Zhao Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He was truly afraid that Meng Lei would once again subject him to a burdensome plea regarding his legacy or marriage arrangement.
"However, when you head to the Commandery in the future, if there’s a chance, could you help me look after my unruly daughter?"
Zhao Ya immediately nodded in agreement, "Of course, Master, rest assured, I will do it. But I don’t know the name of the sister I haven’t met, or where she lives in the Commandery."
"Her name is Meng Shiwen, as for where she lives... you will know when you get to the Commandery!"
Zhao Ya was puzzled. The Commandery surely must be larger than Wuxiang City, so how would he know just by arriving there?
Just at that moment, Meng Lei carefully took out a jade token from his bosom and handed it to Zhao Ya.
Upon receiving it, Zhao Ya noticed many strange engravings on the jade token, and a small line of text in the center.
Outer Disciple Meng Lei.
"This is...?"
"This is the token that my master bestowed upon me back then!" Meng Lei said with deep affection.
Meng Lei’s sect!
Zhao Ya’s heart stirred.
To be honest, he had been curious before.
Where did Meng Lei learn all these skills?
Not to mention anything else, but a comprehensive saber technique like the Gale Saber Technique is extremely rare in the Jianghu, otherwise, many Jianghu people wouldn’t resort to using short spears as weapons.
And the Great Stone-Throwing Hand that Meng Lei taught him later was even considered a supreme art, which requires reaching the Fourth Realm to master it proficiently.
These are not things that ordinary Jianghu people can possess.
Seemingly reading Zhao Ya’s thoughts, Meng Lei sighed deeply.
"My sect is not in Yunxiao County, I won’t tell you exactly where, and you won’t be able to reach it now. I’m giving you this token for another reason."
"In the Commandery, there is a Dingtai Martial Arts Hall, and the headmaster’s name is Lu Dingtai. If you have nowhere to seek refuge in the future, take this token to see him, and he will certainly take you in and teach you martial arts."
"Dingtai Martial Arts Hall, Lu Dingtai..."
"That’s right!" At this point, the color was rapidly draining from Meng Lei’s face, and the light in his eyes was gradually dimming, yet he continued with determination.
"This person has a deep cultivation in the Martial Dao. When I parted from him, he was already a Fourth Realm martial artist. After all these years, he must be even more formidable. Once he sees this token, he will surely take you in, and if he asks about me..."
Meng Lei paused and then spoke desolately, "Tell him the past is bygone, and I no longer hold any grudges."
Zhao Ya nodded heavily, "I have remembered it all!"
At this moment, Meng Lei leaned weakly against the wall and said feebly, "Ya!"
"Master!"
"Don’t think about avenging me. That Hong Family is not something you can provoke. What you need to do now is to become a Third Realm martial artist as soon as possible, and then take that little girl far away from this place of trouble."
Even though he had lived two lifetimes, Zhao Ya still felt a sourness in his nose, and tears nearly escaped his eyes.
Even at this moment, Meng Lei was considering him.
He could only nod, "Alright, I know, Master!"
At this moment, Meng Lei grabbed Zhao Ya’s hand, gasping heavily.
Zhao Ya knew that this was the final moment for Meng Lei.
Zhao Ya could only hold back his tears as he hugged him tightly.
"Master, rest easy, I will handle everything!"
Meng Lei made a hoarse sound from his throat, then his body suddenly slackened, and the light in his eyes extinguished.
Meng Lei passed away.
This man who had spanned the Jianghu for years, established the Changlong Escort Agency, and earned a great reputation, finally died in Zhao Ya’s arms.
Zhao Ya sat there in a daze for a moment, then slowly got up, arranged Meng Lei’s body, knelt heavily on both knees, and kowtowed several times to Meng Lei’s body.
"Master, please forgive me for not following your instructions. I will avenge the Hong Family and Cyan Bamboo Ridge!"
After saying this, Zhao Ya lifted his head, his eyes filled with a chilling intent to kill.
The vast forest, overgrown with thorns, was difficult to traverse.
Wang Ada was wielding a blade, pushing aside the weeds in front of him to prevent any venomous snakes from lurking within, struggling to advance.
Even so, Wang Ada had no complaints whatsoever.
He was originally from a village outside Wuxiang City, and as the eldest, he was named Wang Ada.
This was a common way of naming among farmers in these troubled times.
After all, life was hard enough for adults, let alone children.
Malnutrition and lack of medical care led to a high infant mortality rate, with many not living past the age of three, making naming unnecessary.
Yet who would have thought Wang Ada would survive, born with tremendous strength, and at the age of ten, he caught the eye of the Hong Family and was bought into their manor for training.
Even now, Wang Ada still feels fortunate about it.
After all, if he hadn’t become a Hong Family manor guard, he probably would have starved to death long ago.
In such circumstances, Wang Ada was very loyal to the Hong Family, even after becoming a Second Realm martial artist.
Today, he was sent by Yuan Zhiwen to deal with Meng Lei.
He had heard of the name, knowing Meng Lei was a renowned Escort Master.
But to Wang Ada, it didn’t matter who it was, if the Hong Family ordered an execution, there must be a reason they deserved to die.
Sometimes he found it amusing why some people even bothered to resist, wouldn’t it be better to obediently submit to the Hong Family?
Of course, these things were beyond his simple mind to understand.
He just wanted to find Meng Lei and that masked man quickly, cut off their heads, and receive his reward.
But he had no idea that at that moment, from a nearby tree, a pair of eyes were watching him.
Hidden among the leaves, Zhao Ya was in a Concealing Breath state, seemingly merged with the tree. Even if someone passed below, they would be unlikely to detect him.
But Zhao Ya didn’t act rashly because he had noticed that these people were divided into three-man teams, searching the forest in a semicircular formation.
He had to admit that this method was indeed effective, at least it minimized being defeated one by one.
But this time, they were up against Zhao Ya.
This dense forest now became Zhao Ya’s best cover.
He quietly regulated his breathing, counting silently in his heart.
One, two, three...
When he reached twenty-nine, Wang Ada and the two men he led had already reached below the tree.
Now is the moment!
Zhao Ya suddenly raised his hand and released a sleeve arrow, instantly pinning the one who was walking last.
At the same time, Zhao Ya descended from the sky, wielding the Meteorite Iron Saber straight at Wang Ada.
The whole process was incredibly swift.
Wang Ada barely had time to react, and the Meteorite Iron Saber was already over his head.
But as a Second Realm martial artist, Wang Ada managed to block with his blade at the last possible moment.
However, his blade was in no way able to withstand the sharpness of the Meteorite Iron Saber; it snapped like tofu, and the Meteorite Iron Saber cleaved into Wang Ada’s skull.
With a splattering sound, blood and brain matter burst forth.
Simultaneously, Zhao Ya’s saber swept horizontally, beheading the last man in the three-man team.
Having succeeded, Zhao Ya didn’t hesitate for a moment. Utilizing his Lightweight Body Technique, he leaped swiftly onto the treetops, disappearing in an instant.
At this point, Yuan Zhiwen and the others also arrived upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing the bodies of Wang Ada and his team, Yuan Zhiwen’s face turned ashen.
"Change the teams to five men and stay alert while continuing the search!"