Chapter 418: When the Popcorn Eats You
Translator: Pika
Zheng Dan’s body trembled. Her mind had already gone blank a long time ago.
She had chosen to sacrifice her own happiness and agree to the marriage, all because of the Zheng clan.
But now, not only had this marriage failed to benefit the Zheng clan in any way, it had instead placed the Zheng clan in great danger.
Her father’s words had caused her even greater embarrassment. Even though she knew that he was doing this for the Zheng clan's sake, their reputation would be left in tatters even if they made it safely through this ordeal.
She frowned when she saw those guards coming to arrest her. She used to be one of the giants of the Linchuan Commandery’s underworld, so she subconsciously wanted to resist. However, she quickly realized that even if she managed to escape, the Zheng clan members here wouldn’t.
Furthermore, King Liang was an incredibly powerful master rank cultivator himself. There was no way he would let her get away.
Just then, a figure stepped in front of her to block the path of the oncoming soldiers. “Wait a moment.”
Even though she was only looking at his back, she still recognized this person. After all, she was exceedingly familiar with her own man’s body.
“Who are you?” King Liang gave him a look, a contemptuous expression flickering in his eyes. Just a puny fifth rank cultivator. The gulf between us is as wide as the distance between the clouds and the dirt.
“Who I am is not important. My reason is,” Zu An replied.
In her heart, Xie Daoyun scoffed. And you still insist that there’s nothing going on between the two of you!
It might have just been a random guess before, but she was actually suspicious now.
After all, the Zheng clan and the Chu clan were enemies, and Zu An and the Sang clan hated each other as well. There was no reason for him to speak up for Zheng Dan now.
Was this really all because of the teacher-student relationship they shared in the academy?
Who would believe that?!
Despite this, Xie Daoyun still respected him for being able to speak frankly, even in the face of a master rank cultivator’s pressure. If she’d been in his place, she wouldn’t have been able to utter even a single word.
How could she possibly know that Zu An had already crossed paths with many master rank big shots?
King Liang sneered. “Reason? What is this reason that you speak of?”
Even the father and son duo from the Sang clan were looking at him. They didn’t know why he would speak up for them at such a time.
Zu An said, “Respected sir, you said earlier that the young miss is part of the Sang clan. Forgive me, but I beg to differ. There are several hundred guests here, and everyone witnessed that Miss Zheng and Sang Qian only paid their respects to heaven and earth, and to their parents. The two of them have yet to pay their respects to each other. Strictly speaking, they are not married yet. That is why Miss Zheng cannot be considered a part of the Sang clan. The Zheng clan clearly has thoughts of abandoning this marriage as well. Zheng Clan Master, am I wrong?”
Zheng Yutang nodded right away and said, “You are absolutely correct! My daughter is not marrying him anymore! She won’t!”
“You!” Sang Qian erupted into fury. The Sang clan had already experienced an absolute tragedy, yet the Zheng clan kept kicking them while they were down!
He couldn’t help but seethe with hatred for the Zheng clan. Zu An was also caught up in his anger.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 999 Rage points!
King Liang said coldly, “Whether or not she is a part of the Sang clan is not something for you to decide. This entire wedding had already been arranged, and only the final step is missing. Isn’t that the same as being a part of the Sang clan? If we endorse such behavior as you suggest, wouldn’t others follow suit? Weddings would become a complete joke! Wouldn’t my Zhou Dynasty fall into chaos then?!”
Zu An frowned. This guy clearly had no intentions of letting Zheng Dan go! Given the Zheng clan’s status, there was no way they could afford to offend a king. This made the situation much easier to understand. King Liang bore a grudge against the Sang clan! He planned to destroy the entire Sang clan!
He couldn’t help but shoot a glance at Sang Hong and his son. He thought that only the Chu clan hated them, but it turned out there were actually so many other people who hated them as well! Just what did you all do to get yourself into such a situation?
The situation had just become much tougher to deal with. How was he going to save Zheng Dan now?
Should I just tell everyone that she’s my woman?
But that’s too risky! I might be able to farm some more points from that idiot Sang Qian, but I still won’t be able to save Zheng Dan. Both of our reputations might be done for as well...
