Chapter Twenty-Six

Yang Bin nodded in agreement; this was far more convenient than hunting wild beasts. It was just the smell of a fire—during wartime, the tents reeked of blood, sweat, and foot odor mixed together. The scent inside tents was never pleasant, so a bit of fire smoke was entirely acceptable.

"The main issue is that using the kang stove is somewhat troublesome," Jiang Bai began, intending to clearly explain the pros and cons so they could decide for themselves whether to build it. "First, you need to regularly add firewood under the stove and carefully manage the fire—too big or too small won't work. Second, the heat output of the kang is limited; if the room is too large, it won’t provide enough warmth. Lastly, maintaining the kang is a hassle—you have to clean the ash underneath regularly to prevent blockages."

"That does sound a bit troublesome," Sun Ge noticed the problem as well and nodded. "But I think the kang stove fits the northern climate perfectly. I wonder who invented it."

"It was my father and me," Jiang Bai said. It took them a long time, and only in recent years, working alongside her father, did they complete it. Having lived through the apocalypse, she was more cautious than those who had simply crossed over from ordinary society. She preferred not to use modern-style inventions if unnecessary, to avoid being seen as a heretic. She understood well that the invention of a practical object took a long process—from conception to creation—requiring the right timing, place, and people, all indispensable. Only now could she speak of it so naturally.

"My mother was a seamstress. It’s terribly cold here, and in winter, unless you’re by the fire pit, she couldn’t even hold her needle and thread steadily. We wondered if we could create a place that stayed warm continuously, so we made this kang stove together."

"Doctor Jiang, you and your father are truly remarkable," Sun Ge expressed genuine admiration. Even though he knew the fire wall and the kang stove worked on similar principles, he had never thought of making a fire-wall bed to sleep on.

After discussing the kang stove’s principles at length, Sun Ge suddenly frowned. "Wait, I have a question. If the kang stove’s heat is limited, and many of us live together, wouldn’t we need to build many kang stoves? That sounds very troublesome."

Jiang Bai smiled and explained, "Actually, it’s not that complicated. Although the heat is limited, with proper design, one kang stove can serve multiple rooms. For example, you can make several small holes in the middle walls to let the hot air pass through to other rooms."

"Wouldn’t that involve breaking through the walls?" Yang Bin worried. "Would that affect the building’s structure?"

"No," Jiang Bai shook her head. "With reasonable design, making a few small holes won’t compromise the structure. Plus, these holes can be concealed, so you can’t see them from outside."

"Sounds good," Duan Jing nodded. "Uncle Sun, do you understand how to build it now? Let’s get the kang stoves built soon so we won’t freeze this winter."

"I’ll build two as a test before making more," Sun Ge said. As an elder of the Duan family, now too old for the battlefield, he mainly handled logistics and internal affairs. Having watched the three Duan brothers grow up, he certainly knew Duan Jing was especially afraid of the cold.

"Alright, Uncle Sun, take your time to study it carefully," Duan Jing wasn’t embarrassed when his fear of cold was exposed. He just wanted to sleep on a warm bed as soon as possible.

Leaving Uncle Sun to continue his research, Jiang Bai took Duan Jing to the woodshed.

"Who’s this kid?" Duan Jing asked, looking at the dirty little Radish in front of him.

"This is Little Radish. He escaped from Jiang Hui’s control. The recent strict searches on the streets have been looking for him," Jiang Bai briefly introduced.

"So that’s who they were after," Duan Jing said, eyeing the nervous child. He crouched down to meet Little Radish’s gaze, trying to sound gentle, "Don’t be afraid, child. I’m Jiang Bai’s sister, here to help you."

Little Radish shrank back, still wary, clutching at his clothes as if ready to run any moment. Duan Jing hadn’t expected his friendly smile to fail on the boy.

Little Radish’s tension eased somewhat but he remained guarded. He looked up at Jiang Bai, then at Duan Jing, apparently weighing whether he could trust them.

"Can you really help me?" Little Radish whispered, almost to himself.

"Of course. We’re against Jiang Hui. Helping you is helping ourselves, so we will," Duan Jing said with a warm smile.

Little Radish was silent for a moment, thinking over Duan Jing’s words. Finally, he nodded cautiously but kept his guard up. "Then... can you help me hide from those people?" There was a flicker of hope in his voice.

"We’ll do our best," Duan Jing nodded solemnly. "But you need to tell us what really happened. Why is Jiang Hui after you?"

Little Radish’s eyes darkened, haunted by painful memories. His lips trembled as if he wanted to speak but was afraid.

"It’s alright. Take your time," Duan Jing gently reassured him. "We’re here; no one will hurt you."

Little Radish took a deep breath and finally spoke: "I... I saw Jiang Hui kill someone."

"Killing?"

"Yes," Little Radish’s voice shook. "That night, I went out to find some food. Passing by Jiang Hui’s courtyard, I heard noises inside. I climbed the wall secretly and saw Jiang Hui with a knife, killing someone."

Duan Jing’s expression grew grave. "Who was the person?"

"I don’t know," Little Radish shook his head. "Jiang Hui brought many men and stormed the house. Many young and old, even children, were killed. When I showed myself, I saw Jiang Hui personally kill a middle-aged man."

"And then?" Jiang Bai asked.

"I was terrified and ran home," Little Radish whispered. "But Jiang Hui found out. The next day, he sent people everywhere to catch me. I was scared, so I hid."

Duan Jing was silent, aware of the gravity. Jiang Hui clearly wanted Little Radish dead because he knew too much.

Jiang Bai, however, doubted parts of the story—how did Little Radish know Jiang Hui was after him, and how had he escaped? Though he spoke smoothly, it was probably at least partly true.

