Goddess of the Fire Pit

Qing Yi nodded. "I want to, otherwise I don't know what else to do."

"Then I can't protect you too well this time," Qing Chen said after a moment's thought. "Because you'll always face dangers on this path, you have to learn how to fight for them. You need to push yourself to grow up quickly, because we don't have much time left. I can give you empowerment to help you improve your strength, but in this world, strength doesn't determine everything."

Qing Yi and said, "I understand."

"Stay here for a few days, then go to town number 065 to scout out the situation there and find out what's going on," Qing Chen said. "I think the people from the Age of Gods may have already arrived."

At this moment, Qing Chen had already made a decision: he would make Qing Yi survive to the end in the Shadow Struggle and become the Shadow.

Or to be more precise, it's the shadow of a shadow.

Who exactly is the current generation's shadow? Probably no one can guess.

Many powerful figures in the Qing family believe they know the truth, but is what they know necessarily the truth?

Qing Chen suddenly realized that if you don't even know who the shadow is, and only distinguish them by electronic beacons and costumes, then the shadow could actually be many people.

It could even be an organization.

This generation of Shadows is very good at hiding their identities, and Qing Chen feels he should learn from them.

Just as Sun Chuci is now his "white glove," Qing Yi can also become his white glove in the Qing family.

Qing Yi hummed in agreement, then looked at the campfire and suddenly said, "I wonder how Li Ke is doing. I haven't seen him in so long."

"Do you miss him?" Qing Chen asked with a smile.

"A little."

"We'll meet again."

Qing Yi sat by the campfire, feeling the flickering warmth of the flames. He thought about how his master was right beside him, and how Li Ke might return at any time, and he was filled with anticipation.

Unfortunately, there are outsiders here, so the master cannot perform the initiation ceremony himself; he must wait until everyone else is asleep.

The crew members didn't rest; instead, they all got busy.

The long-awaited heavy snow finally arrived, and they had to finish filming the first set of shots before the snow stopped.

Song Niaoniao started putting on makeup, and the second male and female leads also entered the temporary makeup booth.

Strangely, Li Yu, who was previously the center of attention on set, suddenly found herself ignored.

Director Zhang's hair was covered in snow, making it look as if his hair had turned white from worry.

He dared not use Li Yu; he simply couldn't afford to offend the big shots.

Director Zhang felt that even if he filmed the scene now, it probably wouldn't be able to be broadcast.

He whispered to Director Wang, "Go talk to Li Yu right away and make him apologize to the person in charge. Otherwise, no one will dare to use him anymore. If the big boss doesn't forgive him, all the scenes we filmed for him will have to be deleted, and we'll have to replace him with a new male lead."

Director Wang paused for a moment, then turned and rushed towards Li Yu: "Where the hell are we going to find a new male lead in this middle of nowhere?"

Right now, in the mountains and forests of southwest China.

Li Ke was sitting by the campfire, while Li Yunjing sat cross-legged beside him like an ancient tree, resting with his eyes closed.

Just as he closed his eyes to rest, the campfire in front of him seemed like sand held in someone's hand, flowing mysteriously like sand in an hourglass, condensing like a gathered waterfall.

Li Ke asked, "Uncle Jing, what kind of lineage do you practice?"

Li Yunjing said, "It was a gift from the old man, and I don't know what kind of inheritance it is."

"Huh, I haven't heard of any complete lineage of the Li family," Li Ke said, puzzled.

"Because no one else can repair it," Li Yunjing, still with his eyes closed, without offering any further explanation.

However, just as they were talking, a rustling sound came from afar, as if the wind was blowing through the leaves.

Li Yunjing suddenly opened his eyes.

The flames in front of them burst open as if suddenly released, illuminating the entire forest clearly in an instant.

Figures moved about in the mountains, constantly approaching.

Li Ke said, "Uncle Jing, he's Wilderness People."

Those people had human finger bones tied around their necks and white patterns painted on their faces.

Li Yunjing corrected, "It's a hearth."

It seems that in Li Yunjing's view, the Wilderness People and the fire pit are not the same kind of people.

"How did the fire pit end up here?" Li Ke wondered, but he wasn't flustered at all.

Logically, the hunting and activity area around the fire pit shouldn't be here, so this is a bit strange.

Li Yunjing said, "The fire pit usually only goes this far during the coming-of-age ceremony hunt for the Divine Child. Someone must have leaked your information, which is why the people from the fire pit came here."

The Divine Child Hunt either ventures into the depths of Forbidden Zone to hunt the most powerful beasts or hunts down powerful figures from conglomerates.

Li Ke just happens to meet this condition.

Li Yunjing glanced at the rapidly approaching figures, then looked at Li Ke: "Aren't you afraid? There are a lot of them."

"Don't worry, Uncle Jing is here," Li Ke said.

"He's a bit better than your father," Li Yunjing said.

