The waist sash had two skills at the moment. Ou Yangming had tried the first — the Blood Flight — and realized that its might must not be taken lightly. Though there was a high price to pay, it could definitely pose a huge threat to one’s opponent during a crucial moment.
‘But how should I use this new Substitution skill?’
Ou Yangming pondered for a while. Based on its literal meaning, he channeled his essential Qi slowly into the waist sash.
This time, to sense every change within the waist sash, he circulated his essential Qi on purpose. His eyes suddenly lit up because, sure enough, there were two powers in the sash that echoed his essential Qi.
Ou Yangming was familiar with one of the powers because he had tried it once earlier, so he was not going to contact it this time.
He directed his essential Qi away to contact the other power. Next, a massive absorption power burst out.
Ou Yangming felt a chill right away. He noticed that the overflowing amount Qi and blood that he had just replenished earlier was now gushing out like a flood.
In just a brief moment, he became seriously depleted of Qi and blood once more.
Ou Yangming rolled his eyes. He realized that he did not have the power to even lift his hands anymore.
He wondered with a bitter smile, ‘What’s happening to me? Why do I always encounter skills that devour Qi and blood?’
Chapter 89 - Keeping A Promise
After resting for a long time, Ou Yangming finally regained some strength.
He stood up forcefully and shook his head, then staggered toward the backyard. Before long, he arrived at the spot where he had stored the ferocious beasts’ carcasses.
The carcasses from before had not been completely absorbed, but they already stunk. Nonetheless, Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up upon seeing them. He retrieved a dagger, and activated his Military Fire as he stabbed it in…
When Ou Yangming returned to his room after a brief moment, he had a better complexion.
Although the remaining carcasses had not allowed him to fully recover his Qi and blood, he felt much better than before.
After some thought, he decided to leave his courtyard to head to the West Camp.
However, not long after he left, he heard someone calling out to him in a friendly manner, “Master Ou, you’re finally back!”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh when he turned to look. “Squad Leader Jiang, what a coincidence.”
The person who called out to him was Squad Leader Jiang Chengwei from the Middle Camp. When he heard Ou Yangming’s half-teasing, half-cheerful voice, he replied in embarrassment and in honesty, “Master Ou, I actually intentionally came to wait for you because I heard that you’ve returned from the town.”
Though Jiang Chengwei had come all the way here, he dared not visit Ou Yangming as he did not want to disturb the master. He decided to wait like a fool, which was the dumbest method.
Ou Yangming chuckled. “Why are you looking for me?”
Jiang Chengwei rubbed his hands and was hesitant to answer.
“You’re here for the explosive arrows, am I right?” Ou Yangming smiled.
“That’s right. After using your explosive arrows, I just feel that something’s off when I use other arrows.” Jiang Chengwei nodded in excitement, then said after a pause, “Actually, I dare not ask for too much. I just hope that I can have a few to be kept as a secret weapon. That way, I’ll be at peace!”
Ou Yangming grinned when he heard the squad leader speaking so pitifully. “Didn’t I tell you to send me a few High Grade arrows when you’re free?”
“Master Ou, I’ve already brought them,” Jiang Chengwer quickly replied, but secretly cursed, ‘You told me to bring some to you, but even after visiting you a few times, you were never home…’
Ou Yangming accepted the arrows and hesitated before he said, “Okay, I’ll refine these arrows for you. Can you please look for Sui Hezhi from the West Camp to ask if he has any new quarries? The ones that I stored have turned smelly, so I threw them away.”
Jiang Chengwei was startled. “New quarries?”
“The ferocious beasts that you hunt from the forest. I like to eat them,” Ou Yangming replied to him with a nod.
“I understand. But Master Ou, if you’d like some quarries, why did you have to ask from those wusses in the West Camp? You can count on me!” Jiang Chengwei laughed after he realized what Ou Yangming meant, then turned to leave and shouted, “Wait for me, I’ll go get one for you now!”
