A number of people entered the courtyard at that moment. The leader among them was a tall man who had a smile on his face. He looked like he had lived like a prince for a long time, but his eyes looked so sharp that nobody dared to look at him in the eye.
Chen Yifan withdrew his spear and stood still. He greeted in a serious tone, “General Li!”
Zhang Mingzhe even kneeled halfway to the ground and greeted, “General Li!” Ou Yangming and his companions were informed of the man’s identity right away, so they bowed to greet him too. Old Craftsman and Ou Yangming acted normally because they had been seeing the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors; Zhong Yunda and Wang Zhongtong trembled with fear and did not know where to put their hands.
“You may get up.” Li Xinfan nodded smilingly. “Yifan, your spear technique has improved again; the Chen family has a successor.”
“Thank you for your praise, general. My spear technique is still the same, but this spear…” Chen Yifan responded seriously. He asked after a moment of hesitation, “Ou Yangming, what’s the grade and rank of this spear?”
The general had seen countless spears because he had been practicing spear techniques from young, hence he was also familiar with their grades and ranks. That said, Chen Yifan could not identify the real grade and rank of the spear in his hands.
It was quite unbelievable for him.
In actuality, Chen Yifan had a vague guess in his mind, but it was a one-sided guess, so he could not bring himself to ask the question.
Li Xinfan laughed out loud. “Yifan, your eyesight is getting poorer. Let me take a look at it.”
Chen Yifan was undecided, but he could only hand the spear to General Li reluctantly.
Li Xinfan scolded jokingly, “Young fella, when have you become so stingy and sensitive… Hey?” The general paused all of a sudden, and his face slowly took on a grim expression as he studied the spear closely.
“Is… Is this… A magic tool?” He exclaimed after a brief moment.
He was a Supreme Great Ancestor, yet he forgot himself.
Nonetheless, it was not strange because the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors were not much better when they first saw Ou Yangming smith a magic tool. “A magic tool? Is that really a magic tool?” Chen Yifan exclaimed, and his eyes glowed. He had a feeling that it was a magic tool, but it was such an absurd statement that he dared not say it earlier.
“Great spear, great spear!” Li Xinfan uttered as he wielded the spear. He was envious, but he also gave his praise openly.
The other people thought, ‘Isn’t that a given? If a magic tool isn’t considered a great spear, what other equipment in the world deserves to be a great weapon?’
Chen Yifan stared at the spear. He wanted to take it back, but he did not have the guts to make a move.
He was a commanding general for a camp, had authority, came from an influential family, and was far more knowledgeable than ordinary people. However, those were the reasons he knew better than anyone else what a magic tool represented.
The piece of equipment was not something he could possess.
Even if Chen Yifan cultivated his whole life and was lucky enough to become a great ancestor, he was unlikely to acquire a magic tool.
Now, the opportunity of getting a magic tool was right in front of the general. His heart moved with the spear when Li Xinfan wielded it, and his heartbeat constantly fluctuated.
Li Xinfan finally stopped after some time. As Chen Yifan looked at him eagerly and with concern, he asked, “Yifan, where did you get this magic tool?”
Chapter 216 - A Promise In Public
Chen Yifan hesitated for a while and turned to look at Ou Yangming.
If things went according to his original plan, he would never put Ou Yangming on the stage. Nonetheless, even if that was Chen Yifan’s initial intention, he could not have stuck to it in front of Li Xinfan.
Ou Yangming smiled and took a step forward. “General Li, I was the one who smithed the spear.”
“You…” A flash was seen in Li Xinfan’s eyes as he uttered slowly, “Ou Yangming from the Immense Forest Military Camp.”
“That’s me, senior.”
Li Xinfan’s eyes were like lightning. “Did you address me as a senior on purpose because you’re afraid I’ll enlist you using my status as general?”
Ou Yangming smiled embarrassedly and thought, ‘Since you could already tell, why did you say it out loud?’.
