The fire started very quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the bamboo forest in the courtyard was all ablaze.
“Go!” Qiu Jing commanded sharply.
Some were reluctant to leave valuable items inside the house and were promptly thrown out by the furious Qiu Jing.
“Do not take anything, do not wander around, there are definitely experts blocking us outside!”
The reprimanded people seemed to suddenly wake up and hurried towards the direction of the secret passage.
The branch manager was completely panicked. He wanted to run with them, but the followers by Qiu Jing’s side were still blocking the arrows being shot over the wall.
Thanks to these people buying time, most of the less skilled martial artists from the Fengxing Pavilion could successfully evacuate from this courtyard.
Qiu Jing used her right foot to pick up an arrow that had fallen to the ground. The fire on the arrowhead was still burning, emitting a choking smell and a faint strange stench.
The arrowhead was wrapped in a layer of oil-soaked cotton cloth, not thick, otherwise, it would affect the arrow’s range, and it wouldn’t hit the target accurately due to being top-heavy. Fire arrows were always just a tool to ignite fires, usually unable to burn for so long. Since the Sweet Spring Bathhouse was entirely under the control of Fengxing Pavilion, it was impossible for someone to have spread accelerants. The problem must be with the arrowheads.
“Western region’s fire oil!”
Qiu Jing’s face changed drastically. She angrily threw down the extinguished arrow and ordered, “Do not retreat into the house, hold this wall!”
If the Piaoping Pavilion people broke through, directly pouring fire oil, coupled with this dry season, all the houses in the Sweet Spring Bathhouse would be engulfed in flames, including the buildings above the secret passage. The collapse of the houses would affect the ventilation in the secret passage. If the exits were blocked, everyone would be trapped underground.
Qiu Jing did not dare to bet that Piaoping Pavilion did not know the exit of the branch secret passage.
——Judging by the confused look of branch manager, Piaoping Pavilion had developed right under his nose without him knowing, which was not just negligence but also short-sighted arrogance.
Qiu Jing glanced at the manager who was sneaking towards the secret passage despite her orders. She silently turned her head, letting him walk towards his doom.
“Hold the line!”
Some people obeyed the order and stayed, but more people followed the manager and ran away.
Qiu Jing’s face remained impassive. She instructed her subordinates to find suitable cover while she rushed forward to repel the Piaoping Pavilion assassins climbing over the wall.
The fire grew bigger, and the smoke thickened.
Piaoping Pavilion arrived not only quickly but also in large numbers, exceeding Qiu Jing’s expectations.
She barely managed to control the situation, but as the fire grew, the space to maneuver shrank, and even her loyal followers suggested breaking out.
“There are definitely ambushes outside. We will risk our lives to ensure the Pavilion Master’s safety.”
They intended to sacrifice their lives for Qiu Jing’s safety, but Qiu Jing flatly refused.
“Apart from you, even the stewards of the various branches are just somewhat clever people in the martial world, running errands according to our rules. Fengxing Pavilion gave them opportunities. Without Fengxing Pavilion, they are nothing. You are different. If we lose so many experts, Fengxing Pavilion will no longer be Fengxing Pavilion! How many branch stewards have hidden agendas? Fengxing Pavilion will soon splinter, becoming no different from past intelligence-selling gangs in the martial world!”
At the critical moment, figures leapt over the wall.
Amid the thick smoke, a fleeting glimpse.
Robes fluttered, sleeves billowed, ghost-like figures darted through the arrow rain and the fire it covered.
Screams filled the air. In just a moment, seven or eight men in black fell from the wall.
These people did not have to worry about being burned alive because after that figure passed by, they were already corpses.
Qiu Jing took a sharp breath. She saw the nearest corpse’s neck and head displaying a bizarre, impossible twisted angle for a living person.
“That Master Meng…”
Qiu Jing’s followers felt a chill down their spines as well.
The martial world was all about killing and being killed; human life was not valued. Fengxing Pavilion had seen many ruthless individuals and inhuman scoundrels, but none like Meng Qi, who twisted necks as if snapping a twig from a roadside willow.
The orderly formation of Piaoping Pavilion outside the wall suddenly fell into chaos.
A flash of purple, and the Zhongqing Sword stirred up a sky-high stream of flames, resembling a dragon spiraling upwards before plunging into the courtyard wall.
“Boom!”
The courtyard wall collapsed.
The collapsing bricks and stones divided the burning area into two parts.
Qiu Jing, catching her breath, quickly instructed everyone to use the bricks and stones to create a firebreak.
Meng Qi touched the eaves with his toe, leaping into the air, this time aiming his sword at the center of the courtyard.
The sword’s momentum was vast, like the sun at its zenith.
