After Liu Ji brought Zi Huai back to Sishui, because he was unmarried, he placed Liu Ji in the home of an old woman in the neighboring courtyard and had her raise him.
Kou Shaodan was the old woman's name.
That name was Zi Huai's deepest nightmare, without equal. Even the great earthquake on that rainy night could not compare to the name Kou Shaodan.
At first, Kou Shaodan treated Zi Huai very well. But after some time, she moved with Zi Huai to another street, and Zi Huai's life changed.
First came violence—verbal violence, physical violence.
She would stuff cloth into Zi Huai's mouth before abusing him, ensuring that no one else could hear his cries.
Then came all manner of bizarre, brutally intense training. Zi Huai's young body simply could not withstand such training, but he could not utter a single complaint. Otherwise, what awaited him was even more terrifying beatings.
That little house became Zi Huai's hell.
Run away? Impossible. Resist? Impossible. Ask for help? He did not even dare.
Zi Huai nearly went mad.
He chose to numb himself with pain, repeatedly cutting open his arms with a shard of tile every day. Only then could he calm down, if only slightly.
Kou Shaodan discovered Zi Huai's "little habit," but she neither beat nor scolded him, nor did she stop him. Instead, she revealed a terrifying smile.
"Good. You can be ruthless with yourself."
That was what she said.
She stopped beating Zi Huai and began teaching him things instead.
The thing she taught Zi Huai was how to concoct poisons.
She was from Chu. She wanted to kill Qin Er Shi Hu Hai, but she was old and could no longer do it herself. So she intended to cultivate the strongest assassin, one who would