Sun Yingkui also anticipated that Zhao Ya would have such a reaction, so he was not angry. Instead, he smiled and said.
"Did the Young Hero Zhao see the invitation?"
"I saw it."
"Very well, that invitation was personally written by our Commander to invite the Young Hero Zhao for a talk."
At this, Sun Yingkui showed a trace of excitement.
"I assume the Young Hero Zhao is aware of the current situation in the city. The friction between your martial artists and our cavalry is escalating by the day. If this continues, something major will definitely happen sooner or later."
Saying this, Sun Yingkui observed Zhao Ya’s expression. Seeing that Zhao Ya was calm, he continued.
"Therefore, I believe that only by opening up and working together sincerely can we avert a disaster. And this requires someone with both capability and prestige from both sides to take the lead. On our side, Commander Wei will personally take action, and on your side, upon my strong recommendation, it’s decided that we would invite you to step forward."
"As long as you and our Commander have a good discussion, I’m confident that peace in the Commandery will be just around the corner. By then, all the citizens of the city will be grateful to you..."
"Enough!" Zhao Ya interrupted Sun Yingkui’s words directly, then looked at him with a half-smile and said.
"After saying so much, what you actually mean is that you want me to join you, right?"
"Uh... actually, it’s not like that. This opportunity was something I fought hard to get for you, you..." Sun Yingkui still wanted to explain.
But he didn’t expect that in the next moment, Zhao Ya would do something that he couldn’t have imagined.
Only to see Zhao Ya take out that invitation, and with a light squeeze, he crushed it into powder.
Then Zhao Ya said indifferently, "Lord Sun, I appreciate your kind intentions, but whether you fought for this or it was recommended to me, I’m sorry, but I cannot agree to it."
Sun Yingkui was stunned as he looked at the bits of paper on the floor.
He could not have imagined that Zhao Ya would crush such an important invitation.
He knew that he had gone to great lengths to get Wei Hongbin to agree to this.
At that time, Sun Yingkui was quite excited, thinking that there was finally a breakthrough in this matter.
He could never have imagined that Zhao Ya would not give any face, casually tearing apart his painstaking efforts.
"Why?" Sun Yingkui looked at Zhao Ya, full of confusion.
"Why?" Zhao Ya sneered.
"Do you think a meeting could resolve the conflict between the city’s martial artists and you? Stop daydreaming unless you can have your Commander lead his troops out of the Commandery immediately. Otherwise, there’s no way to mediate this conflict. No one can help."
Saying this, Zhao Ya’s tone softened a little and he cupped his hands toward Sun Yingkui and said.
"Lord Sun, you’re one of the rare good ones among this cavalry crowd, but you are not Wei Hongbin and cannot influence the overall situation, so you better give up."
"To put it plainly, what you’re doing is all in vain. I’m sure that Wei Hongbin thinks the same and only wrote this invitation to appease you."
Sun Yingkui was left speechless, his face alternating between green and white from Zhao Ya’s words, yet he knew not how to counter.
Zhao Ya didn’t say much more, cupped his hands toward Sun Yingkui.
"Farewell."
Having said that, Zhao Ya turned and left.
Watching his back, Sun Yingkui opened his mouth several times, yet didn’t know what to say. In the end, he could only let out a long sigh and dejectedly sat back on his chair.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ya went downstairs.
The teahouse boss was somewhat surprised because Zhao Ya hadn’t been there long.
Not even long enough for a cup of tea, and he was down already.
"Little Master, is the matter settled?"
"Yes." Zhao Ya nodded and then strode away.
Observing Zhao Ya’s retreating figure, the teahouse boss was deep in thought.
He could tell that the Little Master seemed a bit displeased.
Undoubtedly, it must be related to that guy in the private room.
Dammit.
Daring to offend the Little Master, is that kid tired of living?
The teahouse boss was furious at heart and immediately called over a waiter.
"Listen, later gather up all the leftover tea leaves from the patrons in the hall and bring them to the guy on the second floor."
The waiter was a bit hesitant to hear this.
"This... Boss, isn’t this somewhat inappropriate?"
"What’s inappropriate about it? If I say it’s okay, it’s okay. Now go."
"Yes, of course."
The waiter dared not speak further and hurried to follow the boss’s instructions.
The ground floor was mostly scattered tables, with the patrons usually being local folk who couldn’t afford good tea, just some slightly better than plain leaves.
When all these leftover teas were gathered together, the tea infusion turned a bizarre brown color.
Even so, the teahouse boss was still unsatisfied and went to the kitchen to throw in a handful of coarse salt.
"Off you go, tell him it’s on the house from me."
"Yes!"
The waiter went up with a bitter face.
Entering the private room, Sun Yingkui was still sitting idly on the chair.
Seeing the waiter come in, he raised his head in bewilderment.
"Sir, this is a complimentary tea specially provided by our teahouse. Please try it."
With that, the waiter put the tea on the table and quickly fled.
What a joke.
Not leaving now was just asking to be scolded, wasn’t it?
Sun Yingkui sighed.
Zhao Ya’s refusal was a heavy blow to him.
He had been so confident, thinking Zhao Ya would surely agree, but he never expected it to end this way.
He reached for the teapot, poured a cup without looking, and drank it down.
In an instant, his face twisted like a bitter gourd, and he spat all the tea out with a puff.
Once it hit his tongue, it was unbearably bitter, astringent, and overly salty.
Is this tea or poison?
Sun Yingkui wanted to call the waiter back, but considering it was complimentary, he swallowed his anger, left a piece of silver, and hurried away.
Watching his back, the teahouse boss was quite pleased.
Serves you right for offending the Little Master!
These little incidents were naturally unknown to Zhao Ya, who, by this time, had returned home and was enjoying a sumptuous fish meal with Zui’Er.
The fish was tender and flavorful, each bite leaving a pleasant aroma in his mouth, making him feel quite comfortable.
Seeing Zhao Ya enjoy his meal so much, Zui’Er was naturally happy too and kept serving him more dishes before asking.
"Ya, did you have something to attend to just now when you suddenly went out?"
"Oh, it was nothing, just went to see someone."
Zhao Ya didn’t hide anything and succinctly recounted his encounter with Sun Yingkui to Zui’Er.
Zui’Er didn’t really understand the intricacies of the matter; she was merely curious to hear Zhao Ya speak.
After he finished talking, seeing Zui’Er looking at him with bright eyes, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but smile and reached out to stroke her hair.
"Alright, let’s eat."
"Okay, okay."
After the meal, Zui’Er cleaned up the dishes while Zhao Ya returned to his room and continued his rigorous training.
Today’s visit from Sun Yingkui had also served as a wake-up call for him.
That Wei Hongbin clearly hadn’t forgotten him.
In the face of such circumstances, only by continuously improving his own strength can he ensure the safety of himself and those around him.
Zhao Ya furiously threw himself back into his intense training, especially focusing on the kidney unlock progress. In just three days, he devoured all the remaining dried meat.
Perseverance pays off.
On this particular day, after finishing the Vajra Longevity Skill, Zhao Ya suddenly felt a warm current surge through his kidney area.
And then a familiar message appeared before him.
[Kidney Unlock Successful, Talent Acquired: Bone Nourishes the Marrow]