About five li east, the temperature of the soil suddenly rose sharply.
The soil to the north was even hotter.
That meant the wildfire was spreading from the northeast.
And it had been burning for quite some time.
Given the current wind direction, it would take less than a quarter of an hour for the flames to reach them.
The reason Qi Yanzhou and Ye Chutang hadn't noticed the wildfire was that the mountain they were on was relatively low, blocking their view.
Ye Chutang knew they had to leave without delay.
She said to Old Master Qi and Old Madam Qi, "Don't take anything. Leave now!"
With that, she helped Old Madam Qi to her feet and guided her out of the valley.
The imperial guards who had been collecting water from the spring immediately obeyed and withdrew.
They were skilled martial artists and quickly assisted the Qi family, as well as Qi Qingyu and his family of four, to evacuate.
Old Master Qi asked anxiously, "Yanzhou won't be in danger, will he?"
In the face of a natural disaster, humans were so insignificant.
Ye Chutang replied firmly, "Azhou only went to scout the situation. He won't put himself in harm's way."
"That's good. A wildfire in this weather is devastating!"
It was noon, and the high heat only fueled the flames.
"Let's first figure out the situation, then find a way to stop the wildfire," Ye Chutang said, quickening her pace.
She soon caught up with the four members of the Ye family, who were fleeing in panic.
Ye Jingchuan had initially doubted whether a wildfire had truly broken out, suspecting that their earlier conversation had been overheard and that Qi Yanzhou was deliberately trying to scare them.
After all, the timing seemed too coincidental.
But now, seeing Ye Chutang hurrying past, he finally believed.
"Tang'er..."
He wanted to ask her for information, but Ye Chutang didn't even glance at him as she walked by.
One by one, the imperial guards overtook the Ye family.
This terrified the Ye family. They ran as fast as they could, terrified of being left behind and consumed by the fire.
The valley terrain was rugged, and Old Madam Ye couldn't move quickly.
In her panic, she twisted her ankle and stumbled, knocking Ye Siyin, who was walking ahead, to the ground.
Ye Siyin's belly struck a protruding stone, and she cried out in pain.
Concubine Jiang was horrified and quickly helped her up.
"Yin'er, are you alright?"
Ye Siyin's stomach hurt terribly. She hunched over, trying to ease the pain.
"Mother, my stomach hurts. Will the baby be alright?"
No sooner had she spoken than Old Madam Ye saw blood staining Ye Siyin's light-colored skirt.
"Blood! There's blood! Is she miscarrying?"
At the word "miscarriage," Concubine Jiang flew into a rage and slapped Old Madam Ye across the face.
"It's all your fault, you wretched old woman! You've ruined Yin'er!"
Old Madam Ye had never liked the heedless Ye Siyin, so she slapped Concubine Jiang back.
"You little slut! Losing the child would be a blessing!"
Ye Jingchuan heard this and nearly choked with rage.
"Mother, don't talk nonsense! This child is crucial to the Ye family!"
He then picked up Ye Siyin and hurried forward.
"Concubine Jiang, go find Tang'er immediately. Beg her to save Yin'er's child."
Concubine Jiang ran off.
After stumbling three times, she finally made it out of the valley, gasping for breath, and caught up with Ye Chutang, who was about to leave.
She dropped to her knees with a thud.
"Madam Qi, Yin'er fell and shows signs of miscarriage. Please, save her child. No matter how much you hate the Ye family, the child is innocent."
Ye Chutang had no intention of repaying evil with kindness.
"Life and death are determined by fate."
With that, she turned her gaze to the northeast, where thick smoke was rising, and said to the Qi family, "The wildfire is almost here. We need to leave now."
Before she could finish, Concubine Jiang grabbed her leg.
"You can't— Ah!"
Ye Chutang kicked Concubine Jiang away, then looked at Han Chong. "Leave me one horse. I'm staying to wait for Azhou."
Zhao Meng had given Qi Yanzhou a few warhorses, and they came in handy now.
"Madam Qi, you should go first. I'll wait instead."
"I can share a horse with Azhou. Can you?"
Han Chong was left speechless but dared not let Ye Chutang stay alone.
If something happened to her, Qi Yanzhou would go mad.
"I'll leave an extra horse and wait here with you for Young Master Qi."
"I need to relieve myself. It's not convenient for you to stay."
Han Chong: "..."
He knew it was an excuse but couldn't argue. So he led the exiled group away.
As for the Ye family members who hadn't yet arrived—they would either be burned alive or have to turn back and follow the group.
Either way, they were doomed.
Once the exiled group had left, Ye Chutang went into the woods.
She wasn't looking for Qi Yanzhou. Instead, she went to assess how far the wildfire had spread.
Only by knowing the area and the speed of its advance could she create an effective firebreak to stop it.
