Deng Zhicai and Xiaoxiao Sheng rolled their eyes at the same time and turned a deaf ear to him.
‘You only taught him the martial-art squat, the basic fist art, and blade technique. How can you claim credit for grooming an absolute genius who advanced to Yin Grade within half a year and even comprehended the integration of Heaven and man?
‘How can there be such a good thing in the world? In your dreams!’
While the three of them were deep in their thought, hurried gallops were suddenly heard in the military camp.
Fang Yihai rode his horse into the camp and headed straight to the Provision Camp. His eyes burned with rage as he let out a deafening roar, “Zhang Yinfan, you damn murderer! Get your *ss out here now!”
Chapter 102 - Evil Is Rewarded With Evil
Chapter 102 Evil Is Rewarded With Evil
Fang Yihai’s voice spread far and wide, and the entire military camp seemed to be alarmed.
If anyone else had the audacity to do so in the camp, countless people would share a common hatred for that person. Even if Xiaoxiao Sheng, a powerhouse at the peak of Yang Grade, had done the same, he would be besieged and would die of spite. Though he would certainly make many people his scapegoat before that, he would not be able to escape death.
However, the situation was completely different when Fang Yihai, who was usually known as General Thunder, personally appeared.
Nobody in the military camp would meddle in the case, let alone anyone in the Provision Camp.
In fact, many people gloated over Zhang Yinfan’s misfortune as they cursed, ‘That miser likes to embezzle the provisions from the camp. Look, you’re bound to wet your shoes if you walk by the river for a long time. He really deserves bad luck this time to have embezzled the provisions for the South Camp that’s led by Commanding General Fang Yihai.’
Supervisor Qu Jianming peeped from the Provision Camp but quickly shrunk. He would not be able to hide if Fang Yihai had looked for him directly, but since the general passed by him, why would he look for trouble?
It was true that Zhang Yinfan was Qu Jianming’s subordinate, but it was not like he did not have his own standpoint. The fella has always opposed me in the Provision Camp. Now that he has offended a superior, it’s impossible that I’ll stick out for him.
Fang Yihai looked around the area for some time with his lightning eyes, then laughed maliciously and said, “If this rat dares not come out, drag him out. Yu Hailiang!”
“Here!”
“Get some men to search for him, and find him by hook or by crook!”
“Yes!” Yu Hailiang responded to him. When he waved his hand, the Guards behind him instantly stormed into the Provision Camp like ferocious tigers going down a mountain.
Qu Jianming’s face changed, and he harbored strong resentment. ‘How did Zhang Yinfan offend Fang Yihai? How dare he offend the general so much so that the general broke out in such an intense and thunderous wrath?’
Although he was displeased with Fang Yihai’s actions, he dared not stop the general while the general was still furious, thus he secretly devised a plan to make a complaint to Deng Zhicai.
“We caught him alive!” A cheer was heard after a brief moment.
A few soldiers quickly brought a person out of the Provision Camp by force. They treated the man rudely by punching and kicking the man mercilessly along the way. Though they did not kill the man, by the time he arrived in front of Fang Yihai, his face was already swollen and bruised, and one of his teeth was beaten out of his mouth.
“General, when we found him, not only did he try to escape, but he also wanted to sneak an attack on us. We used more force on him to defend ourselves. General, please question him,” Yu Hailiang reported loudly.
Zhang Yinfan, who cried bitterly on the ground while holding on to the aching parts on his body, quickly screamed as he was terrified, “Injustice! Injustice! I didn’t escape, neither did I resist!”
In actual fact, Zhang Yinfan never thought to resist when the fierce and violent soldiers barged in earlier, let alone sneak an attack.
He had allowed himself to be seized, but the soldiers punched and kicked him aggressively as soon as they saw him, to the extent that he almost suffered internal injuries. Zhang Yinfan’s body hurt terribly at the moment, and his voice was indistinct because of the missing front tooth.
Fang Yihai sneered and pretended to have not heard his explanation. “How bold and reckless you are to attack brothers of our own. Why are you still standing there!”
