“Huang Jingtian, don’t you dare speak carelessly again!” Yan Chengcai took a step forward and shouted, “It seems like you didn’t have enough of your last lesson. Would you like to lie in bed for another ten to fifteen days?”
Huang Jingtian was embarrassed and enraged. “Yan Chengcai, don’t be so arrogant. If you’re so capable, let’s have another fight appointment!”
Yan Chengcai laughed out loud, and was not going to be outdone. “It’s just what I wanted!”
“Tomorrow night!”
“The same place!”
They mentioned at the same time, “Be there or be square!”
The two of them spoke with strong killing intent, and the soldiers looked so fierce as though they were ready to fight any time.
Upon seeing the terrible situation, Shopkeeper Lin quickly said, “Everyone, military masters, please talk things out!”
Huang Jingtian was rather fearful when he looked at him. He suddenly reached his arms out to clash them together.
“Ding…”
A loud voice echoed in the shop.
Huang Jingtian expressed seriously, “Yan Chengcai, I’m not going to take advantage of you. Let me tell you, the master invited by the general has already researched on a smithing skill to transform arm guards into Good Grade, and it’ll likely become the military’s standard in the future. Hehe, we’re lucky to have enjoyed the benefit first, so we’re already wearing the equipment. If you’d like to surrender, it’s not too late yet.”
Following them, the men behind him reached their hands out to clash them together too.
The sound of metals clashing was heard endlessly.
After Huang Jingtian and his men demonstrated, they turned to leave, and no longer had the mood to stroll around the bazaar anymore.
On the other hand, Yan Chengcai and the others had a grave expression on their faces, and a few of them even gasped. For some reason, their fighting will reduced by a lot.
All of a sudden, a cold, chilly voice was heard.
“Brother Yan, what’s a fight appointment?”
Chapter 41
It was suddenly dead silent in the spacious hall.
Yan Chengcai and his brothers were obviously embarrassed. In actual fact, private fights were not uncommon in the military, but they only happened between brave and ruthless soldiers and had nothing to do with Military Fire Blacksmiths.
Besides, private fights had to be kept hidden. Although the generals from different camps were already aware, nobody actually brought it up.
Ou Yangming put on a straight face. “Brother Yan, are you not willing to tell me?”
“Hehe…” Shopkeeper Lin forced a laugh. “Gentlemen, I prepared a quiet room for you. How about you take a short rest inside?”
Yan Chengcai quickly nodded at him gratefully.
Ou Yangming figured out that it must be something secretive, thus he entered the room too.
Sure enough, Yan Chengcai had no concerns inside the room, and he told Ou Yangming about night fights.
It was very simple. Nights fights were fight appointments made by bored soldiers with excess hormones, who usually agreed to fight on a dark and windy night at the same place because they disliked each other.
In the beginning, it was individual fights, but it was normal for soldiers to have good friends in the military camp.
Therefore, the fights became more intense, so much so that the battles between the lower class became a contest between the upper class.
Yan Chengcai and his brothers were soldiers from the West Camp under General Chen Yifan’s command, whereas Huang Jingtian clearly belonged to another camp. The soldiers from both camps fought openly and covertly, which was likely because they had tacit consent from the upper levels.
“Whose command is Huang Jingtian under?” Ou Yangming asked coldly.
“The East Camp.” Yan Chengcai did not hide the truth from him.
“General Tian from the East Camp…” Ou Yangming mumbled. He was slightly fearful after mentioning the name, but it did not mean that he could just watch with folded arms.
“Brother Yan, did you win the previous night fight against them?”
“Yes,” Yan Chengcai replied proudly, “We beat them up terribly during the last fight, and earned respect for our general.”
“They didn’t defeat you the last time, but they’re suddenly so brave now,” Ou Yangming mentioned slowly, and paused for a while before he continued, “Could it be due to their arm guards?”
