Chapter Forty-six

  The next day, when Tang Yin went to find Wu Mei and asked her to figure out a way to get 10,000 war horses, the latter's jaw almost dropped in shock.

  "She shrilly shouted: 'Tang Yin, what are you up to again? Why borrow so many war horses? You can't be thinking of turning the Second Legion into a cavalry unit?! If you dare do such a thing, I'll never let you off!'"

  She spoke in rapid succession.

  "Since you've entrusted me with the Second Legion, you should trust me. Now I'm only asking if you can lend us warhorses, what's with all the extra talk?" Tang Yin said calmly.

  "Well, I'd better know what you're going to do!" In front of Tang Yin, Wu Mei's momentum always couldn't last for too long and soon weakened.

  "Do you know what cavalry fears most?" Tang Yin asked back.

  "I don't know." Mei shook her head honestly.

  "So, only cavalrymen understand the weaknesses of cavalry. By training my soldiers in horsemanship, I'm also teaching them the weaknesses of cavalry, so when they encounter enemy cavalry on the battlefield, they'll know how to respond." Tang Yin said offhandedly. His real intention was just as he had said - he wanted his soldiers to be able to ride like cavalry and fight like infantry, but he was worried that saying this would be unacceptable to Mei.

  "It's like that." Mei danced with a fragrant cheek, seemingly deep in thought, murmuring: "There's no need to go to such great lengths, is there?"

  "I have my own plans, it seems that Miss Dance still doesn't trust me!" Tang Yin helplessly shrugged his shoulders and made a gesture to leave.

  Meng Yu hastily stopped him and after a moment of silence, said: "It's too difficult to get 10,000 war horses, borrowing 5,000 is my limit."

  "It's a deal, five thousand pieces!" Tang Yin didn't even think about it and immediately agreed, as if afraid that Wu Mei would regret it.

  Watching him laugh so happily, Wu Mei suddenly felt a sense of being deceived.

  "Is anything wrong?" Mei asked.

  "Ah! Something's up."

  "What?"

  "Go get the knife."

  "Take the sword?" Wu Mei looked at him in confusion.

  He said: "Originally, two knives were ordered in Tongmen, but coincidentally, the Ning army attacked the city, and the knives were not made. After arriving in Yancheng, two more were ordered, and it should be done today."

  "I really don't understand, what kind of knife do you use that needs to be custom-made? I'll go with you, just to take a look." Looking at the knife was an excuse, she actually wanted to spend more time with Tang Yin.

  Tang Yin had no objection, and having a beautiful woman by his side was also a wonderful thing.

  Tang Yin and Wu Mei walked together, without riding horses, on foot to the downtown area of Yancheng.

  The Wind Country is located in the northeast of the Vast Heaven Empire, bordering multiple countries. Trade is thriving here, and many specialties from other countries are sold in the bustling streets, dazzling to the eye and leaving one at a loss for what to look at.

  Having been in Yancheng for several days, Tang Yin was still enjoying his first leisurely stroll. The hustle and bustle of the city, the crowds of people coming and going, and the cacophony of hawkers' cries made him feel as if he had returned to modern times.

  "What are you going to do in the future?" Wu Mei asked casually while curiously looking around the bustling streets.

  What's the plan? Tang Yin really didn't have any plans. He said: "In the future it will be just like now."

  "You're already over twenty years old!" Wakemei said with emphasis.

  "Twenty-five!" Tang Yin retorted: "What's so special about that?"

  "Haven't you ever thought of getting married and having children?" Her sparkling eyes stared straight at him.

  Tang Yin was stunned and remained silent for a while before shaking his head and saying, "I haven't considered it."

  He paused for a moment, then smiled and said half-jokingly and half-self-deprecatingly: "Someone like me may not be suitable for getting married and having children all his life, and maybe he will never be liked by anyone all his life."

  His humble origins and childhood made him feel inferior, but his exceptional talent also made him extremely proud, and the contradictions in his personality were also justified.

  He was smiling when he spoke, but she didn't know why. However, Mei could sense the desolation behind his smile.

  "Don't say that, you're an outstanding person, at least in my heart, you're the most outstanding." Mei Yu said sincerely, she unconsciously stretched out her hand, wanting to hold Tang Yin's palm.

  It was either a coincidence or Tang Yin deliberately avoided it, at this moment, he raised his hand and pointed forward, saying: "The blacksmith's shop is just ahead, let's hurry over!"

  "Oh!" Wu Mei snapped back to reality, her heart skipping a beat, and her face flushing slightly, but this only made her look even more captivating.

  This ironwork shop is the most famous in Yancheng, not only is its casting technology exquisite, but it can also get special materials, of course, its price is also expensive.

  When the shop owner handed over the well-made twin knives to Tang Yin, the latter immediately liked them.

  According to his request, the curved knife was semi-circular in shape, with steel as the main material, but also infused with a small amount of meteorite iron, making the blade dark and unobtrusive. The weight was heavy, and the edge was sharp and tough. Tang Yin swung it casually, feeling very comfortable in his hand.

  "Sir, would you like to try out this knife?" The shop owner picked up two pieces of iron from the ground and handed them over to Tang Yin.

