Yan Chengcai turned his shoulder when Yan Haobo signaled him with his eyes.
It was then when Ou Yangming saw that he was carrying a huge bag.
He was familiar with the bag as he would receive one from Sui Hezhi every ten days.
When he turned to glance at Sui Hezhi, the fellow was smiling awkwardly. "Brother Ou, this is a gift from Squad Leader Yan, so please accept it."
Ou Yangming frowned a little. "Big Brother Sui, I shouldn't receive a reward if it's not deserved… Why are they giving me such a big gift?"
He thought to himself, 'So, Yan Haobo's a squad leader.'
In the military camp, ten soldiers formed a squad, whereas a hundred formed a company. If there were more than five hundred soldiers under command, a camp was formed. Needless to say, every camp had a different number of people, and the good and the bad were intermingled, so there was a huge difference between camps.
Sui Hezhi was part of the Guards led by Chen Yifan, and he was more powerful than normal squad leaders in terms of martial arts. Nevertheless, since Yan Haobo was a squad leader from the Guard, he was probably more valiant than Sui Hezhi.
As for Yan Chengcai, while he was not in the Guards yet, he seemed to sound extremely confident, thus he must not be underestimated too.
After finding out their identities, Ou Yangming could somewhat guess why they visited.
"Master Ou, please forgive us for visiting so disrespectfully, but…" Yan Haobo cleared his throat before he spoke, then looked at his nephew who was beside him. "Soon, the general will select ten brothers from the West Camp to join the Guards. It'll be a perfect opportunity for Chengcai, so I hope that you can fulfill his wish."
Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you allowed to have equipment on during a martial arts contest in the camp?"
He knew how just Chen Yifan was as the general, by which he could not bear having grit in his eyes. As such, Ou Yangming did not know if it would be a blessing or a disaster if he provided Yan Chengcai with equipment.
"Why isn't it allowed?" Yan Haobo was stunned. He quickly shook his head and laughed, then explained, "If that's your concern, you don't have to worry about it. We're soldiers who have to fight in a war at any time. Do you think that we're not allowed to wear equipment when we're on the battlefield? We'd love to have light and tough armor, as well as a sharp military saber."
Ou Yangming's face reddened. It was reasonable, but it did not cross his mind earlier.
He cleared his throat. "Did you visit me to ask me to smith equipment?"
Yan Haobo and Yan Chengcai's eyes glowed as they looked at each other. They were ready to be declined before they visited because they did not expect Ou Yangming to be an easy person to deal with.
However, they had no idea that Ou Yangming was also devising a plan at that moment.
Yan Chengcai cupped his hands in front of his chest. "Master Ou, it'll be great if I can have a military saber similar to Uncle Sui's."
"You want a piece of Attribute Equipment?" Ou Yangming was stunned.
He knew how rare and valuable an Attribute Equipment was, especially an Attribute Military Saber that was very much favored in the military camp. In fact, it was in greater demand than White Slate Equipment.
'They're asking for the moon if they think that they'll get a piece of Attribute Equipment by just giving me a wild beast.'
Yan Chengcai waved his hands. "No, no… I only want the one Uncle Sui previously had."
Only then, Ou Yangming realized that he wanted a White Slate Military Saber that was at the peak of Good Grade.
There was a huge difference between the White Slate and Attribute Military Sabers even if both were of the same grade.
Ou Yangming grinned when he looked at the bag on the floor. "I'm afraid that the gift isn't enough?"
Yan Haobo was secretly overjoyed. Since Ou Yangming did not reject them, they still had a chance.
"Master Ou, don't worry. No matter how many quarries you want, I have them sorted," Yan Haobo assured. "Other than quarries, I'll take care of other matters too. As long as you let me know what you need, I'll do my best to get them done."
Sui Hezhi glanced at him and sighed. 'Looks like Ou Yangming is no longer a special resource for me.'
'Of course, I can still call him my brother since we're closer, whereas Yan Haobo and his nephew won't stand a chance no matter how much they fawn over him.'
Ou Yangming pretended to ponder for a while before he asked, "Squad Leader Yan, does your nephew only need a military saber to guarantee a spot in the Guards?"
"A military saber is enough to increase Chengcai's chance to join the Guards." Yan Haobo was delighted. After a short pause, he asked carefully, "Master Ou, you're saying…"
Ou Yangming laughed. "Please come in."
A smithing workshop was the most important working space for a blacksmith, which was not normally opened to outsiders. Therefore, Yan Haobo and the others would not be mad even if Ou Yangming stalled them at the door for a long time.
