After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

"You actually said it! You actually said it!"

Han Zhou placed his hands on Tang Li's shoulders, pressing almost his entire body weight onto her. He laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Good heavens," he stared at Tang Li with an almost bewildered expression, while the people behind him fell silent in fear at the sound of his laughter, "you really are a loyal little brat!"

"Yes," the four- or five-year-old girl replied expressionlessly, "that's how I wholeheartedly dedicate myself to the sect."

"Yes, yes, you are truly loyal." Han Zhou wiped away the tears of laughter.

—Then he suddenly stopped smiling.

The boy's voice was cold, and the smile vanished from his clear black and white eyes, revealing a sinister glint. An overwhelming chill suddenly descended upon the courtyard. Han Zhou lowered his voice, "Unfortunately, Cai Ning is truly a fool."

Cai Ning.

Senior Brother Cai.

Tang Li's eyelids twitched slightly.

In the courtyard, the young man who had been feigning death stood up, his face a mixture of fear and disbelief. He asked Tang Li, "Why?"

He clearly saw the reluctance in the little girl's eyes. He handed over all the tokens to her. He could have completed the task naturally. So why did she tell Han Zhou the truth in the end?

Tang Li did not answer.

Han Zhou walked past Tang Li, the hem of the boy's clothes gently brushing against the back of her hand.

His steps were unhurried, but the young man seemed to have seen a vengeful ghost coming to claim his life. He involuntarily took a step back, then another, his body began to tremble, and his face was full of fear.

"What...what are you doing?" His voice, which had initially been pleasant, trembled like autumn leaves scraping on the ground, making one's mind uneasy. "You...you can't...you can't! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"This is just an introductory test for newcomers!"

"You can't punish me just because she passed!"

Han Zhou stepped over his bewilderment, anger, and pleading, and walked across the courtyard to stand before him. Without explanation, or even bothering to say anything more, he simply commanded: "Kneel down."

The young man took another step back, trembling so much he could barely speak a complete sentence: "You can't, you can't..."

Terrified, they dared not run away.

Han Zhou casually extended one of his precious boots, and lightly touched the ground in front of him with the toe of the boot.

It's an indication, a threat, and an ultimatum.

—I want you to lie here.

So why are you still standing?

The young man's face, which had been flushed with anger and fear, was now devoid of color, turning into a pale, desperate expression.

He prostrated himself on the ground, lying prone where the tip of Han Zhou's boot had touched.

On the other side, a pair of more slender hands pressed down on Tang Li's shoulders.

The flower girl gently nudged the little girl forward, afraid of disturbing Han Zhou over there, so she squatted down and put her head close to Tang Li's face.

The flower girl said almost in a whisper, "Watch carefully."

To survive in "Jie Bailing," you must remember who you absolutely cannot mess with.

Inside the courtyard.

"Next time," Han Zhou patted the young man's waist and suddenly pulled out the dagger, "before you pretend to be that laughable, good-for-nothing rich young master, hide the knife first."

It was only at this point that "Coach Han" finally took pity on him and gave him some pointers.

The boots stepped on the young man's strong back, "further nurturing his delicate skin and tender flesh."

The young man was completely speechless, his teeth chattering with fear: he realized then how many flaws he had.

"Finally..." Han Zhou said lightly, the dagger in his hand twirling into a flower before transforming into a shooting star and falling abruptly—

"You must remember, rich young masters don't have such sharp ears."

—A mournful wail.

The dagger pierced his ear, penetrating the thin layer of skin and cartilage, and plunged straight into the ground.

"Shh," said Han Zhou.

Perhaps it was the killer's ruthless instinct, or perhaps the boy beside him was simply terrifying, but blood flowed from the corner of the young man's mouth. He bit his tongue and fell silent.

However, the convulsions and struggles caused by extreme pain were beyond his control.

At this moment, King Zhou withdrew the boots that had been stepping on his back.

The only force that had been controlling him withdrew, and seeing the young man immediately struggle like a fish trapped on shore, Han Zhou raised his eyes and uttered a single, indifferent sentence:

"Want to rip your ear off?"

Yes, one of his ears was still pinned to the ground by his own dagger.

Beads of sweat the size of soybeans streamed down the young man's forehead. His face was contorted, and the veins in his neck bulged, yet he struggled desperately to control all his instinctive reactions. He twitched slightly, emitting painful gasps from his throat, but truly stopped moving.

You can't scream, you can't struggle.

Han Zhou only withdrew his gaze when the young man obediently knelt down at his feet like a docile dog.

He turned his head to look at the group of people who stood silently at the gate of the courtyard.

Among a group of pale-faced, evasive, and cowardly people who dared not meet his gaze, the little girl still looked up, her dark eyes like the calm surface of a deep lake.

Han Zhou's mood suddenly improved. He looked at her from afar and asked, "Am I right, little Tang Li?"

The young man smiled again, his smile as gentle as a spring breeze. He walked towards her, coaxing her gently, "Did you pass the test because of your loyalty, or because you saw through your Senior Brother Cai's utterly foolish acting?"

...That couldn't be more right.

The person lying on the ground was Senior Brother Cai Ning. He had mingled into the pile of corpses with the token, and he pretended to be a survivor to ask her for help; he was lying to her.

Who could have come up with such a vicious method? An entry test serves three purposes: first, to test one's courage to touch a corpse with bare hands; second, to warn against lying to the sect; and third... to eliminate the last bit of kindness in one's nature.

Tang Li initially suspected that he was a martial arts practitioner who had infiltrated "Jie Bailing" with ulterior motives, until Cai Ning went out of her way and took the initiative to give her the token.

Then there's nothing to hesitate about.

When Han Zhou gave her the introductory task, they were still at the courtyard gate. Moreover, Han Zhou was speaking softly and deeply into her ear.

The sound couldn't reach the ears of the "corpse" in the courtyard.

—Unless this "corpse" was actually someone who knew about the introductory test.

But Tang Li naturally wouldn't reveal the truth.

She stepped forward to meet the boy's gaze, her pretty face showing none of the usual fear.

"I'm just a child," Tang Li stated crisply, pointing out Han Zhou's biggest problem: "You shouldn't overcomplicate things about children."

"Besides..." She took the initiative to walk to Han Zhou's side and reached out to tug at the hem of his robe.

Tang Li knew in her heart that she was now at his mercy, and to avoid trouble, it wouldn't hurt to cater to his desire for control to some extent.

The little girl looked up at the boy intently. "Weren't you going to take me with you yourself?"

"—Since you're worried, then keep an eye on me."

At this moment, if ten people looked at Tang Li, all ten people would say that she was full of genuine feelings.

King Zhou of Han smiled, and his response was equally sincere:

"Okay."

but.

Just half an hour later.

Tang Li changed her mind.