Chapter 32: Distributing the Medicinal Treasures
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The soldiers swiftly cleared the battlefield, packing up everything that could be carried away and setting fire to the rest. The blazing flames dyed half the sky crimson, illuminating Zhao Ergou’s confident, exuberant face.
“Brothers, bring the bodies of our fallen comrades. We’re pulling out!” Although Zhao Ergou’s voice was bold and spirited, it carried a trace of heaviness.
He walked up to the fallen men and solemnly clasped his fist. “Brothers, rest easy! I’ll take care of your families! I’ll avenge you as well! Not one of those Rongdi curs will escape me!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The soldiers roared in fury, their murderous spirit soaring.
The pounding of hooves shattered the silence of the night. Carrying their spoils of war and the bodies of their fallen comrades, the mighty column vanished into the darkness.
Two and a half hours later, a hundred-man Rongdi cavalry unit arrived at the battlefield.
Seeing the raging flames and corpses scattered across the ground, the leading cavalry captain nearly burst with rage. “Damn Qin curs! After them! We must catch them and avenge our dead brothers!”
Night settled over the depths of the grasslands.
After escaping the battlefield, where flames had soared into the heavens, Zhao Ergou and his men rode the captured warhorses at full speed for more than fifty miles before making camp in a secluded hollow.
Standing on high ground, Zhao Ergou spread his arms as though he meant to embrace the entire grassland. “This vast grassland will belong to me sooner or later!”
“Our commander is mighty! He’s practically a heavenly god descended to earth!”
Luo Datong offered his flattery at precisely the right moment, then skillfully directed the others. “Brothers, move it! Bury our fallen comrades and treat the wounded! Make it quick!”
Tu Dakang was also shouting orders as the soldiers put up tents and prepared the evening camp.
“Brother Ergou, isn’t it too dangerous for us to venture so deep into the heart of the grasslands?” Sun Liu asked as he approached Zhao Ergou, his voice tinged with concern.
“Dangerous? Brother Sun, what are you talking about? We’ve already come deep into the grasslands. It’s too late to be afraid now. Besides, you’re underestimating me, Zhao Ergou!”
Zhao Ergou slapped Sun Liu on the shoulder, making it ache. “In war, you have to take risks! Understand? This is called doing the opposite of what the enemy expects! Those Rongdi brats would never dream that we’d come running straight into their lair! By the time they realize what’s happening, I’ll already have led our brothers home loaded with spoils!”
Sun Liu looked at Zhao Ergou’s confidence and felt both admiration and worry.
More than seventy men had ambushed six hundred elite Rongdi troops and emerged victorious. Now they had ventured alone into the heart of the grasslands. Their courage and daring were truly awe-inspiring.
But this was, after all, Rongdi territory. If they were discovered, the consequences would be unthinkable.
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Thin wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air, carrying the savory aroma of dried beef and mutton. Tu Dakang led the soldiers in stewing the meat they had seized, rewarding the brothers who had fought for days on end.
After Luo Datong buried the fallen and used precious elixirs to treat the wounded, he began counting and organizing the elixirs they had captured.
As the night deepened, the soldiers gathered around the campfire, eating great mouthfuls of meat and laughing loudly. It was a rare moment of relaxation and comfort.
“Commander! We’ve struck it rich! We’ve struck it rich!”
Luo Datong ran excitedly over to Zhao Ergou, several precious elixirs glimmering enticingly in his hands. “Take a look! These are treasures that can help someone break through to the next realm! And there are plenty of healing and cultivation elixirs too! On the black market, they could fetch at least one hundred thousand taels of silver!”
“Excellent, excellent! Heaven itself is helping me!”
Zhao Ergou snatched the elixirs and held them beneath his nose, inhaling deeply. “I’m taking all the breakthrough elixirs! As for the rest, distribute them among the brothers according to merit! If I, Zhao Ergou, have something, then my brothers must have it too!”
“Our commander is mighty! Following him is definitely the right choice!”
The soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers, their hearts filled with hope for the future.
Zhao Ergou lifted one of the elixirs to the tip of his nose and took another deep sniff. Its rich medicinal fragrance rushed into his nostrils, instantly invigorating him.
“Good stuff!”
Without the slightest hesitation, he tossed the elixir into his mouth. A vast medicinal force swept through his body, as though a slumbering dragon within him had suddenly awakened.
Yet the breakthrough he had expected did not occur. Zhao Ergou merely felt his true essence become denser, while his strength increased slightly.
“Hm? What’s going on? This stuff doesn’t have enough kick!”
Zhao Ergou frowned in confusion, a trace of displeasure flashing across his face.
Sun Liu, Luo Datong, Tu Dakang, and several squad leaders exchanged glances, their eyes carrying a hint of helplessness.
“What? Why are you all looking at me like that? Have I grown flowers on my face?”
Zhao Ergou felt uncomfortable under their stares, and his tone grew somewhat impatient.
Sun Liu explained reluctantly, “Brother Ergou, breakthrough elixirs come in different grades. These are useful to martial apprentices and martial artists, but at your current martial master realm, their effects are a little too weak.”
The campfire crackled, its glow illuminating the puzzled faces around it.
“Besides, breakthrough elixirs aren’t something you can take and immediately use to break through. You have to cultivate until you’re on the verge of a breakthrough.”
Sun Liu continued, “Otherwise, they’ll only increase your true essence a little. They’re not some heaven-defying miracle.”
“Oh? So that’s how it is!”
Zhao Ergou suddenly understood, and his confidence instantly returned. “You should have said so earlier! You got my hopes up for nothing!”
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He waved his hand grandly and said with sweeping confidence, “Then what are we waiting for? Find out which brothers in the unit are close to breaking through and distribute all these elixirs to them! I don’t need them anymore!”
Luo Datong secretly marveled. These were breakthrough pills worth a fortune!
And the commander was simply handing them out without a second thought!
Still, following a commander like this truly put one’s heart at ease.
He hurriedly rose and went to ask the other soldiers.
“I’m at the peak of the middle stage of the martial artist realm. I’m only one step away,” Sun Liu said with a smile.
“Will one pill be enough?” Zhao Ergou asked directly.
“More than enough!” Sun Liu replied excitedly.
“Take it! Break through quickly! I’m waiting to see you climb to the next level!”
With a grand sweep of his hand, Zhao Ergou passed one of the precious elixirs to Sun Liu.
Tu Dakang rubbed his hands together and chuckled. “Commander, I’ve been stuck at the peak of the martial apprentice realm for a long time…”
“Don’t worry! There’s enough for everyone! I keep my word! None of you will be shortchanged!”
Zhao Ergou thumped his chest as he gave his assurance.
Several squad leaders brightened at his words. Serving under a commander like this was truly exhilarating!
After Luo Datong finished taking attendance, he distributed all the breakthrough elixirs. He also set aside some of the cultivation elixirs and divided the rest among the soldiers.
As the night deepened, the camp filled with a rich medicinal fragrance. One after another, the soldiers sat cross-legged and began to cultivate.
Standing on high ground, Zhao Ergou gazed at the starry sky, a confident smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
He believed that under his leadership, this unit would grow ever stronger. In the end, they would sweep across the grasslands and carve out a mighty empire of their own!
Zhao Ergou stared at the panel shimmering with golden light, his grin widening to reveal a mouthful of bright white teeth.
“Heh heh. I knew it—I’m invincible under heaven!”
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