Chapter 77 - Gratitude For The Adoption
Ou Yangming, Ni Yunhong, and the others looked at each other as they did not know what to do.
Before the challenge started, they never expected this to happen. After all, nobody knew the judge was going to quit.
Deng Zhicai and the others looked around with a faint smile because they did not know what to say too.
After thinking carefully, nobody blamed Zheng Ziwen. He was only a normal appraiser, after all, but what he encountered today were God-given attributes, the Suit Skill, and the Layering Art.
Each surprise was a heavy burden for him, and honestly, the challenge’s level had surpassed his appraisal limit. Therefore, once Ou Yangming performed the Layering Art, Zheng Ziwen was finally so overwhelmed that he bid his farewell.
He had complicated emotions when he left because he knew very well that it would be impossible to encounter another similar situation in the future.
Nonetheless, Zheng Ziwen sighed a breath of relief too. Had he continued to stay, the pressure that was as huge as a mountain would crush him to death.
Ou Yangming was feeling rather hesitant. He was thinking if he should perform the Layering Art’s third level.
The layering of just one attribute was not enough to overtake a suit, but if he could layer a second time, he would be guaranteed the challenge’s victory. That said, doing it once was already quite shocking, so if a second layering was done…
Ou Yangming turned to glance at Kang Weibo. The Armament Camp’s supervisor was watching him with burning eyes, eyes that shone so brightly that Ou Yangming was taken aback. He quickly suppressed the thought.
He would rather smith another Layered Equipment than showing his ability by layering the same equipment twice.
However, just as he was choosing another piece of equipment to be layered, Ni Yunhong approached him and bowed to him.
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he returned the salutation with respect.
“Master Ou, I truly admire your smithing skill, I admit loss in this challenge,” Ni Yunhong expressed in an unusually straightforward manner.
“What?” Ou Yangming asked in confusion.
The Suit Skill executed by Ni Yunhong was strange and mysterious, and Ou Yangming was envious of it. Truthfully, as proud as Ou Yangming was, he would not actually think that a piece of equipment that was layered to have 2 points of Power could triumph over the attribute effect from a suit.
Needless to say, if Ou Yangming showed the equipment set that he had smithed for himself, he would naturally be the winner. Nevertheless, he was not a fool, so why would he expose his biggest trump card in this event?
Ni Yunhong said frankly, “Master Ou, I really admire your smithing skills, I’m sincerely convinced of my defeat.”
Tian Boguang’s face turned green, but he dared not reprimand Ni Yunhong, and had no guts to express his dissatisfaction. On the other hand, Chen Yifan was grinning from ear to ear, and he looked at Tian Boguang scornfully.
Ou Yangming cleared his throat and replied to Ni Yunhong, “Master Ni, you’re flattering me. Your Suit Skill is the real ultimate skill, I really respect you.”
Ni Yunhong’s eyes lit up. “There’s indeed a secret within the Suit Skill, but if you’re interested, we can exchange our views one day.”
Ou Yangming widened his eyes in disbelief.
Even a fool knew that the unique smithing skill was a secret that was never taught to others, and was also a family’s roots. It was already extremely difficult for someone from the family’s clan to acquire the skill, let alone an outsider.
Ou Yangming knew that he was definitely not a darling loved by everyone, or Old Craftsman would not be the only person who was willing to adopt him after his years of roaming around.
Although Ou Yangming was delighted that Ni Yunhong was generous enough to share his Suit Skill, it made him put his guard up.
Perhaps there really were free lunches in the world, but he would certainly not receive one. This was something that he had understood since young.
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth and responded, “Okay, your kindness is just what I was looking for.”
Regardless of what plan Ni Yunhong was devising, Ou Yangming was determined not to miss the Suit Skill. Hence, he was going to brave the challenge even if it would be an unpleasant one.
Ni Yunhong laughed out loud, and was not at all upset for having lost the challenge.
“Elder Brother,” Ni Yinghong approached to greet him softly.
“Master Ou, I’m a little tired today, so I’ll head back to rest for now. When the timing is right, I’ll look for you to inquire about smithing skills.” Ni Yunhong nodded and did a fist salute before he left.
