A veteran of the frontier army, after marrying a wife, fought his way through the northern border.

It turned out that he had unknowingly arrived at the Valley of Broken Souls.

Because of its rugged terrain and frequent miasma in the mountains, even local hunters dare not venture into this area easily.

There are even legends that someone once encountered ghostly soldiers passing by while hunting here, and was so frightened that he wet himself.

After returning to the village, he fell ill and died within a few days.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Luo Yunxiao's mind went blank for a moment, and he recalled a past event.

Fifteen years ago, a border army of more than 300 men was ordered to enter Qingshiling.

They pursued a group of Tartar remnants who had fled into the mountains after plundering border prefectures and counties.

They recovered the three thousand taels of official silver that had been stolen and the secret envoy sent by the imperial court to the northern frontier.

The border garrison commander was eager to make a name for himself and underestimated the Tartars' ability to fight in the mountains and forests.

Without waiting for further supplies, the troops hastily pursued the enemy with only enough rations for five days.

As a result, they fell into the Tartars' trap of luring the enemy deep into their territory, leading to the annihilation of the entire army.

It was said that none of them returned; it turns out they all died here.

In fact, this group of Tartars were elite scouts, and they were very familiar with mountain warfare.

The Tartar leader already knew the border army's route and deliberately set up an ambush in the Valley of Broken Souls.

Luo Yunxiao was surprised, but also secretly delighted.

He was about to be drafted into the military next month and was worried about not having any armor or weapons.

I've really struck it rich this time.

But when he looked closely, he found that most of the skeletons were wearing leather armor and wrought iron lamellar armor.

After more than a decade of wind and rain, it had long been corroded beyond recognition and crumbled into dust with just a few squeezes.

Even the scattered broadswords were completely covered in red rust, and the blades were broken.

It doesn't work!

Just as Luo Yunxiao was feeling down, a flashing spot of light in the distance caught his attention.

But upon closer inspection, one finds only pebbles and weeds on the ground, yet the light spots still flicker.

So he started digging with a hoe. After digging a few times, he hit something hard. He turned it over and found two taels of silver.

The silver surface has developed a grayish-black patina.

After wiping it with a towel, the silvery-white surface was revealed. Taking a big bite, the teeth marks were clearly visible.

It is undoubtedly pure silver.

He suddenly realized that the silver must have been the personal belongings of these border soldiers.

Sigh, the person died before they had spent all their money.

Since we've met by chance, I'll spend the money for you.

So they continued to look around and soon discovered another dazzling spot of light.

This time, what was discovered was not silver, but a gray fish-scale armor.

The armor was half exposed on the ground and half buried in the soil. It took him a lot of effort to dig it out.

To his delight, the fish-scale armor was a silver-patterned, gleaming suit of armor, and there was also a short iron spear beside it.

Only military officers of the rank of Army Commander were qualified to wear the Bright Light Armor!

The silver plating on the surface of the armor has oxidized and darkened, and some of the shoulder guards have peeled off and rusted.

The main armor plates on the chest and back are still intact.

It can be used with a little repair.

Having armor can greatly increase the survival rate on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a helmet.

If Luo Yunxiao remembered correctly, this type of silver-patterned bright armor cost forty-five taels of silver!

As a village security guard, his monthly salary was only sixty coins, and it would take him sixty years to save up that amount even if he didn't eat or drink!

In these times of war, a bushel of millet costs 300 coins, and 45 taels can buy 150 bushels.

Enough to feed myself for eight years!

This short lance made of wrought iron is four feet seven inches long (about 1.5 meters) and cost seven taels to make.

The military equipment is of very good quality; it is still usable after more than ten years.

This lance is made of refined steel. Although the blade has become dull, it is intact and without any nicks.

Take it back and polish it, then it will be ready to use.

pat.

A piece of silver fell out of the armor.

Luo Yunxiao held it in his hand and weighed it; it was about two ounces.

So that's what caused the flash of light earlier.

Adding the two taels from before, I've now collected four taels of silver.

But does the military officer only have two taels of silver on him?

That's way too poor!

After searching around again, they found no silver, but they did find two relatively intact iron ring-pommel swords.

The handle of the ring-pommel sword is made of wood and has rotted away. The blade weighs about five pounds.

Luo Yunxiao's cultivation level was already at the late stage of Martial Apprentice, and his arm strength was greater than that of ordinary people. The knife felt light in his hand.

Only when the two are put together do they feel somewhat substantial.

