Ou Yangming’s mouth twitched. When he looked at Ni Yinghong being so friendly with a big yellow dog that bore a Yang Grade aura, he felt that they were out of place.
“Big Yellow, this is Ou Yangming, my friend. You mustn’t bark at him next time, understood?” Ni Yinghong said sternly as if she was talking to a person.
The big yellow dog blinked and finally became at ease. Following that, it sniffed in Ou Yangming’s direction, thus Ou Yangming no longer felt the enormous pressure.
Ou Yangming exhaled deeply. While he was confident if he had to fight, he was glad that he did not need to fight a big yellow dog in Yang Grade.
After all, dogs and humans were different; a human could not bite a dog. Without carrying any weapon, nobody would dare to provoke Big Yellow for fun.
“Brother Ni, is Big Yellow a half-spirit beast?” Ou Yangming suddenly asked as a thought crossed his mind.
Ni Yinghong giggled and replied to him, “That’s right, you really have a good eye!”
Ou Yangming gasped. ‘A half-spirit beast… Ni Yinghong actually has a half-spirit beast as a watchdog? Uhm, but the big yellow dog is indeed a guard dog.’
Nevertheless, it was quite unbelievable that the dog was actually a half-spirit beast.
Ou Yangming could not help but have a strange look on his face when he thought about half-spirit beasts.
He had once absorbed a half-spirit beast’s flesh and blood through the Devouring attribute. Not only did his essential Qi improve, but his mental power increased by a huge margin that was almost more than twice of what he originally had.
After that, the half-spirit beast was taken away by the others in the military, so Ou Yangming could not lay a finger on it anymore.
On the other hand, a living half-spirit beast was wagging its tail in front of him at the moment.
Suddenly, the big yellow dog stopped wagging, and it turned its head to glare fiercely at Ou Yangming as though it sensed the unusual ill intent.
Ni Yinghong quickly comforted it, “Big Yellow, be good, don’t be naughty.”
Ou Yangming quickly looked away and thought, ‘This watchdog is quite clever.”
Chapter 107 - A Long Talk At Night
Chapter 107 A Long Talk At Night
When Ni Yinghong brought Ou Yangming into her room, the big yellow dog actually wagged its tail and followed them inside too.
Seeing as Ni Yinghong was so affectionate with it, and after looking at the decoration in the room, Ou Yangming’s face took on a strange expression.
The big yellow dog glanced at him warily as it was afraid he had another wicked idea in his head.
“Brother Ou, don’t be afraid, Big Yellow has already regarded you as a friend, so it won’t hurt you,” Ni Yinhong said with a smile.
‘Who is friends with him (it)…’ Ou Yangming and the big yellow dog looked at each other and had the same thought. That said, they did not show the enmity between them in front of Ni Yinghong.
Ou Yangming finally plucked up his courage after pondering for a while, and he uttered, “Brother… Ni, I have another question for
you.”
Ni Yinghong could not help but laugh. “You really have a lot of questions.”
“Are you…” Ou Yangming chuckled as he asked, but suddenly stopped halfway. He quickly looked at his hands, then decided to swallow his words.
‘If I guessed it right, isn’t my action earlier…’ He thought about an extremely serious problem, and the thought of it stressed him out. If he exposed Ni Yinghong’s disguise, he might not be able to save his hands that had stayed with him for 16 years.
Ni Yinghong asked in confusion, “Am I what?”
Ou Yangming quickly thought of something else and asked, “I wanted to ask, are you suddenly not going to tell me anymore…”
“Hmph, I won’t lie to you since I promised you, but it’s exceptionally difficult and dangerous to acquire the spiritual medicine, so much so that it’s far beyond your imagination,” Ni Yinghong responded snappily.
“It’s fine, tell me about it first.” Ou Yangming could not help but laugh.
He had quite a cheerful attitude because he had decided not to shrink no matter how difficult it would be. Even if it would cost his life, he would consider it fate because there was nothing he could do.
Therefore, Ou Yangming was truly unaffected, and he did not force himself to put on an act.
