When the firelight rose, only then did Zui’Er regain her composure.
Everything that had just happened had an enormous impact on her.
She never expected that just trying to light a fire by the stream would attract people looking to cause trouble.
And Ya’s reaction was even more shocking; first killing those five, then the woman.
After the killings, he even took everything from the corpses.
This all left Zui’Er profoundly astonished.
"What? Are you scared?"
"No." Zui’Er shook her head firmly, "No matter what you do, I won’t be scared!"
Perhaps fearing that Zhao Ya wouldn’t believe her, Zui’Er added, "I trust you, Ya!"
Zhao Ya smiled.
He was really worried he might have frightened her again.
But it seemed that this frail-looking young girl was far stronger than he had imagined.
"Those people just now had ill intentions. If I didn’t kill them, we could have been the ones dead," Zhao Ya explained after considering his words carefully.
"I know. My grandma once told me that people’s hearts can be more terrifying than wolves."
"I just never encountered such things before, so I was a bit scared, but I’ll definitely get used to it in the future, I promise."
Zhao Ya looked at Zui’Er, whose face was pale yet trying her best to remain calm, and felt a sudden pang of pity.
This young girl had never asked him for anything, not even in this situation.
It’s normal for a girl to be unaccustomed to seeing blood and slaughter, but she always felt like a burden, even feeling sorry for it.
"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about it anymore. I didn’t get to eat the wild chicken just now; I’ll catch two more wild rabbits."
"Ya, can we not eat meat for a while? I’m... I’m having a hard time eating right now," Zui’Er said somewhat embarrassedly.
Zhao Ya couldn’t help but chuckle at her words.
"Okay, then let’s have some simple dry food instead."
The night deepened, and apart from the distant cries of nocturnal birds, the entire forest was very quiet.
Zui’Er had already fallen asleep.
The long journey made her sleep soundly, even snoring.
Zhao Ya sat by the fire, listening to her snores with a smile, then began to inventory the gains from the past few days.
First, he took out the items found on Sui Meimei and others.
The silver notes were set aside, and the bottles of various intoxicating powders were organized and stored in the deer hide pouch.
Although these things were somewhat unmentionable, they could be quite useful at times.
For instance, during the fierce battle with Zhan Feng, if he’d had these powders, Zhao Ya felt confident he could have killed him.
After storing these, Zhao Ya took out a tightly wrapped package in oil paper.
Then he put on deer hide gloves and carefully unwrapped the layers of oil paper.
Inside was a book.
On the cover were three characters.
"Poisonous Sand Palm."
This was what Zhao Ya had found on Diao Ruhai and had stayed in the deer hide pouch, with no time to look at it.
Under the firelight, Zhao Ya flipped it open and shook his head slightly.
This "Poisonous Sand Palm" was far too extreme.
To train in it, one first had to corrode the skin on both hands with toxic water, apply secret medicine, and practice methods to aid recovery.
Once the skin healed, it wasn’t over; the process had to be done again.
Only when the poison had seeped deep into the hands could the technique be considered mastered.
The power gained from such a high cost was naturally remarkable.
That’s how Diao Ruhai could ambush Meng Lei, making him lose an arm.
But this method also had huge limitations; long exposure to toxins would affect lifespan.
In short, practitioners of the Poisonous Sand Palm didn’t live long.
Also, the hands would be ruined, unable to practice anything else, forcing one to follow this path to the end.
So Zhao Ya, after a brief reading, knew it wasn’t suitable for him.
Still, he kept it, carrying it with him.
Despite its extremity, this palm technique was still a powerful martial art and could be sold for money later.
Then Zhao Ya counted his silver taels.
Including previous savings and what he had scavenged from Sui Meimei and others, he had about seven to eight hundred taels in total.
For ordinary people, that amount was astronomical.
Yet Zhao Ya was unsatisfied because, compared to his immense expenditure in martial arts training, this amount was inadequate.
