Arson

Lu Huaiqian tapped his fingers on the table after hearing his third brother's words, his voice deep and stern: "Do not speak out of anger."

"If setting the mountain on fire could solve the problem, the Tiger Demon would not have remained entrenched for decades."

Lu Huaishan opened his mouth, but like a punctured skin, his shoulders slumped.

He grabbed the cold, coarse ceramic teacup from the table and took a gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing, but in the end, he remained silent.

Lu Huaiqian was right.

If merely setting the mountain on fire could solve it.

The Tiger Demon would have been dealt with long ago.

Lu Huaiqian's second brother, Lu Huaichuan, patted the third brother on the shoulder:

"Third brother, eldest brother is right.

Once this fire is lit, it won't just be the mountain that burns."

He habitually wiped his glasses and continued:

"Not to mention that the law forbids burning the mountain.

Think of our Yinshan County; how many families rely on logging, herb gathering, and hunting to survive?

If the mountain is burned bare, I fear it will incite a civil uprising."

After a pause, Lu Huaichuan continued:

"Moreover, that beast is cunning; if it senses danger, it will surely flee far away.

By then, the mountain will be destroyed, the demon will remain, and when the higher-ups bring down the hammer, our Lu Family..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood.

The room was left with only the occasional crackle of the oil lamp wick.

And the distant, mournful sound outside the window, whether it was the wind or something else.

Lu Jing'an, who had been silent until now, suddenly said: "Father, perhaps we really can burn the mountain."

Lu Huaiqian's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he did not interrupt.

He merely let out an "hmm" from his throat, signaling him to continue.

Lu Jing'an sat up straight and said: "The files provided by the Peacekeeping Bureau clearly state that this Tiger Demon is terrified of fire."

Lu Huaishan chimed in from the side: "That's right, I read the records in those files; this beast fears fire above all else."

"As long as we burn the mountain, it will surely die."

Lu Huaichuan reached out to restrain his third brother: "Third brother, let Jing'an finish."

Lu Jing'an continued:

"The greatest difficulty in this matter is that we must make the Tiger Demon believe we are burning the mountain.

We must force it to flee, yet we cannot truly incinerate the forest."

Burning the mountain while preserving the forest was fundamentally impossible.

However, Lu Huaiqian did not speak, instead gesturing for Lu Jing'an to continue.

Lu Jing'an paused and looked at his father:

"Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, do you know of a Western chemical substance called phosphorus?"

The three Lu brothers exchanged glances; clearly, none of them had heard of such a thing.

Lu Jing'an tried a different approach: "What about ghost fire?"

This time, Lu Huaishan spoke up first:

"I know that; when we were young, we saw such things in the mass graves."

"Green, flickering, it doesn't burn when it touches clothes, and it doesn't go out when it hits water."

Lu Huaiqian nodded: "That's right, phosphorus is what produces ghost fire."

"The ignition point of phosphorus is extremely low; its flame is cold and dim, incapable of setting wood ablaze.

If we can obtain enough phosphorus powder.

We can scatter it in the forest around the Tiger Demon's lair under the cover of night.

Once the phosphorus flames ignite, we can supplement them with wet grass and thick smoke to create the illusion of a raging inferno.

The Tiger Demon fears fire; seeing this, it will surely panic and flee blindly."

Lu Jing'an's speaking speed gradually increased.

"We only need to drive it to run in the direction we have designated."

"Once it runs to the location we want it to reach."

"We can simply greet it with bullets."

Although they did not understand what phosphorus was.

But Lu Huaiqian and the other two, having heard Lu Jing'an's description, all felt this plan was feasible.

However, the key issue now was how to obtain a large amount of phosphorus.

Lu Jing'an had already thought of a plan for this: "Father, go directly to Secretary Hu."

"Just say we need it to eliminate the Tiger Demon and ask Secretary Hu for his help."

"Additionally, everything that happened today must be completely sealed off."

"We absolutely cannot let Secretary Hu know what happened in our home today."

Lu Huaiqian nodded immediately: "Good, we will do as Jing'an says."

"Jing'an, whatever else you need, just speak up."

Regarding matters he did not understand, Lu Huaiqian was very willing to delegate authority to his son.

Lu Jing'an thought for a moment and said: "I also need some manpower to create a firebreak near the Tiger Demon's lair."

