Repaying Kindness, a Pure Heart (Please Follow and Recommend)

The next day, when Zhao Ya opened his eyes, Zui'er was already awake.

When she saw Zhao Ya's smiling gaze, Zui'er blushed furiously and tried to get out of bed.

But the moment she tried to move, she frowned.

Seeing this, Zhao Ya smiled and pinched her nose, saying softly, "You're not in any condition to move around right now. Rest well. I'll go make breakfast."

"Mm!" Zui'er cried out happily.

Zhao Ya got up and went to work, while Zui'er quietly pulled a white sweat cloth from beneath the covers. A plum blossom-like stain of blood stood out vividly on it.

Her face burning red, Zui'er put it away, then looked at Zhao Ya cooking outside, her heart filled with a sense of security.

Before long, breakfast was ready.

Zhao Ya brought it to the bedside, and the two shared a sweet breakfast. After reminding Zui'er to rest properly, Zhao Ya headed to the escort agency.

When he arrived at the escort agency, everyone who saw Zhao Ya stopped with smiles on their faces.

"Escort Master Zhao!"

"Morning, Escort Master Zhao!"

Zhao Ya returned every greeting without the slightest hint of arrogance.

After he left, some people could not help but sigh.

"Back then, Escort Master Zhao and I joined the escort agency together. Now he's already an escort master, while I'm still a menial worker. Comparing people really does make you mad!"

"The key is that Escort Master Zhao is so young, yet so composed. If someone else had achieved this much at his age, their tail would be sticking up into the sky. But Escort Master Zhao has never been the least bit arrogant. He treats even menial workers like us equally. That's truly rare."

"Exactly. If this had been Wei Yu, wouldn't he have thought himself above the heavens?"

At the mention of Wei Yu, many people looked uncomfortable.

"Alright, stop bringing him up. The escort agency hired so many doctors for him; they've already done all they could. What happened that time was his own fault, and he can't blame anyone else."

Naturally, Zhao Ya knew nothing of these discussions.

After arriving at the escort agency, he first handled some routine matters before sending for Tan Dong.

Tan Dong was yawning repeatedly, barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Brother Zhao, what did you call me for?"

Zhao Ya sighed helplessly at the sight. "You went to the pleasure district again last night, didn't you?"

"Hehe, there was a new girl there who was quite pitiful. Naturally, I, Tan Dong, had to take good care of her," Tan Dong said, rubbing his hands together.

Zhao Ya: "..."

Then he said, "I called you here because I want to give you some extra lessons."

"Extra lessons? Lessons in what?" Tan Dong looked utterly confused.

"Don't you want to complete Bone Forging as soon as possible and become a runner?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then I'll give you some extra lessons. If you keep going on like this, you really are becoming far too listless."

Zhao Ya sincerely wanted to tutor Tan Dong. After all, the Tan Family had shown him much kindness, so he naturally wanted to repay them in some way.

After giving it some thought, the best way was to help Tan Dong improve in martial arts.

Tan Dong immediately pulled a long face. "But I'm too tired today. How about tomorrow?"

Zhao Ya was both annoyed and amused.

"And tomorrow, will you have another excuse?"

"Hehe!" Tan Dong gave an embarrassed laugh.

"Alright, sleep for a while first. We'll begin after lunch."

"Fine!"

After lunch, Zhao Ya dragged Tan Dong to the training ground and began teaching him martial arts in a serious, methodical manner.

"The essence of the Five Tigers Fist lies in the fierce momentum of a tiger descending the mountain. So before practicing, you must focus completely and imagine that you are a striped tiger, that your fists are your claws..."

Zhao Ya explained in detail, occasionally demonstrating with a few punches.

Tan Dong had been rather distracted at first, but as he listened, he gradually became absorbed.

What was more, at some point, many menial workers and even runners had gathered around, quietly listening to Zhao Ya's explanation.

Zhao Ya did not hold anything back and taught with great care.

Whenever someone did not understand, he patiently explained.

Under such circumstances, the training ground took on an atmosphere of diligent study and striving for improvement.

Meng Lei, Luo Qiang, Lin Sheng, and the other escort masters hurried over after hearing the news, watching quietly from a distance.

When they heard Zhao Ya analyze a set of Five Tigers Fist so thoroughly that it seemed to penetrate to the very marrow, even leaving Luo Qiang and the others feeling enlightened, Meng Lei nodded in satisfaction.

