Lin Huang sprinted all the way, feeling extremely uneasy.
A fire in the Imperial City was already a major event, not to mention one where the flames illuminated the sky.
Eleven years ago, a massive fire in the Imperial City burned nine Princes to death, leaving only the Eleventh Prince alive—the current Emperor Shuntian of Great Xia. Three years ago, a sweeping fire in the Imperial City burned three hundred and eighty-one prisoners to death. For that, sixty-seven officials were beheaded, dozens of whom were from the Divine General’s Mansion.
And today, there was another massive fire! Lin Huang couldn’t help but worry. Even if the Divine General’s Mansion had unparalleled achievements and dominated the world, it could not withstand a towering inferno that could burn its sprawling ten-mile estate to the ground.
"Everything will be fine!" Lin Huang clenched his fists, constantly comforting himself.
As he neared the Imperial City, Lin Huang finally realized the sheer magnitude of the fire. Billowing black smoke rose into the air, and layers of scorching heat waves rolled out, making the air unbearably hot. Bursting sparks scattered in all directions, looking like a sky covered by tens of thousands of flaming meteors during a siege.
Lin Huang swept into the city like a whirlwind. Throughout the Imperial City, the Patrol Camp, Five Cities Military Department, and Imperial City Guard were all deployed. They mobilized around the sprawling fires of the Imperial City, which was already in utter chaos.
"Young Master!" The guards of the Divine General’s Mansion looked as calm as usual. Even though the fire inside the mansion was exceptionally fierce, they had to meticulously guard the main gates of the Divine General’s Mansion.
"How is my grandfather?"
"The Mansion Master came out just a moment ago. He should be fine!"
Lin Huang nodded and then walked into the Divine General’s Mansion. His face was extremely pale; it was no easy feat sprinting from the Qinglong Mountain Range all the way to the Divine General’s Mansion on a single breath.
At this moment, the Divine General’s Mansion was in ruins. Thick black smoke rolled everywhere, and blazing fires raged in many places. Fortunately, Zhao Changfeng was holding the fort, systematically directing the firefighting efforts without the slightest hint of panic.
"Uncle Zhao, where did the fire start?" Lin Huang asked.
"It started at a shop down the street and swept all the way here with tonight’s strong winds. It took less than half an hour to reach the Divine General’s Mansion!" Zhao Changfeng said solemnly, a sharp gleam in his eyes. At the feet of the Emperor, such a massive fire couldn’t just start out of nowhere. "Twelve people in the mansion were burned to death, and forty-three were injured. Fortunately, a river was diverted into the mansion when the Divine General’s Mansion was built, which finally allowed us to contain the fire."
Lin Huang looked at the corpses covered in white cloth not far away, his brows tightly furrowed. These were men who had once braved life and death on the battlefield. They had thought they could spend the rest of their lives peacefully in the Divine General’s Mansion, but unexpectedly met with such a disaster.
"Where is grandfather right now?"
"The Mansion Master is in the main hall discussing matters with the people from the Celestial Thunder Sect." Zhao Changfeng leaned in and whispered into Lin Huang’s ear, ensuring no one else could hear, "The Mansion Master suffered some injuries."
Lin Huang’s eyes stung slightly, and a flash of murderous intent crossed his gaze. This fire was indeed not that simple!
"The Celestial Thunder Sect? Are they related to tonight’s fire?" Lin Huang asked.
"Nine times out of ten," Zhao Changfeng nodded. "Leader Yee Sha of the Dark Department came by just now. It’s said that the arsonist is an Inner Sect Disciple of the Celestial Thunder Sect with quite a background. Not only is he a Prince of the Great Chu Dynasty, but his Master is also an Elder of the Celestial Thunder Sect."
The Celestial Thunder Sect. It was one of the top Four Great Sects in the East Spirit Realm. Across this vast land spanning tens of millions of miles, they held the absolute power of life and death. Within their Sect, there were even Martial Marquis Powerhouses holding down the fort. They could only be described as formidable! Formidable enough to cover the sky with one hand in this East Spirit Realm.
Lin Huang rubbed his palms together, his brows knitted tightly. The anger in his heart wasn’t diminished in the slightest by the background of the Celestial Thunder Sect. His eyes held a cold ruthlessness. "No matter their identity, no one gets away with setting a fire in the Divine General’s Mansion!"
"Young Master, don’t be impulsive. The Celestial Thunder Sect is one of the Four Great Sects that rule the East Spirit Realm; they are not something our Divine General’s Mansion can contend with!" Zhao Changfeng cautiously advised as he watched Lin Huang leave with murderous intent.
"Boss Lin, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you forever!" Outside the main hall, Fatty Bai had thick bandages wrapped around his arm. With a blooming smile and an incredibly smug expression, he stood proudly with his hands on his hips. "I saved our grandfather’s life today! Awesome, right?"
"Is your injury serious?"
"Not at all! Who do you think Fatty Bai is? I can climb Blade Mountain and plunge into a sea of fire; I’d even fight the Heavenly King!" Fatty Bai said without missing a beat.
Ever since Lin Huang entered the Qinglong Mountain Range, he had been visiting the Divine General’s Mansion every few days to check if Lin Huang had returned, and he just happened to stumble upon this incident today.
"What happened?" Lin Huang asked.
"During the fire in the Divine General’s Mansion, someone cut through the Profound Iron Net in the mansion’s river and sneaked in. They took the opportunity to assassinate the Elder Mansion Master, and I just happened to run into them.
"Boss Lin, I took a sword strike for the Elder Mansion Master. My body is very weak now, and I need some nourishment. You can’t be stingy with the Divine General’s Mansion’s Seven-Colored Crow Soup! I need to be heavily... nourished!"
Lin Huang nodded and looked up at the tightly shut doors of the main hall, his eyes filled with awe-inspiring killing intent.
"Elder Hann, I believe the Divine General’s Mansion has treated you quite well these past few days. However, today, a disciple of your Celestial Thunder Sect took advantage of the fire to cause chaos, injured my mansion’s servants, and even used the opportunity to sneak into the Scripture Pavilion of my Divine General’s Mansion. Can you give me an explanation for this?!" Inside the main hall, Lin Beichen sat high upon the Tiger Head Throne, demanding answers with an unfriendly expression.
"Mansion Master Lin, please calm your anger. Am I not bringing this rebellious disciple here to apologize?" Below in the grand hall, an old man in a green robe chuckled. A massive green gourd hung from his waist. His complexion was dark and gloomy, and the hooked corners of his eyes made him look rather sinister.
To the left of the green-robed old man was the young man, Pang Bai, tied up tightly. His Dragon Embroidered Red Robe was particularly eye-catching. Even though he was bound, the arrogance on his face had not diminished in the slightest.