The cavaliers were dumbfounded, and they could not help but stop.
Hu Yicheng had been watching quietly from the side, so he was struck dumb too, and he scanned Ou Yangming as he was puzzled. Even though they had met once, Ou Yangming was only a helper in the military back then. Now, he had been reborn, and become a totally different person.
Hu Yicheng pondered for some time but could not recall Ou Yangming’s background.
He asked with deep furrows in his eyebrows, “Young man, who are you” Ou Yangming did a fist salute. “I’m Ou Yangming, and you did me a favor in the past by giving me the Military Fire Badge.” Hu Yicheng’s eyes lit up when he finally remembered the young man. “Ou Yangming? You’re Ou Yangming from the Immense Forest Military Camp.”
Despite that, it was exactly because he remembered the young fellow that he was shocked.
As an inspector, he naturally could not stay in the Immense Forest Military Camp for long, and he had even left Changlong County long ago. Hence, he figured that the young fellow had died a graveless death for having offended the Zhang family.
When Hu Yicheng studied Ou Yangming from head to toe, he realized that the young fellow’s bearing was extremely different from when they first met. Based on the young man’s calm attitude when he confronted the cavaliers earlier, he deserved to be treated with different respect. Ou Yangming nodded. “That’s me. Greetings, Sir Hu.”
His fate was changed the second he received the Military Fire, so regardless of Hu Yicheng’s intentions, he was grateful.
If Hu Yicheng had not stuck to his views and simply pushed the boat along with the current by giving Zhang Hanyu the Military Fire Badge, Ou Yangming could not have accomplished what he did.
Hu Yicheng flashed a smile and asked, “Very well. Ou Yangming, have you incited the Military Fire and became a Military Fire Blacksmith?”
“Yes,” Ou Yangming answered seriously and added after a pause, “I’m able to come this far because of you.” “Don’t be so polite; I ought to do so,” Hu Yicheng laughed out loud, then looked at Ou Yangming and questioned, “Are you… An official Military Fire Blacksmith now?”
Ou Yangming smiled faintly. “I was already one long ago.” “Oh?” Hu Yicheng nodded with bright eyes and grinned. “I get it now; you’re heading to the capital to learn skills and to take an exam.”
“Learn skills and take an exam?” Ou Yangming was taken aback, and he could only smile bitterly.
“Sir Hu, you probably made a wrong guess.”
Another man walked out of a carriage; it was a middle-aged scholar with gentle eyes.
When he left his carriage, every cavalier took a step back and bowed at him. Hu Yicheng was surprised, “Brother Xu, what do you have to say?”.
The scholar whose surname was Xu responded with a smile, “The examination for Military Fire Blacksmiths is popular in the capital, but the Immense Forest Military Camp is too remote. According to my knowledge, none of the blacksmiths from the military camp has taken the assessment in the prefecture.”
Ou Yangming nodded. “Sir, you’re right. None of the blacksmiths in the Immense Forest Military Camp has attended the exam in the prefecture.”
Blacksmiths were separated into different ranks, by which those who could smith pieces of Common Grade equipment could become official blacksmiths.
That said, a blacksmith of that rank was only on the threshold of the trade.
Those who could smith pieces of Good Grade equipment were known as Rudimentary Blacksmiths; those who could smith pieces of High Grade equipment were known as Intermediate Blacksmiths; those who could smith pieces of Fine Grade equipment were known as Advanced Blacksmiths, but it was a rare status.
Being an Advanced Blacksmith was the greatest pursuit of most Military Fire Blacksmiths and Spiritual Fire Blacksmiths.
Nonetheless, there was another title above Advanced Blacksmith-Superior Blacksmith.
It was difficult to attain the title.
Other than having the ability to smith pieces of Fine Grade equipment in mass, one also needed to have a unique skill.
For instance, Old Craftsman’s Layering Art, the Ni family’s Suit Runes Technique, Embedding Art, Boring Skill, and so on. Those who could arrive at such a level were usually talents who would be roped in by different forces.
