The Arsonist

Huan Wei first came out of his neighborhood. No one had gone down to the streets yet. The marketplace didn't seem to be open either. He went to a corner and put the hairpin in his hair. He tried to make his hair look like Huan Hong's hair. The hairpin shone as the sunlight hit it. He quickened his pace and came back to the area he had come to yesterday. He was going to hang around here for a while. Even if the people here didn't see his face, they had to see that he was here. The fact that he had wandered around for two days in a row would already arouse suspicion.

"A man who started plotting only yesterday is going to sacrifice me?" Huan Wei laughed to himself. Huan Hong must have thought him so pathetic. He even believed that he could use Huan Wei, pretending to give hope to his desperation. It was like an insult.

The sun was rising a little higher. Huan Wei walked around with his head bowed. As people started to go out into the street to go to the marketplace, he passed a few people. The glowing hairpin must have attracted attention. He wandered around the big houses for a while. They all had large gardens. Huan Fu's town guards were patrolling the streets. He was careful not to confront them too much.

For a while he looked for a house to start the fire. The burning of a poor person's house might not attract enough attention, but a rich person's house certainly would. Finally, he spotted a house. It was a big house with a garden next to it. The best part was that there was a silo on the side of the house where the hay for the animals was stored. The fact that the silo was attached to the barn made things very nice.

Huan Wei started to inspect the house. The household was going out, but some of the workers were still inside. The young man took a few laps around the house. Occasionally the town guards passed by. Huan Wei could jump over the wall and go inside, but if one of the employees shouted, it would be all over. So he had to keep a low profile. He walked around for a while longer. It was almost noon as he surveyed all the possibilities. So he had to act.

The man taking care of the animals was busy walking around the garden, watering the plants. Huan Wei waited for a moment when there would be fewer people and jumped on the wall without being seen by the guards. He hadn't thought he would have to use his arms like this. The training was taking its toll now. His arms were now too sore to pull his body up. He cursed as he let himself down. He had to find another way through the wall. Or maybe through the main entrance?

He made it to the front of the house. There was a big door, but there was a guard standing in front of it. It was impossible to pass unseen. Huan Wei looked around to see what he could do. Then a beggar caught his eye. The plan was formed.

He approached the beggar with calm steps. When the beggar saw someone coming, he eagerly turned toward him. As he held out his hand, he said, "May the gods give you strength, sir, please give me some money for food. I am very hungry."

Huan Wei turned his head away. He didn't want him to see his face. The hairpin was quite visible. "Hey, do you want to earn more than food money? All you have to do is run."

The beggar was surprised. "I am very hungry. Please give me some money."

"If you plan to live only by begging, your misery will continue. My name is Huan Wei. I will give you a job. If you do it, I will give you 5 silver coins. You will be comfortable this month." Huan Wei deliberately gave his real name. The beggar stopped.

"What do you want me to do?"

"See that guard at the door?"

The beggar was a middle-aged man. He looked in that direction. "I see him."

"That's when you slap him hard and run."

"But..." Adam wasn't so sure about that. "'He'll catch me. I'll take a beating."

"You'll take some beating and you'll be fine for a month. Or you can keep crawling here every day. People go to the marketplace. They won't let you near there. No one stays here either. You want to wander around hungry? This is your chance. Slap that man and run. Then come back here. You can find me anytime you want. My name is Huan Wei. I live on the east side. Anyone can show you." He was still careful to hide his face.

"Can't you give me the money now?"

"No. And you know what, if you don't, I'll say you're a thief and put you in jail. My name is Huan Wei. I will do it."

The beggar stopped. I could tell he was getting scared. "Please don't do it. I'd rather sleep on the street than in jail."

"Then run and get your money. Remember, my name is Huan Wei." The young man walked away from the beggar. He took an empty spot on the opposite side of the house and waited. The beggar did not know what to do. He was afraid of going to jail. Maybe it was better to get a one-time beating and take the money. He slowly got up and started approaching the house. Seeing him coming, the guard also turned towards him.

The beggar approached quietly and stood opposite the guard. The man at the gate looked at the beggar. "What do you want, beggar?"

"I... I just..." The middle-aged man took a deep breath. Huan Wei was standing at the ready. Just then the beggar raised his hand and slapped the guard hard across the face. The sound of the slap reached Huan Wei. The guard was surprised. He had not expected such an act from the beggar. Frightened, the man started to run without looking back, and the guard followed him with an angry expression. He was shouting and cursing.

