When Zhao Sheng returned to Hongyangzhou, three months had passed.
Zhou Zhongyu was extremely happy to know that his good friend had returned. He immediately rushed over and shouted to welcome Zhao Sheng.
Zhao Sheng couldn't refuse, so he had to follow his friend's wishes.
The best chefs in Zhou City were all in the Zhou family, so the welcoming banquet was simply held directly in Zhao Sheng's mansion.
At the welcoming banquet, not to mention the delicious food, the spiritual wine brewed by Zhao Sheng must be present.
Halfway through the banquet, Zhao Sheng realized that Zhou Zhongyu was not there to welcome him, but was clearly hiding something.
Zhao Sheng was confused, but he didn't say anything. He just drank and chatted with his friends.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Zhou Zhongyu looked seven points drunk.
Under the influence of alcohol, he suddenly asked, "Brother Zhao, I want to ask you a sincere question. Among your disciples, who do you think is the most promising?"
Zhao Sheng paused holding the wine glass when he heard this, and a hint of coldness suddenly flashed in his eyes.
Although Zhou Zhongyu seemed to be talking drunkenly, on the surface he was asked which apprentice he was most optimistic about, but what was the reality?
In fact, it was to test Zhao Sheng's intentions!
What's your intention?
Naturally, he was using his drunkenness to test to whom his belongings would be left after his death.
Don't forget that Zhao Sheng has not much time left, and on the surface he is a "childless" foundation-building cultivator.
Zhao Sheng's return home shocked some people in the Zhou family.
It was originally thought that after Zhao Sheng's death, his inheritance would definitely belong to the Zhou family.
But that's not necessarily the case now.
Maybe Mr. Zhao has left his wealth and inheritance in his hometown and given it to relatives or some "destined person".
You should know that Zhao Sheng is a second-level talisman master with superb skills, and his wealth is far richer than that of an ordinary cultivator in the late foundation building stage.
If such a large inheritance fell into the hands of an "outsider", some people in the Zhou family would be furious.
Therefore, as soon as Zhao Sheng came back, Zhou Zhongyu rushed over immediately, saying that he was hosting a banquet to welcome him, but in fact he was there to sound out the situation.
Looking at his drunken "friend," Zhao Sheng put down his glass, pondered for a moment, and said with a smile, "Since you asked, I'll just chat casually. Of my sixteen disciples, the one with the best talent and the most insightful understanding is undoubtedly Zhou Qingwu."
Hearing this, Zhou Zhongyu's face lit up with joy.
However, Zhao Sheng changed the subject, "But when it comes to diligent cultivation, Qingwu is not as good as Zhou Qing. And when it comes to his devout reverence for talismans, Qingwu is far inferior to Zhou Yunmin."
After hearing this, Zhou Zhongyu asked anxiously, "Brother Zhao, don't you think highly of Qingwu's nephew?"
"No, no! Qingwu is your Zhou family's Qilin child. Of course I value him very much. But when it comes to inheriting the mantle, he is not the most suitable candidate."
After Zhao Sheng finished speaking, he picked up his wine glass again and said with a smile: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's drink!"
Zhou Zhongyu's eyes flashed with sadness, and he quickly picked up the wine glass and shouted: "Yes, let's drink! I toast to Brother Zhao!"
Bang!
The two white porcelain wine glasses touched each other gently, and the wine in the cups rippled slightly, just like the mood of the two people at the moment.
After the welcoming banquet, Zhao Sheng visited several important figures in the next few days.
It was a courtesy gesture, signaling his return.
After a few days of frequent socializing, Zhao Sheng finally had some free time.
Seven days later, he appeared in a spirit wine shop in the West City Market of Zhoucheng.
This spiritual wine shop is called "Baili Su". On the surface, it is a shop selling spiritual wine, but in reality it is an intelligence point set up under the Black Ice Platform.
The Black Ice Guard is a secret service organization responsible for monitoring the internal affairs of the Great Yong Dynasty. It is quite normal for them to set up special intelligence points targeting the "feudal lords" within the court.
Zhao Sheng was certain that there were far more intelligence points like this in Zhoucheng.
Upon entering the shop and identifying himself, Zhao Sheng was quickly led into the shop's underground secret room, where he met the dying He Ying, also known as Fourth Master He!
"Fourth Master, where are the other two?" Zhao Sheng asked curiously.
He Ying likes to act like a senior citizen and also likes to be called Fourth Master.
Zhao Sheng, "when in Rome, do as the Romans do," had no intention of getting entangled in this trivial matter, so he also addressed him as Fourth Master.
"Wu Daizi and Bao'er have important things to do."
He Ying didn't explain in detail, but just made up a reason.
Um!
Zhao Sheng nodded, without asking any further questions.
He came here today for two reasons: first, to identify the contact person, and second, to report on the recent activities of the Zhou family.
He Ying took the intelligence jade disc handed to him by Zhao Sheng and casually flipped through it, seemingly not caring much.
Zhao Sheng was not surprised at all by his performance.
There's a saying that goes,
Sometimes, the person who understands you best isn't yourself, but your enemy!
Three months ago, when he was first taken to the secret archives of the Black Ice Platform, he saw intelligence about the Zhou family piled up in twenty large warehouses.
Zhao Sheng had already realized that his little tricks were simply not good enough for Mo Shengxuan.
It was only because his cultivation level was high enough that he was valued by Mo Shengxuan.
In other words, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could be considered a powerful fighter in the war to wipe out the Zhou family.
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be too difficult for the Mo family to wipe out the Zhou family.
Putting aside everything else, a Nascent Soul Ancestor is enough to suppress all enemies.
However, the rules of a cultivation dynasty are not played that way.
As the rule-makers, the Mo family can only obtain the greatest benefits by abiding by the rules.
If the rules are trampled on at will, the royal family will always be the one that suffers the most.
Therefore, if the Mo family wants to eliminate the Zhou family, they must do so with a righteous cause and a legitimate reason to win over the people. Otherwise, it will cause panic within the court and destabilize the foundation of the dynasty.
Zhao Sheng had already figured it out.
Intelligence is important, but it's not the most important thing; timing is!
The Mo family is waiting, waiting for the Zhou family to "make a mistake."
It's like a spider laying its web, waiting for an insect to make a mistake and fall into it.
After reading the intelligence, He Ying nodded, casually put away the jade disc, and then said, "Brother Zhao, you've only just joined the Black Ice Guard, so you may not know the inside story. We've actually already planted many spies within the Zhou family. Some of these spies have been in the Zhou family for almost a hundred years, and some have been lurking for generations..."
At this point, He Ying tentatively asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Zhao Sheng nodded, "I understand what Fourth Master means!"
He Ying smiled with satisfaction and continued, "So our main task isn't here, but in Boiling Spring Valley!"
Upon hearing the name Boiling Spring Valley, Zhao Sheng suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"
If the Zhou family wants to cultivate Golden Ring Earthworms, they will definitely choose Boiling Spring Valley.
Because Boiling Spring Valley is the most core and secret place of the Zhou family, and also the place where the Zhou family patriarch cultivated in seclusion.
Boiling Spring Valley is extremely well-defended, shrouded in a third-tier defensive array year-round, and is never open to the public.
Not to mention outsiders, even ordinary Qi Refining clan members of the Zhou family are not qualified to step inside unless you advance to the Foundation Establishment realm or are favored by the ancestor.