Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1735 - 1772: The Rotten Tooth in the Army

The squad leader was a middle-aged man with a lean build and triangular eyes, known for being rather slick-tongued and sycophantic. He had attained the position of squad leader solely through his gift of gab. As he put it, "A good horse is known by its legs, a good man by his tongue."

This saying in itself posed no problem, but in the military context, it was quite inappropriate.

In others’ eyes, the squad leader—Gao Jian—was merely someone who flattered and idled about, without any real skills. Even his cultivation was only at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, positioning him at the lower end among bureaucrats of the same rank. Within their Tufan Country’s forces, a squad leader could oversee a dozen squads, with authority second only to the strategist, and could be directly commanded by the deputy general.

Within this camp, there were a total of three squad leaders, collectively managing dozens of squads. The other two squad leaders were both at the Nascent Soul Early Stage, and in the military, this level of cultivation made them exceptional. Thus, their positions as squad leaders were well-deserved. Only Gao Jian had the worst reputation in the military.

However, for the soldiers, no matter how Gao Jian became the squad leader, he was indeed the current squad leader, so most soldiers dared not speak against him. Some outstanding soldiers even had cultivation comparable to Gao Jian’s; they just lacked the opportunity to spar, otherwise, it was uncertain who would win or lose.

Just earlier, many soldiers witnessed Gao Jian accepting bribes, taking Spirit Stones from merchants who intruded into the mountains. Many soldiers harbored indignation but dared not voice it. Of course, much of the resentment stemmed from envy and jealousy for Gao Jian since, as soldiers, they might only see a few Spirit Stones in their lifetime. Spirit Stones were a temptation for any soldier.

Bribery like Gao Jian’s was strictly prohibited in any military unit, and theirs was no exception. If any soldier reported this to the deputy general, Gao Jian would face severe punishment. But no soldier would risk such a statement, knowing it could cost them their head.

The soldiers knew Gao Jian was favored by the deputy general. Even if his bribery was discovered, the harshest penalty would be removal from his position, never imprisonment. But the fate of the reporting soldier could well be fatal, given Gao Jian’s notorious vengeful nature known throughout the military.

In the camp, the largest tent belonged to the deputy general. At this moment, the deputy general and the strategist, along with two other squad leaders, were discussing military matters inside. The sudden sounds of fighting outside startled everyone, as they were particularly sensitive to such noises.

The deputy general and the others were shocked; there was no reason to hear fighting within the camp unless there was an enemy ambush. Being ambushed was utterly terrifying to the disarrayed camp.

"What’s happening outside?"

The deputy general, a middle-aged man slightly older than the others with a few strands of gray in his hair, demanded grimly of the soldier at the entrance. Having spent a lifetime in the military, he had gradually risen to the deputy general position, with cultivation at the Nascent Soul Mid Stage. Just a slight anger from him could make everyone present shiver with fear.

This mission to attack the Great Ocean Sect was a rare opportunity for him, albeit fraught with danger. In the Cultivation World, the greater the danger, the greater the potential reward. For this deputy general, whether his military rank could rise another level or his cultivation advance depended on this action.

Any battleground provided valuable opportunities for soldiers and officers to distinguish themselves. Attacking a Sect was not just a chance to earn laurels but also brought substantial rewards, as resources within a Sect far surpassed those of ordinary countries. For officers like this deputy general, this battle could yield immense gains, significantly enhancing their cultivation.

However, this deputy general never expected that before his forces could complete their rendezvous with the main troops, fighting would erupt at his camp’s entrance. This was utterly unexpected and not a good omen!

The soldier at the entrance, surprised by the deputy general’s words, clearly knew little about the situation at the camp entrance as a mere sentry. He could only respond anxiously and respectfully: 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"I will investigate immediately..."

Everyone in the tent felt a bit tense, not anticipating that the initial rendezvous assignment hadn’t been completed before fighting broke out at their camp entrance. The other two deputy generals, besides feeling tense, also observed the slightly angry deputy general with a sense of schadenfreude.

Today’s security task was led by the squad under Gao Jian, and with such an incident occurring, he couldn’t escape culpability. Yet they feared it might be the disciples of the Great Ocean Sect attacking; if so, it would be bad news for all, not just Gao Jian’s trouble, but a risk to everyone’s lives.

Being ambushed by the Great Ocean Sect would result poorly for them.

However, listening to the noises outside, it didn’t seem like too many people were involved, so they subconsciously dismissed the possibility of an ambush by the Great Ocean Sect. Thus, it could only be something else. They knew as long as it wasn’t an ambush by the Great Ocean Sect, whatever else happened, Gao Jian wouldn’t escape blame.