Ou Yangming pouted because he wanted to catch up to him to ask, ‘When is the right timing…’
After looking at Ni Yinghong, who was standing aside, he decided not to be so thick-skinned.
Ni Yinghong looked deeply at Ou Yangming, and a strange look was seen through her big eyes that seemed like they could speak.
Ou Yangming smiled embarrassedly. For some reason, he felt a slight tingling sensation.
“Master Ou, see you next time,” Ni Yinghong suddenly said with a smile, then turned to catch up to her elder brother.
‘That was strange. I’m not guilty of a shameful deed, but why do I somehow feel guilty…’ Ou Yangming twitched his mouth and wondered.
Despite that, before he could figure it out, a group of people swarmed toward him to lift him up and toss him into the air excitedly.
Based on Ou Yangming’s current martial strength, he could escape or resist if he wanted to.
However, Ou Yangming quickly noticed a few familiar faces, most of them belonged to gray-haired elders, thus he dared not do it. While he was being thrown into the air by many Military Fire Blacksmiths, he happened to notice Old Craftsman’s cheerful face, so the dissatisfaction that he was feeling subsided like a tide.
Ou Yangming was willing to make the aging Old Craftsman happy, at any cost.
The blacksmiths were finally done expressing their joy, and they steadily placed Ou Yangming back to the ground. Following that, Ou Yangming saw another familiar face, but one that showed a flattering smile.
“Oh, Master Ou, you really gained honor for the Armament Camp!” Kang Weibo smiled as though a flower had bloomed on his face.
“Sir Kang, I only put on an outstanding performance because it was a challenge, I definitely can’t achieve that level of efficiency under normal circumstances.” Ou Yangming’s heart tensed up. He explained again as he feared that Kang Weibo would not understand him, “What I’m saying is that I can’t go any higher than the two-in-ten basis!”
Kang Weibo quickly said, “Master Ou, you misunderstood. A two-in-ten basis is fair, I won’t change it.”
The other Military Fire Blacksmiths were disdainful because a two-in-ten condition was already the highest standard. Other than Ou Yangming the freak, the rest of them would never accept it even if they could do it.
Ou Yangming sighed a breath of relief and smiled. “Very well, as long as everything is as usual.”
Nonetheless, Kang Weibo uttered in a hurry, “Ah, Master Ou, I have another request!”
Ou Yangming rolled his eyes and thought, ‘Indeed, the worst is yet to come.’
Kang Weibo asked, “Master Ou, what do you think if I change your monthly task to a three-in-twenty benchmark?”
Ou Yanming was stunned. He looked at the supervisor dubiously and wondered if the fellow’s head had been kicked by a donkey. Nevertheless, he quickly realized after giving it some thought. “Layering Art?”
“Yes,” Kang Weibo answered in excitement, “Apart from two pieces of Attribute Equipment, you only have to provide a piece of Layered Attribute Equipment!”
He implored Ou Yangming with his eyes.
Li Shunfeng chuckled. “Sir Kang, that’s not very nice. We all know the difference between a Layered Attribute Equipment and
a normal Attribute Equipment. It’s disappointing that you’re fooling a newbie like that!”
Kang Weibo quickly replied to him with an apologetic smile. “Fellow masters, please think with your conscience about how I’ve been treating you these years. Have I treated you unfairly? A piece of Layered Attribute Equipment every month isn’t a problem for Master Ou, why can’t you care for me? After all these years, even if I’ve not done commendable deeds, my efforts should be recognized!”
The smithing masters looked at each other and dared not say a word.
Ou Yangming was suddenly getting goosebumps. In any case, Kang Weibo was the Armament Camp’s supervisor, yet he was pretending to be pitiful in public, hence Ou Yangming could not find an excuse to decline.
Of course, it was also because Kang Weibo’s request was not too high. From Ou Yangming’s perspective, there was actually not much difference between a Layered Attribute Equipment and a piece of normal equipment, thus he decided to agree.
Ou Yangming nodded and smiled. “Okay, Sir Kang, I promise you.”
Kang Weibo smiled brightly. He had prepared all sorts of methods in advance, so he would go as far as making a scene just to get Ou Yangming’s consent, but he had not expected to succeed so quickly.
