If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

To survive, start with getting by.

These words sounded ordinary, but for a moment no one in the room responded.

Because they all knew that just surviving in a place like Blackrock Fortress was a difficult thing in itself.

Xu Qingshan made it sound easy, but in reality, every step was difficult.

But at least for now, they have some confidence.

Xu Qingshan looked at Su Jinniang.

"You just said that these things can be exchanged for seven or eight days' worth of food?"

Su Jinniang nodded, "If we sell directly to the arms dealers in the fortress, the price will be lowered. Although the barbarian scimitar is old, the blade is still in good condition, and the short bow is not broken. With the quiver and leather armor, it's not difficult to exchange it for twenty or thirty catties of coarse rice."

Xu Qingshan raised an eyebrow.

"Only twenty or thirty pounds?"

Su Jinniang glanced at him.

"This is Blackstone Fortress; grain is more expensive than swords."

Xu Qingshan paused for a moment.

That makes sense. In this godforsaken place, a knife can kill, but rice can keep you alive.

In reality, rice is a harder currency.

Su Jinniang continued, "If you find the right person, you can get more salt, cloth, and nails. But you can't rush it, because the more you rush, the easier it is for them to lower the price."

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"I'll leave this to you."

Su Jinniang was slightly taken aback.

"You really want me to go and change it?"

Xu Qingshan said, "Or should I go?"

He looked down at the blood on his body.

"If I go out looking like this, I won't look like I'm selling something; I'll look like I just robbed someone."

Zhao Lihua whispered, "You just came back from robbing... no, you just came back from killing barbarians."

Xu Qingshan glanced at her, and Zhao Lihua quickly lowered her head.

Xu Qingshan wasn't angry; instead, he nodded, "That's very accurate."

The expressions of the people inside the room were somewhat strange.

This person sometimes speaks in a way that doesn't sound like a serious nobody.

Shen Qinghe thought for a moment and said, "If we're going to exchange grain, it's best not to exchange it all at once."

"Having too much grain will attract attention, so we can divide it into several batches and exchange it for the most urgently needed grain first."

Xu Qingshan asked, "What's the most urgent need right now?"

Shen Qinghe acted almost without hesitation.

"Grain, salt, firewood, thick cloth... Grain can sustain life, salt can replenish strength, firewood can keep warm, and thick cloth can block the wind and can also be used as a bandage."

Qin Yuenu added, "I also need medicine."

Xu Qingshan looked at her.

Qin Yuenu pointed to his hand.

"Your minor injury is alright, but if you get knife or arrow wounds later and there's no medicine to stop the bleeding, you'll be waiting to die."

Xu Qingshan's lips twitched.

"Are you always this intimidating?"

Qin Yuenu said calmly, "I will only tell the truth."

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"Very good, the truth is harsh, but it works."

He looked at Bai Zhi.

"And you?"

Bai Zhi was holding the broken hook in her hand, her head down, her fingers touching the edge of the iron hook.

"If I had more wood, I could make three more trigger spikes."

Xu Qingshan became interested.

What is meant by "trigger spike"?

Bai Zhi looked up at him.

"Place it behind the gate or at the base of the wall. If you step on the rope knot, the wooden splinter will pop out. These may not kill people, but they can stab their legs."

Xu Qingshan's eyes lit up.

It's good to have a limp. In a place like Blackstone Fortress, if someone gets a limp, they're basically half-useless, especially those who climb over the wall at night.

He came as a veteran, and left as a cripple.

Very reasonable!

Xu Qingshan said, "Do it."

Bai Zhi nodded, "We need timber."

Xu Qingshan looked at the pile of firewood in the corner of the room.

Bai Zhi shook her head, "Those are too wet and too soft."

Xu Qingshan sighed.

"Okay, we'll figure out how to get the timber tomorrow."

Zhao Lihua whispered, "There are a few collapsed old shed logs behind the yard; they might still be usable."

Bai Zhi looked at her, "Where?"

Zhao Lihua pointed outside, "The area against the wall is covered by snow."

Bai Zhi immediately stood up, as if she wanted to go out and see.

Xu Qingshan stopped him.

"Now? It's snowing so hard outside, you'll freeze to death if you go out. Who's going to set traps for me tomorrow?"

Bai Zhi stopped in her tracks.

She pursed her lips and sat back down.

Xu Qingshan looked at the things on the ground and did some mental calculations.

If we replace them with the same things, the loot that seemed like a lot just now suddenly doesn't seem like enough.

Sure enough, there's always a lack of money in the early stages of starting a business.

Xu Qingshan rubbed his temples and said, "In that case, the scimitar will not be sold for the time being."

Su Jinniang asked, "Why?"