  Tang Yin took a look, casually plucked it, and the iron sheet emitted a crisp sound. Feeling that it was still quite hard, he nodded, retreated one step, and with his knife in hand, made an upward motion from below. With a "ka" sound, two segments of the iron sheet snapped off simultaneously.

  "Good swords!" He gazed at the pair of swords in his hands with shining eyes, sincerely admiring them.

  "Sir, the eight taels of gold inside are not spent in vain. In the future, if you need to forge another weapon, I hope you will still visit our humble shop." The owner was very good at doing business and had a humble attitude.

  Tang Yin responded with a casual tone, his arm drooping down, and both palms simultaneously released spiritual energy. The black mist merged with the curved knife, causing it to suddenly grow more than twice its original length, and its body also turned into pure black.

  He waved his hands slightly, then brought the two knives together, connecting them with spiritual energy to merge into one. The shape of the knife changed again, with one curved knife turning straight and the other curved knife's arc increasing in size, merging into a long scythe that could be used with both hands.

  The inspiration for such a change came from his battle on the Tongmen City Wall.

  He held the knife in both hands and swung it, then dispersed the spiritual energy, causing the double knives to return to their original shape. His wrists shook, and the double knives flipped over in his palms. He rushed towards the dancing Mei Xiang with a smile and said: "Tang Yin with double knives in hand is the real Tang Yin!"

  The boss of the store and the others were almost stunned, especially Mai, who did not expect Tang Yin to use Bing Zhiling's spirit so freely, and even after Bing Zhiling's spirit was used, he could still perform another spirit transformation, something they had never seen or heard before.

  She stared at Tang Yin in shock and exclaimed: "You... how did you do it?"

  "What's going on? How did you manage to do that?"

  "Consecutive Spirit of the Soldier!"

  "It's nothing, it's normal." Tang Yin didn't know how he did it himself, he just spoke from the heart and didn't deliberately do it.

  Wu Mei shook her head in incomprehension, then suddenly relaxed. After being with Tang Yin for so long, it seemed that no matter how strange things happened to him, they were all very normal and didn't need to be surprising.

  "Let's go!" She glanced at the owner of the ironwork shop, feeling that if she didn't take Tang Yin away soon, the owner's eyeballs would pop out.

  "Good!" Tang Yin put away his twin blades and walked out of the blacksmith's shop with Wu Mei.

  "Not far from here, there's a pretty good restaurant. How about we go and get something to eat?" Mei asked him with a tilt of her head.

  It was almost noon, and Tang Yin's stomach was also a little hungry. He readily agreed: "Let's go, I'll treat you today."

  "Does he have money on him?"

  Tang Yin was the commander of the army, and his monthly salary was less than 100 taels of silver. Moreover, he had just taken office and had not yet received a salary.

  "Of course." He replied crisply.

  Last time in Tongmen, Wu Mei had given him ten taels of gold to make a pair of knives, eight taels were spent, and now two taels are left. His food and lodging were arranged by the Wu family, and he didn't have much expenses in daily life, so the money was always kept on him.

  "How could you possibly have money?" Wu Mei asked in puzzlement.

  Tang Yin explained with a smile, and Wu Mei suddenly realized, unable to help but look at him strangely several times.

  Those officials and dignitaries she knew, who wasn't spending money like water, but Tang Yin was good, since arriving in Yancheng, apart from forging two knives, not a single cent was spent, making people feel unbelievable.

  "Don't be so frugal, if you're short of money, just come find me directly." Wu Mei reminded kindly.

  She was kind-hearted, but when Tang Yin heard it, he felt extremely uncomfortable. With his personality, he wouldn't allow himself to spend a woman's money either.

  "If you consider me as a friend, then don't say such things again."

  Tang Yin's face suddenly turned cold, and Wu Mei didn't know what she had said wrong. She hastily asked: "What's wrong?"

  "I'm telling you again, I won't spend a woman's money. You lend me ten taels of gold, and I will definitely pay you back in the future."

  Wu Mei couldn't understand his idea and didn't know why he was so serious about this matter.

  She was dissatisfied in her heart and said with a huff: "What are you getting at with me?"

  Tang Yin raised an eyebrow, stopped in his tracks, and gazed coldly at Wu Mei.

  He paused for a moment, turned around and walked back, waving his hand and saying: "I'm not going to the restaurant, I'll go home and eat by myself."

  Seeing his childish behavior, Wu Mei was both angry and amused. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed him and said: "Alright, alright, I won't say it again in the future, okay?!"

  Led by Wu Mei, Tang Yin walked slowly, looking at her apologetic smile, he didn't relax, but instead let out a soft sigh in his heart. For the first time, he realized that his and Wu Mei's identities and status seemed to be really far apart.

  In front of Mei, his self-respect as a man seemed to have become insignificant, and the more he showed it off, the more it seemed like he was pretending.

  He dislikes this feeling of being suppressed and restricted, and along with it, he is no longer satisfied with his current situation.

  He is used to being casual, and he also values freedom. He likes the kind of life that is free and easy, doing whatever he wants, but that requires real ability as a foundation. Obviously, he doesn't have the ability or power to do what he wants now.

  At this moment, Tang Yin may not even realize that his ambition is slowly awakening and expanding.