Gao Wu Da Ming: Starting as a military household and ascending to the rank of Martial Saint

Since most of the furniture in the house had already been sold, there wasn't even a table left for eating, so the Yu family had to eat dinner on the millstone.

The food was very simple: two bowls of sour rice and a plate of stir-fried cabbage without any oil.

The so-called "sour rice" is a unique dish from Baode Prefecture. It is made from fermented millet, is economical, and has a sweet and sour taste, making it very popular among the poor.

Yu Shaowu took a couple of bites and suddenly noticed that his bowl was full of thick millet, while Wan's bowl had very little millet; it was more like a bowl of sour soup.

Watching Wan Shi eat in small bites, picking out only the stalks of cabbage from the table, Yu Shaowu felt a pang of heartache.

In his previous life, his girlfriends were pampered and precious, and they never cared for him in the slightest, unlike the Wan family in front of him.

Thinking of this, he picked up his own bowl and scooped most of the millet into Wan's bowl.

At first, Madam Wan thought her husband was dissatisfied with the simple meal, but when she saw him shoveling millet into his own bowl, she quickly covered him and said, "Husband, you've been practicing all afternoon, you must be very tired, you should eat more."

Yu Shaowu took her hand, moved it aside, and added two more bits of food to her bowl before asking, "Have you finished the sour rice at home?"

"Hmm." Madam Wan nodded and whispered, "This is the last bit in the jar. But I've woven half a bolt of cloth, so I can exchange it for half a string of cash tomorrow."

Yu Shaowu fell silent. The summer tax of four and a half shi of grain was equivalent to about five taels of silver. It had to be paid at the end of the month, and the Wan family's weaving business could not possibly produce that much silver.

If he couldn't pay his taxes, as a deposed soldier who had offended the eunuch faction, his superiors at the garrison wouldn't let him off the hook. He would inevitably be questioned and imprisoned.

He had originally planned to practice for a few more days before going up the mountain. After all, aside from archery, he had no experience in hunting or close combat. If he missed his shot and was approached by wild animals, it would be very dangerous.

But now that the family has run out of food and there's the pressure of the upcoming summer taxes, he can't afford to procrastinate any longer.

Thinking of this, he said in a deep voice, "Tomorrow, give me the money from selling the cloth, and I'll exchange it for some arrows. Then I'll go to Tumen Mountain and see if I can hunt some wild animals."

Madam Wan was startled and said, "Husband, you've only practiced for an afternoon. Isn't it a bit too risky to go up the mountain now? Why don't you practice for a few more days?"

Yu Shaowu shook his head and said, "It's almost the end of the month, I can't wait any longer. Besides, the hunters in our village often go hunting in Tumen Mountain, and there's generally no danger there."

Before Wan could offer further persuasion, Yu Shaowu waved his hand and said, "My mind is made up. Taking a gamble is better than waiting to die at home."

Hearing Yu Shaowu's resolute words, Wan dared not persuade him any further, but was filled with worry, and even lost her appetite for the sour rice in her bowl.

After dinner, dark clouds obscured the moon, and it was completely dark. All around was utter silence and pitch blackness.

After all, the surrounding area was full of poor families, and no one had spare money to light lamps. The Wan family was no exception.

In this environment, there is no choice but to sleep at night.

Yu Shaowu and Wan Shi had been married for less than a year, and should have been deeply in love. However, because the original owner of this body had previously resented the Wan family for harming him, he had sworn a solemn oath never to touch Wan Shi's body. Therefore, the two always slept separately.

Both of them were filled with worries, and naturally, they continued their previous habit of returning to their own rooms and going to bed early.

To be honest, at this time in his previous life, Yu Shaowu would still be working hard at the company. Going to bed so early was truly lonely and unbearable. Plus, having such a beautiful wife made him, as a man, even more prone to daydreaming.

He tossed and turned for a long time before finally calming himself down and falling into a deep sleep.

