He measured the greave’s size by comparing it with his body and confirmed that the greave was smithed to fit Ou Yangming.
Following that, he put the greave down then picked up the arm guards, the armor, the helmet, and the military saber.
Though the Unique Attributes in those pieces of equipment had been withdrawn by Ou Yangming, the fact that they were of Good Grade was shocking.
In the end, Han Changling was even trembling a little.
‘How long has Ou Yangming been using the Military Fire? It has only been three months at most.’
‘He actually smithed pieces of Good Grade Attribute Equipment in three months, though people are saying that it was Old Craftsman who smithed them.’
Han Changling had only taken it by a pinch of salt, but after seeing the pieces of High Grade equipment with special specifications, he became skeptical about it.
‘Is it true that it wasn’t Old Craftsman who forged the pieces of Attribute Equipment, but Ou Yangming?’
‘If that’s the case, the young fella has a bright future, and it won’t be wise for me to go against him…’
Han Changling hesitated for a while, then placed everything back to where they were as though they were never shifted at all.
Subsequently, he left cautiously without making a sound, then headed to the Provision Camp to meet Zhang Yinfan.
“Sir, I’ve searched everywhere, and I didn’t see the Fire-absorbing Badge in his house or his smithing workshop,” Han Changling mentioned respectfully, “But I found a few… Pieces of High Grade equipment in his room.”
Zhang Yinfan frowned. “What’s so odd about a few pieces of High Grade equipment? Old Craftsman even smithed a number of Fine Grade ones before.”
Han Changling smiled bitterly. “Sir, I suspect that it wasn’t Old Craftsman who smithed them.”
“What?” Zhang Yinfan was stunned. His face changed slightly. “Did Ou Yangming smith them himself?”
“It’s very… Possible,” Han Changling answered hesitantly.
Zhang Yinfan’s face darkened a little. He obviously understood what Han Changling meant. It was not just very possible, because it was definitely it.
“Sir, he’s not ordinary, and I’m afraid that he’ll be very successful in the future. In my opinion, no matter what happened in the past…” Han Changling glanced at Zhang Yinfan carefully when he spoke, but the moment he noticed the fierce look in Zhang Yinfan’s eyes, he was so scared that he quickly stopped and left.
Zhang Yinfan was the only one left in the room.
He mumbled as he furrowed his eyebrows. “Does Hanyu’s disappearance really have nothing to do with him? But there mustn’t be a mistake from the Fire-absorbing Badge no matter what!”
Chapter 34
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the West Camp, more than a hundred people who were in a row wielded their military saber and moved their shield as they advanced and retreated in an orderly manner.
Although there were no outsiders around them, they were serious and fully focused when they practiced their formations, and none of them dared to slack.
Chen Yifan governed the army strictly such that if anyone dared to slack during training, not only would that person be punished, but the rest would also be punished too. Hence, the soldiers put their utmost effort during centralized training.
Finally, Liu Zhengye shouted when the formation drill ended, “Halt!”
Everyone stood still immediately, and nobody moved an inch even when the cold wind blew.
Far away, Chen Yifan nodded slowly as he was satisfied that he managed to train strong soldiers in such a short period of time.
He stood up proudly and spoke loudly, “Boys, keep up the good work. In a month, the next round of selections will begin, so show the new recruits the strength of an experienced soldier!”
“Yes, General!” More than a hundred soldiers from the Guards roared loudly.
Chen Yifan laughed for a while before dismissing them.
Subsequently, Sui Hezhi exhaled deeply. He was drenched in sweat, and his body was overheating, but he was joyful.
He shook his clothes as he walked with the rest, and returned to his barrack in no time. The moment he entered the barrack, he was tapped on the back.
Sui Hezhi was shocked as someone actually approached him soundlessly.
He turned around at once but quickly loosened up again after seeing who it was.
“Squad Leader Yan, are you trying to scare me to death!”
The person behind Sui Hezhi was Yan Haobo, one of the ten squad leaders in the Guards.
Though Yan Haobo was the squad leader of another squad, they were friends as they clicked well.
