Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 531: Chapter 234: Probing, Arrangements, and Hou Hu’s Confidence (Part 2)

Xia Hong had just swept his gaze over the people in the hall when Hou Hu on the main seat personally came to greet him.

“Brother Hong, come, come, sit next to me!”

Not only Hou Hu, but all the other fifteen people in the hall also stood up, cupped their hands slightly towards Xia Hong, with a trace of respect in their eyes.

In the Ice Abyss, the strong are revered!

Evidently, the strength Xia Hong displayed when he fought Li Tiancheng that night had already earned him the respect of these people.

With a good-natured smile on his face, Xia Hong saw Hou Hu placing an identical chair beside the main seat and signaling for him to sit. He first put away his smile and then slowly revealed a hint of anger.

“Brother Hou, what is the meaning of this?”

Hou Hu clearly noticed the anger in Xia Hong’s eyes, yet he still feigned ignorance and asked, “Zhaoyang has always respected the strong. Brother Hong’s strength is no less than mine, so you should sit as my equal. Why do you refuse?”

“I, Xia, am willing to stay in Zhaoyang for two reasons: firstly, I cannot stand the tyrannical behavior of Long Mountain; secondly, I am moved by Brother Hou’s righteous act of raising an army against Long Mountain. Because of these two reasons, I decided to stay and help Brother Hou overthrow Long Mountain, seeking justice for the countless humans living in Longyou Land…”

Xia Hong paused after speaking, slightly brewing his emotions, and angrily retorted:

“Not to mention, I have no interest in staying in Zhaoyang. Could it be that Brother Hou thinks I care so much about something as trivial as seating order?”

Hearing Xia Hong’s words, the confusion on Hou Hu’s face quickly turned into joy, but noticing that Xia Hong’s anger had not subsided, he immediately concealed his happiness, looked apprehensive, and tapped his forehead, apologizing:

“Brother Hong’s sincerity and righteousness, it is my small-mindedness. I implore Brother Hong to quell your anger. The seating is indeed based on strength. If you don’t sit, how can I sit there…?”

“Brother Hou need not say more, you are the leader of Zhaoyang, the host; I am but a guest in Zhaoyang. Moreover, dealing with Long Mountain, Zhaoyang takes the lead, with other Camps as support. I am alone, cannot contribute much strength, how can my seat be ahead of the host’s? Just find me any spot!”

Within Hou Hu’s eyes, a deeper smile emerged, but on the surface, he kept waving his hand earnestly and said, “Brother Hong, though you are alone, your strength is astonishing, you can even push back Li Tiancheng. Dealing with Long Mountain, we must rely more on Brother Hong. How can you say you cannot contribute much strength?”

He pondered for a moment, signaled to a person on the left, and said, “How about this, I’ll have Hou Quan give up his seat, and Brother Hong can sit there first, how about it?”

“Then I would be remiss to refuse!”

Xia Hong did not continue the performance. Seeing the person on the left’s foremost position give up their seat, he simply nodded and walked over, sitting down heavily.

After being ignored for two days, upon meeting again, this Hou Hu actually first tested him.

Xia Hong couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised, but after thinking for a moment, he felt Hou Hu’s actions were reasonable.

The strength he showed when forcing back Li Tiancheng that night was not weaker than Hou Hu’s. If Hou Hu wasn’t wary of him at all, that would be strange.

Just using such a simple way to test by offering a seat, it seemed that the way he acted as unscheming and easy to manipulate on the way back from Long Mountain, Hou Hu believed it.

Xia Hong was almost certain that, if he had accepted that seat, someone below would have objected, followed by Hou Hu scolding them, then they would present a pile of reasons, and in the end, he would have no choice but to accept.

Not to mention Hou Hu’s domineering nature, no camp leader would allow someone to sit on equal footing with them. Even if they agreed, their subordinates wouldn’t.

This is the characteristic of the Ice Abyss Camp, especially for such a powerful camp as Zhaoyang.

Among the fifteen people in the hall, except for the leaders of the Bai Qiucheng and Dong Zhong camps, the other thirteen were of Cold Resistance Level from Zhaoyang. The way they looked at Hou Hu was identical to how Great Xia people looked at him. How could Xia Hong not understand?

Thus, this was Hou Hu’s test, probing whether he might harbor ambitions due to his strength, to adjust his plans for him in the upcoming battles accordingly. It’s probably like this.

Since he passed the test, now his role should be arranged more boldly.

Xia Hong’s eyes flickered slightly, looking at the bland fruit platter on the table, he pouted slightly.

Though Zhaoyang is strong, their resources can’t compare to those of the Great Xia.

Tonight, there are leaders from two camps, and all the Cold Resistance Levels staying in Zhaoyang’s camp are here. In such an important occasion, there are just two fruit platters on the table.

“The Blood Cold Wine and aged wine I brought along are finished, and my mouth is dry. I have to find a way to restock at the base…”

While Xia Hong berated the scarcity of Zhaoyang’s resources, Hou Hu on the main seat was beaming with the perfect result of this test. His gaze toward Xia Hong grew with utmost satisfaction.

“The battle with Li Tiancheng on the fourteenth gave me profound insights, so I went into seclusion as soon as I returned to the camp. I’ve been out for two days; did you complete the tasks I arranged?”

As soon as Hou Hu spoke, the fifteen people below all brightened slightly, immediately sitting up straight, all turning their heads with respectful expressions to look at him.

This scene made Xia Hong’s expression slightly focused.

There was nothing notable about the other thirteen, mostly concerning Bai Qiucheng and Dong Zhong.

The deference shown by these two camp leaders towards Hou Hu implied significant meaning.