Ni Yinghong asked after some thought, “Tell me first, how did you figure out that there’s a spiritual medicine like that?”
Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation, “Because of the way you acted!”
“What? What does it have to do with us?”
“You’re neither a relative nor a friend of Old Craftsman, but you’re willing to pay such a huge price to keep him alive,” Ou Yangming replied to her frankly, “If you’re only keeping him alive so I can see him one last time, you wouldn’t have stopped me from meeting him, and would’ve let him leave in peace instead once his wish is fulfilled. Since you didn’t let me in, you must be clinging on to a ray of hope that Old Man can be saved, am I right?”
Ni Yinghong looked at him in astonishment as if it was her first time meeting him. “Go on.”
Ou Yangming nodded slightly. “If I guessed it right, the method that you said probably has something to do with me, but there’s one thing I can’t figure out. If your clan is so powerful, why do you need help from a nobody like me?”
“Do you know my clan?” Ni Yinghong questioned.
“I don’t,” Ou Yangming gave an unusually brief answer.
“You don’t? If you don’t, why did you say that my clan is powerful?”
Ou Yangming glanced at the big yellow dog while Ni Yinghong reached her head out to hold her forehead. She had been so mad about Ou Yangming’s abnormal behavior earlier that she became confused, and her IQ was lowered.
‘I have a half-spirit beast as a pet, isn’t it enough to tell?’ She thought to herself
“Brother Ou, since you guessed it, I’m not going to hide it from you anymore,” Ni Yinghong later sighed and said in all seriousness, “Our clan is indeed seeking help. We initially only wanted to do you favors and planned to ask you for help after paying a certain price, but Old Man’s time is almost up and he’s already at death’s door. Coincidentally, the place we need you to go has a longevity spiritual medicine, so…” She looked at Ou Yangming earnestly. “Brother Ou, will you blame me for hiding the truth?”
“I can’t even thank you enough, how can I blame you?” Ou Yangming shook his head and expressed from the bottom of his heart, “I don’t care what the reason behind it is. You’re willing to save Old Man’s life with a spiritual medicine, and are giving me a chance to obtain another one. If I actually bear a grudge against you, am I not worse than a pig or a dog?”
Ni Yinghong smiled with her lips pursed, and was glad that she did not choose the wrong person.
In actual fact, there were many things that one could not do at one’s free will when one was still alive.
If Ou Yangming was worthless, Ni Yinghong and the others would only save Old Craftsman with a spiritual medicine if they had nothing better to do. In fact, Ni Yinghong would not have put so much effort into helping Ou Yangming during the appraisal task if she did not need a favor from him.
Ou Yangming was incredibly glad at that moment that he was still useful.
At the very least, his worth was enough to keep Old Craftsman alive for the time being. With that as the base, everything else was unimportant.
Some people were born evil, they would feel at ease even if they used and enjoyed resources from another clan or team. On the contrary, when the clan or team asked for a favor in return or for a share of the profit, those people would think that it was a disgraceful act.
Mine was mine, and yours was mine too. This was the idea of such people.
However, those people had never wondered. Without the team that gave them a platform, and without the c
lan that provided them with resources, could they have achieved a great height?
Ni Yinghong had seen many selfish and petty people like that, which was why she was delighted when she sensed Ou Yangming’s kindness.
Only a person like him would be treated with respect and gain someone’s trust to work together, and only a person like him would have a broader path and become more powerful in the future.
“Since you’re able to understand, I’ll be honest,” Ni Yinghong said sternly, “You’ve comprehended the integration of Heaven and man, and you’re the first person we found who’s also below Extreme Grade.”
“The integration of Heaven and man?” Ou Yangming was startled. He pondered then asked with a bitter smile, “I suppose what you saw was my performance during the smithing challenge?”
He did not remember being in a deadly battle with the Ni family siblings, hence after linking the matter to the time when they suddenly treated him with a different attitude, he easily drew a conclusion.