Yu Hailiang and the other soldiers were stunned at first, but they quickly understood what the general meant. They proceeded to beat up Zhang Yinfan, who ended up howling in grief on the ground and eventually had a husky voice.
Qu Jianming’s face was ever-changing. He finally walked out and yelled as he could not take it any longer, “General Fang, please stop!”
Nonetheless, the South Camp soldiers turned a deaf ear to him as they continued to punch and kick ruthlessly.
Needless to say, they were particular with where they attacked Zhang Yinfan, by which they only inflicted pain on him instead of giving him fatal injuries.
Qu Jianming was red with anger. “General Fang, don’t you think you’re going overboard?”
Fang Yihai looked at him coldly and said, “Overboard? What do you mean?”
Qu Jianming expressed, “General Fang, even if Sir Zhang embezzled from the South Camp’s provisions, it isn’t an offense so serious that he should be punished like this, right?”
“Embezzled?” Fang Yihai’s smile became grimmer as he suddenly said, “Boys, tell him what exactly this damn murderer did!”
Yu Hailiang stated out loud, “Zhang Yinfan colluded with his elder brother, Zhang Yinli, to attack Master Ou halfway through his journey. Ten brothers from the South Camp’s Guards were killed, as well as a squad leader from the Middle Camp’s Guards. We were ordered by General Deng to capture the culprit, and anyone who tries to stop us will be killed!”
“Wh-what?” Qu Jianming widened his eyes in disbelief. “He actually had the guts to do that…”
Zhang Yinfan, who was still crying in pain, had his eyes roll back and passed out as he was too frightened.
He initially thought the plan he had schemed with his elder brother was seamless, and nobody would notice that he was involved. Therefore, Zhang Yinfan still took his chances when Fang Yihai suddenly came with his men.
However, Fang Yihai exposed the matter and even called out his elder brother’s name, so Zhang Yinfan instantly knew how it would end.
He was terrified out of his wits at the thought of the military’s cruel tortures, hence he passed out right away.
Fang Yihai scoffed in disdain and said, “What a timid person. Guards, bring him away to interrogate him with torture, I’ll make sure he no longer has secrets to hide!”
“Yes—”
Naturally, some South Camp soldiers went forward to drag Zhang Yinfan away. On the other hand, Qu Jianming’s face was green and red, and he was so startled that he dared not utter a single word anymore.
The news of the assassination case being resolved soon spread to the entire camp and Zhang Yinfan was sentenced to death by the Middle Camp’s commanding general.
Eleven soldiers-two of which were squad leaders—from the Guards of two camps had lost their lives, after all. If Deng Zhicai and Fang Yihai did not solve this matter in a way that their subordinates could vent their hatred, it would be difficult for them to lead soldiers in the future.
Ni Yunhong and his younger sister were surprised when they heard the unexpected news. Nevertheless, they had their guards up against the Zhang family in the capital. While they wanted to involve the others from the family in the case, they ended up with nothing definite.
****
Faintly, Ou Yangming woke up from being unconscious, he had already slept for three days.
That said, he was completely awake the moment he opened his eyes.
“Swoosh!
” He sat up right away and realized by looking at his surroundings that he had returned to his room in the Armament Camp. Ou Yangming could not help but sigh a breath of relief. ‘I’m glad I trusted the right person.’
In actuality, he was already like an arrow at the end of its flight when he ran the distance with Xiaoxiao Sheng.
Ou Yangming completely cast his worries aside when he saw Yu Hailiang, and his exhaustion gushed out like an unstoppable flood. He quickly raised the question to Yu Hailiang, but could actually not hold on any longer regardless of the captain’s answer.
Even then, he was still somewhat concerned.
After all, Ou Yangming was invited by Fang Yihai from the South Camp but was attacked during the journey. Although ten brothers from the camp had fought and lost their lives, he was still slightly dubious, but it seemed like there was no need for him to worry anymore.
Ou Yangming sprung up from his bed, then saw the beautiful sunlight in his courtyard as soon as he pushed the door open.
