With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

"What does it taste like?"

Shen Run stopped, and Qiu Tong stared at the spot where the wheels had rolled over. There was a faint wet trail on the ground, and the pungent smell was coming from there.

"It's kerosene!"

Qiu Tong's expression changed slightly, and she looked up in the direction the carriage had traveled.

Further ahead are the most densely populated streets.

Many people had already gone to sleep.

Once the fire starts, the first to suffer will not be the Shen family, nor the Prince Zhao's mansion, but the ordinary people who are still unaware of what is happening in the palace.

"Stop them!" Shen Run drew his sword and gave chase.

"Wait!" Qiu Tong grabbed him. "They have more than one car."

At the end of the long street, there are two more tire tracks.

These people dispersed immediately after entering the city, clearly intending to set fires in different places at the same time.

"You go find someone, I'll flag down this car." Shen Run said and was about to chase after it.

Qiu Tong, however, had already rushed out first.

"Qiu Tong!"

"Your lightness skill isn't as good as mine." As her voice fell, she had already leaped onto the low wall beside her.

With a few leaps, they caught up with the carriage.

Shen Run gritted his teeth in anger, but had no choice but to follow closely behind.

The driver noticed the commotion behind him and suddenly lashed out with his whip.

The horses were startled and suddenly sped up.

Qiu Tong leaped down from the wall and landed on top of the carriage. The person inside immediately drew his knife and stabbed, the blade piercing through the thick cloth and grazing past her feet.

Qiu Tong dodged to the side, and with her long sword, she cut the reins beside the carriage shaft. The carriage, now without traction, lurched violently, and several wooden barrels inside collided with each other, causing kerosene to spill out from the loosely sealed gaps.

The driver threw down his whip, pulled out a tinderbox from his pocket, and said, "Since we can't stop you, let's light it now!"

Shen Run had just caught up when he saw him throw the tinderbox towards the carriage. "Qiu Tong, get down!"

The flames fell into the flowing oil with a loud bang.

Half of the carriage was instantly engulfed in flames. When Qiu Tong jumped off the roof, the hem of her clothes was already caught by the flames.

Without thinking, Shen Run rushed over and pulled the person into his arms.

The two of them rolled to the side of the street.

He pressed his palm firmly against the burning hem of her dress until the last spark was extinguished, then suddenly looked up and asked, "Where are you hurt?"

Qiu Tong was held protectively in his arms, stunned for a moment, then said, "No."

"Did your legs get burned?"

"Just the hem of the skirt."

Shen Run was still uneasy and reached out to check.

Qiu Tong grabbed his hand, "Where are you touching?"

Shen Run froze, only then realizing that in his haste, his hand had already landed on her thigh.

"I didn't mean to take advantage of you."

"stand up!"

"I'm just afraid you'll get hurt."

"Shen Run!"

"Okay, I'll get up." He quickly let go of her hand.

Qiu Tong stood up from the ground and looked down to check herself. A small part of her skirt was burned off, but there were no injuries on her legs.

On the contrary, Shen Run's palms were burned red from trying to put out the fire for her, and his sleeves were also burned.

Qiu Tong grasped his wrist. "You're injured."

"What kind of injury is this?" Shen Run tried to pull his hand back. "Compared to the knife wounds Xiao Yunzhao suffered before, this red mark will disappear soon."

Qiu Tong didn't let go. "How many times Xiao Yunzhao has been stabbed is none of your business."

Shen Run was speechless for a moment.

Why doesn't this girl believe even his casual boast?

On the other side, the driver, seeing that the two were only concerned with checking their injuries, had already relit their torches.

He ignored the burning carriage and turned to rush towards the tightly closed house next to him.

A flash of light swept past from behind, and the torch was cleaved in two by a single sword strike.

Qiu Tong released Shen Run and kicked him to the ground. "Watch him."

She left only this sentence behind before turning and running toward the burning carriage.

The kerosene had spread to the middle of the long street.

The nearby residents were also awakened by the noise and opened their windows to look outside.

"Fire!"

"Quickly, put out the fire!"

Exclamations rang out one after another. Some people ran out carrying buckets of water, while others carried children and fled from their homes to the street corner in a panic.

Qiu Tong drew her sword and pried open the wooden planks at the back of the carriage, revealing two oil barrels that were not completely broken inside.

If the flames are allowed to continue burning, the entire street will be set ablaze.

"Don't just throw water on them!" Shen Run, leading the cart driver, shouted to the fleeing villagers, "Get some sand and wet your thick bedding!"

Everyone quickly realized what was happening and began covering the burning oil with handfuls of sand.

Soaked quilts were also pressed down on both sides of the carriage.

The fire did not continue to spread, but thick smoke had already risen into the air.

Shen Run looked in the direction where the other two tire tracks disappeared, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"Where did the rest of the carriages go?"

He held the knife to the driver's neck, but the man gritted his teeth and refused to speak.

Just as Shen Run was about to ask another question, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out in the distance.

At first there were only a few sounds, but soon they joined together, and a group of people rushed in from the end of the long street.

The leader wore old armor that he hadn't worn in a long time, held a long sword, and rode a warhorse that ran faster than anyone else.

Shen Run stared at the figure, his expression suddenly turning strange.

"father?"

Shen Ce reined in his horse, its forelegs rearing up. He glanced at the fire, which was now under control, and then looked at Shen Run and Qiu Tong beside him. "Are you two injured?"

"I didn't," Qiu Tong replied.

Shen Run hid his reddened palm behind his back. "I didn't have it either."

Shen Ce saw the burnt cuffs on his sleeves, but didn't expose him in front of Qiu Tong.

He turned to look at the man pinned to the ground. "What about the rest of the oil wagons?"

The man still refused to speak.

Shen Ce dismounted with lightning speed, his movements swift and decisive. The people on the ground stared at him, their eyes flashing with undisguised surprise. "General Shen, didn't your old injury flare up again, making it impossible for you to even mount a horse?"

Shen Ce looked down at his leg. "It was a little sore to begin with."

He stretched his knees, then suddenly kicked the man several steps away. The driver crashed into the wall and spat out blood.

Shen Ce withdrew his leg and said slowly, "But as soon as I saw you guys who wanted to burn down my house, this leg suddenly felt better."

Shen Run's lips twitched. His father had almost pretended to be paralyzed in front of the imperial physician to avoid going to the Northern Border. Now, with this kick, even a strong man might not be able to withstand it.

"Dad, did no one see you when you came out?"

Shen Ce glared at him, "The palace has already rebelled, who am I still pretending for?"