Chapter 3: Arson Creates Chaos

Rushing into the thick smoke, Liu Bian lifted the wooden basin and poured the water over his head, then flung the basin towards the fire scene, covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve, and leaped into the flames.

Seeing that the two eunuchs were about to pass by the side of the attic, Liu Bian slightly furrowed his brows, crouched down, and swiftly darted out from the thicket towards the two.

The eunuch, who had his wooden basin snatched away by him, stared blankly at his back as he rushed towards the fire, momentarily unable to comprehend how the wooden basin in his hand had been taken from him.

Dragging a eunuch's corpse into the thicket where Tang Ji was hiding, Liu Bian tossed the body at Tang Ji's feet and then ran out again to drag another corpse in.

Entering the thicket, he glanced at Tang Ji, who was trembling against a small tree, threw the torch onto the ground beside him, squatted down next to the corpse that had just been dragged into the thicket, tore a long strip of cloth from the body, stood up, walked in front of Tang Ji, and without saying a word, reached out to part the fabric of her clothing at the chest.

Hastily changing his clothes, Liu Bian stood sideways in the shadow of the thicket, looking up at the attic that was already ablaze

Crouching in the thicket, he squatted in a dark corner, stretching his head to peek at the path. Two flickering lights appeared at the end of the path, slowly moving towards them. Upon seeing the two lights, he turned his head and whispered to Tang Ji, who was hiding behind him: "Whatever you do, don't move."

Tang Ji wrapped her chest tightly, while Liu Bian reached down to pick up the extinguished torch from the ground. He rubbed some black ash from the torch with his palm and smeared a bit on her face

The neck was gripped by Liu Bian's arm, while his leg extended behind tripped the eunuch. Suddenly, the eunuch lost his balance, stumbled, and fell backward, landing in a disarrayed position.

In the past few days, while observing the nearby terrain, Liu Bian had initially determined the direction for escape. By fleeing to the east, they would take a relatively wide road that leads directly to the distant palace walls, which should be the way out of the palace

The eunuch following behind suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, having received a heavy kick to his stomach. He was knocked down onto the ground, curled up, and leaned to the side, groaning in pain.

The garment on her chest was pulled apart, and Tang Ji's upper body was completely exposed before Liu Bian's eyes. Her fair and tender skin glistened like jade, and the two mounds, which had just begun to sprout and had not yet fully swollen, exuded a rich aura of youthfulness

With Liu Bian twisting his arm, he received a heavy knee strike to his back. The eunuch winced in pain and instinctively tilted his head back, about to let out a cry of agony, when Liu Bian had already freed one arm and wrapped it around his head.

At the very moment they turned around, the eunuch who had turned first felt a chill on his neck as a cold hand grasped his throat

Looking up to see Liu Bian waving his hand, Tang Ji, whose heart was racing like a small rabbit, hurriedly fumbled to untie the rope around her waist and dashed into the thicket opposite the loft, following the direction Liu Bian pointed.

Watching the sparks falling from the attic and listening to the crackling sound of the burning wood, Liu Bian pulled Tang Ji and hid again in the dark corner

The cartilage of the Adam's apple was crushed, and the eunuch emitted a few soft "gurgling" sounds from his throat, before collapsing limply to the ground

Two eunuchs approached, each holding a torch and a * diagram * book, whispering to each other as they walked

Seeing Tang Ji hide well, Liu Bian then turned over and jumped onto the window, gripping the rope tightly as he slid down the outer wall of the attic

The flames crawled up the rope towards the attic window, prompting Liu Bian to turn back and head to drag the two corpses.

At present, Liu Bian had no mood to appreciate the enchanting scenery; all that occupied his mind was how to escape from the palace

Realizing that a major incident had occurred, the two eunuchs did not dare to delay and quickly turned around, intending to run and summon the patrolling guards

He wrapped the burlap around Tang Ji's chest twice, encasing her budding breasts in the fabric. Liu Bian tightened it twice until her chest was flattened, then tied a live knot on the wrapped burlap.

As soon as Tang Ji was pulled out of the first palace wall, a group of armored soldiers rushed towards them

What he awaits is precisely this chaotic scene; no matter how convincing the disguise, it cannot compare to the authenticity of truly rushing into the flames for a rebirth through fire. The tumultuous crowd will serve as his best cover, while the raging fire will provide him with the most perfect disguise.

Thick smoke billowed from the attic, and flames gradually leaped up, almost casting a red glow over the sky above the attic

He immediately bent one leg and knelt forcefully on the back of the eunuch.

When he killed the two eunuchs, although his movements were seamless and without any hesitation, his physique was too frail. Whether it was crushing the opponent's throat or breaking their neck, he had to rely on both hands working together to accomplish what could have been done with just one hand.

With the sound of fabric tearing and the sleeves of the book being pulled apart, a small section of Tang Ji's tender, lotus-like white arm was immediately revealed.

