Five days later.
Zhao Ya finished a day of training and then opened the attribute panel.
Name: Zhao Ya. Age: 16 years. Remaining lifespan: 30 years.
Skills: Eight Vajra Skills (Entering the Hall 304/500) Five Tiger Fist (Minor Achievement 13/1000)
[Stomach unlocking progress: 80%]
After five days of training, apart from a slight increase in the proficiency of Eight Vajra Skills and Five Tiger Fist, there was virtually no change in other aspects.
Especially, the stomach unlocking progress hadn't moved at all.
Zhao Ya frowned, knowing he had hit a bottleneck.
In fact, ever since achieving Great Success in Bone Refining, ordinary meat had increasingly less effect on Zhao Ya.
These past few days, he had been relying on the Qi blood-rich meat meal provided by the Escort Agency at noon, as well as the Great Nourishing Soup after meals, resulting in slower progress.
It was about time; tomorrow he would let the Escort Agency know that he had also achieved Great Success in Bone Refining.
That way, his treatment should improve somewhat, relieving the current predicament a little.
Zhao Ya sighed helplessly.
Knowing full well that this was not a long-term solution, the foundation of Changlong Escort Agency is relatively solid, yet with many disciples, it seemed quite meager when averaged per person.
If he wanted to make significant progress, he had to find other ways.
Especially in obtaining meat or medicinal materials that could substantially replenish Qi blood, which was crucial.
But where could he get such things?
After all, in this world full of Martial Artists, cultivation resources are extremely precious.
Anything that could enhance Qi blood was a family's secret treasure.
For instance, even the Great Nourishing Soup Zhao Ya drank every day was a unique secret formula of Changlong Escort Agency, known only to Chief of the Escort Meng Lei and a few elder Escort Masters.
Lost in thought, Zhao Ya was awakened by the shout of Tang Zui'Er.
"Ya, it's time to eat."
"Oh, okay!"
Zhao Ya responded casually and turned into the kitchen.
The dishes were already set on the table, even the chopsticks were placed for Zhao Ya.
Just as Zhao Ya was about to eat, Tang Zui'Er handed over a warm towel.
"Ya, you've been practicing martial arts all afternoon, your face is sweaty, wipe it off."
As he wiped his face, Zhao Ya couldn't help but marvel.
Ever since keeping Tang Zui'Er, his life was much more comfortable than before.
Leaving aside cooking and washing dishes, even the little details of life were done perfectly by this little girl.
In just a few days, Zhao Ya had become quite reliant on her presence.
When finished wiping his face, Zui'Er reached out for the towel before Zhao Ya could put it down.
"Eat while it's hot, Ya."
Zhao Ya nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating heartily.
It's undeniable, Tang Zui'Er's cooking skills far surpassed Zhao Ya's.
Even the simple braised meat she made had a unique flavor.
Zhao Ya enjoyed his meal immensely.
Tang Zui'Er watched with a smile.
A moment later, Zhao Ya looked up in surprise and said, "Zui'Er, what are you looking at? Come, eat too."
"Mm-hmm."
Tang Zui'Er finally picked up her bowl and nibbled on her food.
Soon, Zhao Ya finished an entire big pot of food.
Yet, even so, Zhao Ya still didn't feel fully satisfied.
He even suspected that if he ate freely, a whole pig might not be enough for one meal.
"Ya... "
"Hmm?"
Zhao Ya looked up and saw Tang Zui'Er hesitantly staring at him.
"What's the matter? Is there something you want to say?" Zhao Ya asked.
"I want... I want to find some work."
"Find some work?" Zhao Ya was a bit surprised.
"Yeah." Tang Zui'Er nodded emphatically and said earnestly.
"Ya, in this world, it's hard for everyone to survive, especially since you practice martial arts, your consumption is greater than ordinary people. Now with me added, it's definitely tougher, so I want to find some work to help out with household expenses."
Zhao Ya couldn't help but smile wryly.
This little girl was quite articulate, saying his consumption was greater than others.
In reality, she was just worried about his sizeable appetite, afraid one day he might not afford to keep her.
Suppressing his grin, Zhao Ya deliberately asked, "Oh? What kind of work are you thinking of doing to help with expenses?"
"I've already thought about it; it's just the two of us, not much work overall, so I can do laundry and mending for others. Though it won't earn much, it's better than idly staying at home." Tang Zui'Er shared her idea eagerly.
"Sounds good, but how will you find clients?"
"That's where you come in, Ya. After all, it's not proper for me to be out and about, whereas you, being a man and skilled in martial arts, others certainly wouldn't dare swindle you."
"Plus, you could mention it to colleagues at the Escort Agency and have them bring their laundry needs, so that'd be a source of income too, right?" Tang Zui'Er finished excitedly, looking at Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya nodded, "Okay... "
"Okay, my foot!"
With that, Zhao Ya playfully knocked on Tang Zui'Er's head with his chopsticks.
"Ouch... " Tang Zui'Er winced, holding her head as she looked at Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya said sternly, "Stop overthinking it. Your grandma entrusted you to me on her deathbed, so naturally, I must take care of you. Besides, I, Zhao Ya, do not need you to earn those meager pennies from doing laundry."
"But we... " Tang Zui'Er's eyes reddened slightly.
"No buts. Rest assured, supporting you is not an issue for me."
Finally, Tang Zui'Er gave up her idea and silently began clearing away the dishes.
Zhao Ya just chuckled without saying much more, washed up a bit, and laid down on the outer room's bed, falling into a deep sleep.
The following day.
Zhao Ya headed to the Escort Agency early. Upon entry, he was greeted by the cheerful Luo Feng.
"Morning, Zhao!"
Zhao Ya was somewhat surprised, but responded with a nod, "Morning!"
Then he headed towards the back courtyard of the Escort Agency, intending to see Chief of the Escort Meng Lei.
But after just a few steps, Luo Feng followed him.
Unexpectedly, Luo Feng seemed more surprised.
"Zhao, what are you up to?"
"Going to see the Chief of the Escort."
"What a coincidence, so am I."
At this, Luo Feng's smile grew even more brilliant, "To be honest, Zhao, just yesterday, I also successfully broke through."
Zhao Ya was quite surprised.
He thought the next to break through would be Zhou Hua, not Luo Feng.
But thinking about Luo Feng's family background, Zhao Ya wasn't too surprised.
Having an uncle like Luo Qiang, it's no surprise that Luo Feng would have more resources, making his breakthrough less surprising.
"Oh, then congratulations to you, Junior Brother Luo!"
"Hehe, thanks, Zhao. By the way, what are you seeing the Chief of the Escort about?"
Zhao Ya smiled, "Not much, coincidently, just last night I also made a breakthrough."