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

Wei Zhao was in high spirits after receiving the reward.

As Su Qingyun closed the account book, Wei Zhao was gulping down his third bowl of porridge.

"Slower."

She stood beside the desk, a charcoal pencil in her hand, her voice gentle and soft.

"You slept for fifteen hours, and then you eat like this right after waking up? Can your stomach handle it?"

Wei Zhao paused for a moment.

"fine."

Wei Zhao put down the bowl, his voice still a little hoarse.

"I'm fine now."

It's genuinely good, not just empty talk.

His physique, strength, speed, and perception all increased by 10%. Outsiders couldn't see the changes, but only he knew them best.

When he gripped the rim of the bowl with his fingers and gave it a gentle squeeze, he even doubted that he could crush the rough pottery bowl.

This is not some mystical act of flying or disappearing into the earth.

But this world is already scary enough.

Reaching the next level of the First Grade Realm means that he can kill ten or a hundred more people on the battlefield, and it also means that fewer people around him will die.

Thinking of this, Wei Zhao's porridge suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.

Fifty-one thousand three hundred people.

The number was still swirling in his mind.

Having 49,000 Killing God Points is great, and the Great Dao Floating Pagoda Technique is also great, but that string of casualty numbers is like a thorn stuck in my throat, I can't swallow it down, and I can't spit it out.

Seeing his expression, Su Qingyun didn't urge him to eat anymore.

She pushed the ledger forward half an inch.

"More than 400,000 Southern Barbarians died in battle. The exact number is still being counted. There are too many corpses outside the city, so it is impossible to make an accurate count in a short time."

Wei Zhao nodded.

He knew he couldn't calculate it accurately.

As the battle raged on, many of the corpses were no longer recognizable as human.

Crushed by elephants, trampled by horses, charred by fire, and some rolled into the trenches.

Numbers are just numbers.

When you actually go to the scene, every step you take is a matter of life and death.

"Our army suffered 51,300 casualties, with over 7,000 seriously wounded."

Su Qingyun's voice softened.

"We are saving everyone we can. We don't have enough medicine, but I've already asked the Su family to bring in supplies from the six counties of Jiangnan. Money is not a problem, and neither is food."

She paused, then added.

"There aren't enough coffins."

Wei Zhao's finger stopped.

The tent was quiet for a moment.

Outside, someone was moving things in hushed tones. The sound of wooden wheels rolling over the mud was muffled, like someone gritting their teeth.

There aren't enough coffins.

These four words are more piercing than 50,000 casualties.

Fifty thousand is the figure from the military newspaper; not enough coffins means there aren't enough in the human world.

Wei Zhao closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, the heat in his eyes had subsided.

"First, wrap them in white cloth and register their names."

He said.

"Those whose identities can be recognized should be sent back to their hometowns. Those whose identities cannot be recognized should be buried outside Jiangnan City and a tombstone should be erected."

Su Qingyun looked at him.

"Where's the inscription?"

Wei Zhao remained silent for a moment.

"Write it as: The soldiers of the Wei family army fought against the southern barbarians and died in Jiangnan."

There are no fancy words.

The simpler it is, the heavier it becomes.

Su Qingyun picked up her pen and wrote it down. The pen tip paused on the paper, and the ink spread out in a small circle.

She never has a shaky hand when doing accounting.

It shook this time.

Wei Zhao saw it, but did not expose it.

Su Qingyun stood up and straightened her skirt.

"The accounts are settled. You just woke up and need to recover. Jing Shuang and I will keep an eye on things outside. You should rest first."

Wei Zhao was taken aback.

"I just woke up."

"We still need to rest."

Su Qingyun glanced at him.

"You think you're made of iron? We rushed from the western border to Jiangnan, fighting two battles in quick succession, including Mo Family Fortress and Jiangnan City, and barely slept in between."

Her tone was still gentle, but every word she spoke was uncompromising.

"If you fall, the morale of the 300,000 troops outside will waver."

