Perhaps because it was nightfall and the bright moonlight washed away the noise in the day, the courtyard was so quiet that it was almost soundless.

When Ou Yangming arrived outside the door with Ni Yinghong, he suddenly felt his knees go weak, and could not take another step forward.

His ears twitched slightly when he heard the soft and faint breathings coming from the room.

By looking through the window gap, Ou Yangming noticed a familiar yet strange face.

Old Craftsman had indeed aged. As he lay on his bed, though they had not met for over ten days, Ou Yangming could tell that his face had become shockingly thin. The old man's eyes were shut, and the wings of his nose undulated. He looked like an old machine that had been operating for years and was lingering at death's door.

Ou Yangming slowly bent over while pressing where his heart was.

It hurt terribly and was an intense feeling of grief that would explode at any time.

He wanted to cast everything aside and burst into tears by Old Craftsman's bed. Perhaps that was the only way to soothe the pain in his heart.

Despite that, Ou Yangming did not act on impulse even though he was already biting his lips so hard that two deep blood traces were seen.

He slowly stood up and tipped his toes to back away silently. Just like how Ou Yangming did not make a single sound when he came, he left in silence too.

Before long, he walked out of the courtyard and saw Ni Yinghong in the dark.

Under the indistinct moonlight, Ni Yinghong seemed to have turned into a mysterious yet cold and noble spirit that one dared not treat with disrespect. Additionally, the moonlight made her look more brilliant as though she had a light muslin on her body.

That said, Ou Yangming seemed to have not noticed at all. He approached Ni Yinghong to ask her softly, "Why did Old Man become like this?"

Ni Yinghong sighed. "I previously asked around about Old Craftsman's past achievements. Let me ask you, do you know why he adopted you for two years but decided to exchange all his credits this year for you to acquire the Military Fire?"

Ou Yangming trembled. He had guessed the answer, but only moved his lips a little as he could not bring himself to say it.

"You guessed it right. Old Craftsman knows he's getting old and that his time will be up soon. He wanted to help you obtain a survival path and a stepping-stone for your future while he's still able to do so," the considerate Ni Yinghong answered it for him, then continued after a pause, "But even he didn't expect you to be a koi that'll transform into a dragon through the wind and clouds."

Ou Yangming was agitated, but he mumbled, "If Old Man can remain in a good condition, it doesn't matter if the koi don't transform into a dragon!"

Ni Yinghong was slightly moved. Although she was still young, she had seen the fickleness of the world.

Countless evil beings would sacrifice everything including the benefits of friends and family in order to succeed in life. Nonetheless, the things they pursued and the pinnacle of life that they achieved were as far apart as Heaven and Earth from Ou Yangming's current state.

Ou Yangming had just spoken from the bottom of his heart, and Ni Yinghong believed that he would not hesitate to exchange all his achievements thus far for Old Craftsman's life.

Old Craftsman had not achieved anything spectacular in his life as he was only the chief of Military Fire Blacksmiths in a small military camp, but he had a good son, or perhaps a good grandson.

'Perhaps he'll be glad when he's in Heaven?' Ni Yinghong wondered.

Nevertheless, looking at Ou Yangming's gloomy face at the moment, she obviously was not going to say anything that would rub him the wrong way.

Ou Yangming inhaled deeply and asked, "Why didn't you let me go in earlier?"

Previously when Ni Yinghong brought him here, she did not urge him too much and only told him one thing.

She told him to look through the window on the outside without entering the room if he did not want Old Craftsman to die right away. If Ni Yinghong had advised Ou Yangming with other reasons, he would have ignored her. However, when he heard the reason given, he reacted like the monkey that was cursed by the Band-tightening Spell1, where he dared not go even one step beyond the line.

Ni Yinghong sighed again and explained, "Old Craftsman is in a very complicated situation, and he's actually at the end of his life due to old age. Before this, he had been forcing himself to hold on because he was still healthy. It was only after Old Craftsman heard you've been attacked outside the camp by a Yang Grade powerhouse that he became so furious, and his heart eventually became so weak that he can only lie in bed."

Ou Yangming clenched his fists, and the sounds of his bones cracking were heard.

While Zhang Yinli and his younger brother had died, they had harmed Old Craftsman, hence Ou Yangming hated them to their bones.

"It's them, it's really them!" Ou Yangming expressed his resentment, "If anything bad happens to Old Man, I'll never let them go!"

Ni Yinghong remarked slowly, "Zhang Yinli and his brother are dead."

Ou Yangming had a sinister look in his eyes as if he was a disgruntled ghost from hell. "They're dead, but the people who raised them, supported them, promoted them, and taught them martial arts are still alive, aren't they?"

