitter.

Su Xing’er and the other two couldn’t refute. Thinking of the young men at the command tent, at least hundreds like Luo Cheng existed, and they didn’t rank highly in terms of aptitude, leaving them feeling somewhat powerless.

"The fourth brother now has a strength of 44 burns, which is already quite impressive, yet those Dragon Forbidden Captains have strengths mostly above 40 burns, and they appear similar in age, some even younger—the strength among Great Xia’s prominent families is undeniably exaggerated!"

"We stayed at Lin Chu County Mansion for several months, I remember clearly—none of those individuals from the Landgrave’s lineages reached this level!"

"Great Xia being just a town-level camp—how is that even possible?"

.........

Su Zhi felt internally conflicted at this moment. The broader his interactions with the Xia people grew, the more conversations he had, the clearer it became to him that Great Xia was still just a town-level camp.

Yet, whether it’s the Xia Army’s frontal defeat of Cai Qiu, or the overall strength Great Xia displayed, made it nearly impossible for him to believe.

How could it be only a town-level camp?

"Enough, there’s no need to dwell on these matters any longer. We must carefully think about what we should do next!"

Su Xing’er abruptly interrupted the thoughts of her three older brothers, speaking quietly: "We’ve made too much noise in Evergreen Valley; our identities have long been exposed. Continuing to operate in Cai Qiu under the banner of the Frost Ash Association is no longer realistic..."

At this, she paused slightly, her expression turning somewhat dim.

Su Jing and the other two felt the same, their expressions growing despondent.

Secretly operating in Cai Qiu under the Frost Ash Association name was their greatest value to Great Xia, but following the Evergreen Valley uprising, their identities were exposed, making it impossible to continue the covert operations.

This also meant they no longer held any value for Great Xia.

After witnessing the might of the Xia Army, they realized that sustaining themselves in Great Xia might not be difficult with their current strength, but attracting Xia Hong’s attention was improbable.

Using the merit they achieved this time, Great Xia wouldn’t treat them unjustly, yet what they sought was beyond wealth—meeting Xia Hong had become their deepest obsession.

"Let’s head back to Tan Village first! Didn’t Brother Luo just say that Great Xia will soon cease fighting with Cai Qiu? Many people in Green Jade Valley can freely choose to stay or migrate to the Southern Slope. Let’s go to Grandpa Su first, see what the people of Tan Village plan, and then..."

"Miss Su!"

Su Xing’er’s words were cut short by a voice.

The four turned their heads quickly, discovering it was Luo Cheng, who had conversed with them at the command tent mere moments ago.

Luo Cheng, holding a long spear and carrying a narrow-blade, approached and looked at Su Xing’er, his expression complex, filled with both confusion and a hint of envy.

"Brother Luo, why have you come?"

Su Xing’er naturally felt perplexed and promptly asked.

Luo Cheng didn’t answer immediately, instead handing the knife to Su Xing’er first, then speaking with a trace of competitive spirit: "This blade is called Silver Sparrow, and the lord instructed me to give it to you."

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