In front of Chen Yifan, the young fellow did not mind considering himself as a subordinate, but he had to be mindful in front of other high-level officers.
Li Xinfan flapped his sleeve and said, “Child, you don’t have to think so much. Based on the fact that you neither feared the authority nor hesitated to offend the imperial merchant and the governor to seek justice for a soldier’s family member, someone you haven’t met, nobody will make things difficult for you.”
Old Craftsman’s eyelids twitched, and he cast a dangerous look at Ou Yangming. ‘This young fella offended the imperial merchant and even the governor? Did he eat a bear’s heart or a leopard’s gall?’ Ou Yangming was shy. “General, I only did what I should do.”
Li Xinfan nodded and sighed. “Everyone knows what should be done, but how many act on it regardless of the costs?”
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he recalled the many injustices that he encountered when he was younger. The most simple example would be a robbery on the street. Everyone knew to capture the thief, but how many people actually had the guts to do it?
There were countless cases as such.
“I was furious when I heard about the matter too, but even if I act in my capacity, I can only make them stop temporarily. Once I’m transferred away, perhaps Jiang Jiumei will suffer greater hardships,” Li Xinfan expressed. He stared at Ou Yangming with his bright eyes. “You were the only one who made a move without holding back, and you adopted the strictest method to remove those demons and monsters.”
The general took half a step back with a grave expression on his face, then he did a half salute at Ou Yangming. “On behalf of the numerous soldiers, thank you, Master Ou.”
Behind him, the group of people saluted Ou Yangming as well, each of them carried out the formality solemnly without faking it. Ou Yangming was taken aback, and he quickly dodged them. “General, I don’t deserve such praise!”
“If I say you deserve it, you deserve it,” Li Xinfan uttered as he straightened his body He raised his eyebrow and added, “Lil’ Ou, I promise you that Changlong’s military is your home from now on; we won’t sit by idly and do nothing if anyone tries to trouble you!”
“We promise—”The men behind him shouted at the same time, and the masculine aura that echoed in the courtyard was moving.
Ou Yangming took a deep breath to slowly collect himself. “Thank you, general.”
It did not matter if Li Xinfan was being sincere or if he was putting on a show. Since the general had made a promise to Ou Yangming in public, the young fellow had just been given an amulet.
At the very least, if anyone in Changlong County wanted to set a trap for Ou Yangming, one would have to think thrice.
Li Xinfan chuckled and shook the spear in his hand as he asked, “Lil’ Ou, did you really smith this magic tool?”.
Ou Yangming answered proudly, “Yes.”
Li Xinfan’s eyes glowed, and it was clear that his heart was pounding.
‘A magic tool… This is a magic tool!
‘Other than the imperial family, it’s simply unbelievable that someone else in this world can smith a magic tool.’
“General Li.” Chen Yifan rubbed his hand and smiled apologetically. “Ou Yangming smithed that spear for me, you…” “You’re such a miser; I’ll return it to you!” Li Xinfan glared at him and cursed. He turned his wrist to toss the spear to Chen Yifan.
General Chen instantly caught the spear and touched it lovingly.
He had previously acquired a rare ore and asked Old Craftsman to smit
h a weapon for him, but even then, he was not hoping to obtain a magic tool.
Although the ore that he found was not used on the spear in the end, he was satisfied and had no regrets.
Li Xinfan’s face twitched as he remarked, “Yifan, based on your cultivation base, I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep this spear.”
Chen Yifan was startled, but he decided after some thought to reply to the general with a bitter smile, “Thank you for pointing it out, general. Ah, I can’t keep this spear indeed…”
Li Xinfan nodded and commented, “It’s good to know your limitations, how about…”
Nevertheless, before he could finish his sentence, Chen Yifan cut him off. “I’ll inform my clan and ask my great ancestor to get here as soon as possible. If I’m able to become a great ancestor in the future, this spear belongs to me!” General Chen spoke so firmly that there was no room for discussion.
