On the execution ground, Tang San was surrounded by hundreds of soul masters. With no other choice, he relied on Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to evade their attacks while skillfully countering with hidden weapons.
But the soul masters encircling him were no ordinary fighters—each was highly skilled. After dodging Tang San's projectiles, they immediately pressed forward again.
Tang San first wrapped his arms in Blue Silver Grass and clashed head-on with a Soul King. Though he succeeded in repelling the opponent, the impact left him momentarily staggered. Seizing the opportunity, a beast soul master attacked from behind, slashing his back with brutal force.
"Rip—" The fabric on Tang San's back tore open, revealing a bloodied mess of flesh. Three deep claw marks, bone visible beneath, were horrifying to behold.
Gritting his teeth, Tang San whirled around and grabbed his Godly Zhuge Crossbow. Fueled by rage and pain, he roared and unleashed a barrage of bolts at the beast soul master.
Under this frenzied, indiscriminate assault, the soul master was instantly riddled with over a dozen arrows, his body nearly turned into a sieve. Several nearby civilians were caught in the crossfire, collapsing in screams.
"It's Tang San! That half-breed spawn of a human and a soul beast!" Someone in the crowd shouted.
The fleeing spectators erupted into renewed chaos.
"Tang San's killing people! Run!"
"As expected of a beast in human skin! Emissary of the Spider God, Your Majesty Xue Beng, you must execute this abomination for the sake of Heaven Dou Empire!"
Even while fleeing for their lives, the onlookers couldn't resist jeering.
Once the crossbow bolts were exhausted, Tang San kept pulling the trigger a few more times before finally stopping. But by then, another weapon soul master wielding a spear lunged from his flank, stabbing straight into his kidney.
"ARGH—!" The excruciating pain nearly shattered Tang San's nerves. With a furious cry, he turned and hurled his last remaining King of Hell's Invitation at the attacker.
Needless to say, that soul master's fate was sealed.
But the delay from these skirmishes allowed more and more soul masters to break through the crowd and converge on Tang San. Wave after wave of attacks left his injuries worsening by the second.
"San… San-ge, no… Don't worry about me… Run…!" Xiao Wu's weak, fragmented voice drifted from the execution platform.
Seeing Tang San besieged by so many for her sake, her heart ached unbearably. Yet she was powerless to help.
Even if she wanted to sacrifice herself, her soul power had long been completely sealed by Fang Chang—not an ounce of energy could be mustered.
After roughly five or six minutes, an exhausted Tang San finally collapsed under the relentless assault. His body was riddled with bloody holes the width of fingers.
Even now, his thoughts were only of Xiao Wu. Summoning the last of his strength, he crawled toward the execution platform just within reach. One hand managed to grip the edge, but he lacked the power to pull himself up.
"I'm… sorry, Xiao…" Tang San coughed up a mouthful of blood, his voice cutting off.
"Xiao Wu, I'm useless… I couldn't… protect you."
"No, don't say that!" Whether from shock or desperation, Xiao Wu suddenly regained a flicker of vitality.
"San-ge, it's my fault… If not for me dragging you down, you wouldn't have—"
Before she could finish, the replacement executioner grabbed her head, roughly covering her mouth.
The executioner looked toward the officials, silently asking whether to proceed.
The red-robed official hesitated, turning to Emperor Xue Beng for instruction—who in turn looked to Fang Chang.
By now, events had spiraled far beyond Xue Beng's expectations. Timid and indecisive by nature, he was beginning to waver with pity.
Fang Chang glanced at him, then at Xiao Wu and Tang San on the platform, before slowly rising to his feet.
"Enough. After this disruption, the auspicious hour has passed. Proceeding now may harm Heaven Dou's fortune. For now, take them away."
Xue Beng exhaled in relief. He truly couldn't bear such a scene. Thankfully, the merciful Emissary of the Spider God was willing to show leniency even to soul beasts.
"Take these two… creatures away. We will decide their fate another day."
At the emperor's command, the red-robed official hastily arranged for their removal.
However, only one prisoner transport cart was present—the one used to bring Xiao Wu earlier. Fetching another would waste precious time, and the assembled dignitaries wouldn't wait.
In the end, the official decided to cram both prisoners into the same cart for the trip back to the imperial dungeon.
Fortunately, the cart was spacious enough that the two weren't overly cramped.
But as the cart passed through residential streets, rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables rained down upon them.
Tang San, immobilized and propped up in the cart, could only endure. Xiao Wu, confined below, still had some ability to move.
Unable to bear seeing the projectiles strike Tang San, she mustered her last strength to shield him, intercepting as much of the filth as she could.
"Filthy soul beasts, just die already!"
"This is what you get for slaughtering innocents!"
"Hypocritical scum, you deserve this!"
Amid the barrage of garbage, the curses of the crowd followed them the entire way.
Humans inherently feared and despised soul beasts. With recent incidents of soul beasts wreaking havoc, public hatred had reached a boiling point—and now, all that fury was directed at these two.
The journey felt interminable. After over an hour, they were finally delivered to the imperial dungeon. But not long after, they were quietly transferred elsewhere.
Shortly thereafter, the Heaven Dou royal family issued a proclamation:
The soul beast Xiao Wu and the half-breed Tang San are guilty of unforgivable crimes. However, in recognition of their past contributions to the empire, their public execution is hereby canceled. They will instead be handed over to the Spider God Cult for disposition.
The announcement sparked outcry among those who relished the spectacle. A public beheading of a 100,000-year soul beast? When would such a rare event happen again?
But the royal family ignored the protests, and the matter was quietly suppressed.
A few days later, Fang Chang returned to the underground nest in Star Dou Forest. In a rare gathering, he assembled Xiao Bai and the three Golden sisters—almost like a family reunion.
What made this occasion truly special, however, was that Fang Chang—for the first time since transmigrating—personally cooked a meal. After so long consuming raw meat and crude fare, he had nearly forgotten the taste of proper cuisine.
The first dish was snake soup. The meat came from a close relative of the Sky Azure Bull Python—the Emerald Scale Bull Python. Its rich aroma wafted through the air from afar.
To accommodate Xiao Bai and the three Golden sisters, who still couldn't take human form, the soup had been simmered for three days and nights using an entire python. The meat was thoroughly infused with flavor, and the portions were more than generous.
The second dish was braised monkey brain, sourced from a Titan Giant Ape. Only two such apes existed in Star Dou Forest—one was Er Ming, and the other (some distant relative) ended up in this pot.
The brain was cooked to perfection—minimal seasoning preserved its natural freshness and tenderness. Though not the most visually appealing dish, the taste earned high praise from Xiao Bai and the others.
As for the final dish? It was a spur-of-the-moment creation by Fang Chang, who even gave it a name:
Blue Silver Grass Stir-Fried Rabbit Cubes.