Frontier Hero: From Receiving a Convicted Woman to Becoming an Emperor for All Time

When Wang Yilu woke up, it was already evening.

The room was dimly lit, the stove fire was dying down, and a faint smell of blood lingered in the air. She sat up abruptly and realized that she was covered with a man's outer garment—Shen Chuxiao's.

"Husband?"

No one answered.

Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly got up, pushed open the door, and went out.

In the courtyard, Shen Chuxiao was squatting on the ground, in front of him was an enormous porcupine, its body covered with black thorns like steel needles standing upright. It had been gutted, and its blood stained a large area of ​​snow.

He swiftly and decisively wielded the knife, his movements clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

Wang Yilu covered her mouth, suppressing the shock rising in her throat.

This ferocious beast was hunted down and killed by this boy, who was despised by the entire village.

"Awake?" Shen Chuxiao said without turning his head, "Then go boil some water for me, I'll be staying up late tonight."

Wang Yilu didn't dare to ask any more questions and obediently turned around to start a fire and boil water.

When she came out with the hot water, Shen Chuxiao had already finished processing the porcupine. The two thick, long veins on its back had been completely removed, gleaming white in the moonlight.

"Husband, what are you doing?"

"Make weapons." Shen Chuxiao raised his eyes, a cold glint in them. "The border army only gave us three days, and one day has already passed. If we don't prepare our weapons in advance, once they're fully prepared and arrive, we'll both be doomed."

Wang Yilu's heart skipped a beat.

She originally thought Shen Chuxiao was just being stubborn and stalling, but she didn't expect him to actually take action.

"But...those are the imperial border troops..."

"Killing them would be a heinous crime of treason."

Shen Chuxiao sneered: "If I don't kill you, you'll pay me a hundred taels of silver?"

Wang Yilu was speechless.

"In this world, officials force the people to rebel."

He stood up and handed her the porcupine sinew and the old bowstring. "Help me twist the string, two strands into one, the tighter the better. This concerns our lives, so we can't be careless. You do it first, I'm going out for a bit."

With the existing materials, we can only improve the bows and arrows, which is far from enough to compete with the regular border troops. To secure a firm chance of victory, we need raw materials for standardized military equipment.

Shen Chuxiao immediately had a plan in mind.

Behind Qingshi Village, there is a small military supply warehouse left over from the Great Jing Dynasty. It has been managed by the village for generations, and the key has always been held by the village chief, Shen Bogong.

It contains hardwood bow shards, fine iron arrows, wear-resistant hemp ropes, and shaped hardwoods for use at the border, all of which are top-quality standard materials for making powerful crossbows.

It was the coldest time of night.

Village Chief Shen Bogong was sitting at home, holding a cup of hot tea, sighing with worry. Suddenly, he saw Shen Chuxiao walking towards him. He froze, almost dropping the teacup, his heart filled with panic and fear.

Why is this evil star here!

The fierce look on his face when confronting the border troops during the day is still vivid in my mind.

Shen Bogong was terrified of this young man who seemed like a completely different person.

"Chu...Chu Xiao, what brings you here?"

Shen Chuxiao didn't bother with formalities: "Hand over the key to the military supply warehouse in the back mountain."

Shen Bogong's face turned deathly pale. He waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly, "No! Absolutely not! That's a crucial military supply depot controlled by the imperial court! Moving even a single item without authorization is a capital offense, and it will implicate the entire village! I absolutely dare not give it to you; you're going to destroy the whole Qing Shi Village!"

Shen Chuxiao's gaze darkened.

"I just want the key; I won't drag you into this."

"If we don't give it to them, we'll all die."

Old Master Shen looked sorrowful. Helpless, he could only pull out a rusty bronze key from his pocket, trembling as he handed it over, his voice trembling with tears: "Here...here! Remember this, this has nothing to do with me, and don't implicate the villagers!"

Shen Chuxiao reached out and took the keys, then strode away.

The imperial court of Dajing was corrupt, and the border was riddled with layers of corruption and embezzlement. This military supply warehouse, which had been idle for many years, had long been forgotten by the government, and no one had bothered to take inventory or care about it.

