To be honest, Zhao Shuning was somewhat like Ye Ling in her past life.
She could defend herself against any situation.
However, she would get goosebumps all over when faced with others' acts of kindness, coquetry, and the like.
"Haha, come on, don't be so polite. I didn't do much," she said.
Seeing Zhao Shuning like this, everyone thought she was a noble person who never sought rewards for her deeds.
Therefore, they became even more devout.
Shen Dai said, "Miss, you turned the tide and saved the people of Daliang from great distress. You are the savior of our Daliang."
Chu Ran said, "Once the turmoil in Daliang is over, I will surely go to my elder brother and tell him about your deeds. Only someone like you truly deserves the title of 'Senior'."
Lu Zhao said, "From now on, Miss, you will be the second master of the Xuanfu Department. Whenever you need the help of the Xuanfu Department, just give us a word. All one thousand of us in the Xuanfu Department will follow your orders."
Qingman and Qingluan exchanged a glance and then said in unison, "We sisters are both alchemists and have connections with the Chang'an Clan in the capital. If you need us or our connections, we will offer them all to you."
Zhao Shuning watched as everyone spoke earnestly.
Suddenly, an idea came to her mind.
She had to thank Lu Zhao for his words about the second master, which had given her the inspiration.
She straightened her expression, put on a look of righteousness, and then said, "I, Zhao Shuning, never seek rewards for my deeds. Saving you was just out of the righteousness of the martial world. You don't need to keep it in mind. Just forget such a small thing."
After saying that, Zhao Shuning suddenly started coughing.
Everyone was deeply touched once again.
Feng Zhan was standing at the door. He glanced at Ling Sese and whispered, "I didn't expect your friend to be such a noble person."
Ling Sese shook her head meaningfully.
In the following conversation, Feng Zhan finally understood why Ling Sese had shaken her head.
Zhao Shuning was far more of an actress than he had thought.
As Zhao Shuning coughed, Qingman and Qingluan quickly stepped forward to support her. Zhao Shuning was not polite at all. She leaned into their arms as if she had no strength left in her body.
Her voice became even weaker.
"I'm fine. I've just lost half my life. To save the people of Daliang, I don't mind sacrificing even my whole life, not to mention just half of it."
Hearing this, Qingman and Qingluan said sadly, "Miss, you've made such a great sacrifice for our Daliang. The people of Daliang will always remember it. Please don't say such things anymore. It makes us feel bad."
Zhao Shuning waved her hand.
Ling Sese understood and quickly brought a chair for her.
As she inhaled and exhaled, the hearts of the people kneeling below tightened.
The Xuanfu Department was of great importance. For many years, the Lin and Wang families had been vying for it. The Xuanfu Department was originally a just and upright institution.
Its envoys had been doing their best to protect the people of Daliang.
In her past life, if they hadn't been incited by the Wang and Lin families, they wouldn't have paid such a heavy price in their attempt to kill Ye Ling.
Zhao Shuning had an idea. The two old foxes, Wang Cheng and Lin Feng, had extensive influence. She would start with the Xuanfu Department, which they wanted but couldn't get, and gradually erode their power.
"Senior, do you want to take a rest first? We've prepared a banquet for you. You can have dinner later."
Zhao Shuning stood up and asked "worriedly", "By the way, I remember that your Xuanfu Department is under the jurisdiction of Lord Wang and Lord Lin. So many people in Daliang offer sacrifices to these two great families. Didn't they notice the flood in advance? Why didn't you report this to them?"
Shen Dai sighed.
Lu Zhao said, "We reported this to the leaders of the Wang and Lin families two months ago, but they haven't sent anyone here for such a long time."
Zhao Shuning pretended to be very surprised.
Sometimes, it didn't hurt to be a villain.
"How could this be? Lord Wang is a well - known figure in the Dongze Wilderness. How could he ignore the lives of so many people in Daliang?"
Although Zhao Shuning seemed to be defending Wang Cheng on the surface, in fact, she was pushing him into a deeper abyss.
In her past life, the four great families had used this method to turn people against Ye Ling. Now, Zhao Shuning didn't want to be a good - hearted person. She would return everything they had done to her in the same way.
"This... Alas... Senior, we don't know about this either."
Chu Ran said, "What's there not to know? Brother Lu, you know very well that every year, these two great families are only kind to us when they receive our offerings from the Xuanfu Department. Whenever there's a problem in Daliang, when have they ever sent anyone? They always shift the blame to each other."
"That's right. In our opinion, they only show up when there's something in it for them. If something happens, they don't care about our lives at all."
Qingman said, "Miss, you're the first person who is willing to help our Daliang without asking for anything in return."
Qingluan said, "There are so many families in the Dongze Wilderness. We don't have to rely on the Wang and Lin families. In my opinion, this incident has already shown a lot. They don't care about us, but we still have to offer sacrifices to them every year. What's that all about?"
Zhao Shuning's casual remark
made everyone start to resent the two great families.
This was exactly what Zhao Shuning wanted.
Wang Cheng and Lin Feng never expected that what they thought was just an ordinary appearance of spirit beasts would turn out to involve ancient fierce beasts like the Teng Snake and the Candle Dragon.
This time, both of their families had miscalculated.
Zhao Shuning sighed and said slowly, "There is a family behind me, the Zhao family in a town called Qinghui in the Dongze Wilderness. Although my family is small, so what? We will never let the people who offer sacrifices to our Zhao family face such a crisis alone."
As she said this, Zhao Shuning pretended to wipe away her tears with her sleeve.
Everyone was deeply moved.
"The Wang and Lin families don't care about our lives at all."
"It's Miss Zhao who saved us."
"Moreover, Miss Zhao has no connection with us. We might as well offer sacrifices to the Zhao family. Although the family is small, with a great hero like Miss Zhao leading them, they will surely surpass those villains in the future."
After Chu Ran finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
Zhao Shuning wasn't in a hurry. At this moment, she could only wait. If she was too hasty, things would backfire.