Li Xinfan was dumbfounded, but he shook his head and sighed at last. The general stopped talking about trading the spear because he could tell that Chen Yifan regarded the weapon as his life. Unless General Chen was killed, he would not give up the spear.
General Li turned to look at Ou Yangming once more.
Ou Yangming understood from everyone’s reaction that the magic tool was far more attractive than he imagined it to be.
“General Li, I only managed to smith the spear by chance,” he explained sternly, “I went through many difficulties to search for the materials, and I only smithed two of them even though I almost lost my life.”
“Two of them?” Li Xinfan’s eyes lit up at once. “Where’s the other one?”
Ou Yangming answered with a smile, “The other one is my weapon.” “Your weapon?” Chen Yifan was moved, and he asked, “Ou Yangming, did you learn the Throat-locking Spear when you left with my clan’s great ancestor that day?”
“That’s right,” Ou Yangming responded.
Chen Yifan looked at the young fellow in all seriousness, then he suddenly shouted, “Good fella, watch my spear!”
Before the general’s voice died away, he wielded his spear and performed a few tricks as he prodded the weapon at Ou Yangming.
The spear tip vibrated and seemed blurry like specks of stars, hence everyone else could not tell where it was pointing at. However, Ou Yangming spotted the tip clearly.
With each move made, the spear tip was aimed at Ou Yangming’s throat from afar. It was worth noting that each vibration from the tip appeared like a mystifying light, and he would be doomed eternally if he was slightly negligent. Despite that, Ou Yangming had fully learned the Chen family’s Throat-locking Spear from Chen Dishou.
He swayed and moved backward at the speed of light, arriving beside the weapon rack in the corner of the courtyard as though he had wheels.
Ou Yangming kicked and retrieved a spear.
The spear was only of High Grade, which was far from a magic tool, but it was usable.
Countless sparks were seen when Ou Yangming pointed the spear tip forward and charged at Chen Yifan.
Two figures became entangled with each other in a flash. Chen Yifan displayed his spear technique openly, and he attacked with savage moves as he relied on the sharpness of his magic tool.
On the contrary, Ou Yangming was agile and fluid. He naturally evaded his opponent’s weapon to not have his vital parts harmed, and the spear seemed flexible as the young fellow vividly displayed the wonderful spear technique.
The two men were not fighting in a life-or-death battle; they were merely exchanging blows to improve their spear techniques. That said, the Chen family’s Throat-locking Spear was known to be a unique technique. Every gesture and move was aimed at the other person’s vital points, so it cast a chill over those who watched.
After exchanging tens of blows, Chen Yifan suddenly stabbed him with his spear. Instead of meeting force with borrowed force, Ou Yangming lifted the tip of his spear and faced the attack head-on.
The two spears immediately came into contact with each other, and Ou Yangming’s spear split as a result. When the young fellow’s spear met the tip of Chen Yifan’s magic spear, it was like butter meeting a sharp knife; there was no way his spear could resist the magic tool.
Ou Yangming flew backward and threw away the remains of the spear in his hand. He praised smilingly, “General, that was a great spear technique!”
“You’re wrong, you’re wrong. What’s great is this spear!” Chen Yifan laughed out loud. He withdrew his spear and stood still, then he nodded and noted, “Not bad, you’ve indeed learned the Chen family’s authentic technique, so you’re qualified to use a magic tool.”
The general secretly lamented when he looked at Ou Yangming. The young fellow’s cultivation base improved so fast that it was unbelievable; it took just a few months for him to advance from the martial-arts squat to Yin Grade Class Four.
Chen Yifan was a Yang Grade powerhouse himself, but he dared not use a magic spear.
Theoretically, a Yin Grade martial artist did not stand a chance to use a magic tool, but General Chen could not bring himself to say it when he thought about how scarily fast Ou Yangming’s martial arts upgraded. This was because Chen Yifan knew the Ou Yangming’s martial arts cultivation base might catch up to his the next time they met. Moreover, he also knew it would not take long before he had to look up at the young fellow.