Needless to say, not all blacksmiths would strive for a title. It was true that having a title would be beneficial, but one would have to bear certain duties.
Blacksmiths who worked at remote military camps or core blacksmiths from influential families would usually keep their identities hidden, so they would not bother about getting a title. A great example would be Old Craftsman, who worked hard his whole life and had great skills, but he never went to take any exam to obtain a rank.
Ou Yangming was influenced by Old Craftsman, hence he was also not interested in it.
One could take the assessment in the prefecture too, but powerhouses who were aware of Ou Yangming’s ability never urged him to sit for the exam.
After all, Ou Yangming was someone who could smith magic tools. Why would anyone ask him to take part in an exam to become a Rudimentary Blacksmith or an official blacksmith?
Nobody would be thick-faced enough to say that.
However, Hu Yicheng and the other people present were clueless.
Sir Hu frowned and suggested, “Ou Yangming, if you’re based in the Immense Forest Military Camp forever, it won’t matter if you take the exam or not. Since you’re out now, you should go sit for the exam because it’ll be advantageous for you.”
Chapter 243 - A Dwarf Powerhouse
Chapter 243 A Dwarf Powerhouse
Ou Yangming smiled without saying a word; he only nodded to express his gratitude.
He did not approve of the so-called Blacksmith Rank Assessment, but he could tell that Hu Yicheng suggested it out of good intentions, so he responded to the officer.
Nonetheless, everyone felt that he was being half-hearted.
Putting Hu Yicheng aside, the cavaliers around him were furious as they were dissatisfied with the young man, who failed to appreciate the kindness.
Scholar Xu asked abruptly, “Ou Yangming, what level of equipment can you smith now?”
Ou Yangming was stunned, and he twitched his mouth because he did not know how to answer the question.
‘If one who can smith pieces of Fine Grade equipment and different top-notch equipment with unique skills is considered a Superior Blacksmith, what about me? What’s my rank?’
According to his knowledge, there was no corresponding title for a blacksmith who could smith magic tools. However, Sir Hu and Scholar Xu misunderstood Ou Yangming’s hesitation.
They looked at each other and thought the young fellow’s talent in smithing art was probably nothing much.
“Heh, Lil’ Brother Ou, being a blacksmith is a promising path, but the world is huge, and there are many other options out there,” Scholar Xu expressed with a smile, “We’re heading to the capital too, so if you don’t mind, how about we travel together?”
The cavaliers around them exchanged strange glances.
They could not understand why Sir Xu valued the impolite young man. “Thank you for the invitation, but I have something else to attend to, so I’m afraid I can’t join you.” Ou Yangming smiled and bowed at Hu Yicheng. “Sir Hu, I’ll meet you again in the capital.”
Hu Yicheng nodded slightly. Seeing as the cavaliers were not going to make way, he flapped his sleeve and ordered with a dark face, “Move!”
The cavaliers opened up a path embarrassedly to let Ou Yangming leave.
“Brother Xu, you value that fella too much,” Hu Yicheng remarked.
Scholar Xu chuckled. “Brother He, I think he’s not as simple as he seems.”
“It’s true that he’s quite capable to be able to take out my follower in one move, but my follower was being careless because he didn’t think the fella knew martial arts,” Hu Yicheng said in a deep voice, “If
they end up fighting against each other, my follower won’t necessarily be defeated.”
“Sir, you’re wise.” The cavalier, who fell off his horse and had a lash mark on his face, went forward and bowed. “I was indeed being negligent. If we fought in a life-or-death battle, I can definitely kill him.” He openly expressed his hatred toward Ou Yangming. After all, the fact that he embarrassed himself in front of the inspector would certainly affect his future, so he hated the young fellow to his bones.
Nevertheless, Hu Yicheng’s face darkened. “Nonsense, he’s from the Immense Forest Military Camp. It’s a remote camp, but he’s a part of the empire’s army, so how can you kill him easily?”
