Chapter 222

All the servants were fetching water to extinguish the fire. Qiu Qiu Tianming swept his gaze around and shouted loudly, "Ling'er? Where is Ling'er?"

No sooner had he spoken than a servant replied, "To answer Master's question, we have not seen Young Lady."

"You haven't seen her? Is she not in the room?"

"She is not there either!"

Qiu Qiu Tianming's heart sank.

If Miss Nangong has disappeared at this moment, could she be in the fire as well?

Thinking that both children might be trapped in the flames, Qiu Qiu Tianming could no longer sit still.

He ordered someone to bring a water-soaked quilt, threw it over his own shoulders, and was about to rush in to save people.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred!

The ferocious flames that had been raging just a moment before suddenly seemed like a mouse's head being pressed back into its hole by a cat's paw, or like a stream whose source had been cut off, and they actually extinguished all at once.

A raging inferno was thus put out!

Such a bizarre scene left everyone stunned and speechless.

Qiu Qiu Tianming was the first to react, rushing directly toward Qiu Qiu Fengwu's residence.

The instant he entered the courtyard, Qiu Qiu Tianming froze.

He saw Qiu Qiu Fengwu standing amidst the ruins, not only unharmed but also entering a strange state of ethereal enlightenment.

His hands were wrapped in two balls of golden flames, yet he was unscathed; as he waved and slashed, it was clearly the rudimentary form of a Palm Technique.

246 Miss Nangong Sets Qiu Qiu Fengwu on Fire, the Mighty Divine Axe Jin Kaijia

"It succeeded! Is this the 'Power of Zhurong' and the 'Dragon Saliva Palm'?"

In a hidden tunnel, Miss Nangong, dragging a wet quilt, saw this scene and immediately beamed with joy, her expression filled with an indescribable sense of pride.

This great fire was naturally her doing.

Otherwise, given the guards of Kong Que Shanzhuang, even if a fire had accidentally broken out, it could not have become so fierce so quickly.

Her purpose was to follow what the diary said: use a great fire to burn Qiu Qiu Fengwu and see if it could stimulate him to awaken the 'Power of Zhurong'.

Of course, this act carried immense risk; what if Qiu Qiu Fengwu did not awaken and was truly burned to death?

Therefore, Miss Nangong had to watch him the entire time.

This tunnel was dug by Qiu Qiu Fengwu when he was a child, so he could sneak out to play.

Miss Nangong was his childhood playmate, so naturally she knew about it.

Today it happened to come in handy.

So Miss Nangong first prepared the items for saving people, then hid in the tunnel to watch whether Qiu Qiu Fengwu could achieve rebirth through the tempering of the great fire.

If he succeeded, that would be best; if he failed, she could rush out in time to save him.

Just now, witnessing Qiu Qiu Fengwu press his hands down and the great fire immediately extinguish, Miss Nangong knew it had succeeded.

Not only that, but Qiu Qiu Fengwu seemed to have comprehended the 'Dragon Saliva Palm' that Jiang Sishui spoke of!

Seeing his purpose achieved, Miss Nangong did not go out to meet Qiu Qiu Tianming but quietly withdrew.

Doing good deeds without leaving one's name means receiving fewer scoldings.

Jiang Sishui had left Gao Li a jade pendant; with this item, one could easily lock onto his location using the 'Seeking Object Luo Pan'.

At the end of a small grove by the river stood a small farmhouse courtyard.

Hanging on the door was a plaque inscribed with:

Gao Residence.

Jiang Sishui and Hou Jian arrived before the residence and gently knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

A clear, sweet female voice came from within the courtyard.

Immediately, the sound of footsteps approached from a distance.

The courtyard gate opened, but what came into view was a one-armed giant who looked to be in his forties.

The one-armed giant blocked the doorway like a small mountain, his demeanor heavy and calm, his cold eyes staring straight at the two people outside the door.

"Daxiang, are there guests? Please come in quickly."

That clear, sweet female voice came from behind the one-armed giant; the giant remained silent but did not move aside, his gaze upon Jiang Sishui and Hou Jian filled with inquiry.

