"Have you heard?"
"It seems that a big shot has come from south of the Huai River."
In the backyard, Zhao Chao was talking to Zhao Shuning mysteriously.
"Don't ignore me. I'm going south of the Huai River this time. I have to make all the arrangements for you first."
Zhao Shuning glanced at her uncle, who was all excited.
She thought her uncle must be a very humorous person, but he always used his sense of humor in the wrong places.
Just like now.
"Xiaoning'er, what's with that expression?"
Zhao Shuning was forced to put down what she was holding and then looked up. "Uncle, I'm very busy."
She had been preparing for the internal disciple selection competition. Zhao Chao kept talking beside her, making it impossible for her to concentrate.
"Uncle knows you're busy. Uncle's not talking nonsense. Xiaoning'er, this is some important information from the top - ranked list that I've spent a lot of effort finding out. Why do you look like it has nothing to do with you?"
Zhao Shuning turned around and continued to dry the herbs she had just picked.
Oh right, Shuang'er had given her that spiritual herb when she came. She had to find time to refine it into a pill for Zhao Zheng to take.
Whether her father's foot could recover or not would depend on fate.
"Xiaoning'er, Uncle's talking to you. Why don't you respond at all?"
"I did respond. Didn't I just roll my eyes at you?"
Zhao Chao was so angry that he sat back on the chair in the yard, took a sip of tea, and muttered, "This girl, I don't know who she takes after."
He wondered who would be able to handle her in the future.
Zhao Shuning continued with her work. She didn't have much time left in Qinghui Town. Her current goal was to make the Zhao family the only prominent family in Yanqing City.
Only in this way, even if she wasn't around them, as long as they were strong, no one would dare to come to their doorstep so easily.
She didn't want what had happened a few days ago to happen again.
Her mother had been sick and had lain in bed for two whole days and nights.
Zhao Shuning still remembered that on the second night after she got home, there had been shrill cries in the yard.
The cries had come from Lin Min'er and Zhao Zheng's room. When Zhao Shuning rushed there, Lin Min'er was grabbing the front of Zhao Zheng's clothes and sobbing softly.
To this day, Zhao Shuning couldn't forget that scene.
There were either sweat or tears on Lin Min'er's face.
She hugged Zhao Zheng and kept repeating the same words: "Brother Zheng, I saw Shuning. Brother Zheng, Shuning is having a hard time. Brother Zheng, I'm going down to find her."
Lin Min'er was a great beauty. Due to the false news of Zhao Shuning's death, she had lost a lot of weight in the past year.
The already slender her now looked even more pitiful.
Zhao Zheng was very gentle with Lin Min'er. He patiently explained things to her and comforted her on - the - verge - of - collapse emotions.
Zhao Shuning had been standing outside the door at that time. These scenes had made her eyes sting.
There were actually people who were willing to become like this for her.
Later, everything had calmed down. After Lin Min'er knew that Zhao Shuning was still alive, she hugged Zhao Shuning and didn't let go for a long time.
"Come on, Xiaoning'er. I'm just getting into the story. What are you daydreaming about?"
Zhao Shuning came back to her senses, looked at her uncle, and could only shake her head.
"What's with that expression? Xiaoning'er, you're just a girl. How can you look at me with such an expression of hating that iron can't be turned into steel?"
It seemed that her uncle wasn't stupid. He knew that it was an expression of hating that iron can't be turned into steel.
"Uncle, are you done? If you are, please leave."
Zhao Chao covered his mouth and said with a sly look, "Xiaoning'er, you're so heartless."
"What did I do?"
"What you've done really breaks my heart."
It was this old trick again. Looking at her uncle's exaggerated performance, Zhao Shuning wondered how such a strict and rigid person like her grandfather could have such a mischievous uncle.
He could always quickly get out of difficult situations. He was so optimistic and fearless, but sometimes, he was so stupid. Just like now.
"Uncle, you're so old and still haven't gotten married. Second Uncle's child is almost as tall as your shoulders. If you're not in a hurry, I'll ask Grandpa to find a suitable girl for you."
Zhao Chao stamped his foot in anger when he saw the look in his niece's eyes and then left.
Well, anyway, it was just a piece of hearsay. He didn't know if it would really happen.
Besides, the area south of the Huai River was so vast. Xiaoning'er shouldn't be so unlucky as to run into such a person.
Not long after her eighth birthday, Zhao Shuning was going to set off for the disciple joint competition.
Before that, she had to go south of the Huai River to get familiar with the terrain.
So, under her instructions, the people of the Zhao family had to send her on the way to the south of the Huai River again.
But this time, there was a young girl beside Zhao Shuning. That was Zhao Xiangxiang.
As Zhao Xiangxiang grew older, she was now a young lady. Her ability was not weak either. So the Zhao family thought of letting her accompany Zhao Shuning and they boarded the ship to the south of the Huai River together.
Before boarding the ship, Zhao Xue called Zhao Xiangxiang to the side. It seemed that he had something to say to her.
"Xiangxiang."
"Father, what's up?"
"Xiangxiang, you're an adult now. Time has passed so quickly. It's time for you to go out and gain some experience. Before boarding the ship, take this and keep it well."
Zhao Xiangxiang looked at her cautious father and then at the thing in her hand.
It was a fragment of a blue jade flute.
"Father, what is this?"
"You have to keep it well. Father doesn't know what it is either. I bought it from a highly - skilled person. But I've sensed that the power inside it can't be underestimated. I've always kept this thing carefully. You can take it with you as a keepsake."
Zhao Xiangxiang had lost her mother when she was young and had grown up under Zhao Xue's cultivation. This was the first time she was going on a long - distance trip.
But Zhao Xue didn't feel too sad about it because he knew that only by following Shuning would Xiangxiang become better.
Zhao Shuning was the hope of their Zhao family.
"I understand, Father."
"Xiangxiang, Father has something even more important to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Once you're south of the Huai River, protect that girl Shuning with all your might. She's the future hope of our Zhao family and also your blood - related younger sister."
Zhao Xiangxiang put the thing away.
"Father, even if you didn't say so, I would. Zhao Shuning is my younger sister."
Making the Zhao family prosperous was not only the wish of Old Zhao but also the mission of the Zhao family disciples.
"Father, don't worry. If there's any danger, I'll definitely stand in front of Zhao Shuning."
The young girl's eyes were firm and she spoke very seriously.
"Okay, go. Be careful on the way."