The military saber was considered perfect to the young man. Unless it contained a God-given attribute, its quality was already at the top in terms of normal attributes for a saber.
Old Craftsman smiled bitterly, “Ah, this saber still couldn’t break through the limit to become a magic tool.”
The people behind him were stunned at first, then they began to have strange looks on their faces. Even Ni Yunhong, who was close to the old man, could not help but curse internally.
‘Were you trying to smith a magic tool?’
Nevertheless, everyone in the world knew Master Ou Yangming had the official right to produce magic tools. Other than him, nobody else could smith such treasures; the Superior Blacksmiths from the capital could not do it even if they joined hands.
‘Aren’t you… Indulging in a wild idea by wanting to smith a magic tool by yourself?’
Despite what they were thinking, they did not show it on their faces.
This was because they knew Ou Yangming, who was known as the greatest blacksmith since the beginning of history, was taught by the old man, who was unwilling to admit defeat.
Ni Yunhong expressed after some thought, “Old… Old Man, you’re demanding too much from yourself.”
Old Craftsman rolled his eyes. “Brother Yun, how many times have I told you? You can just call me Old Craftsman. Don’t call me meaningless names; they’re stifling!”
Ni Yunhong’s mouth twitched. “Old Craftsman, why didn’t you say that to my younger sister when she called you Old Man? Aren’t you showing favoritism by only putting on airs in front of me?”
Two new blacksmiths exchanged glances and thought, ‘It’s true—this elder dislikes being addressed as Old Man and insists that other people call him Old Craftsman.’
Old Craftsman responded snappily, “Your younger sister is obviously different. I recognize her as my daughter-in-law, so it’s only right for her to call me Old Man!”
Ni Yunhong sighed. He was speechless toward the old man.
Having said that, not to mention Old Craftsman had the support of Ou Yangming, who could not be offended, even if he was by himself, nobody would offend him because of a trifling flaw. After all, he was a blacksmith that achieved the integration of Heaven and man.
Old Craftsman picked up the military saber and inspected it carefully, then he passed it to the second person.
The blacksmiths present studied the saber one by one and only complimented the old man. Some of them were followers of the rich and powerful, but most of them were blacksmiths with legitimate skills, hence they were convinced after witnessing Old Craftsman’s smithing art using the integration of Heaven and man.
When they appraised the military saber in their hands, they could better sense its profoundness, thus they kept singing praises. They wanted very badly to keep the saber for their own, so they could slowly appreciate it.
All of a sudden, someone hurried into the workshop.
Ni Yinghong furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s the matter? Why are you panicking!”
The person that entered was a servant in the residence. He was usually rather steady but was somehow flustered at the moment.
He immediately bowed and answered, “Young Master, someone outside wants to meet Old Craftsman.”
“Who’s that?” Ni Yunhong was displeased. “Old Craftsman’s a noble person, so how can he be met by ordinary people!”
Old Craftsman cleared his throat and noted, “Brother Yun, you’re not quite right. I’m nothing but a military man, so how am I noble at all?”
Ni Yunhong replied to the old man with servility but thought, ‘Putting aside the fact that you’re a blacksmith expert, even if you’re a good-for-nothing, as long as Ou Yangming’s around, you’re a living Buddha that can’t be offended at all…’
The other people looked at each other. They felt like the identity of a military man was far from who Old Craftsman was but when they thought it over, they realized that it was true.
“Young Master, it’s Sir Governor who came,” the servant said with a bitter smile.
Ni Yunhong was dumbfounded, and he mumbled, “Why is he here?”
Although the Ni family and the governor from Changlong County had not had a bitter fall-out with each other unlike Canghai City, they had different thoughts after the Humans disaster. Therefore, they had not contacted each other for some time.
“Young Master, the great ancestors have already gone to receive him. They asked me to pass on the message to see if Old Craftsman would like to meet them or not.”
Ni Yunhong raised his eyebrows and understood right away.