The outfit he is wearing is stained with blood; although it is not much, encountering someone with a meticulous mind could ultimately pose some risk

Following the direction of his finger, I looked towards the attic. Another eunuch also noticed the rope hanging outside the window and hurried over to inspect it. He then looked up at the attic window and, in a panic, shouted to the eunuch who had first discovered the situation: "This is bad! The Prince of Hongnong has escaped!"

The chaotic sound of footsteps grew closer, accompanied by the clamor of voices and the noisy clinking of pots and pans. In an instant, the originally tranquil surroundings of the attic became bustling with noise

The two people were so engrossed in conversation that they failed to notice the rope hanging down from the attic window at the first moment.

Upon witnessing Liu Bian kill his companion, the eunuch, curled up on the ground and disregarding the knife-like pain in his lower abdomen, scrambled to his feet and attempted to flee.

Liu Bian would never allow him to escape. As the eunuch just got up, he leaped forward. Reaching the side of the eunuch, he swung one leg over the eunuch's back while simultaneously extending an arm, striking towards the eunuch's neck like a flash of lightning

He smeared Tang Ji's delicate face with patches of black and white, and Liu Bian also applied a few smudges of charcoal gray on her. Then, he grasped her sleeves with both hands and gave them a forceful tug.

Before her lay a corpse, and Tang Ji trembled slightly in shock, cold sweat soaking the back of her clothes. Instinctively, she took a step back, only to be blocked by a small tree.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Bian had dealt with the two eunuchs. After killing the two eunuchs, he first picked up a torch that was still burning and a * map * from the ground, then jogged to the area beneath the attic, ignited the rope hanging from the window, and subsequently threw the torch into the open attic window

Seeing Liu Bian's serious expression, Tang Ji nodded somewhat anxiously

From all directions came a surge of clamorous voices, as many people shouted and rushed towards the burning attic

"Help with the fire!" he shouted, snatching a wooden basin from a eunuch who had come to extinguish the flames, and leaping into the thick smoke.

Just as he was about to reach out and attack the two from behind, a eunuch suddenly turned his head and spat towards the direction of the attic

Liu Bian kicked over the eunuch behind him, grasping the eunuch's throat with both hands. All his fingers exerted force on the Adam's apple, brutally crushing the eunuch's laryngeal cartilage.

An arm tightened around his head, while Liu Bian's other hand pressed against the back of his skull. With both arms exerting force simultaneously, a soft "crack" was heard as the neck of the eunuch was twisted and broken.

Many days have passed without rain, and the weather is extremely dry. The burning rope resembles a fuse connecting to a barrel of gunpowder, carrying sparks as it leaps toward the attic. When Liu Bian looked up, the flames had already spread rapidly throughout the entire attic, aided by the night wind

Tang Ji, still not fully recovered from her panic, trembled slightly all over, allowing Liu Bian to smear black ash on her face and body

When he ran out of the flames again, his clothes were already blackened and covered in soot. Although he had poured a basin of water over himself beforehand, there were still two burn marks on his arms and legs

With hands smeared in black ash gripping Tang Ji's arm, a gentle stroke along the arm instantly covered the fair and tender skin with a layer of dark soot.

Liu Bian originally had no need to bring Tang Ji with him; taking such a burden would only decrease his chances of successfully escaping the palace. However, the genuine emotions she displayed while dancing for him made it difficult for him to abandon such a loyal and affectionate girl here.

He pulled up the second corpse, and Liu Bian casually picked up another extinguished torch from the ground, dragging the body into the thicket

Taking advantage of the crowd's attention being focused on the fire, Liu Bian, covered in soot and with some burns, emerged from the crowd and waved to Tang Ji, who was hiding in the shadows. As Tang Ji made her way out from the thicket, Liu Bian seized the opportunity amidst the chaos and pulled her to run towards the east side of the loft.

After spitting, the eunuch exclaimed "Eh!" He stopped in his tracks, reached out to tug at the sleeve of his companion, and pointed at the rope made of bedding fabric hanging outside the attic window, speaking with a hint of surprise: "Look, what is that hanging there?"

Having completed all this, Liu Bian carefully examined Tang Ji, believing that she was sufficient to deceive any guards they might encounter along the way. Only then did he begin to remove the clothing from another corpse.

Water is spilling! Many people shouted while throwing the water they had in their basins and jars onto the burning flames of the attic

Liu Bian stepped forward, grabbing one of the eunuch's arms with both hands, forcefully twisting it backward, flipping the eunuch over and executing a grand backflip.

As the crowd grew larger, Liu Bian made a gesture for silence towards Tang Ji, lifted his foot, and rushed out of the thicket towards the burning pavilion

Escaping from the attic, as soon as Liu Bian's feet touched the ground, he first glanced at the rope hanging from the window, then swiftly darted into the thicket on the opposite side.