Back then, before Meng Lei’s death, he gave Zhao Ya a jade token and advised him to seek out his senior brother Lu Dingtai in the commandery city of Yunxiao if he had nowhere to go.
Zhao Ya kept this in mind.
Meng Lei had said clearly that when they parted, his senior brother Lu Dingtai was already a Martial Artist of the Fourth Realm, and he must be even more formidable now.
But this was not the main point. The primary reason was that Zhao Ya was very curious about the teachings recorded on the jade token.
From Meng Lei’s martial arts, it was evident that his legacy was complete and ancient.
Especially the Great Stone-Throwing Hand, which was truly an extraordinary skill.
And yet, Meng Lei was only an Outer Disciple, which showed how formidable his sect was.
So if Wuxiang City became untenable, Zhao Ya would naturally head to the commandery city.
Upon hearing Zhao Ya’s words, Song Peiwan looked disappointed and remained silent.
Seeing this, Song Linqing hurriedly laughed.
"Alright, I was just asking casually. Things might not be certain yet. Maybe the Hong and Yang families wouldn’t dare act, and we could just stay in Wuxiang City."
After hastily finishing the meal, Zhao Ya returned home, pondered for a while, and decided to have Zui’Er prepare their belongings in advance.
It’s not that Zhao Ya intended to flee, but he could tell that Song Linqing didn’t hold much hope in firmly defending.
Actually, this was a good thing too. Facing a strong enemy without retreating was the last choice of desperation.
Even Zhao Ya wouldn’t fight to the death back then; he planned to act according to the situation.
If it really came to that, he would first escort Song Linqing and Song Peiwan siblings away, then head to the commandery city to seek out Lu Dingtai to continue gathering strength.
With his progress in cultivation, it wouldn’t be long before he reached the Fourth or even Fifth Realm. By then, he could come back with vengeance.
Now, hearing Song Linqing’s words, Zhao Ya prepared in advance.
At the same time, the entire Song Family Manor became gradually desolate.
Song Linqing dismissed most of the servants, giving them some settlement pay to make their own way.
The atmosphere in the Inner City was becoming more tense and murderous.
Even though the Hong and Yang families strictly blocked the news, it was evident to the discerning that they were targeting the Song Family, so everyone withdrew from the Inner City to avoid getting involved.
A great battle was imminent.
In such a situation, Zhao Ya, instead, became calmer.
During the day, he didn’t let the guards train but took turns resting to conserve energy.
Thus, the long day finally passed, and the night came slowly, enveloping the land.
Everyone had their fill of battle rations and stood ready at their respective posts.
Zhao Ya sat at the center, closing his eyes to rest his mind.
Song Linqing was also there, fully armed today.
Even Song Peiwan held a long sword in her hand, feeling excited and anxious.
From time to time, she would turn back to glance at Zhao Ya, sitting as steady as a mountain on his chair.
This guy... really knows how to keep calm.
But why won’t he leave with us?
Does he not understand my feelings?
Thinking of this, Song Peiwan bit her lip secretly, her heart filled with grievance.
And at this moment, flames suddenly flared up from the direction of the front and back courtyards simultaneously.
"Here they come!"
Zhao Ya and Song Linqing shouted almost simultaneously, and then Zhao Ya leapt out, flying to the roof.
Sure enough, the front and back yards were on fire simultaneously, and the flames spread rapidly.
But Zhao Ya showed no sign of panic. Instead, he was waiting for something.
Sure enough.
A gong sounded, and then the manor guards, pre-positioned, grabbed the sandbags beside them and threw them into the flames.
This was Zhao Ya’s foresight, preparing the people in advance.
He was well aware that it wouldn’t be just the Hong and Yang families taking action, but the bandits from Cyan Bamboo Ridge would also make their move.
The fire attack tactics used by Huo Tianxiao before the Great Buddha Temple left a deep impression on Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya knew that if they were to attack the Song Family, their first step would be to set fire.
So, in response, Zhao Ya made very thorough preparations.
Huo Tianxiao clearly used kerosene to set fires, which cannot be extinguished with water but only buried with sand.
Therefore, Zhao Ya had people prepare a lot of sand in advance, which came in handy at this moment.
Though the kerosene burned fiercely and quickly, it was futile because as soon as it emerged, it was covered by sand, preventing it from spreading.
Thus, the fire in the front and back yards was soon brought under control.
Huo Tianxiao, commanding his men outside the manor to set fire, was utterly shocked.
This was the first time he had seen his fire attack fail.
"Damn it, keep lighting it, I don’t believe we can’t burn them to death!" Huo Tianxiao shouted.
"Enough, Third Brother, if you set everything on fire, what about the Exotic Beast Meat Field? If the fire attack doesn’t work, let’s just launch a direct assault. We have so many people on our side, we can’t just sit back and do nothing," Zhan Feng said coldly.
Many people looked displeased at these words, but no one dared to contradict him.
Everyone knew that this Second Village Chief of Cyan Bamboo Ridge was sharp and irritable, and provoking him could cost one their life.
"First, break down the gate!" Hong Shouchang shouted.
Immediately, a team rushed to storm the front gate, but as soon as they approached, they were showered with a rain of arrows.
Though in the darkness the accuracy of the arrows wasn’t as good as in daylight, the density of the arrow rain compensated for it, causing the team to retreat after leaving behind seven or eight corpses.
"Bring the shields and charge!" Hong Shouchang fumed.
To attack the Song Family, they had prepared thoroughly, even bringing shields.