Chapter 12: Unguarded Slumber, Rising Flames
Deep night had fallen, casting a tranquil silence over the neighborhood.
The autumn air carried a hint of chill, a reminder that winter was approaching.
Lin Tianlu set aside the book he had been reading and stretched, his gaze falling on the sleeping figure beside him.
“She’s a heavy sleeper,” he mused, watching Hua Shuya slumber peacefully.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and even.
“If I didn’t wake her up, she’d probably sleep here all night.” He chuckled to himself, carefully lifting her into his arms.
She was surprisingly light, her limbs soft and delicate.
Instead of waking up, she simply snuggled closer, a contented smile curving her lips as she adjusted her position in his embrace.
“Hmm?”
Lin Tianlu’s gaze fell on a small tear in her robe, revealing a sliver of smooth, creamy skin beneath.
He frowned, a strange mix of amusement and disapproval swirling within him.
Who designed these clothes?
They were scandalously revealing, a blatant invitation to impropriety.
—He would have to ask her about it when she woke up.
The tailor who made this robe… they were clearly a master of suggestive fashion, a connoisseur of the art of subtle seduction.
…
He gently carried her into the guest room, laying her down on the soft bed and tucking the blanket around her. She slept soundly, oblivious to his presence.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved that the courtyard walls were high enough to ensure their privacy. He wouldn’t want to compromise her reputation.
He returned to the main room, blowing out the candle.
“Huh?”
To his surprise, the candle didn’t just go out. It crumbled into dust, scattering across the table.
“What kind of cheap candle is this?”
He stared at the pile of ashes, bewildered.
He hurried back to his own house, retrieving two new candles he had bought at the market that morning.
After making sure Hua Shuya was comfortable, he tiptoed out of the guest room.
He stretched, preparing to resume his reading, when a sudden BANG! startled him.
One of the guest room doors had swung open, slamming against the wall.
“?”
He frowned, peering into the room.
He closed the door, shaking his head.
“Must be the wind.”
BANG!
Another door swung open, this time in a different room.
“Well, this is getting ridiculous.”
He sighed, closing the door again.
BANG!
He stared at the third door that had decided to join the party, his patience wearing thin.
He marched over to the flowerbed, grabbed a handful of stones, and wedged them against the doors, both inside and out.
“There. That should do it.”
BOOM!
A sudden, deafening roar shook the house, startling him out of his seat.
He rushed to the window, his eyes widening as he saw a bright orange glow illuminating the night sky.
A fire.
“Did something happen at one of the taverns?”
He frowned, wondering if he should investigate.
But surely the local authorities would handle it. There was no need for him to get involved—
Huh?
A wave of icy cold washed over him, carried on the night wind.
It felt familiar.
His eyes narrowed, a chilling realization dawning on him.
This fire… it wasn’t an accident.
It was the work of a spirit.
The energy he felt was far more potent than the spirit he had encountered in the forest. This was something else entirely, something far more dangerous.
Ordinary people wouldn’t stand a chance. Even Hua Shuya, with her martial arts skills, had been overwhelmed by the spirit’s presence.
Should he intervene?
He hesitated, unsure if his spiritual energy would be enough to combat such a powerful entity.
But…
“Cultivation is about following one’s heart. To cower in fear, to ignore the suffering of others… that’s not the path of an immortal.”
His expression hardened with resolve. He vaulted over the windowsill, landing silently in the courtyard.
He raced towards the gate, throwing it open.
And stopped short.
Mao Ruoyu stood across the street, her figure silhouetted against the flickering flames, her face pale with fear.
“That fire… how could it…”
“Madam Mao, get inside! It’s not safe out here!”
He shouted, his voice carrying across the empty street.
She flinched, her eyes widening as she recognized him. “W-Wait! You… what are you doing?”
“I’m going to help.”
“Don’t be foolish!”
He took a step forward, but she darted towards him, grabbing his sleeve.
“That fire is too dangerous! You’ll be killed!”
“It’s fine. I’ll just help put out the flames from a safe distance.”
“No! Please!”
Her voice was frantic, her eyes filled with a desperate urgency. “That place… it’s cursed! It’s too dangerous! You’ll die!”
Lin Tianlu smiled gently, trying to reassure her. “Thank you for your concern, Madam Mao. But as your neighbor, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. If it gets too dangerous, I’ll come back. Now, please, go inside. It’s cold out here, and the fire might frighten your daughter.”
“But—”
He gently disengaged her hand and hurried away.
Mao Ruoyu stared after him, her jaw clenched tight. “That stubborn fool! He thinks he can fight a fire with his bare hands? He’s going to get himself killed!”
More and more people emerged from their homes, their faces etched with alarm as they watched the flames rise higher and higher.
Whispers and shouts filled the air, and a few brave souls rushed towards the blaze, hoping to help.
Mao Ruoyu stood alone on the street, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and anger.
She clenched her fists, her voice barely a whisper as she muttered to herself.
“I didn’t feed you half a pound of Bewitching Pastries for nothing! If you die, you’d better cough them all back up!”
It was unclear whether she was trying to convince herself or simply venting her frustration.
…
“How… how could this happen?”
“The fire is spreading so quickly! Everything will be lost!”
“Old Zhang was always so careful. How could he let this happen?”
Lin Tianlu reached the edge of the crowd, listening to the panicked chatter. A group of young men had formed a bucket brigade, desperately trying to douse the flames.
He recognized the building engulfed in flames. It was the fabric shop where he had bought his new robe.
“Something’s wrong!”
A shout rang out from the men battling the blaze.
“What is it?!”
“The fire… it won’t go out!” A shirtless man, his face streaked with sweat, yelled in terror. “We’ve poured dozens of buckets of water on it, but it’s not getting any smaller! We can’t even extinguish the embers!”
An elderly man, his eyes wide with fear, stared at the inferno. “Could it be… a demon?”
“Old Li, you’re right! The houses on either side… they’re not burning! The fire is only consuming the fabric shop!”
“Everyone, get back! This fire is cursed!”
The air grew colder, a palpable sense of dread settling over the crowd.
More people arrived, their faces panicked. “We’ve searched everywhere! There’s no one else in the houses! Old Zhang and his apprentices… they’re still inside!”
Chaos erupted as the crowd realized the true danger. They watched helplessly as the fire raged, seemingly impervious to their efforts.
“It’s a spirit,” Lin Tianlu muttered, his eyes narrowed.
He slipped away from the crowd, circling around the back of the burning building.
“The heat is strange,” he thought, shielding his face from the intense warmth. “It’s cold on the outside, but the shop itself is burning fiercely.”
He took a deep breath, drawing on his spiritual energy.
He couldn’t control it fully, but it offered him some protection from the unnatural heat.
He was about to enter the shop when he stopped short.
A figure emerged from the flames, its form wreathed in fire.
Its robes were as black as night, its aura chillingly malevolent.
The creature, its face a grotesque mask of green flesh, exhaled a blast of scorching air. Its eyes, burning with an eerie light, swept over the scene, settling on…
Lin Tianlu, standing calmly amidst the inferno, casually fanning himself with his sleeve.
The creature blinked, its expression a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
“…???”
How did he get in here?!