Luckily Song Peiwan had given him a box of Jade Brocade Snake before departure.
Otherwise, Zhao Ya would soon face the fate of exhausting his blood and flesh.
After organizing everything, Zhao Ya took out a piece of Jade Brocade Snake and swallowed it, beginning his cultivation.
The elegance of Eight Vajra Skills, the strength of Five Tiger Fist, the ferocity of Gale Saber Technique...
Zhao Ya was sweating on a clearing as he practiced.
Upon finishing all cultivation techniques, Zhao Ya habitually opened his attribute panel.
Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 18. Remaining Lifespan: 55 (+6 days) years
Skills: Eight Vajra Skills (Refined Skill 2434/5000)
Five Tiger Fist (Refined Skill 4231/5000)
Gale Saber Technique (Refined Skill 3987/5000)
Light as a Feather (Peak Performance: 4%)
Concealing Breath Technique (Mastery 1874/2000)
Great Stone-Throwing Hand (Initial Glimpse 192/200)
Golden Body Technique (Entering the Hall 433/500)
[Liver Unlock Progress: 50%]
Recently, thanks to the Jade Brocade Snake, the progress in all martial arts had been rapid.
The Five Tiger Fist was about to break through to Peak Performance, and Concealing Breath, Great Stone-Throwing Hand, and Golden Body Technique were also approaching promotion stages.
The most gratifying was the liver unlock progress, which had finally reached 50%.
On the Human Body Outline Map, the light from the liver area had become more pronounced, shining with the brilliance at the stomach and heart, dispersing much of the fog hovering above the body.
Zhao Ya felt that his internal energy seemed to have adjusted well, bringing a sense of relief.
Moreover, he felt that part of his Qi Blood had flowed into the liver, then settled down without moving.
Zhao Ya didn’t know what this meant, but once the unlock progress hit 50%, the liver’s abilities had likely partially manifested.
He wondered what ability would be gained when the unlock reached 100%?
Thinking for a moment, Zhao Ya pushed the thought aside and returned to the fire.
Zui’Er was still in a deep sleep.
She curled up into a ball in her sleep, looking utterly endearing.
Zhao Ya covered her with a piece of clothing and then sat by the fire, closing his eyes to rest.
Thus they traveled by day and rested at night. Three days later, they exited the Wuxiang Mountain area and entered an unfamiliar forest.
Zhao Ya had never been there before, so he stayed vigilant, traveling for another day before reaching the official road.
This road was in better condition than Wuxiang City, with fewer bandits.
So Zhao Ya led Zui’Er along the official road toward the Commandery.
This immediately increased their pace, and after about ten days, they finally reached the Commandery’s jurisdiction.
At this point, both wore cloaks; a large black robe draped over Zui’Er’s graceful figure.
This was obtained from a group of robbers that had tried to mug Zhao Ya and Zui’Er.
Infatuated with Zui’Er’s beauty, the robbers recklessly attacked Zhao Ya.
The result was that the bandits were eliminated, and their clothes became Zhao Ya’s spoils of war.
Upon entering the jurisdiction of the Commandery, law and order noticeably improved.
There were at least fewer bandits.
Occasionally, one might even see the Official Army riding by.
Roadside inns had begun to appear for food and lodging.
During this time, traveling with Zui’Er, the two ate either wild game or carried dry food.
Zhao Ya didn’t mind, but Zui’Er’s face had visibly thinned.
Feeling sorry, whenever they came across an inn, Zhao Ya would give Zui’Er a good meal.
Though the roadside inns might not offer exquisite cuisine, a change of taste was welcome.
Traveling in this way, two days later, they finally arrived at the Commandery’s gates.
A bustling crowd filled the spacious entrance.
A significant number were swift and vigorous, with abundant Qi Blood, obviously martial artists.
The proportion was much higher than in Wuxiang City; Zhao Ya even saw Three Realm Martial Artists crossing the street.