——Due to the previous flames, the crisscrossing sword aura suddenly became tangible, forming a vortex at the sword’s tip, drawing in flames. It looked like the sun had fallen into the courtyard, too bright to gaze upon.
Heat waves rolled, and Fengxing Pavilion’s people barely huddled together by the ruined brick wall.
Suddenly, a chill emerged behind them. Someone turned around, and through tear-blurred eyes, saw another figure.
Mo Li stood by the pool, holding a swordsman he had just rescued from the fire with one hand, while the other hand lifted water waves into spinning water balls in midair.
“Splash.”
The water balls fell to the ground, extinguishing a small portion of the flames, mainly where the fire had spread.
But where the arrows had initially struck, the flames leaped three feet high when touched by water.
“Be careful, it’s Western region fire oil! It burns fiercer when in contact with water!” Qiu Jing quickly warned.
Before Fengxing Pavilion’s people could dodge, the flames, as if pulled by a massive force, flowed back towards the “red sun.”
Meng Qi snorted coldly, using his inner strength to compress the fire vortex at the sword’s tip.
The “red sun” shone brilliantly, changing from orange-red to dark red, and then becoming smaller.
Everyone could barely breathe, unable to make a sound.
“Poof.”
The red sun vanished, and the terrifying pressure dissipated. Everyone staggered back, clutching their chests and gasping for air.
The fire was completely extinguished.
The ground was a mess, smoke still swirling.
Everyone was confused, not understanding how Meng Qi had miraculously dealt with the fire.
It didn’t seem like martial arts… Could it be some kind of Taoist magic? Yes, this was the National Teacher of Chu, who looked youthful despite being over eighty. He must possess some mysterious techniques.
The people of Fengxing Pavilion were astounded, and the rescued swordsman was even more incredulous.
“Cough cough.”
Unlike her subordinates, Qiu Jing did not overthink. She endured the choking smoke and thanked, “Thanks to Master Meng and Doctor Mo, otherwise, today’s outcome would have been unimaginable. The destruction of Sweet Spring Bathhouse is a minor matter; I feared the surrounding houses and shops would suffer.”
Mo Li, hearing this, slightly relaxed his brows.
He was worried about the same thing. No matter Qiu Jing’s true intentions, her words hit the right note.
“The people from Piaoping Pavilion actually used Western region fire oil, and these arrows are military equipment, not something martial world people can get!” Qiu Jing keenly asked, “Did you two discover anything extra in the county town?”
“We cannot stay here long.”
Meng Qi glanced at the bustling street outside.
The fire had been too intense, already alarming the city’s night patrol watchmen.
“Fire!”
The watchmen beat their gongs loudly, shouting as they ran towards the fire.
The sleeping residents were startled awake, and those peeking out their windows saw that the fire was in Jixian Fang, the busiest area of shops and businesses in the city.
It was a big problem.
The common folk were concerned, but the wealthy households in the east of the city were panicked. Who didn’t have a shop in Jixian Fang? With this dry season and such a fierce fire, it wouldn’t be extinguished easily. They quickly called their servants and maids, carrying water buckets and tools, rushing to Jixian Fang.
This was what Mo Li and Meng Qi saw when they rushed from the Sun family warehouse after hearing the commotion.
Once the fire spread, not only would all the shops on this street be affected, but the residents trying to extinguish the fire would also be in danger.
The biggest problem was that Piaoping Pavilion’s people were hiding in the dark. Although their aim was to block Qiu Jing and her subordinates, in the heat of the moment, Piaoping Pavilion wouldn’t care about the lives of the residents and might even kill any intruders to ensure the ambush went smoothly.
The first night watchman to arrive was almost killed by an arrow.
The Western region fire oil on the arrowhead and the standardized arrowhead made Meng Qi and Mo Li realize that Piaoping Pavilion, usually a low-profile assassin organization, was not just after money and lives. The assassin organization was a front, a money-making tool, with bigger plans behind it. Even the swordsman might not know the real role of the Sun family business.
The Fengxing Pavilion branch here was a total failure. The news of the swordsmen and assassins being captured had quickly reached the Sun family business, allowing them to mobilize people and plan this fire attack.
Western region fire oil was black, smelly, and hard to transport.
If Mo Li and Meng Qi hadn’t arrived in time, and if Meng Qi hadn’t decisively killed all visible ambushers, and Mo Li hadn’t seized the fire oil they intended to pour on the streets, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Once the fire spread, none of Fengxing Pavilion’s people would escape.
Mo Li recalled the devastating fire in Pingzhou County after the earthquake, making him furious.
“These people’s martial arts are strange, not like common styles in the martial world.” Meng Qi, hearing more and more people outside, frowned and said, “We’ll discuss the rest later; the current situation is unfavorable for us.”
