Ou Yangming pondered before he said, “Brother Yan, I hope that you won’t spread that I left the camp today.”
Yan Chengcai nodded. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep my mouth shut, and I won’t let the others speak nonsense.”
There were hidden meanings in what they said, so much so that the other men could only understand, at most, half of what they had said. Only the two of them knew very well what they meant.
Ou Yangming nodded then entered his residence. He was relieved after getting Yan Chengcai’s promise.
Yan Chengcai waved his hand hard, and was obviously elated. He would have never imagined that he could get acquainted with Master Ou, and could even receive such a huge benefit. In this case, he no longer despised the fop that much because the outcome would not have been so perfect if the fop had not suddenly intervened.
The next morning, Yan Chengcai woke up his brothers to instruct them not to spread what had happened yesterday, and especially stressed the point that Master Ou did not join them.
The men were grateful after receiving gifts from Ou Yangming, and they figured that the master did not want to be involved in the grudges between the two generals, thus they agreed without suspecting anything.
As for the superior who asked about the battle, Yan Chengcai told him everything that happened except the part where Ou Yangming followed them.
The superior would never relate the masked man who defeated the fop with a Military Fire Blacksmith no matter how well he imagined things.
※※※※
Even though it was peaceful in the West Camp, the East Camp was in a clamor.
A bearded man glared at Huang Jingtian and his men. He was exasperated that they did not meet his expectations. “Idiot, I humbled myself to borrow Good Grade arm guards for you, why did you lose? You even lost more terribly than you did the last time!”
Huang Jingtian lowered his head as he dared not defend himself. He knew his superior’s temper very well, and things would only be worse if he tried to explain.
As expected, the big man was tired of scolding him after some time. “What happened? Tell me!”
“Sir, we didn’t lose unjustly this time…” Huang Jingtian looked up.
“What?” The bearded man widened his eyes.
Huang Jingtian endured the pain as he responded, “Sir, we may have arm guards, but each of them had arm guards and greaves. We were caught off guard, which is why we lost.”
Feeling startled, the big man furrowed his eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound right. I didn’t hear about anyone from the West Camp making transfers at the depot. Hmph, it was only a day, how did they gather those pieces of equipment if they didn’t withdraw them from the depot?”
Huang Jingtian was helpless. Since the man had no idea, he was even more clueless.
“Even if they had greaves, your arm guards are of Good Grade, so you couldn’t have lost this badly,” The big man hesitated before mentioning.
“Sir, please take a look at me.” Huang Jingtian gritted his teeth. He rolled up his sleeves to show his arms, as well as the arm guards, but the guards had many holes in them, and some were especially obvious that they even dented.
“Wh-what happened?” The big man’s face changed as he exclaimed.
“We matched force with force against them, and we ended up quite seriously injured.” Huang Jingtian smiled bitterly.
The big man instantly had a grave expression on his face. Being an elder in the military, though he did not know how to smith equipment, he was aware of equipment properties very well.
There could only be one explanation for the awfully damaged arm guards, which was that their opponents had more powerful equipment than them!
“Sir, Brother Han cultivated the Iron Leg Technique very well, so if they were normal Good Grade greaves, his leg wouldn’t have been broken…” Huang Jingtian added after a short pause.
The big man’s face turned dark. “Are you saying that they had pieces of High Grade equipment?”
Huang Jingtian lowered his head without saying a word, but his expression said it all.
Brother Han was the fellow who fought Big Bull, and he was extremely unlucky because the only High Grade equipment given by Ou Yangming was worn by Big Bull. If Brother Han’s Iron Leg Technique was blocked by a Good Grade greave, he probably would not have broken his leg, but he had a miserable ending since he went against Big Bull out of everyone else.
“High Grade equipment, the West Camp cheated too much!” The big man’s eyes shone.
He did not mention his soldiers’ lack of preparation at all, and blamed everything on the West Camp.
Huang Jingtian then talked about the fop who challenged them, as well as his escape after that.
“Could that person be him?” The big man’s face changed.
“Sir, do you know that fella?” Huang Jingtian’s eyes glowed.
The big man glared at him. “Hmph, you don’t have to find out about that person. If it’s really him, he’s not someone who can be provoked by us!”
Huang Jingtian felt chills down his spine. “Yes, sir.”
Afterward, the big man gestured for him to leave. Huang Jingtian then looked for the medical officer to treat the others.
On the other hand, the burly man who was superior to Big Bull was deep in thought. The fact that the West Camp was able to gather so many pieces of equipment secretly and even let normal soldiers use them was truly worrying…
Chapter 50
Ou Yangming slept the moment he returned to his room.
Although he had benefited greatly from the opportunity tonight, he curbed his thoughts and slept soundly.
He recovered half of his energy after sleeping for only two hours, and was full of energy when he finally awoke.
Ou Yangming then began practicing the martial-art squat, the blade technique, and the fist art in his courtyard. This was his homework every day, and he never once slacked.
In actual fact, as his position in the Armament Camp became more stable, he was safe from assassination as long as he stayed in the military camp.
