"Yes!"
"What did he say?"
"Not much, just exchanged the bounty for me, and even gave an extra one hundred taels of gold as a personal token of appreciation."
"Haha, that old fox!" Lu Dingtai put down the pen, picked up a towel from the table to wipe his hands, and looked up at Zhao Ya.
"But since he’s willing to give it, just accept it, otherwise he probably won’t be able to sleep at night. Scholars, you see, tend to overthink things."
"Yes, but besides him, the other five families also gave an extra hundred taels."
"Of course they have to give more. Do you think the sign of our Dingtai Martial Arts Hall is just for show?" Lu Dingtai said flatly.
Zhao Ya naturally understood this as well.
The smooth collection of the bounty this time was largely due to having the prestigious name of Dingtai Martial Arts Hall as a backing.
Otherwise, not to mention the extra, even the part entitled to me would likely have been significantly discounted.
Although the person was caught by himself, if he was sent to the government office and they claimed the criminal was refusing to confess, what could you do?
Even if all went smoothly, and they finally said they didn’t have that much money, giving you half now and the other half next year, what could you do?
If you wanted to make an issue of it, the intricacies here could be endless.
"You did well this time. Although that Jade Butterfly isn’t very capable, what he did was indeed infuriating, and getting rid of him is a service to the public." Lu Dingtai rarely praised someone so kindly.
Zhao Ya hurriedly bowed his head, "This is all thanks to your great teaching, Master."
"Haha, no need to butter me up, how’s your kung fu practice going these days? Don’t just focus on fame and rewards and neglect your primary skills," Lu Dingtai said seriously.
"I wouldn’t dare, Master. I practice every day without any slack."
"Good, then practice for me, let me see how it is."
"Yes!"
Zhao Ya went to the courtyard, took his stance, and started practicing the Great Vajra Fist.
Currently, Zhao Ya had reached a Minor Achievement level in the Great Vajra Fist. Although it was far behind Lu Dingtai, it was still quite impressive when practiced.
Lu Dingtai watched from the steps, nodding in approval.
Zhao Ya indeed wasn’t lying; the Great Vajra Fist had improved noticeably.
Lu Dingtai was increasingly satisfied with Zhao Ya.
The five disciples he had taken, the first-ranking Meng Shiwen, had only an average talent and a reclusive personality, making it hard to interact with others.
However, for her, Lu Dingtai always saw her as his daughter, so he didn’t care too much about the success of her training.
The second, Shen Dao, though very talented and had reached the Fourth Realm early, was a natural romantic and would eventually suffer for love.
The third, Miao Shaocheng, though rough on the outside, was meticulous, but always missing that bit of luck, never breaking through the Fourth Realm.
The fourth, Xu De, was good in all aspects, but with a wealthy family, he would eventually have to return to inherit the family business, so he couldn’t be counted on.
Only Zhao Ya had not only an excellent talent but had reached the pinnacle of the Third Realm before nineteen, and was certain to enter the Fourth Realm before twenty.
For someone who had trained in martial arts for only three or four years, this was exceptionally swift.
This Jade Butterfly incident also illuminated his wisdom and agility.
And commendably, his calm and mature demeanor sometimes made Lu Dingtai think he wasn’t just an eighteen or nineteen-year-old.
In summary, Lu Dingtai became more and more satisfied with Zhao Ya.
Junior Brother Meng, you really found me a good disciple, Lu Dingtai silently lamented in his heart.
At this moment, Zhao Ya finished practicing his fist technique, waited where he stood for Lu Dingtai’s evaluation.
Lu Dingtai nodded.
"Not bad, you indeed haven’t been neglecting practice. However, some parts are still too coarse, such as the Vajra Palm technique; you practiced it a bit too hastily."
Lu Dingtai simply stepped in to demonstrate personally, only letting Zhao Ya go after he fully grasped it.
In the following days, Zhao Ya returned to his previous lifestyle - training at the martial arts hall by day, practicing at home by night, leading a peaceful and fulfilling life.
