The aged Feixian Brew was refreshing to the palate, paired with a sumptuous banquet, it was truly a taste to be savored.

Especially since the Feixian Inn knew this feast was prepared for Zhao Ya and his companions, the master chef put in extra effort, making everyone comfortable and satisfied.

After three cups, Lu Dingtai put down his cup, looked at Zhao Ya, and said, "I've examined the corpse of the giant ape, from the wounds, it seems your knife technique has improved."

Zhao Ya was filled with admiration.

Truly worthy of an old hand in the Jianghu, his insight was sharp enough to discern from mere traces on a corpse that his knife technique had progressed.

He did not conceal it, nodding directly and saying, "Yes, Master, during the fight in the woods, I suddenly had some insights, which allowed me to kill this giant ape."

"Not bad, when martial skills reach a certain level, progress requires honing through actual combat, your ability to achieve this proves your talent is indeed strong."

As he spoke, Lu Dingtai felt a profound sense of gratification.

To be honest, since Zhao Ya joined the Martial Arts Hall, he actually hadn't taught him much.

Besides the main technique of the Great Vajra Fist, Lu Dingtai hadn't taught any other martial skills.

It wasn't to hide anything, but Lu Dingtai felt these skills weren't worth Zhao Ya wasting his energy on.

This young man's talent was definitely not limited to the Fourth Realm, so his main task now is to aim for the Fifth Realm while he is young.

If he could succeed in the Blood Exchange and step into the Fifth Realm before thirty, I would go to great lengths to have him accepted into a distinguished sect.

If he could successfully perform the Meridian Opening, his future would be boundless.

Compared to this, mere martial skills are trivial matters.

But I hadn't expected to underestimate this young man.

He was able to grasp an opportunity in battle, advancing further in his knife technique.

This proves that Lu Dingtai's approach was correct.

A genius like Zhao Ya should not be overly interfered with.

Thinking of this, Lu Dingtai grew increasingly fond of Zhao Ya, couldn't help but pour another cup of wine.

"Come, this toast is from your master."

With a toast from his master, a disciple naturally wouldn't dare refuse to drink.

Zhao Ya hurriedly stood up, "Master, you're too kind, let your disciple drink this first as respect."

With that, he downed the cup in one go.

Lu Dingtai laughed heartily.

He had heard people talk about his young disciple's drinking capacity, claiming he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.

But Lu Dingtai thought that was nonsense.

No one could possibly not get drunk after a thousand cups, it's just that their strong physique allowed them to drink more than ordinary people.

So he also drank down his cup.

"Come, you've worked hard today too, tonight, we shall not return until we're drunk."

Midnight.

Lu Dingtai wobbled his way back.

After all, he's the master, and unlike Miao Shaocheng that time, he didn't drink himself into oblivion.

Even so, Lu Dingtai was quite drunk.

While he tried hard to cover it up, his wobbly steps still betrayed him.

This also made him finally understand Zhao Ya's drinking capacity.

It truly was a thousand cups without getting drunk, having nothing to do with the size of one's capacity.

Zhao Ya watched his master depart, then returned home.

By this time, Zui'Er had already cleared away the remnants of the feast and was preparing to clean the courtyard.

Zhao Ya urged her to hurry back to her room to sleep, while he picked up a broom, sweeping the courtyard as he pondered recent events.

He certainly didn't think that by killing a Ghost-faced Giant Ape, the Beast Tide had ended.

This was likely just a probing vanguard.

But the effect of this battle was remarkable, at least dispelling the fear in many hearts.

Yet, what's next, what kind of Beast Tide would they face?

In the following days, Zhao Ya patrolled the city walls daily, but he found no trace of Exotic Beasts.

Not just the East Gate, the other three gates were the same.

Apart from lacking visiting merchants, everything seemed to have returned to its previous state.

This brought great delight to many in the Commandery.

To them, the death of the Ghost-faced Giant Ape signified the crisis had been resolved.

Thus, the hearts that had long been restrained began to stir; even the major brothels that had been shuttered reopened.

For a time, the entire Commandery was filled with song and dance, regaining its former hustle and bustle.

But Zhao Ya did not relax at all.

Taking advantage of this gap, Zhao Ya led men to clear a two-mile buffer zone in the woods outside the other three gates.

Zhao Ya also accumulated a large amount of materials to produce kerosene, then ambushed them outside each city gate.

In the height of summer, with lush foliage and high water content in the trees, relying on these kerosenes was necessary to start a fire.

After several days of orderly preparations, there was still no movement.

This led even the Martial Arts Hall disciples to relax somewhat.

Believing perhaps the Beast Tide had ended like this.

Thus, although there were still people on night watch at the city walls each night, their mood was entirely different than before, chatting, drinking, and even gambling and playing cards secretly.

Zhao Ya saw all this but said nothing.

When you are too strict or say too much about such matters, it often backfires.

After all, not everyone shared Zhao Ya's firm belief that a second wave of Beast Tide would come.

Zhao Ya merely increased his patrols quietly, to prevent any lapses.

But for this vast Capital City, his strength alone was too limited.

Even with the help of several senior brothers and Nie Jingnian, it was still insufficient.

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