"Brother Jie! Brother Jie!" Tang Liu'er excitedly rushed into Tang Jie's room, and Tang Jie, who was packing his bags, looked at him in surprise: "How did you get in?"

  "I was telling Grandma about the situation with the firework production!" Tang Liu'er said, handing over the shoes he was holding to Tang Ji: "Try them on and see if they fit?"

  Tang Jian was taken aback, silently changed his shoes and tried them on, they fit quite well: "Did you make these?"

  "I didn't make it! This was made by Huā Róu for you."

  Tang Jian heard this and was stunned. After a few breaths, he quickly took off his shoes and threw them back into Tang Liu's arms.

  "What's wrong?"

  "It doesn't fit." Tang Ji put back on his own shoes.

  "Impossible! She made it just like your old shoes!"

  Tang Jing didn't respond and instead turned back to the bedside to continue packing her luggage.

  "You're going out again?"

  "Yes, grandma told me to do it."

  "When will you be back?"

  "Long live the Party!"

  "What?" Tang Liu's eyes widened in shock: "Meng Qing, you're not even participating? What could be more important than Meng Qing?"

  Tang Jian patted Tang Liu'er's shoulder and comforted him, "I'll bring you delicious food when I come back."

  Tang Liu's eyes lit up instantly: "I want roasted chicken, I want cold stew, and also roasted rabbit meat!"

  "Alright, I understand."

  ……

  "In just ten more days, it's going to be the Door Celebration!" In the main hall, Tang Jiuer sat in the master chair and swept his eyes over the four disciples below: "This year, there will be a trial. According to convention, only thirty people can participate in the trial in the end, and our Poison House only has two quotas!"

  Zi Hua and Zi Qi were shocked and stared with wide eyes as soon as they heard it.

  "Master!" Zi Hua immediately stepped forward and asked: "Why can we only go to two of our poisonous rooms at most?"

  "If you all enter the trial grounds and use poison without restraint, won't you be harming your fellow sect members?"

  Tang Jiuer's answer made Zi Hua and Zi Qi exchange a glance.

  "In three days, we'll have an internal preliminary round in our Poison House, and the two winners will go on to compete for a spot in the trial."

  "Master!" Zi Qi stepped forward: "What if neither of the two winners can get the trial quota?"

  "Tang Jiuer looked at Zi Qi and said: 'Then none of us will go.'"

  Zi Qi furrowed his brow and lowered his head, Zi Hua asked again: "Then Master, what are we competing in?"

  "Poison house, is itself compared to using poison, detoxifying."

  Zi Hua and Zi Qi exchanged a quick glance, both of them stealing a look at Hua Rou.

  Hua Rou's face was calm and she did not show any curiosity or concern about the trial.

  ……

  The Xiaobu State on the border of Chu was a region where many barbarian tribes gathered, and there were countless isolated mountain villages. The village where Hua Rong grew up was one of them.

  "We're here, the village ahead is it."

  The disciple of the Soul Snatcher's Lair, Tang Eleven, put away the map in his hand.

  "Someone's coming!" Tang Jing's voice had barely fallen when a peasant carrying a basket on his back came down the mountain path and passed by the two.

  "Big brother, I'd like to ask you about someone." Tang Eleven pulled out a painting from his bosom and unfolded it: "Do you know this person..."

  Before he could finish speaking, the farmer who saw the content of the painting suddenly retreated two steps with a terrified face, waving his hands and running away.

  Tang Jing suddenly jumped up and grabbed the farmer's collar: "What are you running for? Tell me, where is this person? If you don't tell me, I'll..."

  Tang Jing pulled out the dagger from his waist and placed it on the farmer's neck, scaring him so much that he trembled like a sieve, speaking incoherently:

  "They're all dead, the entire Flower family is gone! Oh dear heavens, divine protection! It wasn't me who wanted to mention her, it was them who forced me... Two elder brothers, please don't ask anymore, I don't want to be killed by the Flower family's witch too!"

  "What kind of witch? What harm done, speak clearly!"

