In the frigid lands, after my exile, I began to slay demons and monsters.

Chapter 147 Half-Demons from Beyond the Border

Ning Xiaoxi quickly jumped off her horse and ran towards the two figures.

"Daddy!"

"Mother!"

The loud call carried on the wind.

The surrounding crowd all turned to look at the poised young woman, smiles spreading across their faces. It had to be a woman from the North—so generous and unrestrained!

Ming Luoying's eyes reddened, and she quickly opened her arms to welcome her little girl.

Ning Xiaoxi rushed into Ming Luoying's arms, hugged her waist tightly with both hands, and took a deep breath, "Mom, I missed you so much!"

Ming Luoying hugged her little daughter tightly, whom she hadn't seen for almost a month, touching her clothes and saying repeatedly, "Daddy, quick, bring me some warm clothes. Why is this child only wearing so little? Isn't she cold?"

Ning Shi followed behind Ming Luoying. Upon hearing his wife's words, he hurriedly stretched out the fur cloak in his hand. However, because his little girl was still in her mother's arms and covered by her mother's cloak, he couldn't find a place to put it. In the end, he shook it off and tried to cover both mother and daughter together.

Ming Luoying glared at Ning Shi reproachfully, then handed her daughter over, unfolded her cloak to cover her daughter, and tied the sash at her chest.

Ning Ziqing then led his horse and reindeer over.

"Mother, let's go back quickly. Xiaoxi is tired. Let her go back and rest."

"Auntie, you should take the car. It looks like the wind is about to pick up," said a chubby boy with a friendly face standing next to Ning Shi.

Looking at that impressive physique, Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but smile sweetly, "Second cousin, you've worked hard!"

"Oh, little sister, what's the trouble? If it weren't for you, how could I, your second cousin, have gotten Father's permission to open a shop in this northern county town?" The chubby Ming Jizong smiled honestly and sincerely, his squinting eyes making him easy to trust.

Before Ning Xiaoxi could get into the carriage brought by her second cousin with her mother, she saw a person dressed in the uniform of an official of the Earthly Fiends walk over.

“I am Liu Xing, a subordinate of Lord Di Kui. Lord Di Kui knows that I am entering the city today, and he specifically asked me to inform you that you do not need to rush to register at your post, but can rest at home for two days first.”

Ning Xiaoxi's eyes lit up, and she quickly said to Liu Xing, "Thank you for your understanding, Lord Di Kui. I will definitely register at the residence on time in two days."

Liu Xing smiled and nodded to the Ning family members before turning and leaving.

The chubby Ming Jizong quietly sidled up to Ning Ziqing and asked, "Did Lord Di Kui's subordinates come specifically to inform us that we don't need to rush to register?"

Ning Ziqing put a finger to her lips, "Don't make irresponsible remarks about the Celestial Masters Pavilion!"

Ming Jizong quickly covered his mouth and said no more.

Ming Luoying pulled Ning Xiaoxi into the carriage, Ning Shi and Ming Jizong sat in the carriage, and Ning Ziqing rode a horse with the reindeer that had been following them. The group entered the city through the south gate.

The city gates and walls of the county town were clearly designed primarily for defense. The gates were simple yet sturdy, and the walls were over twenty zhang high, connecting with the surrounding mountains and preventing the enemy from advancing south. There weren't many soldiers guarding the city walls, but Ning Xiaoxi could sense a stronger aura of bloodlust emanating from them than from the guards of Beixiao City, and she knew that these were soldiers who had truly experienced bloody battles.

The city walls were also equipped with arrow towers and beacon towers. Once enemy activity was detected, beacon fires would be lit quickly to transmit the message to the surrounding counties.

Ning Xiaoxi sat in the carriage, opened the curtain, and looked around at the county town where she would be living.

The architecture of Fufang County is very characteristic of northern China, mostly built with thick stone, wood, and clay. The walls are thick, and the windows are small, which can not only resist the severe winter cold but also protect against foreign invasion. The streets in the town are not wide, but they are very clean, and there is no snow on the roadside.

The stone-paved road, worn smooth by time, gleams with a warm luster. People come and go; in May, the weather is already warming up for people in the north, and they no longer need to stay indoors.

The carriage moved slowly along the road, allowing pedestrians to pass on both sides without interfering with each other, making the journey quite smooth.

The shops along the street are dazzling, selling furs, medicinal herbs, and food, as well as blacksmithing, brewing, and general merchandise. Although it cannot compare to the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, it is full of a strong sense of daily life.

Passing through the center of the county town, there stands a tall, black square monument with obvious carvings on it. Beneath the monument is a circular platform with a stone brazier on it.

"This is an altar used to commemorate the soldiers who died in the battle to defend the border!" Ning Ziqing noticed that Ning Xiaoxi's gaze was fixed on the black square monument, so he moved closer to explain it to her.

"Brother, what exactly are the enemies beyond the border?"

Ning Ziqing's breathing became heavy. "The descendants of humans and demons, or the descendants of humans and demons, are all half-demons and half-monsters who have been expelled!"

Ning Xiaoxi fell silent. She had already guessed when she caught the infiltrator.

She had initially thought that in a place where the battle between humans and demons was so fierce, such beings, even if they existed, wouldn't be numerous. But the fact that they required building cities to defend against them showed that they were not only large-scale, but likely truly a threat to the survival of humanity.

"Brother, did you see those... half-demons?" Ning Xiaoxi didn't even know what to call those half-demons.

“In recent years, due to the strength of the Youzhou royal army, they haven’t launched any large-scale attacks for a long time. They’ve only been small-scale skirmishes that haven’t amounted to anything!” Ning Ziqing told his sister, Ning Xiaoxi, what he had heard since his arrival.

What's it like outside the city walls?

"As far as the eye can see, it's all flat land, with mountain ranges stretching on both sides. According to the soldiers guarding the city, there are plains for a thousand miles around, but for some reason, the land there is unsuitable for growing plants. The south of the city is also a plain, but the soil is fertile and can grow a season's worth of food to supply the army and civilians. The plains to the north of the city, however, are barren." Ning Ziqing had never actually left the city, let alone seen what the land outside the city was like, but this was all he had heard from the veteran soldiers guarding the city, so it shouldn't be wrong.

"Not a blade of grass grows?" Ning Xiaoxi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Then how do those half-demons survive?"

"They mainly live along the edge of the North Sea and hunt marine mammals. When it gets too cold in winter and too many marine mammals migrate to warmer waters, and there is not enough food, they will organize attacks on the border to obtain food."

In this sense, when the King of Youzhou pushed the border five hundred miles away, he extinguished the last glimmer of hope that originally belonged to the half-demons. They migrated to the coast and survived by obtaining food in a more dangerous way. They would only attack the border cities of the human race when they could no longer survive.

If that area hadn't been so barren, would the King of Youzhou have extended the border to the North Sea?

Sure enough, it's all about survival!