A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

The mine is not actually too far from the Black Mountain Pass. Last time, they traveled slowly in a horse-drawn carriage, and it took them only half a day to get there.

This time, Lin Zhiqing and her group of several hundred people rode fast horses and arrived at the mine from yesterday in just over an hour.

Since following Zhao Daxuan, Lin Zhiqing has had a lot of contact with warhorses. Moreover, when her family was not in decline, she had practiced riding skills, so riding a horse was naturally no problem for her.

"Stop, this is it!"

Lin Zhiqing gave a delicate shout, looking at the familiar mountains in front of her, a smile appearing on her lips.

Li Erlong looked at the barren mountains ahead, his eyes slightly brightening. He lowered his voice and asked, "Madam, is there really treasure here?"

Li Erlong was the only one in the team who knew about the gold mine, and Zhao Daxuan could only feel at ease entrusting this task to Li Erlong.

Lin Zhiqing nodded. "That's right, but we still need to investigate the exact scale. You can arrange for a team to come with me up the mountain to explore."

Li Erlong immediately summoned several squads of veteran soldiers, all of whom were among the strongest and most loyal under Zhao Daxuan's command.

Li Erlong snarled at the groups of veterans, "Listen up, all of you! Follow Madam up the mountain to investigate. Make sure she's safe and sound. If she loses even a single hair, I'll take your heads!"

The veterans patted their chests and said in unison, "Please rest assured, sir! We will definitely protect the lady!"

Lin Zhiqing then led her men up the mountain to explore for minerals, while Li Erlong arranged for the remaining soldiers to scout the area around the mountains in preparation for future defenses.

It wasn't until almost dusk that Lin Zhiqing and her group came down from the mountain.

Looking at Lin Zhiqing, who was covered in sweat despite the late autumn weather, Li Erlong couldn't help but feel admiration and bowed to her in respect.

"I never imagined you, Madam, could be so resilient. I truly admire you. You are indeed very fortunate!"

Lin Zhiqing breathed softly and smiled, "I'm just like you, all trying to give my husband more help."

Li Erlong nodded in agreement, then glanced at the sky and urged, "Madam, it's getting late, let's go back quickly!"

Zhao Daxuan was still worried about letting Lin Zhiqing stay out overnight, so he instructed Li Erlong to escort Lin Zhiqing back to Heishan Pass every evening.

Although the journey was tiring, at least Zhao Daxuan could get a good night's sleep in the Black Mountain Pass, which put his mind at ease.

To be honest, Lin Zhiqing didn't dare to spend the night alone in the wilderness with a group of grown men. Although she knew they were Zhao Daxuan's most loyal soldiers, she was even more afraid that Zhao Daxuan would have wild thoughts.

So Li Erlong led a hundred men on fast horses to escort Lin Zhiqing back to Black Mountain Pass, while the remaining hundreds of men stayed at the foot of the mountains to set up camp, preparing for a long-term defense.

Zhao Daxuan stood at the foot of the Black Mountain Pass, and only when he saw a hundred riders galloping towards him in the distance did a smile appear on his face.

The hundred riders stopped a dozen meters away from Zhao Daxuan. Lin Zhiqing looked at Zhao Daxuan waiting in front with a look of surprise and dismounted to greet him.

Lin Zhiqing smiled and said, "Husband, were you waiting for me?"

"Zhiqing, you've worked so hard, how could I not wait for you?"

Zhao Daxuan pulled Lin Zhiqing towards the Black Mountain Pass, saying, "Are you tired? Hurry up and go back to eat and rest! Shishi and the others have probably already prepared dinner and are just waiting for you to come back."

Today, Shen Qingci and the others ate significantly more than usual. Lin Zhiqing, in particular, had a great appetite after a long day of travel and praised Li Shishi and the others for their cooking skills, saying they were no worse than hers.

Zhao Daxuan even took out a jar of good wine that had been seized and poured a glass for everyone to taste, so they could relax.

After a hearty meal, Zhao Daxuan smiled and led Shen Qingci to the room. Before closing the door, he winked at Li Shishi and the others, his meaning unspoken.

After several spring rains overnight...

"Ding! Congratulations on activation..."

"Strength +1, obtained [Powerful Concrete Recipe], [Mosquito Repellent Sachet Recipe], and [Stallion Kidney Strengthening Pill] *100 pills."

Having not worked for a long time, the reward from this spin of the wheel was exceptionally useful, making Zhao Daxuan's eyes light up.

【High-strength concrete formula】: Concrete made according to the formula has high strength, is frost-resistant and crack-resistant, waterproof and corrosion-resistant, making border fortifications indestructible.

The most troublesome part of the construction of the Black Mountain Pass is the several sections of collapsed city wall. Not only is it troublesome to rebuild, but it will also take a long time to solidify.

Now that we have this recipe, all the materials are available in this era, so the reconstruction of Black Mountain Pass can be accelerated once again.

He even considered reinforcing the entire city wall with this high-strength concrete.

As for the mosquito repellent sachet formula, it is a useful tool for repelling mosquitoes during marches. Although there are not many mosquitoes in the north during autumn and winter, there are still quite a few in summer.

Finally, Zhao Daxuan looked at the [Stallion Kidney Strengthening Pill] with high hopes, then revealed a disappointed expression.

This refers to a real horse, not a horse as it's sometimes called! It was specifically created to enhance the breeding of superior offspring for warhorses.

Moreover, each seed lasts for a full ten days, during which it is guaranteed to hit the mark every time, producing the highest quality warhorse offspring.

Although this reward cannot directly enhance one's strength, its subsequent explosive power is considerable.

Instead of focusing on increasing basic attributes, which Zhao Daxuan used to value most, he no longer cares much about these things.

Pulling up his attribute panel, Zhao Daxuan stared intently at his lifespan, his previously smiling face gradually darkening.

[Life expectancy: 5 years and 3 months (a serious illness will soon develop)]

During this time, he discovered that his lifespan was decreasing at an unusually rapid pace. Originally, he had six and a half years left to live after his first consummation of marriage with Shen Qingci.

But in less than a month, he lost nearly ten months of his lifespan, which is ten times faster than normal.

If there was anything different during this period, it was the constant battles with the Tartar army, which had taken a huge toll on both mental and physical strength.

Aside from that, Zhao Daxuan could not find any other reason.

But these are all unsolvable problems. If he doesn't fight the Tartars, he will die immediately; if he fights, he can live for a few more years.

He sighed softly, realizing he had to find the root of the problem quickly and solve it completely. He stared intently at the note following his lifespan: "A serious illness will soon break out." He fell into deep thought.

Perhaps we should start by addressing this impending serious illness; it seems we need to pay more attention to renowned doctors in the future.

If he can't find the root cause of the problem, he can just keep increasing his lifespan until he does!

Keeping this secret to himself once again, Zhao Daxuan fell into a deep sleep, holding Lin Zhiqing beside him.

In the following days, everyone was busy with their own tasks, and the defenses of the Black Mountain Pass were rapidly strengthened with the addition of high-strength concrete.

Four days later, the soldier who had been sent to deliver the memorial to the emperor returned, bringing with him a message from Yue Zhenyuan.

"Two days from now, Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan will lead 10,000 troops from Zhenbei City to Black Mountain Pass to provide support!"