Cultivation by Trial and Error
Chapter 725: 718: Cool in the Water Tank

Chapter 725: Chapter 718: Cool in the Water Tank

Within the compound, all was desolate and empty.

Though Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and the others had not forcibly entered the few side rooms inside, they had meticulously inspected them by peering through the window lattices.

It seemed as if Captain Wu Meng truly wasn’t present, as there was no sign of him whatsoever.

“What rotten luck, isn’t Wu Meng rarely out and about, spending most of his time in this compound?”

“Our team has finally managed to assemble everyone and come here to consult with Wu Meng, yet he is nowhere to be found in this place. What are we to do now?”

“Does this mean our trip here has been in vain and we just head back directly?”

…

Staying within the compound, the men glanced at each other with expressions of mutual helplessness.

Once they understood Wu Meng’s cowardly and survival-oriented nature to some extent, although Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and the rest had some contempt for him, they generally kept such thoughts to themselves. Outwardly, it wasn’t good for them to go too far.

After all, no matter the place, insubordination was a great taboo.

Wu Meng’s residence, this separate compound, was located within the military camp—no one knew how many people were living in this area.

Their group had come together with an impressive presence, heading toward Wu Meng’s place. Although no one overtly stopped them, their every move was certainly under the watchful eyes of others.

Merely carrying a hint of coercion in their attempt to negotiate with Wu Meng, since this was an internal affair of their team, outsiders wouldn’t interfere; some might even take pleasure in watching the drama unfold from the sidelines.

But if they went too far and truly started a brawl with Wu Meng, then the consequences would be much more severe.

In all undertakings, there was the saying: a matter started with vigor may wane after the initial effort and be exhausted after the third attempt.

This time, as Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and the others came to Wu Meng’s place, their collective effort and morale were high.

To return empty-handed without even finding the man, and to retreat directly would deflate their enthusiasm. Gathering everyone again might lead to unexpected occurrences, with some possibly losing heart.

Among the group, some had suggested heading back to their respective residences first and to try visiting Wu Meng’s place again in a couple of days.

Li Kuishan and Sun Tu, as the leaders, exchanged glances, uncertain and hesitant for the moment.

“Brother Li, Brother Sun, just because we haven’t found Captain Wu doesn’t mean he’s truly not within this compound.”

“The imposing manner in which you all arrived here might have confused our Captain Wu. Fearing danger, he might have gone into hiding.”

“Not to mention other places within the compound, but just within this courtyard alone, there seem to be several spots where someone could hide!”

Seeing Li Kuishan and his companion’s reluctance to leave without resolution, Chen Hai, who had initially only wanted to blend in with the crowd, sighed lightly. He took a few steps forward, emerging from the group.

With a casual smile, he greeted Li Kuishan and Sun Tu, then made his way unhurriedly towards a large water jar about ten meters away, next to the courtyard wall.

This large water jar, over a meter tall and uncovered, was filled with clear water almost level with the brim.

Ordinary people, even standing close to this jar, would only notice the slightly murky water and nothing out of the ordinary.

Chen Hai’s Concealing Breath Technique was virtually at the level of Divine Transformation when it came to hiding his presence; possessing such a skill naturally lent him some unique abilities in tracking others.

As someone of the Gou Path, wherewithal Wu Meng possessed in other aspects might be debatable.

However, in terms of concealing his presence and hiding his form, he indeed had some talent.

Unfortunately, when it came down to it, there’s always someone stronger, and in the art of concealment, he still fell short compared to Chen Hai.

Approaching the water jar, even though Chen Hai did nothing more than shoot a meaningful smile at Li Kuishan and the others, they were by no means fools. Such an evident hint was impossible for them to miss!

“Captain Wu, while the weather might be on the hotter side, that jar is surely not a comfortable place to hide!”

“No need to hide any longer, come on out!”

Having caught on, Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and the others quickly encircled the jar, and it was Sun Tu who opened his mouth to utter a chilling hum.

