Chapter 32: Ambushed

Today marked the final day of Master Kongzhi’s sermon, and Chongfu Temple was overflowing with worshippers. Pilgrims from surrounding towns had heard the news and rushed to attend, creating a bustling scene. The three large doors of the Dharma Hall were wide open, and the courtyard gates were also ajar. Inside and outside the hall, devout Buddhists were kneeling in prayer.

Summer Qingfeng, noticing the large crowd, suggested that Lady Wu and the Old Lady rest in the meditation room. Xu Xiaoxiao, however, had disappeared, seemingly following Ling Xiaoyu again, completely out of sight.

As the occasion was important, Summer Qingfeng could not afford to leave. Her purpose of staying in the temple to pray for the Marquis’s family had spread, and she had to fulfill that responsibility. Two maidservants were always by her side, attending to her needs.

After lunch, the crowd returned to the Dharma Hall. It was so crowded now that one could barely move. Many of the pilgrims, afraid that their spots might be taken, were sitting on the ground, eating a few simple rations to hold them over. For the wealthier patrons, servants kept watch over their areas, ensuring no one would encroach on their space.

Summer Qingfeng had just settled into her place when the air suddenly shifted. Master Kongzhi had not yet arrived, but something felt off. The peace of the hall was shattered when a loud shout came from one of the side rooms. “Fire! Fire!” someone cried. The alarm spread like wildfire, and chaos erupted as people began running in all directions.

From inside, people who had no clue what was happening continued to enter, while those inside tried desperately to flee, resulting in a stampede at the gate.

Seeing the chaos unfolding, Summer Qingfeng immediately shouted, “Cangqiang, Xiahe, hurry! Climb over the walls and stop the crowd outside. Cangji and Yinxing, head to the main gate! Pull people away if you have to! Push them if necessary! Lead the injured out first. Only four people should go through at a time—those who don’t listen, throw them back into the courtyard and make them wait their turn!”

The monks scrambled to organize the panicked crowd, but the fire had already spread to one of the side rooms. Master Kongzhi, rushing in, quickly directed the monks to combat the flames and help the people escape.

The fire was not very large at first, but it spread quickly and was soon under control. Yet, chaos continued as pilgrims attempted to flee. As the fire seemed to subside, Summer Qingfeng felt a sudden unease. She had been quietly connected to Cangqi Yuan in her space, but now, he began to grow restless. Before she could make sense of it, an explosion rocked the air—*Boom!* The Dharma Hall erupted into flames, and this time, the fire was much fiercer.

Summer Qingfeng could smell the distinctive scent of tung oil, the unmistakable stench of arson. Someone had intentionally set the fire.

Panic surged through the crowd as they realized the fire was deliberate. In the confusion, people began pushing and shoving, tripping over one another as they scrambled for safety. Summer Qingfeng’s eyes darted around, taking in the chaos. She could see the elderly falling, trampled by the frightened masses. The air was thick with smoke, and visibility was rapidly dropping.

She shouted desperately, “Don’t panic! Head for all three exits at once! We will get through this safely if we stay calm!” But her voice was drowned out by the noise of the crowd. No one could hear her above the hysteria.

Seeing that people were still scrambling in every direction, and knowing that if this continued, many would be lost, Summer Qingfeng didn’t hesitate. She quickly activated her emergency lighting system from her space, pulling out several bright illumination lanterns and placing them around the hall. The strong light cut through the smoke and illuminated the ground, where pilgrims could now see clearly enough to avoid falling over the scattered cushions.

With a thought, she summoned a few fire extinguishers from the hospital’s supplies and aimed them at the spreading flames. The fire began to subside somewhat, but the situation was still critical. 

She moved quickly, coordinating the escape with precision. Using the lanterns to light the way, she helped guide the crowd toward the exits. With every moment that passed, the smoke thickened, and the heat intensified, but Summer Qingfeng’s calm in the midst of the chaos allowed the pilgrims to stay focused.

Despite her efforts, the danger was far from over. The fire had already spread so quickly, and the arsonist’s intentions were clearly to cause maximum damage. The crowd was still in panic, and many of the injured needed immediate attention. Summer Qingfeng could sense that things were spiraling out of control, and though she was doing everything in her power to control the situation, she knew that she needed more assistance.

