A sinister voice suddenly came from behind: "Where are you going?"

Shen Miao paused, turned around, and saw that the Gu Master was standing behind her at some point, looking at her with a cold expression.

Shen Miao was caught sneaking away and felt extremely embarrassed. She explained awkwardly, "Um, Gu Master, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to tell my family before I came that I had to go back first."

"Is that so? Are you sure it wasn't an escape?" the Gu Master asked coldly.

Shen Miao hurriedly said, "No, no, absolutely not."

The Gu Master suddenly sneered, his voice chillingly cold, "I think you are one of them. Perseverance? With your meager perseverance, what are you doing learning Gu worms? Going back to bed would be the most comfortable."

Shen Miao: "..."

She hadn't expected the Gu Master to be so sharp-tongued; it seemed he had really been quite restrained during their previous journey together.

However, it must be said that the Gu Master's criticism was quite accurate.

She tried every means to get Lin Shousheng to give her a chance, but she wavered and backed down as soon as she saw the Gu worms. It was really quite despicable.

Shen Miao clutched her bundle tightly, a little ashamed, and said, "Gu Master, I'm sorry, I was scared by those insects, but I'm serious about wanting to learn Gu techniques."

She bit her lip: "I'll stay. If I'm going to learn, I can't be afraid."

The Gu Master smirked, "Then I'm really sorry to trouble you. You should think it over carefully. I don't want to spend half a day teaching only to find that the person has run away."

"No, Gu Master, I know I was wrong. If I run away again in the future, you can punish me," Shen Miao said earnestly.

Seeing that she had truly realized the problem, the Gu Master said a few more words to her before letting her go.

From then on, Shen Miao followed the Gu Master to learn about various Gu insects. She had to face all kinds of insects every day. At first, she couldn't stand it, but after seeing them many times, she didn't feel it anymore. On the contrary, she even found the insects to be quite beautiful.

Shen Miao felt like she might be going a little crazy.

"You've identified most of the insects now. Go up the mountain and catch some today," the Gu Master gave Shen Miao a task.

Shen Miao was startled. Learning about insects was one thing, but catching them herself was another. Could she really do it?

The Gu Master noticed her unusual behavior and raised an eyebrow: "What, don't you want to go?"

“No, no, no,” Shen Miao quickly waved her hand, “I’ll go, I’ll go right away.”

Shen Miao grabbed the bag of insects and hurried up the mountain as if a ghost were chasing her.

By mid-afternoon, Shen Miao returned from the mountain exhausted. As soon as she entered the door, she shouted, "Gu Master, I caught a lot of insects as you asked!"

The Gu Master came out of the house, took the cloth bag from Shen Miao, and saw a pile of rotten mud-like insects inside, all of which were useless. His face grew increasingly grim.

"Wh-what's wrong?" Shen Miao watched his expression change, her nails almost digging into her hands in her nervousness.

Is that not okay? She's really been very serious.

The Gu Master tossed the bag aside and said coldly, "What kind of things did you catch? Are you feeding them to the chickens? Did I teach you how to catch these soft, limp things? Look at them yourself, can you even use them? How many of these were taught to you? Not a single one!"

Shen Miao was so scolded that she couldn't even lift her head.

After cursing, the Gu Master said, "You'll have to learn it again. I really don't know what you've learned from those days when I taught you to recognize insects."

"I'm sorry, I have a bad memory. Thank you for your help." Shen Miao said, looking embarrassed.

The Gu Master glanced at her and said, "Don't make excuses. You're just not paying attention."

Shen Miao felt even more ashamed when her thoughts were exposed. She had indeed been hoping for the best, thinking that all insects looked the same and that no matter how much she tried to imitate them, they would all look the same.

As a result, it has become like this.

Having learned her lesson, Shen Miao dared not be distracted again. She diligently studied and observed everything the Gu Master taught her. A few days later, she was once again sent by the Gu Master to catch insects on the mountain. This time, she finally caught some that met the required standards.

The Gu Master was very satisfied and glanced at Chen Miao, saying, "That's good. Why are young people so impetuous?"

Shen Miao ignored what he was saying. She kept scratching herself because she had been bitten badly by the insects. Her body was in pain and itchy, and she felt so uncomfortable that she wanted to peel off her skin.

"Don't scratch randomly!" The Gu Master noticed her situation and scolded, "If you scratch these bumps, they will leave scars. If you're not afraid of being ugly, then go ahead and scratch."

Shen Miao immediately stopped, and said with dissatisfaction, "Gu Master, you didn't tell me that these insects bite so fiercely!"

The Gu Master said calmly, "If I tell you, will you stop catching them? You're here to learn, not to enjoy yourself, understand?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Miao pursed her lips and remained silent.

The Gu Master told her to stop dealing with the insects for the time being and go to rest. He then turned and went into the house. Shen Miao felt wronged and upset.

Why did she come here to suffer? Being scolded every day is bad enough, but she also has to be bullied by insects. She must have had the worst luck in the world!

Because she had been hiking up and down the mountain, Shen Miao was exhausted and, feeling wronged, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

After the Gu Master finished making the ointment, he came over and knocked on Shen Miao's door. It took him a while to get her to come out, and her expression turned somewhat unpleasant. "What's wrong with you? Can't you hear me when I'm making such a loud noise?"

"I'm asleep." Shen Miao's voice was a little hoarse.

Seeing that her complexion was not good, the Gu Master did not say anything more, but handed her some green ointment and said, "Take this, apply it to your body, it can reduce swelling and relieve pain."

Shen Miao didn't take it. "I don't want it."

The Gu Master was surprised, "Why don't you want it? Didn't you just say it was itchy and painful?"

"I'd rather die from the pain than accept this. You can keep it yourself, old man. I can bear this little bit of suffering," Shen Miao said defiantly.

The Gu Master almost laughed in exasperation. Goodness, she's quite stubborn. He's been holding a grudge against her for so long over just one sentence. But he didn't argue with Shen Miao. He's already this old, why should he get angry with a little girl?

"Take it or leave it. I've left the ointment here. It'll wear off soon, so do as you see fit. Also, you're going up the mountain tomorrow. If you don't reduce the swelling quickly, I'd like to see how you continue catching insects." The Gu Master left.

Shen Miao lay on the stone bed, looking at her swollen hand, which looked like a pig's trotter, with a hint of self-pity.

She turned over in frustration. Going up the mountain again was really annoying.

The ointment was ultimately useless to Shen Miao, but she still gritted her teeth and went up the mountain the next day. This time she was even more unlucky and was bitten by a poisonous insect. Her hand turned purplish-black and swelled up badly.

She could only go down the mountain and go home to ask the Gu Master for leave, explaining that there was a problem with her hand and she couldn't go.

The Gu Master asked her a question, but Shen Miao hid her hands behind her back. The Gu Master forcefully pulled them out, glanced at her, and his expression changed. He said sharply, "You've been poisoned! And you tried to hide it from me?!"