"I think so too. Of course, if you, Junior Sister Gu, have any business to attend to, feel free to leave first," the stout man said.
"Forget it. Since neither of you are leaving, I’ll stay and take a look too, just to relieve boredom."
...
Zhao Ya carried Lu Dingtai back to the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall.
As soon as their master and disciple pair returned, the disciples who stayed behind at the Martial Arts Hall were overjoyed.
They naturally knew about the events outside the city.
At that moment, Lu Dingtai and Zhao Ya had already become heroes in their hearts.
But when they came to greet them and saw the unconscious Lu Dingtai, they couldn’t help but feel chilled to the bone.
In their minds, Lu Dingtai was already a god-like guardian.
And now, this deity had fallen.
Fortunately, Zhao Ya was present, and upon seeing this, he said, "Master has just fought for too long and is temporarily exhausted. He’ll recover after resting for two days. Quickly, prepare a Quiet Chamber."
"Oh, okay, okay!"
A disciple hurriedly went to prepare, and soon arranged for a Quiet Chamber.
Zhao Ya carried Lu Dingtai into the room, settled him, and arranged for someone to take care of him.
After finishing all this, Zhao Ya returned to the front courtyard.
Those martial artists who returned with him did not leave; instead, the group grew larger.
Shang Tiefeng and Jin Zhenming also returned.
The group gathered together, and everyone’s face was extremely solemn, without the joy that should accompany defeating the Exotic Beasts.
Wei Hongbin and his Great Yan Iron Cavalry were like a dark cloud, pressing on everyone’s hearts, making it hard to breathe.
Bang.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard as a martial artist angrily smashed the armrest of a chair.
"This is infuriating! We’ve all worked so hard, risking our lives to fight the Beast Tide, only for these bastards to take advantage. It’s outrageous!"
The speaker was the Hall Master of the Mountain Guardian Boxing Hall, Hu Zhenshan.
Although he was nearing sixty, he was deeply proficient in the Mountain Guardian Fist, ranking among the top martial artists in the city after Lu Dingtai and Shang Tiefeng.
Upon hearing his words, many people showed expressions of righteous indignation.
"Hall Master Hu is right. That Wei is simply bullying us, clearly not taking us seriously."
"What’s most infuriating is Yuan Chenfeng. That old fox colluded with the court, willing to be their dog, betraying our martial community. It’s utterly shameless."
"Yes, if it weren’t for Yuan Chenfeng, this might not have happened."
"To think I went through so much trouble trying to get my relatives into the Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall. In retrospect, I’m glad they didn’t, or our ancestors would be shamed."
For a time, emotions ran high, especially towards Yuan Chenfeng, the instigator, whom they wished to tear apart in their rage.
At this moment, there was a commotion outside.
Then Second Brother Shen Dao, Third Brother Miao Shaocheng, Fourth Brother Xu De, and Senior Sister Meng Shiwen all returned.
Each of them was more or less wounded.
Upon seeing them, everyone in the room stood up to greet them.
Zhao Ya, of course, was no exception.
"Senior Brother, why are you only back now?"
Shen Dao smiled bitterly, "There was a little trouble when handing over the city gate defenses."
Hearing this, Zhao Ya’s expression turned serious, "Was it Wei Hongbin’s men trying to seize control of the city walls?"
"Yes!" Shen Dao replied, and even someone as gentle as he couldn’t help but show a trace of cold laughter.
"But we resolutely refused. Just as they were about to make a move, a captain named Sun came to resolve the issue. Now, except for the South Gate, we still control the other city gates."
"That’s good!" Zhao Ya nodded.
Although it wasn’t of great significance, at least it demonstrated the stance of all the city’s martial artists.
That is, they would never allow themselves to be manipulated.
At this moment, someone suddenly walked out from the crowd and then knelt before everyone with a thud.
"Master, fellow Martial Dao practitioners, I am guilty. I lost the city gate, allowing Wei Hongbin’s Iron Cavalry to enter the city. Please punish me as you see fit; I, Nie Jingnian, have no complaints."