They had long been displeased with Gao Jian, who relied on flattery to attain the squad leader role, which they, who rose through merits and strength, despised. Seeing Gao Jian embarrassed was a rare satisfaction.

Before the sentry could finish speaking, Gao Jian hurried into the tent, addressing the deputy general with a slightly ingratiating smile:

"Reporting to the deputy general, we are apprehending some merchants who accidentally intruded near the entrance. They seem quite wealthy, which could conveniently expand your military resources!"

"A few merchants? How did they cause such a commotion?"

The deputy general, upon hearing the words "military supplies," temporarily suppressed the anger in his heart and asked Gao Jian. Though he was a deputy general, he was also a battle-hardened warrior and a Nascent Soul Mid Stage cultivator. He could roughly assess the number of combatants outside just by the sounds coming from outside.

At this moment, the other two squad leaders heard Gao Jian mention the merchants, and their eyes involuntarily turned. Earlier, they had heard from some soldiers about Gao Jian’s bribery. They hadn’t expected the current situation outside to also be related to the merchants, which led the two squad leaders to make some associations.

Regardless of who was causing trouble outside the camp, it was a significant issue, especially since the mission was being conducted in secret. Having a fight break out at the camp’s entrance was clearly a bizarre occurrence, making Gao Jian undeniably culpable. But both men had heard Gao Jian’s report earlier, which showed this guy used military supplies to divert the deputy general’s attention, turning a fault into a merit. While they despised him, they also admired his ability to twist the truth to clear his own name.

"Report to the deputy general, although they are merchants, their cultivation isn’t weak; they’re all Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, so they aren’t easy to deal with. However, reinforcements have already been increased, and we expect to capture them soon. When the Spirit Stones are seized, they’ll be used to expand your military supplies."

Gao Jian said with some pride on his face.

Upon hearing Gao Jian’s words, the deputy general had a peculiar expression on his face. Whilst he wanted to reprimand the other for the security issue, he was indeed interested in the military supplies, leaving him momentarily speechless, with a somewhat somber expression. He had already made a decision in his heart to wait until the military supplies were handed over; if the supplies were as abundant as claimed, he might turn a blind eye. If the supplies weren’t as Gao Jian had claimed, he would have to punish him to demonstrate military authority.

"Report to the general, I’ve heard before that Captain Gao accepted some Spirit Stones from merchants and subsequently released them. Now that merchants are causing trouble at the camp entrance, this may be linked to Captain Gao."

One of the squad leaders couldn’t help but cast a scornful glance at Gao Jian before turning to the deputy general and speaking.

"I’ve heard the same thing." The other squad leader couldn’t help but echo.

Gao Jian heard the two speak and couldn’t help but glare venomously at them, but this was a scene he had expected before coming here. He felt wronged and spoke to the deputy general:

"General, this is slander against me. I’ve never done such a thing; if you don’t believe me, wait until we capture those merchants and ask them!"

The deputy general, seeing the scene, felt conflicted. He knew the nature of Gao Jian but placed him in the position of captain because he could always bring unexpected gains. Although this is a taboo in the military, among certain leaders, it was more of an open secret.

Even as a general, the hope was to gather more resources and treasures. At this moment, the general glanced at the advisor, asking:

"Advisor, what do you think?"

"Reporting to the general, I think it’s best to wait until Captain Gao’s claimed military supplies arrive before making a decision."

The advisor was an elder and, besides possessing extraordinary strategic skills, needed to sense the general’s intentions. Upon hearing the deputy general’s words, he understood the meaning: the general wanted to see how much military supplies could be gained before making a decision. Although Gao Jian was like a sore tooth for the general, this sore tooth consistently brought considerable benefits, so unless necessary, it was best not to pull it out.

"Alright, as the advisor suggested."

The deputy general straightforwardly said upon hearing the advisor.

The two squad leaders heard the deputy general’s words, feeling somewhat helpless. They knew if Gao Jian captured a considerable amount of military supplies, he would once again remain unscathed, his merits balancing his faults. Though they deeply hated Gao Jian, with the deputy general’s directive, they dared not say more.

For a moment, the tent became somewhat quiet; the originally discussed military operations temporarily halted, as everyone carefully listened to the sounds outside...

Clearly, at this moment, for the deputy general, the merchants outside seem to be the most pressing matter.

After some time, the sounds of fighting continued, causing the deputy general and others to furrow their brows, as it was unexpected that just a few merchants hadn’t been caught yet, which was quite unexpected.

Gao Jian was getting anxious, especially seeing the deputy general’s slightly impatient expression, making him more eager to hear a report from a soldier stating the merchants had been slain.