Deng Xiyuan was certainly not finding Old Craftsman for anything good, but the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors could not act on their own because it was related to the old man. If not, Old Craftsman and Ou Yangming would both be dissatisfied.
However, if Old Craftsman did not want to meet the governor, the Ni family’s great ancestors would not hesitate to turn down the visitation request.
Who knew, Old Craftsman was quite interested. “The governor must’ve come to find me for something important. Did something happen to the Rune Equipment? I should go to take a look.” He cupped his hands at the others and left in a hurry.
He put in his utmost effort to smith the Rune Equipment, thus he was always worried about it.
Once he hastened to the main hall, he noticed Deng Xiyuan, Ni Jingshen, and the others. His eyes lit up when he looked further. “General Chen, why have you come?”
A person walked out from behind Deng Xiyuan. It was Chen Yifan, who was one of the commanding generals in the Immense Forest Military Camp.
Ni Jingshen’s heart skipped a beat, and he thought, ‘He didn’t come with good intentions!’
He was aware that General Chen Yifan had always been quite good friends with Old Craftsman and Ou Yangming, and he would definitely welcome the general warmly if he visited. That said, Chen Yifan pretended to be one of Deng Xiyuan’s servants. As sharp-eyed as the great ancestor was, he could not have recognized him from 100 strange faces.
Chen Yifan laughed out loud and walked out calmly. “Old Craftsman, I was previously injured, but I’ve now recovered, so I’m here to meet you and Master Ou.”
Back when he met Ou Yangming, he could still pride himself on being a senior but now… He could only address the young fellow as Master Ou.
Old Craftsman replied to the general with a smile, “General Chen, look at what you’re saying. If you’d like to meet us, you could’ve sent us a letter, and we’ll go over to you instead.”
Chen Yifan was startled for a while, and he smiled bitterly. “Old Craftsman, please don’t joke around. I dare not do that.”
Ni Jingshen’s heart sank deeper as he listened to their conversation. It was evident that the general and the old man were much closer than he had imagined.
After a brief moment, Cheng Yifan suddenly said, “Old Craftsman, I actually came by His Majesty’s order.”
“His Majesty?” Old Craftsman was struck dumb.
“Yes,” Chen Yifan noted seriously, “His Majesty wants to smith a magic tool but failed to acquire one even after assembling every blacksmith in the capital for the task. His Majesty initially wanted to ask to reach out to Master Ou but heard that he’s still going places for the Humans’ disaster, so His Majesty could only settle for the alternative; Old Craftsman, you’re invited to the capital to cooperate on the great undertaking.”
Old Craftsman pointed at his nose and asked, “Are you saying that His Majesty wants me to go to the capital to join the great undertaking of the smithing of a magic tool?”
“That’s right. Old Craftsman, I know it’s difficult for you, so I won’t force you if you’re not willing to go,” Chen Yifan answered.
Ni Jingshen scoffed and thought, ‘Try and see if you’re able to force him to go.’
The general continued, “But think about who groomed you before you became successful.”
Old Craftsman
fell silent. He frowned as if he was deeply troubled.
Seeing as the situation was unfavorable, Ni Jingshen quickly states, “Hehe, General Chen, Master Ou instructed us to take good care of Old Craftsman while he temporarily stays in our humble residence. Now that Master Ou hasn’t returned, we can’t let Old Craftsman leave just like that.”
Deng Xiyuan let out a hollow laugh but before he could say a word, Ni Jingshen waved his hand and uttered, “Anybody? Please see our visitors out.”
The great ancestor was a decisive person, hence he made up his mind at once. He would send the two visitors away, then he would talk to Old Craftsman.
They were at the Ni residence, after all, and the local tyrant was so powerful that they could not be resisted by Deng Xiyuan and the others. While the guests were reluctant to leave, there was nothing they could do.
Nonetheless, when Ni Jingshen turned around and looked at Old Craftsman, he noticed unusual colors in the old man’s dull eyes.
Ni Jinghsen’s face changed, and he felt an intense bad omen.
