Excessive ferocity due to caution

During Zhao Yi's absence, Qin Zheng had exchanges with Xu Shengzhi.

Although the Longting Road area was handed over to Chen Fei, Xu Shengzhi held a high position in the Jie Sect, almost second only to Wu Liang. Therefore, Xu Shengzhi was also involved in many matters.

When Xu Shengzhi suddenly called him, Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment before answering:

"Feed...cough cough...what is it?"

Xu Shengzhi said excitedly:

"Patriarch Qin, what do you think of the talent development plan I sent you last time?"

Qin Zheng was stunned, then chuckled.

"Now is not the time to discuss this..."

"Mr. Xu seems completely unconcerned about Leader Zhao's safety..."

Xu Shengzhi said "Hi":

"What's there to worry about?"

"This is no ordinary movie; it's a movie that the Lü family specifically chose to kill him... If anything happens to Master Zhao..."

"Don't panic, Patriarch Qin. Even if the sect leader is dead, I'm still here."

"you?"

Xu Shengzhi coughed:

"Of course."

"I, Xu Gongzi Shengzhi, am no ordinary person! (Do not associate this with reality)"

"From the day I joined the Jie Sect, I was already prepared to succeed the previous leader at any time!"

Qin Zheng:

"..."

"You've come quite well prepared."

Xu Shengzhi chuckled:

"Of course!"

Qin Zheng remained silent for a moment:

"Does Zhao Yi know what you're thinking?"

Xu Shengzhi's anus tightened:

"I was just joking, Patriarch Qin, please don't say anything carelessly, or I'll be back to shoveling manure."

"Master Zhao is very lucky and has a long life ahead of him; it's impossible for anything to happen to him."

"A person like him could never be relentlessly chased by ghosts, schemed against by others, hung up and whipped, or tied to a frying pan and fried in oil in a movie..."

He rattled off a hundred impossible ways Zhao Yi could die, and Qin Zheng finally couldn't hold back any longer:

"Mr. Xu, I can sense your eagerness to climb the ranks..."

Xu Shengzhi coughed twice:

"Nonsense!"

"My loyalty to the leader is as pure as the heart of a wolf before heaven and earth... a loyalty as clear as the conscience of heaven and earth!"

"In short, the cult leader can't possibly die!"

"Please don't worry!"

Qin Zheng took a puff of his grandfather's old pipe and coughed violently.

This scene terrified Xu Shengzhi, who was afraid that Qin Zheng might accidentally die.

"Patriarch Qin, you'd better stop smoking!"

"Don't you have any self-awareness about your own body?"

Qin Zheng revealed a pale yet comfortable smile:

"Since we're all going to die anyway, let's have some fun."

"If I don't smoke this cigarette, I won't live much longer."

"You know what, the pipe the old man left behind is really something... cough cough cough!"

"I'll review the talent development plan you gave me last time... cough cough... give me a day."

"Today I need to confirm that Zhao Yi is alive."

Xu Shengzhi sighed:

"Alright... Take good care of yourself, Master."

He hung up the phone.

Qin Zheng flipped back to the headlines once again, which were full of various predictions about how Zhao Yi would die, as well as online trolls stirring up trouble.

...

"Alas, so many years have passed, and the four clans of the capital have long lost their former vigor... Who could have imagined that a mad dog from the wild could turn the capital into this mess?"

...

"Indeed, it's fortunate that the Lü family is there. After this incident, I've finally seen through them. What Qin family? What Jiang family? They're all fake! If something really happens, it's the Lü family and the Li family that are willing to step up!"

...

"Tsk tsk, some people, taking advantage of the honors bestowed upon our fallen heroes, run rampant in the capital. What talk of the common people, what talk of the Human Federation? They talk a good game, but when Zhao Yi, the Demon, killed so many people in the capital, they didn't utter a single word. The Li family is also a bunch of useless fools; after being humiliated twice, they didn't dare to make a move again. If it weren't for the Lu family, the pillar of hope, still holding things up, I don't know what the capital would have become!"

...

"Don't try to put one down while praising the other. Although the Li family suffered a setback, they at least put in some effort."

...

"That's right, the most disgusting are the Jiang and Qin families. These two beneficiaries do nothing when something happens; they just hide in the back. But the moment they smell meat, they're the first to rush over!"

...

"Heh, it's just a matter of where you sit to decide what you think!"

...

A barrage of vicious insults and mockery followed.

While praising the great achievements of the Lü family, they would not forget to ruthlessly kick Qin and Jiang while they were down!

As these messages were being liked like crazy, Qin Zheng's expression remained unchanged.

He knew that the Lu family's real target this time was the Qin family and the Jiang family, as soon as the Lu family started hiring the media and online trolls in the capital to create momentum.

This is truly a rare opportunity.

They can be used to launch a fierce attack on such a behemoth through public opinion.

Furthermore, they used public opinion to directly transfer Zhao Yi's influence in the capital to them.

The deeper the shadow Zhao Yi cast on the common people of the capital, the greater the Lü family is now, and the more filthy and despicable the Qin and Jiang families are!

Qin Zheng did not pay attention to this attack.

The weapon of public opinion is indeed terrifying, but it cannot truly shake the foundation of a behemoth in a short period of time.

and……

The Lu family's publicity stunt actually carries a significant hidden danger.

That means if Zhao Yi hadn't died, their faces would have been slapped hard by themselves.

This behavior is tantamount to raising one's hands and shouting in the street in front of everyone:

"All eyes are on me, I'm about to announce something—I'm an idiot!"

Therefore, he doesn't need to rush at all.

All of these attacks will be neutralized because of the news that Zhao Yi is not dead.

The four major families have been secretly clashing over the years and are already quite familiar with each other.

If he didn't even have this much patience, Qin Zheng wouldn't have been able to survive peacefully in the Qin family's hellish environment until now.

...

Time passed quickly.

After the entertainment company officially released the list, everyone's hearts were in their throats!

When they saw that Zhao Yi was the first name on the list, some people burst into laughter, and the news went viral.

"Ha ha!"

"I knew it! I knew it! The Lü family never disappoints!"

"As expected of the Lü family!"

"Wait...look closely, this is the list of those who have completed filming!"

"Yes! How could the Lü family possibly disappoint us?"

"Incredible! I would call the Lü family the strongest of the four clans in the capital!"

"No way, you guys are just blindly praising it? Don't you have eyes?"

"With such a righteous army, I'd rather the Emperor have none of the other three races!"

"Haha! Zhao Yi is dead! God bless the Lü family! God bless the capital!!"

PS: Fourth update.

There's still three watches to go.