bookrandom Chapter 75 "A thief never leaves empty-handed"
Chapter 75 "A thief never leaves empty-handed"
The group looked at the magnificent "Mountain Moving" masterpiece that seemed to defy the laws of nature, but they were not particularly surprised, as if it were all to be expected.
Seeing that the mission was accomplished, the tense nerves of several new recruits relaxed instantly, their legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground.
"Hey bro from team three over there, can I borrow your wheelchair for a bit?"
Chen Dahai was heartbroken over the explosive crossbow bolts he had just used. Armor-piercing arrows could be recovered, but explosive ones were truly unusable. His heart was bleeding when he heard the inhuman demands coming from next door. He shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Please don't joke, sir. Even those who are physically fit are exhausted after today's battle, let alone someone like me with a crippled leg. I hope you can be understanding."
“You didn’t run away either. We ran through the forest and rocks to get here.”
"But I was being pressed down by a 200-pound strongman..."
Upon hearing this, the brother was speechless.
On the other side, the three team leaders were discussing with the instructors how to spend the night.
Xueyan didn't care at all. "There are residual wood and water spiritual energy in the very center of that pit. There's a good amount of them. We can cultivate there for one night and set off again tomorrow."
"Instructor, isn't this a bit dangerous? The tree spirit has just left, and who knows what the numerous ownerless tree roots might do. They turned the ground upside down like earthen dragons, and what we see at the bottom of the pit now may not be the real bottom." Although the captain of the second team was usually competitive, he was still very prudent in his actions. His confidence came from his strength.
Matt raised a more obvious question: "Instructor Xueyan, where did that lake go? The amount of water sprayed to put out the fire was too small. The amount of water in the lake should be far more than the amount evaporated by the fire."
Xueyan was pleased with the two men's careful observation and immediately answered their questions.
"When you're about to embark on a long journey, wouldn't you eat your fill before setting off? The lake water has been 'drunk' by the tree spirit, so there's no need to worry. The bottom of the pit should be solid now, so there's no need to fret about that. I've gathered detailed information about the tree spirit... And you, team leader of the third squad, what are your thoughts?"
"Ah, me? Um... Instructor, do you think there's any treasure at the bottom of the pit?"
Zhong Ming was so engrossed in "collecting trash" that he was thoroughly enjoying watching his treasures enter the storage stone one by one. It felt like he was back in his childhood, counting copper coins one by one and then telling his father with a big smile that their family's savings had increased again.
Oh, sometimes fathers are mean; they'll tell you you miscounted and make you count again.
Seeing that the others were looking at Zhong Ming like he was an idiot, he added, "It's not particularly rare for it, but it's still a valuable item for a small guy like me who's at the third level of Qi Refining. After all, it's a tree spirit, and the only places it can hide things are inside trees and underground."
To be honest, after Zhong Ming explained his reasons, the others felt that there was some truth to it.
Matt's eyes visibly brightened. He was quite the expert at digging; who in the mountains wouldn't recognize a local delicacy?
"Report, Instructor Xueyan, I think the Third Squad Leader makes a good point. How about we go down and scout ahead first, make sure there's no danger, and then call our comrades?"
The second captain rolled his eyes at him. "Are you trying to make sure there's no danger? You're going to go find the treasure first."
Xueyan granted his request and ordered the three captains to set off immediately.
......
The sky is bright.
The new recruits slept on the cold stones all night, but the two girls were even more ruthless; they fell asleep standing up.
The three captains, covered in mud, searched all night in the dark, but found nothing but some rotten tree roots.
Zhong Ming and the others collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Even though he hadn't contributed much in the battle, he was completely drained.
"Alright, little guys, gather together. We're heading to the rendezvous point. The next mission awaits us."
"Okay." The group replied listlessly.
"Master Cuihong" staggered uphill, when suddenly he tripped over something and fell flat on his face.
"Third Captain, stop sniffing for treasure. There's nothing here. Let's go!" Matt said sarcastically. You can't entirely blame this guy for his unreliable idea that kept them up all night, but after all, he was the one who came up with it.
Zhong Ming, his face covered in mud, angrily got up and reached out to touch it, wanting to see what damn thing had tripped him up.
He touched it and found it was a tree root, which he pulled out with force.
Eh?
He looked left and right, wiped away the dirt, and looked again.
This tree root has one distinctive feature: it's straight, exceptionally straight, and without any side branches.
It is common knowledge that no man can resist a naturally straight wooden stick.
Zhong Ming raised it, waved it, and chuckled. With his thieving... well, I mean, hamster-like nature, he'd definitely take it with him no matter what.
He walked at the very back, and when he climbed up, even Xueyan frowned. He looked too miserable; with that "crutch," he was dirtier than a beggar.
Watching the filthy third team leader approach the group step by step, the pressure was no less than a man wielding a dung mop closing in on you. Xueyan took a step back and said in a tone that was both kind and irritating, "There's a lake in our direction. We'll go around it. You, swim across. If you still have a speck of mud on you after crossing the lake, I'll have the gale from the sky blow it off for you."
"As ordered."
Zhong Ming returned to his team dejectedly. Don't ask why he didn't put the wooden stick in the storage stone; it was already full of pine cones, and there was simply no room left.
A mud figure leaning on a mud stick leads a small team forward; it looks awkward no matter how you look at it.
Xuanjing and Yue Kaishan carried the wheelchair for several miles along the mountain road, asking how far it was from the lake as they went. They had to take turns carrying the wheelchair, that was the rule. Zhongming, you hurry up and wash it clean for me.
Matt also found it strange that he was carrying around a wooden stick without any spiritual energy. "Third Captain, your walking stick is too heavy and useless. Even if this is a government office, it's not your turn to be the one to give a beating."
"Captain Matt, I can go back and work on it. At worst, I can just use it to dry clothes in the barracks."
.....
After one stick of incense.
Zhong Ming emerged from the lake, dripping wet. After a refreshing swim, he felt much more energetic. The wooden stick in his hand was now clean and sturdy, though nothing special.
It was indeed too thick to be used as a walking stick, but carrying it on his shoulder gave him a feeling of being a mirror grinder walking through the streets and alleys.
"Sharpening a mirror~~~ Sharpening a kitchen knife~~~ Sharpening it until it shines brightly~~ It makes people look shiny~" He hummed a little tune he hadn't sung in a long time and followed at the back of the line.