Shaking Off Tang San, Heading to the Hunting Path to Save Zhu Zhuqing

"Which road was the trail on?"

Su Hang took the note, his eyes settling on the short line marking the forest outside Suotuo City.

Ning Chuan handed the reins to a guard and braced his palm against the carriage window frame. His expression had turned more serious than before.

"It veers off the main road and approaches an old Hunting Path near the low woods. Few merchant caravans use it."

Ning Rongrong snatched the intelligence report and glanced over it twice, her brows immediately knitting together.

"The Zhu Family pursuers have chased her all the way here. Zhu Zhuqing must be close to us."

Xiao Wu lifted the curtain and peered outside. A wind carrying the earthy smell of soil blew into the carriage, and she quickly lowered the curtain again.

"Brother Su Hang, can we run into her if we take the side road?"

Su Hang spread the old map across the small table. The teacup was shoved into a corner, its base giving a light clink.

"We can run into her, and we can run into the Zhu Family people too."

Ning Chuan immediately cupped his hands, his words cautious.

"Young Master Su, the Seven Treasures caravan will be safest on the main road. If we turn onto the Hunting Path, the guards won't be able to spread out. The young miss is in the carriage. I can't risk her safety."

Ning Rongrong set the Seven Treasures Token on the table, pinning down the corner of the map.

"Uncle Ning Chuan, listen to Su Hang this time."

Ning Chuan looked at her, the corner of his eye twitching.

"Miss, the sect master instructed us to protect you from a distance and prioritize getting you to safety if danger arises."

Ning Rongrong raised her chin, her tone full of the pride befitting the Seven Treasures Little Princess.

"Father told you to protect me, not turn me into a wooden doll. Zhu Zhuqing is being cornered by pursuers up ahead. If I know that and still go around them, how can I ever dare claim I'll defend the Seven Treasures Sect?"

Xiao Wu glanced at her, still clutching Su Hang's sleeve.

"That sounds all right, but don't go making decisions for Brother Su Hang again."

Ning Rongrong was about to snap back, but she saw Xiao Wu's other hand already reaching for the Breath Concealment Talisman and stopped halfway through.

She pushed the Seven Treasures Token back into her waistband.

"I'll support the rescue. We can sort out the seating separately."

Xiao Wu: "..."

The carriage fell silent for a brief moment.

The guard driving the carriage couldn't help coughing. Ning Chuan looked back at him, and the guard immediately straightened his back.

Su Hang pushed the map toward the middle and moved both girls' bundles half a foot aside.

"Xiao Wu gets the window seat. She can sense Soul Beasts."

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, and she was just about to settle in.

Su Hang pointed to the empty space beside the Seven Treasures Token.

"Rongrong gets the spot by the map. She can memorize trade routes and ambush points."

Ning Rongrong hadn't even begun to gloat before Xiao Wu glared at her.

"Don't get smug. You can see the map from the window, too."

Ning Rongrong sat down with her small bundle in her arms, lightly tapping her fingernails on the table.

"Learn to read the route first, then talk."

Xiao Wu lifted the curtain a finger's width. Shadows of trees flickered past outside, and she twitched her nose.

"The scent of people passing through and Soul Beasts moving about is very different. Your map can be as pretty as you like, but you can't smell anything from it."

Ning Rongrong was at a loss for words, then turned the map toward herself.

"Then you sniff, and I'll take notes. Whoever slacks off gets to sit beside Tang San."

Xiao Wu immediately sat up straight.

"Deal."

Su Hang drew two bends on the map.

"There are loose stones here. The carriage won't move quickly, so it's a good place for an ambush. This spot is beside a streambed, where footprints will be washed away. If Zhu Zhuqing keeps her head, she'll take this route around."

Ning Rongrong took out a small charcoal pencil and drew a circle in the margin.

"We can't stop at the loose stones. We need to check the streambed. Uncle Ning Chuan, slow down the lead carriage. Don't let the one behind get too close. Leave room to turn."

Ning Chuan's expression softened at those words.

The young miss was really learning this time.

Xiao Wu stared outside and suddenly raised a hand to hold down the curtain.

"A Soul Beast passed through the woods on the left. Its scent is faint, so it must have been a while ago. The human scent is fresher, and there are quite a few of them."

Ning Rongrong immediately stopped her charcoal pencil.

"Zhu Family pursuers?"

Su Hang looked at the light seeping through the gap in the curtain.

"Turn onto the Hunting Path first."

Ning Chuan tightened his grip on the whip. After a moment of silence, he gave the order outside.

"Turn the caravan around. The lead carriage scouts ahead, and the guards cover both flanks."