“Hehe…” It was evident that Yan Haobo and Sui Hezhi had an unordinary relationship. He urged Sui Hezhi to sit down. “My boy, I heard that you made a hit during your last hunt.”
Sui Hezhi raised his eyebrow. “Haha, you heard it too?”
After receiving Ou Yangming’s Attribute Military Saber, his strength advanced further, thus it was reasonable that his performance stood out too.
“Did you think that I don’t know? Now that you have a good saber, are you proud?” Yan Haobo smiled indifferently, then tapped the item on his waist. “I have a Good Grade military saber too, and it’s not inferior to yours at all!”
A squad leader from the Guards was naturally different from one that led normal soldiers because the former was given a Good Grade military saber. Nevertheless, Yan Haobo heard that Sui Hezhi’s saber was at the peak of Good Grade, which was much better than this.
Sui Hezhi chuckled, then handed his military saber to Yan Haobo. “You’ll find out if you wield it.”
He would never let anyone else touch his weapon, but Yan Haobo was different as they were friends who swore to live and die together.
He swung it a few times after receiving it and was clearly envious because the saber’s gleam, toughness, and sharpness were indeed a level above his.
While there was no essential difference between them, one could easily tell the better one apart from the worse.
“Nice, this is a really nice saber!” Yan Haobo handed it back to Sui Hezhi. “My boy, you’re quite blessed.”
Among squad leaders, the treatments given were different. Those with a strong background could even acquire an Attribute Equipment, whereas someone like him who had a humble background was only given a standard military saber.
Instead of taking his military saber back, Sui Hezhi curled his lips at the squad leader. “Are you done appreciating it?”
Yan Haobo was stunned. “Yes…”
“Hehe, you’re inexperienced!” Sui Hezhi remarked, “This saber isn’t as simple as you think it is.”
“You’re the one who’s in…” Yan Haobo mocked but suddenly paused to look at the military saber closely.
The moment he channeled a bit of essential Qi into the saber, he was dumbfounded. “An Attribute Weapon!”
Among all Attribute Equipment, the rarest and the most favored ones were undoubtedly weapons.
Normally, between weapons and defense equipment with the same attributes, the former was much more expensive.
“Are you floored now?” Sui Hezhi was proud. He glanced at Yan Haobo’s military saber disdainfully, and even a fool could sense the mockery. “How can your standard military saber compare with mine? Hmph…”
Yan Haobo’s face reddened a little, but luckily it could not be seen as he had a dark face.
He quickly pulled Sui Hezhi to ask, “What exactly is going on? You must tell me.”
Sui Hezhi did not hide the secret from Yan Haobo. He explained how he became associated with Ou Yangming, and Yan Haobo’s face changed upon hearing that Ou Yangming was able to smith an Attribute Military Saber at the peak of Good Grade.
“My boy, did you say that Master Ou who’s only fifteen or sixteen years old can smith a Good Grade Armament Weapon after
obtaining the Military Fire for less than three months?” Yan Haobo asked in disbelief.
Although he was not a Military Fire Blacksmith, he was not ill-informed at all.
Sui Hezhi sighed. “Yes. If I hadn’t witnessed and experienced it, I wouldn’t have believed it too.”
Yan Haobo stood up and paced back and forth in the room. He later stopped as he said, “I’d like to ask you for a favor.”
Sui Hezhi shook his head. “Brother, I’m lucky to be friends with Brother Ou. If you’d like to request something from him, I really don’t know how I should ask.”
Yan Haobo put his hands out helplessly. “My boy, you know how I am, I won’t make things difficult for you if I’m doing this for myself. Chengcai signed up for the upcoming selections.”
Sui Hezhi was stunned for a while. “Chengcai’s strong enough to participate in it, and if he’s lucky, he might be picked by Captain to join the Guards.”
“The West Camp has a thousand soldiers, and his martial arts cultivation base is only barely a pass, so it won’t be easy for him to fight his way out, but…” Yan Haobo chuckled. His eyes glowed when he said, “If he can get a treasure sword that’s at the peak of Good Grade, his wish might come true.”