Ou Yangming did not know to cry or to laugh when he watched Jiang Chengwei running away.
Nevertheless, since Jiang Chengwei was helping him, he could not be bothered to look for Sui Hezhi anymore. Ou Yangming went to his smithing workshop, then adjusted his mental power to incorporate it into his Military Fire. Soon enough, the six High Grade arrows in his hands were turned into explosive arrows.
Needless to say, he did not increase the arrows’ quality this time, but even so, the might of the arrows had been increased by a few times. Whether they would be used to attack wild beasts or humans, they would be much more powerful than they were before.
Afterward, Ou Yangming retrieved steel ingots to smith a High Grade equipment set.
Even though there were a few pieces of Attribute Equipment among the pieces of equipment that he had submitted in the past, their quality was limited at Good Grade. Ever since his challenge against Ni Yunhong, everyone knew that he could smith equipment at the peak of High Grade, and that he could perform Layering Art. In that case, Ou Yangming felt embarrassed if he still submitted pieces of Good Grade equipment.
Therefore, he decided to free his hands and legs. He tossed precious ores into every piece of equipment, and ended up smithing five pieces of High Grade Attribute Equipment, as well as a piece of High Grade Layered Attribute Equipment.
Ou Yangming had prepared them to be submitted for this month. While there were three extra pieces of High Grade Attribute Equipment, he had actually prepared them for Old Craftsman.
Old Craftsman had aged, hence he did not have as much vigor as he did before. Although the old man had not stopped using smithing art, Ou Yangming was unwilling to allow him to smith anymore.
In any case, Ou Yangming could make up the remaining portion, and could even fulfill twice the required amount if he wanted to.
Just as he was done smithing, he heard Jiang Chengwei asking to meet him outside.
Ou Yangming’s eyes glowed when he stepped outside. Jiang Chengwei was a reliable person indeed as he managed to get a moose in less than an hour’s time. The moose was much bigger than the normal quarries, so Ou Yangming figured that it had a unique bloodline.
That said, how could a small squad leader have the right to use such a moose?
Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and asked, “Squad Leader Jiang, you know that I don’t want any trouble, do you?”
Jiang Chengwei was stunned at first, but quickly realized what Ou Yangming meant, so he laughed. “Master Ou, don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with this moose.”
“Squad Leader Jiang, I suppose that this isn’t an ordinary wild beast?” Ou Yangming giggled.
“Master Ou, you have a good eye. This moose probably carries a spirit beast’s bloodline. Its bloodline is quite faint, but it can’t be compared to a normal ferocious beast, after all. Our hunting team from the South Camp put in a lot of effort to slaughter it,” Jiang Chengwei nodded and responded.
Ou Yangming knew that while Jiang Chengwei made it sound easy, it was not an easy job at all.
Their team must have paid quite a price to kill the moose.
Jiang Chengwei continued, “The others treat this moose as a treasure, and they weren’t going to give it to me at first. Once I told them that it’ll be a gift for you, they gave it to me without any hesitation. They even said that any good quarries in the future will be sent to you first before they’re submitted.”
Ou Yangming was dumbfounded. He smiled helple
ssly when he noticed Jiang Chengwei did not look like he was lying at all. “What’s your request?”
“Master Ou, what are you talking about? They didn’t request anything.” Jiang Chengwei waved his hand.
“Tell me the truth!” Ou Yangming glared at him.
Jiang Chengwei smiled shyly and said, “Okay, the truth is the moose has actually been submitted already, but Captain Wu gave it to me after hearing that you’ve asked for a quarry. He also said that if you want quarries in the future, you may randomly pick from the Middle Camp’s captures.”
Ou Yangming was stunned because he did not expect Wu Guotu to have given the order.
When they met the other day, Wu Guotu did not seem to be very fond of Ou Yangming, and acted as if he looked down on him instead. All of a sudden, the captain was treating him differently.
“Okay, you may bring it to my courtyard. These are your explosive arrows.” Ou Yangming nodded and handed the arrows to Jiang Chengwei.