“Yes, but there are thousands and ten thousands of cultivation paths in the world, and the apprehension in one leads to the apprehension in ten thousand more. Since you fathomed the integration of Heaven and man when you were smithing, you’re able to fathom it fully by cultivating martial arts. Besides…” Ni Yinghong smiled, then continued after a moment of hesitation, “What we need is the integration of Heaven and man, not your martial arts cultivation base.”
“Woof!” The big yellow dog suddenly barked. Instead of looking at Ou Yangming in disdain, it had a grave expression on its face.
Ni Yinghong laughed out loud. “Big Yellow says it doesn’t believe that you’ve achieved the integration of Heaven and man.”
Ou Yangming responded with a soft smile, but he did not have the mood to prove anything to the big yellow dog even though it was actually a half-spirit beast.
After a brief moment, Ni Yinghong returned to the topic. “The Ni family’s ancestors once set a forbidden area when our family’s foundation was first established. The forbidden area is exceptionally mysterious and dangerous. For generations, only seniors who have achieved the integration of Heaven and man can enter without being hurt.”
Ou Yangming was moved. “Are you asking me to enter the forbidden area?”
“Yes.”
“Since you have people who can enter the area, why must it be me?” Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows.
“Because you’re not an Extreme Grade powerhouse. Our ancestor has said that only martial artists below Extreme Grade can find the legacy,” Ni Yinghong answered without holding back. She looked rather distressed when she said, “How many Extreme Grade powerhouses can actually apprehend the integration of Heaven and man, let alone martial artists below Extreme Grade?”
Ou Yangming understood right away. “Is the legacy left by your ancestor very important?”
“Of course,” Ni Yinghong said snappily, “Which clan’s legacy isn’t important!”
Ou Yangming immediately smiled apologetically after having brought contempt upon himself. “This is simple, I just have to enter the forbidden area to acquire the spiritual medicine. Oh, yes, I have to get your clan’s legacy too!”
Ni Yinghong looked at him helplessly. ‘If our clan’s elder sees his attitude, I’m afraid that he wouldn’t let him in so easily.’
“Ni… When are we setting out?” Ou Yangming initially wanted to address her as Brother Ni, but suddenly realized that he could not bring himself to say it anymore, so he used a vague term of address.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“I have to hurry!” Ou Yangming showed a bitter smile. “Old Man is still lying there, so I’m worried…”
Ni Yinghong shook her head, but could understand his feelings. The fellow had gone so far as kneeling to beg her for the spiritual medicine, thus it was obvious that he was anxious.
“It’s pointless even if you’re so impatient, you have a test to pass before you enter the forbidden area. If you can’t pass the test, you won’t be able to enter.”
Ou Yangming was stunned. “What test is that?”
“You have to walk the Testimony Path to prove to us that you have strong confidence, or you won’t be qualified to enter the forbidden area,” Ni Yinghong answered seriously, “Don’t underestimate the Testimony Path. The Ni family has plenty of powerhouses over a thousand years, but the number of people who finished the path can be counted with one hand.”
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched. He was somewhat in a daze when he saw the soft and fair hand moving in front of him.
Nonetheless, he quickly cast his imagination aside and responded calmly, “Don’t worry, no matter how difficult the Testimony Path is, I’ll definitely complete it!”
‘Looks like it won’t be easy to save Old Man, but as I said, no matter how difficult the road ahead is, I won’t flinch.
‘Whether it’s God or Buddha, I’ll kill them if they stop me. Nothing can stop me from moving forward.’
Nevertheless, just as Ou Yangming made his decision, the big yellow dog blinked and looked at him indifferently.
‘This young fella wants to walk the Testimony Path? In his dreams!
Chapter 108 - General Meeting
A flaming sun rose slowly amidst purple mist, emitting dazzling rays to the surroundings. It was like a huge round plate that hung high above the horizon far away.
From the military camp, a group of people on horses charged out to head to the prefecture.
After learning a lesson from the incident where soldiers were obstructed halfway and killed, a huge team escorted Ou Yangming this time.