He realized that some things seemed to have gone beyond his control and were leaning towards the dreadful side.
Chapter 525 - Misunderstanding
A black figure suddenly zoomed across the sky, and earth-shattering sounds could also be heard on the ground.
Ou Yangming and the little red bird rode the goshawk back to gather with Multi-armed King Kong and the others. Ni Yinghong and the rest were anxious from waiting, but they were not too worried because not many people in this world could trouble the young fellow.
Perhaps Ou Yangming would encounter some problems during his search for peculiar stones, but they did not believe that he would be in danger.
Therefore, they did not think about looking for him although their wait was extended by a few days.
They had absolute confidence in Ou Yangming.
Sure enough, Ou Yangming and the goshawk returned unharmed after several days. As for the little red bird, which had always settled on the young fellow’s shoulder, while Ni Yinghong and the rest vaguely knew it probably had some unique skills, they did not think it was a formidable creature.
After Ou Yangming returned, he did not tell the others what happened. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Hong Feiyu never asked any questions though he was curious.
With that, they all boarded the high platform on Multi-armed King Kong’s back and hurried back to Changlong City at full speed.
Halfway through, the goshawk sometimes flew high between the clouds and sometimes descended to mid-air to ridicule the king kong for being as slow as a snail.
Multi-armed King Kong was infuriated, but it dared not act recklessly because Ou Yangming and the rest were behind it, and it was being suppressed by the little red bird. As such, it could only roar from time to time and wave its large arms to scare the goshawk.
Nonetheless, unless it was a normal confrontation between the two, the king kong could not hurt the goshawk easily even though it was forceful. Besides, the goshawk was flying without any burden at the moment, whereas the king kong was carrying Ou Yangming and the others.
In the end, Ou Yangming could not take it anymore, hence he reprimanded the goshawk so that it would act conscientiously.
Hong Feiyu began to respect Ou Yangming even more after he witnessed the scene. The fact that the young fellow could tame the two powerful spirit beasts to be so obedient was incredibly rare even in the upper realm.
Not to mention Ou Yangming was a caster, even if he was not a Spirit Grade powerhouse, he would be honored as a guest by many parties because of that ability alone.
Multi-armed King Kong was not as fast as the goshawk, but it was far better than ordinary elite horses. It caused considerable movements along the way, such that those that saw it were shocked and afraid. Nevertheless, as compared to its speed, everything was worth it.
At last, the city was in sight. Ou Yangming smiled when he looked at the familiar walls.
‘It feels good to come home.’
This was not where he grew up, but it was home to Ni Yinghong and Jiang Jiumei, and it was where Old Craftsman—his only older relative—lived. In a way, nowhere else felt like home to him.
The people on the walls heard the thunderous sounds and noticed the incoming guests long ago.
Even so, as compared to the two previous times, the king kong’s arrival did not cause any disturbance. This was because everybody knew the humongous creature had a master, who was Changlong City’s greatest pride.
Since the king kong was restrained by its master, nobody would fear it. Needless to say, given how gigantic the beast was, nobody would court their deaths by going against it.
Before Multi-armed King Kong went near the walls, Ou Yangming made it stop, then he walked back home with the other people and Big Yellow.
The fellow was too enormous, after all. If it was too close to the city, even if it curbed its aura on purpose, the immense pressure from it could not be withstood by ordinary people. Ou Yangming did not want the soldiers from Changlong City to embarrass themselves in front of the beast.
When the gate was opened, whether it was the soldiers on duty or the common folks around, they saluted Ou Yangming with respect and were more sincere than when Governor Deng Xiyuan patrolled the city. Moreover, none of them were forced to do that; it came from their hearts.
Ou Yangming kept nodding at the people to return the salutations, and he walked swiftly on the main path, which had been intentionally cleared by the people.
The moment he entered the city, he frowned unnoticeably. It only lasted for a split second, but he had a question in his mind.
‘Why didn’t Supreme Great Ancestors such as Ni Jingshen and Deng Xiyuan show up this time?’