Using her teleportation ability, she went to the edge of the wildfire.
She ran a long circuit along the burning forest.
In total, four mountain peaks had caught fire.
The area was neither too large nor too small.
She could use her earth-based powers to quickly create a firebreak and stop the flames from spreading further.
But that would cost her over ten thousand merit points, and she'd gain nothing in return.
She wasn't about to make a losing deal.
Watching the smoke draw nearer, Ye Chutang teleported back to the woods by the valley entrance.
When she emerged, she could already feel the heat carried by the wind.
The horse tied to a tree stomped restlessly, letting out low whinnies.
Glancing up the slope, she could still see the backs of the four Ye family members.
"Azhou!" she called out loudly.
But the reply came from Sun Chu instead.
"Madam Qi, where are you?"
"At the valley entrance."
Sun Chu moved through the treetops above the woods and landed swiftly before Ye Chutang.
"Do you have any water? I need a drink."
Ye Chutang always carried a water pouch filled with spiritual spring water.
She handed it to the sweating Sun Chu and asked, "Where did you go? How did you discover the wildfire?"
Sun Chu raised the pouch high, and under the sunlight, the water sparkled as it poured into his mouth.
After drinking, he handed the pouch back.
"This water is so sweet. I feel full of energy now. Is it spring water?"
Ye Chutang played along. "Yes, I took it from the spring in the valley."
Sun Chu didn't doubt her and answered her earlier question.
"I went north to hunt some game. I noticed many birds flying south. When I went a bit farther north, I felt a wave of heat. Suspicious, I followed the heat out of the woods."
When he emerged from the forest, he found himself facing a ravine.
Hot wind rolled in, making the leaves droop, and the air carried a faint smell of smoke.
Looking up, though his view was blocked, he couldn't see the smoke—only the shimmering, distorted air from the heat.
Sun Chu realized there was a wildfire and immediately returned to report the news.
After reporting, he went back to see how large the fire was and whether they could stop it.
But the fire was racing toward them from the northeast at an alarming speed, the flames too fierce to approach.
On his way back, he ran into Qi Yanzhou.
Qi Yanzhou had detailed maps of every prefecture and county. Using charcoal he carried, he drew a firebreak aligned with the wind direction and handed the map to Sun Chu, ordering him to return and organize tree-cutting firefighting efforts.
“Madam Qi, Young Master Qi said the mountain fire is still uncertain when it will be put out, so we can’t move forward for now. He asks you to decide whether to retreat to Dayang Town first and wait a few more days.”
Ye Chutang listened and made a decision immediately.
“No retreat. We’ll find a safe valley to stay in for a while.”
If you do a good deed, you have to do it openly so people know.
If they withdrew to Dayang Town, others might think they were cowards running from disaster.
Sun Chu had no objections. “Alright, let’s go meet up with Han Chong first.”
Ye Chutang rode on horseback while Sun Chu used his lightness skill.
The two quickly passed the Ye family’s four members and reached the hilltop with the best view.
Han Chong, seeing that Qi Yanzhou hadn’t returned, looked worried.
“Young Master Qi has been gone so long. Should I take some men to look for him?”
Sun Chu waved his hand. “No need.”
With that, he pulled a map from his pocket and spread it flat on the scorching ground.
He pointed at the black lines drawn with charcoal. “Han Chong, Young Master Qi has checked the area near the fire and drawn the firebreak lines you see here. Memorize them carefully, then set out immediately to cut down trees and stop the fire from spreading.”
The line ran from southwest to northeast, about five miles long.
The wind today was blowing from the east, so as long as they created a north-south firebreak, they could slow the fire’s spread.
That would give them more time to build firebreaks in other directions.
Han Chong acknowledged Sun Chu’s words and memorized the terrain of the nearby mountains.
A hundred men cutting a firebreak five miles long and ten yards wide—that was no easy task.
But whether they could do it or not, they had to try.
“Fortunately, there’s no village near the mountain fire,” Han Chong said.
He then assigned sections of the tree-cutting task to his men.
“Remember the terrain and your assigned areas, but put your own lives first, understand?”
His implication was clear: if the fire got too intense, retreat to safety first, then figure out another plan.
“Yes, sir!”
The thundering response lifted everyone’s spirits.
“Take all the water skins with you. Those assigned to far-off sections, ride horses; the rest, use your lightness skills to get there.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ye Chutang said to the Imperial Guard, “There are plenty of fruits on the carts. Bring as many as you can—they’ll quench your thirst and fill your stomachs.”
Han Chong didn’t stand on ceremony and had his men take some fruit and dried provisions.
With strength, they’d be able to do their work well.
The people of Dayang Town had donated three cartloads of food, half of which were fruit.