Although the military’s commanding generals could not easily leave the camp, apart from the North Camp’s commanding general, the other four generals had actually sent their respective Guards Captains.
Needless to say, Guards Captain Mei Jianyi from the East Camp was actually there to escort the Ni family young masters instead of Ou Yangming.
As for Guards Captain Wu Guotu from the Middle Camp, Guards Captain Yu Hailiang from the South Camp, and Guards Captain Liu Zhengye from the West Camp, they were naturally there to escort Ou Yangming.
Master Ou had been intercepted once before. Though the attacker failed and lost his life, it was like a slap in their faces. If a similar incident took place again, the military camp would really lose its face.
Wu Guotu was the only Yang Grade powerhouse other than the five generals in the camp, and while Yu Hailiang and the other captains were not in Yang Grade yet, they had a cultivation base at the peak of Yin Grade Class Five. With them joining hands together, and with assistance from numerous soldiers, if someone like Zhang Yinli attacked again, that person would be dead for sure.
Ou Yangming traveled by horse. He was not adept in horsemanship, but Ni Yinghong had kindly picked an elite war horse for him, so as long as he sat on it steadily, it would gallop with the rest of the squad without falling behind even if he did not ride it.
They traveled at the speed of light till afternoon, where they took a break at a shaded area. As soon as they finished their lunch, Ou Yangming asked impatiently, “Captain Wu, can we hit the road already?”.
After all, Wu Guotong was Middle Camp’s Guards captain, hence he was considered the person in charge.
He looked at Ou Yangming strangely and asked, “Master Ou, don’t you want to take a
break?”
The captain would not have looked at Ou Yangming in the eye if he had urged him in the past. However, Ou Yangming defeated Ni Yunhong in a smithing challenge, and even killed Zhang Yinli, a Yang Grade powerhouse, in the dense forest, thus Wu Guotu dared not belittle him anymore.
Ou Yangming shook his head. “Saving a person is like saving a fire, the sooner, the better.”
‘A bit of hard work is obviously not worth mentioning for tough men in the military, but what about the Ni family siblings?’ Wu Guotu nodded, but wondered. Not far away, a middle-aged man scoffed and said, “General Wu, it’s a bit too r
ushed to set out again now, the young masters from my clan are still resting…”
“There’s no need to.” Ni Yunhong stood up to cut him off. “Let’s leave now, and the faster, the better.”
The middle-aged man was stunned. He dared not disobey Ni Yunhong even though he was displeased, so he responded to the young master softly. That said, the middle-aged man could not hide his hatred for Ou Yangming when he looked up at him.
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly and said to himself, ‘I can’t believe that I offended someone again for no reason.’
Nonetheless, he always kept Old Craftsman in his mind. Ou Yangming wanted very badly to have wings so that he could hurry to the Ni residence in the prefecture to retrieve the spiritual medicine. Therefore, he could not care less about offending insignificant people.
With that, everyone continued to travel day and night, and spurred their horses to full speed. On the third day, they finally arrived at the prefecture.
Looking at it from afar, it was a magnificent giant city, but the wall around it was roughly 3 meters tall. It was Ou Yangming’s first time seeing such a gigantic structure, but he did not have time to admire it, so he looked at Ni Yunhong after taking two glances at the wall.
While he had promised Ni Yinghong to do this, the person who was really in charge was unquestionably the smithing master.
Ni Yunhong grinned when he noticed Ou Yangming looked at him. “Brother Ou, don’t worry, we won’t delay this.”
He naturally understood how eager Ou Yangming was, and honestly, his desire for the legacy in the forbidden area was not at all lesser than Ou Yangming’s yearning.
Wu Guotu cupped his hands at the other people and said, “Everyone, we’ve arrived at the prefecture. We have to report to the military, so we’ll make a move first.”
Following that, the Guards captains and the soldiers whipped their reins to ride their horses away.
They were officers and soldiers from the military, after all, so they must not desert their post. Although it was easy to find an excuse to leave, they must report to the military since they had arrived at the prefecture.
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