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墨書 Inktalez
What was happening? Why was there a fire?
As Ye Xiaohan approached the door, she received a clear answer to her question.
A strong smell of lamp oil filled the air, unmistakable even amidst the flames consuming various objects around her.
She couldn't fathom how much lamp oil had been poured around to create such an effect.
With the lamp oil fueling the flames, the room had turned into a sea of fire.
Ye Xiaohan glanced at the doors and windows, which were far too dangerous to approach, and immediately abandoned any hope of escaping through them.
If she tried to get through, she feared she would be engulfed in flames before she even reached them.
"Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law! Are you okay? Are you awake?"
Outside, she could vaguely hear Yang's voice, mixed with cries and urgent calls from Qi.
It seemed the fire had alarmed them, and now they were anxiously worried outside.
The fire was so intense that all she could hear was the sound of burning, along with a strange wind created by the rapidly rising air due to the extreme heat, whistling ominously within the room.
"I'm fine! Stay back, don’t come near!" Ye Xiaohan shouted, urging them to keep their distance. This fire was beyond what anyone but professional firefighters could extinguish.
She needed to think of a way to escape on her own. If they rushed in out of concern and something went wrong, she would truly have no choice but to cry.
Yang could clearly see the situation. Even if he went outside to find someone to help, it would be too late. The house was too remote, with no signs of life for miles around. Besides, he alone could hardly carry a few buckets of water. The little water he managed to bring would evaporate before it even touched the fire.
"I understand. We won't move; we'll wait outside! Sister-in-law, think of a way to get out quickly!"
Yang tightly grasped Qi's hand and took a step back, both pairs of eyes fixed intently on the movements inside the house.
Knowing that Yang and Qi were safe eased Ye Xiaohan's mind somewhat. As for Bai Rong'er, if anything had happened to her, Yang would have been frantic, running back and forth instead of simply waiting outside her room.
That meant the fire was only happening in this house.
Or more accurately, only her room had been set ablaze.
There was only one person she knew who could hire someone to commit murder without batting an eye—Liu Susu.
Ye Xiaohan's expression darkened. She had been suppressing her emotions for the sake of a stable life and Gu Bei's status, often tolerating Liu Susu's provocations.
But now, she felt differently. Some people would not be deterred by tolerance. Only by stepping on them would they truly quiet down.
How to deal with Liu Susu? She had plenty of time to think about it; opportunities would arise eventually.
Right now, the most important thing was to find a way to escape the inferno and ensure her survival for the future.
Ye Xiaohan scanned the room; the fire was now even closer than before, the heat waves hitting her face and body directly. The temperature was high, and her clothes were already soaked through.
If she couldn't get out in time, the smell of something burning would soon fill the air.
Her gaze fixed on the washstand beside her, where a wooden bucket was kept for washing hands. Ye Xiaohan remembered that there had been more than half left after she washed up before bed last night.
Thanks to the booming business, she was so exhausted that she barely had time to wash her face properly. In the past, it would have been nearly empty by now.
Ye Xiaohan rushed over, trying her best not to touch anything in that area. It seemed that too much lamp oil had spilled, turning it into a disaster zone; both the washstand and the nearby vanity were already starting to catch fire.
If she had woken up even a moment later, the bucket of water would have caught fire too, and the water inside would have evaporated, making it even harder to escape.
She picked up the bucket and ran back to her bed. Ye Xiaohan quickly took out a handkerchief, soaked it in the water, and tied the damp cloth around her face as a makeshift mask.
In many fire incidents, people didn't die from being burned but rather from inhaling too many harmful gases.
Next, Ye Xiaohan splashed some of the remaining water onto herself to dampen her clothes.
The rest she poured onto the quilt, thoroughly soaking it before wrapping herself in it to temporarily shield herself from the heat and prevent severe burns.
The doors and windows were made of wood and burned faster than the walls. At this point, if she wanted to get out, she had to find an opening there.
She needed to be cautious of falling tiles and even the beams that were already swaying precariously from the flames. If one fell on her, it would be trouble.
With her body wrapped up, Ye Xiaohan grabbed a stool. It might not be much use, but it was better than having nothing at all.
Holding the stool in front of her, Ye Xiaohan focused on her escape route. She quickly dodged falling debris and reached the door. Using both hands and feet, she kicked hard while swinging the stool with all her strength to break through.
The entrance was likely the first place to catch fire, and by now, the door had been burned almost to a crisp. The flames were so intense that it was difficult to see the specific situation earlier, but with one kick, Ye Xiaohan could clearly feel that the doorway had been burned out.
All that remained were some dry wooden scraps, which would soon be reduced to ashes and could not block any attacks.
Ye Xiaohan successfully smashed a large hole in the door and held her breath, tightly wrapping herself in a blanket as she rushed outside.
The flames quickly evaporated the moisture from the blanket and even ignited its edges. However, at this point, it no longer posed a threat to Ye Xiaohan. She tossed the now scorching blanket onto the ground, away from the fire.
"Sister-in-law, are you okay?" Liu Yang and Liu Qi rushed over and gave her a tight hug. They looked her over and, seeing that she was unharmed, finally relaxed.
Ye Xiaohan reassured them with a few words. It was clear that she was the one trapped inside, yet they seemed more agitated than she was.
In times of hardship, true feelings are revealed, and she felt quite touched.
"I was really worried just now! When we arrived, we saw your room on fire!" Liu Yang said, still shaken but relieved to see her safe. "Sister-in-law, who do you think did this?"
Seeing that Liu Yang had already guessed this was not an ordinary fire but rather arson, Ye Xiaohan didn’t hide it from him and shared her suspicions.
Liu Yang's anger flared up instantly; he never expected that a daughter of the Minister's Residence could commit such a criminal act!
He gritted his teeth in silence, vowing not to let Liu Susu get away with this: "This woman is simply too despicable! First, she entangled with my brother, and now she keeps harming others. She has no regard for the rule of law!"
"She doesn't lack respect for the law; she's just not thinking straight." Thinking of Liu Susu's large chest but empty head made Ye Xiaohan feel annoyed.
Fortunately, she had been lucky this time; there was water in her room, and she had practiced fire escape drills before. If there had been nothing at all, her chances of escaping would have been much lower. In fact, if something unexpected happened, she could have easily perished inside.
This woman never thinks things through; she just acts on impulse, firmly believing that Ye Xiaohan is of low status. To her, the death of a few people of such low status wouldn’t matter to anyone.
Sooner or later, she will pay tenfold, a hundredfold for this!
"Sister-in-law, should we go find someone to start a fire?" Liu Yang, seeing that Ye Xiaohan was safe, shifted his focus to the house. This was their property, and he felt pained at the thought of even a single tile missing!
Looking at the flames and the wind direction, Ye Xiaohan felt relieved. "No need for that. Where would we find someone at this time? There’s no one around here. By the time we go get help, the fire will have burned most of what it can."
She pointed at the still-burning house and said, "Don't worry too much. There’s hardly any wind today, and there’s nothing around here that can catch fire. Once this house is done burning, it should stop soon after."
"Then I'll go clear the area a bit more so that there’s nothing left to catch fire!" Liu Yang dashed off before Ye Xiaohan could stop him.
"Stay back! Just clear a little bit; don’t get too close to the fire!"
Ye Xiaohan couldn’t catch him in time and could only hope Liu Yang would keep his distance—safety first.
"Got it! I’ll be careful," Liu Yang called back as he waved to Ye Xiaohan and Liu Qi.
Ye Xiaohan's expression suddenly changed as she noticed several dark spots appearing on the roof to Liu Yang's left.
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