Wei Zhao was speechless, completely stumped by her.

He is not alone now, and he cannot act recklessly just because of his high attributes. No matter how strong his body is, it is not a reason for him to abuse it.

Su Qingyun turned and walked out, and the curtain fell.

The room fell silent immediately.

Only the flame of the oil lamp flickered gently.

Wei Zhao suddenly felt that something was wrong with the scene.

Everything was normal when Su Qingyun was there, but now that she's gone, only he and Shang Wanqing are left in the tent.

And then, of all times, it got dark.

Wei Zhao gave an awkward smile.

"Wanqing, this time we owe it all to your secret weapon."

Shang Wanqing looked at him.

Wei Zhao put down the bowl and his tone became serious.

"The rattan armor blocked the poison soldiers, and the ballistae broke the elephant formation. Without these two things, the battle of Jiangnan City would not have ended like this."

He paused for a moment.

"Fifth Sister-in-law, you have made a great contribution."

This is not just a polite remark.

That's the truth.

Without Shang Wanqing, the Southern Barbarian poison soldiers would continue to release insects, and the elephant soldiers would continue to charge into battle. Even if the Wei family army could win, the casualties would be far more than 50,000.

Maybe 100,000, maybe more.

She saved not just a number of people, but many who should have died under the city walls.

Shang Wanqing looked down at her hands.

Her hands were beautiful, but her fingertips were covered in calluses, her thumb and forefinger had cracks, and there were small burn scars on the back of her hands from being burned by sparks.

After a moment, she finally spoke.

"It wasn't me."

Wei Zhao frowned.

Shang Wanqing said, "Once something is created, it's just an object."

She looked up at him, her gaze direct.

"It was you who led your soldiers to fight their way out."

Wei Zhao was taken aback.

Shang Wanqing isn't good at saying nice things.

Therefore, every word she uttered was as solid as an iron nail.

Ballistae won't kill enemies on their own, and rattan armor won't save people on its own.

Those who actually charged into the poison-armored soldiers' formation were the cavalrymen clad in rattan armor. Those who truly withstood the pressure of the elephant formation without retreating were the veteran crossbowmen.

What truly blocked the southern barbarians at the gates of Jiangnan City was the Wei family army, who risked their lives to advance.

She didn't try to take credit.

They don't feel they deserve to be praised.

The weight that had been pressing on Wei Zhao's heart suddenly eased a little.

It's not that it doesn't hurt anymore.

There were people sharing the burden with him.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Shang Wanqing assumed that the matter was over and turned to leave.

"I'm going to check on the crossbow strings."

As Shang Wanqing walked to the edge of the bed, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

She stopped in her tracks.

Wei Zhao also stopped.

He didn't actually think too much about it.

Seeing her about to leave, his hand acted before his mind could process it.

When I touched her hand, I realized it was very cold.

It wasn't cold in the tent just now, and she deals with stoves and anvils all day long, but her hand was so cold that it made his heart inexplicably clench.

Shang Wanqing looked down at his hand.

"Wei Zhao?"

Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of doubt.

Wei Zhao's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

"Wanqing".

Shang Wanqing looked up.

Eyes facing each other.

No one spoke inside the tent. The footsteps outside faded into the distance, and the lamp wick crackled softly.

Wei Zhao suddenly didn't know what to say, and slowly lowered his head.

Shang Wanqing's eyelashes trembled slightly.

The next moment, their lips met.

…(The omitted content can be expanded after adding to the bookshelf)…

My heart, which had been lonely for a long time, was suddenly warmed by Wei Zhao.

That warm feeling made Shang Wanqing feel lost and infatuated!

A blush rose on her beautiful cheeks.

That night, the Wei family's incense offerings continued.

That night, Shang Wanqing's heart was completely won over!

In the adult world, sometimes you don't need fancy declarations of love, gifts, or surprises.

Just a certain time, a certain kind of warmth, and that's love, right?