Ou Yangming suddenly turned to walk toward Old Craftsman under everyone’s watch.
After stopping three steps in front of the old man, a thud was heard as Ou Yangming kneeled on the ground.
The crowd was stunned, and the cheers instantly halted.
Ou Yangming then bowed his head to the ground, causing a bam to be heard.
Old Craftsman could not bear watching him like that, so he immediately went forward to hold Ou Yangming, who was about to continue to kowtow to him. “B*stard, what are you doing?”
Ou Yangming looked up. When he saw Old Craftsman’s face that had obviously been weighed down by age as compared to two years ago, he recalled the two years he had lived after being adopted by the old man, who saved him from his days of running about to survive. Ou Yangming could not help but feel an upsurge of emotion, and he expressed tearfully, “Old Man, I didn’t let you down, I won!”
Old Craftsman sniffed and could not hold back his tears any longer.
He wiped his tears and scolded, “You damn b*stard, today’s supposed to be a gleeful day, but you just had to embarrass me. I’ve been taking care of you for nothing!”
The onlookers were speechless. Each of them lamented and felt rather regretful.
‘Why wasn’t I the one who adopted Ou Yangming in the past?’
Chapter 78 - Paying A Visit To Apologize
The bustle and excitement always passed in the blink of an eye. It was already night time when Ou Yangming returned to his courtyard.
His emotions such as nervousness, agitation, elation, joy, lamentation, and so on finally simmered down. After doing the martial-art squad for half an hour, he practiced his fist art and his blade technique for half an hour. Subsequently, he entered the backyard and retrieved his military saber to burn it with his Military Fire, then stabbed it into a wild boar’s stomach.
Ou Yangming was given two quarries after the hunt, which came in handy at the moment.
After a while, when he felt that his body was already abundant in Qi and blood, he withdrew his saber firmly.
As Ou Yangming had a better understanding of the Devouring attribute, he drew blood and flesh more rationally. He no longer absorbed everything without reservation because it was wasteful and was not in line with his benefits.
Once everything was done, Ou Yangming withdrew the Devouring attribute and returned to his room.
Just as he was about to sleep soundly, a knock was suddenly heard outside the door.
Ou Yangming was slightly stunned. He could not figure out who would pay him a visit at this hour.
When he opened the door and finally saw who was outside, his face changed.
The person who was standing outside was Assistant Supervisor Zhang Yinfan from the Provision Camp. Behind him stood a middle-aged man, who was dressed up like a servant, that stooped and carried a gift box. He looked at Ou Yangming with a flattering look.
“Hehe, Master Ou, long time no see. I’m disturbing you late at night because there’s something I need to discuss, please forgive me,” Zhang Yinfan said with a smile.
Ou Yangming forced a smile and replied to him, “Sir Zhang, you’re being too polite, please come in.”
After some thought, he decided to let Zhang Yinfan lin.
Instead of letting the fellow devise an evil scheme, like a venomous snake that lurked in the dark, it was better to let him stay in the open. At the very least, Ou Yangming wanted to hear what he had to say.
Zhang Yinfan and the old servant entered together. The servant then placed the gift box on the floor and opened it.
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched as he questioned, “Sir Zhang, what is this about?”
“Master Ou, I’ve offended you in the past, so I hope that you’ll be the bigger person and let go of the hatred,” Zhang Yinfan answered.
“Sir Zhang, you’re being too polite, I’ve long put the past behind me.” Ou Yangming laughed.
“Master Ou, you’re a generous man indeed, I truly admire you.” Zhang Yinfan looked deeply at Ou Yangming, then stood up to bow at him.
Ou Yangming quickly shifted sideways to avoid it and said, “Sir Zhang, please don’t do this, you’re making things difficult for me.”
“Okay, since you’re so direct, please accept the gift.” Zhang Yinfan laughed out loud, then explained with a serious face, “It’s just a humble gift from me as an apology.”
“How can I let you spend so much money? I dare not accept the gift.” Ou Yangming immediately rejected it.
