Little Pink Starfish

The Burning Kitchen

With an explosion in the stove, flames shot up and quickly engulfed the small kitchen’s roof. The cured meat and fresh pork legs hanging by the stove were instantly surrounded by fire—practically cooked on the spot.

Oh my!

Yu Xiaoxiao reacted fast. She grabbed the still-stunned Xiao Wei and dashed out of the burning kitchen.

The intense heat from the blast knocked Mo Wen back over ten meters. He slammed into the courtyard wall, and a large iron pot landed at his feet. The jade bottle that had been in his hand had vanished. Clutching his chest, Mo Wen’s expression was grim.

Yu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wei stood in the courtyard, staring at the flaming kitchen. Xiao Wei, dazed, asked, “What… what just happened?”

Yu Xiaoxiao looked equally confused. “Yeah… what happened?” All she wanted to do was light the stove.

The explosion and the flames from the small kitchen alarmed the entire Gu household.

Momo Wang forgot about the filthy beggar in the bathhouse and immediately ran out.

Little Sha and the others followed.

Tian Xingzi did a quick finger calculation: “No danger?” He didn’t believe it. Another calculation—“Misfortune turns into fortune, extremely auspicious?” The old Daoist wiped the bathwater from his face and decided to go see what was going on.

Yu Xiaoxiao stared at the flames, then suddenly gasped, “My noodles!”

“Ancestor!” Xiao Wei panicked when his princess shouted about her noodles and lunged toward the fire. He grabbed her with all his might, ending up sprawled on the ground just to stop her. “The noodles are gone! Princess, they’re really gone!” Xiao Wei shouted from the ground.

Yu Xiaoxiao clutched her chest in pain. So many noodles!

Xiao Wei thought bitterly: the kitchen had so much meat too… But he didn’t dare mention it. His princess might actually collapse.

“Put out the fire!” Momo Wang burst into the courtyard in front of the kitchen. Compared to the panicked crowd, she was clearly the one with authority. “Little Sha, get people and draw water! Little Feng, take your team and move everything out of the house! Start with the storeroom!”

Yu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wei instinctively backed away when they saw Momo Wang.

Momo Wang turned and looked at Yu Xiaoxiao. “Princess, are you injured?”

“No,” Yu Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head.

“You—wait here,” Momo Wang pointed at Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei: …

“Princess?” A worried voice called from outside the courtyard—it was Gu Xinglang.

“Little Gu, I’m here!” Yu Xiaoxiao responded.

“Get her out!” Momo Wang shouted again.

Xiao Wei grabbed Yu Xiaoxiao and led her away.

Two Gu household guards had just been about to carry Gu Xinglang into the courtyard. When they saw Yu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wei come out, they immediately halted.

“Are you alright?” Gu Xinglang looked Yu Xiaoxiao up and down.

Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head. She was fine—but all the food was gone.

“What happened?” Gu Xinglang asked Xiao Wei. There was no point asking his wife—he knew nothing she said would make any sense.

Xiao Wei’s expression was caught between tears and laughter. How was he supposed to explain this? The whole Gu household was now busy fighting the fire, and His Highness the Prince Consort looked horrified. Could he really say he and the princess had just been boiling water for noodles?

Gu Xingnuo now walked up beside Momo Wang and asked, “What happened?”

Momo Wang bowed respectfully and replied, “Young Master, the fire broke out suddenly.”

Gu Xingnuo’s expression turned grave. How could the kitchen suddenly catch fire—and with an explosion, no less?

Momo Wang added, “Fortunately, the princess was not hurt.”

Gu Xingnuo turned to one of his guards. “Leave this to the others. Take some men and search the entire estate. If you find any intruders, seize them.”

“Yes, sir!” the guard answered and ran off with several men.

“You,” Gu Xingnuo called another maidservant, “go tell the Matriarch that it’s just the small kitchen in the princess’s courtyard that caught fire. It’s already being put out. Tell her there’s no need to worry.”

“Yes, sir,” the maid replied and ran off.

“Go tell my grandfather,” Gu Xingnuo said to another servant.

Momo Wang stood off to the side, feeling increasingly displeased. The princess’s courtyard caught fire, and yet Young Master Gu acted like it was nothing? No need to worry? Someone set fire to the princess’s place—how is this nothing to worry about?!

Outside the courtyard, Gu Xinglang consoled his wife. “We can buy more food. As long as you’re safe, it’s all okay.”

Yu Xiaoxiao groaned in pain. “Of course I’m fine! But the rice, the flour, and the meat—all gone!”

Xiao Wei scratched the ground with his toe. Yup, their princess had blown up the stove with a single puff. He just hoped that when he told the truth later, the Prince Consort would believe him.

Just then, a servant from Gu Xingyan’s side came running to Gu Xingnuo, panicked. “Young Master! My young master is missing!”

Gu Xingnuo recognized this servant as his second brother’s personal attendant and quickly asked, “Xingyan was in this courtyard?”

The servant nodded frantically. “He came to speak with the princess. I saw the princess and Brother Xiao Wei leave the room. Then the kitchen caught fire, and my young master ran out of the room—but I haven’t seen him since.”

Who could sneak into the Gu residence and start a fire? Who had such deep hatred for the princess?

Gu Xingnuo quickly thought of Mo Wen and Yongsheng Temple. Zhao Qiuming also bore deep grudges against both the princess and the Gu family—but Zhao Qiuming’s people didn’t have the skills to infiltrate the estate and set a fire.

“Young Master,” the servant cried, “I really can’t find my master!”

Gu Xingnuo’s blood churned. He’d already lost his left arm and was suffering from serious internal injuries. After a sleepless night, he was physically drained—he was, in truth, running on fumes. His face pale, he looked at the now-diminishing fire and coldly said to his guards, “Get a head count. If we don’t find Xingyan inside, search outside.”

So, where was Gu Xingyan?

Gu Second Young Master had chased the green-robed figure over the wall from his third brother’s courtyard to the edge of the estate. Seeing that the man was about to escape over the outer wall, Gu Xingyan panicked and grabbed a nearby rock to hurl at the figure.

Granted, this rock wasn’t comparable to the fake boulders Yu Xiaoxiao lifted with ease, but it still weighed a solid seventy or eighty jin.

Mo Wen heard the sound of air rushing behind him and turned to smash the boulder apart with a palm strike. Using his inner energy broke several sealed acupoints at once, and blood instantly welled up in his mouth.

Gu Xingyan arrived at the wall and shouted, “Stop right there, bastard!”

Mo Wen leapt and disappeared over the high outer wall of the Gu estate.

Gu Second Young Master climbed over after him—but the green-robed man had vanished. Only a dark red bloodstain remained beneath the wall. Gu Xingyan paused. The blood… it’s not fresh? Was this guy… poisoned?