In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

……

"Squeak—"

Su Ming pushed open the door, and a blast of cold air rushed in, making the room feel even more desolate than the outside.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Li Yueru was curled up on the bed, the thin blanket unable to cover her trembling body. Her coughs were intermittent, and her face was flushed red, clearly indicating that her condition had worsened.

Hearing the noise, she struggled to sit up. "Husband...you're back."

Su Ming saw her lying weakly on the bed, with a bowl of cold porridge on the bedside table.

She didn't even finish the bowl of thin porridge; was she saving it for me...?

Seeing that she was about to get up, Su Ming quickly put his things down, stepped forward, and pressed her back onto the bed.

"Lie still and don't move."

Li Yueru's attention was drawn to something on the ground.

Wild rabbits, pheasants, muntjacs, and some herbs I couldn't recognize.

She covered her mouth in surprise, having not held out any hope when Su Ming told her he was going out hunting for medicine.

After all, with the mountains blocked by heavy snow, even experienced hunters might not have a catch, let alone her husband, whom others called a "rascal who can't do anything."

"Husband... are all these the prey you hunted?"

Su Ming nodded, pressed her back onto the bed, and covered her with the blanket.

A surge of joy welled up in Li Yueru's heart, and she was so excited that she almost jumped up.

"With such great abilities, my husband will surely make it through this winter..."

Su Ming covered her with the blanket, then reached out to touch her forehead; it was burning hot.

Without saying much, he picked up the prey and herbs, turned around and went into the kitchen, where he immediately got busy.

He skinned and butchered the meat with the swiftness of a seasoned hunter.

He simply processed the largest piece of suede and quickly sewed it into a rough fur coat using bone needles and animal sinew.

I also made a hat and a pair of gloves out of rabbit skin. Although they were stiff, keeping warm was the most important thing right now.

A fire was quickly lit in the kitchen, and the gathered herbs were dried and boiled into a bowl of dark medicinal liquid.

In another pot, tender muntjac meat was stewing with nourishing Solomon's seal, and the rich aroma of meat quickly filled the entire dilapidated house.

Su Ming carried a bowl of meat soup and medicine back to the bedside and draped the fur coat, still warm from his body, over Li Yueru.

"Here, have some meat soup to warm yourself up." He helped Li Yueru up and fed her spoonful by spoonful of the hot meat soup.

[Ding! Li Yueru's favorability +15, current favorability: 25.]

[Congratulations, host! You have been awarded one chance to spin the prize wheel! Would you like to spin now?]

Su Ming silently thought, "Lottery."

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have won a reward: a personal space (ten acres)!]

[Portable Space: Contains ten acres of fertile black soil, with its own spiritual spring pool that never dries up. It can be used for storage and preservation, and for planting all kinds of things.]

[Plants within this space grow a hundred times faster, and yields increase tenfold.]

[The space can be upgraded using lottery draws; each upgrade expands the area by ten acres.]

Su Ming was overjoyed! This was practically a divine kingdom in a chaotic world! With this land, what was there to worry about in terms of food and drink?

He fed Li Yueru the bitter medicine and gently comforted her, "Sleep well, I'm here for you. Our lives will only get better from now on."

Looking into his earnest eyes, Li Yueru's eyes welled up with tears that silently streamed down her face.

She didn't speak, but instead reached out her cold hand and tightly grasped Su Ming's rough hand, her eyes filled with affection that spoke volumes.

The medication took effect, and Li Yueru quickly fell into a deep sleep.

After settling Li Yueru in, Su Ming couldn't wait to see his newly acquired spatial land.

I still have some herbs left over, which will be a good opportunity to test the effect of increasing the growth rate a hundredfold within the spatial soil.

With a thought, a fertile black soil space appeared in his consciousness.

He's like a god, able to monitor every place and every detail within the space.

You can also manipulate objects in the space with your mind; all you need is a thought, and everything will move at your command.

Within the ten-acre space, there is only soft and fertile black soil. Not far away, there is a crystal-clear pond where spring water is bubbling and gurgling, exuding a refreshing and invigorating atmosphere.

He transplanted several Solomon's seal and perilla plants to the land beside the spring, and then scooped up a handful of spring water and poured it on them.

An unbelievable scene has unfolded!

Those few originally unremarkable herbs, under the irrigation of the spiritual spring water, grew wildly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The plant seemed to be on fast-forward, rapidly sprouting branches and leaves, flowering and bearing fruit under the nourishment of the spring water.

What would normally take several years to complete has been condensed into just a few minutes!

A faint halo appeared on the leaves, and the medicinal fragrance became more than ten times stronger!

What shocked Su Ming even more was that the leaf seemed to have absorbed the spiritual energy of the spring water and began to emit specks of golden light.

They... are evolving into spiritual plants!

Su Ming was extremely surprised.

Spiritual plants!

That's a treasure used by martial artists for cultivation, worth more than gold!

He used his mind to retrieve a mutated Solomon's Seal, reached out and grabbed it from the air, and the Solomon's Seal appeared in his hand.

After observing it for a moment, he put it in his mouth without hesitation.

A surge of warmth exploded in his abdomen, washing over his limbs and bones like magma!

It felt as if something inside my body was being ignited, or as if countless impurities were being forcibly squeezed out of my body by this force.

His bones were itching, his muscles were reorganizing, and an unprecedentedly powerful feeling filled every cell of his body!

He clenched his fist tightly, feeling the surging power within him, and a phantom panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Su Ming

[Current Realm: Half-Step Martial Artist]

[Ability: Beginner in martial arts (can slightly sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth)]

[Skills: Herbal Identification, Sharpshooter.]

He... has already stepped into the realm of a half-step martial artist!

Although he is not a formal martial artist yet, having cultivation aptitude is equivalent to knocking on the door to the world of martial artists!

Su Ming took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented brilliance.

With a thought flashing through his mind, Su Ming's consciousness retreated from the spatial realm back into reality.

He took a deep breath, and the excitement of just stepping into the threshold of a half-step martial artist quickly cooled down.

A month later, he would have to go to the barracks to report for duty.

In chaotic times, human life is worth less than a dog's; soldiers are merely expendable resources for officials to fill trenches.

The military camp was no benevolent place either; they wouldn't provide you with any weapons, armor, winter clothes... you had to find everything yourself.

Without a good sword and thick armor, going to the battlefield is no different from a lamb running naked into the tiger's mouth.

money.

What he lacks most right now is money.

Su Ming's gaze fell on the bed.

After taking the medicine, Li Yueru's breathing became much more stable. A sickly blush appeared on her pale cheeks, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly in the dim light.

We need to buy her thick quilts, charcoal for the winter, rice, and flour...

With a thought, Su Ming conjured a plant several times larger than the ordinary Solomon's Seal, its entire body shimmering with a faint jade color, in his hand.

This is a semi-finished product that was induced in the space but has not yet fully evolved into a spiritual plant.

He understood the principle of "possessing a treasure is a crime" in his previous life.

If he were to take out a mature spiritual plant, the entire city of Jing'an would be turned upside down, and he himself would be skinned alive.

This half-finished product is just right. He said he found it by chance in the deep mountains. Although it was strange, it wouldn't arouse suspicion.

He carefully wrapped the semi-spiritual plant in a rag, tucked it into his bosom, put on his newly made suede coat, and turned to leave.

"My lord..."

Behind me came Li Yueru's sleepy murmur.

Su Ming paused, turned around, and saw that she had only turned over and had not woken up.

He went over and tucked the blanket in even tighter before quietly pushing the door open and leaving.