“Grandpa, Mother gave the little tiger a name—War God!”
Linbao hugged the tiger cub tightly, his little face glowing with excitement.
“War God?” Jiang Kun smiled immediately. “That’s an excellent name.”
Jiang Qingshu knew he would love it. The old man’s greatest dream in life had always been to become a legendary God of War remembered through history.
After nightfall, it was Jiang Chengyu’s turn to keep watch.
Carrying the weapon he had finally recovered, he leapt lightly up into the trees.
After finding a good vantage point, he sat upon a thick branch and carefully polished his Dragon Roar Soul-Piercing Spear.
Not long afterward, he caught the faint smell of smoke drifting through the air.
Listening carefully, he could vaguely hear crackling sounds from deep within the forest.
The unmistakable sound of trees burning.
He immediately stood and looked toward the distance.
Sure enough, flames had already erupted in the eastern forest, spreading rapidly in their direction.
Realizing disaster was imminent, he jumped down from the tree and sprinted toward the cave where his family rested.
Inside the cave, the children were lying beneath blankets, stretching their necks eagerly while listening to Jiang Kun tell stories from his days commanding armies in battle.
“There’s a fire! Leave now!”
Jiang Chengyu’s shout shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
No one wasted time asking questions. The entire family immediately sprang into action, dressing and packing at top speed.
Tang Shuangshuang was about to retrieve clothes that had not fully dried when Jiang Fengyu grabbed her arm.
“There’s no time for that. Take the children. I’ll get the horses!”
The men quickly loaded the important supplies and children onto the horses while the women followed closely behind.
“War God, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.”
Looking at the approaching firelight, Linbao suppressed his fear and comforted the tiger cub in his arms.
The flames chased after them like a dragon.
The severe drought only accelerated the fire’s spread.
The wind fed the blaze, scattering sparks that ignited dead trees in every direction. Soon the flames were forming a tightening circle around them.
Waves of scorching heat crashed toward them. Thick smoke burned their eyes and clouded their minds.
“Second Brother, Third Brother—if this continues, we’ll all die! Take the children and escape now! Your elder brother and I will stay behind!” Jiang Kun shouted as the escape route rapidly narrowed.
With their exceptional agility, Jiang Yifeng and Jiang Chengyu could easily carry two children each and still escape.
Jiang Kun snatched the saber from Jiang Fengyu’s hand and slashed apart the ropes binding supplies to the horses.
“Eldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law—take Linbao and Shuer onto the horses!”
“No! What about Father, Mother, and Little Sixth?”
Ever since marrying into the Jiang family, Tang Shuangshuang and Qin Sining had devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the household. Neither woman feared death, nor would they selfishly flee while abandoning their family.
“Listen to me! I have my own way to get everyone out alive! If you don’t leave now, no one will escape!” Jiang Kun roared angrily as he lifted Linbao onto a horse.
“Let Little Sixth go first!” Jiang Qingshu suddenly gave the chance of escape to her younger half-brother.
“It doesn’t matter! Just go! Saving even one person is enough!” Jiang Kun knew there was no more time to argue.
Jiang Fengyu slapped the horses hard, and the frightened animals bolted forward wildly.
“Mother—!”
Linbao clutched War God with one arm while reaching toward Jiang Qingshu with the other.
The brave expression he had been forcing onto his face finally collapsed. Hot tears rolled down his flushed cheeks.
Jiang Qingshu felt her heart ache sharply.
“Don’t be afraid, Linbao! Mother will be right behind you! Go!”
Now only Jiang Kun and Sun Yuluo, Jiang Fengyu, and the two sisters remained.
“Eldest son, take Shuer and Little Fifth—we’re leaving!” Jiang Kun shouted.
Then he gathered his strength, grabbed Sun Yuluo, and charged toward the rapidly closing gap in the flames.
Jiang Fengyu pulled his two sisters along, relying on his tremendous strength to smash through burning obstacles as they rushed toward the opening.
If nothing went wrong, his speed should be just enough.
But fate had other plans.
Less than a hundred meters from safety, a massive burning tree suddenly crashed down without warning.
Sensing danger instantly, Jiang Qingshu stopped and used all her strength to shove Jiang Fengyu away.
The flaming trunk fell between them, separating the three siblings.
The wave of heat from the collapsing tree hurled everyone backward.
Jiang Fengyu scrambled up, desperate to return for them, but several more blazing trees crashed down nearby.
A wall of fire rose before him—impossible to cross.
“Little Sister!” Jiang Fengyu nearly went mad.
If his two younger sisters died because of him, it would hurt far more than his own death.
Just as he prepared to leap through the flames regardless of danger, Jiang Qingshu’s voice rang out.
“Big Brother, go! Don’t worry about us! My master… can save us…”
Falling branches and bursts of fire forced Jiang Fengyu farther and farther away.
Jiang Luoyou had already fainted from the smoke.
Supporting her sister, Jiang Qingshu immediately activated teleportation, searching for footholds within the blazing inferno.
After more than a dozen rapid flashes, she finally escaped the sea of fire with Jiang Luoyou unharmed.
But in doing so, she was forced toward the western side of the forest while the rest of her family had escaped northward.
Jiang Fengyu must be suffering terribly right now.
She needed to reunite with them immediately.
Just as she prepared to teleport after her family, she suddenly spotted a squad of soldiers carrying torches approaching.
She quickly hid behind a large rock, narrowly avoiding discovery.
The two officers leading the group chatted casually as they walked.
“Prince Li’s method of burning the mountain is truly brilliant. No need to waste manpower searching for them—they’ll flush themselves out.”
“Exactly. With a fire this big, even the rats hiding underground will burn to death.”
“Guard every exit carefully. If they really are inside, we’ll capture them all at once.”
“Yes, sir!”
Hearing this, horror flooded Jiang Qingshu’s heart.
She had assumed the forest fire was a natural disaster.
She never imagined it had been deliberately set.
Xiao Lijing…
Since you insist on hunting us to the bitter end, don’t blame me for dragging you down with me.
A bold plan for revenge slowly began forming in her mind.
But right now, the most urgent thing was warning her family to avoid the soldiers.
Unfortunately, from her current position, reaching the other side of the forest without crossing the flames would require a detour of at least ten li.
She could only hope she would make it in time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the fire, the family stared toward the inferno where Jiang Qingshu and Jiang Luoyou had disappeared.
Despair swallowed every heart.
“It’s all my fault. I failed to protect them!” Jiang Fengyu smashed his burned fist against a scorching rock.
“This is my failure as a father. I never should have left the two girls at the rear.” Jiang Kun’s hoarse voice trembled with grief.
Every single member of this family was equally important to him.
Losing any one of them would wound him beyond measure.
Tang Shuangshuang burst into tears.
“Are they really…”
“Someone’s coming!” Jiang Yifeng suddenly barked.
Everyone turned.
And it wasn’t just one person—it was a whole group.
Jiang Chengyu immediately recognized the child among them.
Shuanzi.
These refugees had actually remained nearby for the past two days.
Shuanzi and the clan leader also spotted the Jiang family.
Before either side could even greet one another, a harsh shout suddenly rang out from behind them.
“Who goes there?! Seize them all!”
Jiang Kun’s expression changed drastically.
Not good.
This time, they were truly exposed…