But he didn’t know that outside, the Jade Butterfly affair had caused quite a stir.
Just the day after Zhao Ya collected his bounty at the government office, Commander Shang Jingchuan issued a communiqué announcing Lu Jicheng’s major crimes, and then had him publicly executed at the government office gates by the victim’s families.
During the execution, the gates were flooded with people, bustling with those eager to watch.
When Lu Jicheng was dragged out, the victim’s families rushed forward, small scissors and knives in hand, starting to cut his flesh alive.
Initially, Lu Jicheng could still scream, but soon someone among the frenzied families forcibly cut out his tongue.
In less than an hour, Lu Jicheng was dismembered by a thousand cuts, executed by slow slicing.
The uproar caused by this incident led to Zhao Ya’s soaring reputation.
Soon, his name was being discussed all over the streets and alleys.
Everyone knew that Dingtai Martial Arts Hall had produced another remarkable figure.
Zhao Ya wasn’t aware of this, and even if he was, he wouldn’t care.
Currently, he was at a critical stage of his training, focusing all his efforts.
Due to improved financial ease, the previously rationed Exotic Beast Dried Meat was now freely available.
Zhao Ya simply ate three meals a day of dried meat, truly experiencing what luxury felt like.
And the effect was significant.
His progress in every martial art sped up, and the glow in his skin became increasingly obvious.
But the biggest boon was in this liver unlocking progress.
Every day the progress would increase by one percent.
Finally.
On this day, after eating the dried meat and completing a set of the Eight Vajra Skills, he suddenly felt a shock through his body, followed by a warm current flowing throughout.
[Liver Unlocking Progress: 100%]
[Liver Unlocked Successfully, Gained Ability: Immune to Hundred Poisons.]
With these two prompts, Zhao Ya felt as if all his blood had been purified, his entire being cleared and transparent.
Moreover, Zhao Ya felt his qi blood continuously surging into his liver.
The liver transformed into an abyss-like sea of blood, accepting all, absorbing all the qi blood.
The entire process lasted over a minute before it stopped.
At this point, Zhao Ya discovered that the qi blood absorbed and stored by the liver was roughly equivalent to what his body normally had.
A thought occurred to Zhao Ya, remembering a line from the medical text he’d read before.
The liver is the sea of blood.
Could it be that, besides being Immune to Hundred Poisons, the liver has a hidden attribute?
Zhao Ya closed his eyes, quietly sensing something.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his face lit with joy.
Because he found that the qi blood inside the liver could be utilized.
This was extremely useful!
Imagine if, during combat, your qi blood ran out, others would have to admit defeat and surrender, but you could draw from the qi blood stored in the liver to continue fighting.
This is like a car having an extra fuel tank, instantly doubling its endurance.
The effect was practically like a cheat.
Zhao Ya’s heart surged with excitement, unlike the previously unlocked stomach and heart, the liver’s ability could be directly applied in battle.
This sea of blood alone was worth it, not to mention the power of being Immune to Hundred Poisons.
Zhao Ya opened the attribute panel again.
Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 18 years. Remaining Lifespan: 87 (+210 days) years
Skills: Eight Vajra Skills (Refined Skill 4732/5000)
Five Tiger Fist (Peak Performance 51%)
Gale Saber Technique (Peak Performance 58%)
Light as a Feather (Peak Performance: 79%)
Concealing Breath Technique (Peak Performance 34%)
Great Stone-Throwing Hand (Mastery 1876/2000)
Great Vajra Fist (Minor Achievement 938/1000)
Golden Body Technique (Mastery 43/2000)
[Liver Unlocking Progress: 100%]
His lifespan had finally surpassed the hundred-year mark, and all martial arts skills progressed considerably.
The Eight Vajra Skills were on the verge of breaking through to Peak Performance.
And upon opening the Human Body Outline Map, the position of the liver became clear, followed by a glow gradually illuminating the positions of both kidneys.
[Kidney Unlocking Begun, Current Progress: 0%]