Chapter 217 Master Lu
Li Xinfan pulled Ou Yangming’s hand and walked together with him.
Ou Yangming was not used to the gesture, but the general had no intention of letting go at all, so he could only let it be.
Along the way, many soldiers were in disbelief when they witnessed the scene.
After all, Li Xinfan was the commander of many soldiers.
Although the Prefecture Military Camp in Changlong had five different camps too, as compared to the Immense Forest Military Camp, authority was relatively centralized.
On the other hand, the five commanding generals in the Immense Forest Military Camp were similar; they had the cultivation base of Yang Grade.
Nonetheless, there was only one great-ancestor-level powerhouse in the Prefecture Military Camp, and nobody dared to disobey his orders. In fact, many ordinary soldiers regarded Li Xinfan as someone who was more than just human because they thought he was similar to a deity.
Even so, a superb powerhouse like General Li was holding a teen’s hand at that moment, and they seemed to be conversing in harmony. It was as though there was no disparity between their statuses and they were equal with each other.
While the soldiers saluted the general, they secretly guessed and asked around for Ou Yangming’s identity. Before long, Ou Yangming’s name spread far and wide in the military camp. When the soldiers realized who he was, they saluted the guest with even more respect.
Ou Yangming expressed softly when he was stared at by numerous soldiers, “General, there’s no need to stir up so many people.”
“It’s necessary.”
“What?” Ou Yangming asked as he was taken aback.
“You’re our hero, so I want them to see you and remember you,” Li Xinfan explained slowly. With the same expression on his face, he lamented, “I hope they’ll rise and stand up for each other when similar incidents happen in the future.”
Ou Yangming was startled for a while before he lowered his voice and said, “General Li, you’re encouraging them…”
“No, I’m not encouraging anything; I hope the courage and uprightness in the military will not be stained by worldly affairs.”
Ou Yangming fell silent for a brief moment, but he finally stuck out his chest and walked with Li Xinfan with his head up.
From a higher-up’s perspective, Li Xinfan’s act was undesirable, but the general was acting like a real soldier.
Regardless of his final aim, as long as he was still a soldier, Ou Yangming was willing to walk with him.
The Prefecture Military Camp was huge, and they only arrived at the Armament Camp after half an hour.
Ou Yangming was slightly stunned when he saw the camp.
This was because there was a huge difference between the Immense Forest Military Camp’s Armament Camp and the Armament Camp here.
In the Immense Forest Military Camp, every high-level Military Fire Blacksmith was given a smithing workshop each, whereas the remaining blacksmiths shared workshops. As for ordinary blacksmiths, who did not even possess the Military Fire, they had lower statuses as they were usually assistants.
Therefore, the Immense Forest Military Camp’s Armament Camp did not occupy a huge space, and they were being controlled by the Provision Camp.
On the contrary, the Prefecture Military Camp’s Armament Camp was so massive that it was far beyond Ou Yangming’s imagination. In addition, the young fellow saw many burning fires at one glance. A smithing table was placed in front of every fire, and strong men were seen hitting various armaments.
Ou Yangming was familiar with the men’s movements because he went through a similar phase before he gained the Military Fire
The men were blacksmiths without the Military Fire, or perhaps it was more appropriate to describe them as ordinary ironsmiths.
“General Li, this is…” Ou Yangming asked in astonishment.
Li Xinfan finally let go of Ou Yangming’s hand and asked with a smile, “Master Ou, how many pieces of equipment can you smith in a day?”
Ou Yangming was struck dumb by the question, and he answered hesitantly, “I can manage roughly ten pieces of equipment.”
If Ou Yangming did his best and lowered his requirement for the pieces of equipment, he could obviously smith more. However, the standard was enough for a Military Fire Blacksmith to report on a task.
Li Xinfan nodded and asked, “if every Military Fire Blacksmith can smith ten pieces of equipment a day, how many pieces can be smithed in total? In the entire military camp, how many pieces are damaged in a day?” Ou Yangming’s eyes lit up as he can sudden realization. “I understand now; they’re smithing pieces of ordinary equipment.” “That’s right. Military Fire Blacksmiths smith Fine Grade items, but the pieces of equipment used by ordinary soldiers are in the highest demand, and they’re basically forged by ordinary ironsmiths.” Li Xinfan smiled.
Ou Yangming kept nodding his head. As said by Li Xinfan, if Military Fire Blacksmiths had to smith pieces of equipment for ordinary soldiers too, they would not be able to complete the task even if every one of them in the world died from exhaustion.
All of a sudden, a clamor was heard coming from a crowd. A few people left the Armament Camp and ran toward Ou Yangming and General Li.
“General Li, why have you come?” The person who led the group was a tall man with a sonorous voice. Based on his strength, he seemed to have the cultivation base of Yin Grade, but he spoke rather casually to Li Xinfan, who was a commanding general and a Supreme Great Ancestor.