Sui Hezhi gritted his teeth, then sighed after some time. “Okay, I’ll do my part as an uncle, but I can’t guarantee if Brother Ou will agree to this.”
“Thank you, my boy.” Yan Haobo was elated. He knew that Sui Hezhi was doing him a huge favor.
“What would Master Ou like as a gift?”
“Oh, he…” Sui Hezhi pondered seriously. “He likes wild animal meat very much, so he’ll definitely like it if you give him a big one!”
Yan Haobo was struck dumb. He wondered, ‘What liking is that? Indeed, capable Military Fire Blacksmiths have weird character…’
※※※※
“Swoosh, swoosh…”
The Military Fire danced like an elf in Ou Yangming’s hand. Through the burning fire, a pair of Good Grade greaves were produced.
Since he used the drawing and upgrading ability of his Military Fire, the greaves were top-notch products.
[Item: Outstanding greave]
[Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Tool, Good Grade, Rank Five]
[Attributes: Toughness +15, Durability 14]
This was one of the greaves’ White Slate Attributes, and the only difference in the other greave’s attributes was that the Durability was only 13.
Even though Ou Yangming could increase, reduce, and shift attributes by using his Military Fire, the Durability attribute was out of his control. Among the many pieces of equipment that he smithed and restored, only very few were perfect and flawless. Most of them were flawed in terms of their durability such that they were more inferior than those of the same rank.
Needless to say, he was able to smith more equipment at the maximum threshold the more he practiced, which proved that he could control his Military Fire better.
All of a sudden, an awkward cough was heard outside.
Ou Yangming was startled, but he quickly chuckled.
Someone was waiting for him outside but was afraid to disturb him, so that person announced his arrival through this method.
When Ou Yangming opened the door, he was surprised to see the familiar face.
Sui Hezhi smiled at him. “Brother Ou, I’m here to disturb you again.
Ou Yangming looked at him strangely and counted the days. ‘This isn’t right. Doesn’t he only come once in ten days? Why is he early this time?’
Before long, he noticed some figures moving behind Sui Hezhi.
When Ou Yangming took a step forward, he noticed two burly soldiers behind him. One of them had thick eyebrows, big eyes, had a calm look, and seemed to be in his thirties. On the other hand, the other man was not much older than Ou Yangming and had an immature bearing though he had a sturdy physique. He was looking at Ou Yangming curiously at the moment.
Upon seeing him, the young man smiled brightly yet embarrassedly.
Ou Yangming was taken aback as it was his first time seeing someone shyer than him.
Sui Hezhi smiled awkwardly. “Brother Ou, they’re my close associates, and they wanted to meet you after hearing about you.”
“Are they from the Guards too?” Ou Yangming was slightly moved.
The young man blushed right away. “My uncle is, I… I’m trying my best, and I’ll definitely join the Guards led by the general!”
“Master, please forgive my nephew, he’s not good with words.” The middle-aged man smiled. He cupped his hands at Ou Yangming. “I’m Yan Haobo, and my nephew’s name is Yan Chengcai. Greetings, Master Ou.”
Ou Yangming quickly acknowledged the politeness with a bow. Since Yan Haobo was a member of the Guards led by General Chen Yifan, he was not an outsider.
This was a default rule in the military. Since Old Craftsman and Ou Yangming were considered to be under General Chen, Ou Yangming had to treat him with special respect even if it was for the general’s sake.
Chapter 35
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Chengcai turned his shoulder when Yan Haobo signaled him with his eyes.
It was then when Ou Yangming saw that he was carrying a huge bag.
He was familiar with the bag as he would receive one from Sui Hezhi every ten days.
When he turned to glance at Sui Hezhi, the fellow was smiling awkwardly. “Brother Ou, this is a gift from Squad Leader Yan, so please accept it.”
Ou Yangming frowned a little. “Big Brother Sui, I shouldn’t receive a reward if it’s not deserved… Why are they giving me such a big gift?”
He thought to himself, ‘So, Yan Haobo’s a squad leader.’