“Thank you, Master Ou,” Jiang Chengwei instantly widened his eyes and thanked him happily.
He carried the moose to Ou Yangming’s courtyard, then left joyfully with the arrows.
Following that, Ou Yangming transformed almost a third of the moose’s flesh and blood into his Qi and blood to replenish what he had lost. The moose had indeed carried a spirit beast’s bloodline. Though it was quite faint, a third of its flesh and blood was enough for him to return to his best condition.
Once he was done with everything, another knock was heard on his door.
Ou Yangming rolled his eyes and thought, ‘Being famous isn’t that great after all, I’m obviously getting more visitors now.’
He finally understood why Old Craftsman was indifferent toward other people, and would always keep a distance away. If the old man was slightly more friendly, his residence would always be bustling with noise, and he would not even have time to smith items anymore.
Ou Yangming kept a straight face when he opened the door, but his face changed when he saw the people at the door.
“Ah, General Fang, old man, why are you here? Please come in quickly!”
The people outside were Commanding General Fang Yihai from the South Camp and Old Craftsman. As bold as Ou Yangming was, he dared not treat them impolitely.
Not to mention anything else, Old Craftsman’s Iron Palm alone would make his body suffer in pain.
Fang Yihai laughed. “Little Brother, I’m here to ask if you’re done with your tasks.”
Ou Yangming looked at Old Craftsman in surprise, and the old man smiled bitterly at him. “Didn’t you promise to help General Fang smith an equipment set? The general is here to remind you.”
“Little Brother, I’m sure you know that God-given attributes are a gift from God. If a blacksmith master acquires such an attribute, his success rate in attaching the same attribute to other pieces of equipment becomes higher than other blacksmiths for a period of time.” Fang Yihai nodded at Ou Yangming apologetically, then said with a grave expression, “But the success rate will slowly be lowered with time, so…”
Ou Yangming quickly understood what he meant. “General Fang, I understand. Okay, once you have everything prepared, I’m able to start at any time.”
However, Fang Yihai looked at him embarrassedly. “I’ll be honest with you. Those items are too valuable, which is why my family has kept them at home in the prefecture.”
“Do you want me to go to the prefecture?” Ou Yangming was taken aback.
“Please.” Fang Yihai stood up to bow at Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming was so shocked that he immediately sprung up from his seat. “General Fang, you mustn’t be so polite, I can’t afford that. I promise to help you.”
He initially had plans to head to the prefecture anyway, thus he agreed to help as it was just a small favor.
Fang Yihai left in contentment after setting a time with Ou Yangming. On the other hand, Old Craftsman sighed for a long time. Seeing as Ou Yangming had risen so much that even a camp’s commanding general was willing to beg him for help, the old man had mixed feelings.
Of course, Old Craftsman was mostly elated to see Ou Yangming, whom he treated as his son, soaring high and far away from him. If the old man had not experienced this himself, he could not imagine how it would feel like.
Ou Yangming stayed by Old Craftsman side for a night. He guaranteed that he would return as soon as possible, and finally turned the old man’s worries into joy.
Chapter 90 - Escort
The next morning, Ou Yangming submitted the pieces of Attribute Equipment that he had smithed earlier, which really surprised Kang Weibo.
With those pieces of equipment, nobody would dare to complain even if Old Craftsman did not hand in any equipment this month.
Following that, Ou Yangming informed Ni Yunhong of the situation, and decided on a date to meet in the prefecture. Ni Yinghong had initially offered to travel with Ou Yangming, but was stopped by Ni Yunhong, who was highly against it.
Ou Yangming arrived at the military camp’s entrance after bidding farewell to everyone.
Although the prefecture was far away, he would only be away temporarily, and he had comforted Old Craftsman yesterday, so the old man was calm when he left.
At the military camp’s entrance, Fang Yihai and the others had been waiting for a long time.
