No one knew exactly what had happened between Qi Qing and the three men. After delivering his embellished account, the chief jailer had merely been waved outside to wait.
He dared not peek inside and could only hear faint sounds of a less-than-fierce scuffle. He could not tell what clashes had occurred between the four men. Of course, he knew perfectly well that if Qi Qing wished, the three men-or even all four of them-could lose their lives in an instant. Fewer than a hundred Elementalists could not even get close to him, let alone those three.
The noise inside gradually grew louder. He began to make out the arguing, mixed with the sounds of teacups shattering, a wooden table shaking, and other crashing and banging. Heh, those three were in for a rough night.
With that thought, he pressed his ear to the door, hoping for an even greater commotion inside. Just then, several soldiers hurried over with anxious faces. Their manner alone told him they had an urgent report.
Cursing under his breath, the chief jailer turned and left. He knew his entertainment for the night was over. As he walked away, he also heard the soldiers urgently reporting a fire.
He turned into the corridor and looked toward the northern city gate. Numerous torches had gathered there, beneath an enormous black cloud tinged with purple. Even from this distance, the wind carried a trace of a pungent, sour, scorched stench to him, like socks left soaking for a month without being washed.
Although the fire had been extinguished, its impact lingered in every soldier's heart, burning all the way into the next dawn.
"Cough, cough..."
The man lying in bed was deathly pale, like a fisherman who had survived a shipwreck. His breathing alternated between fast and