"That can't be right. I heard that my father was particularly brave when he was young. When he was serving in the South, the Li family and the Chen family had a big dispute over minerals. He went to negotiate with the Chen family all by himself," Li Ke said. "My mother said that if it weren't for his attitude of going to negotiate alone and intimidating the other side, the Federal Civil War might have broken out long ago."

Li Yunjing thought for a moment and said, "That's what makes your father so remarkable. He was actually very afraid, but he still did it. That's the most important reason why the old man chose him to be the head of the family: he knows respect, isn't reckless, and has composure."

"I see."

The two men showed no sign of worry whatsoever, even as they faced the treacherous forest and the fire pit.

The next second, Li Yunjing picked up a dry branch from the ground and threw it. The branch pierced through three large trees and became embedded in a tree next to a man by the fire pit.

Li Yunjing said, "If your Great Elder isn't here, then there's no point in wasting your time... Stop hiding and come out to speak."

Li Yunjing added, "If they still have the guts."

His seemingly effortless use of that withered tree branch had actually intimidated many of the people around the fire pit. They knew they had encountered a formidable opponent, an absolute A-level expert.

Therefore, the wisest choice is to evacuate.

However, the people at the hearth did not seem to have left.

Footsteps approached, and a girl with braided pigtails slowly walked out of the forest and sat down by the campfire with a smile.

The girl's wheat-colored skin glowed with a healthy sheen in the firelight, and there was a black totem on her forehead that looked like a flame.

Both Li Yunjing and Li Ke knew that it was a sign that the "deity" of the hearth had bestowed power upon them.

The totems on a person living near a fire pit are usually on their hands, back, or legs. If the totem appears on their face, it means that the person is a person blessed by the gods.

These people who live by the hearth are extremely rare.

Li Yunjing sized up the girl, seemingly a little puzzled. "I thought it was some Divine Child who had come, but it turns out to be you, the legendary Goddess who just appeared at the Fire Pit. It's not easy for Goddess to emerge from the Fire Pit, and that Great Elder really didn't hesitate to let you come out so quickly to complete your coming-of-age ceremony."

The girl smiled. "My Qin Yiyi, you can call me Yiyi, sir. But I'm curious, sir, what did you call us over here to talk about?"

Li Yunjing said, "You've got some nerve. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"What are you afraid of?" The girl's eyes sparkled, revealing her bright eyes and white teeth. "Uncle, you're so powerful. If you wanted to kill someone, you would have done it already. There are too many of us to stop you. Do you want an apple? Here, have an apple. Don't worry, it's not poisoned."

As she spoke, she took two apples from her small handbag and tossed them to Li Ke and Li Yunjing.

Qin Yiyi said to herself, "The apples from the Southwest aren't as good as those from my hometown, but they're still pretty good."

There was not a trace of fear in the girl's words.

As they spoke, the people around the fire pit came to the girl's side one by one, looking at Li Yunjing with wary eyes, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Strangely, although they feared and were wary of Li Yunjing's strength, they still fulfilled their duties and protected the girl.

Li Yunjing asked, "Who leaked Li Ke's whereabouts?"

"I have no idea," the girl said with a smile.

Li Yunjing thought for a moment and said, "I don't care about the other members of the Li family, but from now on, don't try to take Li Ke's place at the fire pit."

The girl wasn't afraid at all; she smiled and said, "Okay."

Li Yunjing smiled. He didn't know why, but he always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this girl.

This feeling has nothing to do with emotions; it's purely because the other person's straightforward and open personality makes it hard to be wary.

Li Yunjing said, "It's still the same question. You must answer me: who leaked Li Ke's whereabouts to the fire pit?"

Qin Yiyi asked curiously, "Uncle, how can I tell you something like this? It's a secret of the hearth. If you want to know, you have to give me a reason to tell you."

Li Yunjing thought for a moment, then suddenly called out into the woods, "Grandpa Kangba, I know you're here."

The girl's eyes sparkled. "You know our Great Elder?"

"I've dealt with them before," Li Yunjing replied calmly.

The next moment, the Great Elder of the hearth, with his back hunched, slowly walked out of the forest. He chuckled and said, "I don't know if the person who leaked Li Ke's secret was trying to frame you or my hearth. If I had known you were here, I would have chosen a different prey."

Li Yunjing looked at the Great Elder and said, "The Goddess really cherishes you. She even personally supervised your coming-of-age ceremony, even though you haven't left the snow mountain for more than ten years."

The Great Elder smiled and fiddled with the string of knuckle necklaces hanging from his collar, making a rustling sound, "You don't understand."

Li Yunjing said seriously, "I want to know who wants Li Ke dead."

The Great Elder countered, "Reason?"

"He is a knight," Li Yunjing said. "Your Fire Pit had a prior pact with the knight, but now you've been tricked into killing the knight's heir. You can't get away with this until you expose the leaker."

The Great Elder was stunned. He turned and carefully examined Li Ke: "Bad luck..."

However, at that moment, the young girl Qin Yiyi suddenly said to Li Ke, "Wait, are you a knight? Who is your master?"