Ou Yangming returned to his room and conversed happily with Old Craftsman for some time before he noticed a familiar figure through the window.
He made an excuse to leave without leaving a trace and went far from the room with Ni Yinghong
Ni Yinghong stopped and turned to smile when they arrived at the garden. “Master Ou, you’re truly a master in acting, your performance was just right, and it’s really praiseworthy.” Ou Yangming shrugged. “Ahh, I wonder who exactly was the one who gave me the idea of making the Fang family beg me for help?”
“I only suggested, but if you didn’t have the same thought, you wouldn’t have agreed and even performed so well, right?” Ni Yinghong blushed.
Seeing as Ni Yinghong was about to rage, Ou Yangming quickly stopped teasing her and said in a serious tone, “Brother Ni, thank you!”
Ni Yinghong’s eyes lit up as she blurted all of a sudden, “Can you really not tell, or have you been addressing me this way on purpose?” Ou Yangming was stunned, and his heart beat fast when he looked at the charming face in front of him. He opened his mouth as he wanted to admit it, but was suddenly afraid because he was worried. ‘If I expose her identity, are we not even going to be friends anymore?’
The smart Ni Yinghong got her answer when she noticed how anxious Ou Yangming was. She put her hands behind her back and expressed, “I’m actually happy with the current state, and I don’t want to change anything.”
Ou Yangming stared at her with his bright eyes. “What about the future?”
“The future?” Ni Yinghong hesitated before she answered, “The future is such a huge topic, and it’s full of uncertainties, so I dare not think much about it.”
“You don’t have to think about it if you don’t want to,” Ou Yangming responded proudly. He slapped his chest and assured, “Leave everything to me, I’ll do things well!”
Ni Yinghong kept blinking. She wanted to remark that Ou Yangming was talking big, but when she saw the look of determination in his eyes, she could not bring herself to ridicule him.
Nonetheless, she was always not someone who would admit defeat. She pouted her lips and said, “Leave the future for the future. Fang Xuande is already begging my First Grandfather, what are you going to do?”
Ou Yangming giggled. “Let it be and don’t let it affect me!”
Ni Yinghong initially wanted to make things difficult for the young fellow, but she laughed when she saw how relaxed he was. As Ou Yangming had said, he did not do anything wrong at all. In any case, the Fang family was the concerned party, thus he did not need to bother one bit.
With that, they began talking casually in the courtyard and the atmosphere became more harmonious. Just as Ou Yangming had the urge to take their relationship to the next level, familiar footsteps were heard.
Ou Yangming quickly curbed his thought and acted like a gentleman. He put on a straight face without smiling.
Ni Yinghong’s eyes glowed, and she could not help but laugh internally. For some reason, she was also feeling slightly regretful. ‘Ah, my useless older brother, he really doesn’t know how to pick a good time!’
If Ni Yunhong, who had hurried here, knew what she was thinking, he would probably burst out crying. Ni Yunhong paced toward Ou Yangming and Ni Yinghong in a hurry and sighed a breath of relief when he saw that they were acting decently. “Brother Ou, I have good news and bad news for you. Which one would you like to hear first?”
Ou Yangming grinned. “The good news, of course!”
Ni Yunhong replied to him straightforwardly, “I’ve spoken to Fang Xuande. They must pay a price to get your help. When we previously invited you to come, we promised to teach you the Suit Skill and the high-level appraisal art, so they must reward you in a similar way if they truly want your help.”
“Brother Ni, you’ve spared no effort in helping me.” Ou Yangming was touched.
“It’s not a big deal!” Ni Yunhong waved his hand and smiled.
“You’ve said the good news, so what’s the bad news?” Ni Yinghong asked.
‘Younger sister, why are you more impatient than this b*stard?’ Ni Yunhong secretly teased her. That said, he revealed, “The bad news is Fang Yihai has gone to look for Old Craftsman, and the old man is looking for you everywhere!”
Ou Yangming slapped his forehead and spoke with regret, “I’ve made a mistake, I’ve made a mistake. I actually forgot about that…”
Ni Yinghong furrowed her eyebrows. “It’s not strange that Fang Yihai came up with the idea, but how did he find Old Craftsman?”
“Someone obviously brought him to the old man!” Ni Yunhong scoffed. His stern voice suggested that there was an irrepressible fire in his heart.
Ou Yangming immediately recalled that not everyone from the Ni family was friendly toward him earlier. Some of them cast cold looks at him while some looked at him with hatred.
ce
He shook his head helplessly. This was the difference between a big clan and the military. In the military camp, if two parties disliked each other, they could simply fight each other with real weapons. It was just like how the soldiers from the East Camp and West Camp opposed each other because their respective commanding generals were incompatible.
Nevertheless, regardless of how they fought, they always strived to do their best and would neither become a disgusting person nor be a drag on someone else!
Due to that, the soldiers were much better than a certain elder in the Ni family!