At the end of the day, it was not within the general’s power to decide if he was qualified enough to use the magic spear.
“The spear is great, but so is the spear technique.” Li Xinfan laughed out loud. He later asked, “Master Ou, you came from the Immense Forest Military Camp’s Armament Camp, and you’re also a Military Fire Blacksmith. How about you come to my camp to give those fellas some pointers?”
Ou Yangming was struck dumb, and he had a vague feeling that Li Xinfan’s invitation was not as simple as it seemed.
Nonetheless, before he could decline Li Xinfan, the general had already walked over to him to pull his hand affectionately and laughed. “Come, let’s go take a look at the Armament Camp.”
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. He certainly would have dodged if Li Xinfan tried to catch him, but the old general pulled him like he wanted to have a small chat with him. As such, the young fellow could not make the general look bad.
Li Xinfan held Ou Yangming’s hand and strode out of the courtyard. While Old Craftsman and the rest looked at each other, one of the soldiers approached them and asked, “Gentlemen, you’re all masters from the Armament Camp too, right? Please come along too.”
Everyone including Ni Yunhong and Chen Yifan looked at the old man.
This was because they knew Li Xinfan only wanted to invite one person to the camp.
old Craftsman hesitated for a while, but he sighed and agreed because he was worried. “Please lead the way.”
Everyone eventually left the courtyard, leaving Chen Yifan with his magic spear because he was the only undecided one. Before the Chen family’s great ancestor arrived, General Chen was resolute to not let the spear leave him; even if he was eating or sleeping, he would only be at ease if he had it by his side.
Chapter 217 - Master Lu
Li Xinfan pulled Ou Yangming’s hand and walked together with him.
Ou Yangming was not used to the gesture, but the general had no intention of letting go at all, so he could only let it be.
Along the way, many soldiers were in disbelief when they witnessed the scene.
After all, Li Xinfan was the commander of many soldiers.
Although the Prefecture Military Camp in Changlong had five different camps too, as compared to the Immense Forest Military Camp, authority was relatively centralized.
On the other hand, the five commanding generals in the Immense Forest Military Camp were similar; they had the cultivation base of Yang Grade.
Nonetheless, there was only one great-ancestor-level powerhouse in the Prefecture Military Camp, and nobody dared to disobey his orders. In fact, m
any ordinary soldiers regarded Li Xinfan as someone who was more than just human because they thought he was similar to a deity.
Even so, a superb powerhouse like General Li was holding a teen’s hand at that moment, and they seemed to be conversing in harmony. It was as though there was no disparity between their statuses and they were equal with each other.
While the soldiers saluted the general, they secretly guessed and asked around for Ou Yangming’s identity. Before long, Ou Yangming’s name spread far and wide in the military camp. When the soldiers realized who he was, they saluted the guest with even more respect.
Ou Yangming expressed softly when he was stared at by numerous soldiers, “General, there’s no need to stir up so many people.”
“It’s necessary.”
“What?” Ou Yangming asked as he was taken aback.
“You’re our hero, so I want them to see you and remember you,” Li Xinfan explained slowly. With the same expression on his face, he lamented, “I hope they’ll rise and stand up for each other when similar incidents happen in the future.”
Ou Yangming was startled for a while before he lowered his voice and said, “General Li, you’re encouraging them…”
“No, I’m not encouraging anything; I hope the courage and uprightness in the military will not be stained by worldly affairs.”
Ou Yangming fell silent for a brief moment, but he finally stuck out his chest and walked with Li Xinfan with his head up.
From a higher-up’s perspective, Li Xinfan’s act was undesirable, but the general was acting like a real soldier.
Regardless of his final aim, as long as he was still a soldier, Ou Yangming was willing to walk with him.
The Prefecture Military Camp was huge, and they only arrived at the Armament Camp after half an hour.
Ou Yangming was slightly stunned when he saw the camp.
This was because there was a huge difference between the Immense Forest Military Camp’s Armament Camp and the Armament Camp here.
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