Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1722: Chapter 546: Qinghua City Headquarters

Qingtan Village’s original surname was Su, and over eighty percent of the villagers had the surname Su. If traced back, the ancestors of these people were actually from Su Qingfang, the founder of Qingtan Village a hundred years ago.

The virtuous influence of a gentleman fades within five generations.

Family relations essentially operate on the same principle.

Although Qingtan Village has persisted for over a hundred years, being situated deep within Evergreen Valley, largely isolated from the outside world, and with scarce resources, everyone struggles to survive. Naturally, no strong concept of family has developed.

Su Qingfang’s skills were not impressive, with only Cold Resistance Level cultivation, but he had numerous offspring—with more than thirty sons alone—and as each branch developed over time, Qingtan Village became thriving in population.

Though the population grew, the poverty persisted. With thirty sons carrying on for a hundred years, there were mostly four or five generations. Although they acknowledged a common ancestor, their relationships had generally faded over time.

Su Xing’er and her three siblings were strictly speaking cousins to Su He, but since the Su Family hadn’t developed any notion of family relations, and the village abounded with the surname Su, when Su Xing’er and her siblings lost their parents, their father Su Lie, offered them no special care.

Qingtan Village already teetered on the edge of subsistence, and situations like those of the four siblings were not uncommon. Even if their father Su Lie had intended to care for them, it would have been beyond his ability.

However, this did not mean Su Lie abandoned them completely. Orphans who lost their parents would receive rations from Qingtan Village until they reached adulthood at fifteen years old.

Of course, rations were the limit; as for cultivation resources, that was out of the question.

Su Xing’er and her siblings were ambitious and did not want to rely on village rations for survival. So when the County Guard Army came four years ago and revealed they could find work in the city, all four siblings signed up at once.

Su He remembered Su Xing’er and her siblings very well. When their parents unexpectedly passed away, their father Su Lie had suggested he take in the four siblings.

Su He directly refused. His talent for cultivation was not high, as evident from his current Earth-digging Realm Limit cultivation. Plus, he already had six children to raise, how could he care for four more?

Four years ago, those who escaped from Bone-Eroding Path not only revealed that the County Guard Army had deceived them into sacrificing themselves to Deceitful Monsters, but they also explained their entire escape process.

According to these people, a powerful young man in black suddenly emerged from Bone-Eroding Path. Before they could react, the man had killed many of Cai Qiu’s County Guard soldiers.

“Su Jing and her siblings might have great fortune; that young man in black probably took an interest in them…”

The details were unclear, but Su He could roughly deduce that it might be possible as Su Jing and her siblings were exceptionally astute in the village.

Back then, it was merely a possibility.

In these four years, every time Su He thought of these siblings, he simply let out a gentle sigh.

The idea of being favored by a powerful benefactor was merely speculative. If it were so easy to be noticed by a great person, how would Qingtan Village have remained impoverished for over a hundred years?

However, upon seeing Su Xing’er and her siblings now, along with the roughly thirty people they brought with them, Su He’s pupils widened with shock, and suddenly he realized that his guess from four years ago was likely correct.

Su Xing’er and her siblings were wearing clothes of materials he had never seen before, let alone the presence of over thirty people within the room—all exuding a presence notably stronger than his father Su Lie.

Moreover, much stronger!

“Xing’er, you all…”

“Uncle He, don’t worry. We’ve actually returned before. On the 25th of last month, the batch of Beast Meat and Beast Blood at the village entrance was sent by us. We didn’t show ourselves because it wasn’t convenient to contact you.”

Su He was taken aback upon hearing this, his expression immediately turning somewhat excited.

On the 25th of last month, out of nowhere, a batch of supplies appeared at the village entrance: 150,000 pounds of Beast Meat and 10,000 pounds of Beast Blood. A letter accompanying the supplies stated they were gifts from an old acquaintance. This was like unexpected fortune descending upon Qingtan Village. Father Su Lie was so delighted that he hadn’t slept well for days, constantly guessing who sent them.

While Qingtan Village is remote, its price levels are roughly equivalent to Qinghua City. The lowest level Beast Meat costs 1 tael of silver per pound, intermediate costs 3 taels, and advanced costs 10 taels; Beast Blood is even pricier, with intermediate Beast Blood used for cultivation costing 15 taels per pound, and advanced costing 30 taels.

The value of the entire batch of supplies was estimated to be at least 350,000 taels of silver, an amount nobody in the Green Jade Valley area had likely ever seen.

What sort of old acquaintance could provide such a large batch of supplies for no reason?

Without the letter included, Father Su Lie likely wouldn’t have dared to touch the batch of supplies.

The problem is, Qingtan Village hadn’t produced any significant figures before.

Now, the mystery was solved.

Of course, Su He’s current excitement wasn’t solely due to discovering the origin of the supplies. Crucially, Su Xing’er and her siblings provided such a substantial batch of supplies, which not only confirmed the guess from four years ago but also showed that the four siblings still felt affection for Qingtan Village.

This was the most exciting part for him.

“Xing’er, Uncle He thanks you all. Back then, I underestimated you. How wonderful… truly wonderful. By the way, were the four of you really noticed by a great figure?”

Su He’s emotions were exceptionally stirred; with a mix of gratitude and apologies, he was practically rambling, yet he still managed to voice his biggest curiosity.