Forget about Zhang Yinfan who could not identify who killed his nephew because even if he did, he would not dare to send a killer as he had before.
Making a helper disappear soundlessly was completely different from making an official Military Fire Blacksmith who could submit three pieces of Attribute Equipment a month disappear.
For the former, even if Old Craftsman who was not resigned to the outcome were to search for him, the others would likely agree overtly but neglect the matter instead.
As for the latter, all the generals would be so enraged that they would join hands to find the murderer.
Therefore, Ou Yangming was not worried about his safety for the time being. Zhang Yinfan’s existence in the military camp was still a huge threat to him, but it was also driving him to work harder.
If Sui Hezhi was watching him at that moment, he would notice that even though Ou Yangming was still practicing the blade technique and fist art that was taught by him, they were strangely different from what was originally taught. While the movements were still the same, the changes added a sense of elegance into them, which simply made them different.
This was the result achieved by Ou Yangming after incorporating his experience into the techniques. It was not the techniques that changed, but something that was indescribable.
Ou Yangming stopped after a long time. His Qi and blood had declined significantly due to the intense training, but he was not concerned because the quarry sent by Squad Leader Yan that day was still at home.
As his Military Fire danced, he channeled the Devouring attribute into his military sword to absorb the wild beast’s flesh and blood completely.
Subsequently, he withdrew the Devouring attribute.
Among the attributes stored, Ou Yangming valued Devouring the most, and he would never reveal it to anyone else no matter what.
When he became rich in Qi and blood agai
n, his mental power was affected as it became more powerful.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming knew that it was just a false appearance.
A person was normally in high spirits when one’s body was abundant in Qi and blood, thus it was not easy to feel exhausted. On the contrary, how spirited could a person be if one was weak and without strength?
Nonetheless, it was true that rich Qi and blood were only beneficial for one’s body.
Ou Yangming headed to his smithing workshop after cleaning up to begin smithing equipment.
Since he gave out quite a number of arm guards and greaves, it would not be kept a secret no matter how many times he reminded the men, especially when Kang Weibo would definitely find out through his ways. If that was the case, he needed to submit more pieces of equipment to shut Kang Weibo’s mouth. Of course, it was just a small issue that was not worth mentioning at all to him.
As his Military Fire burned, a military saber took form in his hands. Under normal circumstances, the equipment was already completed. He could either attach Unique Attributes or stop.
However, Ou Yangming was suddenly moved.
He recalled the different skills that he learned yesterday. It was true that the skills only applied to body techniques, but they were so smooth and wonderful that it made him yearn for more.
It was exactly because he learned the skills by chance that allowed him to transfer the mental power between his eyebrows.
Ou Yangming quickly shifted his thought to his mental power.
He wanted to find out what would happen to the smithing process if he increased his mental power usage.
In the past, Ou Yangming could not have done this even if he thought about it because his mental power was never under his control. This time, after putting a bit of purple light aside, more mental power flowed into his mind.
Once his mental power fluctuated, he quickly guided it. Although the process was unstable, and more attempts were needed for him to maneuver it smoothly, he was able to handle it for his current experiment.
Feeling rather anxious, Ou Yangming channeled a stream of mental power into his MIlitary Fire, then eventually into the military saber.
He did not release much mental power this time because the attempt was a very fresh one for him. Hence, he wanted to prioritize his safety.
The instant the mental power in his Military Fire touched the saber, a peculiar thing happened.
Both the mental power and the Military Fire vanished.
Yes. whether it was Ou Yangming’s mental power or his fire, they detached from him and were nowhere to be found. Despite that, he vaguely noticed a trace right before they disappeared. They seemed to have merged into one, and were absorbed by the military saber.
Ou Yangming was puzzled and at a loss when he held the brand new military saber.
What was that? After smithing so many pieces of equipment, it was his first time encountering an unexplainable situation as such.
The feeling that was beyond his imagination and made him lose control frightened him. Ou Yangming actually understood how the fop felt yesterday when they battled; they both lost control.
Smithing with the Military Fire was how Ou Yangming based himself in the military camp, thus he must not make a mistake.
By taking a deep breath, he finally calmed himself down. Next, he turned his wrist to activate his Military Fire again, then controlled it while getting it closer to the strange military saber.
Before long, the military saber’s attributes appeared.
[Item: Outstanding military saber (Red)]
[Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Good Grade, Rank Three]
[Attributes: Sharpness +7, Toughness +6, Durability 6]
[Skill: Self-explosive when released]
Ou Yangming’s eyes sparkled. There was a new row of words at the bottom of the military saber.
Skill.
Ou Yangming quickly understood where it came from. The mysterious change happened because he comprehended the essence of skills, and transferred his mental power to merge with his Military Fire before channeling them into the weapon.
While it was not an added attribute, Ou Yangming gained something new.
That being said, the words ‘self-explosive when released’ were rather hair-raising.