Go back into town and have the blacksmith melt down the two swords to forge a heavier horse-slaying sword, which should be more suitable for your hand.

I looked up at the sky; it was almost 3 PM.

It will take more than an hour to get down the mountain.

After winter sets in, it gets dark earlier; by the time of You (5-7 PM), it's almost completely dark.

We've been in the mountains for a day now.

If I don't go back soon, my wife will start to worry.

The mountain paths at night are difficult to traverse; one wrong step and you're gone forever.

So he tied his armor, short spear, and two ring-pommel swords to his waist with a rope, and carried the prey on his back with one hand.

He strode down the mountain.

The armor, weapons, and prey together weighed over a hundred pounds.

But for Luo Yunxiao right now, it's not a heavy burden.

However, given the long distance and the importance of not being careless, he stopped to rest after walking a while before continuing on his way.

...

At this moment, two people were standing at the entrance of Chenjia Village.

The sisters, Su Yunshang and Su Yushang, were frantic with worry.

Luo Yunxiao went into the mountains at dawn, but hadn't returned by nightfall.

Su Yunshang is now both worried and fearful.

They had just married Luo Yunxiao yesterday. If something were to happen to their husbands, the sisters would face the question of who would belong to them.

She might end up as a military prostitute, a fate worse than death.

Just as the two were getting anxious, a figure appeared in the moonlight.

"Yunshang, Yushang, what are you doing here?"

Under the cover of night, Luo Yunxiao's night vision allowed him to see the two women standing at the village entrance from thirty meters away.

"My husband, thank God, you're back!"

The two women came forward to help Luo Yunxiao with his things.

"Husband, where have you been? Why did it take you so long to come back?"

Su Yunshang took the medicine basket from Luo Yunxiao and asked.

"Let's talk about it when we get home."

He was carrying weapons and armor, worried that if villagers saw him, it would be difficult to explain.

When the group returned home, a warm feeling greeted them, as Su Yunshang and her sister had already prepared the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

The room is warm and cozy now.

Qin Hongxiu's eyes were filled with anticipation and joy when she saw Luo Yunxiao return safely.

My heart finally settled down.

Like the Su sisters, she was worried that something might happen to Luo Yunxiao.

Luo Yunxiao unloaded the prey and weapons and placed them on the ground, exhaled, and revealed a satisfied smile.

On his way down the mountain, he encountered a pheasant, which he casually threw at it with his machete, knocking it unconscious before bringing it back.

"We've had a good harvest today. Tomorrow, we'll let you have a taste of venison."

"Take these herbs and process them for Hongxiu to use."

Su Yunshang took the medicine basket and her eyes lit up when she saw the wild ginseng, polygonatum, notoginseng, and the medicinal materials needed for wound medicine.

He couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.

Despite his advanced age, my husband is very reliable.

"My lord, these two ginseng roots are at least forty or fifty years old. What do you plan to do with them?"

"Keep the Polygonatum and Panax notoginseng, use the fifty-year-old ginseng for myself, and take the other one to the pharmacy to exchange for money."

You can handle the rest.

"Okay, I'll clean and dry this old ginseng and make soup for my husband."

Su Yunshang began processing the medicinal herbs.

"Husband, where did you get these weapons?"

Qin Hongxiu exclaimed in surprise.

"I stumbled upon these skeletons in the heart of Qing Shi Ling. After searching for a long time, I only found these few usable items."

"More than a decade ago, three hundred soldiers from the Jingwu Battalion of the Border Army went into the mountains to ambush the Tartars, but none of them survived."

My father sent people into the mountains three times to search for the remains, but all attempts failed due to the miasma and treacherous terrain.

I didn't expect you to find out.

Qin Hongxiu sighed.

Luo Yunxiao nodded: "I see."

Picking up the armor, he asked the busy Su Yushang, "Do you know how to mend armor?"

Su Yushang placed the heated millet rice on the table and examined the armor: "Yes, there are damaged armor pieces from military camps in the West Market of the county. If we can buy them, we can repair them."

"Okay, I'll go and buy some another day."

"My husband must be hungry. Let's eat something first."

Su Yushang stood obediently in front of Luo Yunxiao and gave him instructions.

Luo Yunxiao picked up his rice bowl and ate the wild vegetables with gusto.

He was so hungry that his stomach was practically touching his back, so he ate the meal with extra relish.

It feels so good to have a wife who cares about you and to have a hot meal waiting for you when you come home.

However, the thought of soon heading to the battlefield filled me with some apprehension.

I wonder how long these good days will last.