Chapter 1973

"I saw that joining the Black Armor Army meant food and drink provided, not to mention a net profit of three taels of silver per month, settled monthly without delay. If you killed enemies on the battlefield, you got one tael per kill—what a deal! Killing righteously, earning righteously—naturally, the more you killed, the more motivated you became; the more you earned, the more driven you felt! After just one month in the army, I fought a brutal battle and nearly had my hand chopped off——"

He rolled up his sleeve, and Lady Fan Shuang indeed saw a long sword scar on his arm.

"——but I killed six people in one breath, one of them a commander, netting nine taels—I felt fantastic!"

Lady Fan Shuang didn't know what to say for a moment.

Tushan Fang scratched his head: "My younger brother has been a long-term laborer in a landlord's house for six years, earning only one tael and three mace of silver every two and a half months! He usually eats coarse grains and hasn't seen a shred of meat in half a year—his teeth are worn down from chewing. Compare that to the Black Armor Army's rations—tsk! When I joined the Black Armor Army for three months, I was either fighting or marching every day, and yet I gained six jin!"

Lady Fan Shuang also laughed. She had long witnessed the logistics and support capabilities of the Shangshan realm. He Xiong was second only to the Flash Gold in fame—so no one dared claim first place.

To show gratitude, he ordered a large table of dishes, selecting only the finest ingredients. Though Tushan Fang didn't drink alcohol, he ate with ease and joy, being a man of sentiment, and as they chatted, he gradually opened up.

"Two months ago, the army passed through my hometown, and I happened to return to visit my mother." Tushan Fang tilted his head back and took a big sip of warm tea, "Ah, I've said too much—my mother and wife locked the door, refusing to let me in, telling me to rot outside if I must."

Lady Fan Shuang didn't know how to respond, so she just laughed awkwardly: "Brother Tushan, you don't often go home, do you?"

"No. How could I go back without money? The last time I returned was like… two years ago? No, four years ago!" Tushan Fang felt no embarrassment, but Lady Fan Shuang did, "Back then, I scraped together a little money, barely enough for my own food and drink—how could I send any home? Three times, I went out with my second and fourth uncles to do business, forced to give money to my mother and relatives, and ended up losing even my underpants, still owing a share of debt; the fourth time, my mother refused to lend me money, so I……"

Tushan Fang chuckled twice, and Lady Fan Shuang fell silent.

"Later, I went into hiding to avoid debt collectors, and they came to my house, smashed it up, and even broke my mother's leg—no money to treat it. My mother shouted that I was a harbinger of misfortune, giving me no pleasant look. From then on, I knew I could only engage in businesses requiring no capital."

"Capital-free business—profitable?"

"Of course not profitable—hard to find a few fat sheep in a year; even if you did, the big money wouldn't come to me." The eldest gets to eat meat, the younger brothers can only follow along to sip broth, "Once we caught a merchant with little money on him, but he looked fair and clean—our mountain bandit chief wanted to butcher him for meat. I thought it wrong, secretly released him, and got beaten so badly I couldn't get out of bed for half a month."

Fortunately, he was tough-skinned and unharmed. "Later, the Black Armor Army arrived. Unexpectedly, because this man pleaded for mercy, the Black Armor Army spared my life."

Lady Fan Shuang touched her nose: "How many children do you have?"

"Three, all boys."

After a long pause, Lady Fan Shuang managed: "Your wife is impressive—raising three sons to adulthood."

Though the Flash Gold Plains are poor, the birth rate is not low. Few sons mean certain bullying locally.

"My wife curses me all day, saying I'll end up exposed in the wilderness, dead in a wild dog's belly."

"……" Lady Fan Shuang fell silent—after all, family shame shouldn't be aired publicly, why does this man keep exposing and belittling himself?

But he soon understood, because Tushan Fang shifted his tone:

"But this time returning home is different. Mother won't open the door, so I throw silver ingots at the window—clang, clang—one after another, until the tenth ingot, when the door opened and they welcomed me in."

Originally, he was playing a low-then-high act—Lady Fan Shuang couldn't help but smile.

Ten taels of silver are enough for a six-person household on the Flash Gold Plains to live comfortably for a full year.

"When I produced the fifteenth ingot, my wife also smiled at me; when I brought out the twentieth ingot, bought a big pile of candy and pastries for the children, all three boys circled around me, and no matter how their mother called, they wouldn't return." Tushan Fang grinned, "My wife initially thought I'd robbed some big official to get the silver, but when she heard I earned it openly in the Black Armor Army, earning it righteously, she smiled all that night, even washed my feet, saying she wanted to serve the warrior of the Dragon God. Ah, who knows—if I return next year, will there be a fourth son added to the family?"

Seeing his wicked grin, Lady Fan Shuang raised her hand and ordered another plate of frozen pears before continuing: "Brother Tushan, how much silver did you bring back?"

Tushan Fang lowered his voice, but everyone in the hall heard: "One hundred seventy taels!"

Lady Fan Shuang jumped: "Wow, that's really not little!"

This guy has been in the army over a year—just how many people has he killed?

Tushan Fang seemed to read his thoughts: "Not really many—only eighty-six in total! You know, the Black Armor Army's missions are usually high-difficulty. Still, I picked up quite a bit of loot from enemy corpses. There was a minor leader's hairpin, made of gold, too."

No wonder they say—killing and arson bring money fast.

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Lady Fan Shuang raised her teacup again: "Brother Tushan, returning home, you'll surely become the village hero."

"That's right? When I returned, my two older brothers, who used to look down on me, now let me take the seat of honor; my wife went out and announced it, and soon the whole village knew. The next morning, I left the house—wherever I walked, people followed, young and old. As soon as I sat down, they gathered around, asking what battles I'd fought with the Black Armor Army, how much silver per kill, whether I'd slain any famous commanders, haha."

"I said, in the army we only do three things: eat, train, kill! They'd go 'Wow——', faces full of admiration. No matter how I spoke, they'd crane their necks to listen, and even treated me to a full day of drinking!"

Seeing his radiant face, Lady Fan Shuang knew this must be the peak of his life.

"Two families took advantage of my absence to bully my household. That day, I just arrived at the door when they dropped to their knees with a thud—the brat who'd insulted my son was tied up by his father. His father, right before me, grabbed a broom and beat the boy until his face was bloodied, striking and cursing, venting his anger on my behalf."

For the first half of his life, his entire family, clan, and village had deemed him worthless—rotten mud that couldn't be helped up the wall, a rotten person better dead than alive—suddenly he lifted his brows and breathed freely, suddenly his military achievements shone—this kind of turnaround, this kind of triumphant satisfaction, Lady Fan Shuang could only imagine, never truly feel.

"And the third day?"

"On the third day, I left, returned to the army, and had to rush to the next battlefield."

Today is my birthday—I went out for a big meal at noon.