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

"She can't leave with you."

The familiar voice penetrated the door, making no attempt to conceal the fact that they were eavesdropping.

Lian Sheng's expression suddenly changed, while Tang Li sighed, stomped her feet and walked over, somewhat resentful, and forcefully opened the door.

Standing outside the door was a young man dressed in shorts, his clothes still disheveled from his leaps and bounds, yet he exuded a heroic air.

King Zhou of Han.

They're back so quickly!

"Senior Sister Lian," the young man said, stepping into the room as if he were returning to his own home, "it's been several years since we last met, I never thought we'd meet again."

"How could you be so careless?" His tone was friendly, but his words were full of sarcasm.

"—Didn't you say you were going to stay away from the affairs of the martial world, yet you married 'Sand'?"

Tang Li was dumbfounded: the two not only knew each other, but judging from their tone, they were actually quite familiar with each other.

But didn't Lian Sheng betray "Jie Bailing"? She thought Han Zhou would despise traitors.

Lian Sheng's gentle smile vanished instantly. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him: "Han Zhou, after all these years, your mouth is still the same as before, unable to utter a single kind word."

Han Zhou ignored her assessment and proceeded to his own deductions:

"Since your wife is you, then the son of 'Sand' that they're talking about must be..." As he spoke, the boy's gaze swept downwards, landing squarely on the little dog Wuyou, who was wandering around after eating and drinking its fill. "Tsk."

The dog bared its teeth at King Zhou of Han.

King Zhou glared fiercely at the dog.

Lian Sheng looked at the little dog that had tucked its tail between its legs and hid behind her legs: "Han Zhou, where is my husband?"

Han Zhou casually raised his eyelids: "Since I am the one standing here, then 'Sand' is naturally dead."

died?

Lian Sheng didn't believe it at all.

She picked up the carefree puppy without a second thought: "If you were missing an arm or a leg and on the verge of death telling me this, I might believe you a little. But you're perfectly fine now. How could the Qin Sect Master, like Han Zhou, bear to lose two potential martial arts masters at the same time?"

Han Zhou sneered.

Tang Li's gaze shifted back and forth between the two, thinking to herself, "These two do look like they're at odds, but why do they seem to be in good spirits?"

"You chose your own husband, don't you know his character?" Han Zhou and Lian Sheng exchanged glances. The woman immediately understood and her expression softened. Han Zhou remained sarcastic, "He doesn't even dare to see you. It's truly laughable."

He fought his way from the sect to here, but upon hearing that his wife and children had been rescued, "Sand" immediately stopped fighting and even tried to find a place to bury himself.

Lian Sheng sighed softly. She knew that Lian Shi felt guilty for dragging her down and didn't dare to appear in front of her.

But he must also be hiding not far away, probably watching Han Zhou push open the door right now, his eyes bloodshot with rage, consumed by jealousy, yet still not daring to take a step forward.

"Why do you have to tease him like this?" Lian Sheng said helplessly. "We are both martial arts masters. Even if we can't appreciate each other, you know that my husband and I have to do something to repay this favor by traveling with you for a while."

Since we'll be working together in the future, why make things unpleasant?

"Let's get down to business." Han Zhou ignored her words, the young man slightly raised his chin, sat down in the chair, and said, "Is it something you can decide on your own, or would you rather put in the effort and coax that fool back?"

This former classmate and brother knew each other's character very well. Although their words were full of barbs, they understood each other perfectly.

Although Lian Sheng and Lian Shi were caught in a bind this time, they had indeed provoked both "Jie Bailing" and the Iron Calculation Sect. If they wanted to escape smoothly, they would have to pay a price.

This is what Lian Sheng meant by "walking together for a while".

This was also the "serious business" that King Zhou of Han wanted to discuss.

Lian Sheng sighed and said, "Excuse me."

The woman stepped out of the room, opened the door, and without caring whether anyone was in the hallway, called out, "Lian Shi."

No one responded; Lian Sheng's words floated to the ground.

Lian Sheng, however, showed no anger or suspicion. She simply said, "If you don't come out, I'll have no choice but to follow Han Zhou back to Jiebailing myself."

It happened so fast, almost in the blink of an eye.

A huge figure suddenly appeared beside her; these martial arts masters moved so fast it was as if they were teleporting.

Lian Shi, also known as "Sha Zi" (meaning "sand"), was as famous as Han Zhou.

Tang Li looked over curiously.

Lian Shi was over two meters tall, making the inn's corridor appear cramped and dark. He had broad shoulders and strong limbs, and even though he had spent a considerable amount of time in "Jie Bailing," he showed no signs of being tortured.

Perhaps it was his martial arts skills that gave him a unique style whether he was walking or standing. Despite his large and tall stature, he did not appear vulgar or clumsy at all. His appearance was not the kind of fierce and savage scar that Tang Li had imagined. Instead, he could be described as having a broad nose, deep-set eyes, and a dignified appearance.

This person resembles a huge, glossy black wolf that has been pampered and groomed.

Now, however, he looked as if he had caused trouble and was being looked at with disappointment. His head, which was larger than others, was lowered and his hands were clenched into fists. He dared not look up at Lian Sheng.

And so he missed Lian Sheng's gentle, smiling gaze.

Han Zhou felt a toothache at the sight, so he closed the door, leaving the two of them to gaze at each other tenderly in the corridor, and casually dragged away Tang Li, who was openly peeking from the doorway.

Tang Li verbally objected, clearly dissatisfied: "Hey!"

Han Zhou reprimanded him with a stern face: "This is not something a child like you should be watching. Don't let Lian Sheng catch your stupidity and end up finding a man like that in the future."

Tang Li thought to herself, "We college students are supposed to watch this. But for your age, you are indeed watching it a bit too early."

The two argued amongst themselves for a while in the room, dissatisfied with each other, before Lian Sheng led Lian Shi in. The latter didn't even glance at Han Zhou, with whom he had been fighting for so long; his eyes were only on the tiny Tang Li.

His sincere gaze greatly diminished the intimidating presence of his figure. Lian Shi strode up to Tang Li and bowed solemnly, saying, "Miss Tang, thank you."

Tang Li was startled, as if she had suddenly seen a black bear bowing to her in thanks. She quickly jumped up from her chair: "It's my pleasure, it's my pleasure!"

Lian Shi raised his hand and squeezed her wrist, then suddenly asked, "You have good potential, so how come you're just a menial worker at 'Jie Bailing'?"

He finally glanced at Han Zhou, "It's clear that some people are blind to talent."

That was naturally because Tang Li had just taken a pill to improve her physical constitution that evening. This was all thanks to Han Zhou, but Tang Li decided not to mention it.

"Miss Tang, if you wish to learn martial arts, would you be willing to become my disciple?" Lian Shiping asked a seemingly ordinary question, but the implications of those words were enough to drive countless martial arts practitioners mad.

Tang Li's eyes lit up: It's here! It's here! The apprenticeship plot that's a must-see in martial arts novels!

She insisted that she was the main character!

The protagonist was grabbed by the collar and pulled away.

Han Zhou chuckled behind her, but anyone could tell there was no real joy in his laughter: "You two are overthinking things."

"You still owe 'Jie Bailing' a favor, and you haven't even done a single job, yet you're already thinking about rescuing others from their misery?"

"Tsk, this person is really annoying." Lian Sheng, Lian Shi, Tang Li, and Wu You all put on stern faces at the same time.

"Then let's get down to business." The woman tapped the table, staring at Han Zhou. "Speak, what does 'Jie Bailing' want us to do?"

Han Zhou exhaled softly and asked lightly:

"Have you heard of anyone who has been brought back to life in all these years?"