After Lu Jing'an finished speaking, he further explained: "It means we need people to clear out a sufficiently wide strip of land with no trees."

"This way, if the phosphorus is ineffective, we can truly attempt to burn the mountain within a limited range."

"At the same time, this approach will make the Tiger Demon, who is observing from the shadows, feel even more fearful."

"It will serve the purpose of beating the grass to startle the snake."

"When it really discovers the phosphorus fire, the Tiger Demon will be even more likely to fall for it."

Lu Huaiqian listened to Lu Jing'an's explanation and nodded immediately: "Understood, how many people do you need?"

Lu Jing'an thought for a moment and replied: "The more people, the better. Firstly, it is safer to act in large numbers, and secondly, it will have a greater psychological impact on the Tiger Demon."

Lu Huaishan heard Lu Jing'an's words and chimed in directly: "Leave this to Third Uncle. Third Uncle will take the men to cut down trees tomorrow."

Lu Jing'an said: "Third Uncle, there is no rush to cut down the trees. Tomorrow, I will use the excuse of returning the files to go to the Peacekeeping Bureau again and see if they have the specific location where the Tiger Demon is entrenched."

"That way, when you and the others are cutting trees, you will have a specific area to target."

Lu Huaishan nodded: "Fine, Jing'an, I'll listen to you."

After Lu Jing'an finished speaking, he looked at Lu Huaiqian and said: "Father, the success of this plan fundamentally relies on the phosphorus."

Lu Huaiqian said firmly: "As long as there is phosphorus in the province, I will definitely be able to get it all."

With this guarantee from his father, Lu Jing'an felt at ease.

Once the matters were settled.

Everyone dispersed.

Chen Xuan did not rest; no one was certain how many Chang Ghost the Tiger Demon had brought.

Therefore, Chen Xuan had no choice but to take all the guards and patrol the interior and exterior once more.

After Lu Jing'an returned to his room.

He did not rest immediately either.

Instead, he directly began Refining the remnant soul of the Martial Cultivator surnamed He.

Lu Jing'an saying he would go to the Peacekeeping Bureau to ask for the lair's location was just an excuse.

Lu Jing'an guessed that the Peacekeeping Bureau most likely did not know the location either.

However, the Martial Cultivator surnamed He definitely knew.

Of course, this also depended on luck, and whether such information would be in his remnant soul.

After all, it was a remnant soul, and it was normal for some information to be lost.

[Refining in progress, estimated completion time: 1 hour]

Looking at the refining time, Lu Jing'an did not hold much hope for an Affix.

In such a short time, it would most likely just be an Energy Point and a Memory Bead.

Lu Jing'an only hoped that the memory would be somewhat complete.

Time ticked away, and the faint sound of the third watch clapper drifted from afar.

[Refining complete]!

Lu Jing'an checked the results of the refining.

It was exactly as Lu Jing'an had expected.

There was only 1 Energy Point and a fragmented Memory Bead.

Lu Jing'an quickly examined that fragmented Memory Bead.

In an instant, shattered images and sensations surged in.

The thick, inseparable scent of damp, rotting leaves from the depths of the mountain forest...

A natural cave formed by craggy, strange rocks, its entrance obscured by dense vines.

Sunlight struggled to seep through in a few thin strands, illuminating the dried, dark brown patches of ancient blood on the cave walls.

Deep within the cavern, the stench was thick, hanging over a chaotic pile of hay and animal hides.

The memories within the Memory Bead were incredibly disjointed.

There was no helping it; since it was incomplete, memory fragmentation was to be expected.

After watching the contents of the Memory Bead in fits and starts, he finished it all.

A look of joy appeared on the brow of Lu Jing'an.

Although the memories were fragmented.

Lu Jing'an had still successfully pieced together the general location where the Tiger Demon was entrenched.

With this approximate direction.

It would be much easier to intimidate the Tiger Demon.

Once the actual operation began, things would be far more convenient.

Lu Jing'an then recalculated his plan in his mind once more.

After reviewing the entire strategy, Lu Jing'an felt the probability of success was quite high.

Of course, Lu Jing'an still had to go to the Peacekeeping Bureau tomorrow.

Because the Peacekeeping Bureau should have a more detailed map.

This was also one of the key steps in his plan.