"Eh? Lord Pei, you're injured too?"
"Bang!"
A wave of fire, carrying broken wooden debris, slammed hard into Pei Zhaolin's back. His forward steps staggered, and he almost knelt on the ground.
The lanterns hanging in the fireworks shop had long lost their original colors. Only charred cloth strips fluttered in the tongues of fire.
Pei Zhaolin endured the pain. Suddenly, he heard the deafening crash of a collapse behind him, which made the entire fire - scene tremble violently.
Amid the noisy hubbub, the shrill scream of Huang Zuoshi was particularly ear - piercing.
"Where are the patrol officers from the yamen? Hurry up and rescue people! Lord Pei is still inside!"
Pei Zhaolin staggered forward. Inhaling a large amount of smoke made him bend over and cough uncontrollably.
He kicked aside the curled copper statue of the God of Wealth, but there was no sign of Cui Jintang.
— This shop is so small. Where on earth has Cui Jintang gone?!
Huang Zuoshi stood outside the fire - scene, craning his neck and shouting loudly, "Lord Pei! There are people from the yamen for the rescue. Come out quickly. Don't hurt yourself."
Pei Zhaolin didn't say a word. He just kept kicking aside the fallen crossbeams.
The oil lamp hanging on the beam was on the verge of falling. Suddenly, the lamp oil dropped and landed on his shoulder. The burning pain instantly engulfed him.
Suddenly, in the noisy commotion, he heard a voice.
— "If you break a batch, you'll pay ten times the price. Tell me, in silver or an IOU?"
This voice...
Pei Zhaolin turned around abruptly. Through his blood - blurred vision, he saw Cui Jintang being protected behind Zhu Er.
Her skin was naturally fair. Against the extremely precious cyan clothes, she looked like fresh snow covering a green jade table. The mole on the side of her neck was like a plum blossom falling in the snow, eye - catching to the point of being almost ostentatious.
He saw her kick aside the hooligan who had caused the trouble just now. With one hand, she picked up two large barrels of lamp oil and placed them steadily beside her feet. "If you keep being a nuisance, I'll pour this lamp oil on you."
Pei Zhaolin let his hands drop. His gaze was dazed.
He murmured in a low voice, "... It's okay now."
Hearing this, the hooligan spat a mouthful of phlegm on the ground and pointed at the charred firecracker stall, shouting even louder:
"It was this lousy shop that sold damp firecrackers in the first place! I'm acting on behalf of heaven and ridding the people of harm. What business is it of you, you little brat who hasn't even grown up!"
He deliberately dragged out the last three words. His eyes slanted over Cui Jintang.
In the blue - silk shirt with a girdle, she had a slender figure. Under the lamp light, her fair wrist looked so thin that it seemed it would break with a single fold.
The hooligan felt even more confident. He rolled up his sleeves, showing his thick, black arms, and took two steps closer to her.
"Look at you, this delicate - looking young master. You still smell of milk. How dare you try to show off? Go home and nurse at your mother's breast while you still can!"
The on - lookers around burst into laughter.
Cui Jintang lowered her eyes. Her fingertips gently brushed off the dust that had just landed on her cuffs. Her voice was not loud, but it clearly cut through the noise:
"What if I insist on getting involved?"
She looked up. The lamp light reflected in her extremely black pupils, looking like two balls of ink soaked in ice.
The next moment, she tilted her head as a signal.
Zhu Er, who was standing behind her, had already led seven or eight employees from Yongle Gambling House and silently surrounded the hooligan in a semi - circle. The abacus beads in their hands clattered, making a dull sound of metal colliding.
Only then did the hooligan notice that the abacus frames were made of fine iron, and each bead was a polished lead ball!
Cui Jintang still had a faint smile on her face. Her voice was gentle: "I'll compensate ten times the price for the damp firecrackers. As for you, for causing trouble and setting the fire, you'll be escorted to the government immediately."