When he focused on the view that was usually a very normal one to him, it seemed to be more obscure, and he felt that his mental state had improved.
Ou Yangming noticed by sensing the area between his eyebrows that his mental power had become more powerful.
Feeling moved, Ou Yangming rubbed his hands after noticing that nobody was around, then the Appraisal Light landed on his body.
(Race: Human)
(Equivalent Rank: Ordinary Human, Yin Grade Class One]
[Power: 6]
[Agility: 6]
[Physique: 6]
[Mental Power: 25]
[Skills: Military fist art, military blade technique, Military Fire Smithing Art, appraisal art, Precious Stone Embedding Art]
[State: Integration of Heaven and man]
Ou Yangming’s eyebrows twitched as he reached his hand to his waist. Sure enough, the treasure that gave him Physique, the Blood Flight Art, and the Substitution Power was gone.
The most powerful attribute that Ou Yangming currently possessed was unquestionably the Devouring attribute from the Fire-absorbing Badge. Secondly, it was the waist sash that he had enhanced through a lot of effort.
Without the waist sash, almost half of his strength could not be exerted.
Nonetheless, putting aside the fact that Ou Yangming was not used to losing the waist sash, he was glad to find that his Power, Agility, and Physique attributes had 6 Points each after he entered Yin Grade. What surprised him more was his mental power even took a leap from 20 Points to 25 Points. The 5-points increment could not be treated lightly because it was equivalent to 25% of growth. Besides, if the points were actually implied on the other three basic attributes, it would mean that he could advance through five boundaries.
Ou Yangming somewhat figured that great improvement in his mental power was not wholly due to his recovery after overusing it.
The seven days in the dense forest, the danger when he was ambushed and attacked, the control he had over the Blood Flight Art in the end, as well as the joy and the perception after killing Zhang Yinli; everything added up was the real reason he could achieve 25 Points of mental power.
None of it could be replicated such that even if Ou Yangming had gone through the same process again, without enough comprehension and opportunity, he could not achieve the same results.
Ou Yangming exhaled deeply. When he looked around his room and his courtyard, he noticed that he was the only person around.
He touched his tummy as he was starving.
In fact, he felt that if a cow appeared in front of him at the moment, he could swallow it at one go.
All of a sudden, Ou Yangming’s ears twitched as he heard his door being opened.
He instantly saw a familiar face when he turned to look.
Ni Yinghong noticed Ou Yangming, who was bathing in the sunlight at the courtyard, right away. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, “Brother Ou, you’re awake!”
“Yes, I’m awake.” Ou Yangming flashed a smile at her, then stretched and said, “The sun today feels great!”
“Grr…”
An extremely strange voice was heard coming from Ou Yangming’s stomach at the spur of the moment.
Ou Yangming paused while he was stretching halfway, and looked embarrassed and helpless.
Ni Yinghong’s eyes wandered about when she looked at his tummy and his expression. She could not help but smile with her lips pursed.
‘This disappointing little thing,’ Ou Yangming thought as he glared at his tummy angrily, but also wondered, ‘That fella actually looks good when he smiles!’
Chapter 103 - Paying A Visit
Chapter 103 Paying A Visit
Ni Yinghong carried a meal box in her hand, and she unpacked the food one by one in the courtyard.
There was not much as she only brought a small bowl of porridge and some pickles, but the tempting aroma from them almost made Ou Yangming swallow his own tongue.
Ou Yangming looked at Ni Yinghong strangely as he asked, “Brother Ni, why did you bring these here?”
Ni Yinghong smiled rather proudly and said, “I’m adept in Mystery Art. I know that you’re awake after counting with my fingers, so I was well-prepared!”
Ou Yangming looked at her dubiously. ‘Perhaps this strange genius can really achieve that.’
Ni Yinghong twitched her mouth as she felt uneasy being stared at by Ou Yangming’s unrestrained eyes. “Okay, I’ll tell you the truth. Our family’s medical elder said that you’ll be awake soon, so I prepared these for you.”