Fang Yihai smiled when he saw Ou Yangming. “Little Brother, I initially wanted to travel with you, but according to the military rules, a commanding general can’t leave the camp so easily. Instead, I’ve arranged a squad of soldiers to escort you.”
In actuality, if the military rules were strictly followed, it was true that the commanding general could not randomly leave the camp, but the same applied to soldiers too.
Nonetheless, as strict as the rules were, there were ways to work around them. Based on Fang Yihai’s authority in the military, it was a piece of cake for him to arrange a squad of soldiers for a task.
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “General Fang, you’re being too polite, I can actually head there myself.”
Fang Yihai laughed and shook his head. “How can I allow that? You’re going there to help my family, so how can I be impolite?”
“Okay, if you insist, thank you,” Ou Yangming quickly responded as he was afraid that the straightforward general would say something inappropriate again. He later did a fist salute to the general. “General, since everything is ready, I’ll be making a move.”
Fang Yihai waved at him. “Okay, thank you for the help.”
Ou Yangming responded to him, then left with the squad of ten soldiers that was sent by Fang Yihai.
In actual fact, the soldiers were not strangers to Ou Yangming because they were the ones who fought side by side with him in the dense forest. He just did not know their names back then.
“Master Ou, my name is Lin Chao, and I’m the squad leader.” Once they were far from the military camp, the leader cupped his fists at Ou Yangming, then sighed. “I was injured by the half-spirit beast that day, so I was sent away to be treated. I regret not being able to fight with you.”
Ou Yangming smiled. It was then that he found out that this man was the squad leader who had left the dense forest in advance due to his injury.
“Squad Leader Lin, thank you for taking care of us throughout this journey.”
Lin Chao quickly replied to him, “Master Ou, please don’t say that. It’s my honor to be able to serve you throughout this journey.”
‘I’m indeed different from who I was before.’ Ou Yangming sighed. Even though a squad leader was a lower-level officer, Lin Chao was the squad leader of the Guards under the South Camp’s general’s command. Whether it was his cultivation base or the treatments he received, they were better than a normal squad leader’s.
Lin Chao would never show such a weakness when he faced normal Military Fire Blacksmiths.
“Master Ou, please stay back.” Lin Chao’s face changed suddenly, and his eyes l
ooked valiant. As he waved his hand, a few soldiers behind him immediately rode their horse forward into a formation to surround Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming was stunned as he did not know what they were doing.
His confusion was resolved very quickly. This was because intense gallops were heard coming from behind as a fierce horse sped in their direction.
Lin Chao yelled sternly, “Who’s there? Stop right now!”
The soldiers around him even fit an arrow and drew their bow to aim in that direction.
If Lin Chao gave the order, they would shoot the arrows without any hesitation.
Though their arrows were not explosive arrows, they were selected warriors in the military, so the arrows shot by them would definitely make one suffer.
The galloping horse that was a distance away immediately slowed down, and the rider shouted out loud, “Lin Chao, what are you doing? Are you going to kill me?”
Lin Chan and Ou Yangming were dumbfounded. They knew at once who it was by hearing the voice.
It was Squad Leader Jiang Chengwei from the Middle Camp, who was well-known for archery. He had rendered meritorious service during the slaughtering of the half-spirit beast, and was given a huge amount of credits. Additionally, he had forged a good friendship with Ou Yangming.
That said, why was he here at the moment?
The other soldiers instantly put down their bow when Lin Chao waved his hand. They would not show mercy if they were killing an enemy, but they dared not kill a brother from the military.
After a brief moment, Jiang Chengwei rode his horse to approach them, and laughed. “Master Ou, where are you going?”
Ou Yangming asked with a smile after looking at him from head to toe, “Where are you going?”
Jiang Chengwei answered, “I applied for home leave to visit my younger sister in the prefecture.”
Lin Chao narrowed his eyes right away. “Visiting your younger sister? You’re meeting your lover, aren’t you?”
The soldiers behind him immediately burst out loud. Some of them even winked and made signs at Jiang Chengwei as though they were mocking him.
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