Ou Yangming hesitated for a while, then used his Military Fire to draw the saber’s Sharpness and Toughness attributes. Only after it changed from being an outstanding item of Good Grade Rank Three to Common Grade Rank Three, which was when the Sharpness and Toughness had only 3 points each, did he stop.
Following that, he put on the equipment set that he kept at his smithing workshop, then went over to the hearth.
The hearth could be used to smith armaments, but one could imagine the hardness and thickness of the armaments produced. Ou Yangming, who was fully armored, hid behind it, thus he would not be injured even if his smithing workshop exploded.
After confirming his safety again, he channeled his essential Qi into the military saber.
Once his essential Qi’s threshold was at its highest, he threw the saber to the front of the hearth, then quickly squatted to hide.
“Pow—”
The flying military saber suddenly exploded the moment it touched the wall, and a loud sound was heard.
Ou Yangming somehow heard a buzzing sound as well, then the workshop was dead silent.
When he looked up carefully, he widened his eyes. The wall in front of the hearth was heavily damaged, by which countless tiny and densely packed holes were seen.
Based on Ou Yangming’s experience and eyesight, he could instantly confirm that the tiny holes were caused by thin iron shards.
It was then when Ou Yangming completely understood the meaning and the might of self-explosive.
The meaning was pretty much self-explanatory, and one would understand as long as one was not a fool. On the other hand, its might was very worth looking forward to.
A military saber of Common Grade Rank Three that exploded actually caused such a fearsome effect. What if it was at the peak of Good Grade, or even High Grade?
Once the thought crossed Ou Yangming’s mind, he felt chills down his spine.
Other people might not know, but he was certain that he would be doomed if a military saber at the peak of High Grade suddenly exploded in front of him, and if he was not well-prepared.
‘It turns out that when mental power and the Military Fire merge, and is channeled into a weapon, a skill like this is produced.
‘Hmm, even though the skill feels quite weak, it’ll definitely be effective if used during an appropriate situation.
Just as Ou Yangming was trying to figure things out, someone knocked on the door.
Ou Yangming frowned and opened the door impatiently, but was stunned when he saw who it was.
Upon seeing the unfriendly look on his face, Yan Haobo was rather nervous. “Master Ou, we’ll be heading to the mountain tomorrow, would you like to come along?”
Ou Yangming was no longer displeased when he recalled the matter, so he smiled. “Squad Leader Yan, I’ll definitely join. Hehe, please take care of me when we hunt in the forest!”
Yan Haobo quickly humbled himself, then slapped his chest and claimed that he would let Master Ou have an enjoyable experience.
Seeing as Yan Haobo was being so energetic, Ou Yangming knew that he already knew about the night fight, as well as where Yan Chengcai and his brothers acquired their pieces of equipment from.
After sending Yan Haobo away, Ou Yangming pondered and began smithing.
This time, instead of smithing a military saber, he forged an exquisite dagger that could be carried around easily.
Chapter 51
The next morning, Ou Yangming reported to Old Craftsman, then left with Yan Haobo’s ten-men squad.
Although Old Craftsman was confused and slightly displeased about Ou Yangming being so keen to enter the dense forest, he did not make a fuss out of it. He looked at the young fello
w, then sighed just as he was feeling a tingling sensation. “You’ve grown up, so you should have your own ideas. I just hope that you won’t pursue instant results because doing things step by step is the norm that we should follow.”
Ou Yangming nodded. In actual fact, if he had not acquired the purple brilliance from the Military Fire Badge, he could not have had such unbelievable performances. Back then, he would have followed Old Craftsman’s teachings methodically to advance steadily.
Perhaps he could be on par with or surpass Old Craftsman one day.
Nevertheless, since Heaven gave him the opportunity, he would try to accomplish something to not waste his youth.
Needless to say, Ou Yangming could think about it or even put it into practice, but it was best for him to keep it low in front of Old Craftsman.
Ou Yangming set out smoothly since Old Craftsman did not stop him.
While it was a ten-men squad, there were actually more than twenty men who followed Yan Haobo, and they even prepared mules and horses to transport items.
It was then when Ou Yangming realized that hunting in the dense forest was not as simple as he imagined because there were fixed procedures to follow in the military camp.
All pieces of equipment were carried by the mules and horses, which were only distributed once they were outside the dense forest.
It was a much more relaxed trip than when Ou Yangming ran with full equipment by himself.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming twitched his mouth a little when he took a closer look at the pieces of equipment.
These men were the Guards under General Chen Yifan’s command, and each of them had the cultivation base of at least Force Grade Class Five. In fact, more than half of the soldiers were already at Yin Grade, such that Squad Leader Yan Haobo was even a master at Yin Grade Class Three.
Despite that, the pieces of equipment that they had were unsightly. While they did not lack a military saber, a shield, a helmet, arm guards, and greaves, not every one of them had armor.
Yan Haobo chuckled when he glanced at Ou Yangming. “Master Ou, please don’t laugh at us. One who joins the Guards will be given a full equipment set, but the general gave orders that those who aren’t at Yin Grade yet can’t be wearing armor.”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 30
