Chapter 17: Numerous Treasure Chests, Open Them All!

"Good heavens."

"Commander."

Liu Lei was speechless with shock.

When they had previously wiped out the mountain bandits, Zhu Ying was still a raw recruit who had joined the army less than three months ago. He had earned merit by slaying bandits and was promoted to a Small Flag Leader. But now, he had actually attained the rank of Thousand-man Commander, becoming an officer in the army who commanded a thousand troops.

Others might not have grasped the magnitude of this leap, but Liu Lei understood it perfectly.

"Brother Liu."

"General Chen just told me that a Thousand-man Commander has the authority to appoint fifty personal guards."

"I wish to reorganize the ten men I originally commanded into my personal guard," Zhu Ying said with a smile.

Although those ten men were all new recruits, the advantage was that Zhu Ying was already intimately familiar with them. A personal guard consisted of one's true inner circle; one had to find those who were trustworthy.

"Zhu Ying, what do you think of me?"

Liu Lei suddenly looked at Zhu Ying with a dead serious expression.

"Brother Liu, what do you mean?" Zhu Ying asked in surprise.

"With my rank as a Centurion, I should be able to serve as the Guard Captain by your side, shouldn't I?" Liu Lei said with a chuckle.

"Brother Liu."

"Are you being serious, or is this a joke?" Zhu Ying's expression turned strange.

"Naturally, I am serious."

Liu Lei smiled, but his expression quickly turned solemn and grave. Suddenly, he knelt directly before Zhu Ying: "Liu Lei, Centurion, is willing to follow Thousand-man Commander Zhu. I wish to serve as your personal guard; I beg you to accept me."

The surrounding soldiers watched in astonishment, and many eyes flickered with anticipation.

Seeing this, Zhu Ying realized that Liu Lei was serious.

"If Brother Liu is willing, then I accept."

Zhu Ying spoke with equal solemnity.

"Liu Lei is willing to serve the Thousand-man Commander unto death!"

Liu Lei bowed deeply, touching his head to the ground.

Personal guards. An elite unit.

These were the true attendants of officers above the rank of Thousand-man Commander, and they were the most loyal—the ones sworn to take a blade for their commander or even their superiors in critical moments.

Once one became Zhu Ying's personal guard, they served Zhu Ying directly.

Furthermore, they shared in his glory and his ruin. The higher Zhu Ying's status, the higher the status of his guards. If anything happened to Zhu Ying, the guards would not escape the consequences of association.

The term "personal guard" was not merely for show.

"Rise."

Zhu Ying stepped forward and helped Liu Lei up.

"Thank you, Commander."

Liu Lei did not dare to overstep and immediately bowed again.

"In that case,"

"From now on, Brother Liu will be my Guard Captain. Aside from the ten soldiers from my original Small Flag, I shall trouble Brother Liu to select the remaining forty men." Zhu Ying was essentially handing this responsibility over to Liu Lei.

"I obey your command!" Liu Lei bowed, accepting the task readily.

"I shall rest for a while."

"I leave it in your hands, Brother Liu."

Zhu Ying chuckled and walked toward his command tent.

Having been promoted five ranks at once, Zhu Ying was filled with anticipation—not just for the power, but for the treasure chests, which would surely provide a massive boost to his strength.

Watching Zhu Ying's retreating figure, excitement welled up in Liu Lei's eyes.

He knew very well that Zhu Ying's future was limitless. For a Centurion like himself to become a Guard Captain might look like a demotion in rank, but in reality, it secured a much better future.

Looking at the current rate of promotion, Liu Lei lacked Zhu Ying's combat prowess; he could not kill a hundred enemies to earn such merit. It would be difficult for him to reach the rank of Thousand-man Commander, and even if he could, it would take years, if not longer.

But by staying by Zhu Ying's side as his Guard Captain, his own status would rise alongside Zhu Ying's promotions.

"Brothers!"