"What will you do now?" Duan Jing asked.

Little Radish looked down, voice barely audible: "I don’t know... I just want to hide until the danger passes."

"No," Jiang Bai shook her head. "Jiang Hui won’t let you go. If he’s set on killing you, he will find you."

Little Radish’s face turned pale with fear. "Then... what should I do?"

Duan Jing thought a moment, then said, "Maybe we can help you leave here."

"Leave?" Little Radish’s eyes brightened with hope.

"Yes," Duan Jing nodded. "We can take you somewhere Jiang Hui can’t find you."

Little Radish’s eyes lit up but soon dimmed again. "But... I have no money and nowhere to go."

"Don’t worry about that," Jiang Bai smiled. "We’ll arrange everything for you."

Little Radish hesitated then nodded. "Thank you..."

"But first," Duan Jing suddenly became serious, "we need to know more about Jiang Hui. Do you remember specific details about the night he killed? For example, what the victim looked like?"

Little Radish furrowed his brow, recalling. "The man... seemed to be around thirty years old. He wore a dark blue jacket. Oh! He had a vertical scar on his neck."

"A vertical scar?" Duan Jing frowned.

"Do you know who he was?" Jiang Bai asked curiously.

Duan Jing shook his head; he wasn’t very familiar with people or events in the capital. He had learned about Jiang Hui only when Jiang Bai was framed and had investigated further, discovering Jiang Hui had spies in the army.

"We’ll check again later," Duan Jing said, having gathered enough for now.

"And this child?" Jiang Bai inquired. Little Radish couldn’t stay in the woodshed forever; he was a key witness against Jiang Hui.

"Send him to the army first," Duan Jing decided. "The army’s defenses are tighter now; Jiang Hui’s men won’t find him quickly."

Jiang Bai hesitated. "Is it really safe?"

"Don’t worry," Duan Jing smiled. "We can hide him well."

Jiang Bai thought perhaps the recent military reforms had improved security and said no more.

As the three discussed how to send Little Radish back to the army later, urgent footsteps thundered outside.

"Bad news, strategist! There’s a big fire in the army," Yang Bin rushed in.

Duan Jing jumped up, his face turning grim. He hurried to Yang Bin. "How bad is it? Where did it start?"

Panting, Yang Bin wiped sweat from his forehead. "It started at the grain depot and spread fast. Now it’s reached the supply depot!"

Duan Jing frowned, calculating quickly. Grain and supplies were the army’s lifeblood; losing them would be disastrous. He immediately ordered, "Send word for all soldiers to assemble. Divide into two teams: one to fight the fire, the other to protect grain and supplies!"

Yang Bin nodded and turned to relay the order but was stopped by Duan Jing’s grip.

"Wait!"

Yang Bin looked back, puzzled.

Duan Jing said gravely, "With a fire this fierce, it’s probably no accident. Take men to investigate. Look for suspicious people coming or going."

Yang Bin’s eyes flickered with understanding. He nodded solemnly, "Understood!"

"Jiang Bai, come back with me. Little Radish stays here for now," Duan Jing instructed, then dashed out.

Jiang Bai knew the matter was urgent. After reassuring Little Radish to stay put, she followed Duan Jing.

They arrived outside the two camps’ quarters. Looking up, they saw towering flames and billowing smoke; the whole compound glowed red. Soldiers ran about frantically; shouts and footsteps made the scene chaotic.

"Strategist!" a soldier hurried over, anxious. "The fire’s too large. We’re running out of water!"

"Use sand and soil," Jiang Bai suggested quickly, recalling a common firefighting method. "Cover smaller, flatter areas nearby with sand to stop the fire from spreading."

Duan Jing ordered, "Send some to fetch water from nearby homes, others to bring sand!"

Soldiers hurried off. Duan Jing stayed, brow furrowed. Something felt off—the fire was sudden and fierce.

Then Yang Bin rushed back. "Strategist, we found it! The fire was set deliberately. We’ve caught several suspects!"

Cold light flashed in Duan Jing’s eyes. "Bring them here!"

Soon, several bound soldiers were brought forward, heads lowered and panicked, already knowing they were caught.

Duan Jing glared at them coldly. "Who ordered you to set the fire?"

One trembling soldier looked up, eyes full of fear. "We don’t know. He wore a mask. I only know he was a man and paid us silver to burn the grain depot..."

Duan Jing sneered. "Just as I thought!"

Turning to Yang Bin, he said, "Take them away and interrogate harshly. Find out if they have accomplices!"

Yang Bin nodded and left with the soldiers. Duan Jing remained, staring coldly at the still-smoking grain depot.

"Strategist, the fire is under control now," a firefighter reported.

Duan Jing nodded but kept his gaze on the distant smoke, his mind clouded with suspicion. He couldn’t help but think of that hypocritical smiling face.

"Jiang Bai, go treat the wounded. I’ll be there soon," he said with unwavering resolve.

Jiang Bai nodded and hurried off. Duan Jing stood firm, brow furrowed, pondering the possible conspiracy behind this sudden fire.

"Where is the general? Why hasn’t he arrived yet?" Duan Jing wondered aloud, noticing Duan Yue was absent.

"He went to the cavalry this morning; something happened there," answered Deputy General Zhou Hu quietly after Li Yuan was captured and brought in.

"Strategist, do you think this fire was aimed at us?" Zhou Hu asked cautiously.

Duan Jing didn’t reply immediately but paced slowly, scanning the surroundings. In the courtyard, soldiers busily cleared debris; the air was thick with the smell of burning, suffocating.

"Zhou Hu, do you think this fire was too coincidental?" Duan Jing suddenly asked, his voice low and serious.