Li Xinfan chuckled. “Master Lu, I brought you someone from the same trade as yours.”
“The same trade?” Master Lu was confused. He glanced past Ou Yangming without laying his eyes at the young fellow and quickly looked behind him and the general. Next, the master’s eyes glowed, and he walked over with a bright and sincere smile.
General Li’s smile froze as he watched Master Lu walk straight past him and Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming found it funny. He was sure that Master Lu was an important figure in the Armament Camp, or the master would not be daring enough to treat Li Xinfan as such.
“Ah, Old Craftsman, you’re finally willing to come!” Master Lu laughed and approached the old man, then he spread his arms and gave him a big hug.
Old Craftsman responded cheerfully, “Old Brother Lu, we meet again.”
The two masters hugged each other warmly, then Master Lu expressed with joy, “Old Craftsman, I told you long ago that it’s definitely a huge waste for you to stay in the Immense Forest Military Camp—that pigeonhole-given that you have such a high standard. Haha, I’m working on overcoming the toughness in pieces of equipment now, so it’ll be great if you’re here to help!”
Zhong Yunda and Wang Zhongtong looked grim. ‘What do you mean by a pigeonhole? How could you ridicule our camp so openly and loudly?’
Old Craftsman was embarrassed. “Old Brother Lu, the Immense Forest Military Camp is smaller, but it produces great seedlings too. As soldiers, isn’t it the same wherever we serve?”
Master Lu shook his head and responded, “It’s different, it’s certainly different!”
Li Xinfan cleared his throat and said, “Master Lu, I haven’t introduced him to you yet.”
Master Lu shook his head. “General Li, you can skip the introduction. Old Craftsman and I have been good friends for years, and I’ve invited him to our Armament Camp many times, but he always refused. General, you must make him stay this time. If we have his help in the research, perhaps we’ll be able to improve a piece of equipment’s toughness by a bit!”
Li Xinfan’s face darkened. He was a Supreme Great Ancestor, after all, hence he was displeased after being cut off a few times. “Master Ou, I wasn’t going to introduce Old Craftsman to you.”
Master Lu was dumbfounded, and he finally looked away to glance at Zhong Yunda and Wang Zhongtong. “The two of you are…”
Zhong Yunda answered coldly, “We’re blacksmiths from the Immense Forest Military Camp’s Armament Camp. Greetings, Master Lu.”
“I see, you’re from the same trade too. Hehe, hehe…” Master Lu was ashamed. Upon seeing the look on his face, Ou Yangming almost burst out laughing. Li Xinfan shook his head helplessly, and it was evident that he was also slightly speechless about Master Lu’s character.
“Master Lu, this is Master Ou Yangming. Please come and meet him.”
Following that, Master Lu turned to look at Ou Yangming by following General Li’s gesture. The master blinked his eyes hard and questioned, “Master? You’re saying he…”
Li Xinfan uttered with a deep voice, “Master Lu, Master Ou’s a real blacksmith master, and you should ask him for advice.” “Ask him for advice?” Master Lu rolled his eyes and looked at Ou Yangming again, but he was clearly in disdain.
In other aspects, the master would not mind for the sake of the general, but in terms of smithing skill, he was extremely confident. “General, you have no idea that smithing art is a skill that requires profound experience Without enough experience, it’s useless no matter how gifted a person is. Hey, Ou Yangming? This name sounds familiar…”
Li Xinfan did not know to cry or to laugh. “Master Lu, you still remember Ou Yangming’s name. It’s… Not easy!”
A person next to Master Lu went closer to him and whispered in his ear.
“Oh, it’s him.” Master Lu instantly understood the situation, and he gave Ou Yangming a thumbs up. “Young fella, you did
great.”
Old Craftsman immediately noted, “Little Ming, Master Lu just praised you, so aren’t you going to thank him!”
Ou Yangming thought with a bitter smile, ‘Should I act like I’m overwhelmed to make the old man happy?’
Master Lu was surprised. “Old Craftsman, how is he related to you?”
“He’s my disciple, and I taught him by myself.” The old man looked up and replied to the master proudly. Indeed, having taught a disciple like Ou Yangming was the greatest pride in his life.
The master had a gentle look in his eyes right away. “Oh, he’s your disciple. Mm, he should be skillful enough to be an assistant here.”
That said, Master Lu felt strange because the atmosphere around him became different as soon as he gave the statement.
Whether it was Li Xinfan or the guards around him, they all looked odd. In particular, their eyes displayed a certain color that made him feel uncomfortable.
‘It’s as though… As though I’ve become a clown, and they find me funny,’ the master thought.
Master Lu reached out his hand to touch his face and his neck. ‘Do I have too much dust on me today, is that why they’re treating me like I’m a joke?’
