"How many people survive doesn't depend on whether you believe me. It depends on the choices you make later."
Su Hang pushed his teacup to the edge of the table, not rushing to give Ning Rongrong a complete answer.
Ning Rongrong sat opposite him, her fingertip resting on the Seven Treasures Token going still.
She had run all the way from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, partly out of spite and partly out of curiosity.
But by this point in the conversation, her playful mood had faded.
Her father, Sword Grandpa, Bone Grandpa.
Those names weighed more heavily on her than any sausage joke.
"I can pay you."
Ning Rongrong pushed the Seven Treasures Token forward.
"This token can mobilize a lot of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's resources."
Xiao Chenyu, listening nearby, straightened his back so abruptly he nearly dropped the teapot.
Wang Sheng poked his arm and lowered his voice.
"Is that token really that powerful?"
Xiao Chenyu quickly smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch it carelessly. If you break it, even paying with your life won't be enough."
Ning Rongrong ignored them and took a bag of Gold Soul Coins from her little pouch, setting it on the table.
The bag fell open, gold glinting inside. Everyone in the courtyard stared.
"This is just a gift for our first meeting."
"Tell me everything you know."
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can offer more."
Xiao Wu had still been a little hostile toward Ning Rongrong, but at that, her hand clutching Su Hang's sleeve paused slightly.
Paying for the future.
Paying to keep her family safe.
It sounded willful, but she understood that desperation.
She was afraid Daming and Erming would get into trouble, and afraid she would meet the sacrificial fate written in the diary.
The only difference was, she had no Seven Treasures Token and no bags of Gold Soul Coins.
She only had Su Hang.
Su Hang pushed the bag of Gold Soul Coins back.
"You can't buy a life with money."
"You trade choices for a life."
Xiao Wu lowered her eyes to her hand, her fingers pressing Su Hang's sleeve more tightly.
Ning Rongrong fell silent as well.
After a moment, she put the Gold Soul Coins away, but kept the Seven Treasures Token out.
"Then what do you want me to choose?"
Su Hang picked up a pastry from the table. He didn't eat it, only turned it between his fingers.
"First, understand the problems facing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
"The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda is powerful, and its support abilities are among the best on the continent."
"But it's capped by its number of tiers."
"Your sect has known for generations that once the pagoda reaches seven tiers, the road ahead is cut short."
Ning Rongrong instinctively straightened up.
Outsiders had heard a little about this, but Su Hang spoke with such ease.
So easily that she couldn't find a way to argue.
"My father has been trying to find a solution, too."
"But the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda has been passed down for so many years. Can it really be changed?"
Su Hang put the pastry back on the plate.
"It can."
Ning Rongrong immediately pressed him.
"How?"
Su Hang raised two fingers.
"Two paths."
"Martial Soul Evolution."
"Immortal Herbs."
At those words, Ning Rongrong shot to her feet.
Xiao Wu looked up as well.
She had never heard the term "Immortal Herbs," but from the way Su Hang said it, they had to be incredibly valuable.
Ning Rongrong gripped the edge of the table.
"Where are the Immortal Herbs?"
"What are they called?"
"Who has them?"
Seeing how frantic she was, Su Hang didn't continue.
After all, the Immortal Herbs involved Dugu Bo's medicinal garden and the future rise of the Tang family boy.
Say too much, and the whole situation could be thrown into disarray.
"You can't find out right now."
Ning Rongrong wasn't pleased.
"You just said they could save the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Su Hang pushed the teacup in front of her.
"I'm only giving you a direction."
"You'll have to find the way yourself."
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth.
"You really know how to keep people in suspense."
Xiao Wu immediately chimed in.
"You should be glad he's willing to tell you anything."
Ning Rongrong turned to look at her.
"Of course you're on his side."
Xiao Wu lifted her chin.
"I am."
Ning Rongrong snorted, then turned back to stare at Su Hang.
"Then at least tell me who'll get their hands on the Immortal Herbs."
Su Hang picked up his teacup. Its rim tapped against the table.
"In the future, someone will treat a treasured land like his own vegetable garden."
Ning Rongrong froze.
A treasured land.
A vegetable garden.
She quickly thought of the person who had ambushed them with a Poison Arrow at the Training Ground.
"Tang San, the one from the Training Ground?"
The courtyard fell much quieter.
Xiao Chenyu's eyes darted around. He wanted to join in, but didn't dare.
Wang Sheng stuffed a steamed bun into his mouth so he wouldn't be tempted to speak.
Su Hang didn't give her a direct answer.
"That person is very good at turning other people's opportunities into his own achievements."
"Give him a treasured land, and he'll come up with a whole speech about righteousness."
"Take something from someone else, and he can still make it sound like he's benevolent."
Ning Rongrong tucked the Seven Treasures Token back at her waist.
"Got it."
"If someone like that gets close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, we need to be on guard."
Hearing that, Xiao Wu felt much better.
Ning Rongrong might have a strong Eldest Miss temper, but she was quick-witted.
Compared with people who heard Tang San say a couple of things and immediately thought he was reliable and level-headed, this little princess at least knew to keep her guard up.
But even so, Xiao Wu's mood soured again when Su Hang kept talking with Ning Rongrong.
Xiao Wu picked up the biggest pastry on the plate and put it straight into Su Hang's hand.
"Brother Su Hang, eat this."
Su Hang glanced at her.
"You said you weren't hungry just now."
"I want you to eat it now."
Watching this, Ning Rongrong immediately understood.
She put her little pouch down on the table.
"Do you like pastries?"
"The pastries in Seven Treasures City are ten times better than these."
"I can buy you a whole table's worth."
Xiao Wu immediately pulled the plate closer to Su Hang.
"He can have mine."
Ning Rongrong refused to back down.
"These pastries were prepared by Xiao Chenyu."
Xiao Chenyu was just about to nod when he saw Xiao Wu turn toward him and immediately changed his tune.
"Sister Xiao Wu made the arrangements. I just ran the errand."
Wang Sheng nearly burst out laughing.
"You're really good at saving your own skin."
Ning Rongrong felt a little helpless at the atmosphere in the courtyard.
She had come with the Seven Treasures Token to discuss something as important as the future, yet this little rabbit had been on guard against her the entire time and was even fighting over pastries.
And yet, she didn't truly dislike Xiao Wu.
Because after hearing Su Hang say, "You trade choices for a life," Xiao Wu had reacted much as she had.
They feared different things, but both wanted to protect the people who mattered to them.
Ning Rongrong sat back down and tucked the Seven Treasures Token back at her waist.
"Fine. I won't ask everything today."
"But you have to give me a straight answer."
"What should I do first?"
Su Hang finally looked at her seriously.
The scent of tea in the courtyard had grown faint, and the night breeze swept past the wall.
Xiao Wu also stopped fidgeting.
This time, Ning Rongrong didn't make a fuss or put on her little-princess airs.
She was waiting for an answer.
Su Hang set his teacup back on the table.
"First, stop rushing to prove yourself."
"And don't think that leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and enduring hardship is what growth means."
"The truly dangerous part is how, for the sake of so-called friends and so-called recognition, you'll gradually hand over the right to choose."
Ning Rongrong was about to speak when she heard that.
Su Hang raised a hand to stop her.
"If you want to protect the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, first learn not to sell yourself to fate."
Before you continue