A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Su Qingyun has been trying her best to endure it.

From beginning to end, the word "stop" was never uttered.

But at one moment, Wei Zhao felt a warm sensation on his neck—not sweat, but tears.

After the end.

Su Qingyun lay on his chest and suddenly burst into tears.

It wasn't a loud, wailing cry, but a silent, suppressed sob.

His shoulders trembled, and large tears fell onto his chest.

"sorry……"

Her voice shattered into pieces.

"Wei Po... I'm sorry..."

Wei Zhao did not move.

He placed one hand on her back and could feel every bone in her spine trembling.

She wasn't apologizing to him.

She was speaking to her deceased husband.

They had been married for three years.

Wei Po died at the age of thirty-two, while Su Qingyun was twenty-three.

She didn't cry at the funeral, she didn't cry on the way to collect food, and she didn't cry even after traveling for days and nights in the wind and sand.

She's crying now.

Because she felt she had betrayed that person.

Wei Zhao waited until she had finished crying before speaking.

"My second brother died in Calabash Valley because Lu Song cut off our supplies and because the Northern Rong surrounded and attacked us."

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something that had already been decided.

"I'll settle this score."

Su Qingyun looked up at him, her eyes blurred with tears.

"Can you... do calculations?"

It's not a question.

They are genuinely asking.

She had never been on the battlefield and had never seen Wei Zhao capture the city walls and defeat the enemy generals.

In her eyes, Wei Zhao was a sickly man who had been sent back from the Taoist temple just half a month ago.

But her hand was still on his chest.

The muscles beneath the palm were incredibly hard.

This is definitely not the body of a person who is weak and sickly.

What I just said...

The competition further convinced her of one thing—

The man in front of her was much stronger than Wei Po.

Wei Po was a soldier who spent his life riding horses and wielding swords, so he was very sturdy.

Wei Zhao was even more formidable than him.

This is not normal.

How could someone who has been recuperating in a Taoist temple for fifteen years possibly have such a body?

"Did you learn it in a Taoist temple?"

She asked tentatively.

"Yes, it's a secret technique."

Wei Zhao answered confidently and righteously.

Su Qingyun was skeptical, but she didn't press the matter further.

She buried her face back into his chest, her nose brushing against his warm skin.

"The Wei family's grudge... must be avenged."

"I will report it."

Su Qingyun nodded, opening her mouth as if to say something more.

Then her body froze.

Because she could feel it—a certain part of her lower abdomen was changing in a way that couldn't be ignored.

"you--"

Su Qingyun suddenly sat up, her phoenix eyes wide open, her tear stains still wet on her face, her expression shifting from sadness to disbelief.

"Didn't we just...?"

Wei Zhao smiled, then flipped over and pinned her back down.

"Let's continue."

Su Qingyun glared at him, her lips trembling slightly, before finally turning her face away, her ears burning red.

But he did not refuse again.

He simply left it to Wei Zhao to do as he pleased.

When it comes to driving, Wei Zhao is already an experienced driver.

Once he's driven a new car once, the second time he drives it will be a breeze for him!

……

On the city wall, the north wind whipped the flags, making them flutter loudly.

Liu Jingshuang, wrapped in a black cloak, walked step by step along the city wall passageway.

The torchlight shone on her face, flickering in and out.

She had done patrol duties countless times; she could walk the entire route with her eyes closed.

All battalions are in good condition.

The food arrived, and although the soldiers could only eat cold bread, their spirits and morale were completely different from yesterday.

Several veterans were squatting in a corner breaking dry biscuits. When they saw her coming, they immediately stood up, saluted, and smiled broadly.

"Thank you for your hard work, sister-in-law!"

"Eat yours."

Liu Jingshuang casually remarked, without stopping.

We've seen the infantry battalion, the cavalry battalion, and the wounded soldiers' battalion; we've seen everything we needed to see.

But he didn't turn back.

She stood behind the crenellations of the city wall, staring at the bonfires in the Northern Rong camp outside the city, but her mind was not on the war.

Is that girl okay tonight?

The entire Wei family had witnessed Su Qingyun's relationship with the second son.

The couple worked together seamlessly, one managing the money and the other the supplies, their teamwork even better than in a war. When they had free time, they would get together to check the accounts, and their discussions were so harmonious they seemed to find sweetness in them.

The day the news of Wei Po's death came back, Su Qingyun sat in the tent all night.

When I came out the next day, my face was as white as paper, but I didn't shed a single tear.

This kind of person swallows all their sadness.

The old lady wants her to share a room with Wei Zhao tonight; I wonder if she can get over that mental hurdle.

Liu Jingshuang slowly traced a line on the brick of the crenellation.

Did she come over by herself?

They've arrived.

How did you get through it?

She didn't want to think about it too much.

Having lived a life of constant danger for too many years, some things are not worth dwelling on repeatedly.

Wei Zhan is dead, but she is alive.

To live is to keep moving forward.

Wei Zhao was chosen by the matriarch and is the Wei family's only hope.

As for what happened at night...

Liu Jingshuang's ears felt slightly warm.

She pulled her cloak tighter around herself, then turned and strode down the city wall.

……

The next morning.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Wei Zhao was already standing on the training ground, holding the white wax spear in his hand, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the morning light.

Liu Jingshuang stood opposite, her long sword held horizontally in front of her.

"Come."

Without saying a word, Wei Zhao thrust his spear straight forward.

The sound of the gun tip cutting through the air was completely different from ten days ago.

After his combat power exceeded 100, the trajectory of each shot became precise to the millimeter. The timing of the strike, the twisting of his waist and hips, and the connection of his steps were all perfectly integrated.

Liu Jingshuang took three shots, and her brows furrowed.

"You've improved again these past two days."

This isn't just polite talk; it was a genuine accident.

Wei Zhao didn't respond and continued his attack.

Guns and swords clashed, the sound of metal ringing out on the training ground.

in the room.

Su Qingyun was awakened by this sound.

She opened her eyes groggily; the room beside her was empty, and the blanket was partially pulled back.

There was a small, dark water stain on the pillow.

Tear stains.

She reached up and touched her face; her eyes were still a little sore.

The sounds of martial arts practice, "Hey-ha-ha," drifted in from outside the window, mixed with the crisp clash of weapons.

Su Qingyun turned to the side, staring at the wooden window that shone with a bluish light, her expression unreadable.

The guilt remains.

But something else is slowly taking root in that feeling of guilt.

……

Outside the city, at the Northern Rong army camp.

Sensing the low spirits among his soldiers, Shigeru Inuya's mood wasn't much better.

When he woke up early in the morning, he found that there were a few pieces of horse meat in his food, and he knew that his side had reached a dead end!

But Shigeru Inuya didn't seem too discouraged.

If things are already this bad on our side, the Wei family army in the city, which has already run out of food, must be in an even worse situation now, right?

Even if we don't go so far as to say they exchanged their own children to eat, it's probably not far off!

"Get ready, after tonight, we'll tackle the challenge tomorrow!"

"We must win this battle, and then march victoriously into the heart of Wei's central plains!"

"Money, food, and women will all be ours!"