These Daoists gathered together to sit and discourse on the Dao, to roam mountains and rivers. Whether discussing the Dao or traveling, none of it happened in a vacuum.
Wherever something significant occurred, these Daoists would congregate. Many things, after all, were separated by a layer when seen in Daoist texts versus experienced firsthand.
As for the events in the Southern Wasteland, the protagonists of this affair, in the eyes of the Daoists, were undoubtedly Wu Qi's Tiger Leopard Cavalry.
Within the Tiger Leopard Cavalry, although Wu Yuan did not hold a high position and was merely a commandant with only twenty-five men including himself, every Daoist knew that Wu Yuan was a key figure in the Tiger Leopard Cavalry.
Not only had he been born with an unusual aura, bearing the aspect of tiger and wolf, and possessing considerable martial skill, but more importantly, he was Wu Qi's biological nephew.
Anyone with eyes could see that though Wu Yuan's rank was low at present, this was Wu Qi deliberately tempering him—placing him at the bottom first so he could understand how the army operated and what conditions were truly like below, lest he begin in a lofty position without knowing anything of those beneath him and be hoodwinked by them.
Throughout ancient and modern times, those who began directly in high positions, lacking tempering, generally found it difficult to achieve any great development later on.
Given Wu Yuan's circumstances, after a few years of training at the lower levels, promoting him swiftly afterward would be no more than a matter of Wu Qi's whim.
As for merit, many times, when those above said you had merit, then even if you had done nothing at all, you had merit. Conversely, no matter how much you had done, the merit might