Tang San Arrives, His First Words Put Him on the Wrong Side

"If you won't kneel, then stand firm."

Su Hang pressed his hand downward, and Dark Purple Lightning spread across the wet mud, stopping exactly half a step in front of Zhu Zhuqing.

Torches flickered along the edge of the Broken Slope, and the Zhu Family guards were forced back by the lines of lightning, not daring to press forward. Their boots sank into the mud, hissing as thin wisps of smoke rose.

Commander Zhu's expression turned ugly, but his right hand quietly retreated into his sleeve.

He crushed a small smoke canister.

Gray-red smoke rose along the treetops, quickly dissipating into the night.

Seeing the signal, Ning Chuan immediately warned in a low voice.

"Young Friend Su, they are calling for reinforcements."

Ning Rongrong gripped the Seven Treasures Token, her expression turning cold.

"The Zhu Family really dares to drag this out? With me here, they still want to add more people?"

Xiao Wu stood in front of Zhu Zhuqing, her toes tapping the ground lightly as she kept her eyes fixed on Commander Zhu's hand.

"He wants to wait until there are more of them so they can surround us all."

The bloodstain on Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder spread further, yet she gripped her dagger even more firmly.

"I can walk."

Su Hang glanced at her and casually tossed a Hemostatic Pill toward her.

"Stay alive first, then talk about whether you can walk."

Zhu Zhuqing caught the pill, paused for half a breath, and then swallowed it.

Seeing her consume medicine from an outsider, Commander Zhu's expression darkened further.

"Second Miss, do you really want to make the Zhu Family lose face to this extent?"

Zhu Zhuqing raised her short dagger, her voice cold and hard.

"Don't pin the Zhu Family's face on me."

As these words fell, the Zhu Family guards fell silent for a moment.

The torches crackled.

Footsteps suddenly echoed from the back of the forest path.

Tang San walked out from the shadows of the trees carrying a pack, his hem stained with mud. Yu Xiaogang followed behind, his face showing the fatigue of a long journey.

Tang San first saw the Seven Treasures guards, then Zhu Zhuqing at the edge of the Broken Slope, his gaze lingering on her Nether Civet martial soul.

Yu Xiaogang was a step faster, his eyes falling upon the Zhu Family Crest.

"Star Luo's Zhu Family?"

Seeing the newcomers, Commander Zhu's eyes rolled, and he immediately softened his aggressive stance.

"Since this gentleman recognizes the Zhu Family, that makes things easier. This woman is the Zhu Family's Second Miss, Zhu Zhuqing. She has a marriage contract with the Star Luo Dai Family and has now fled the family without permission. We are under orders to bring her back."

Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted slightly.

The Dai Family.

Dai Mubai.

Shrek.

With these names linked together, he immediately realized that the trouble had already reached Flender's side.

Tang San stepped forward, his tone steady.

"Miss Zhu, family marriage contracts are deeply complicated; running away may not solve the problem. If you are heading to Shrek, it would be better to wait until you see Dai Mubai and settle things face-to-face."

Xiao Wu exploded instantly.

"She's been chased to this point, and the first thing you say is to tell her not to run?"

Tang San stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing.

Xiao Wu had already moved to Zhu Zhuqing's side, her Rabbit Ear Accessory shaking with her anger.

"Tang San, can't you see she's injured? Can't you see they've forced her to the edge of a cliff? You open your mouth to speak for the marriage contract, why not let her catch her breath first?"

Ning Rongrong stepped forward with a cold face, the light of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda still hovering in her palm.

"Tang San, your mouth is truly suited for speaking for rules, not for people."

Tang San raised his hand to adjust his cuffs, trying to pull the situation back into a rhythm he was familiar with.

"I am not favoring the Zhu Family. It is just that if this conflict escalates, it will benefit no one. Once we reach Shrek, all parties will be present, and Dai Mubai will be able to provide an explanation."

Zhu Zhuqing looked up at him.

Her face was pale, but her eyes were cold.

"If you were the one being hunted, would you go back first to hear them explain?"

Tang San's fingers froze at his cuff.

The forest fell silent.

The Zhu Family guards exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Yu Xiaogang immediately stepped forward, shielding Tang San from the awkwardness.

