3400 zhang was only 600 zhang away from the summit. Considering they had already climbed 1000 zhang in less than half a day, even if the road ahead was difficult, 600 zhang should only take a day. Looking at his wife, who smiled broadly and seemed genuinely not too worried, Qian Yeming gradually began to feel relieved.

"With you as my versatile wife, I'm not worried."

"Yeah." Murong Xiao nodded, tearing off a large piece of meat from the freshly roasted lamb and handing it to Qian Yeming: "Eat more. Starting tomorrow, you will be hungry and cold for a long time."

The next day, just as the sun emerged from the clouds, the herb-collecting team set out again. After two hours of speeding towards the mountaintop, the front was completely covered in white.

"Xiao'er, do you need everyone to take out their brown glasses and put them on?" Looking at the vast expanse of white in front of him, Qian Yeming stopped and asked.

Murong Xiao also took this opportunity to stop and rest for a while.

"No need. This is just the foot of the mountain. There's still plenty of green trees and bare soil. Wearing those glasses for too long will damage your eyes. Let's continue climbing and try to reach an altitude of around 2,500 feet today."

"Madam, we just started climbing yesterday afternoon, and by evening we had already reached a height of 1,000 feet. It took us less than two hours to see snow today. At this rate, we will definitely reach a height of 3,000 feet today."

A guard had just opened his mouth when Qingfeng beside him slapped him in the face.

"Commander, why did you hit me?" the guard asked aggrievedly.

Qingfeng replied viciously, "Whatever Madam says is what it is. Madam has eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. What are your strengths? Do you think Madam doesn't know? Whatever Madam says is what it is. Just do your best to keep up."

After hearing Qingfeng's scolding, Qian Yeming smiled, and Murong's mouth twitched with laughter.

"You finally understand." Qian Yeming patted Qingfeng's shoulder, feeling relieved that it took him more than a month to understand the truth that "believe in Madam and you will have eternal life."

At noon, everyone gathered in a relatively dry place and ate the remaining game from last night. After resting for half an hour, they changed into warm clothes and set off again.

By the afternoon, the speed of the entire team had slowed down significantly. Even though Qian Yeming and Murong Xiao had obviously slowed down their pace, some people were still lagging behind.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing Murong Xiao return to the rear of the group, Qian Yeming followed suit. He frowned slightly at the few subordinates behind him who were clearly out of breath. These subordinates were considered elite under his command, and the terrain wasn't particularly steep, yet they were gasping for breath.

Qian Yeming took the hand of a guard and took his pulse, frowning deeply.

He put one of them down, checked the pulses of the other guards, and ordered, "Sit down where you are and rest."

Some guards in front who did not have altitude sickness did not understand what was happening for a moment. They stared blankly at their teammates who collapsed to the ground as soon as they heard the word "rest".

"Xiao'er, their situation is exactly what you said before we set out. When they reach a certain altitude, everyone's Qinggong skills are no longer useful, right?"

Although Qian Yeming didn't quite understand some of the words Murong Xiao used, he was still clear about his subordinates' physical fitness. It was definitely not normal for them to be so tired after climbing up and down the mountain.

**************

(Updated on October 14th)