Everyone Helps Fight the Fire

Not long after the three of them left, Su Li turned her head and saw a large crowd coming from the direction of the village. Looking closer, it was the villagers themselves, each hurriedly carrying buckets of water, rushing toward Su Li's field.

"Ah Li, don't worry, we're here to help put out the fire!" Although the village chief was old, he still carried a container of water on his back, panting heavily as he shouted, "Everyone be careful while fighting the fire, don't get burned yourselves!"

"Alright!" The villagers shouted in unison, men and women, young and old, all joining in the effort to put out the fire.

Su Li looked at the entire village mobilizing to help put out the fire in her field, deeply moved and at a loss for words.

The village chief said, "It's okay if the water runs out. There's snow nearby—everyone shovel the snow into the buckets and throw it on the fire, it will extinguish it just the same!"

Immediately, several villagers went to gather snow nearby to use for putting out the fire.

Su Li kept thanking everyone who helped her as if they were helping themselves: "Thank you all, thank you, fellow villagers!"

"Hey, no need to thank us! Ah Li, don't be so polite. You were kind enough to help me prosper, and now your field is on fire. How could we not help? Helping you is helping ourselves. Good deeds bring good rewards!" said an auntie, carrying a bucket of snow as she walked.

The village chief also said nearby, "Yes, everyone has benefited from your field. Now that it's on fire, how could we not all pitch in?"

Encouraged by everyone, Su Li immediately perked up, grabbed a bucket, and with Lingdang, went to shovel snow.

Many people were fighting the fire, but because the fire started in several places and was fueled by the wind, despite everyone's efforts, they only managed to control the spread without fully extinguishing it.

None of the villagers present complained of hardship or exhaustion; everyone used all their strength to fight the fire, running back and forth on the dark field ridges.

Su Shimao also blended in with the crowd, pretending to help put out the fire, but kept his eyes fixed on Prince Ling and his subordinates among the crowd.

Prince Ling and two subordinates had changed into ordinary villager clothes, wearing the common windproof hats seen in the countryside, wrapping themselves so that only their eyes were visible. While everyone was busy fighting the fire, no one noticed they were outsiders.

Taking advantage of the chaos of the crowd fighting the fire, Prince Ling and his two subordinates secretly approached Su Li.

At this moment, Su Li was shoveling snow with all her might, Lingdang holding the bucket. As Prince Ling approached Su Li, Lingdang was just carrying a bucket full of snow forward.

Prince Ling keenly noticed that although Lingdang was slender, her steps were very light. For a girl of her figure, carrying a bucket would normally be very strenuous, but Lingdang made it look effortless.

Prince Ling's eyes narrowed sharply as he immediately realized that Lingdang must be a skilled martial artist.

"Tsk, that little chili pepper's disciple is actually a master. I underestimated her," Prince Ling thought with growing interest. This little chili pepper has such a powerful expert lurking by her side, yet she treats her as a follower and disciple.

"That young girl is a master, be careful to avoid her," Prince Ling quietly instructed his subordinates.

At this time, Su Li and Lingdang walked one after the other toward the burning part of the field. Lingdang didn't dare let Su Li get too close to the fire, so she stopped Su Li a little farther away and went alone to pour the snow from the bucket onto the fire.

Prince Ling saw that the master had distanced herself from Su Li, but not far enough. According to his calculations, if he acted now, Lingdang would definitely rush over first to snatch Su Li away.

Prince Ling didn't dare to act recklessly, unsure if there were other hidden experts besides Lingdang. So he waited for a more secure opportunity. At this moment, he saw a small figure running toward Su Li, shouting, "Sister Ah Li, I want to help put out the fire too!"

Prince Ling turned his head and saw a delicate little girl struggling to carry a bucket of water running over. A ruthless glint flashed in Prince Ling's eyes: "Little girl, you're out of luck. I'll be using you now!"