“Yes.” The cavalier lowered his head but hated Ou Yangming even more.
Hu Yicheng waved his hand and instructed, “Let’s enter the gazebo and rest for an hour.”
As he gave the order, everyone else began to hustle.
Ou Yangming traveled along the small forest after he left the gazebo.
Although it was more strenuous to take this path, he did not feel too hot because he was shaded by the leaves above him.
His ear twitched after 15 minutes, so he flashed and hid behind a tree without a sound.
A figure later jumped out from behind a big tree nearby, and it turned out to be one of the big men from the gazebo earlier. He scanned the surroundings with a confused look, then he finally went back into hiding.
“Big Brother, not even a ghost is seen outside; they’re probably resting in the gazebo,” the big man whispered when he went into the forest.
Roughly thirty men were sitting there. Apart from the men who were at the gazebo just now, there were twenty more strangers. They sat in a circle and whispered to one another to discuss something.
None of them noticed that a rather thin figure had discreetly appeared on top of a big tree above them.
Ou Yangming began to ponder when he looked down at the men. He was sure they did not gather without a reason, and it was evident from the men’s well-built bodies and fierce looks that they were not ordinary people.
The person in the middle was not the sturdy man who was able to resist the soldier moments ago without showing a weak impression.
On the contrary, it was a short and small dwarf, who was obviously a core figure.
The person’s eyes were appalling, and one would get chills by just looking at his ice-cold eyes, including strong men who had abundant Qi and blood. Ou Yangming was becoming more careful about staying hidden because he had a vague feeling that the little dwarf was mightier than everyone else; the person was a Yang Grade powerhouse.
Based on the people whom Ou Yangming associated with, it seemed like Yang Grade powerhouses were not worth mentioning, but it was because his smithing art was at an extraordinary level. In terms of smithing art, Ou Yangming was at the tip of a pyramid.
Therefore, he was qualified to meet Supreme Great Ancestors and was never belittled.
In actual fact, a Yang Grade powerhouse was a formidable backbone in this world.
It was worth noting that there were only six Yang Grade powerhouses in the Immense Forest Military Camp.
Even in the Ni family, which was a forceful clan that could dominate a county, there were less than thirty Yang Grade powerhouses. This included those from their clan’s branches and foreign tributaries.
It would be absurd to say a Yang Grade powerhouse could be randomly met on the street.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming encountered one at the moment, and it seemed like that powerhouse was scheming something.
The dwarf furrowed his eyebrows and questioned, “You didn’t see anyone else?”
“I swear nobody else passed by. Why would I lie to you, Big Brother?” The sturdy man swore.
It was funny that a built man like him addressed a dwarf as a big brother, but the other people were already used to it as if it was expected.
The dwarf scoffed. “I asked you to scout earlier, how was it?”
“Big Brother, we weren’t able to converse with the corrupt officials at all because we were driven away very quickly. If it wasn’t because we were afraid of exposing your plan, we would’ve fought them!” The man who spoke to Ou Yangming earlier stood up and answered.
The other men around him nodded in agreement, each one of them showed evil tendencies.
Ou Yangming thought, ‘I see, they’re here for Hu Yicheng. But even though Hu Yicheng and Scholar Xu are officials from the imperial court, they’re only in Yin Grade, so why is a Yang Grade powerhouse targeting them?’ The dwarf curled his lips. “You did well; you mustn’t attack easily if you’re not fully confident about it. Since you had a conflict with them, it’ll be great. Heh, go out and pretend to be mad about being mistreated, then try to create troubles to stall them so that they can’t enter the capital on time.”
Everyone else looked at him with glowing eyes, then one of them asked softly, “Big Brother, have you finally decided to make a
move?”
“I’ve confirmed that the item is with them. Ah, it’ll be quite troublesome after I kill them, but I couldn’t care less because I must get that item.” The dwarf nodded, and his eyes became fiercer. “You mustn’t let anyone escape the ambush or I won’t be able to get rid of the imperial court’s hawks and hounds even if I go to the ends of the earth!”