The wheels crunched over gravel, and the carriage lurched violently.

Ning Rongrong's bundle slid toward Su Hang's knees. Xiao Wu snatched it in time and tossed it back into Ning Rongrong's arms.

"Keep an eye on your bundle. Don't take up Brother Su Hang's space."

Ning Rongrong hugged her bundle, the tips of her ears turning a little red, though she put on a tough front.

"Even my bundle knows where it's safe."

Xiao Wu moved the plate of pastries in front of Su Hang.

"Then let it ride on the roof by itself."

Su Hang lowered his head to study the map, as though he hadn't heard a thing.

Outside, one of the guards' shoulders shook.

Behind them on the main road, Tang San stopped by the roadside and watched the Seven Treasures caravan turn onto the old path through the woods.

The bundle on his back was pitifully light. His Academy Departure Certificate was buried at the very bottom, its corners already curled.

"Teacher, Su Hang changed routes."

Yu Xiaogang had also spotted the wheel tracks. His brows slowly furrowed.

"The Seven Treasures caravan wouldn't leave the main road for no reason. There may be some information over there, or perhaps an opportunity he learned about ahead of time."

A short sprig of Blue Silver Grass crept out from Tang San's palm before he drew it back.

"He always manages to get there first."

Yu Xiaogang glanced at him, his voice growing steadier.

"Don't let the gains and losses along the way lead you around by the nose. Shrek is where you can rebuild your worth. Flender understands monsters, and he understands geniuses."

Tang San lowered his head to look at his sleeve. The familiar weight of his Hidden Weapons was no longer there.

"But the Seven Treasures Sect has already taken his side, and Ning Rongrong trusts him too."

Yu Xiaogang tucked the ordinary Travel Permit into his clothes. The wind pressed his sleeves against his arms.

"Resources change, and so can people's judgment. As long as you prove the value of a control-system Soul Master at Shrek, the Seven Treasures Sect will come around to you again."

Tang San looked toward the depths of the Hunting Path, where the wheel tracks were quickly swallowed by the shadows of the trees.

"Then I'll go to Shrek."

Night fell. The Seven Treasures caravan stopped outside an abandoned wooden shelter beside the Hunting Path.

The guards lit a low fire. Its glow was blocked by the earthen wall, leaving only a dim red glimmer on the wheels.

Xiao Wu sat by the carriage window. The Breath Concealment Talisman was tucked inside her collar, and her fingers unconsciously clutched the fabric.

"Brother Su Hang, is that person still following us?"

Su Hang stood outside the carriage, looking up at the distant, dark treetops.

That heavy aura was far away, like an iron hammer pressing down on a mountain ridge, but it had never approached the caravan.

"He's following us, but he hasn't come in."

Xiao Wu let out half a breath of relief, then immediately pulled the curtain tighter.

"If he dares come close, I'll hide behind you."

Ning Rongrong poked her head out of the carriage with the map in her arms. Hearing that, she immediately curled her lip.

"You're pretty practiced at hiding behind him."

Xiao Wu turned and glared at her.

"Being jealous won't help you."

Ning Rongrong rolled up the map and tapped the edge of the carriage window.

"What would I be jealous of? I'm in charge of analyzing the route. I'm very useful."

Su Hang passed a waterskin into the carriage.

"Get some rest. We may have to travel in the second half of the night."

Ning Rongrong took the waterskin and was about to pass it to Xiao Wu, but hesitated.

Xiao Wu glanced at her and held out her hand.

"Give it to me."

Ning Rongrong shoved the waterskin into her hand and gave a soft snort.

"Don't drink it all. We still have to travel tomorrow morning."

Xiao Wu took a sip and passed it back.

"Got it, Miss Map."

Ning Rongrong hugged the waterskin and restrained herself from snapping back.

At the other end of the forest path, Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the rough trunk of a tree. The fabric at her shoulder had been torn by a branch, and the blood on its edge had dried.

She used a short dagger to cut away the vines tangled around her boot, keeping her breathing steady and controlled.

Torches flickered in the distance.

"The trail ends by the streambed."

"The Second Miss is wounded. She can't have gone far."

"The Eldest Miss ordered us to bring her back before dawn."

Zhu Zhuqing laid the dagger across her knees and reached for the copy of her diary hidden close to her body with her other hand.

The pages lit up on their own.

She lowered her eyes, and fresh lines of ink surfaced one after another.

[If you make it outside Suotuo City, don't keep forcing yourself to endure everything alone.]

Zhu Zhuqing gripped the dagger tightly and looked toward the distant glow of torchlight hidden behind the trees, her voice cold and hard.

"Su Hang, where are you?"