Nonetheless, if they were going to talk about serious business, they could not just stay at the door.
After entering the smithing workshop, Yan Haobo instantly noticed the different pieces of equipment piled up in a corner. He wondered, 'Brother Sui really didn't lie to me, Ou Yangming's a powerful master.'
The smithing workshop was extremely simple, but they did not bother about it.
Ou Yangming checked out Yan Chengcai's physique, then proceeded to pick an armor, a military saber, and a pair of arm guards for him. He initially wanted to retrieve a helmet or a pair of greaves too, but he decided not to.
Being an orphan, he knew very well that things that could be acquired easily would not be well-appreciated.
If he wanted Yan Haobo and the others to serve him, the right thing to do was to adopt a long-term plan in return for something big.
"Hehe, Brother Yan, take a look if these pieces of equipment are suitable?" Ou Yangming handed the items to Yan Chengcai.
Yan Chengcai quickly thanked him as he was elated, whereas Yan Haobo had a grave expression on his face.
It did not make sense that Ou Yangming spoke so nicely and even gave two extra pieces of equipment; even Sui Hezhi did not receive that treatment.
When Yan Chengcai put them on and wielded the military saber for a while, it was obvious that he was so satisfied that he did not want to let them go.
Uncle, these are all of Good Grade! Mm, I think they're slightly above Good Grade?" He was thrilled.
Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows. "Slightly above Good Grade? Hehe, would I have shown them to you if they're not at the peak of Good Grade?"
Sui Hezhi and the others gasped right away and inhaled deeply. Yan Haobo's eyes reddened when he looked at the three pieces of equipment.
After exhaling deeply, Yan Haobo looked at Ou Yangming. "Master Ou, let me know if you need anything!"
If one sowed nothing, one reaped nothing. Since Ou Yangming was being so generous, it only made sense that he had something to ask too. Nevertheless, Yan Haobo decided that he would get it done perfectly no matter how hard it would be.
Putting aside the fact that his nephew gained three valuable items, he was already driven knowing that he would be acquainted with Ou Yangming.
Ou Yangming replied straightforwardly, "Squad Leader Yan, I heard that the Guards hunt in the dense forest every ten days."
Yan Haobo answered, "Yes. If you'd like more quarries, I'll get them for you."
Ou Yangming shook his head. "I do have a desire for good food, but I'd like to see how you hunt. I'll be very grateful if I can tag along when you enter the forest."
Although he entered the dense forest, he only stayed along the border without going deep in.
This was because he knew how dangerous it was, and he might not be able to withstand it. Besides, he did not have the experience of surviving in a forest, hence it would not be wise for him to go deeper.
Yan Haobo was stunned and was clearly troubled. "Master Ou, the dense forest is a dangerous place. Even when we entered in the past, we were occasionally injured when we encountered strong, ferocious beasts. I'm afraid that the general won't allow you to join us."
Ou Yangming rolled his eyes. "Did I ask for the general's approval? We can just hide it from him!"
Yan Haobo and the other were speechless as they looked at each other.
"Squad Leader Yan, those pieces of equipment are at the peak of Good Grade. If you bring me there once, I'm willing to repay you with three of them. What do you think?" Ou Yangming pointed as he mentioned.
Yan Haobo and the rest were instantly moved. They might reject Ou Yangming if he only offered one, but he offered three at once…
Upon noticing the passionate look in Sui Hezhi and his nephew's eyes, Yan Haobo knew that if other people found out about this, even if he rejected Ou Yangming, the other squad leaders would approach him like hungry wolves.
"Master Ou, since you're so determined, I'll bear the responsibility." Yan Haobo stomped his foot. After pondering for a while, he asked, "I heard that you've been practicing martial arts too?"
Ou Yangming nodded. "I learned a bit."
"Please exchange a few blows with Chengcai, I have to take a look at your foundation," Yan Haobo mentioned seriously, "You mustn't misunderstand me because I'm not making things difficult for you on purpose. I have to see how far we can go in the dense forest by judging your skills."
It was clear that he was stressing on safety first. If Ou Yangming was strong enough, it would be fine for them to go deeper, but if he had a few fancy tricks, it would be best for them to stay in the periphery.
Even though Ou Yangming would definitely be protected in the forest, protecting a weak scholar was very different from protecting a powerful martial artist.
Ou Yangming's eyes shone. "That's exactly what I wanted. Please come with me."