Old Harden, can you handle having your vision-shifting abilities on all the time?

2:17 a.m.

The nights at Guanshan Ranch are so quiet that only the sound of the wind and the occasional chirping of insects in the distance can be heard.

As Xu Xing lay on the bed, listening to Lin Wan's even breathing beside him and feeling her warm body nestled in his arms, a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

Perhaps it was because of the new environment, but after returning to her room, the woman seemed like a completely different person, so enthusiastic that Xu Xing was almost overwhelmed.

She tossed and turned from around 9 p.m. until after 1 a.m. before finally falling into a deep sleep, completely exhausted.

Xu Xing helped her clean up, then took a shower himself before lying down to go to sleep.

It must be said that Qingyushi's physical attributes after the transformation are indeed formidable.

Despite all that effort, he didn't feel tired at all; in fact, he was quite energetic. He only forced himself to close his eyes because he knew he had to get up early the next day.

However, he had barely closed his eyes when a piercing alarm shattered the tranquility of the night.

The fire alarm sounded sharp and urgent, particularly jarring in the empty grassland night.

Xu Xing suddenly opened his eyes.

His reaction was extremely fast; he sat up almost the instant the alarm sounded and activated his X-ray vision.

His gaze pierced through the floorboards, and he quickly spotted a trash can on the next floor of the hotel, near the east corner of the passageway.

A fire had suddenly broken out in the trash can. The fire wasn't big, but it was burning a bunch of things that looked like plastic and foam, and thick smoke was billowing up the drain.

The thick smoke must have triggered the alarm.

Xu Xing frowned slightly.

Why would a trash can suddenly catch fire at around 2 a.m.?

The thought flashed through his mind, but he didn't have time to think about it further.

Thick smoke is spreading. Although the fire is not large, the fire-fighting facilities in this old-fashioned hotel are not perfect. Once the thick smoke spreads into the corridor, it can easily cause a stampede.

He immediately rolled out of bed, put on his pants, grabbed his T-shirt, and draped it over himself.

Then he grabbed the air conditioning blanket from the bed, wrapped it around the still-sleeping Lin Wan, and picked her up in his arms.

"Hmm... what's wrong...?"

Lin Wan opened her eyes groggily, saw Xu Xing's taut jawline, and was instantly jolted awake by the piercing alarm.

"Is it on fire?"

"Don't be afraid, the fire isn't big, but the smoke is rising. Let's go downstairs first."

Xu Xing spoke quickly but in a calm tone, one hand firmly supporting her back, the other hand already grabbing the phone and their luggage from the bedside table.

He walked quickly to the door and opened it.

The corridor was already filled with a light mist, but it wasn't too thick yet.

Several guests living on the same floor also opened their doors and poked their heads out, their faces showing panic and confusion.

"Fire! Get out of here!"

Xu Xing shouted, his voice echoing down the corridor.

As he walked out, he kicked open the doors along the way, shouting, "Fire! Get up! Head to the fire escape!"

Hearing his shout, the hesitant guests realized what was happening and started running towards the emergency exit.

Xu Xing carried Lin Wan and quickly walked towards the stairs.

His steps were steady, and he showed no sign of panic even in the narrow stairwell.

Lin Wan was held in his arms, wrapped in an air-conditioning blanket with only her face showing. She could feel his strong heartbeat and steady breathing, and that sense of security dissipated most of her fear.

"Put me down, I can walk by myself."

She said in a low voice.

"Don't move, just hold me tight."

Xu Xing's tone left no room for argument, and he continued walking without stopping.

Lin Wan stopped insisting and obediently hugged his neck, burying her face in his chest.

They quickly went down to the first floor.

A large number of people had gathered in the open space outside the hotel; they were all guests who had been awakened by the alarm.

Everyone was wearing all sorts of pajamas, some barefoot and some wrapped in blankets, their faces showing signs of shock.

"What happened? Is it really on fire?"

"I saw smoke! It's coming from the other end of the hallway!"

"Damn, that was terrifying in the middle of the night!"

"Where are the hotel staff? Why isn't anyone coming out to explain?"

The crowd began to discuss the matter, and their emotions grew increasingly agitated.

Xu Xing put Lin Wan down, wrapped her in a blanket, and then looked up at the hotel building.

Thick smoke was still billowing out of the windows of the second-floor corridor, but the fire showed no signs of spreading and had even begun to subside.

His brow furrowed slightly as his doubts deepened.

Why would a trash can suddenly catch fire at around 2 a.m.?

Moreover, judging from the contents of that trash can, it was clearly made of flammable materials such as plastic and foam, which would produce a lot of thick smoke when burned, but the actual fire would not be very large.

This doesn't seem like an accidental fire; it looks more like someone is deliberately creating panic.

Xu Xing squinted and scanned the crowd.

The vast majority of people were still in shock; some were calling to find their companions, some were discussing the incident with their companions, and some were angrily blaming the hotel.

But Xu Xing noticed something was wrong with the expressions of two people.

One was a manager wearing a hotel uniform.

It was a middle-aged man in his early forties, standing on the periphery of the crowd, talking on a walkie-talkie to someone.

His expression was anxious, and he was saying comforting words, but Xu Xing noticed that his eyes were calm, even indifferent.

That calmness was not the reaction one would expect from someone who had just experienced a fire.

It's more like acting.

The other person is Lin Zhiqiang.

The academic leader of the Chang'an Academy of Fine Arts was also standing in the crowd, wearing a gray pajama and with his hair a little messy. He looked no different from the other guests who had been awakened.

But Xu Xing noticed that his expression was also very strange.

There was no trace of relief or fear on his face, no sign of the relief or fear one might feel after surviving a disaster.

On the contrary, there seemed to be a faint smile on his lips, as if he were admiring some masterpiece.

Xu Xing activated his X-ray vision without making a sound, his gaze penetrating the two men's chests and directly seeing their hearts.

My heart rate is very stable.

Lin Zhiqiang's heart rate is about 72 beats per minute, while the hotel manager's heart rate is about 75 beats per minute.

This number is too low for someone who has just experienced a fire.

Under normal circumstances, a person's heart rate will spike to at least 100 after experiencing such a sudden event, and the secretion of adrenaline will accelerate the heartbeat and raise blood pressure.

But both of their heart rates were too stable.

It was as if they already knew what was going to happen.

Just then, he heard two hotel staff members talking in hushed tones nearby.

"Another trash can caught fire; this is the second time this month."

"Yes, it happened last Wednesday too. The trash cans in the third-floor corridor caught fire for no reason. Luckily, we found it early."

"The manager said it might be someone littering a cigarette butt, but that's too much of a coincidence."

"Who knows? Anyway, don't talk nonsense or you'll get retaliated against."

The two spoke in hushed tones, and Xu Xing overheard the gist of their conversation.

This is the second time this month, and both times it happened when there were a lot of customers.

Xu Xing's brain started working at lightning speed.

He recalled Lin Zhiqiang's identity and the history of the Guanshan Ranch area.

Located on the northern foothills of the Qinling Mountains, this place has been considered a geomantically auspicious site since ancient times, with numerous ancient tombs and ruins nearby.

A bold hypothesis took shape in his mind.

Lin Zhiqiang bribed the hotel manager to deliberately set fire to create panic and scare away tourists.

Especially for groups with a large number of members like theirs.

Why?

Because there might be something shady going on near Guanshan Ranch, they don't want anyone to find out.

For example, tomb raiding.