The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 677 - 646 Arson, Felony_1

Chapter 677: Chapter 646 Arson, Felony_1

Old Man Liu came up to the main road from a side path, his mind racing with unease.

Considering the favors he had received from He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie before, he felt obligated to warn them so that they could be prepared, lest Qi Jianguo really resorted to killing and arson, leading to irrevocable disaster.

Old Man Liu turned his cart around and drove his ox-cart in the direction of Qijia Village.

All along the way, he didn’t encounter Qi Jianguo. Either Qi Jianguo hadn’t come to Qijia Village or he had already entered the village.

Old Man Liu drove his ox-cart into the village and soon arrived at Third Grandma Qi’s doorstep, when suddenly he smelled gasoline and immediately realized something was wrong. He rushed to bang on the door, shouting, "Quick, open the door, Third Auntie, I’ve come to see you."

He Tiantian heard the noise and came out to open the door, surprised, "Grandpa Liu, what brings you here so late? Is something wrong?"

Old Man Liu came in, saying, "Do you smell gasoline? Quickly take the children out."

He Tiantian was alarmed and smelled gasoline as well. She hurried inside, only to find that the outside of the house was already on fire.

Old Man Liu followed her in. He Tiantian picked up one child and Old Man Liu helped by picking up another.

Old Man Qi, Grandma Wang, and Third Grandma Qi heard the commotion and hurried out of the house.

By that time, the fire outside was even bigger.

"Grandma, Grandpa Qi, you need to get out quickly," He Tiantian urged, "Our house is on fire."

"Oh, oh," exclaimed Third Grandma Qi, her legs turning to jelly from shock.

In the darkness, Old Man Qi quietly took Third Grandma Qi’s hand. It was rough, thin, but strong.

The fearful Third Grandma Qi turned to look at Old Man Qi beside her and felt reassured, grateful to have this man by her side.

"Don’t be afraid, let’s get out," Old Man Qi said in a deep voice, pulling Third Grandma Qi towards the door.

By this time, other villagers had noticed the flames and came running to help put out the fire.

Just as He Tiantian was about to open the door, it was suddenly flung open from the outside.

In the flickering light of the flames, He Tiantian saw a man with a fierce expression, looking deranged.

Qi Jianguo?

Qi Jianguo was holding a torch and a knife sharpened to a deadly point.

Taking a step back, He Tiantian admonished, "Qi Jianguo, if you don’t want to die, leave immediately."

Old Man Qi frowned, realizing that the fire hadn’t started by accident and scolded, "Qi Jianguo, even if you don’t want to live, think about your grandmother, your parents."

Hearing this, Qi Jianguo’s face froze for a moment, but then madness and ferocity returned.

"Better to die than live a life of lingering misery," Qi Jianguo spat out and without further hesitation, charged forward.

He Tiantian quickly retreated, protecting the child in her arms.

In that moment, a dark figure sprang from behind and pounced on Qi Jianguo.

With a "thud," Qi Jianguo was brought down by something dark and large.

The two children, frightened by the commotion, started crying loudly.

Seeing Little Rotating Turtle leading the charge against Qi Jianguo, He Tiantian’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down.

Huo Yingjie and Village Chief Qi, who had been drinking at Qi Shugen’s house, heard the noise outside and came out one after another.

Huo Yingjie, seeing the direction of the fire, broke into a cold sweat.

It was Third Grandma Qi’s home, where his wife and children were.

Huo Yingjie swiftly ran in this direction, and luckily, the darkness helped conceal his levitating sprint.

As Little Rotating Turtle tightly pinned down Qi Jianguo, Qi’s hands weren’t idle either; he frantically chopped at Little Rotating Turtle’s body with his knife.

But Little Rotating Turtle was a stone statue!

It was crafted from ancient stone condensation, and ordinary knives couldn’t leave a single mark on it.

Fortunately, the torch in Qi Jianguo’s hand fell and was thrown far away, so no one saw clearly what was clinging onto Qi Jianguo’s body, wondering what it was.

When Huo Yingjie arrived, his eyes were bloodshot. He pinched a spell, and Qi Jianguo passed out and stopped moving.

Seeing its master coming, Little Rotating Turtle took the opportunity to leave.

Many people brought buckets to extinguish the fire, but since these were wooden houses doused with gasoline, the fire blazed even more fiercely after water was poured on it.

Third Grandma Qi thought of the precious old photographs in her house and wanted to go in and retrieve them.

Old Man Qi tightly held Third Grandma Qi’s hand, saying, "People are more important than photographs!"

"Sigh, without those photographs, I will gradually forget what I used to look like." Those photographs had been a support for Third Grandma Qi’s life for so many years; they were incredibly important to her.

Old Man Qi chuckled, his somewhat cloudy eyes filled with sincerity as he softly said, "It doesn’t matter if you forget, as long as I always remember!"

Third Grandma Qi paused briefly, then smiled.

Those were memories, things of the past.

Now that her son had come back, the old man could die in peace.

In the coming years, she could live a quiet life with her second brother and finish the last few years of her life.

He Tiantian sighed in relief upon seeing Huo Yingjie.

"Don’t be afraid," Huo Yingjie said softly, holding his wife tightly.

"I’m not scared. We were lucky that Grandpa Liu came this time," He Tiantian replied, her son still cradled in Grandpa Liu’s arms.

"Thank you, Grandpa Liu," Huo Yingjie thanked him as he took the child from Old Man Liu’s arms.

"Let’s not talk now, we need to quickly put the fire out," Old Man Liu said.

"Tiantian, take the child, your second uncle, and third aunt to my house," Secretary Qi said, "we’ll stay here and fight the fire."

Huo Yingjie made sure everyone got to Village Chief Qi’s house, then hurried back.

Seeing the fire growing stronger, Huo Yingjie felt exasperated and crafted another spell, followed by a "crack" as thunder and lightning appeared in the sky.

While everyone was stunned, a downpour gushed from the sky.

Since the people of Qijia Village worshiped the Divine Dragon, Huo Yingjie conjured an illusion of a dragon that circled in the sky a few times before disappearing.

The villagers of Qijia were dumbstruck; only after the Divine Dragon vanished did they come to their senses, and they hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, even Old Man Liu, who had been moving his ox cart elsewhere, witnessed this scene.

It had always been said that Qijia Village was protected by a Divine Dragon; everyone thought it was just a legend, but it turned out to be real!

It was truly worth making this extra trip just to see the Divine Dragon.

Old Man Liu bowed his head many times, hoping the Divine Dragon would feel his sincerity and protect him and his family for a long and peaceful life.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but it was dark now, not suitable to go in and clean up, to avoid being hit by charred wood.

"Let’s all go back, and thank you all. Tomorrow, I will properly express my gratitude," Secretary Qi said, bowing to everyone with folded hands. With the protection of the Divine Dragon, he feared nothing.

Huo Yingjie pointed at the man lying unconscious on the ground, asking, "He’s the one who set the fire, what do we do now?"

"Tie him up," Village Chief Qi said, still unaware of the person’s identity, his face darkening. "I want to see who has the audacity to commit arson and murder?"