Xu Qingshan picked up the barbarian scimitar. "I need a knife that can kill people."

Xiao Hongluan glanced at him.

"This sword is more suitable for cavalry than for you."

Xu Qingshan said, "That's still more suitable than a woodcutter's knife."

Xiao Hongluan did not refute.

That's true. The nick on that machete is too big. If it's used a few more times, it'll probably be completely ruined.

Xu Qingshan added, "Keep the short bow for now too."

Su Jinniang was somewhat surprised, "Not even the short bow?"

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"A bow is more important than a sword; if you can kill from a distance, don't get close."

He survived tonight thanks to a sneak attack; you can't always rely on barbarians lining up to scale the wall.

In a real fight, ranged weapons are the only way to save your life.

Su Jinniang thought for a moment and said, "Then all that's left to sell are tattered leather armor, bone whistles, and extra arrowheads."

Xu Qingshan said, "Keep the bone whistle too."

The people in the room all looked at him at the same time.

Liu Ruyan said softly, "You're not planning to use it to deceive the barbarians again, are you?"

Xu Qingshan asked earnestly, "Why not?"

Liu Ruyan was speechless for a moment. She wanted to say that you didn't sound right.

But upon closer examination, Xu Qingshan must have had his reasons for doing so.

Shen Qinghe said helplessly, "If that's the case, then there's even less to sell."

Xu Qingshan sighed.

"Yeah, I felt like I'd struck it rich just a moment ago, but now that I've done the math, I realize I'm still poor."

Zhao Lihua whispered comfortingly, "That's still much better than before."

Xu Qingshan looked at her and smiled, "That's true."

Before, we were so poor that we didn't even know if we would have food to eat tomorrow. Now, at least we can discuss what to sell and what to keep, which is already progress.

Shen Qinghe found a piece of wood and began to keep accounts with a charcoal pencil.

Xu Qingshan leaned over for a look and couldn't help but say, "Your handwriting is quite good."

Shen Qinghe paused, her pen poised.

"It's just bookkeeping."

Xu Qingshan said, "Being able to keep accounts is a skill."

"From now on, record everything that comes in and out of the yard."

Shen Qinghe nodded.

"it is good."

It was just a simple word, but it showed more seriousness than before.

She was originally forced to stay here, but now she suddenly feels that this dilapidated courtyard might actually be able to hold on.

Suddenly, Xiao Hongluan asked, "Were you afraid when you killed the barbarians tonight?"

Xu Qingshan thought for a moment.

"Afraid."

This answer surprised Xiao Hongluan slightly; she thought Xu Qingshan would be stubborn.

Xu Qingshan continued, "How could I not be afraid? That barbarian swung his knife at me, and I almost died. If the second one had blown the whistle and the rockets had come crashing down, I would have had to run too."

He paused, then added, "But as much as I'm afraid, I can't let my guard down. If I let my guard down, the person will be gone."

Xiao Hongluan nodded in agreement. Those who truly survive on the battlefield are not those who are not afraid of death.

No matter how scared you are, you can still slash with the knife.

Xu Qingshan sorted the items.

"I'll keep the scimitar, shortbow, bone whistle, and feathered arrows. I'll see if I can exchange the tattered leather armor for some grain and salt tomorrow. I'll leave the grappling hook and arrowheads for Miss Bai, and Miss Su will be in charge of appraising them. Miss Liu, tomorrow you should inquire about who's fair in buying things, and also see what Liu Sandao is up to."

Liu Ruyan nodded, "Understood."

Xu Qingshan then looked at Qin Yuenu.

"Can I still use my hands?"

Qin Yuenu glanced down.

"Yes, but stop cutting things down indiscriminately."

Xu Qingshan said, "That's probably a bit difficult."

Qin Yuenu looked up at him.

"Do you want to die?"

Xu Qingshan immediately changed his tune.

"I'll cut as little as possible."

Qin Yuenu then lowered her head and continued bandaging him.

By the time everything was arranged, it was already past midnight.

The fire inside the house was still burning.

Everyone was exhausted, but felt more at ease than before.

Xu Qingshan leaned against the wall, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, his mind had already sunk into the system space.

A bow lay there quietly.

The bow was jet black, longer than the barbarian short bow, and had faint dark patterns on its back, making it look like something no ordinary bow would do.

With a thought, Xu Qingshan conjured a powerful bow in his hand.

It felt heavy when I picked it up; wow, I almost dropped it.

The people inside the room looked over at the same time.

Xiao Hongluan's expression changed instantly.

"Where did this bow come from?"

Xu Qingshan looked down at the powerful bow in his hand and remained silent for a moment.

Then, in a serious tone, he said, "It was a gift from our ancestors."

Xiao Hongluan: "..."