"Also, try to find out if there's armor for sale on the market, cloth armor will do too. If you can find any, buy it."

Previously, during the beast tide, cloth armor played a significant role.

Although this thing is a joke when martial artists face off, it can be very effective on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the Zhu Family's cloth armor has long been gone, and as for the 500 pieces that were donated back then, they were divided among Guangrui, Ren Yong, and martial arts halls like the Mountain Guardian Boxing Hall, which didn't amount to much.

That's why Zhao Ya was thinking about whether he could purchase some from the market.

The disciples responsible for purchasing and the account manager received their orders and left.

At this moment, Shen Dao and the others, who went out to contact the martial arts halls, also returned.

Without needing to ask, just by looking at their expressions, Zhao Ya knew that this trip was quite successful.

This is actually not surprising.

After all, the martial arts halls not appearing on that list are all staunch opponents, and in a situation where goals and interests align, forming an alliance is almost a matter of course.

In the next two days, the Commandery was unexpectedly calm.

Even those cavalry who usually committed crimes disappeared, as if they were really scared by Zhao Ya's words.

Because of this, ordinary citizens were naturally overjoyed and even more grateful to Zhao Ya.

But those with a bit of insight could detect a sense of unease.

Just when the people outside were in a state of anxiety, the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall was quite calm.

In fact, Zhao Ya returned to his previous state of intense training, honing his martial arts skills every day to enhance his strength as much as possible.

Under his influence, the disciples also settled their minds to practice diligently.

This scene left Jiao Yousong, who came to visit, full of admiration.

"As expected of the number one martial arts hall in the Commandery, to be able to calmly practice martial arts in such chaotic times is admirable solely for this composure."

Nie Jingnian, who came with him, remained silent.

After the last incident of the city gate falling, Nie Jingnian became increasingly reticent.

Seeing this, Shen Dao couldn't help but sigh.

Having known Nie Jingnian the longest, he naturally knew that Nie Jingnian's straightforward personality couldn't conceal anything.

It's precisely because of this that he was deceived by Yu Guizhi when the beast tide attacked.

At this moment, Zhao Ya also arrived upon hearing the news.

Upon seeing him, Jiao Yousong's eyes lit up and then he cupped his hands and said, "I haven't seen you for a while, Junior Brother Zhao. I didn't expect your skills to have improved again."

Zhao Ya had just finished his practice, his Qi blood boiling, which perceptive people could naturally see as an improvement in his strength.

To this, Zhao Ya simply smiled, "Senior Brother Jiao, you flatter me. What brings you two here today?"

"Hehe, what else could it be? To be honest, my old man emerged from secluded meditation yesterday." Jiao Yousong said gleefully.

"Oh? Your mentor's injuries have healed?" Zhao Ya was also pleased to hear this.

This was indeed good news.

After all, a high-level force like Jin Zhenming often can alter the course of battles at critical moments.

"Yes, my master's injuries are no longer an issue, and not just my master, even Master Shang is the same."

At this point, Nie Jingnian finally spoke, "Yes, my master also recovered from his injuries two days ago."

Zhao Ya and Shen Dao were very happy.

"This is fantastic! When the time comes, even if we have to fight, with the help of two Masters, our chances of success will increase significantly," Shen Dao said.

Jiao Yousong chuckled, "Our purpose for coming here is exactly for this; my master and Master Shang have both said they're ready and can act at any time."

Hearing this, Zhao Ya nodded, "Good, we're also almost ready, just waiting for an opportunity to launch a counterattack."

Zhao Ya understood that both sides were waiting.

Waiting for the other side to show a flaw.

So the more it nears this time, the more one must remain calm.

This is called needing composure in matters of great importance.

After discussing some details, Jiao Yousong sincerely admired Zhao Ya.

"I also heard about your recent incident of beating a cavalry leader in the street, it was truly satisfying. It's a shame I wasn't there, otherwise, I'd have twisted the heads off that bunch of bastards."

Zhao Ya smiled, "Don't worry, there will soon be opportunities."

"Hahaha, you're right, when the time comes, let's fight side by side again and have a good fight." Jiao Yousong laughed heartily and left.

Nie Jingnian nodded and followed him out.