“Yes!” The other men looked grim, and they no longer smiled or laughed.
“Go and make the necessary preparations. We’ll go all out once it’s dark at night, and we must kill all loose ends.” The dwarf waved his hand.
As soon as he gave the order, the men dispersed and the ground became empty again.
Ou Yangming hid quietly on the tree, and he did not move an inch even when the men were gone.
After 15 minutes, flashes of figures appeared below as the dwarf led several people back from a different direction. One of them assured the dwarf with a smile. “Big Brother, nobody will be here, so don’t worry.”
“It’s better to be safe than sorry. This is our last operation, so we can’t make any mistakes,” the dwarf explained. He looked around for some time and sighed. “For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.”
The person beside him comforted him, “Big Brother, this is our final operation, perhaps you’re overthinking because it’s coming to an end.”
“I hope that’s the case.” The dwarf forced a smile and shook his head. “Let’s go and make the necessary preparations; everything must go as planned.”
With that, the men gathered and headed quickly in a certain direction. This time, nobody stayed around the area. Ou Yangming shook his head on the big tree. When he entered the integration of Heaven and man, as well as the thoroughly meticulous state, he could monitor everything in the area.
The dwarf might have sensed something, but it would be wishful thinking if he wanted to find Ou Yangming, who hid on purpose.
Ou Yangming pondered for a while before he made his decision.
While Hu Yicheng’s cavaliers had terrible attitudes, Ou Yangming had friendly feelings toward the inspector.
For the sake of the Military Fire, Ou Yangming could not sit by idly. Nonetheless, he would break off the relationship after he was done helping them.
Ou Yangming exerted force through the tip of his toes and zoomed away like a ghost.
Not to mention nobody in this area spotted Ou Yangming, the sturdy men could not have noticed him even if they stayed behind.
After an hour, shouts filled the air on the main road as Hu Yicheng’s convoy and the strong men began to fight.
Chapter 244 - A Sneak Attack At Night
Chapter 244 A Sneak Attack At Night
On the main road, not long after Hu Yicheng and the other people left the gazebo, an arrow was shot from the nearby forest.
The arrow came so suddenly that everyone was shocked. Fortunately, they were quite alert because they just had a conflict with Ou Yangming and the other big men, so one of the cavaliers mo
ved and narrowly dodged it.
Nonetheless, everyone was enraged. Several cavaliers got off their horses and retrieved their shields from the horsebacks, then they approached the forest quickly. They moved orderly, which made it clear that they had been training for years. Normal people could not have been so calm in the tense situation; only soldiers who had been to battlefields had such quality. Nevertheless, as the soldiers entered the forest while risking being shot by arrows, they could only see a figure that was about to disappear. The person turned around when he was far away and made a gesture of contempt at the soldiers.
The cavaliers were furious and were about to pursue the man, but the head cavalier furrowed his eyebrows and ordered, “We mustn’t enter the forest carelessly, let’s go back!”
He was prestigious among the other cavaliers, so nobody dared to question and object to him once he gave the order.
After they retreated to the carriages, the head cavalier reported in a deep voice, “Sir, we have trouble.”
Hu Yicheng asked, “What is it?”
“There were a few reckless men among the people whom we drove away from the gazebo earlier, and they’re hiding on both sides of the road to ambush us.”
“Oh? They’re really bold!” Hu Yicheng scoffed angrily.
Sir Hu never thought if he and his followers infuriated the big men because he had already classified them in a different rank, and never cared about the lowly people.
“Lingfeng, did they come because they’re indignant or they’re scheming something?” Scholar Xu asked.
The head rider was a descendant in Hu Yicheng’s clan, so he was naturally loyal toward the inspector, but he smiled bitterly when he heard Scholar Xu’s question. “Uncle Xu, I can’t be sure, but they seemed like they were only venting their anger and had no intention to kill us.”
Although the arrow was shot violently, it was not aimed to kill.
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