  "I, I didn't say it clearly!" The farmer's face turned pale: "In short, all the people in Hua's family died, even the shaman in the village died, and that demon woman disappeared!"

  Tang Eleven furrowed his brow and stepped forward, shaking the portrait in his hand: "Is the demon girl you mentioned her?"

  The farmer shook his head: "It's not her, it's...it's her daughter."

  Tang Eleven and Tang Jing were stunned on the spot.

  "Daughter?" Tang Jing's eyes widened in surprise.

  The farmer nodded vigorously in fear.

  Tang Eleven's face was incredulous: "You said... she has a daughter?"

  "Right! She has a daughter!"

  "What's her daughter's name?"

  "Soft and small."

  "Where is her home?"

  "Behind... behind the mountain... underfoot."

  "Where are you going?"

  The peasant just pointed out the direction, and the two of them left him behind and ran towards the foot of the mountain in the back. The peasant was so scared that he rolled and crawled away in a panic.

  The two of them rushed along the road, catching people and asking questions. Everyone who heard about the Hua family or saw their portrait was extremely terrified. The timid ones fainted directly, while the brave ones were like they had lost half their lives, stuttering and unable to speak clearly.

  Two people arrived at this farmhouse on the outskirts of the village amidst the villagers' terror.

  A small courtyard with a greyish-black color, everywhere showing traces of being burned by a great fire. Tang Eleven and Tang Jing stood in front of these ruins, their faces solemn.

  "We can't just go back like this."

  "Yes! I have to go find those villagers and ask them clearly."

  Tang Eleven and Tang Jing exchanged a glance, then both rushed off in opposite directions to grab people and ask questions.

  ……

  In the study of his family's house, Tang Lei sat at the desk looking at a map piece by piece, occasionally recording information on paper.

  Tang Shi Qi pushed open the door and entered the house, picked up a cup to take a sip of water, and with an excited expression put it down: "I've heard something!"

  Tang Lei looked up and asked: "How?"

  "I was right, she does have a child."

  Tang Lei put down his pen and walked over to Tang Shi Qi: "Are you sure?"

  "Alright! I've managed to dig up some benefits after making many promises. Someone mentioned that Tang Jiu'er secretly hid a child."

  Tang Lei rubbed his hands excitedly.

  "Unfortunately, I couldn't dig up any more news. However, it's said that those people were too close to Tang Jiuer and found out about the child's existence, which is why they... " Tang Shiqi made a throat-slitting gesture.

  "Hmph!" Tang Lei snorted: "She's really been planning carefully! She actually hid one early on... wait, if that's the case, why did she still want to force Ninth Miss into marriage?"

  Tang Shi Qi rolled her eyes: "Perform for us then!"

  Tang Lei clenched his fists: "It seems that the master of the sect has long been suspicious of us and had taken precautions early on."

  "What's the point of saying these now? This flower-like girl is indeed a heavenly pulse, but was sent back to the poisonous house by the master in this way, keeping her will be a big trouble."

  "It's a trouble, then it must be eliminated!" Tang Lei's eyes showed vigilance: "However, we must make careful preparations and cannot fall into someone else's trap like last time again!"

  Tang Shi Qi nodded: "Indeed, we must think of a foolproof plan."

  Tang Lei turned his head to look at the maps on the table: "The trial is about to begin, we've been preparing for so long, and absolutely can't afford any mistakes. In short, we must first ensure that she cannot participate in the trial."

  "Alright! But even if she's gone, it won't necessarily be stable. That Mu Junwu is a big troublemaker, his skills in manipulation and strategy are not to be underestimated."

  Tang Lei glanced at Tang Shi Qi: "Hua Rou, Mu Jun Wu."

  Tang Shi Qi looked at Tang Lei in confusion, and Tang Lei whispered a few words in her ear. Suddenly, Tang Shi Qi's face lit up with surprise: "Ah, I see! How could I have forgotten? You're really..." But then she furrowed her brow again: "But your daughter is also very stubborn! What if she refuses?"