Ou Yangming sighed. “Forget it, nothing can be done since things have turned out like this. I’ll see what Old Man has to say. Hehe, don’t worry, I won’t suffer any loss!”
He would naturally do his best to execute tasks given by the old man, but if it was beyond his ability, he could not be blamed for every mistake.
Ou Yangming noticed Fang Yihai as soon as he returned to his room. He did not know what the general had told Old Craftsman because they were conversing happily.
The young fellow was rather dumbfounded because even though he had been carefully serving and never neglected Old Craftsman after they left the military camp, the old man was sometimes gloomy because he missed the camp. As such, Ou Yangming even doubted if he had made the right choice by bringing the old man out.
Upon seeing Old Craftsman laughing out loud, Ou Yangming could tell that the old man was genuinely happy; it was not forced at all. Ou Yangming was curious but grateful at the same time. No matter the reason Fang Yihai had come, he would return the favor because the general managed to cheer the old man up.
Ou Yangming cast aside the thought and approached them. “General, you’re here. Please forgive me for not having welcomed
you!”
Fang Yihai laughed out loud. “It was me who visited without a notice.” “B*stard, I can’t believe that you did some proper business today!” Old Craftsman expressed with a bright smile, “You did well today. You actually smithed every piece of equipment to Rank Five even with different materials, even I can’t do that!”
Fang Yihai commented, “Old Craftsman, it’s because you’ve raised him well. You’re the only one who’s capable of doing that!” ‘When have I ever taught this b*stard so many things? Based on his performance today, his smithing art is superior to mine.’ Old Craftsman looked proud, but nobody knew that he was actually quite bewildered. Despite that, it would be impossible for the old man to admit that Ou Yangming’s smithing art had nothing to do with him. “Master Ou, I’ll bid my farewell since you’ve returned.” Fang Yihai stood up and nodded at them, then left even though Old Craftsman had asked him to stay.
Old Craftsman sighed. “Ah, the general is the general, he’s a particular man!”
Ou Yangming’s eyes wandered about as he asked, “Old Man, what else did he tell you?”
“He just told me some happy things and struck casual conversations with me. Ah, the military life is still the best,” Old Craftsman responded, then he looked at Ou Yangming and asked, “Does General Fang have a favor to ask from you?”
“Old Man, how did you know?” Ou Yangming was surprised.
“Do you really think that I’m an idiot? Hmph, he’s the general, yet he humbled himself to visit me and even talked to me with patience for a long time. Heh, I’ve never been treated like that throughout my years in the military camp, so I’m sure that it has something to do with you!” Old Craftsman looked at Ou Yangming like he was looking at a fool.
Ou Yangming shouted, “Ah! Old Man, you even perceived that! I guess you’ve really recovered.”
“If it’s not too troublesome to help General Fang, you should agree to it.” Old Craftsman said after cursing at him jokingly. His face suddenly took on a grave expression as he added, “But if it’s too difficult or if it’s related to someone’s interests, just do what you can. Remember, your safety is a priority.”
“Old Man, don’t worry, I’ll handle it well.”
‘The young fella has finally grown up. I no longer have to worry about him or give him pointers.’ Old Craftsman lamented as he looked at the confident Ou Yangming. It was a joyful matter, but why did he feel like he had lost himself in a reverie?
After Ou Yangming bid farewell and left, he indeed met Fang Yihai a distance away from his room. The general greeted him with a fist salute, “Master Ou, I apologize for what happened today.”
=
“General Fang, you’re being too polite, you weren’t the one who offended me,” Ou Yangming responded plainly.
“Master Ou, Seventh Uncle has asked me to invite you to our residence tomorrow,” Fang Yihai said meaningfully, “He’d like to explore the Embedding Art with you.”
Ou Yangming grinned. “Since the senior has summoned me, I’ll definitely obey the order.” Fang Yihan was elated. “Okay, I’ll be welcoming you tomorrow!”
When Ou Yangming sent the general out of the Ni residence, he voiced out after a moment of hesitation, “General Fang, it’s Old Man’s first time here in the prefecture, so he’s not very used to it. If an old friend often visits him to catch up with him, he’ll probably be delighted.”
Fang Yihai understood what he was trying to say. “Master Ou, don’t worry. The Immense Forest Military Camp is always closely connected with the prefecture, so people from the camp will always come.”
“Thank you.” Ou Yangming bowed at the general seriously.
Once he sent Fang Yihai away, before he could even return to his room, he was already stopped by Ni Yunhong and his younger sister, who brought him out of the residence.
According to them, Ou Yangming had previously come and left the prefecture in a hurry because of Old Craftsman, hence he did not take a good look at the place. This time, they were determined to bring him around. Ou Yangming agreed without any hesitation when he saw the eager Ni Yinghong. With that, they left the Ni residence and headed to the liveliest area in the city.