Chapter 316: Because of Misfortune Comes Blessing

Standing on the treetop, looking at the boats searching the distant river, Zheng Dan sighed softly, "It seems we have to go back."

Zu'an nodded. Although the people were still some distance away, it was only a matter of time before they found them. "Are those the Giant Whale Gang's men or people from Moon City?"

Zheng Dan shook her head. "It shouldn't be the Giant Whale Gang. They don't wear these kinds of clothes. It looks like it might be..."

As the leader of the Giant Whale Gang, she could naturally distinguish them.

Seeing her hesitate, Zu'an smiled. "Is it Sang Qian's River Defense Camp?"

Zheng Dan's expression darkened, and she hummed softly.

"It seems this guy really cares about you," Zu'an couldn't help but remark.

Zheng Dan's expression was a little complex. "He's always been pretty good to me."

Zu'an was speechless.

"Why does it sound like we're illicit lovers when you say that?"

"Pah!" Zheng Dan spat, her cheeks instantly flushing. "Who talks about themselves like that?"

Zu'an laughed. "Alright then, let's pack up and head back."

He had been missing for so long; the academy and the Chu family must be very worried.

Zheng Dan hummed in agreement, then lightly pushed off with her toes and leaped down from the tree.

There wasn't actually much to pack; they had fled in a hurry while being pursued, so they hadn't brought any luggage.

The only thing left to "pack" was the pile of red dragon's treasure.

"How are we going to carry all this?" Zheng Dan asked with a worried expression, looking at the several piles of gold, silver, and jewels before them.

Zu'an smiled slightly. "Don't worry."

He walked up to the piles of treasure, concentrated his mental energy, and silently willed them to be "collected." The glittering treasures instantly vanished.

"A spatial artifact!" Zheng Dan exclaimed, her face suddenly flushing. "No wonder I couldn't find those IOUs and banknotes on you before. So you have something like this! You made me..."

Zu'an put his arm around her waist, which was softer than willow, and kissed her fiercely on the cheek. "If it weren't for this, how would we have met?"

"A doomed relationship," Zheng Dan scoffed, but ultimately, unable to resist his wandering hands, she turned away, blushing, and walked towards the exit.

Zu'an chuckled and followed her out.

"Oh, by the way, I heard dragons are vengeful creatures," Zheng Dan said once they were out of the cave. "You've completely emptied its home. Will it come after you in the future?"

"Don't worry, that dragon won't be coming back," Zu'an said with a slight smile.

Zheng Dan's expression subtly changed. "It seems you really do have a master expert by your side."

The Sang family had given her this task before, and she hadn't expected to find the answer this way, but the price was a bit high.

"Couldn't I have killed it myself?" Zu'an couldn't help but say.

"You just love to brag," Zheng Dan spat. "Don't worry, I won't tell the Sang family."

She naturally didn't believe Zu'an had the ability to kill such a terrifying dragon. And since there was no dragon corpse, she figured the powerful expert by his side must have driven it away.

To be able to defeat such a terrifying dragon, just how powerful was that expert?

Originally, she had been confident that the Zheng family could replace the Chu family, as the Chu family was currently struggling. But with such a top-tier expert helping, it was hard to say who would ultimately prevail.

She instinctively wanted to recruit Zu'an for the Zheng family, but then she remembered her engagement to Sang Qian. She sighed inwardly, ultimately deciding not to say anything.

"What's wrong?" Zu'an asked, sensing her gloom, and took her hand.

"Nothing," Zheng Dan said, forcing a smile. Then, suddenly remembering something, she hastily asked, "Since that expert is with you, then... then weren't we... seen by him these past few days?"

The thought of her unrestrained behavior these past few days made her so embarrassed she almost wished for a hole to disappear into. She didn't mind showing her passionate side to Zu'an.

But being seen by others made her utterly mortified.

"Don't worry, no one saw," Zu'an comforted her, feeling a little guilty. Besides, Queen Sister was a woman anyway, so it didn't really matter if she saw.

Speaking of which, Mi Li was quite devious. She said she was going to sleep, but she was secretly watching.

After some comforting, Zheng Dan gradually calmed down.

"Wait a moment," Zheng Dan suddenly said after they had walked a little distance. She quickly turned and ran back into the cave.

Zu'an looked confused, wondering what she was doing. When he followed, he found her tidying up the places where they had slept.

The messy straw was neatly arranged, and finally, she even used water elements to wash the surroundings clean.

Zu'an was speechless.

Zheng Dan rubbed the corner of her clothes, a little embarrassed. "It would be a bit embarrassing if someone found out."

Zu'an found it hard to reconcile the shy young woman in front of him with the passionate, uninhibited temptress of a few days ago.

The two walked down the mountain. When they were about a hundred meters from the officers, Zheng Dan suddenly pulled Zu'an back. "Ah Zu, don't come with me."