Rather than letting standard military equipment gather dust here, we should borrow it for our own use.

After leaving the village chief's residence, Shen Chuxiao headed straight for the back mountain.

The low hills were only a few miles apart, and we arrived at the warehouse door in no time. Opening the door with the key, a pungent smell of dry sawdust mixed with rust wafted out.

Inside the warehouse, a large quantity of dried hardwood, high-tenacity sandalwood bow shards, thickened hemp rope, and dozens of unsharpened fine iron arrow blanks were neatly stacked. All of these were high-quality military-grade items, far superior to ordinary civilian materials.

"I didn't expect there to be such good stuff."

Shen Chuxiao's eyes lit up. He quickly selected suitable raw materials for casting the crossbow, tied them securely, carried them on his back, and hurried back.

When he returned to the courtyard, Wang Yilu had already completed his task.

When Wang Yilu saw the materials Shen Chuxiao brought back, she was taken aback: "This is... from the military supply depot?"

Born into an official family, she recognized the standard materials at a glance.

"These were given to me by the village chief," Shen Chuxiao said as he unloaded the supplies.

Wang Yilu didn't believe it, but didn't press the matter.

Shen Chuxiao took a piece of sandalwood and began to polish the crossbow body.

Only the rustling sound of friction and the slight crackling of firewood in the stove remained inside the house.

Time passed by, second by second.

After Wang Yilu finished rubbing the tendons, she looked up at Shen Chuxiao.

The boy lowered his eyes, completely focused, his carving knife moving like a dragon or a snake, each stroke precise to the extreme. Without blueprints, without measurements, relying entirely on feel, yet not a single detail was off.

She had seen the most skilled military craftsmen under her father's command, but none of them possessed such craftsmanship.

"Husband..." she couldn't help but ask, "Who... were you before?"

Shen Chuxiao continued what he was doing, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Your husband."

Wang Yilu pursed her lips and asked no more questions.

Just then—

A soft sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Shen Chuxiao's carving knife suddenly stopped, and his eyes shot towards the door like lightning.

"There's someone there."

Shen Chuxiao stood up, took out the ring-pommel sword he had taken from Chen Liang from the corner of the wall, and moved silently along the wall toward the door.

More than one person.

"Is this the place?" a low voice came from outside the courtyard.

"That's right, I'm keeping an eye on him. Shen Chuxiao just carried back a big bag of stuff, he must have hidden some valuables."

"Tiger said we should keep a close eye on her. Once the border guards come and kill Shen Chuxiao, we can have that little lady for a few days."

Upon hearing this voice, Shen Chuxiao's face turned ashen with rage, and his killing intent surged.

This is never going to end.

These people were local ruffians hired by Zhou Hu to keep an eye on him.

Oh shit,

If you spy on me, I'll kill you all.

Shen Chuxiao stepped out of the room and, taking advantage of the man's inattention, struck him on the temple with the back of his knife.

Before he could even groan, the dark figure collapsed to the ground.

The second person sensed something was wrong and was about to shout when a hand like an iron clamp grabbed his throat and dragged him into the courtyard.

"Dare to make a sound, or you will die."

When the man saw Shen Chuxiao's face clearly, his legs went weak and he knelt down on the ground.

"Mr. Shen...Mr. Shen, spare us! Zhou Hu sent us! It has nothing to do with us!"

Shen Chuxiao was too lazy to waste words with him and punched him unconscious.

He initially intended to kill them, but then decided it wasn't the right time. So he gagged the two men, tied them up, and hung them in the dry well in the courtyard.

Only after doing all this did he return to the house.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

A crossbow with five consecutive shots, held in one hand, was thus completed.

The crossbow is lightweight and easy to handle, and can fire instantly, making it suitable for close-quarters assaults and long-range sniping.

The sandalwood crossbow arm has terrifying tension, and when paired with a top-quality string made of porcupine sinew, its range, penetration, and lethality completely surpass the standard crossbows used in the military.

Shen Chuxiao gently stroked the cold, smooth crossbow body with his fingertips, his killing intent surging.

"Since you don't want me to live, then you can all die."