Chapter 499 - 496: Working tirelessly into the night_1
Bai Qingxuan opened his mouth and babbled, his voice as hoarse and unpleasant as a crow’s caw, making it hard to discern his words.
Wang Xiangshen, irked by his son’s favorite indulgences, grabbed his son’s arm and stepped out of the house, ordering the steward: "Deal with it quickly! Leave no traces!"
Bai Qingxuan’s babbling grew louder, his hoarse and sharp voice akin to a cat’s claws scraping a porcelain fish tank, making it extremely unpleasant to hear.
As the Wang family prepared to strangle those children and throw them into the dry well, a thunderous gong suddenly resounded from Jiuqu Alley.
Before the shouts outside the courtyard reached them, the servants and maids inside began screaming.
"Something’s wrong! There’s a fire! There’s a fire!"
Thick, black smoke continuously billowed upwards from the Wang family’s backyard. The shouts of "fire" in Jiuqu Alley grew louder and louder, almost fueling the flames. The fire blazed higher, and the Wang family’s backyard was soon engulfed in flames and thick smoke.
The Wang family’s maids and servants covered their mouths and noses with damp cloths and hurriedly supported the matriarch and their masters out of the Chuihua gate, rushing outside.
The servants carrying buckets of water found the hotter it got the closer they went, with the unbearable heatwaves carrying a strong smell of burning oil. It was clear someone had set the fire deliberately.
The flames, driven by the wind, rushed towards the Chuihua gate, devouring courtyard after courtyard with their claw-like tongues. The intricately decorated long corridors were quickly blackened by the thick smoke; the plants in the Wang residence curled up from the heat, and the tall trees turned black.