"From this day forward, I, Liu Lei, shall become the Guard Captain by the side of Thousand-man Commander Zhu!"

"In addition to the ten men under the Thousand-man Commander's original Small Flag, we need to recruit forty more guards. If any of you are interested, come to me to sign up, and I will select you for the personal guard!"

Under the cover of night, Liu Lei shouted to the soldiers of his Centurion company.

Hearing this, the soldiers were stirred with excitement.

"I—I am willing!"

"I am willing too!"

"Centurion, take me in!"

"I want to be part of Thousand-man Commander Zhu's personal guard..."

The soldiers shouted excitedly, and even soldiers from other Centurion companies began to crowd around.

Anyone with eyes could see that Zhu Ying's future was boundless. To become one of his personal guards was a monumental opportunity.

***

Inside the tent!

Zhu Ying set down his battle armor and swords.

"As expected of a Thousand-man Commander. This armor is much heavier than that of an ordinary soldier, and the defense is far superior."

"And the swords are extremely sharp iron blades."

Zhu Ying took a look, drew a sword to inspect it, and couldn't help but marvel. The impact of his newfound authority was evident in this armor and weaponry.

"One hundred taels of gold."

"Not bad."

As for the chest of gold, Zhu Ying naturally stowed it directly into his storage space.

"Promoted to Thousand-man Commander."

"Treasure chests."

Zhu Ying felt a surge of intense anticipation.

[Host's official rank has increased.] [Promoted to 'Flag Leader', reward: one 'Common Treasure Chest'.] [Promoted to 'Junior Centurion', reward: one 'Common Treasure Chest'.] [Promoted to 'Centurion', reward: one 'Common Treasure Chest'.] [Promoted to 'Vice Thousand-man Commander', reward: one 'Common Treasure Chest'.] [Promoted to 'Thousand-man Commander', reward: one 'Common Treasure Chest'.]

The panel displayed the notifications.

"Ten chests in total."

"As long as my luck isn't too bad, I should get something good this time." Zhu Ying's eyes gleamed with expectation.

Immediately, he commanded, "Open all treasure chests!"

[Host's command accepted. Opening all treasure chests...] [Obtained Archery Skill: 'Deadeye'.] [Obtained Yellow-grade Mid-tier: 'Eagle-Carved Bow'.] [Obtained 'Refined Steel Longblade'.] [Obtained Yellow-grade Low-tier: 'Wild Dance Saber Technique'.] [Obtained Yellow-grade Low-tier: 'Small Returning Pill'.] [Obtained Yellow-grade Low-tier Martial Skill: 'Divine Arrow Volley'.] [Obtained Yellow-grade Low-tier: 'Mountain-Crushing Fist'.] [Obtained 500 taels of gold.] [Obtained 'Refined Steel Extraction Method'.] [Obtained 'Premium Gunpowder Refinement Method'.]

The panel notifications flashed continuously as all ten chests were opened.

Scanning through the list, a joyful smile spread across Zhu Ying's face.

"Not bad at all."

"Skills, ranked martial techniques, and ranked weapons."

"My luck is truly excellent."

"This steel extraction method... this technology far exceeds the current era, doesn't it? And this premium gunpowder should also surpass the gunpowder of this age."

"Good. I'll keep them."

"The world is vast. In the future, once I have enough strength, I could expand territories beyond the Ming Dynasty and even become an Emperor," Zhu Ying thought with a smile.

He naturally accepted everything these chests provided; it all belonged to him.

"First, extract the archery skill. This should be like horsemanship—a skill that is directly integrated and mastered," Zhu Ying thought.

He immediately extracted the 'Deadeye' archery skill.

As a glow descended upon him, Zhu Ying's previous intermediate mastery of archery transformed into a profound enlightenment. His archery skills now transcended that of ordinary people.

"Deadeye... first is strength, second is vision, third is intuition."

"So that's how it is," Zhu Ying thought with newfound understanding.