Hua Roucai had just picked some medicinal herbs and was carrying them in a basket on her back. She had only taken a few steps when the strap of the basket suddenly broke, scattering the herbs all over the ground.

  Again?!

  Hua Rong silently checked the backpack's straps and found that the bamboo woven straps were broken, with nearly half of them breaking cleanly.

  Hua Rou stretched out her hand and touched the broken part, but she couldn't help feeling a little breathless.

  Who is it this time?

  It's been three days! In these three days, she has been like a person who has seen a ghost. Either the strap of her basket breaks, or half of the herbs she picked disappear for no reason, or when she puts the herbs in her basket, some toads or centipedes will pop out...

  As a child growing up in the mountains, she wasn't particularly afraid of these things, but it was clear that someone was playing tricks on her.

  Are people in Tangmen really so ignorant of friendship?

  Is it worth stooping so low just to compete for first or second place?

  Hua Rong blew her fringe in annoyance and picked up the herbs before carrying the basket back to the poison room.

  "What's wrong with you? You're always coming back so late every day, and we need time to prepare the poison too!" Zi Hua rushed to the backpack in dissatisfaction, rummaging for the materials she needed.

  "I'm sorry, I've already..."

  "What's the point of saying sorry?" Zi Qi glared at her sideways: "If you can't even mix poison, then what's the use? You can't even do this small thing right, I really don't know how you have the face to stay in the poison room."

  Hua Rou bit her lip and turned around, lowering her head as she walked out of the east wing.

  Ling Ling looked at Hua Rou's back and couldn't help but whisper: "Actually, collecting these herbs is very hard work."

  Zi Qi glared at Lin Lin: "Do you want to talk more?"

  Linlin shrank her neck and didn't dare make another sound.

  "Bang." The door closed and Hua Rou leaned weakly against it.

  She felt wronged, but she was also unwilling to accept it.

  What's so great about it! If you can learn it, I can too. Just wait and see! One day I'll surpass all of you and know even more than you do!

  Hua Rou thought of it and did it immediately. She came to the desk, took out the scroll and studied it seriously. Soon, her discomfort flew away.

  Perhaps it was her daily practice that finally laid the foundation, and after a short period of rehearsal, Hua Rou suddenly felt that the gentle stream-like breath in her body had surged up like a river, and she came to life, focusing even more intently on cultivating her Qi.

  They practiced until noon, when Hua Rou felt refreshed all over, Zi Qi arrived.

  "This is the poison we've worked hard to concoct, go exchange it for points at the House of Industry!"

  "Me?" Hua Rou was astonished.

  "Who else could it be? We've all been busy since early morning and now we're so tired that we don't even want to move, hurry up and go!"

  Zi Qi put down the medicine box and left.

  Hua Rou blinked her eyes and opened the box with a movement of her hand. The entire box was filled to the brim with various sizes of porcelain bottles.

  Hua Rou lifted her head and glanced at the east wing, then picked up each porcelain vase to weigh its weight, and after carefully counting again, she closed the box and carried it to the family business room.

  Many people in the house were submitting materials, lining up in three or five queues. Hua Rou lined up for about half a cup of tea before finally submitting hers.

  "This is poisonous."

  The person in charge of collecting materials nodded, and a disciple beside him wrote a poisonous character on the seal sticker and stuck it on the box, which was then taken away.

  "Huh? Aren't you going to settle accounts in front of me?"

  "Someone is in charge of checking and counting, it takes time, come back after lunch! Next!"

  Hua Rou could only leave first, but just as she walked out of the courtyard, Zheng Feng happened to be coming this way. He noticed Hua Rou and after a slight pause, he quickly walked into the large courtyard of the house and entered the room where various materials were collected.

  Hua Rou went to the kitchen that side after lunch, planning to go back to her room for a short rest before going to the family business house. Who knew that just as she lay down and hadn't dozed off yet, she was hastily called over by the disciples of the family business house.

  "You've only produced a few bottles of poison in your lab, and you have the nerve to say that you've completed your task? Come and exchange for points?"

  The person in charge pointed at the box with a poisonous label on it, his face burning with anger: "Don't you take our family's business seriously?"

  "How many?" Hua Rou was shocked and walked forward to take a look. There were only a few bottles in the box.

  "How did this happen? I filled it up completely when I sent it over this morning!"

  The person in charge heard this and was displeased, scolding: "Are you saying that our family's house has moved the things you handed over?"

  "There's only one possibility!" Hua Rou said without hesitation: "When I handed them over, they were all full, a total of twenty-four bottles. Now there are only these few left, and the ones that went missing must have disappeared in your family's house!"

  "How dare you! You actually dare to frame us!" The person in charge suddenly shouted loudly: "Come on, tie her up for me and hang her from the pillar in the courtyard for an hour. Let's see if she dares to speak nonsense again!"

  "How could you...?"

  A piece of cloth was stuffed into her mouth, and the disciples of the Family House swarmed up, tying Hua Rou to the pillar of the courtyard with a few pulls.

  The entire group of Tangmen disciples in the house remained silent, watching everything without questioning or asking questions, and there was not even a hint of surprise in their eyes.

  Hua Ruo was humiliated and angry, but at this moment she felt more shocked, shocked by their indifference.

  This reminded her of those dark days and the indifference of familiar villagers that night.

  Her heart suddenly turned cold, she didn't struggle or get angry, but felt desolate, because she finally understood that the world was not warm and affectionate, but rather indifferent and ruthless.

  She gazed at those people in front of her with a pained expression, thinking that each and every one of them was cruel and terrifying.

  Suddenly she saw a familiar pair of eyes.

  I admire you, big brother!

  Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she felt as if she had seen a glimmer of light.

  However... she saw Mu Junwu lower his head and turn around, saw him silently leave.

  Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and her heart ached.

  She knew he wasn't an indifferent person, otherwise he wouldn't have taught her or helped her, but now he had left at the very moment when she obviously needed his help.

  This confused her, made her feel lost and made her feel pain, but it also made her quickly realize her mistake.

  I'm so stupid, why do I always expect his help time and time again?

  No one owes me and has to help me!

  Moreover, it's a family business from the Tang Gate that no one dares to provoke!

  The flower hung its head down, letting the scorching sunlight of the afternoon shine on itself, but in its mind, it was recalling all that had happened along the way.

  She had to admit that she was too weak. If it weren't for Mu Junwu and Tang Xiao, she would have been a lonely ghost by now.

  Hua Rou, you must become stronger, you must rely on yourself! Others can only save you once or twice, but they cannot save you for a lifetime! You must...

  "Hua Rou!" A surprised cry, Tang Liu's face appeared in front of her: "What happened?"