"Sister-in-law!"
"Sister-in-law, don't die! Wuwu... Sister-in-law, come out!"
Lu Hua and the others wept, standing outside the flames, shouting hoarsely!
The raging fire pushed back the moonlight, making half of Huangsha Village as bright as day.
At this moment, many onlookers had gathered. They stood quietly, their faces blank, watching the rotten wood and straw huts being swallowed by the fire snakes, not a single person rushing to rescue them.
Lu Hua and Lu Yun wailed hysterically while picking up unburnt sticks from the side, trying to pry open the collapsed roof to save their sister-in-law.
Lu Yu stood to the side, tears streaming down his face, his whole body in a daze.
Just then, someone rushed over from a distance. The person roughly threw the wolf carcass they were carrying onto the ground, then turned and lunged towards Lu Hua and Lu Yun, frantically touching their arms and legs, asking urgently, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
It was a wolf! Lu Ye had actually caught a wolf!
The onlookers looked at the wolf on the ground, killed with a single blow, and their faces showed expressions of surprise and greed. The fire incident could not compare to the stir caused by this wolf.
The people of Huangsha Village had not tasted meat for far too long.
Lu Hua and Lu Yun, without time to answer, pointed at the blaze and cried, "Big Brother, quickly! Quickly save Sister-in-law, she's buried under there!"
His mind buzzed, and Lu Ye, without a second thought, rushed towards the crackling burning material.
"Bai Sheng!" he called out her name as if he were mad.
In the bonfire, Lu Ye's clothes caught fire, and his hands and feet were burned, emitting a sizzling sound of scorching flesh, yet he seemed oblivious, continuing to lift the red-hot wooden planks amidst the raging flames, searching for his slave wife, whom he had always treated coldly.
Until a fearful voice rang out: "Lu Ye, get out quickly! I'm here!"
Bai Sheng?!
Lu Ye looked up and saw Bai Sheng standing outside the flames, black as charcoal, grinning at him with her white teeth.
"Bai Sheng!" Lu Ye shouted ecstatically, jumped out of the fire, and rushed towards Bai Sheng, holding her tightly in his arms, "You scared me to death! I thought you—"
Bai Sheng was held very tightly by Lu Ye. In that moment, she couldn't suppress the tears in her eyes, forgetting all the pain in her body. See, even after transmigrating to another world, someone cared about her.
Lu Yun exclaimed, "Big Brother is still on fire!"
Lu Hua and the other two immediately ran over, using their hands to help Lu Ye extinguish the flames.
When the last spark on Lu Ye's clothes was extinguished, Lu Hua, Lu Yun, and Lu Yu all rushed to him, weeping.
Lu Ye released Bai Sheng from his embrace, put an arm around her shoulders, and drew his three younger siblings to his side. Although their house had been burned to ashes, his heart had never felt so secure.
As he walked back with the prey on his back, he saw the sky ablaze with fire from afar, and the source of the flames was in the direction of his home!
His heart stopped in terror, his blood instantly froze, and his legs almost gave out. Reacting quickly, he sprinted towards his home.
That mile or two journey felt like a hundred thousand miles. The image of four charred corpses kept flashing through his mind... his only four remaining family members, he had promised... to protect them well!
Heaven be praised! They were all alive! They were all alive!
"Big Brother, Sister-in-law saved us. If it weren't for Sister-in-law, we... we would have all burned to death!" Lu Yun cried his heart out.
Lu Hua also wiped his tears and said, "Sister-in-law pushed us out first, and she herself... was buried under the pile of fire, wuwu..."
Lu Yu: "Wuwu..."
Bai Sheng guiltily glanced at her three younger siblings, exchanged a knowing look with Lu Ye, and then deliberately laughed loudly, "Haha, your sister-in-law is incredibly resourceful. When the roof collapsed, I dashed to the back of the house and escaped. Ahaha..."
Just as Lu Ye was about to say something to cover for Bai Sheng, Lu Yu suddenly pointed to the side in shock and exclaimed, "Big Brother! Someone is stealing our prey!"
Hmph, don't think he was crying the whole time; his eyes never left the wolf his brother had caught! That was their family's meat, and no one would dare steal it!
The few of them turned their heads and saw two men dragging the wolf, preparing to slip away.
"Drop it!" Lu Ye roared, and in an instant, he was in front of the two men, snatching the wolf.
"Heh heh, we... we thought you didn't want it anymore," the two men said with forced smiles.
"Scram!" Lu Ye's bloodshot eyes were as fierce as a deadly Asura!
The two men shivered and immediately ran off on wobbly legs.
Someone licked their lips and said with a smile, "Lu Ye, share some wolf meat with us, we're neighbors after all—"
"Pah! Who is your neighbor?" Lu Yun stepped forward, angrily rebuking, "When my sister and I begged you to save people earlier, why weren't you saying you were neighbors?"
The person replied, "There was no water, how could I save you? Just a little slave, not worth risking my own life."
"Then you still have the nerve to ask for our meat?" Lu Yu's childish voice rang out.
The person, realizing he was in the wrong, spat on the ground and fell silent.
Bai Sheng walked up to Lu Ye, glared at everyone, and said in a loud voice, "Tonight, someone deliberately set the fire, intending to burn our entire family to death! I want to ask everyone, for so many years, our family has never harmed others, nor taken a single thread or needle from anyone. We have always lived honestly and worked diligently. In what way have we offended you all to warrant such ruthlessness!"
"Hey! You little slave! Don't make wild accusations! Who would be so bored in the middle of the night to set fire to your house?"
"Exactly! The weather is hot and dry, maybe your own candles scattered the fire!"
"Hmph, perhaps it's the heavens who can't stand you and want to take you away sooner!"
...
Lu Ye clenched his burned hands into fists. Tonight, if even one of his family members had met with an accident, he would have slaughtered the entire village. These beasts... they were barely human!
Bai Sheng continued, "I know! The arsonist must be among you! Although I have no evidence now, heaven sees all! One day, I will make you pay a heavy price!"
"Oh, who are you trying to scare with those words? What can a lowly slave like you do to us?" someone mocked.
"What a braggart! Your house is burned down, and you've been driven out of the village. If you can survive in this desert, I'll eat my hat!"
"Don't talk about food and drink. Without a house, this intense sun alone will scorch you to death!"
...
Bai Sheng sneered and shouted, "Everyone! Please remember what you said today! In the future, the people of Huangsha Village will have to ask for our help! At that time, please remember how you treated our family today!"
As soon as Bai Sheng finished speaking, mocking laughter erupted from the crowd.