While he tossed and turned in bed, Madam Wan lay in her room, her thoughts racing. Although she harbored no complaints, deep down she still wanted her husband to pull himself together. But alas, he remained depressed and resentful, his inner turmoil unresolved.

But her husband's change today truly delighted her.

This was the first time she had any hope for the future since her father and brother died.

Lying in bed, she recalled her husband's heroic figure as he drew his bow and shot an arrow, which seemed to be exactly the image she had imagined when she learned that she was going to marry a descendant of Yu Dayou.

"Now that I have seen my beloved return to me, how can I not be happy?" Wan murmured these words to herself, and drifted off to sleep full of hope.

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The next day, the original owner woke up slowly and saw that it was already dawn outside.

He immediately got up and went to the courtyard, where he saw that Wan had already started fetching water and cooking.

Seeing Yu Shaowu arrive, Madam Wan was a little flustered and explained, "I didn't expect you to get up so early. The food won't be ready for a while."

Yu Shaowu secretly admired the virtuousness of wives in ancient times and asked, "There's no sour rice left at home. What would you like to eat for breakfast?"

Madam Wan said in a deep voice, "You need to go up the mountain these two days, so you can't go on an empty stomach. I just went to Aunt Liu's house next door and borrowed a few eggs and some millet."

She didn't mention that she had traded her winter vest for it. Anyway, if she didn't pass the summer tax inspection, her winter clothes would be useless.

Yu Shaowu nodded. With Wan Shi managing the household, he was indeed much more relaxed and could focus all his energy on improving his archery skills.

Without wasting any time, he immediately picked up his bow and arrow and continued practicing.

The archery techniques of the Yu family consist of five parts: first, stance; second, holding the arrow; third, aiming; fourth, releasing the bowstring; and fifth, maintaining composure. These techniques encompass not only archery skills but also luck and the ability to maintain a good mindset.

Each of these techniques has a corresponding set of mnemonic devices. Yu Shaowu memorized them perfectly in his childhood. However, at that time it was rote memorization. Now, as his archery skills became more proficient, the originally obscure and difficult sentences in the mnemonic devices gradually began to make sense.

With his unique techniques and the added benefit of the Zhenhai Xuntian Bow, Yu Shaowu's archery skills improved rapidly.

The Sky-Patrolling Bow's ability to circulate Qi throughout the body meant he never felt tired; in fact, he became more energetic the more he practiced.

From early morning until noon, except for a breakfast break, Yu Shaowu almost never stopped training.

His training conditions were very rudimentary. His arrows were crudely made by himself, and to avoid damaging the bow and arrows, he could only shoot them into the mud.

Even so, with the help of the bow and arrow and the system, his training efficiency was still exceptionally high.

In this era, the poor did not have the habit of eating lunch, but fearing that Yu Shaowu would go hungry, Wan prepared a bowl of millet porridge and an egg for him. Then, she took the cotton cloth that she had only woven halfway and went to the nearest Shenshan market to sell it.

As evening approached, a line of information finally appeared in Yu Shaowu's mind again:

Archery Skills: Mastery

Mastering the ultimate skill: Seeing through everything.

In an instant, Yu Shaowu felt a warm current flow through his body, which not only enhanced his physical abilities but also made his vision clearer. He could see not only the dust particles floating in the air but also the antennae on the head of the flying insect resting on the millstone.

He immediately opened his attribute panel again:

[Name: Yu Shaowu]

【Strength: 1.3】

[Agility: 1.6]

[Endurance: 1.1]

First Equipment Slot: Zhenhai Patrol Bow

Second equipment slot: None

Seeing these numbers, Yu Shaowu was overjoyed. In just two days, all three of his metrics had surpassed those of ordinary people. Now, he was no longer a weakling who couldn't even kill a chicken.

With these changes, Yu Shaowu was full of confidence about going to Tumen Mountain to confront those wild chickens and rabbits.