"Worried your fiancé will find out?" Zu'an said with a smile.

Zheng Dan quickly explained, "It's not that. It's mainly because Sang Qian is narrow-minded and has already been displeased with you. Now that we're out in the wilderness, with no one else around, it would be troublesome if he decided to kill you."

Zu'an thought about it and agreed. Surrounded by Sang Qian's River Defense Camp subordinates, and with no one else in sight, that guy really might try to kill him.

"Alright then, be careful," Zu'an said, reluctantly bidding her farewell.

Zheng Dan suddenly threw herself into his arms, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a passionate kiss. Their lips parted after a long moment.

"Dan'er, are you over there?" Sang Qian's voice called from a distance.

Zu'an was hidden behind a large tree, completely out of sight from their perspective.

Zheng Dan's face flushed slightly. She quickly pushed Zu'an away, secretly waved goodbye to him, and then turned to walk out. "General Sang, I'm here."

Sang Qian was both surprised and delighted. He rushed towards her like lightning. "Dan'er, it's really you!"

Sensing the concern in his voice, Zheng Dan felt a pang of guilt. "Thank you for your trouble, General Sang."

"No trouble at all, no trouble," Sang Qian chuckled, clearly overjoyed to see his fiancée safe and sound. Then his eyes narrowed. "Are your legs injured?"

Zheng Dan was startled. "No, why do you ask?"

"I just feel like your walking posture is a bit different from before, but I can't quite pinpoint how," Sang Qian said, scratching his head and staring at her legs with a puzzled expression.

Zheng Dan's pretty face instantly turned crimson. She thought about how for days, Ah Zu's exaggerated...

Her heart pounded, and she quickly changed the subject. "By the way, how did you find your way here?"

Sang Qian came back to his senses and replied, "A few days ago, a spy from the Giant Whale Gang sent back word that something had happened on the island, so I quickly brought people here. Hmph, that Chen Xuan dared to be so audacious, setting his sights on the Giant Whale Gang. If I had known, I wouldn't have given face to the Shi family before."

Zheng Dan finally felt relieved. She knew that not only the Sang family but also the Zheng family had planted people on Giant Whale Island. She just hadn't expected Chen Xuan to incite a rebellion among all the high-ranking members.

The suddenness of the incident had prevented their forces from acting effectively.

However, once the Sang and Zheng families reacted, they naturally wouldn't stand by idly.

"Oh, right, I heard Chen Xuan was hunting you down, and Liu Chan and his group were with him. They... didn't do anything to you, did they?" Sang Qian asked nervously. As a man, he worried most about certain things, and many unspeakable images had already flashed through his mind.

Zheng Dan's face flushed slightly, and she quickly shook her head. "Of course not!"

She felt a little guilty; while Chen Xuan and his group hadn't, Zu'an had...

Hearing her answer, Sang Qian let out a long sigh of relief. "Where are they now? Don't worry, I'll dismember anyone who bullied you."

Hidden in the tree using the Bright Mirror platform technique, Zu'an's expression was strange. He wondered if what he had done to Zheng Dan all these days counted as bullying.

But she seemed quite happy throughout the process, so it probably wasn't bullying. And Sang Qian's "anyone who bullied you" certainly wouldn't include him.

Zheng Dan replied, "They're all dead."

"All dead?" Sang Qian was somewhat incredulous. There was no need to mention Liu Chan and his group, but Chen Xuan had lived freely for years despite the joint efforts of the Chu family and the city lord to eliminate him. And now he was just dead?

Zheng Dan hummed in affirmation and said, half-truthfully, "I was fleeing, and they pursued me deep into Dragon Concealment Mountain. By chance, I stumbled into a dragon's territory. They were all killed by the enraged giant dragon, and I managed to escape amidst the chaos."

She had been thinking for days about how to explain things to her family when she returned, so she answered without any hesitation.

"A dragon!" Not just Sang Qian, but even the soldiers around them were shocked. "There's really a dragon in Dragon Concealment Mountain?"

Zheng Dan nodded. "That dragon was extremely powerful and fire-attributed. With one breath of dragon flame, Liu Chan and his group were burned to ashes..."

She had heard all this from Zu'an before, and she recounted it vividly, even describing the dragon's appearance in great detail.

Sang Qian no longer had any doubts and burst into laughter. "I never thought this misfortune would turn into a blessing! I'll immediately go back and gather experts. Then we'll return to hunt this dragon! Hahahaha, we're rich, we're rich! A legendary dragon, its whole body is treasure!"

Zu'an secretly mused, "Compared to that dragon, I think your fiancée is a treasure all over."

If he said that aloud, its destructive power would probably be second only to "your wife is great," and the amount of rage collected would surely go off the charts.

However, considering Zheng Dan's situation, he ultimately suppressed the urge.