Every Imperial Guard took some, then quickly departed.
Sun Chu still had a task to do, so he kept one horse for himself.
Han Chong glanced at Wu Chenggang.
“Keep an eye on everyone. If anyone tries to flee, kill them on the spot.”
“Yes, Han Chong.”
With Wu Chenggang’s assurance, Han Chong grabbed a water skin and some fruit and sped down the hillside.
Sun Chu wolfed down an apple, then looked at Ye Chutang.
“Madam Qi, I need to go to Dayang Town and Lai County to get the locals and garrison troops to help fight the fire.”
“Wait a moment.”
Ye Chutang called out to Sun Chu, who had mounted his horse, and reached out her hand.
“Give me the map.”
Sun Chu pulled the map from his pocket and handed it to Ye Chutang.
She used a charcoal stick to circle the area of the mountain fire, then, based on the rate of spread in still wind, the mountain range’s layout, and the time Sun Chu would need to find help, she estimated where the firebreak should be, drew it in, and added annotations.
“Use this map to allocate the townsfolk and garrison troops. Tell them to be careful.”
Sun Chu stared at Ye Chutang in shock. “How do you know the area of the fire?”
As soon as he asked, the word “Ghost Thief” flashed through his mind.
“Don’t answer. I understand.”
“Giddyap!”
He cracked his whip and galloped off toward Dayang Town.
Wu Chenggang approached Ye Chutang and asked respectfully, “Madam Qi, this hilltop has sparse trees and isn’t fit for resting. There’s no water either. Should we find another spot?”
Ye Chutang nodded. “Beyond that mountain ahead, there’s a river—a tributary of the big river near Dayang Town. Let’s check it out.”
Given the widespread drought, she couldn’t guarantee there’d be water in the river.
But natural rivers usually have deep pools scoured by the current or are connected to underground waterways, so the odds of finding water were good.
Wu Chenggang had no objections. “I’ll follow Madam Qi’s lead.”
He then looked at the carts. “Madam Qi, all the horses were taken away by the riders, so there’s no way to pull these carts. What do we do with this stuff?”
Before leaving Dayang Town, Zhao Meng had not only gifted warhorses to Qi Yanzhou but also replaced the donkeys pulling the carts with horses.
But all those horses had been ridden off by the Imperial Guard to fight the fire.
Ye Chutang said, “Azhou and the others should be back before dark. Let’s just take a bit of what we need for now and have two men stay to watch the rest.”
That sounded like a good plan, but Wu Chenggang looked worried.
“Madam Qi, we’re already short on guards. If we leave two more behind, I’m afraid there’ll be trouble.”
The Qi family members wouldn’t run, but the Zhao, Ye, and Chen families were a different story.
Those three families had nearly twenty people in total. If they scattered, he wasn’t sure they could keep watch on them all.
“Don’t worry. No one can escape.”
Wu Chenggang knew Ye Chutang was highly skilled in martial arts, so he nodded.
“Alright, let’s do it that way.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Ye family’s four members finally climbed to the hilltop.
Ye Siyin’s dress was stained with large patches of blood.
When Zhu Rong saw it, her face turned pale as death, and she rushed over.
“Yin’er, what’s wrong with you?”
Ye Jingchuan had carried Ye Siyin all the way up the hill and was nearly dead from exhaustion.
He quickly set her down gently on the ground and panted heavily.
Ye Siyin felt as if a stick were churning inside her belly. The pain drained all color from her face, covered her in cold sweat, and left her unable to speak a single word.
Concubine Jiang answered for Ye Siyin.
“Yin’er was pushed to the ground by her mother-in-law, and her stomach landed on a rock. She’s showing signs of a miscarriage.”
Halfway through, she cast a venomous glare at Ye Chutang.
“Madam Qi was right there, but as a healer, she did nothing to help!”
Hearing this, Ye Chutang’s gaze turned sharp as a blade.
Before she could speak, Old Madam Qi cut in, “The Ye family killed Tang’er’s mother and brother. Why should she save a bastard?”
The old lady was usually one to maintain decorum, and this was the first time she had spoken such harsh words about an unborn child.
But she felt no regret, because in her eyes, the Ye and Zhao families were both scum!
Concubine Xu chipped in, “If it were me, I wouldn’t just save her—I’d send her a bowl of miscarriage medicine!”
Who said a healer must save everyone?
If they were to save anyone, it should be someone worthy of saving!
Concubine Jiang, furious at being shot down, fixed her gaze on Ye Chutang’s belly and cursed recklessly, “A healer with a heart so cruel—your evil will come back to haunt you. You’ll never have a healthy—”
The word “child” hadn’t even left her mouth before Ye Chutang pulled a hairpin from her head and drove it straight through Concubine Jiang’s cheek, silencing her.
