Just as Brother Cheng said, he looked shabby. Covered in mud and with grass seeds stuck to his clothes, he couldn't help but groan in pain.

The mud on his body was easy to wash off, but cutting the straw paper clean would take a lot of time. Looking at Yun Heng, who was clean and refreshed, he would have suspected that Yun Heng was slacking off if he hadn't been working with him.

The next two days were very easy, and before we knew it, we arrived at our destination.

"We're finally back!" Many people threw off their bags and cheered and screamed. The older ones threw themselves on the ground and wailed. They thought they would never be able to come back in their lifetime, but when they actually set foot on this land, their hearts were at peace.

"Brother Cheng, our mission is complete. Should we rest here for a few days, or head back tomorrow?" Wu Tianxi put down his backpack and came over to ask.

Si Cheng sized him up. "Are you in a hurry to go back? Don't worry, your family's things are definitely not going anywhere."

When Yun Jianying heard what Cheng Ge said, he laughed and said, "They're in a hurry to go back to hold a wedding, not to go back to their hometown to get things. Besides, with the Wu family's capabilities, would they worry about such things?"

Wu Tianxi didn't mince words and immediately retorted, "At least I still have something to look forward to, while some people can only suffer in vain."

Yun Jianying never expected Wu Tianxi to be so ungrateful. He had just established a relationship with Liu Yuqing when he started kicking his former comrades who had shared his misfortune.

"Don't be so sure of yourself. You might have to wait for us to celebrate when we get back. It's too early to be so smug."

Wu Tianxi: "At least we've already confirmed it, while you're still there, unable to see or touch it."

Yun Jianying said, "It's true that people should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation. The difference between your pathetic appearance before you set off and your current appearance is like heaven and earth. Now that you're looking for a partner, your mouth has become smooth. Come here and let your brother see if you've been putting oil on your mouth behind our backs. Your words are getting smoother and smoother."

After saying that, he was about to pull his mouth open when Wu Tianxi quickly dodged to the side. The two then started chasing each other, circling around everyone.

When they finally arrived at their destination, Sicheng didn't restrain them and let them play and fool around there.

Wu Tianxiang also came over. "How long are we going to stay here?"

Si Cheng chuckled and teased him, "What? Now even you're getting anxious? Tianxi is in a hurry to go back and get married, but what are you in a hurry to go back for?"

Wu Tianxiang punched his shoulder with his fist. "I'm just asking, why are you having so many thoughts? And don't you think it's getting colder? Maybe before long, the temperature will drop completely, and then it will be inconvenient for us to travel."

Si Cheng also sensed the change in the weather. "Let's go and say hello to Captain Xiao later, and try to go back early tomorrow. Otherwise, if it really gets colder, we didn't bring any warm clothes with us. It's better to make plans early."

Wu Tianxiang said, "We don't need to worry about clothes. We have plenty stored at home, enough for all of us. What I'm worried about is that it will snow early, because the weather here in the north is not like that in the south. It often goes straight into winter."

They were chatting about when they would go back, but as soon as Captain Xiao arrived, he led his men to find the exact location for storing supplies.

Clearly, they were quite lucky. Not only did they find the right location quickly, but because it was buried deep underground, the earthquake here was not as severe as the one to the south, so they did not suffer much damage.

"This is wonderful. With these supplies, I finally feel a little more at ease." Captain Xiao patted his chest, his worries over the journey finally coming to an end.

The adjutant, Liu, who had been following him, asked, "How should we settle the payment for the supplies from Pinghe Village? It was agreed before that if we find the supplies, we would be responsible for settling the accounts here."

Captain Xiao could easily see through Deputy Liu's little scheme. "For a team and force like Village Chief Si's, we'd rather be on good terms than offend them. Let's take the initiative and deliver the goods to them as soon as possible. As for how long they want to stay here, let's not rush them."

Lieutenant Liu nodded. "Actually, it would only benefit us if they stayed longer. It's just that we don't know if they'd be willing to stay for a while. It would be even better if they could wait until we've sorted things out before leaving."

Captain Xiao glanced at him and asked, "Should we ask them to help us build our base as well?"

Lieutenant Liu could easily tell the anger in Captain Xiao's words, so he quickly waved his hand, "That's not what I meant. I just feel more at ease with them around. At least those who wanted to stand out along the way have been suppressed."

Captain Xiao glanced at the weapons warehouse next door and thought of the crossbow blueprints he had brought back this time. "We should hurry up and manufacture the crossbow parts. As long as we have weapons, we won't be afraid of so many scheming people. As for Village Chief Si and the others, they definitely won't stay here for long. Winter is coming soon here, and not only do we need to make preparations, but they also need to get back as soon as possible."

Lieutenant Liu: "Should we give them another batch of cotton-padded coats?"

If Lieutenant Liu hadn't hesitated so much when he said that, Captain Xiao would have really thought he had suddenly become generous. "We can ask them about it later, but based on their principles, they probably won't accept it directly."

Lieutenant Liu sighed, "But if we take the initiative to deliver the things, won't they misunderstand and think we're trying to drive them away?"

Captain Xiao waved his hand and shared his insights from the journey: "They don't have fragile hearts; it's actually easier to get along with them if you say what you mean."

Captain Xiao kept his word and went directly to Si Cheng and his group with the items.

"We were lucky; we brought it over as soon as we found it. Let's check and see if we missed anything."

Si Cheng didn't stand on ceremony with him and asked Yun Jianying, who was standing to the side, to count the number.

Si Cheng said, "It's good that you're here, which saves us the trouble of making another trip. We're planning to go back tomorrow. Do you have anything to tell us?"

Captain Xiao glanced at his adjutant Liu beside him and said politely, "It's a pity I can't be a good host right now. If you have the chance to come here again next time, you must come and let us treat you properly."

Looking at the empty surroundings, Si Cheng couldn't help but add, "We know you're all busy, so we won't cause you any trouble here. Winter is just around the corner, and you have a lot to do, but the defenses are still essential. We hope you won't think I'm being nosy."

Captain Xiao wasn't the kind of person who didn't know what was good for him. Besides, they had learned a lot about making traps along the way from following the villagers of Pinghe. He planned to set up the traps in the vicinity after everyone had a day of rest.