Yan Chengcai and his brothers immediately had a grave expression on their faces. After a brief moment, Yan Chengcai sighed and explained with a bitter smile, “Master Ou, you don’t know this yet. There are actually some rules for the night fights. For instance, the participants from each party mustn’t exceed ten people, Yin Grade martial artists can’t be involved, and… We can’t bring weapons, armors, and helmets, or the target will be too big.”
Ou Yangming pondered for a while and quickly understood.
Though night fights were tacitly agreed, they were in the military camp.
The generals might be glad to see their soldiers fighting each other to remain bold and powerful, but if weapons were involved, the nature of the fights would be completely different.
As such, restrictions on the scale, weapons, and equipment were unquestionably necessary.
“I understand. Each of them have Good Grade arm guards now, so they’ll have the upper hand since no weapons, armors, and helmets are involved.”
“That’s right.” Yan Chengcai felt helpless. “Those are Good Grade arm guards!”
One could tell from his tone how worried he was.
Yan Chengcai and the others regarded night fights as battles for reputation, which was the most glorious event even though they were not encouraged in the military camp. Hence, they paid a lot of importance to it.
Ou Yangming began wondering seriously. If one had to fight with bare hands without wearing any armor, a pair of tough arm guards would definitely give an advantage. If the night battle was only between two people, the little advantage would not affect the final outcome, but if ten people were involved from each side, the accumulated advantages would be significant.
He twitched his mouth then asked, “Is your appointment tomorrow night?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, come find me tomorrow morning,” Ou Yangming said plainly. “Pick ten good men, and don’t embarrass General Chen.”
Honestly, Ou Yangming would not get involved if it was merely a normal fight between soldiers, but Huang Jingtian spoke about Old Craftsman and mentioned a so-called master, thus he was eager to teach that fellow a lesson.
Yan Chengcai suddenly looked up surprised and delighted. “Master Ou, you have Good Grade arm guards too?”
Ou Yangming smiled without saying a word, but his confident smile said it all.
“Master Ou, if we have Good Grade arm guards, even if they’re slightly lower in quality, we won’t lose for sure!” Yan Chengcai was elated.
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he could not help but look at Yan Chengcai unhappily.
‘What do you mean that they’re slightly lower in quality? You’re belittling me. Are the pieces of equipment I gave you yesterday not enough to shut your mouth?’
Shopkeeper Lin who was very experienced could tell at once that Ou Yangming was displeased. While he did not believe that Ou Yangming could produce good products, he stated with a smile, “Master Ou, since it’s your first time here, how about you take a look around? We might have some collections that’ll catch your eyes.”
Ou Yangming nodded. “Okay, I’ll go take a look.”
Subsequently, Shopkeeper Lin nodded at Yan Chengcai apologetically, then ordered someone else to attend to them before he brought Ou Yangming out of the room earnestly.
Though Ou Yangming was quite young, he was an official Military Fire Blacksmith and had a position much higher than Yan Chengcai, who was a tough man who had not risen yet.
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Once Ou Yangming left, the men behind Yan Chengcai asked, “Big Brother, are you going tomorrow?”
Yan Chengcai glared at him. “Why not?”
Another man responded too, “Yes, normal soldiers like us can’t even get our hands on arm guards. If he can provide them for us, even if they’re just normal arm guards, we’ll be able to fight well!”
The rest agreed. Quality was one thing, but having arm guards itself was another matter.
They would not ask for much as long as they had the equipment.
Yan Chengcai hesitated for a while, then was extremely spirited when he suddenly recalled the three pieces of equipment in his room. ‘Perhaps Master Ou can really surprise me.’
The shop was bigger than Ou Yangming expected.
Various equipment and medicine were sold. Even though he was not very knowledgeable in this, he knew that a normal person could not have opened a shop like this.
After taking a look around, he realized that the equipment sold did not catch his eyes at all because they were mostly Good Grade equipment. There were rarely any High Grade ones, let alone Attribute Equipment.
Without Ou Yangming knowing, his vision was already at a high level.