Zheng Dan’s urgent voice sounded in his ear via ki transmission. “Ah Zu, you cannot let them know about our relationship! There’s no way I could continue living if you do that! Even if I am captured right now, I might still be okay. Dying would still be better than embarrassing my clan. Please!”
Zu An was stunned.
Woman, did you plant a bloody parasite in my mind or something? How could you have known what I was thinking?
Sang Qian couldn’t take it anymore. “Zu An, why do you keep flirting with my wife? What kind of relationship do the two of you have?!”
Zu An looked at him. I could tell you, but I don’t know if you want to hear it. It’s way beyond flirting, man...
However, he still chose to respect Zheng Dan’s decision. “What kind of nonsense is filling that head of yours? Miss Zheng is my student, so I don’t want to see her get involved. Am I not allowed to speak some just words? Aren’t you ashamed to be her fiancé? It’s almost as if you’re afraid that they won’t capture her. You’re disgusting!”
The surrounding guests began to whisper among themselves. They looked at Sang Qian with strange expressions.
Zu An spoke up for the Zheng clan even though they usually harbor hostility towards one another, but you seem to want to drag the Zheng clan down with you! Their characters couldn’t be more different.
Faced with a sea of scornful looks, Sang Qian felt as though his lungs were about to explode. What the hell is the problem with wanting to be with my wife? Why are you guys treating that bastard Zu An as some kind of hero just because he said a few words?!
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 1024 Rage points!
King Liang’s voice suddenly cut in. “Zu An? You are the Chu clan’s young master?”
Zu An quickly gave him a respectful greeting when he sensed King Liang’s gaze shift to him. “Yes, I am. I pay my respects to King Liang.”
Since this King Liang really wanted to get rid of the Sang clan, Zu An surmised that he could be one of the important officials recorded in the Chu clan’s account book.
Chu Chuyan had gone to the capital to threaten those officials, so King Liang might be here because of her actions. That was why being a little more polite wasn’t a bad thing.
“Good, good.” King Liang smiled while stroking his beard. “I was looking all around for you, yet you ended up appearing right in front of me. Capture him too!”
Zu An’s expression froze immediately. What the hell?
Everyone else was stunned. The two of them had been chatting pleasantly just a second ago. How did they suddenly become hostile towards each other?
Zheng Dan couldn’t hold herself back any further, and ripped off the veil covering her face. “Is there some misunderstanding? He only spoke a few words for my sake! Why is he being punished too?” she said in a panic.
Xie Daoyun was just about to speak, but she immediately shut her mouth when she heard this. Zheng Dan already said everything that she’d wanted to say.
These two really are interesting...
The two of them were close, but she had never caught wind of anything.
“The bride sure is beautiful!”
“Miss Zheng is worthy of her reputation as one of Brightmoon City’s great beauties. She is even more stunning in her wedding gown.”
“What a pity that she’s become the wife of a corrupt official. I wonder if she’ll be sent to a government whorehouse in the future.”
“Keep dreaming! Even if a woman like her ends up in a government whorehouse, only those at the very top will get to play with her. Folks like me and you can forget about it.”
Even though they were all whispering quietly, their words could not escape the ears of trained cultivators. Sang Qian’s eyes began to twitch rapidly. These bastards usually treated him with great respect, but now, they even dared to fantasize about his wife?
However, something else was fueling his rage even more. Zheng Dan hadn’t said a thing when the Sang clan was unceremoniously destroyed. And yet, she chose to speak up when something was happening to Zu An?
And she even took off her veil?
According to custom, the bridal veil could only be undone in the bridal room. It was extremely inauspicious otherwise!
He looked at Zu An, and then back at Zheng Dan. The suspicion inside of him only grew. Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm his doubts right now.
He suddenly remembered the green hat that Zu An had given him. He was so angry he took it off and threw it to the ground, stomping it beneath his feet.
You have successfully trolled Sang Qian for 357 Rage points!
Everyone noticed his strange behavior, and they began to question one another curiously.
“Why is he so angry?”
“Does a green hat have some kind of implied meaning?”
...
Zu An couldn’t be bothered with all that right now. He stared at King Liang and waited for his reply.
King Liang chuckled. “He clearly isn’t being punished for speaking up for you. His crime is much more severe. He has stolen that which belongs to the emperor!”