As his voice died away, the motionless surface of the water in the jar suddenly rippled, and the bare-shouldered Wu Meng emerged from within.

“In this sweltering heat, I, Master Wu, decided to take a dip in a water tank for a cold bath, do any of you have a problem with that?”

“What’s the matter? Are you thinking of rebelling?”

As Wu Meng shook the droplets from his body and stood firm on the ground next to the water tank, he glared fiercely at the people present, with a facade of toughness masking his inner timidity. Knowing that Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and others wouldn’t dare to disrespect him, as soon as he spoke up, he would slam a heavy accusation on everyone there.

“Captain Wu, what you said is not right. We, your subordinates, are absolutely loyal to Heavenly Mansion. Rebellion? That’s out of the question.”

“We’ve come here purely to discuss with you, could you perhaps lower the hundred Merit points we have to hand over to you?”

“It’s not just my own idea. It’s a decision made after our squad leader and everyone else discussed it.”

“What do you think is appropriate to lower our Merit point contribution to you? Twenty points? Or maybe thirty?”

Li Kuishan took a step forward and stood firmly in front of Wu Meng with a chilling smile as he spoke.

Upon his speaking, the others immediately echoed in agreement.

As for Chen Hai, he egged them on for a bit and then retreated to the outskirts of the group.

He had no other intention in exposing Wu Meng’s hiding in the water tank; he simply wanted to resolve the situation quickly so he could return to his Cultivation in peace.

Now that Wu Meng had been forced out of the water tank, he left the rest of the matter to Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and the others.

In this team, he was merely an inconspicuous participant, naturally it would be fitting for him to leave the matter and keep a low profile.

“A man’s word is his bond, and cannot be reeled back even by a team of horses.”

“When I set the rule that each person must contribute at least a hundred Merit points to me a year ago, I specifically sought out your opinion. At the time, you were all very supportive of it.”

“Just over half a year has passed, and now you want to go back on your word. Do you take the rules of the Enemy-breaking Camp as child’s play?”

“Are you all cornering me here to force a coup?”

“When it comes to principle, I stand on solid ground. Should this blow up and reach higher authorities, what do you think will be the consequence?”

Wu Meng could be quite stubborn, perhaps feeling he was in the right, still dripping wet, looking bedraggled but his words remained resolute.

To directly confront Wu Meng and force him to agree to their proposal? That would indeed be subordination.

With several onlookers around, it was natural for Li Kuishan, Sun Tu, and the others to lack the courage to act so brazenly.

When it came to reasoning, facing Wu Meng’s words, they were at a loss for how to argue back.

“Captain Wu, when we first joined, we had no idea it would be so difficult to earn Merit points.”

“In just over half a year, we’ve already lost four brothers, and the Merit points we’ve earned are barely more than a trickle.”

“We wouldn’t have come to negotiate with you over this if the hundred Merit points weren’t so difficult to gather.”

“We surely can’t let the pursuit of these points be the death of us all, can we?”

Li Kuishan fell silent for a moment, then with a pained expression and a long sigh, he said.

As reasoning seemed difficult to articulate clearly, he could only present the facts, then appeal to Wu Meng’s emotions.

Whether his words could sway Wu Meng or not, he had to at least try.

“Is a hundred Merit points a year really so much to ask for?”

“Li Kuishan, you’re welcome to go and ask other squads, to see how many Merit points their captains extract from their members in a year.”

“You think it’s hard to earn Merit, but that just shows your lack of ability, incompetence…”

Wu Meng, although somewhat cowardly about risking his life, was uncompromising when it came to his own interests and immediately retorted.

Of course, what he said did have some merit.

To the veterans within the Enemy-breaking Camp, earning a hundred or so Merit points in a year was truly just a minor matter.

Take Chen Hai, for example, he thought that obtaining a hundred or so Merit points was very easy, and even without having the Star Stone mine, he could possibly finish the task within just a few days.