Her fingers gently stroked the jade pendant tied around her waist. The two East - pearl buttons collided, making a crisp sound like jade, so that he could clearly see the character "Cui" on it.
The hooligan's face instantly turned deathly pale. Just as he was about to speak, Zhu Er punched him and left him dazed.
The yamen runners who had just rescued all the people from the fire - scene looked over upon hearing the noise.
Seeing that the hooligan was still trying to escape, they struck hard on the side of his neck with their broadswords.
Before leaving, they didn't forget to tell Cui Jintang, "Sorry to have scared you, young master. When the yamen official tries this case, we will surely give you a satisfactory answer."
Cui Jintang smiled faintly.
Suddenly, the plump figure of Huang Zuoshi appeared beside her. His voice was loud: "Oh my dear Lord Pei, why are you in such a mess!"
The smile on Cui Jintang's face instantly froze.
What on earth had she just done?!
The kind - hearted Zhu Er reminded her, "Miss, you just picked up two large barrels of lamp oil with your bare hands and kicked that hooligan to the ground."
"But in front of Lord Pei, you're supposed to be a delicate and gentle young lady who can't even lift a finger."
Cui Jintang's gaze became visibly dull.
"..."
It seemed that her image had been ruined.
The noisy crowd seemed to be split in two by an invisible knife, silently making a straight passage.
Cui Jintang stood beside the remnants of the fire. There was still some lamp oil on her fingertips.
She looked up and saw the official robe of dark crimson coming from the end of the lamp - lit street.
Pei Zhaolin.
He walked very slowly. He must have been injured.
The lamp light stretched his shadow very long, reaching all the way to the tip of Cui Jintang's boots.
He was there, but Cui Jintang seemed to have lost her wits.
She saw Pei Zhaolin pursing his thin lips slightly. His gaze met hers directly.
His voice was low and clear: "Are you injured?"
This voice drowned out all the surrounding noise.
Cui Jintang blinked.
Due to years of habit, she could tell that Pei Zhaolin was in a very unstable mood at the moment.
He seemed calm on the surface, without a single ripple, but in fact, the undercurrent was surging and could break through the embankment at any time.
Seeing that she didn't speak for a long time, a look of doubt flashed in Pei Zhaolin's eyes. He opened his mouth: "Cui..."
Just one word made Cui Jintang come back to her senses immediately. She took a few steps back, keeping a distance from Pei Zhaolin.
She bowed with clasped hands and lowered her voice: "Thank you for your concern, my lord. I'm fine. But my servant is injured, so I can't delay."
Pei Zhaolin's gaze swept over Zhu Er.
It swept over Zhu Er's eyebrows, eyes, and shoulders one by one, like a sharp blade, caressing inch by inch. It was hard to tell whether it was a look of cherishment or torture.
Scared, Zhu Er quickly lowered his head and pretended to be in pain, hugging his intact arm and groaning.
The next moment, Pei Zhaolin slowly raised his injured hand.
But Cui Jintang wasn't paying attention to this at all. She roughly grabbed Zhu Er and fled in a hurry through the crowd.
She also didn't hear Huang Zuoshi's surprised exclamation: "Eh? Lord Pei, you're injured too?"
Pei Zhaolin didn't tremble. He didn't even frown. His lips were straight.
He looked at Huang Zuoshi and said in a calm voice, "You can shut up now."
—
In Liuyi Alley, at the Pei Mansion.
Everyone was on edge this night. They didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.
But this was broken by a sickly - sweet voice.
"Zhaolin—"
Luo Xiang, wrapped in a cloak, trotted over from the corridor. Her almond - shaped eyes were filled with tears.
She saw the blood on Pei Zhaolin's shoulder at a glance. She covered her mouth in shock, and her voice trembled faintly: "How could you be so badly injured? If I hadn't insisted on coming with you, would you have endured it alone?"
As she spoke, she squatted down. Her fingertips gently touched the side of Pei Zhaolin's wrist, but he coldly dodged.