Chapter 215 - What’s The Grade And Rank
Chapter 215 What’s The Grade And Rank
General Li-Li Xinfan!
Everyone shuddered when they heard the name.
Even Ni Yunhong’s face changed. Ou Yangming and his companions were not at the military camp near the immense forest; they were at the Prefecture Military Camp, which had the largest army in the county.
Li Xinfan was not an ordinary cultivator; he was a Supreme Great Ancestor. He was also from the imperial family like Governor Deng Xiyuan, but he was the most powerful martial artist in Changlong County. In terms of power alone, even the Ni family, which had three Supreme Great Ancestors, dared not say that they could suppress General Li.
Although Ou Yangming was slightly popular, it was unexpected for him to be valued by a figure like Li Xinfan.
The young fellow forced a smile and asked, “Captain Zhang, why does General Li know a nobody like me?”
“A nobody? Master Ou, you underestimate yourself.” Zhang Mingzhe could not help but laugh, and he explained with a serious face, “My brothers and I admire what you did, and we’re grateful for you from the bottom of our hearts. Hehe, General Li has personally ordered us to thank you with the military salute if we ever see you.”
The other people became even more puzzled. Eventually, Old Craftsman nudged Ou Yangming and asked softly, “Young fella, what did you do?”
Ou Yangming was startled for some time before he said, “I didn’t do anything…” Zhang Mingzhe shook his head and sighed. “Master Ou, you sought justice for us, fought the imperial merchant on your own, and taught the high officials and nobles a great lesson. Did you forget such a significant matter?”
Old Craftsman widened his eyes at Ou Yangming and cursed, ‘What’s going on? I’ll surely make this young fella explain to me once we’re home.’
Ou Yangming was stunned. “Captain Zhang, I ought to have done that. It’s just a small matter, so it’s not worthy enough to be remembered by General Li.”
“A small matter? Heh…” Zhang Mingche laughed, but he sounded rather bitter. The captain lowered his voice and said, “Master Ou, who else is willing to stand up for soldiers like us?”
Ou Yangming opened his mouth and looked at Zhang Mingzhe as he felt troubled, but he could not let a world out.
He was willing to offend the imperial merchant for a squad leader-a deceased squad leader—and was unwilling to stop even when two Supreme Great Ancestors showed up. How many people in the world could have done that?
Nonetheless, while it was the reality, the incident cast a chill over the generals and the soldiers. As such, even Zhang Mingzhe did not have the guts to speak about it openly.
“Master Ou, please!” Zhang Mingzhe reached out his hand to guide the guests into the military camp.
Along the way, Ou Yangming noticed that more people gathered to see them. The people whispered to each other, and whenever he turned to look, someone would salute him even from far away.
Nevertheless, nobody stopped them, and they simply bowed at Ou Yangming quietly from afar. They expressed their highest respect for him in a soldier’s unique way.
Ou Yangming was agitated. He stuck out his chest as he followed behind Old Craftsman, and he walked calmly as the other people watched.
At this moment, he firmly believed that everything he did was right. Even if he offended the governor, even if he provoked the imperial merchant, Ou Yangming never regretted it.
At last, there was a smaller crowd when they were deeper inside the military camp. They were at the residence for high-rank officers, after all, which was out of bounds for most people. “Ou Yangming’s here, that’s great!” A hearty voice was heard.
Chen Yifan’s familiar figure was seen, but he was instantly attracted to the spear on Ou Yangming’s back as soon as he appeared. In fact, he ignored Old Craftsman and the other people. “Lil’ Ou, did you smith this weapon for me?” Chen Yifan cut to the chase.
Ou Yangming grinned. ‘Chen Yifan’s still as straightforward as ever.’
“General, I did smith this weapon for you. Take a look at it; are you satisfied?” Ou Yangming removed the spear from his back and tossed it to the general.
Ordinary people must be checked thoroughly before they entered the heavily-guarded military camp, so it would be impossible for one to carry a self-made spear into the camp.
However, every soldier neglected the spear after they found out Ou Yangming’s name, hence the young fellow entered the camp smoothly with the weapon.
Chen Yifan caught the spear and fixed his gaze on the spear tip. He subconsciously quivered.
When he held the spear with both hands and wielded it, the spear vibrated and gave out a buzz. The vibration hit their eardrums and cast a chill over them.
“This… This is a great spear!” Chen Yifan’s eyes lit up, and he could not hide his excitement. “Come, let me test it out!”
Subsequently, he turned and entered the courtyard, which was arranged for him, with the spear.
Zhang Minghe, Ou Yangming, and the other people looked at each other. They were aware of Chen Yifan’s character, but they thought he was being too willful.
Old Craftsman let out a dry cough and said, “Ah, that’s just how General Chen is—direct. Heh, let’s go in too.”
“Yes, yes.” Zhong Yunda nodded and agreed with the old man.