Ou Yangming was not one that paid attention to empty courtesies, and he did not hope to involve many people for something superficial. Despite that, he knew the great ancestors very well, thus he could tell they were staying away from him on purpose.
He did not know the reason behind it, but he had an extremely bad hunch about it.
Having said that, Ou Yangming still carried on calmly and returned to the Ni residence.
The news of his return had long been delivered to the residence, but the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors still did not show up. Instead, Ni Yunhong, who had a close relationship with him, was waiting inside the courtyard.
Of course, the Ni family’s unusual act could not be hidden from Ni Yinghong. She was rather frightened, so she beat Ou Yangming to it and asked her older brother, “Elder Brother, what happened?”
It was much better for her to raise the question instead of Ou Yangming. There would still be room for maneuver if something went wrong, whereas if the young fellow was enraged, the whole Changlong City would suffer serious bloodshed.
While the Humans’ disaster was over, it did not mean that the spirit beasts were eliminated or dead. Apart from the spirit insects, the 3 other spirit beasts were with Ou Yangming. Once he decided to make a move, blood would flow into a river, and there would be millions of corpses.
Ni Yunhong looked at Ou Yangming and his little sister bitterly and with regret.
He bowed at Ou Yangming and apologized, “Brother Ou, I’m sorry—I didn’t complete what you entrusted to me.”
Ou Yangming immediately reached out to help him up, and he asked, “Brother Ni, what do you mean?” He looked around and suddenly recalled something, so his face changed.
Back then, he would always be welcomed by the cheerful old man whenever he returned; this time, he did not see any signs of Old Craftsman.
The young fellow’s heart sank right away, and his hands and feet turned ice-cold. He did not realize it when he spoke, but his voice was trembling involuntarily. “Brother Ni, w-where’s Old Man?”
Ni Yunhong sighed again, and he seemed like he was not resigned to the outcome.
“Buzz.” There was an explosion in Ou Yangming’s head. He felt dizzy, and it was simply h
eart-wrenching, which was so painful that it could not be put into words.
He flashed to the front of Ni Yunhong and extended his arms to grab the young man’s shoulders as he shouted. “What exactly happened?”
“Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts…” Ni Yunhong rolled his eyes and screamed.
Ou Yangming was already at the peak of Extreme Grade, and his power was superior to equal-ranked powerhouses. Fortunately, he was rational enough to not exert all his force, or Ni Yunhong would have been crushed already.
“Lil’ Ming!” Ni Yinghong was appalled, and she yelled, “Calm down, calm down first!”
Jiang Jiumei approached Ou Yangming too. “Elder Brother, don’t do this!”
It was then when Ou Yangming stopped his violent behavior. He let go of Ni Yunhong and apologized, “Brother Ni, I’m sorry.”
Ni Yunhong responded with a crying face, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m glad that I’m alive…”
Earlier when Ou Yangming made a move, his threatening aura was fully unleashed, by which an oppressive spiritual storm was released on Ni Yunhong, who was not terrified to death because he cultivated since young to have great willpower.
“Elder Brother, what exactly happened? What happened to Old Man?” Ni Yinghong asked in a deep voice.
Ni Yunhong dared not hide the truth anymore, so he answered, “Old Craftsman was deceived, and he left the Ni residence.”
“Uh, w-what?” Ou Yangming was stunned, and he had a strange look on his face.
The answer really took a 180-degree turn.
Ou Yangming initially thought a mishap happened to Old Craftsman, which was why he was filled with indescribable hatred at first. When he knew the old man had merely left the Ni residence, he instantly relaxed.
He felt like he fell from a 3048-meters-tall mountain into a 3048-meters-deep groove in an instant; the up-and-down feeling was similar to a rollercoaster ride, which was unimaginably fantastic.
Ni Yinghong was also struck dumb for some time. When she finally came back to her senses, he kicked Ni Yunhong hard.
She did not hold back at all, hence Ni Yunhong shrieked in pain.
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