“Master Ou, if you don’t accept the gift, doesn’t it mean that you’re still holding a grudge against me?” Zhang Yingfan’s face changed. He insisted with a bitter face. “Please accept it so that I’ll be able to sleep well!”
Ou Yangming sighed when he looked at the gold bars that were neatly arranged in the gift box. Back then when he first met Zhang Yinfan and his nephew, they treated him with arrogance, and the proud looks on their faces were still fresh in his memory. Now, Zhang Yinfan had just paid him a visit, spoke humbly to him, and even brought a gift for him.
The difference when compared to the past was simply Heaven and Earth apart.
All of a sudden, a pair of resentful and frightened eyes appeared in Ou Yangming’s mind.
Zhang Hanyu, the Zhang family’s disciple who sneaked an attack on him in the past, but ended up being killed. Without that person in the way, perhaps Ou Yangming would really want to reconcile with the Zhang family. However, the thought of Zhang Hanyu gave him chills.
Even if Ou Yangming wanted to make peace, would the Zhang family really be willing to let the matter go without bothering about Zhang Hanyu’s disappearance anymore?
Countless thoughts crossed Ou Yangming’s mind, but he pretended like he was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. “Sir Zhang, th-that’s very kind of you.”
“Since you have no objection, it’s set then, Master Ou.” Zhang Yinfan chuckled and nodded. “It’s quite late, so I won’t disturb you any longer, I shall make a move now.”
Ou Yangming quickly stood up and said, “I’ll see you off, Sir Zhang.”
They both put up a false display of affection for each other. Finally, after Zhang Yinfan left, Ou Yangming put his smile away and inspected the gift box. There was nothing hidden in the box. Apart from roughly 200 taels of gold bars, there was also a banknote worth 1,000 taels of silver. Judging merely from the gift’s value, Zhang Yinfan had indeed shown his sincerity.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming was not the same person he used to be.
Based on his ability to smith pieces of Attribute Equipment at will, if he wanted to, silver and gold would come to him like a flowing river.
The only thing that Ou Yangming cared about was Zhang Hanyu’s incident, but
Zhang Yinfan did not say a single word about it earlier, hence the knot in his heart could not be unraveled.
※※※※
Far from the Armament Camp, in a huge residence.
The servant who was following behind Zhang Yinfan suddenly straightened his body. He seemed to have grown much taller, and his aura became completely different.
Zhang Yinfan’s eyes lit up as he asked, “Big Brother, you saw him, how did you feel?”
The servant was actually Zhang Yinli,Zhang Yinfan’s older brother. He glanced at his younger brother plainly,the look in his eyes was indescribably dignified.
Zhang Yinfan immediately lowered his head as he dared not look into his older brother’s eyes.
“Hmph, Ou Yangming has extraordinary qualities, were you blind back then? How dare you plot a scheme against him!” Zhang Yinli reprimanded straightforwardly.
Zhang Yinfan thought, ‘If I knew that the young fella would have such achievements and prestige, I’d never have done what I did. It’s taboo to offend someone with a bright future, like him.’
That said, Zhang Yinfan smiled bitterly when he recalled Ou Yangming’s timid behavior when they first met. “Big Brother, Master Ou is totally different from how he used to be, it’s as if he’s not the same person anymore. Ah, no matter, it’s my mistake, please punish me as you wish.”
“Forget it, since there’s already enmity, it can’t be helped.”
Zhang Yinfan’s heart tensed up, and he suddenly asked in shock, “Big Brother, could he be lying to us?”
“Ah…” Zhang Yinli exhaled deeply. “Before meeting him, I wasn’t sure if Yu’er’s disappearance had anything to do with him, but now…”
Zhang Yinfan’s heart immediately sank. “Could it really be related to him?”
“He was rather moved when he first heard you say that you wanted to resolve the hatred, but there was suddenly a huge change in his mood, and he became cautious of you. Heh, it means that he doesn’t trust you at all,” Zhang Yinli explained slowly, then looked at his younger brother while saying in a sorrowful tone, “As the Provision Camp’s assistant supervisor, you’ve shown your sincerity by visiting him personally, and by bringing him a gift. The fact that he reacted that way can only mean one thing.”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 46