Qiu Jing didn’t ask further, directly leading the group, signaling Meng Qi and Mo Li to head for another exit of Sweet Spring Bathhouse on a different street.
During this time, one of Qiu Jing’s followers quietly left the group.
Qiu Jing seemed not to notice, but Mo Li sharply glanced in that direction, thinking that the Fengxing Pavilion member might be retrieving something important, so he didn’t stop him.
After they exited and walked through dark, deserted alleys for about fifteen minutes, the follower caught up, and Mo Li smelled a faint scent of blood on him.
“Master, bad news. Someone killed Manager Jiang and all the branch staff near the secret passage and left many arrows by their bodies.”
Qiu Jing’s brows furrowed.
Her follower had actually gone to kill the branch manager.
That man was incompetent and fled during the crisis. If captured by Piaoping Pavilion, he would certainly betray Fengxing Pavilion. At such a critical moment, Qiu Jing would show no mercy.
Unexpectedly, the enemy acted faster.
“Manager Jiang was cowardly. How was his body positioned? Where was the fatal wound?”
“Reporting to Master, the wound was in his back. It is highly likely that… someone who ran with Manager Jiang was from Piaoping Pavilion.”
The follower gritted his teeth and admitted in front of Meng Qi and Mo Li that Sweet Spring Bathhouse might have a Piaoping Pavilion spy.
Just then, the Sweet Spring Bathhouse staff member who had gone with Mo Li and Meng Qi to investigate (unable to help due to poor martial skills, waiting anxiously at another Fengxing Pavilion house in the city) saw them arrive and hurried over.
“Master… huh, where is the manager?”
The staff member scanned the crowd again, realizing that not only was the manager of branch missing, but also those who were close to or trusted by the manager.
Qiu Jing looked grim and said, “We can’t stay in this house, we need to find another place.”
As she spoke, torches lit up all over the city, accompanied by the sound of horses and gongs.
“Capture the rebels!”
“Citizens, return to your homes and lock your doors. There are rebels in the city!”
***
Two quarters of an hour earlier, the county magistrate was awakened from his sleep by the news of the fire in Jixian Fang. Furious and anxious, he slipped on his shoes to go check the situation.
“Your Honor, you can’t go, the fire is huge, lighting up half the sky.”
Before the county magistrate could get angry, another panting officer rushed in to report, “Your Honor, bad news! There are bandits and rebels in Jixian Fang, they started the fire.”
“What?” The county magistrate of Yun County was shocked.
A fire and rebels were two different things. If bandits took advantage of the chaos to attack the county, even if the magistrate managed to escape, he was responsible for the land, and by law, the punishment ranged from exile to execution. This was a matter of life and death!
“Where did the rebels come from? What do they look like?”
The magistrate, sweating coldly, hurriedly ordered the soldiers in the city to gather.
“Did you see clearly? Are you sure they are rebels?”
“Absolutely. The night watchman was almost killed by an arrow. If you don’t believe it, the arrowhead is still on the wall.”
The magistrate, unwilling to risk his life, urgently ordered the officers to bring the people from Jixian Fang for questioning.
As he was speaking, there was a loud crash from the east side of the city, as if something had collapsed.
Immediately after, the firelight suddenly disappeared.
The magistrate paced anxiously.
“Your Honor, it’s a disaster!”
A dozen disheveled, soot-covered people entered the inner hall, kneeling and crying.
The magistrate quickly said, “Please, everyone, rise. The fire is out. What is the situation now?”
“The fire started at Sweet Spring Bathhouse. My family has two boys watching the shop. One was killed by the rebels, the other hid under a sack of rice and survived. He was so scared he kept shouting about bandits and rebels.”
“What do the rebels look like?” The magistrate quickly asked.
A middle-aged man in a yellow robe with graying temples said with a bitter expression, “My boy saw them too. They were dressed as ordinary citizens, and the city gate looked fine, so it doesn’t seem like anyone attacked the city at night. Your Honor, these must be rebels who had been hiding in the city!”
“Master Sun is right!”
“But it’s strange, the rebels seemed to be targeting Sweet Spring Bathhouse specifically.”
After everyone echoed these sentiments, the middle-aged man added, “But there’s something I don’t understand. The rebels didn’t rob the shops or attack the magistrate’s office. Why did they only go after Sweet Spring Bathhouse?”
Author’s Note:
Magistrate and Lingjun are both titles for county magistrates, the latter being more formal and respectful, while the former is more colloquial.
Yi means city, and Zai means ruler, so together they mean the person in charge of the area, akin to calling them “parent official” or “lord.”
[This is mainly to give Magistrate Xue some special attention, only calling him Lingjun, haha]
——————
Meng Qi: Hmph, Western region fire oil? Child’s play.