"Tang San is merely considering the bigger picture. Miss Zhu, you are injured, and with the Seven Treasures involved, if a fight breaks out, both the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou sects will be dragged into it."

Su Hang let out a soft laugh.

The sound was not loud, yet it caused Yu Xiaogang's expression to stiffen.

Su Hang raised his foot and crushed a burning branch, sparks scattering into the mud.

"The so-called 'bigger picture' is just people who don't have a blade at their throats telling those being hunted to stay calm."

Ning Rongrong nodded immediately.

"A very accurate translation."

Xiao Wu crossed her arms and added, "He's quite good at playing the impartial judge; it's easy to speak steadily when you're standing far away from the blade."

Tang San's composure finally began to crack.

"Su Hang, you always like to push things to the extreme. If Dai Mubai is truly at fault, he should be the one to face it, not by letting the Zhu Family and the Seven Treasures tear each other apart here."

Su Hang looked at him, his expression calm.

"If you want her to see Dai Mubai, ask her if she's willing first."

Tang San turned his gaze toward Zhu Zhuqing.

Zhu Zhuqing did not back down.

The blood on her shoulder had been chilled by the night wind, and her dagger remained held horizontally before her.

"I will go to Shrek, but not to honor any betrothal."

Commander Zhu seized the opportunity and immediately softened his tone.

"Since the Second Miss is going to Shrek, we can give Shrek some face. As long as the Second Miss returns with us first, everything can be discussed."

Xiao Wu almost laughed in anger.

"Discussed once she's back? Discussed by family law or by locking the doors?"

Ning Rongrong slapped the Seven Treasures Token into her palm with a crisp sound.

"Commander Zhu, that line might fool a rock on the side of the road, but it's not quite enough to fool this young lady."

Commander Zhu's face twitched, but he kept his eyes fixed on Tang San.

"This young brother speaks with justice. A betrothal is a major matter; both the Dai Family and the Zhu Family must sit down and talk. If the Second Miss leaves with outsiders now, the situation will only escalate."

Tang San remained silent for a moment, not immediately refuting him.

That pause was enough.

The look in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes as she watched Tang San turned completely cold.

"Now I know who would try to persuade me back into the cage."

Tang San's palm tightened slightly.

Yu Xiaogang frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Su Hang raised his hand first.

Lightning suddenly expanded in a half-circle.

Commander Zhu's feet went numb, and he staggered backward, nearly kneeling into the mud.

The surrounding Zhu Family guards instinctively backed away.

"Commander!"

"There's something wrong with this lightning, don't get close!"

"The Seven Treasures guards are still behind us; we'll suffer if we charge!"

Commander Zhu's face turned ashen, the beast fur on his right arm bristling, but he dared not move further under the pressure of the lightning arcs.

Su Hang stood where he was, as if he had merely moved a teacup.

"Stalling for time, pulling Tang San to your side, and then using Shrek as a stepping stone. Commander Zhu, your abacus is working quite hard."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up as she immediately caught on.

"No wonder he softened up the moment he heard Tang San mention the betrothal. He wanted to use Tang San's mouth to talk Zhu Zhuqing into going back."

Xiao Wu turned to look at Tang San, her words sharper than before.

"Did you hear that? You almost became the Zhu Family's temporary lobbyist, and for free, too."

Tang San's face paled, but he quickly suppressed it.

"I only wanted to minimize the conflict."

Zhu Zhuqing pulled her dagger back half an inch, but she did not lower it.

"Am I reducing my own conflicts, or am I reducing their trouble?"

Tang San could not answer.

In the distance beyond the woods, more torches began to draw near.

Ning Chuan looked up, his hand already resting on the hilt of his blade.

"Young Miss, the Zhu Family reinforcements have arrived."

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath, and the light of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda flared once more.

"Then let them see which side the Seven Treasures stands on."

Su Hang stepped aside, clearing a path for Zhu Zhuqing.

"Choose now: come with us, or listen to what they have to say."

Zhu Zhuqing stepped over the lightning line and stood on the side of Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.

She looked toward the encroaching torches, her voice cold and clear.

"I will go with you."