Inside the barracks.
After receiving Chen Ye's pills, Zhuang Chaoyang and Jiang Yi dared not delay and immediately gathered the men under their command.
When the men in the barracks heard that the marquis had bestowed pills on them, excitement lit up their faces.
Most came from humble backgrounds and usually struggled even to fill their stomachs. Rare treasures like pills were things they never saw in their everyday lives.
Only during these past few months of training under Chen Ye had they occasionally encountered some.
This was the very first time everyone had received a share.
Jiang Yi had always had a way with words. Raising the pills, he called out to the men, "Brothers, the marquis has shown us kindness and bestowed these pills specifically to improve our cultivation.
"The marquis said that as long as we follow him and work hard, there will be no shortage of benefits in the future!
"We must engrave this kindness in our hearts.
"We are the marquis's soldiers!
"We must serve the marquis!"
"The marquis is gracious!"
"..."
The men in the barracks echoed his words.
Seeing that the mood was right, Jiang Yi gave Zhuang Chaoyang a look, signaling him to distribute the pills.
Zhuang Chaoyang pulled out the stopper and poured the pills out one by one, giving one to each man.
Tang Ce, who stood among the crowd, soon received a pill as well.
He lowered his head and examined the jade-green pill in his palm with curiosity, looking bewildered.
He had previously been a servant of another aristocratic clan, before a series of chance encounters brought him under Chen Ye's command.
With his poor foundation and scrawny build, and without the personal guidance Chen Ye had given Zhuang Chaoyang and Jiang Yi, his progress in cultivating the