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

"Sand, oh Sand, I never imagined that even after getting married and having children, your mind would still be so immature."

"Looking at it this way, your wife is really a good person, taking such good care of you."

Han Zhou's voice was clearly panting, yet he did not stop his provocations. Intentionally or unintentionally, he kept the hatred of "Sand" firmly under his control.

The two of them fighting would be too destructive; it's obvious that the young master of the Iron Calculation Sect will probably have to find another place to stay tonight.

As if to prevent the sect from being reduced to ruins, or as if forced by circumstances, Han Zhou led the man, who had been driven mad, away from "Jie Bailing".

Two figures, one in black and one in white, flashed a few times in the moonlight and then disappeared from everyone's sight.

After a long time, Sect Master Qin was still gazing in the direction they had left, his smile like a mask firmly welded to his face, but his eyes were unfathomable, unpredictable and ever-changing.

the other side.

Tang Li asked the waiter to prepare a meal.

Because the carefree puppy kept trying to chew on her shoes.

The two sat facing each other. Lian Sheng was obviously starving, but she still took Tang Li's chopsticks and picked up a few pieces of boneless fish belly for her.

Fish pieces, resembling garlic cloves, were coated in a rich and flavorful sauce and lay tenderly on top of fragrant rice. Tang Li, who had already passed her hunger pangs, saw this bowl in front of her and it took her only a breath to go from swallowing her saliva to bending down to eat.

Lian Sheng then picked out a few more pieces of boneless chicken for the puppy.

The carefree puppy wagged its tail as if a whirlwind was rising from the ground, and began to inhale rapidly with its head down.

Only then did Lian Sheng forget about himself, picked up the bowl with one hand, and began to eat heartily without any hesitation.

The two people and the dog ate for quite a while before slowing down. Tang Li wiped the sweat from her forehead and finally had the energy to think again: "You mean... you're originally from 'Jie Bailing'?"

"Yes," Lian Sheng said with a distant gaze, as if recalling the past. She smiled and said, "Han Zhou and I were from the same batch of promising assassins. He was several years younger than me, but his talent was truly amazing, overshadowing the rest of us."

Tang Li nodded and explained, "He was the one who cleared the place for us at the restaurant. He was also the one who gave me the token, allowing me to bring you to the inn."

Lian Sheng laughed: "I see. I didn't expect that after all this time, I really did owe him a favor."

As she spoke, she gazed at Tang Li with tender affection, "Of course, our greatest benefactor is our young Master Tang."

Tang Li almost blushed under her loving gaze. She coughed lightly and said, "So, we can just wait here. They'll come to pick us up once things settle down."

Lian Sheng paused slightly as she picked up some food: "Are you still going back to 'Jie Bailing' with him?"

She sighed softly. "Miss Tang, you're new to 'Jie Bailing,' aren't you? Haven't you started your serious assassin training yet?"

Tang Li stretched out her arms to Lian Sheng, showing off her drab, shabby servant's clothes: "It's obvious that without talent, the sect won't allow me to be a noble assassin."

Lian Sheng slowly said, "Do you know why I could tell at a glance that you weren't a trained assassin from a sect?"

Tang Li looked at her blankly: Isn't it because she's incompetent?

Lian Sheng shook her head and sighed, "Haven't you noticed? In 'Jie Bailing,' almost every assassin who hasn't completed their apprenticeship has an animal by their side, regardless of species. They always eat and live together, inseparable."

Tang Li recalled that she did see people holding cats, walking dogs, and carrying birds on their shoulders today. She initially thought it was just a trend of pet-friendly sects keeping pets, after all, she had personally seen Han Zhou keeping a huge golden eagle.

Unexpectedly, there was even guidance from a sect involved.

Lian Sheng slowly explained, "Each of the 'Jie Bailing' assassin trainees must raise a pet. They spend their days and nights together, feeding, watering, bathing, and letting the pet out of the house—all done personally. The animal is their only emotional support, their only solace amidst the grueling training. They take it with them even on missions; it's the only living creature they truly trust."

Tang Li blinked, thinking to herself that this sect seemed to value the mental health of underage killers quite a bit.

Tang Li realized something was wrong when a cold smile appeared on Lian Sheng's face.

"You think this is a rare display of gentleness among assassins?" Lian Sheng said coldly, her gaze involuntarily falling on the puppy still engrossed in its food. "No."

"When all the assassin trainees have developed a deep enough affection for their animals, the last thing they are ordered to do before leaving the assassin training camp, the day before they graduate, is... guess what?"

Tang Li suddenly felt a sense of foreboding; an absurd intuition struck her: "They...they let you...let us...?"

"Yes," Lian Sheng's eyes were cold, "Yes, they will make their assassin trainees kill the pets they raised with their own hands."

"Only by severing the last shred of warmth can one become a ruthless and cold-blooded killer."

Tang Li gasped.

No wonder she felt that there wasn't a single normal person in "Jie Bailing". They were all forced into this state by the sect's rules, so how could there be any kind-hearted people left?

She couldn't help but look at the carefree little dog next to the woman, realizing for the first time that although the dog was well cared for and full of energy, it was no longer young.

"So..." she murmured, asking tentatively.

"Yes," Lian Sheng smiled at her, a smile full of pride, "you guessed right."

"I disagree. I do not accept such a foolish arrangement by the sect."

"For the sake of my puppy, on the eve of my departure from the mission, I betrayed 'Jie Bailing'."

Tang Li's eyes widened, feeling joy for the woman and her blood boiling from those few words.

Without thinking, she put a chicken leg on the puppy's plate.

The woman shook her head, both amused and exasperated: "Miss Tang, there's no need to pity it. It has never suffered since it came with me."

"It's Miss Tang who needs to think this through," she said gently. "This sect is truly... Do you still want to stay with 'Jie Bailing'?"

Tang Li skillfully resorted to her increasingly familiar excuse: "Jiebailing saved my life. If it weren't for it, I would have been tortured to death by my biased parents by now. In any case, I don't want to leave it."

"You think it's saving your life, but it just wants you to work for it." Lian Sheng sighed, frowning in disgust. "This place is a filthy quagmire, teeming with scheming and entangled loaches."

"You are our benefactor. If we repay the debt of gratitude that 'Jie Bailing' owes you, would you be willing to leave this place with us?" Lian Sheng tentatively persuaded. "If you want to learn martial arts, Lian Shi and I can teach you. Although we are not very skilled, we can still make sure you have enough to eat and drink."

The woman sitting opposite her gazed at her tenderly, as if looking at her innocent little daughter, her eyes filled with deep affection: "Come with us, little Tang Li?"

Tang Li opened her mouth, her heart softening, and was about to speak.

"She can't leave with you."

—Someone is outside the door.