"Master Zhao, recently the level of exotic beasts outside the city has been increasing. The teams going out to hunt them are also starting to suffer casualties, and even a few Third Realm experts almost didn't make it back," Big Eye Lamp reported the recent situation in the city to Zhao Ya.

"Oh? Do you know what kind of exotic beasts injured those Third Realm martial artists?" Zhao Ya immediately asked.

"I specifically inquired about it. It seems they were injured by exotic beasts in the form of apes."

Nowadays, Big Eye Lamp had become the leader of the group of children in the commandery's slum.

Despite their humble origins, because the slum was a mix of all sorts of people, including many servant disciples from various martial arts halls, information flowed very freely.

After listening to Big Eye Lamp's report, Zhao Ya remained silent in thought.

Big Eye Lamp didn't dare to speak further, waiting quietly.

"You did very well. In the future, notify me immediately about any news regarding exotic beasts outside the city."

"Yes!"

Zhao Ya then gave Big Eye Lamp a sum of money.

Acquiring information was never a simple task.

Even for these kids, gathering useful information required a lot of effort.

Therefore, Zhao Ya was never stingy.

Every time he received a message, Zhao Ya always gave a sum of money to Big Eye Lamp to reward the kids under him, winning their hearts.

This was considered a long-term investment, which had already begun to show results.

At the very least, now whenever there was any commotion inside or outside the commandery, Zhao Ya was always the first to know.

So Zhao Ya felt that this money was incredibly well spent.

After Big Eye Lamp left, Zhao Ya paced back and forth in the courtyard, contemplating the situation.

It was evident that the one who injured those Third Realm martial artists was most likely the ghost-faced giant ape he had encountered.

Thinking of the ape's terrifying strength, Zhao Ya felt even more troubled.

No way.

This matter had to be reported to his master to prepare in advance.

Thinking this, Zhao Ya immediately went to the Martial Arts Hall.

When he saw Lu Dingtai, Zhao Ya revealed everything that had happened recently.

After listening, Lu Dingtai was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you saying that this time's beast tide might not be ordinary?"

"That's right. You should know that I encountered a Giant-winged Blood Bat, a Fifth Realm exotic beast, in the Earth Cave before. If such high-level exotic beasts appear in this beast tide, it will be troublesome."

There was another point Zhao Ya didn't mention.

Forget about the Giant-winged Blood Bat; even if the number of exotic beasts like the ghost-faced giant ape increases to form a group, their destructive power will be terrifying.

After all, there aren't many martial artists at the peak of the Third Realm in the entire commandery, and even martial artists of the same level would struggle against the ghost-faced giant ape without secret techniques and are likely to face defeat.

Previously, Pan Xuexian from the Hundred Steps Martial Arts Hall was a living example.

If it weren't for his superb archery skills to buy time, he might not have lasted until Zhao Ya saved him and would have met his end in the ape's mouth.

Because of this, Zhao Ya treated this matter as if facing a formidable enemy, placing great importance on it.

Lu Dingtai wasn't a fool, either. After hearing Zhao Ya's conclusion, he realized the seriousness of the issue too.

"If it truly is like this, we must indeed be vigilant. Here's the plan: I'll notify all the major martial arts halls to be on guard, and you try to contact those familiar around you and make all necessary preparations."

Once the decision was made, Lu Dingtai acted swiftly, not wasting a moment before beginning preparations.

Encouraged by his master's support, Zhao Ya felt greatly inspired.

He had always worried that if he voiced his conclusions, no one would believe him, or even if they did, they would just shrug it off.

After all, many in the commandery approached things with a dismissive attitude. In their view, the commandery had high city walls for defense, with numerous martial arts halls stationed inside.

Even if this beast tide came fiercely, they thought at worst they could call upon the nearby garrisons, making it hardly worth mentioning.

But if Lu Dingtai himself took the initiative, the impact would be different.

After all, he had been renowned for many years, one of the few top masters in the commandery.

Words spoken by him carried much more weight than those by Zhao Ya.

Soon, several senior brothers from the Martial Arts Hall got wind of the news.

"You say this beast tide is likely going to be extremely fierce?" Miao Shaocheng asked.

Zhao Ya nodded.

Shen Dao, Miao Shaocheng, and Xu De exchanged glances, their expressions solemn.

If someone else had said this, they might not have believed it at all.

But crucially, it was Zhao Ya who spoke.

They held their junior brother in high regard.

"If what Ya said is true, even without Fifth Realm exotic beasts, just that ghost-faced giant ape alone would be hard enough to handle. The commandery could very well face a great calamity!" Shen Dao said anxiously.

"What if we deploy the garrison? If I recall, there's at least ten thousand Great Yan Iron Cavalry stationed at Boling Valley not far from our commandery. At a critical moment, can't they turn the tide?" Miao Shaocheng asked apprehensively.

"Ha!" Xu De gave a cold laugh, "Third Brother, you're too naive. It's one thing if the Iron Cavalry doesn't come, but if they do enter the city, it'll be no easy task to get them to leave."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know who commands that Great Yan Iron Cavalry now?"

"How would I know that?"

"His name is Wei Hongbin, a member of the Wei Family in the Great Yan Capital City. His martial skill is high; it's said he was already a half-step Fifth Realm martial artist several years ago, but he's greedy and vicious."

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