Ni Yinghong quivered upon hearing him. In actual fact, guilt by association was not rare in the world, but it was usually done by the strong to the weak.

While Ou Yangming had a great cultivation base and a bright future, he was unquestionably insignificant as compared to the Zhang family in the capital.

Based on this current strength, if he wanted to overturn the Zhang family, he would be like an ant trying to shake up a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot; it would be impossible. That being said, Ni Yinghong somehow had a feeling that the Zhang family would be in huge trouble.

She cleared her throat and commented, "Brother Ou, the Zhang family in the capital isn't an easy match, even the Fang family avoids going against them."

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. "Don't worry, I won't act rashly, but I'll be keeping an eye on the Zhang family for the rest of my life."

Ni Yinghong instantly felt troubled. 'I suppose any family that's being secretly eyed by someone like Ou Yangming won't end well.'

"You still haven't told me why you won't let me go in," Ou Yangming suddenly said after a short pause.

Ni Yinghong quickly curbed her thought and answered him, "Once Old… Man fell sick, I immediately informed my family to invite a medical elder here, and to bring a spiritual pill along to save his life."

She discreetly changed from using Old Craftsman to Old Man at this moment. Normally, Ou Yangming would have put on a fierce look because the term of address was only uniquely enjoyed by him in the entire military camp. If anyone else had used it—even Commanding General Deng Zhicai from the Middle Camp—the old man himself would correct them.

Of course, Old Craftsman would not be given the special treatment if he was not the chief of Military Fire Blacksmiths in the camp, and his head would have been chopped off already.

That being said, Ou Yangming dared not refute when Ni Yinghong suddenly changed the way she addressed Old Craftsman.

Seeing as Ou Yangming gave tacit consent, Ni Yinghong was secretly delighted, but a worried expression remained. "Old Man's time is almost up, so even the spiritual pill could only let him hang by a thread. On top of that, his mental state needs to cooperate too."

Ou Yangming raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the cooperation?"

Ni Yinghong replied, "We need to make the Old Man have the desire to live. As long as he has the heart to, the spiritual pill's greatest magical effect can be unleashed, and the fire of his life can be prolonged for a period of time."

"The spiritual pill is very precious, isn't it?" Ou Yangming looked deeply at her.

"It can save the life of a person with weak vitality, so it's naturally not something that can be compared by ordinary items." Ni Yinghong nodded.

"Thank you," Ou Yangming uttered after taking a deep breath. He had nothing else to say other than those two words because he was aware that the favor was not something that could be repaid with a simple thank you.

Ni Yinghong shook her head. "Old Man is most concerned about you now. He's still hanging by the thread because he can't let you go, which is why he's able to stay alive for now. If Old Man suddenly sees you, what do you think will happen?"

Ou Yangming shivered and felt the deepest fear from the bottom of his heart.

He closed his eyes to ponder for a long time before he suddenly opened his eyes to stare at Ni Yinghong without blinking. "Brother Ni, I'd like to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Since a pill that can be used to save one's life exists in this world, is there one that can be used to prolong one's life?"

Ni Yinghong secretly praised him, 'Ou Yangming's not an ordinary person indeed. Once he calms down, he quickly finds the key to the problem.'

"Yes, but…" She nodded and said hesitantly, 'It's not just difficult to obtain a longevity medicine, it's exceptionally difficult."

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up, and he quickly became high-spirited.

Ever since he knew Old Craftsman had one foot in the grave, his eyes became so dark that they were terrifying. Ou Yangming suddenly became radiant at that instant as though he had transformed into another person.

"Brother Ni, how can I obtain the spiritual medicine?"

Ni Yinghong had mixed feelings when she saw a completely different Ou Yangming, but she sighed softly. "Brother Ou, I told you, it's exceptionally difficult and dangerous."

Ou Yangming could not help but laugh, but it was a disdainful laugh.

"Difficult and dangerous? Perfect, I like challenges the most. The more difficult and the more dangerous they are, the happier I am," he responded proudly, "Don't worry, I can definitely do it."

Ni Yinghong was moved when she saw Ou Yangming glowing in spirit, and she felt like someone had plucked a string in her heart. Nonetheless, she cast away the thought and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Brother Ou. You're so young, so you shouldn't take the risk. I can't…"

"Thud…"

Ni Yinghong widened her eyes in disbelief and was appalled when Ou Yangming kneeled on the ground.

"How can y-you do this?"

Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. If someone else had been so secretive instead, he would certainly attack that person to force the answer out of him or her; even if he had to employ the evilest torture in the world.

However, Ni Yinghong had been helping him all along, and he was not an ungrateful person.

Since he could not adopt rough measures, he had to forget his ego and beg her.

As for losing face, if Old Craftsman could recover and live a few more years, why would he not be willing to lose it?

This refers to Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King