"What do you think of Zhao Ya?"

Lin Sheng answered first. "This boy is steady-minded and exceptionally talented. He is worth cultivating."

Luo Qiang pondered for a long while before saying seriously, "Judging by his words and actions, he repays kindness and draws a clear line between gratitude and grudges. He is indeed capable of shouldering great responsibility."

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Meng Lei had not paid much attention to Zhao Ya's talent, but when he heard Luo Qiang mention repaying kindness, he asked with interest.

Luo Qiang smiled. "I actually heard about this from my nephew Luo Feng. He said Zhao Ya lost both parents when he was young and had no one to rely on. A neighbor surnamed Tang pitied him and helped him."

"Later, the Tang family suffered a great calamity, leaving only an old woman and a little girl dependent on one another. Zhao Ya often did what he could to support them, and after the old woman passed away, he even took the girl into his home to care for her. That alone speaks volumes about his character."

This was the first time Meng Lei had heard of it. After listening, he could not help but nod.

"Indeed. In times like these, it is truly rare to know how to repay kindness."

For Meng Lei, who had weathered many storms, talent was not the most important thing. A sincere heart was what truly mattered.

Otherwise, if he painstakingly nurtured someone only to raise an ungrateful wretch who turned against him, would that not all be wasted effort?

It was precisely because Meng Lei valued this quality in Zhao Ya that he had decisively invested heavily in him and provided him with Blood Qi Pills.

One had to know that even among the great families of the inner city, not every descendant received such treatment.

"Does everyone understand now?" Zhao Ya asked after finishing his analysis of the Five Tigers Fist.

"We understand!"

"Thank you, Escort Master Zhao!"

"Escort Master Zhao, we've truly troubled you!"

Their gratitude was entirely sincere.

Zhao Ya had no obligation to explain martial arts to them. In particular, he had originally opened this private lesson solely for Tan Dong, yet after everyone gathered around, he did not show the slightest impatience. He even took the initiative to answer their questions.

That was no small favor.

Zhao Ya smiled and declined everyone's invitation to drink, then asked Tan Dong, "How does it feel?"

Tan Dong also felt that he had gained a great deal that afternoon, so he gave a thumbs-up.

"Great!"

"Just remembering the theory isn't enough. You still need to practice diligently. Let's do this: from now on, I'll check your progress every other day."

"No way, that strict?" Tan Dong's face instantly fell.

Zhao Ya was completely unmoved. "It's decided. If you have any objections, how about I write to Uncle and ask for his instructions?"

Tan Dong shuddered and immediately shouted, "I guarantee I'll complete the task!"

Zhao Ya smiled faintly and patted Tan Dong on the shoulder. "For a while, the girls in the pleasure district are probably going to miss you!"

Over the past two days, many people have had quite a few complaints about the part where the protagonist seized the blade. I humbly accept them, but I deleted some comments that came in cursing.

Now let me explain that plot point. First, was taking the blade useful? Of course it was. Otherwise, Forge-Iron Manor would not have made such a huge effort to search for Cheng Jingxue over this treasured blade.

Because under the current martial world setting, a precious weapon can greatly increase one's strength.

Some people also said the protagonist was too selfish, willing to kill for the blade.

But Cheng Jingxue herself was a villain. She deceived others for her own benefit. Although Wei Yu was largely responsible for his own fate, her instigation was also part of it.

Later, I revised the earlier plot. Before Cheng Jingxue escaped, she shifted the disaster onto others, intending to use the lives of Zhao Ya and the others to delay Forge-Iron Manor. That made Cheng Jingxue's character even clearer.

With that, there should naturally be no question about the protagonist killing her.

There is also the part where the protagonist wiped out the Black Snake Gang and the Double Victory Gang. Many people said the protagonist was too ruthless.

Heh, when those two gangs drove people to ruin and death, why did no one call them ruthless?

You should know that the protagonist is meant to be decisive and ruthless in killing.

And in this book's setting, the world is growing increasingly chaotic, gangs run rampant, and common people at the bottom suffer oppression. When Zhao Ya acts to eliminate these gangs, most of it may indeed be for improving his own strength, but it still counts as ridding the people of a scourge, doesn't it?

Lastly, I want to thank every reader who has made it this far. Without your support, I could not have persisted until now. Moonlight offers sincere thanks and hopes everyone will continue supporting the book by following and voting more.

(End of Chapter)