“Your family’s elder?” Ou Yangming was taken aback. “Ah, young masters like you are really extravagant. Why do you have to bring an elder, who’s adept in medical skills, from the prefecture to the camp…”.
Ni Yinghong’s face changed for a split second, and she pretended like she was going to pack the food back into the meal box. “Do you want to eat them? They’re getting cold, so if you don’t want to eat them, I’ll take them away.”
“I’ll eat them, why won’t I eat them! I’d rather die on a full stomach than starve to death!” Ou Yangming quickly responded. He took the bowl of porridge and tilted his head backward to swallow the food hurriedly. Following that, he gobbled up the pickles on the small plate and commented while he chewed, “They taste good, but they’re a little salty.”
Seeing how he looked like a starved ghost that had just been reborn, Ni Yinghong was both amused and annoyed. “The prickles are meant to be eaten together with the porridge, so of course they’re salty if you eat them like a snack!”
COM
“The porridge was good, but there wasn’t much. That said…” Ou Yangming rubbed his tummy as he remarked. He pouted his lips and looked like he did not have enough, so he continued, “The porridge was really good, it tastes more delicious than the ones made from the kitchen!”
Ni Yinghong said to herself, ‘You’ve just woken up after three days and three nights, so you mustn’t eat oily food on an empty stomach. The porridge was specially made for you, which contained many restoratives. It’s considered a medicinal food, so of course, its taste can’t be compared to a normal bowl of porridge that’s cooked in a big pot.
Ou Yangming still looked like he was starving after he devoured the pickles. His eyes wandered about before he asked brazenly, “Brother Ni, do you have more?”
Ni Yinghong answered without any hesitation, “The elder said that you can only have some to fill your stomach since you’ve just awakened. You can’t eat too much!”
“Okay then.” Ou Yangming spread out his hands in despair. He later looked up at the sky and said, “Ah, the weather is beautiful, I’d like to go out for a walk so as to not waste my life away…”
However, his view was blocked as soon as he took a step forward. Ni Yinghong blocked his path and smiled faintly at him.
Ou Yangming asked in guilt, “Brother Ni, what are you doing?”
Ni Yinghong sneered. “You’re planning to look at the fine view in the
kitchen, aren’t you?”
Ou Yangming could not help but feel abashed that his thought was instantly perceived. In actuality, he understood that a person in poor health could not consume too many restoratives and that he could not overeat after waking up from a long sleep.
Ni Yinghong was doing this for his own good.
Needless to say, if someone else had done the same, Ou Yangming might actually ignore the kind gesture and would perhaps leave with a dark face. After all, he was no longer the person he was before. In particular, the seven days spent trying to kill Zhang Yinli were like seven days of training that steeled him in becoming sharper and shrewder.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming could not treat Ni Yinghong fiercely.
This was because he could never forget what Ni Yinghong had done for him throughout the appraisal task.
If Ni Yinghong had not helped him covertly by revealing some appraisal art knacks through conversations and encouraged Zheng Ziwen to perform the art numerous times, Ou Yangming could not have grasped the unique ability.
Due to the friendship shared, Ou Yangming would dismiss with a laugh if Ni Yinghong actually offended him seriously, let alone if she restricted him from eating and drinking anything he wanted.
Afterward, Ni Yinghong furrowed her eyebrows slightly when soft knocks were heard on the door. She seemed to be displeased, whereas Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up. He was feeling troubled about having to reply to Ni Yinghong, hence the knocks were undoubtedly the best way for him to get away.
He quickly hurried to the door while saying, “Someone’s here, I’ll go open the door!”
Ou Yangming was stunned when he opened the door because Fang Yihai and Xiaoxiao Sheng were outside, as well as Captain Yu Hailiang from the South Camp’s Guards, who was standing behind them.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming only took a quick glance at them because he soon fixed his gaze on the wooden box carried by Yu Hailiang.
Although the box was of a different style from the one brought by Ni Yinghong, Ou Yangming could not care less about its appearance because he was starving; he only needed something to fill his tummy.
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