Despite that, the two elders were actually thinking, “Oh, General Chen. Even if you see something great, you should still be reserved; an officer from the Prefecture Military Camp is here.’
With different thoughts, everyone entered the courtyard, and they were immediately greeted with spear shadows.
Chen Yifan flashed as he held the spear, and he moved with the weapon like a legendary dragon. As he wielded the weapon, it looked like an azure dragon mounting the clouds or riding the mist playfully in the courtyard.
Without warning, the legendary dragon turned and seemingly stared at the other people.
As a result, everyone else was fearful. It was as though the lights transformed from the spear shadows were a legendary dragon as a whole, and that it could swallow all of them in one bite.
Old Craftsman and the two other old Military Fire Blacksmiths felt a chill down their spines when they sensed the cold-intent from the spear shadows. They slowly shifted forward to stay further away.
On the other hand, Ou Yangming and Zhang Mingzhe watched attentively. The captain was in awe and thought the general was worthy of his title; the general’s cultivation base was far from his reach.
Ou Yangming beamed with joy. His understanding of the Chen family’s spear technique had already improved from the past, hence he verified his gained knowledge as he watched Chen Yifan’s spear technique. The young fella was overjoyed because he felt like he had advanced further again. Chen Yifan suddenly lowered the spear tip to the ground and moved while he dragged the spear by the end of the handle. He yelled after he took a few steps, then the spear tip bounced up like a venomous snake and was prodded in the void.
The general gathered all his essence, energy, and spirit in the movement. If someone was following closely behind him at that instant, the person would have turned into powder due to the irresistible force.
When the general performed the Chen family’s Back Spear Thrust, there was a different charm to it. “Great spear technique!”
A number of people entered the courtyard at that moment. The leader among them was a tall man who had a smile on his face. He looked like he had lived like a prince for a long time, but his eyes looked so sharp that nobody dared to look at him in the eye.
Chen Yifan withdrew his spear and stood still. He greeted in a serious tone, “General Li!”
Zhang Mingzhe even kneeled halfway to the ground and greeted, “General Li!” Ou Yangming and his companions were informed of the man’s identity right away, so they bowed to greet him too. Old Craftsman and Ou Yangming acted normally because they had been seeing the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors; Zhong Yunda and Wang Zhongtong trembled with fear and did not know where to put their hands.
“You may get up.” Li Xinfan nodded smilingly. “Yifan, your spear technique has improved again; the Chen family has a successor.”
“Thank you for your praise, general. My spear technique is still the same, but this spear…” Chen Yifan responded seriously. He asked after a moment of hesitation, “Ou Yangming, what’s the grade and rank of this spear?”
The general had seen countless spears because he had been practicing spear techniques from young, hence he was also familiar with their grades and ranks. That said, Chen Yifan could not identify the real grade and rank of the spear in his hands.
It was quite unbelievable for him.
In actuality, Chen Yifan had a vague guess in his mind, but it was a one-sided guess, so he could not bring himself to ask the question.
Li Xinfan laughed out loud. “Yifan, your eyesight is getting poorer. Let me take a look at it.”
Chen Yifan was undecided, but he could only hand the spear to General Li reluctantly.
Li Xinfan scolded jokingly, “Young fella, when have you become so stingy and sensitive… Hey?” The general paused all of a sudden, and his face slowly took on a grim expression as he studied the spear closely.
“Is… Is this… A magic tool?” He exclaimed after a brief moment.
He was a Supreme Great Ancestor, yet he forgot himself.
Nonetheless, it was not strange because the Ni family’s Three Great Ancestors were not much better when they first saw Ou Yangming smith a magic tool. “A magic tool? Is that really a magic tool?” Chen Yifan exclaimed, and his eyes glowed. He had a feeling that it was a magic tool, but it was such an absurd statement that he dared not say it earlier.
“Great spear, great spear!” Li Xinfan uttered as he wielded the spear. He was envious, but he also gave his praise openly.
The other people thought, ‘Isn’t that a given? If a magic tool isn’t considered a great spear, what other equipment in the world deserves to be a great weapon?’
Chen Yifan stared at the spear. He wanted to take it back, but he did not have the guts to make a move.
He was a commanding general for a camp, had authority, came from an influential family, and was far more knowledgeable than ordinary people. However, those were the reasons he knew better than anyone else what a magic tool represented.
The piece of equipment was not something he could possess.
Even if Chen Yifan cultivated his whole life and was lucky enough to become a great ancestor, he was unlikely to acquire a magic tool.
Now, the opportunity of getting a magic tool was right in front of the general. His heart moved with the spear when Li Xinfan wielded it, and his heartbeat constantly fluctuated.
Li Xinfan finally stopped after some time. As Chen Yifan looked at him eagerly and with concern, he asked, “Yifan, where did you get this magic tool?”