Chapter 21: Escape

Gu Lifu felt his hair stand on end in terror. A dull ache throbbed in his brain, and his legs turned to jelly, causing him to collapse to the ground. Thinking it was merely the effect of inhaling the thick smoke, he tried to stand, only to find his limbs so weak and listless that even rising proved an immense struggle. At the same time, the guards in the courtyard were falling one by one, like wheat stalks bowed by a sudden gale.

Realizing that his men had likely been sabotaged, Gu Lifu was gripped by a mix of anxiety and dread. The steward appeared at the moon gate with several servants, his voice cracking in alarm at the sight: "What... what has happened here?"

Summoning every ounce of his remaining strength, Gu Lifu gasped, "Quickly! Save the master and mistress!"

The steward, at a loss for how to proceed, was desperate when Gu Yu came sprinting toward them. The steward greeted him as if he were a savior: "Constable Gu, help us!"

Gu Yu’s expression was as cold as water. "Get sand and gravel," he ordered, "and bring me a quilt!"

"What?" The steward blinked, momentarily stunned. Gu Yu had already reached Gu Lifu, dragging him toward a safer area. "I fear we have been poisoned," Gu Lifu murmured weakly.

Gu Yu nodded, then glanced at the steward, who stood frozen. "Go! Now!" he barked.

The steward finally snapped to his senses and ordered the servants to obey. Since the estate was filled with gardens, sand and gravel were easily obtained. The men scrambled to fill buckets and rushed them back to the courtyard. A quick-witted servant grabbed a nearby quilt and handed it to Gu Yu. Gu Yu laid it on the ground and drenched it thoroughly with water. Seeing the buckets of sand arrive, he commanded the steward, "Use the sand to smother the fire! Move!"

"What are you waiting for?" the steward roared. "Extinguish the fire!" The men rushed forward with their buckets.

Gu Yu, meanwhile, had wrapped the soaked quilt around his body and over his head. "Constable Gu, what are you doing?" the steward asked, bewildered.

Gritting his teeth, Gu Yu lunged toward the stone steps and plunged headlong into the inferno. The steward cried out in shock, stunned by his death-defying recklessness. Once inside, Gu Yu eased the quilt open just enough to see; a plume of thick, acrid smoke surged toward him, stinging his throat and abdomen like fire. Crouching low, he spotted Wang Chengjian lying face up near the door, his face ashen and his condition unknown, while Madame Wang lay slumped by the bed, her clothes in disarray.

Gu Yu hoisted Wang Chengjian onto his back, covered his head again with the quilt, and charged back out of the fire.

The steward was waiting anxiously in the courtyard when he saw a fireball erupt from the flames, stumbling down the steps before collapsing to the ground. Two figures tumbled from the mass—Gu Yu and the unconscious Wang Chengjian. Their clothes were dotted with flickers of fire. As Gu Yu writhed on the ground, unable to douse the flames, Gu Lifu called out, "Sand! Quickly!"

Snatching a bucket from a servant, Gu Lifu dumped the remaining sand over them. The flames were quickly suppressed, leaving only thin wisps of smoke rising from their bodies. The steward grabbed Wang Chengjian and pressed his thumb firmly into the man's philtrum. Gu Yu shakily climbed to his feet; he felt wretched, his nose and throat burning as if scraped by a sharp blade.

The servants continued to douse the fire with buckets of sand, and the blaze began to wane under their relentless assault. But it was too late. With a deafening roar, the room shuddered. Gu Lifu looked through the wall of fire and saw that half of the main roof beam had collapsed, pinning the center of the hall.

Wang Chengjian stirred back to consciousness. Seeing the devastation, he let out a cry of agony: "My wife!"

Gu Yu, gripping his knees and gasping for breath, saw Wang Chengjian’s despair. He grabbed the half-scorched quilt, soaked it once more, and prepared to dive back in. The steward watched in disbelief; he could not fathom anyone having the courage to return. Gu Yu caught his eye, draped the quilt over his shoulders, and with a few strides, leaped into the wall of fire. The interior was shrouded in thick, low-hanging smoke. Even holding his breath, the fumes choked his lungs, and the stinging heat forced tears from his eyes.

Yet, the fear in his heart was more torturous than the physical pain. The crackling of the flames sounded like the footsteps of the dead dragging him into purgatory. He suppressed his panic, crouched low, and navigated by memory toward the bed.

A moan echoed from ahead, followed by a sharp fit of coughing. Heart leaping, Gu Yu moved toward the sound. Madame Wang had been jolted awake by the smoke, only to realize she was trapped in a sea of flames. She tried to cry out, but the searing heat scorched her breath away. Just as she succumbed to despair, a hand reached out through the smoke, followed by a dark mass lunging at her. She shrieked in terror, but Gu Yu pulled her under the quilt. The heat inside was stifling, barely better than the air outside.

Recognizing her rescuer, Madame Wang clung to him as Gu Yu dragged her toward the exit. Suddenly, the ground shook. *This is bad,* Gu Yu thought.

Before he could react, the remaining half of the roof beam finally gave way with a thunderous crash! Gu Yu shoved Madame Wang aside, intending to dodge, but a wave of familiar dizziness washed over him. Too slow to escape, the corner of the heavy beam struck his left shoulder. With a muffled groan, he collapsed to the floor.

As the beam fell, a cry of horror rose from those in the courtyard. Wang Chengjian tried to scramble to his feet, but his limbs remained leaden. "What... what is happening?" he cried out in anguish.

Gu Lifu wheezed, "Master, we have been poisoned."

"What?" Wang Chengjian gasped. He could not afford to think; he shouted, "Whoever saves my wife shall be heavily rewarded!" No one answered. Everyone knew money was precious, but they also knew one had to be alive to spend it.

Madame Wang groped in the dark. "Constable Gu? Where are you?"

Gu Yu struggled to his knees, gasping for air. The sharp pain in his shoulder nearly caused him to black out. Worse, the quilt had been lost in the collapse, and the encroaching heat and smoke would kill them in seconds. Every moment of delay was a death sentence. He looked around and spotted a five-drawer cabinet near the window. Gritting his teeth, he thought, "Whether this works or not, it's our only chance."

He signaled to Madame Wang: "Come here!"

She did not understand, but he was the only one she could trust. She crawled to the cabinet. Gu Yu grabbed its legs—the red-wood piece was elegant and sturdy, topped with a heavy marble slab. He strained, but it wouldn't budge, even with Madame Wang’s help. Gu Yu gritted his teeth and crouched in front of the cabinet, back to it. "Push it onto me!"

Madame Wang hesitated, then realized his intent and pushed the heavy cabinet with all her might.

*Thud!* Gu Yu let out a grunt as the weight crashed onto his back. He stumbled forward, struggling to find his footing. The flames were closing in, and their hair began to singe from the intense heat. There was no retreat now. Gu Yu let out a guttural roar from deep in his chest, summoning his remaining strength to lift the heavy cabinet entirely onto his back. "Move aside!"