In the main hall, the Zhao family members mostly fussed over Zhao Shuning.
Zhao Shuning answered absent - mindedly. Her mind was constantly occupied by what her grandfather had said earlier.
To carry forward the Zhao family had always been her grandfather's wish.
The reason the Zhao family had managed to gain a foothold in Qinghui Town was not only because of their certain strength but also because there were not many powerful forces in the small town. And the hands of those big forces were reluctant to reach into such a small place.
" Ning'er, what are you thinking about?"
"Ah, nothing. Grandfather, I've thought of a place regarding the expansion of the Zhao family's influence."
"Where?"
Old Mr. Zhao was intrigued now. Everyone stopped what they were doing and pricked up their ears, listening intently to Zhao Shuning.
"Grandfather, what do you think of Yanqing City?"
Yanqing City? It was a proper city. Shuning's idea was good, but the Zhao family was just a small town - based family. How could they suddenly become a prominent family in the city?
Many great families had spent generations but still failed to achieve this.
They couldn't just skip so many steps and directly establish themselves in Yanqing City, could they?
"Shuning, we need to discuss this from the very beginning."
Zhao Shuning jumped off the high chair and slowly paced in the main hall, lost in thought.
"Grandfather, I heard that the head of the Li family in Yanqing City was mysteriously attacked half a year ago and now has to rely on a wheelchair. They should not be much of a threat."
When Zhao Zheng heard about the Li family in Yanqing City, he gave Zhao Shuning a meaningful look.
"What?"
"Brother Huai was the one who crippled the Li family head's legs."
"What?"
This time, it was Zhao Shuning's turn to gape in shock.
She had heard from Immortal He that Zhao Huai was now a different person, but she never expected him to be so powerful.
"Father, you mean it was Brother Zhao Huai who made the Li family head swallow the humiliation half a year ago?"
Zhao Zheng nodded, and Old Mr. Zhao also gave a slight nod. Zhao Shuning realized that she had underestimated Zhao Huai. She knew that Zhao Huai was not an ordinary person, but this was beyond her imagination at the moment.
She even forgot what she was going to say next until Zhao Xiangxiang, who had just returned, nudged her, bringing her back to her senses.
Zhao Huai was neither an alchemist nor a spiritual pharmacist.
Why was he so powerful?
Zhao Shuning became more and more interested in Zhao Huai's background.
"Shuning, continue."
" Oh - right, grandfather. The two most powerful families in Yanqing City are the Zhang family and the Li family. Now that the head of the Zhang family has passed away, they are no longer a big threat. This is the best opportunity for our Zhao family to move into Yanqing City."
Zhao Shuning spoke passionately and reasonably, but the Zhao family members could only sigh and shake their heads.
"What's wrong?"
"Shuning, don't you know that if you want to establish a foothold and expand your influence in a city, you must get the approval of the four great families?"
There was such a rule?
Zhao Shuning really didn't know!
Seeing Zhao Shuning's expression, they knew that this little girl was still being too naive.
" But child, you know that our Zhao family is not a great family and doesn't have much spiritual stone savings. It's harder than climbing to the sky to get the approval of the great families."
Even if they took out the most precious thing of the Zhao family - the protective armor.
The four great families wouldn't even take a second look. In their eyes, treasures below the fifth rank were not worth their attention.
Zhao Shuning frowned. She hadn't inquired so carefully before.
When she was in power, there weren't so many rules.
Now, this rule was just like bribery!
Wang Cheng, that old fox, was cunning and extremely greedy for money. It would probably cost a huge price to get his approval.
"Even if we sold all the Zhao family's farmland and asked Chao'er to sell all the medicinal herbs he purchased from outside, the spiritual stones we could get might not even be enough to enter the Wang family's gate."
Yanqing City was still under the jurisdiction of the Wang family.
To enter Yanqing City, one only needed the approval of the Wang family.
" The Wang family has hundreds of cities of various sizes. They shouldn't care about such a small Yanqing City, right?"
It was Zhao Xiangxiang who said this. As soon as she finished, she found that everyone, including Zhao Shuning, was shaking their heads.
Zhao Shuning knew Wang Cheng's habits all too well.
But in a short time, she really couldn't find a way to obtain a huge amount of spiritual stones. Even if she took on the tasks assigned by the great families in the Misty Rain Tower for ten or twenty years, she still couldn't get enough spiritual stones.
"Grandfather, is there any other way besides this?"
Old Mr. Zhao pondered for a while and then slowly said, "There is, but this path is even more impossible than the previous one of offering spiritual stones."
"What?"
"Win the first place in the joint competition of the disciples of the four great families."
The four great families held a competition every year, mainly for the inner - door disciples to compete with each other.
Before that, there was a joint competition for the disciples of each family. Each family would select the most suitable talents to participate in the final competition of the four great families.
If Zhao Shuning could win the first place in the Wang family's joint competition for disciples, she would have a chance to represent the Wang family in the finals.
And the winner could get a wish.
"Father, this is an even more impossible task. Shuning? She came back without even finishing the test in the Misty Rain Tower. She should be considered a dropout."
" No, I graduated."
Zhao Shuning took out the letter written by Su Nian and placed it on the table.
"Even so, it's not enough. Without an invitation letter, one can never enter the joint competition of the disciples. The Misty Rain Tower originally had two spots, and they would only be decided at the last moment. Since Ning'er left the Misty Rain Tower so early, it's even more hopeless for her to get an invitation letter."
Zhao Shuning reached into her Qiankun bag and rummaged around randomly.
" Ning'er, what are you looking for?"
Zhao Shuning felt the letter, grabbed it out, and then showed it to everyone.
She unfolded the letter and pointed at the seals of the four managers.
She asked blankly, "Is this the invitation letter?"
Old Mr. Zhao was stunned, and Zhao Zheng was dumbfounded. The bustling hall suddenly fell silent.
"Can't be. Is this fake?"
Zhao Shuning flipped the letter back and forth, thinking there was something wrong with the invitation letter in her hand.
"Zhao Shuning, tell the truth. What great contributions have you made to the Misty Rain Tower?"
Why? Why would the Misty Rain Tower give such an important spot to a dropout?
Zhao Shuning absent - mindedly put the letter back into her Qiankun bag. If she really had to say what contributions she had made to the Misty Rain Tower, would killing Huang Sheng, one of the four managers, count?