At this moment, Ling Xiaoyu and his master also arrived. Yuan Yin used lightness kung fu to rescue people, while Ling Xiaoyu ordered the Dragon Guards to save the others. He quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher from beside Xia Qingfeng and expertly began putting out the fire.

Seeing this, Xia Qingfeng didn’t say anything but hurriedly took out many fire masks to hand to Yuan Yin, his master, and the shadow guards. He also continuously pulled out more fire extinguishers from his space.

Xia Qingfeng also noticed Xia Yingjun had appeared with a fire extinguisher in hand. Xia Yingjun could protect itself, so Xia Qingfeng wasn’t worried. He just made sure to put a fire mask on it as well, though fortunately, it was small, and its mouth wasn’t too long.

After all, only two people knew how to use the fire extinguishers, and the house had been soaked in tung oil, making it highly flammable. The fire was growing increasingly fierce. Once the shadow guards rescued the last person, Xia Qingfeng and Ling Xiaoyu also retreated.

Since the building was originally made of wood, without the suppression of fire extinguishers, it quickly caught fire. Just then, a shout came: “Master, be careful!” An arrow flew toward the two with great force. The guards rushed to protect them from all directions, but they were too far away to make it in time.

At that moment, a white figure dashed out. With a loud “clang,” the arrow fell to the ground, deeply embedded in the earth. Xia Yingjun, still wearing the fire mask, protected the two by their side.

Xia Qingfeng immediately crouched down and removed the mask.

The quality of this mask is really good!

Soon, many black-clad figures dropped down from the wall. The guards and monks immediately formed a defensive posture, protecting the two inside.

“Cough, Cang Qiang, Cang Ji, Xia He, Ginkgo, distribute the pills.”

The four immediately understood and gave each monk a pill. The guards were also wearing fire masks, so they weren’t afraid. Xia Qingfeng handed a pill to Xia Yingjun as well.

The black-clad figures were a bit confused. What are they trying to do? The leader of the black-clad group suddenly felt something was wrong. Just as he was about to give an order, he heard Xia Qingfeng shout: “Scatter the powder!”

The four received the command and immediately flew up, tossing the powder into the air. Moments later, there were several “plop” sounds as the black-clad figures fell to the ground one by one. The leader realized the situation had taken a turn for the worse. He immediately used lightness kung fu to try to escape, but Xia Yingjun jumped up and bit his ankle, dragging him down.

Everyone…

Is it over just like that?

Cang Qiang, Cang Ji, Xia He, and Ginkgo stood proudly behind Xia Qingfeng, while Xia Yingjun stepped on the unconscious leader of the black-clad figures, grinning and tilting his head arrogantly.

Xia Qingfeng coughed and said, “Cough, this will be troublesome for His Highness. They won’t wake up for five hours, so we can take them back and interrogate them slowly. No need to rush! I’ll go check on the wounded.”

Even though the crowd had been evacuated in time, many people were still injured. The injured had already been properly tended to by the monks in the temple. When Xia Qingfeng arrived, the monks were in the process of bandaging them.

Master Kong Zhi was also present. “Xia girl, there are a few seriously wounded over here. Come, take a look.”

Master Kong Zhi led Xia Qingfeng to an inner room where about a dozen people were lying on beds, with several monks attending to them.

“There are a few women; I’ve arranged for them to be in the courtyard next door.”

As Xia Qingfeng adjusted her sleeves, she said to Master Kong Zhi, “Master, please help me.” It seemed that Master Kong Zhi was prepared, as he pulled out a large package. “All the supplies are here.” Xia Qingfeng opened the package, then secretly took out all the necessary items from her space. “I won’t be able to handle it alone. Please ask these monks to help me.”

Xia Qingfeng quickly applied pressure to stop the bleeding, treated internal injuries, sutured wounds, bandaged, immobilized, and administered medicine.

She handed the medication to Master Kong Zhi and gave clear instructions on the dosages, asking him to help feed it to the injured. “If you come across any difficult cases, just call me from next door.” She then took Xia He and Ginkgo to the courtyard to treat the injured women.

Xia Qingfeng first taught Xia He and Ginkgo how to handle wounds, suture, and bandage, while she took care of setting bones and administering medicine herself.

By the time all the injured had been treated, Xia Qingfeng was soaked in sweat. She thought to herself: *Good thing I’ve been sticking to daily training for the past six months. Otherwise, with this high-intensity work, I’d probably pass out by now.*