Chapter 1715 — Burning Down the Orphanage

"Not quite there yet..." Divine Doctor Kang shook his head. "But you can tell the hidden Pi family that once we have perfected it, I can give them priority in supplies, provided they support us."

"I see... That could work. I will go back and ask the hidden Pi family what they think." Xiao Ben paused, then said, "Though I cannot guarantee anything..."

"Good! In the past, our two families may have had a few misunderstandings, but now we ought to put old grievances aside and stand together, advancing and retreating as one. Only then can we withstand Wei Zhao's alliance!" Kang Guifeng said. "As for the marriage arrangement between our families, I think we can still go through with it..."

Kang Guifeng was thinking several steps ahead. If Kang Zhaolong still married Wang Xinyan, it would secure his position within the Kang family. The Kang and Xiao families were now bound together by their interests, and there was no denying that a marriage alliance would be a formidable bargaining chip.

"Hmm... This is something we can consider. But let us get through the crisis in front of us first." Xiao Ben did not refuse outright. After all, it was only his niece by marriage joining the Kang family, and at a time like this, he could not afford to haggle too much with them.

Besides, if the Kang family truly succeeded in developing the Life-Extending Detox Pill, their standing would soar overnight. As far as cultivators were concerned, its effects were almost comparable to those of the legendary fourth-grade yellow-tier Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Tempering Pill.

In truth, the formal name of the Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Tempering Pill was the Great Foundation-Building Pill, while the Foundation-Building Pill could likewise be called the Lesser Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Tempering Pill. The Life-Extending Detox Pill seemed to be even more effective than the Foundation-Building Pill. Otherwise, it could never have fetched such an astronomical price at auction.

The Foundation-Building Pill could only temper the body; it could not prolong one's life. The Life-Extending Detox Pill, however, could do both.

"Very well. The larger matter is what counts." Divine Doctor Kang nodded. "Then the Kang family will await your good news!"

At the same time, a major incident was unfolding in Songshan City.

After Li Cihua had taken his men to the orphanage and broken off negotiations with its old director over the demolition, he reported everything to Zhao Qibing.

Zhao Qibing had been in a foul mood lately. The Blood-Clad Yellow Springs Sect had extorted several hundred million from him for no reason at all. He could not afford to offend them, but a little orphanage was another matter entirely. It did not even register in his eyes.

"Li Cihua, take Zhu Lingtou with you and set fire to that orphanage!" Zhao Qibing slammed his hand against the table and roared. "Damn them. They refused to show me the proper respect, so this time I will make sure they lose everything!" He had been choking with frustration. Since arriving in Songshan City, the only major thing he had accomplished was obtaining a Qi-Gathering Pill for the Zhao family. Apart from that, he had achieved nothing.

To become the head of the hidden Zhao family, contributing a single Qi-Gathering Pill was nowhere near enough. He needed to prove himself in other ways, which was why Zhao Qibing had been working tirelessly to make money.

"Yes!" Li Cihua nodded. "I will take people and make the preparations at once."

"Do it cleanly. Do not leave behind any evidence or a handle for anyone to seize." Zhao Qibing's voice hardened. "And remember, burn it thoroughly. I want every building in that orphanage reduced to ashes. If they manage to put out the fire and continue living there, it will be much harder to take action again."

"Rest easy, Young Master Bing. This is something I am good at!" Li Cihua thumped his chest in assurance.

"Hmm... On second thought, make the preparations. I will light the fire myself." A vicious flame had been smoldering inside Zhao Qibing for some time, with nowhere to vent itself. Setting the fire personally would let him release some of it.

"No problem. Everything is ready. Young Master Bing, all you need to do is light it," Li Cihua said.

Thus, on a dark and wind-swept night, Zhao Qibing arrived near the orphanage with Li Cihua and Zhu Lingtou. The pickup truck Li Cihua was driving was loaded with a large quantity of gasoline, meant to ensure that the orphanage would burn as completely as possible.

"Excellent. We picked a fine night for this. The air is dry, the moon is dark, and the wind is high. It is the perfect night for arson!" Zhao Qibing said. "Zhu Lingtou, go spread the gasoline. Use as much as you can and make the flames as large as possible!"

"No problem!" Zhu Lingtou climbed out of the truck, seized a large drum of gasoline, and vaulted into the orphanage.

Zhu Lingtou was already a Heaven Stage expert. Naturally, neither the old director nor Yu Xiaoke noticed him. He made several trips back and forth, emptying every last drop of gasoline inside the orphanage and along the surrounding fence.

"Everything is ready, Young Master Bing. You can light it now!" Zhu Lingtou called.

"Nicely done!" Zhao Qibing climbed out of the truck with a torch in hand and hurled it into the orphanage courtyard with a sharp whoosh. Then he took several more torches from Li Cihua and tossed them all inside.

In an instant, the orphanage erupted in a towering blaze.

"Ha-ha! Job done. Let us get out of here!" Zhao Qibing clapped his hands, looking thoroughly satisfied. Burning down the orphanage had eased his frustration considerably. Ever since Wei Zhao's subordinate Wu Chengtian had bullied and humiliated him, he had been suffocating under a sense of helplessness, unable even to retaliate. His broken leg had been healed by Elder Bi, but then the affair with the Blood-Clad Yellow Springs Sect had followed, driving him nearly mad with resentment.

Tonight's conflagration finally dissolved most of the gloom weighing on his chest.

Zhao Qibing and Zhu Lingtou climbed into the truck. Li Cihua stepped on the accelerator, and the pickup vanished into the vast darkness, leaving the firelight behind.

"With a fire this big, the orphanage will be finished by tomorrow," Li Cihua said, glancing at it in the rearview mirror.

"This feels incredible! No wonder there are so many amusement parks nowadays where people go to smash things and blow off steam. I never knew destruction could be this satisfying!" Zhao Qibing said excitedly. "I almost want to burn down another building!"

"Ha! Once the old family master comes out of seclusion, we can burn down Wei Zhao's villa!" Li Cihua said. "Then we can settle both the old score and the new one with him at the same time!"

"Damn, no wonder Wei Zhao enjoyed tearing down my building. Destroying things really is satisfying!" Zhao Qibing said regretfully. "It is not as if I could tear down a skyscraper, or I would have had an even better time..."

Zhao Qibing and the others returned to the Geili Floating Cloud Bar and soon fell asleep in high spirits. At the orphanage, however, everyone was scrambling in frantic confusion.

Yu Xiaoke was the first to realize that something was wrong. She had been going to sleep very late these past few days because she was certain she had fallen lovesick. The image of the male thief kept appearing in her mind without warning, leaving her frequently unable to sleep.

In the middle of the night, she drifted into another hazy dream about the male thief. Then she suddenly woke to find the night outside her window blazing with fire. Startled, she rushed out of her room, only to discover that the courtyard and even the eaves were already aflame.

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