As for medicine, he could not evaluate them since he knew nothing about them. Nevertheless, he was certain that they were not precious items as they were placed together with the normal equipment.
Shopkeeper Lin frowned a little as he noticed the disdainful look from Ou Yangming.
He cleared his throat. “Master Ou, the first floor might not have anything that’ll attract you. Please come with me.”
Shopkeeper Lin did not actually intend to bring Ou Yangming to the other floor, but Ou Yangming’s scornful look triggered his emulation.
“Master Ou, this is the VIP room in our shop, where General Lin and General Tian have visited many times!” Shopkeeper Lin said with a smile when they were on the second floor. Though he only mentioned two names, it was enough to let Ou Yangming know that his shop had a solid background.
Ou Yangming was secretly surprised because he really noticed a few precious items on the walls when he looked around.
He could not identify the equipment’s specific attributes by looking at them, but he could at least judge if they were good or bad.
Shopkeeper Lin chuckled to himself as he thought that he finally suppressed the pretentious child. Nonetheless, he uttered, “Master Ou, you’re welcome to appraise them if you’d like to.”
Ou Yangming looked at Shopkeeper Lin strangely. He was not a flower in a greenhouse and had experienced the fickleness of the world since he was young, thus he could tell the shopkeeper’s intention.
He scoffed and retrieved a broad ax from the wall beside him.
It was a Qimen Weapon 1, but many strong men in the military camp were fond of it.
The faintly discernible Military Fire burned in Ou Yangming’s hands, and Shopkeeper Lin did not notice it at all even though he was just next to him.
As Ou Yangming weighed the broad ax in his hands, he thought to himself, ‘Its weight, its weight. It’s not light at all…’
“Master Ou, what do you think about this Star Moon Ax?”
Ou Yangming smiled. “It’s only a High Grade Rank One item, it’s nothing much.”
Shopkeeper Lin was so stunned that he widened his mouth, and words were stuck in his throat. Being one of the shopkeepers here, it was natural that he was aware of the Star Moon Ax’s quality, but if he were to appraise it himself, he could only tell that it was a High Grade one, and could only guess its rank.
However, Ou Yangming actually mentioned the Star Moon Ax’s equivalent rank just like that, which really shocked the shopkeeper.
Ou Yangming put the broad ax down, then picked up another saber. The saber was slightly different from a typical military saber in terms of its style because it was long and narrow like a rapier. Despite that, he praised after taking a look at it, “High Grade Rank Four, this is much better than the ax.”
While both items were of High Grade, their equivalent ranks were important.
Ou Yangming picked up a helmet after putting the saber down. He took the opportunity to use his Military Fire in a flash.
“High Grade Rank Three.”
“Mm, High Grade Rank Four.”
“This one’s a High Grade Rank Two.”
“Oh my, this one’s a Rank Five at the peak of High Grade. Hehe, Shopkeeper Lin, you have the different ranks of High Grade equipment here.”
Chapter 42
Shopkeeper Lin was so shocked that he became speechless.
He initially brought Ou Yangming to the second floor with the intention to see him make a fool out of himself. After all, the fact that Ou Yangming was called a master at this age but was disdainful when he looked at the items on the first floor earlier made him very unconvincing.
However, Shopkeeper Lin dared not belittle him anymore.
He was appalled when Ou Yangming listed the equipment’s equivalent ranks casually. If he was not certain that Ou Yangming had never seen the equipment before, he would actually think that the young fellow actually worked there and managed the equipment in the store.
Ou Yangming became more interested the more he assessed the equipment. As he identified the attributes of the pieces of equipment through his Military Fire, he was also observing the slight differences between them.
The pieces of equipment were not smithed by Old Craftsman or another Military Fire Blacksmith in the military camp. It was obvious that they were made by someone famous.
Normal people could not learn anything from them, but like a connoisseur who recognized the artistry, Ou Yangming noticed the mystery in them and was sometimes enlightened.
Needless to say, he did not gain a lot as he only had a short time.