In the military camp, ten soldiers formed a squad, whereas a hundred formed a company. If there were more than five hundred soldiers under command, a camp was formed. Needless to say, every camp had a different number of people, and the good and the bad were intermingled, so there was a huge difference between camps.
Sui Hezhi was part of the Guards led by Chen Yifan, and he was more powerful than normal squad leaders in terms of martial arts. Nevertheless, since Yan Haobo was a squad leader from the Guard, he was probably more valiant than Sui Hezhi.
As for Yan Chengcai, while he was not in the Guards yet, he seemed to sound extremely confident, thus he must not be underestimated too.
After finding out their identities, Ou Yangming could somewhat guess why they visited.
“Master Ou, please forgive us for visiting so disrespectfully, but…” Yan Haobo cleared his throat before he spoke, then looked at his nephew who was beside him. “Soon, the general will select ten brothers from the West Camp to join the Guards. It’ll be a perfect opportunity for Chengcai, so I hope that you can fulfill his wish.”
Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you allowed to have equipment on during a martial arts contest in the camp?”
He knew how just Chen Yifan was as the general, by which he could not bear having grit in his eyes. As such, Ou Yangming did not know if it would be a blessing or a disaster if he provided Yan Chengcai with equipment.
“Why isn’t it allowed?” Yan Haobo was stunned. He quickly shook his head and laughed, then explained, “If that’s your concern, you don’t have to worry about it. We’re soldiers who have to fight in a war at any time. Do you think that we’re not allowed to wear equipment when we’re on the battlefield? We’d love to have light and tough armor, as well as a sharp military saber.”
Ou Yangming’s face reddened. It was reasonable, but it did not cross his mind earlier.
He cleared his throat. “Did you visit me to ask me to smith equipment?”
Yan Haobo and Yan Chengcai’s eyes glowed as they looked at each other. They were ready to be declined before they visited because they did not expect Ou Yangming to be an easy person to deal with.
However, they had no idea that Ou Yangming was also devising a plan at t
hat moment.
Yan Chengcai cupped his hands in front of his chest. “Master Ou, it’ll be great if I can have a military saber similar to Uncle Sui’s.”
“You want a piece of Attribute Equipment?” Ou Yangming was stunned.
He knew how rare and valuable an Attribute Equipment was, especially an Attribute Military Saber that was very much favored in the military camp. In fact, it was in greater demand than White Slate Equipment.
‘They’re asking for the moon if they think that they’ll get a piece of Attribute Equipment by just giving me a wild beast.’
Yan Chengcai waved his hands. “No, no… I only want the one Uncle Sui previously had.”
Only then, Ou Yangming realized that he wanted a White Slate Military Saber that was at the peak of Good Grade.
There was a huge difference between the White Slate and Attribute Military Sabers even if both were of the same grade.
Ou Yangming grinned when he looked at the bag on the floor. “I’m afraid that the gift isn’t enough?”
Yan Haobo was secretly overjoyed. Since Ou Yangming did not reject them, they still had a chance.
“Master Ou, don’t worry. No matter how many quarries you want, I have them sorted,” Yan Haobo assured. “Other than quarries, I’ll take care of other matters too. As long as you let me know what you need, I’ll do my best to get them done.”
Sui Hezhi glanced at him and sighed. ‘Looks like Ou Yangming is no longer a special resource for me.’
‘Of course, I can still call him my brother since we’re closer, whereas Yan Haobo and his nephew won’t stand a chance no matter how much they fawn over him.’
Ou Yangming pretended to ponder for a while before he asked, “Squad Leader Yan, does your nephew only need a military saber to guarantee a spot in the Guards?”
“A military saber is enough to increase Chengcai’s chance to join the Guards.” Yan Haobo was delighted. After a short pause, he asked carefully, “Master Ou, you’re saying…”
Ou Yangming laughed. “Please come in.”
A smithing workshop was the most important working space for a blacksmith, which was not normally opened to outsiders. Therefore, Yan Haobo and the others would not be mad even if Ou Yangming stalled them at the door for a long time.
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