Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: They Are Definitely Involved

Ling Qianjun and Ling Qianfan had never expected this object called a ”fire extinguisher” to be so miraculous. Wherever its spray passed, the flames recoiled as if terrified, shrinking back like mice fleeing a cat.

Their fighting spirit ignited, they continued battling the blaze in the room. They had to clear an escape route before the extinguishers ran out!

The hallway outside their door was already a sea of flames. Fortunately, the area burning near the window was much smaller, so they focused all their energy there.

Just then, Ling Qianjun saw the government officers approaching below. Noting that the later arrivals were carrying thick bedding and cushions, his confidence grew.

Ling Yunge and Xu Panqing followed closely behind the two men, not daring to look away for even a second.

Though the government officers couldn’t understand why white mist was spraying from Ling Qianjun’s room—nor why the fire seemed completely unable to touch them—now was not the time to dwell on such mysteries. At the head government officer’s command, they immediately spread the thick cushions beneath Ling Qianjun’s window.

Ling Qianjun found a pillar that had yet to catch fire and quickly secured the escape rope. He had Ling Qianfan climb down first, followed by his mother and sister, while he brought up the rear. Once they were safely on their way down, he immediately opened the Any Door and tossed the two fire extinguishers back into the supermarket.

There was no time to even speak to Hua Buwan. He immediately turned back to the inn to make his own descent. Before leaving, however, Ling Qianjun called out to everyone else trapped on the second floor, directing them toward his escape route.

That was the extent of his help; he wasn’t going to babysit them. He climbed down from the inn and joined his family, looking up to watch the crowd on the second floor shoving each other as they scrambled for the rope. Naturally, in their desperation to descend first, some began brawling with the people next to them. There were even women and children caught in the chaos... It was a true display of the ugliest side of human nature.

Ling Qianjun had already fulfilled his moral obligation by clearing a path and securing the escape rope for them. He certainly didn’t expect any gratitude in return. He simply didn’t want so many people to perish here—especially since it was highly likely that these bystanders were only caught in the fire because of the Ling Family. Furthermore, if there were massive casualties, the government officers would have to report it to the Court, which would only cause unnecessary trouble for everyone.

The head government officer shot Ling Qianjun a profound look before stepping forward with two other government officers to direct the people climbing down from upstairs. If he didn’t intervene, those people wouldn’t burn to death; they would end up beating each other to death, trampling each other, or shoving someone off the ledge to fall to their doom!

Only when everyone from the second floor had safely made it down did the government officers finally breathe a sigh of relief. They had originally feared that such a massive blaze would claim the lives of many exiles. Astonishingly, aside from a few broken legs and burned hands, every single person had survived.

With the inn destroyed, the group had nowhere else to stay and was forced to rest right where they were on the street. Officials from the local Government Office soon arrived, and the head government officer stepped forward to confer with them. Meanwhile, surrounding crowds of gossiping onlookers pointed at the stranded group, whispering and murmuring among themselves.

By daybreak, personnel from the County Government had interrogated them one by one. It was quickly determined that the exiles were entirely uninvolved and had not started the fire. Furthermore, the inn’s Shopkeeper and the waitstaff testified that the kitchen had been empty and no fires had been left burning.

Ultimately, the incident was classified as a deliberate act of arson by someone harboring a grudge against the inn. As for the culprit’s identity, that remained under investigation.

Meanwhile, the group of exiles was immediately ordered out of the city, strictly forbidden from lingering within its walls. They had initially thought themselves incredibly lucky to be staying at an inn, looking forward to a good wash and a restful night’s sleep. In the end, reeking of smoke and looking even more wretched than before, they were forced to resume their grueling trek to Lingnan.

The head government officer deliberately hung back at the rear of the group, pulling up beside Ling Qianjun. He had far too many unanswered questions, and his intuition told him that this entire ordeal was inextricably linked to the Ling Family.