69: Chapter 69 Xia Chuan Awakens 69: Chapter 69 Xia Chuan Awakens “Brother, it feels like there’s a lot more in my mind now…”
Before Xia Hong could speak, Xia Chuan, who had just awakened, spoke first.
Xia Chuan didn’t answer.
He just extended both of his hands with a strange look in his eyes, then opened his palms and closed his eyes, as if he were trying to channel something.
After a moment, two wisps of black energy suddenly rose from his palms.
The black energy swirled for three or four seconds before gradually dissipating.
Once it had faded, a three-inch small knife and a bundle of transparent thread appeared in Xia Chuan’s hands respectively.
“Aren’t these the things from that Wood Puppet Monster?”
Yuan Cheng, speaking his mind, was the first to shout excitedly.
Xia Hong immediately recognized them as items from the Wood Puppet Monster as well, but unlike Yuan Cheng’s excitement, he looked at Xia Chuan with some concern.
Upon seeing the small knife and thread in his hands, Xia Chuan’s daze vanished completely, replaced by a deep excitement, as if a thought in his mind had been confirmed.
“Brother, don’t worry, I’ve gained immense benefits, hahaha!”
After a long moment of excitement, Xia Chuan looked up, saw Xia Hong’s expression, and quickly tried to reassure him.
Still incredibly excited, he continued: “In my mind, there’s an inheritance of puppetry, and there’s also a vast amount of information about various woods and plants.
It all must come from that Wood Puppet Monster!”
Inheritance, small knife, thread.
Xia Hong remembered the three golden lights from earlier and suddenly understood.
The three trump cards of the Wood Puppet Monster were indeed the Puppetry Technique, the thread, and the small knife.
No wonder Yang Ning and Li Hu coveted the Wood Puppet Monster so much.
Xia Chuan might truly have received an extraordinary gift this time.
If he can fully grasp those three things from the Wood Puppet Monster, Xia Chuan’s potential for future growth would be limitless.
Even Yue Feng and the others couldn’t help but look at Xia Chuan with envy.
Xia Hong wasn’t as excited, mainly because of his limited understanding of such deceitful creatures, but judging from Yang Ning and Li Hu’s reactions, the things Xia Chuan gained shouldn’t pose much of a problem.
Even if there are any side effects, they should be within controllable limits.
With that settled in his mind, Xia Hong stopped worrying and instead instructed everyone to rest.
“Alright, don’t celebrate too early.
We don’t know if there are any side effects.
Let’s rest first, and we will return to the camp when it gets dark tomorrow.”
Daylight had already arrived, and after a night of exhaustion, no one felt like talking.
Once Xia Hong took the lead in laying down, the others followed suit in sleeping.
Soon, the wooden house was filled with various sounds of snoring.
However, among the snores, there were also a few quiet sobs.
Luo Ming, sitting by the coal stove, couldn’t sleep at all.
Thinking of his wife, eldest son Luo Yun, father Luo Feng, and the thousand others who died last night, he was filled with immense pain and self-reproach.
“Father, don’t be sad.
Cheng is still here, the camp is still here, and the Wood Puppet Monster has been destroyed.
We are no longer in danger!”
A slightly childish voice reached his ears, and Luo Ming turned to find his eight-year-old son, Luo Cheng, standing beside him.
Seeing the clearly visible tear stains on his young son’s face, he knew that Cheng had cried earlier as well.
Yet, despite this, he still remembered to comfort his useless father.
Unable to hold back any longer, Luo Ming pulled his son into his arms.
Amid his heartache, he also felt an immense sense of relief.
Relief, because he still had his one and only son, Luo Cheng.
It was a stroke of luck, perhaps due to the assumption that children couldn’t disguise themselves well, that the Wood Puppet Monster only killed adults in the wooden house.
Quite a few children survived, and his little Luo Cheng was one of them.
“Cheng, your father swears he will never let anything happen to you again.
I will see you marry, have children, and live a long, full life.”
Holding his young son, Luo Ming spoke slowly, the words seeming spoken to himself and to his deceased wife and eldest son, resolute determination filling his expression.
With only four hours of daylight, everyone who had worked all night fell asleep easily.
As night enveloped the surroundings, everyone gradually woke up.
However, upon waking, they found five leather bags neatly placed by the coal stove, with Luo Ming standing beside them.
“Leaders, please come over!”
Xia Hong, noticing the shape of the bags, immediately realized what was inside, but he said nothing, simply joining Hong Gang and the other leaders in walking over to Luo Ming.
As the five of them approached, Luo Ming didn’t say much.
He simply bowed respectfully to the leaders with genuine expression:
“Thanks to the righteous intervention of the five leaders during this disaster at Rogel Camp, I am profoundly grateful.
Had the leaders not helped, our camp’s casualties would have been even more severe.
Though this Cold Beast Meat is limited, it represents the camp’s gratitude.
Please, do accept it!”
Xia Hong didn’t react much, but the other four leaders looked at the Cold Beast Meat with evident temptation on their faces, though none stepped forward to accept it.
After exchanging glances, the outspoken Hong Gang stepped forward, shaking his head: “Leader Luo, although we want this Cold Beast Meat, the truth is, we really didn’t help much.
As the saying goes, we shouldn’t accept a reward without earning it, so the four of us will have to decline.”
Then, changing his tone, he continued, “If you want to thank someone, thank Leader Xia.
Without his prior warning at Redwood Ridge, the Wood Puppet Monster might have wiped out everyone in your camp without us even knowing.
In the valley battle that followed, it was also thanks to Leader Xia’s Solidified Fire Oil that we’re standing here at all.
So, if you’re going to thank someone, thank Leader Xia!”
The other three leaders nodded in agreement, clearly aligning with Hong Gang’s sentiment.
Luo Ming smiled gently, first showing a grateful look to Xia Hong, then shook his head as he looked at Hong Gang and the others: “While Leader Xia deserves thanks, so do the four of you.
Not to mention tonight’s efforts, I also remember your past cooperation in helping Yang Ning and Li Hu.
This Cold Beast Meat, if Leader Xia accepts, you four must as well.”
After saying this, he directly picked up the bags and handed them one by one to the five leaders.
Xia Hong nodded and accepted without pretense, understanding that he had risked his life, making the Cold Beast Meat well-earned.
Inside each bag, there was roughly a thousand pounds of Cold Beast Meat, totaling five thousand pounds, which was quite a significant gesture.
Seeing all five leaders accept the Cold Beast Meat, a smile finally appeared on Luo Ming’s face before he nodded to Shang Ping and continued, “As Leader Hong said, we owe tonight’s survival to Xia Hong.
Without him, Rogel Camp would not have this surviving one hundred or so people.
Later, without his Solidified Fire Oil against the Wood Puppet Monster, I, Luo Ming, likely wouldn’t have survived either.
And so, I’ve prepared a special gift for the Great Xia Camp.
I hope brother Xia Hong will graciously accept it!”
As soon as Luo Ming finished speaking, Shang Ping, Li Baihe, and Xu Kang each carried a leather bag to Xia Hong’s front.
The three bags hit the ground, making three resounding thuds.
“Leader Xia, since you won’t find a coal or iron mine anytime soon, in these three bags there are five thousand pounds of coal and four thousand pounds of iron.
Upon hearing this, Hong Gang and the others glanced at the bags, swallowing hard in disbelief and looking up at Luo Ming, their faces filled with shock.
Even Xia Hong couldn’t help but look at Luo Ming, slightly incredulous.