Seeing that the door was open, Huan Wei acted immediately. Before Huan Fu's bodyguards arrived, he went through the gate and hid from the man in the garden. He had his back to the corner of the house. He poked his head out a little to see where he was. He was excited. If he was caught, something terrible could happen. The beggar was right to be afraid of going to jail. Bitter Sea Town prison had a bad reputation.

Huan Wei went around the house and came to the silo. Bales of straw were lined up next to the structure. It was perfect for starting a fire, but it wasn't exactly what he wanted. He also needed death. Otherwise Huan Hong would not be executed. And if that happened, he and Huan Quon would team up and come to settle the score. Huan Wei was not yet strong enough to win such a battle. So the only way out was for Huan Hong to die.

He poked his head out from behind the silo and watched the man in the garden. He was still tending the flowers. Huan Wei picked up a piece of stone from the bottom of the flowers next to him. His heart was beating like it was going to burst out of his chest. He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. Then he waited for the man to look toward the silo. When he did, he knocked over one of the hay bales. He had succeeded. He had caught the gardener's attention.

The gardener put down the hulk in his hand and started to come towards the silo. "I've told you many times to stack them properly, but no." He walked along, muttering to himself. When he got there, he bent down to pick up the bale of straw. Huan Wei summoned up his courage and moved too, going around the other side and coming up behind the man. As he lifted the stone, the gardener suddenly turned to him.

"What's going o-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the rock hit him on the head and knocked him down. The gardener fell to the ground, knocking over the bales. His head was split open. He wasn't dead yet, but he wasn't alive either. He seemed to have difficulty keeping conscious. He was moving his head slowly from side to side. He couldn't even make a sound except a moan. At that moment Huan Wei, panting with excitement, hit him once more on the head with the stone. The man stopped moving.

Huan Wei checked to see if there was anyone else in the yard. When he saw that there was no one else, he immediately opened the silo door and dragged the gardener in by his feet. While he was inside, he did not forget to close the door tightly. Then he neatly arranged the bales of straw and took out the bottle of alcohol and the piece of cloth. He placed the bottle so that it could not be seen from the other side. His breathing still hadn't improved. When he took out a match to light the cloth, he saw the guard at the gate coming into the garden.

"Huan Donghai! Where are you? If you're done with the flowers, take care of the front!"

Huan Wei leaned back against the silo, crouched on the ground. His eyes were wide with excitement. If this man had been put on guard duty, at least he had chosen a path. He couldn't take him down.

The sentry was approaching the silo with heavy steps. "Huan Donghai! Are you slacking off?" He saw the drag marks on the floor. He slowly put one hand on his sword. Because there was blood in the marks. "Huan Donghai?" he asked suspiciously once more as he stepped closer. Of course he got no answer.

Huan Wei's heart was racing again. He was unaware that the demon mark had again appeared on his left hand. He was trying to figure out what to do. He had to get out of here before the guard reached him, but if he ran straight ahead, he wouldn't stand a chance. As death drew closer with every step, he remembered the stone in his hand. He immediately stood up and threw it towards one of the windows of the house. When the sound of breaking glass caught the guard's attention, Huan Wei immediately lit the end of the cloth. Then he jumped onto the wall and pulled himself up with the force of fear, but the guard saw him jump.

"You! Stay where you are!"

As soon as Huan Wei got off the wall, he started running with all his might. When he dived straight into an alleyway, he knew that the man had jumped over the wall and was coming after him. He kept running with all his might. It helped that the streets were empty. When he turned a corner, he immediately took the hairpin out of his hair. He threw himself into a narrow gap between houses and hid behind a garbage can. He covered his mouth with his hands so that his breathing could not be heard.

He could hear the guard approaching. When the speeding man came into his area, he looked around. Then he kept running. Huan Wei was still hiding. Meanwhile, he overheard a conversation between the town guards and the guard.

"I saw him running after he broke in. He came this way. He has a silver hairpin in his hair."

"Split up and search. He can't have gone far."

Huan Wei's fear grew a little more. Now the town guards were also looking for him. And since no one was around, it was only a matter of time before he was caught. He had to do something now. His left hand no longer itched, it ached.