After they left, Zhao Ya didn't go back to practice, but instead went to his master's room.

Lu Dingtai was still unconscious, but his breathing was becoming more even, like a meditating old monk.

Meng Shiwen sat at the bedside with a troubled face, her eyes filled with despair.

Initially, she thought that Lu Dingtai would recover in a few days, but she never expected that there would still be no signs of awakening after all this time.

This made her hope more and more faint.

Gazing at Meng Shiwen, who was sitting by the bed in a daze, Zhao Ya sighed inwardly but didn't speak.

Because comforting words were ineffective in such matters.

He could only say, "I'll go to the back to check if the medicine for Master is ready."

With that, he walked out of the room, turned into the corridor next to it, and headed to the back.

After passing through several floral gates, there was a small courtyard, and even before getting close, the strong smell of medicine could be detected.

This was where the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall's pharmacy was located.

Almost every sizable martial arts hall has a similar facility.

Because injuries are inevitable when practicing the Martial Dao, and many cultivation techniques require soaking in medicinal baths or consuming Elixirs, which necessitate the presence of a pharmacy,

and the place where they were brewing medicine for Lu Dingtai was in a side room next to the pharmacy.

For safety reasons, this area had designated personnel in charge, and unauthorized individuals were not allowed to approach.

Zhao Ya, of course, wasn't an unauthorized person. When he walked into the room, he saw a large pot on the stove, bubbling and steaming.

A disciple was keeping watch by the fire; when Zhao Ya entered, he hurriedly stood up.

"Little Martial Uncle!"

Zhao Ya nodded, first checking the medicine to find it still needed a bit more heat, so he covered it, then turned to the disciple.

"How come I haven't seen you before? Where's Old Liu?"

"Oh, Senior Brother Liu had an upset stomach last night and hasn't gotten up yet. I'm here to take his place."

"Take his place?" Zhao Ya frowned.

"Who have you informed about this matter?"

"I have already reported to Master Xu De."

"Oh, your master is Xu De?"

"Yes."

"What's your name?"

"In response to Little Martial Uncle, my name is Shi Lin."

"Good." Zhao Ya nodded, then turned around to inspect the room, ensuring there were no anomalies before leaving.

After he left, Shi Lin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

There was no way around it.

The pressure from Zhao Ya was just too intense.

Even though it was only a short interaction, it still caused him significant stress.

"Phew, Little Martial Uncle is indeed formidable. I feel more pressure from him than from my master Xu De," Shi Lin muttered, then he sat back down, concentrating fully on watching the fire.

Meanwhile, leaving the pharmacy, Zhao Ya couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

It wasn't that Shi Lin seemed off, but rather that the whole situation seemed suspicious.

It's important to note that Old Liu, who was previously in charge, was at least a Second Realm martial artist, so how could he suddenly have an upset stomach so severe that he couldn't get out of bed?

But whether through observing behavior or applying pressure through presence, Zhao Ya couldn't see any trace of anomaly on Shi Lin.

Unless this person had a deep shrewdness, capable of even deceiving Zhao Ya's eyes.

But is that possible?

Zhao Ya contemplated for a moment, but his steps didn't stop as he quietly left.

Meanwhile, at the pharmacy, someone called out with a smile from outside the door, "Senior Brother Shi, it's time to eat. Today's meal is quite nice, with your favorite meatballs, and I brought you a few extra."

Inside, upon hearing the call, Shi Lin's eyes lit up, and he walked out immediately.

At the door stood a young man, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with an honest and sturdy look, holding a food box in his hand.

"Thank you, Zhang!"

"Senior Brother, your words are too formal. Isn't it normal for us juniors to bring you food? Besides, you have an important task at hand now. Eat while it's hot, or it'll get cold later," the young man said with a smile.

Shi Lin took the food box, intending to return to the room to eat, but the young man said, "Senior Brother, with such a strong smell of medicine in the room, anything you eat won't taste good. Why not eat here?"

"But what about the medicine inside…." Shi Lin hesitated.

"That's easy. I'll keep an eye on it for you. If you're worried, I won't close the door, so you can watch from outside, how about it?" the young man said sincerely with a smile.

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