Ming Ran: “?”
It’s been a while since she set a fire?
Had she set fires before?
She must have misheard.
The Little Master was such a low-profile, gentle person. How could she possibly do such things?
Pulling her thoughts back, she suddenly remembered that she had seen Cheng Yue in the courtyard earlier, and she seemed to be staying next door.
As long as she didn't take the child out of the Ming estate, they probably wouldn't be discovered.
She followed suit and climbed out the window, making her way familiarly to the next room and tapping on the window. “Senior Sister Cheng, it's me.”
She felt a bit nervous after knocking.
She had almost been bewitched by the child just now, and had only snapped out of it thanks to Lin Mu's return.
Cheng Yue had been alone with a child for so long; could she already have...
She hurriedly reached out to push the window open, but it happened to open from the inside.
Cheng Yue was holding her child, her eyes clear and showing no signs of anything unusual. “Junior Sister Ming?”
Ming Ran froze. “Are... are you alright?”
“I'm fine... Why did you come from this way?”
Before she could answer, Cheng Yue's gaze suddenly bypassed her, looking behind her. “Uh, wait... Why does it look like your place is on fire?”
Ming Ran forced herself to wave it off. “It's fine. Seventh Senior Sister set it.”
Cheng Yue hesitated. “Is it really fine? The fire looks a bit big.”
Ming Ran: “...”
She took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself before she turned around.
But when she did, her vision nearly went dark.
Wait!
Why on earth did she burn down the entire inner yard?!
Her parents were still in there!!!
The blazing fire lit up the night sky of Wuzhou City.
“Fire! Fire!”
“Someone, quick!”
Shouts echoed one after another.
Despite the overcast, rainy weather, the fire raged fiercely, spreading rapidly along the corridors.
The entire Ming estate was instantly jolted awake from its silence. Some fetched water while others cast spells, throwing the place into utter chaos.
The culprit stood atop a high wall, her figure concealed as she looked toward Caopu Hall.
She had clearly seen many Ming family disciples heading to Caopu Hall earlier.
Yet, not a single person was rushing over from there to help extinguish the fire.
The children really were more important than anything else.
But the fire was still somewhat useful; at least the Ming family's Eldest Aunt and Second Uncle had their attention drawn and were heading this way.
Not particularly concerned, she turned around, preparing to jump down from the wall.
—Two talismans materialized out of thin air in front of her, sealing her path from both the left and right.
The talisman papers glowed with a faint golden spiritual light. The brushwork on them was sharp and fierce, each stroke so precise it looked as if it had been measured with a ruler—cold, clinical, and devoid of any human warmth.
Recognizing them, she looked down and saw her Fourth Junior Brother standing at the base of the wall.
He wore moon-white robes, his figure tall and slender. His features were delicate to the point of being plain, yet a layer of aloofness that kept people at a distance shrouded his brow.
He was handsome, certainly, but he was far too cold compared to before.
The corner of her mouth twitched, and she spoke first: “Fourth Senior Brother, why do I seem to run into you everywhere?”
Xie Zhou did not answer. His gaze shifted from her face to the fire behind her, then back again, staring at her without blinking.
His gaze was neither fierce nor angry, yet it made one feel guilty.
Song Yao stared back at him, bewildered. “So, why is Fourth Senior Brother here?”
Xie Zhou finally spoke.
His voice was not loud, clear and cold as he asked instead of answering, “Did Seventh Junior Sister set the fire?”
Song Yao looked down at the two remaining Fire-Driving Talismans in her hand, then at the blazing inner yard of the Ming estate behind her. After a brief silence, she decided there was no point in denying it.
“Yes,” she said candidly. “But there is a reason for it.”
Seeing her so unperturbed, Xie Zhou pursed his thin lips and withdrew his gaze.
The two talismans blocking her path vanished, floating silently back into his pouch. “Come with me.”
With that, he turned and walked away, the hem of his robe cutting a crisp, cold arc in the night wind.
Song Yao was still carrying a bunch of Qi-Replenishing Pills she wanted to test, so she tried to negotiate with him. “I still have things to do. Can't Fourth Senior Brother just talk here?”