“High Grade Rank Two,” Ou Yangming mentioned after looking at another armor. When he looked closely again, he noticed that a lot of effort was put into the smithing process because the details were managed much better than how he usually did. Additionally, its durability exceeded the limit of High Grade Rank Two as it was at least at the peak, which was 15 points.
Shopkeeper Lin’s eyes glowed, and he suddenly uttered, “Master Ou, take a closer look at it.”
“Yes, it’s a High Grade Rank Two.” Ou Yangming was stunned, so he quickly used his Military Fire again. After a short pause, he added, “It’s a White Slate Equipment, not an Attribute Equipment.”
Shopkeeper Lin thought to himself, ‘You don’t say. Why would I hang it up if it’s an Attribute Equipment?’
“Master Ou, you might’ve made a mistake. This equipment is High Grade Rank Three.” He chuckled and sighed a breath of relief to himself because Master Ou finally made a mistake. If Ou Yangming did not make an error at all, it would be quite hair-raising.
Ou Yangming looked at the shopkeeper strangely. After checking with his Military Fire for the third time, he mentioned firmly, “It’s impossible, this is a High Grade Rank Two!”
Shopkeeper Lin hesitated. “Master Ou, the pieces of equipment here were sent from the prefecture, and were appraised by a special appraiser, so they’re definitely right.”
Ou Yangming was a young and spirited man, thus he was furious when he heard the shopkeeper criticizing that he was inferior to an appraiser from the prefecture. “Shopkeeper Lin, I didn’t lie, this is indeed a High Grade Rank Two.”
Shopkeeper Lin laughed but was suddenly indecisive due to Ou Yangming’s resolute attitude.
This was because Ou Yangming’s performance earlier really gave him a deep impression. The ability to appraise an item so casually was only possible for old tributaries at the capital, such that even the chief appraiser from the prefecture could not do it so easily.
“Master Ou, our shop received a batch of products two days ago, and an appraiser from the prefecture escorted it.” Shopkeeper Lin then suggested carefully, “May I invite him over to take a look at it?”
“
Okay. Once he takes a look at it, you’ll understand,” Ou Yangming replied without hesitation as he was extremely confident about his Military Fire’s judgment.
With that, Shopkeeper Lin gave an instruction to his staff, and a middle-aged man was brought to the second floor before long.
“Shopkeeper Lin, which equipment were you talking about?” The middle-aged man asked with a serious look on his face. Although he noticed Ou Yangming, he was not bothered about him at all.
“Master Zheng, it’s this one.” Shopkeeper Lin immediately pointed at the armor.
“Shopkeeper Lin, this armor was evaluated to be High Grade Rank Three, there shouldn’t be any problem,” Master Cheng said with a frown after he touched and knocked the armor for a while. After a short pause, he asked, “Who said that the appraisal is wrong?”
“Master Zheng, it’s Master Ou who said it,” Shopkeeper Lin looked at Ou Yangming strangely when he answered.
“Master Ou?” Master Zhang was stunned. He cast an odd look at Ou Yangming.
Who was Master Zhang? He was an official appraiser who became an apprentice when he was around Ou Yangming’s age, where he helped handle different pieces of equipment under the old master in the shop. Due to his diligence and outstanding talent, he was noticed by the tributaries and was officially taught the appraisal technique. It was after he accumulated plenty of experience from working hard for more than a decade that he advanced to his current position.
On the other hand, who was the so-called Master Ou? He was just a fifteen to sixteen-year-old teen.
How could someone like him lie about being able to appraise equipment?
Master Zhang laughed. “Shopkeeper Lin, come on, don’t be so gullible, okay? You asked me to come because of this? Don’t you know that I’m very busy?”
Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows a little. Even if he was dumb, he could tell that Master Zheng was looking down at him.
He scoffed and expressed seriously, “Master Zheng, I’m sure that this armor is High Grade Rank Two. Although a lot of effort was put into the smithing process, and its durability is much better than other armors of the same grade as the details were perfected, it’s definitely a Rank Two!”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 25
