Heart Unlock Activated

"The second one to unlock was actually the heart..."

Zhao Ya was somewhat surprised.

He had thought that after the stomach was unlocked, the spleen would be next.

After all, the spleen and stomach were connected!

Yet he had never expected it to be the heart.

It seemed the five viscera and six bowels did not unlock in any particular order, but according to some underlying meaning.

Still, Zhao Ya was quite pleased that the heart's unlock progress had begun.

After all, the heart was the sovereign official, and its position was of utmost importance.

If he could unlock it successfully, it would be of enormous benefit to Zhao Ya.

Unfortunately, he had already spent all the money he had gotten from the Black Snake Gang. Otherwise, he could buy more dried earthworm meat to speed up the unlocking progress.

The reason Zhao Ya had made such tremendous progress in only three months was, first and foremost, the abundant supply of dried earthworm meat.

During this time, apart from his regular meals, Zhao Ya had replaced all his other meat with dried earthworm meat.

The results were naturally immediate, but the cost was also steep.

In just three months, Zhao Ya had spent over three hundred taels of silver, a price that made his heart ache.

No wonder ordinary people found it so difficult to make a name for themselves in martial arts in this world.

Not to mention anything else, even the food needed for training was a massive expense that ordinary people simply could not afford.

Where should I get more money next?

Zhao Ya fell into deep thought.

"Brother Zhao Ya, it's cold outside. Once you're done training, hurry inside. Don't let the cold wind make you sick again." Zhao Ya came back to his senses and saw Tang Zuier looking at him with concern. He could not help but smile.

"Don't worry. A mere cold can't do anything to me."

Though he said that, Zhao Ya still turned and went inside.

It was already the depths of winter, but the heated brick bed was burning indoors, making the room quite warm.

The room had also been cleaned until it was neat and tidy. Even the pot lids had been scrubbed spotless.

Zhao Ya could not help but sigh.

It really does make a difference having a girl in the house.

Not to mention anything else, Tang Zuier had kept everything inside and outside the house clean and orderly these past few months, which had made Zhao Ya feel quite comfortable.

"Brother Zhao Ya, have some tea."

Tang Zuier brought him a bowl of hot tea.

It was naturally not good tea, but leftover tea dregs from a tea shop, which were very cheap.

After Tang Zuier bought them, she ground up some broken rice, stir-fried it until fragrant, then brewed it together with the tea leaves to make fragrant rice tea.

Zhao Ya took a sip and found the aroma of rice mingling with the fragrance of tea. It tasted quite good.

"Mmm, delicious!"

That simple praise made Tang Zuier's entire face light up, and she smiled brilliantly.

Zhao Ya suddenly remembered something and took a piece of silver from his pocket.

"This is the monthly pay I received today. There's only one month left until the New Year, so use it to buy some holiday goods."

"You don't need this much, and I still haven't spent all the silver you gave me last time. You should save this to buy that dried meat for yourself," Tang Zuier said.

"Take it. After buying the holiday goods, get yourself a few new outfits too. Your current clothes are getting a little too short," Zhao Ya said.

Tang Zuier's face instantly reddened all the way to her ears.

Over the past few months, she had eaten quite well with Zhao Ya. Every meal had meat and vegetables, so Tang Zuier had not only grown taller, but also filled out a little.

Even her pointed chin had become rounder.

As a result, her old clothes truly no longer fit very well.

"There's really no need. I can buy some cloth, then take the clothes apart and alter them," Tang Zuier said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Forget it. All your clothes are old and worn. It's time to buy a few new ones."

Zhao Ya smiled as he said this.

"You don't need to worry so much about money either. I'm a runner for the Prosperity Escort Agency now, with a monthly wage of five taels of silver. That's enough to support you."

Hearing that last line about supporting her, Tang Zuier's face turned so red it looked ready to bleed, yet joy welled up in her eyes and brows.

"Mm, then I'll go buy them in a couple of days. I'll get your foot-washing water."

Tang Zuier excitedly brought over a basin of hot water. Ignoring Zhao Ya's attempts to stop her, she insisted on squatting down to wash his feet.

Left with no choice, Zhao Ya merely smiled and let her do as she pleased.

After washing up, Zhao Ya was about to go to sleep when Tang Zuier suddenly spoke.

"Brother Zhao Ya!"

"Hmm?"

"Is it cold sleeping out here in the outer room?"

"Not at all. Your Brother Zhao Ya is immune to heat and cold now. What does a little chilly wind matter?" Zhao Ya said casually.

"Oh." Tang Zuier lowered her head and walked toward the inner room.

But just as she was about to lift the curtain, she suddenly said softly, "Actually... the heated bed inside is quite large. It can sleep two people."

"Hmm? What did you say, Zuier?"

"Ah, nothing. I'm going to sleep."

Tang Zuier lifted the curtain and fled in embarrassment.

Zhao Ya watched her retreating back and smiled faintly.

With Zhao Ya's current hearing, how could he possibly have failed to hear what Tang Zuier had just said?

It would have been a lie to say he was not tempted.

Tang Zuier had been naturally beautiful to begin with. Back when she was with the Tang family, she had not eaten or drunk well, yet she had still possessed exceptional beauty.

Now, after several months of proper care, the young girl had grown even more beautiful.

With such a pretty girl actively inviting him to sleep in the inner room, even Zhao Ya, who had lived two lives, could not help but feel moved.

But in the end, he restrained himself.

Because he was currently at a crucial stage of training and was about to make a final push toward the completion of Tendon Transformation.

Although practicing martial arts did not require abstinence, Zhao Ya still decided to endure it in order to speed up his progress.

After all, in this chaotic world, only upon completing Tendon Transformation and becoming a true second-realm expert would he possess the ability to protect himself.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Zhao Ya finished breakfast early and headed to the Prosperity Escort Agency.

With the New Year approaching, the escort agency's affairs had also become busier.

All the major merchant houses had to settle their accounts at this time of year, so large sums of gold and silver changed hands frequently, all of which required the escort agency to transport them.

During this time, Zhao Ya had already escorted several shipments to nearby towns, but they had all been short trips completed within the same day, making them quite easy.

But today's assignment was different.

"This time, we'll be escorting a shipment of silver from Hong Family Bank in the inner city. The destination is River Mouth Town, three hundred li away. The round trip will take at least three or four days. Fortunately, it's mostly along official roads, and the forces along the way are all familiar with us, but we still must not let our guard down."

"After all, with the New Year approaching, the bandits need to celebrate too."

Luo Qiang explained to Wei Yu, Zhao Ya, and the others.

He was still leading this escort run, and since the goods were quite valuable, all the runners selected for this trip were skilled men from the escort agency.

Zhao Ya was naturally among them.

"Any other questions?" Luo Qiang asked.

No one spoke.

They were all veterans who had escorted shipments several times before, so naturally they were not as clueless as they had been on their first trip.

"Good. Then pack your things and get ready to depart."