Xie Zhou paused in his tracks. “Do you want me to tie you up?”
Song Yao: “...No, thank you.”
So fierce.
Even fiercer than Zhu Zhao.
She was starting to dislike her Fourth Junior Brother a little now.
Reluctantly, she jumped down from the wall and followed him. “Where are we going?”
Xie Zhou did not reply.
At a moderate pace, he led her out of the Ming estate, through a narrow alley, around two street corners, and into an inconspicuous courtyard.
The courtyard was completely empty, with weeds growing up to their ankles.
Once Song Yao stepped inside, the courtyard door shut, and Xie Zhou waved his sleeve.
Several figures appeared out of thin air on the empty ground.
Each of them had their eyes tightly shut, their breaths faint.
Song Yao was startled. She silently took a few steps back, looking at Xie Zhou, then at these people, and suddenly came to a realization. “Fourth Senior Brother, did you kill someone? Do you want me to help you dispose of the bodies?”
“I'm a proper pill cultivator and medical cultivator. I can only save lives and heal the wounded. I can't do this kind of thing.”
“Why don't you find someone else?”
Xie Zhou: “...”
His brow twitched, and he looked at her with a chilly gaze. “These are Hall Master Ming, Daoist Huachao, and the other seniors who were recovering in the Ming family's inner yard.”
Song Yao was a bit surprised. “Ah?”
Xie Zhou lowered his eyes, drew something from his sleeve, and handed it to her.
It was two torn, discarded Fire-Driving Talismans.
Judging by the handwriting, they were Song Yao's own.
Song Yao was confused and blinked. She then heard him say, “Since you want to set a fire, do not leave any evidence behind.”
“Others getting hurt is a small matter. You being resented is a major one.”
Song Yao froze, subconsciously reaching out to take the two torn talismans as the realization hit her.
Did he think she actually wanted to burn these people from the Ming family to death?
Before setting the fire, she had hidden a fire-avoidance pill under their beds. At most, they would have their hair and clothes singed; it wouldn't kill them.
For a moment, she felt a complex mix of emotions.
In her past life, she had set fires quite a few times. Because she needed to farm hatred, she never hid it, resulting in her getting scolded and punished every single time.
Back then, her Fourth Junior Brother would always block her path to beg for mercy on her behalf, taking many beatings for her.
After getting beaten, he would get angry and give her the cold shoulder for a while.
Once, he even lost his temper completely, asking her with red eyes if she absolutely had to do these things.
Did she really have to be so wicked?
At that time, she had smiled and said, yes, she absolutely had to be wicked.
This had angered her Fourth Junior Brother so much that he didn't speak to her for nearly half a month.
Yet now, not only did he not blame her, but he was even teaching her how to avoid getting caught?
He had even rescued everyone for her, just to prevent her from being hated by the Ming family if anything went wrong.
She let out a long sigh, feeling rather indignant.
Why hadn't she received this kind of treatment back when she was his senior sister?
She crushed the torn talismans into dust. After thanking Xie Zhou, she asked, “So, why is Fourth Senior Brother here? Did the sect send you to help us?”
Xie Zhou looked down at the talisman ashes remaining on her fingertips and spoke succinctly: “While tracking Wen Tang's whereabouts, more of my subordinates were afflicted with dark poison. The poisoner fled toward Wuzhou City. Just as I entered the city—”
He paused slightly, looking up in the direction behind her, where the fire in the Ming family's inner yard still raged, its light reflecting in the sky to form a dark red cloud.
“—I saw the Ming estate on fire.”
Song Yao: “...”
Well, then.
Caught red-handed.
However, her Fourth Junior Brother had a high cultivation level. With him here, things would be much simpler.
After all, once inside a demon realm, there was no other way to leave besides finding the source and breaking it.
Even if her Fourth Junior Brother didn't want to help, he would have to.
She changed the subject: “Since Fourth Senior Brother has just arrived, you probably aren't clear on what's been happening here. Shall I explain it briefly?”
Rate on N.U.