Jiang Sishui was not in a hurry to enter the courtyard but instead sized up the giant before him.

For this man named 'Daxiang' was the target of his journey: Jin Kaijia!

Just then, a swordsman rushed out from within the courtyard.

Seeing Jiang Sishui and Hou Jian, his pupils contracted: "It's you!"

The visitor was none other than Gao Li.

Gao Li had been in the backyard just now and had not heard the knocking, but he had heard his girlfriend Shuangshuang's cry of "guests" very clearly.

Guests?

He had no friends or companions; not a single person who knew him knew he lived here, so where could guests come from?

Gao Li immediately thought of the Qinglong Society, so he grabbed his sword and rushed out.

Seeing Jiang Sishui and Hou Jian, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief; fortunately, it was not the worst possible outcome.

But immediately after, his body tensed again, and he looked at Jiang Sishui warily: "You have come to find me?"

That day, Jiang Sishui had inexplicably given him a jade pendant and then let him go; Gao Li had always had a knot in his heart, feeling that the matter would not be that simple.

Sure enough, the other party, by some means or other, had come directly to Zhaoshang Sect!

So what did the other party come to do?

Surely you're not just dropping by for a visit, coming in for a cup of tea?

Jiang Sishui smiled faintly and said, "No need to be nervous. I'm not here to cause you trouble."

Not here to cause trouble?

Gao Li felt a measure of relief at those words.

He figured a man of such stature wouldn't bother lying over some trivial matter.

Gao Li immediately pulled open the elephant and said respectfully, "Please, the two of you, come in."

Jiang Sishui didn't stand on ceremony and led Hou Jian into the courtyard.

The moment they stepped inside, the two of them saw a woman in white leaning against a doorpost, her head tilted slightly, as if listening to the sounds from this side.

Her eyes were unfocused, her pupils dilated and vacant—she was clearly blind.

Her features were passably delicate, but a large, very conspicuous red birthmark covered the left half of her face, badly marring that beauty.

And this blind woman, who was by no means pretty—one might even say a little ugly—was the very girlfriend Gao Li would stake everything to protect—Shuangshuang.

Shuangshuang was kind at heart, yet she was both blind and disfigured. Fortunately, heaven had not been entirely heartless to her, granting her a Gao Li who did not despise her and who treated her wholeheartedly like a treasure.

If Gao Li died, her world would collapse.

That day, Gao Li had seen with his own eyes Jiang Sishui strike at Ximen Yu, and had also learned some secrets of the Rain Tribe. Yet Jiang Sishui had not killed him—in part because a measure of compassion had stirred in his heart.

"Gao Li, is that a guest?" Shuangshuang raised her arms in front of her, feeling her way forward.

Gao Li hurried forward to steady her, hesitated a moment, then said, "Yes, it's a guest."

A look of delight crossed Shuangshuang's face. "This is the first time we've ever had a guest at our home! Gao Li, hurry and invite them in to sit. I'll go cook up a few little dishes for you."

Gao Li hesitated at her words—he didn't want to be a single step away from Shuangshuang at this moment.

Jiang Sishui said at the right moment, "No need to trouble yourself, Miss Shuangshuang. We've actually come this time to look for someone."

"Look for someone?" Shuangshuang asked, puzzled. "Who are you looking for?"

Jiang Sishui glanced at the elephant off to the side, splitting firewood with an axe, and asked instead of answering, "Miss Shuangshuang, your eyes aren't convenient. When Gao Li isn't around, it's this gentleman here who looks after you, isn't it?"

"Is the guest talking about the elephant? Yes—when Gao Li goes out on business, he's often not home, and the elephant has helped me with so many things."

"If that's the case, he's actually been quite good to you—better even than Gao Li."

"Uh…" Shuangshuang's smile froze, and she didn't know how to answer.

Gao Li's face also darkened.

Crack-crack-crack!

The elephant brought his axe down on the wooden stump, then looked up at Jiang Sishui, his gaze unfriendly.

Jiang Sishui was looking at the elephant as well and said, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Gao Li is good to you because you're his girlfriend—everything he does is only right and proper."