In the Eastern Swampy Wilderness.
By the Linjiang River.
At the Zhao Mansion.
The Zhao family had been extremely bustling in recent days.
This year,
the old master of the Zhao family, finally unable to withstand the cajoling of his children and grandchildren,
decided to hold a birthday banquet.
As is well - known,
although the Zhao family was now keeping a low profile and sometimes not as ostentatious as the Xie family,
and their strength was not the strongest either,
in the Eastern Swampy Wilderness, the Zhao clan was the most respected.
Sure enough,
as soon as the news that the old master of the Zhao family was going to hold a birthday banquet spread, even before the actual date, many people from big families rushed to offer their birthday greetings and presents.
At this moment,
the head of the family, Old Master Zhao,
was not in the main hall.
Instead, he was alone in the ancestral shrine of the Zhao family.
Zhao Xue, Zhao Chao and the others were waiting outside.
Their father had been inside for a long time.
They didn't know what he was doing in there, but he didn't allow anyone to enter.
Inside,
Old Master Zhao looked at the memorial tablets in front of him, his eyes filled with tears.
"Our Zhao family has finally reached this stage."
Old Master Zhao looked at the memorial tablet of the Zhao family's ancestors on the main seat.
He knelt down solemnly
and kowtowed three times.
"I don't deserve all this glory, wealth and respect. It was that child who fought for it with her life since she was a young girl."
"The current status of our Zhao family was earned by a child with her life."
"I'm just an old man on the verge of death. How can I enjoy such great respect? Every time I see people treating our Zhao family with such courtesy, I always think of Shuning, that girl."
Old Master Zhao heaved a deep sigh.
After an unknown amount of time,
the door in front of him was opened.
Old Master Zhao walked out looking exhausted.
Zhao Chao quickly stepped forward.
"Father, how are you?"
"What can happen to me? I won't die anytime soon."
After Old Master Zhao said that,
he turned to Zhao Zheng and asked, "Has that person's room been tidied up?"
"Yes."
Zhao Zheng nodded.
Zhao Xiangxiang stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, don't worry. The main room in the due east has been cleaned up. It's the most spacious room in our compound."
"That's good, that's good."
Old Master Zhao murmured to himself.
"Father, that person is of such noble status. Since Ning'er's accident, he has rarely shown up. You've reserved the main room for him every year, but he has never come."
"Even if he doesn't come, we still have to prepare it."
This year,
should he come?
"Father, your birthday is in three days. By now, most of the people from the Nine States Continent who have had dealings with our Zhao family have already arrived. Linjiang City is extremely lively. When will you be free to go out and meet some of our old acquaintances?"
Old Master Zhao nodded.
At this time,
Xie Buyan and Xie Jing, the sons of Zhao Xiangxiang and Xie Yu, came in with the grown - up Xiaotuanzi.
As soon as Xiaotuanzi saw Old Master Zhao,
she sweetly called out "Great - grandpa" first.
Seeing this child,
Old Master Zhao's complexion improved a bit.
He stepped forward and stroked her head.
Zhao Xiangxiang stepped forward and said, "You guys go to the main hall and keep an eye on things. If the servants can't find something, you can help out."
"Okay."
Xiaotuanzi left.
Every time Grandpa saw Xiaotuanzi,
he always seemed to be deep in thought.
Zhao Xiangxiang knew
that Grandpa was missing Shuning.
When Xiaotuanzi was a child, she was fearless, just like Shuning.
As she grew up,
she was also brave in loving and hating, and never afraid of offending people when she spoke.
She was the first junior who dared to talk back to her father.
At that time, Grandpa said that this child was really like Shuning when she was a little girl.
Amidst all the hustle and bustle,
the whole family accompanied Old Master Zhao out.
At this moment,
Zhao Shuning, who was far away in Qingcheng Mountain, also set off.
Feng Xiaobai's body had almost recovered.
Qi Yurou prepared a carriage, dry rations and some clothes for them and then saw them off.
Since Feng Xiaobai's wound hadn't fully healed yet, and Zhao Shuning didn't want the child to be too tired from the journey, she accepted Qi Yurou's kind offer.
The carriage swayed
as it set off on the road.
Zhao Shuning's prediction was right.
Since Feng Xiaobai had recovered,
he had indeed changed a lot.
In the past,
if they were in the same carriage, Feng Xiaobai's mouth would never stop teasing others.
You could hear his chattering all the way.
But now,
Feng Xiaobai sitting in the carriage kept his lips tightly shut and didn't say a word for a long time.
Zhao Shuning moved her body slightly.
Feng Xiaobai immediately looked at her warily
and then said, "Mother, are you uncomfortable? Can I rub it for you?"
Zhao Shuning shook her head slightly.
"Feng Xiaobai, you know I don't want to see you like this."
"I know."
Feng Xiaobai's voice was a bit soft.
His two small hands tightly grasped the wooden chair under him.
His expression was a bit cramped.
Zhao Shuning stroked his head.
"Mother knows you haven't fully recovered yet, but Feng Xiaobai, you don't want Xiaoqiu'er to see you like this in the future, do you?"
Feng Xiaobai remained silent.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage to get some fresh air.
This was an official road.
There were many carriages coming and going.
Since Qi Yurou had some influence, she got them a travel permit. So along this official road, they had a smooth journey.
However,
the carriages on the official road were a bit strange.
They all seemed to be
heading in one direction.
Moreover, this direction
seemed to be the same as theirs.
Feng Xiaobai put down the curtain.
"Mother, where are we going?"
"To meet your grandpa, uncles and great - grandpa."
"Them?"
"Yes."
"What are they like?"
Zhao Shuning looked at Feng Xiaobai seriously and said, "They are all very nice people. Although they may have some strange tempers and their words may not sound pleasant sometimes, they will like you very much if they know who you are."
Feng Xiaobai nodded.
He didn't pester Zhao Shuning with questions like he usually did.
The incident that happened about a month ago had really had a great impact on this child.
The carriage was still moving forward.
Taking this opportunity, Zhao Shuning checked the wound on Feng Xiaobai's arm again. After a month, the wound had almost healed, only leaving a shallow scar.
It seemed that Qi Yurou's pills were still effective.
"I'll apply the medicine one more time, and this scar should disappear."
Hearing this,
Feng Xiaobai silently withdrew his hand.
"What's wrong?"
"No need."
"You'll have a scar."
"A scar is okay." In the future, seeing this scar, he would never forget the mistakes he had made.
Although Feng Xiaobai was just a child,
he was extremely stubborn.
Zhao Shuning couldn't persuade him, so she had to give up.
Just as she finished putting away the medicine,
the coachman suddenly shouted "Whoa -—"
The carriage stopped abruptly. Zhao Shuning and Feng Xiaobai's bodies jolted forward.
Feng Xiaobai quickly used his spiritual power with one small hand to protect Zhao Shuning from falling.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage.
His small face showed an air of authority even without getting angry.
"What's going on?"
In front,
an extremely luxurious carriage was blocking the middle of the road.
On the carriage,
sat a middle - aged man in black brocade clothes, with a fat head, big ears and a ferocious face. In his arms was a charming and enchanting woman.
If it weren't for the experienced coachman that Qi Yurou had found for Zhao Shuning, their carriage would probably have been completely smashed to pieces in this collision.