Chapter 12: Seize Every Moment to Acquire Attributes!

After the military merits of the Hundred-Unit Camp were tallied, every soldier around looked at Zhu Ying with a mixture of awe and respect. Such a battle achievement, such ferocity—how could anyone who had just experienced life-and-death camaraderie fail to revere him? These were genuine merits earned through sheer determination and deadly combat.

“Zhu Ying, you weren’t hurt, were you?” Liu Lei stepped forward, concern in his voice.

“A few small wounds, nothing serious,” Zhu Ying replied with a smile.

Despite Zhu Ying’s extraordinary attributes surpassing normal men, injuries were inevitable after such fierce fighting. His back, chest, and arms bore slashes, and an arrow remained lodged, broken off in his left arm. Yet, thanks to his superior physique, these wounds had already scabbed over and the bleeding stopped quickly.

Seeing this, Liu Lei said immediately, “Wait here, I’ll get the medic for you.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Zhu Ying responded graciously.

He then sat down on the spot, eyes scanning his status panel, excitement stirring in his heart—this time he truly gained greatly.

He had slain fifty-eight enemies.

In total, he had acquired over a thousand attribute points, including lifespan.

“Status Panel,” Zhu Ying activated his display.

Host: Zhu Ying
Age: 14 years
Strength: 489 points (each point corresponds to one jin of force)
Speed: 432 points (the higher, the faster)
Constitution: 351 points (the stronger, the better defense and faster healing)
Endurance: 345 points (the higher, the more energy and stamina)
Spirit: 332 points (the higher, the clearer the mind)
Lifespan: 88 years and 578 days
Storage Space: 3 cubic meters

After this battle, Zhu Ying’s attributes had all increased significantly.

He had gained nearly two years of lifespan.

Other attributes had risen by over two hundred points.

“Now, even if I’m surrounded by a hundred enemies, I can still break through,” he mused.

“The battlefield is perilous, but it’s also the foundation for promotions and gaining power.”

“There are so many corpses here—later I’ll scavenge more attributes. Every little bit counts,” he thought quietly.

Before long, Liu Lei returned with a medic.

“Zhu Ying, take off your clothes so the medic can treat your wounds,” Liu Lei said promptly.

“Thank you, Captain,” Zhu Ying replied and hurriedly stripped off his armor and clothing.

Immediately, the dozen or so scabbed wounds revealed themselves, gruesome in sight.

“You really did walk through the gates of hell,” Liu Lei said, his scalp tingling at the sight.

“Lucky me, the King of Hell didn’t claim me,” Zhu Ying joked.

“You’re truly lucky to survive,” the medic remarked, impressed.

Noticing the arrow in Zhu Ying’s arm, the medic added, “Removing the arrow might hurt a little. You’ll have to bear with it.”

“No problem. The arrow didn’t hit any vital spots. Doctor, do as you see fit,” Zhu Ying said with a smile.

The medic nodded and drew a small knife to extract the arrowhead.

Liu Lei watched anxiously nearby, but Zhu Ying didn’t even flinch. When the arrow was pulled out, blood flowed briefly before quickly clotting and scabbing over.

The medic quietly marveled, “Your constitution is remarkable—your blood clots so fast.”

“Maybe so,” Zhu Ying laughed.

His constitution attribute was now more than triple that of an ordinary person, naturally granting him faster healing and blood regeneration.

The medic wasted no time bandaging the wounds and applying medicine to all the injuries.

“All done,” the medic said.

“You look badly wounded, but the bleeding’s stopped. Nothing too serious.”

“I must be off now,” the medic told Liu Lei.

“Thank you,” Liu Lei replied.

After the medic left, Liu Lei said with a smile, “You’re really going to make it big this time.”

“You cut down enemy officers and took their banners, killed so many invaders.”

“Maybe soon I’ll have to call you ‘sir’.”

Looking at Zhu Ying, Liu Lei felt deep admiration.

Though he had witnessed Zhu Ying’s bravery on the battlefield and remembered how he once saved his life from bandits, he had not expected him to be this fierce.

“Captain flatters me,” Zhu Ying said promptly.

“Zhu Ying,” Liu Lei said earnestly, “I know you want to rise in rank, but don’t be reckless.”

“The battlefield is full of dangers. Even the most seasoned generals can’t always avoid hidden arrows.”

“You’re still young, and there will be many more chances,” Liu Lei advised sincerely.

He could see the reason behind Zhu Ying’s reckless fighting and killing spree.

After all, he knew Zhu Ying had been tricked into the army and had his age falsified.

“Thank you for your care, Captain,” Zhu Ying smiled and nodded.

He understood Liu Lei’s concern well.

But whenever he thought of the Shen family and their intent to kill him, his heart swelled with hatred.

To deal with the Shen family in this strict era of the Hongwu reign, mere force wouldn’t suffice. He needed power. Once he gained authority, he could easily destroy them.

“Rest well,” Liu Lei said.

“I’m going to check on the others now.”

“Looks like our infantry won’t be needed much in the coming battles,” he added with a smile.

Zhu Ying nodded but kept his gaze fixed on the many corpses scattered across the battlefield.

The logistics troops had already begun clearing the area.

The slower they were, the more attribute points would be lost.

With that thought, Zhu Ying rose, gripping his blade, and began to roam among the corpses.

He touched them lightly, absorbing attributes, while also checking for any feigning enemies, dispatching those he found.

“Gained 1 strength.”

“Gained 3 speed.”

“Gained 5 days of lifespan.”

“Gained 3 constitution…”

As Zhu Ying moved through the battlefield, he happily absorbed attributes, growing ever stronger.

Night fell.

The camp was set.

The logistics troops prepared ample food.

As an army of the Hongwu era with exceptional combat capability, they were well-provisioned, never lacking pay or rations.

Since Hu Weiyong’s purge, military provisions were personally overseen by Crown Prince Zhu Biao, who never mistreated the troops.

In the main command tent, generals gathered.

Chen Heng and Liu Zhen sat facing each other.

“I heard you were almost killed by the invaders this time?” Liu Zhen smiled at Chen Heng.

“You have some nerve saying that. If you hadn’t delayed the encirclement, I wouldn’t have been trapped,” Chen Heng retorted.

“Luckily, a comrade saved me, or I’d have met the King of Hell,” Chen Heng grumbled.

“I swear I moved as fast as I could,” Liu Zhen said helplessly.

“Enough,” Chen Heng said with a grin. “The true success lies in winning the battle.”

In truth, Liu Zhen’s encirclement was not slow.

They had simply underestimated the fighting strength of these Jianzhou invaders.

…