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

The middle-aged manager bowed and scraped.

The person speaking seemed to be referring to the lowly servants Tang Li had seen in the cafeteria the previous night.

"...Perhaps my previous training was insufficient, and I mistakenly regarded a promising talent as mediocre when assessing his potential. Fortunately, this kid proved himself. He only glanced at the training room when passing by and learned quite a few moves. His skills improved by leaps and bounds in an instant..."

Even though she was exhausted, Tang Li still kept her ears open without making a sound.

He was mediocre at first glance, but in the blink of an eye, he became exceptionally gifted.

This familiar plot—

"Oh?" Han Zhou chuckled softly, his expression unreadable, whether from surprise or disbelief. "That amazing?"

"Yes," the middle-aged man in the blue steward's robe smiled obsequiously, "After I found out, no one dared to say a word, and we rushed to Instructor Han's place. That lad is still just a lowly servant now. Sir, do you think we should personally...?"

What a thoughtful subordinate! He's asking King Zhou if he should personally step forward to win over the people.

Tang Li was lost in thought when she suddenly felt a pain in her leg.

A small pebble struck the back of her knee. Tang Li, whose body was already overwhelmed, swayed and involuntarily let out a soft "Ouch!"

"Posture." Han Zhou lazily propped his chin on one hand, still facing the middle-aged woman, but his eyes had somehow shifted to the corners of his eyes, glancing at her. "It's fine to eavesdrop, but get your stance firmly planted."

Tang Li subtly pursed her lips, but she wasn't foolish enough to contradict Han Zhou in front of the manager, so she had no choice but to force herself to comply.

Little did she know that the middle-aged manager who was in charge of the matter was also looking at her with a face full of resentment and confusion.

"What?" Han Zhou asked him with great interest.

"Instructor Han," the middle-aged manager finally spoke, his tone filled with resentment, "the promising young girl I discovered is a hundred times more talented than this girl, and in terms of character, she's a hundred times more diligent..."

Tang Li: ?

She glared at him angrily: How dare you compare and belittle others!

Han Zhou chuckled, his tone light and casual: "What should we do, little Tang Li?"

"It seems... there are already people who can't stand you practicing martial arts with me."

Tang Li finally turned her head and met Han Zhou's gaze.

……Um?

What kind of hint is hidden in those seemingly smiling eyes of that wicked creature?

The little girl slowly blinked.

"Well then," she said calmly, not even bothering to feign a sullen expression, "we'll switch. He'll be your disciple, and I'll be his handyman."

"--how?"

A moment of silence. The middle-aged manager kept his head down, grinning silently, his overjoyed expression so loud it hurt the eyes of the two men.

"--OK."

King Zhou of Han said.

And so the matter was settled.

Before leaving, the middle-aged manager cast a complicated look at Tang Li.

He was indeed secretly pleased that the person he recommended had caught Coach Han's eye, but he really didn't expect that this little girl would have such a temper.

So...stupid.

He was so easily angered by his seemingly ordinary words that he gave up a golden opportunity and was reduced from a proper disciple to a menial servant.

After he left.

Tang Li stood up on her own, stopped practicing martial arts, and prepared to stroll away.

Someone threw small stones at her.

"What are you doing?" Tang Li glared angrily, her voice filled with anguish. "Since you were determined to drive me away, why humiliate me like this at this point?"

"Even if the sky falls, you still have to finish your morning practice." Han Zhou took a sip of tea, then chuckled, "Turning the tables? Didn't you want to be a handyman?"

"Who would willingly join the ranks of menial laborers to escape the life of a flower girl?"

At this moment, he was no longer the harsh and critical person he had been before.

Tang Li retorted, "Wasn't my action at your behest? If you didn't fulfill Coach Han's wishes, would you just let him go so easily?"

As she spoke, she simply stood there, looking up at Han Zhou: "Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do?"

Han Zhou stopped insisting that she continue practicing martial arts. He casually pointed behind Tang Li and said, "Bring me the tray on the table."

What kind of trick are they up to now?

Tang Li patiently reached for the tray, but before her hand even touched it, her pupils suddenly contracted.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" "What's going on? What's happening?" "Isn't he an NPC? Why?!" "Is it a coincidence? Some of the containers in the shop have patterns that reference popular elements from the dungeon world." "Stop fooling yourselves, open your eyes and look! It's exactly the same! Exactly the same!"

The same.

On the sandalwood tray, small porcelain bottles were arranged at varying heights.

Some are white with blue patterns, some are entirely dark blue, some are painted with three-colored flowers, and some are depicted with magnificent peonies.

Antique and elegant, naturally refined.

There was one unusual thing, like a huge boulder suddenly hitting everyone's heart.

These porcelain bottles are exactly the same as the elixirs on the shelves of the eerie live-streaming e-commerce platform.

Tang Li's heart was pounding, but she wasn't about to show any signs of distress so soon after arriving here. Despite the turmoil in her heart, she didn't stop moving and calmly picked up the tray.

Her face remained unchanged, but her arms trembled slightly with difficulty as she carried the bottle to Han Zhou, accompanied by the soft clinking of the bottles.

Han Zhou picked up a particularly brightly colored bottle and casually played with it in his hands. The bottle was not empty; one could hear beads or something similar spinning inside.

The elixir is still inside.

Even the live chat was completely silent at this moment.

The item that only players can buy, the very thing they rely on to survive, is now conspicuously appearing in the hands of an... NPC.

They played with it without any restraint.

What about the players who bought these pills?

They likely met a tragic end long ago.

It was only then that the viewers in the live stream belatedly realized why Han Zhou had suddenly turned on Tang Li and made things difficult for her.

Why is Tang Li, in such a wretched state, still reluctant to use the pills from the shop?

Han Zhou is forcing Tang Li to show abnormalities, and if she really can't withstand his pressure and buys any dungeon items...

He is probably already decapitated.

Only unopened bottles of elixirs remained, becoming Han Zhou's new collection.

At this moment, Tang Li stood in front of Han Zhou, holding a tray, watching him play with a porcelain bottle.

Han Zhou's eyes were fixed on her, his smile sharp as a knife: "Does she look familiar?"

Tang Li met his gaze without fear.

She didn't know if her acting was good enough to fool the eyes that were watching her the whole time.

but--

If you think you can control me like this.

That would be a huge mistake.

Tang Li let go of Han Zhou's hand without warning.

The tray tipped over.

Dozens of porcelain vases collided and fell from mid-air.