Choose Your Own Path

"Onii-chan, what are we doing? Can we get down the mountain...?" The little girl walked on the narrow ridge, looking to both sides, where there were abysses thousands of meters deep.

If you accidentally slip on this ridge, you will surely be smashed to pieces.

"Continue," Qing Chen said calmly, "Continue clearing the rubble."

This is Mount Okuhotaka, more than ten kilometers away from the ski resort. No tourists would come here at this time; only Qing Chen and Jingūji Maki remain in the world.

Qing Chen acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to sweep the loose stones on the ridge as usual.

It was only then that the little girl realized what Qing Chen had been doing every day, leaving early and returning late.

No wonder skiers say they've never seen Qing Chen, because Qing Chen doesn't ski.

However, what Jingūji Maki didn't expect was that Qing Chen would bring her to this ridge as well, making her help clear the rubble...

Even though she said she was scared, Qing Chen showed no sympathy for her whatsoever.

Qing Chen said, "If you want to give up, just tell me. I can send you down. Every day when I come up to clear the rubble, you can wait for me on the mountainside."

Upon hearing this, Jingūji Maki suddenly pursed her lips and continued bending over to clear away the rubble without saying a word.

The wind on the ridge was fierce and raging, sometimes even Qing Chen could hardly keep his balance, let alone an eight-year-old girl.

Surprisingly, after Qing Chen said those words, she never mentioned going down the mountain again, and just silently continued working.

Several times she was almost swept off the ridge by the mountain wind, but she only cried out in surprise and then silently found a rock to stabilize herself.

At that moment, as the little girl lowered her head, clear tears fell from her long eyelashes and were blown into the valley by a mountain breeze.

Qing Chen said, "I'm not forcing you to stay here with me. It's perfectly normal for you to want to go down the mountain."

Jingūji Maki suddenly wiped away her tears stubbornly. "I'm not afraid!"

The moment she left Shirakawa-go, she almost thought her life was about to turn towards the light.

Who could have imagined that what followed would be an even greater ordeal than before?

Even when I worked at a hot spring inn before, I never had to experience such danger.

But Jingūji Maki still didn't say anything more.

At this moment, Qing Chen gradually increased the speed at which he cleared the roadblocks, because he was unsure whether the Mysterious Affairs Department would find this place, nor how many people they would bring with them...

Without the power to win people over with Conquer by Virtue, even if Qing Chen is incredibly skilled, he wouldn't be able to defeat hundreds of armed enemies in this godforsaken place.

A gust of mountain wind blew by, and Jingūji Maki lost her footing and was almost swept off the cliff.

Just when she thought she was going to die, Qing Chen reached out a hand, grabbed her by the collar, and pulled her back. "Continue."

"Mmm," the little girl replied.

This innocent little girl not only shares similarities with Qing Chen in her childhood experiences.

At one point, Qing Chen even felt that the other person's personality was somewhat similar to his own.

It's not just about being "sensible" and not wanting to be "hated."

There's also the stubbornness and inflexibility of not wanting to admit defeat when facing hardship.

When her grandmother fell ill while she was running the hot spring inn, she learned to cook and do laundry.

Even when terrified, they would never utter a single complaint while clearing rubble from the ridge.

At night, Qing Chen carried the little girl down the mountain and, taking advantage of the ski resort closing time, hid in the ski resort's visitor center.

There were no other places to stay in the mountains, and no food to be found either. Although there were staff on duty at the ski resort, they were mostly staying in their offices and wouldn't come out to patrol easily.

Jingūji Maki whispered, "Onii-chan, there are security cameras."

"It's alright, they can't see us," Qing Chen said, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.

He knew that the surveillance cameras inside the visitor center must have already been locked by Outer World Division Yi.

Ironically, Qing Chen had no one he could trust on his trip to Shirakawa-go. The only person he could trust was the Artificial Intelligence that had destroyed humanity in a previous civilization era of the Inner World.

Taking advantage of the lights being turned off at the visitor center, Qing Chen led Jingūji Maki into the ski resort shop. "Take whatever you want to eat."

The little girl hesitated before saying, "Onii-chan, stealing is wrong."

Qing Chen glanced at her. "Don't worry, I'll pay for it when I leave in a few days. I was planning to take some food from the hot spring inn, but you burned it down."

"Oh..." The little girl nodded and carefully took a piece of bread and a bottle of mineral water for herself.

Actually, Qing Chen wanted to stop the little girl, but he thought that since the other party planned to bury the whole thing in a fire, it would seem a bit unimpressive for him to just stand by and worry about the food.

So I didn't stop them.

Seeing that she didn't dare to take more, Qing Chen grabbed two more boxes of cookies from the shelf and stuffed them into her arms. "If you don't eat enough, how will you go up the mountain tomorrow?"

After saying that, he took the little girl to the outdoor equipment area and set up two tents.

Actually, spending the night in the visitor center is a bit risky, because if you leave any traces, someone will eventually notice.

The quantity of goods is incorrect, or the tent has been tampered with; these could all be clues that help the Mysterious Affairs Department find them.

However, Qing Chen is about to face his fourth Life and Death Trial challenge. Still seriously injured, he cannot risk living in the freezing cold. He must maintain a good condition before completing the challenge.

Being hunted down by the Mysterious Affairs Department was a consequence he had considered when he saved Jingūji Maki.

He was prepared to bear the consequences.

Qing Chen lay alone in the tent, listening to the sounds of mice eating next door. "Zhenji, do you have any strange memories, like a more technologically advanced world?"

"No."

What did your ancestors do?

"My grandma told me that my grandpa was the head priest in charge of the rituals at Shirakawa-go -go Shrine, and so was my grandpa's. My dad was supposed to go after he turned 48, but then something happened to him. Because a tourist died in an accident while he was a guide, Shirakawa-go's income dropped a lot, so the villagers in Shirakawa-go... didn't like our family anymore. It is said that a long, long time ago, our ancestors were messengers of the gods and mastered the gods' war dance."

"I see."

Qing Chen was thinking about something. The surname "Jingūji" is actually very special. It also holds a pivotal position in the mythological traditions of Shintoism.

He even felt that the reason why the Jingūji clan was able to preside over the temple's rituals in Shirakawa-go was because they possessed some kind of tradition, which had been lost later.

It's just like the Zhunti Method.

Even now, Qing Chen still doesn't understand why Jingūji Maki could directly inherit the Breathing Technique. If she wasn't a beta tester, then it must be related to this miraculous bloodline inheritance.

The next day, before the ski resort opened, Qing Chen packed up the tent and took the little girl up the mountain again.

According to his calculations, it would only take a day and a half at most to clear the entire road, at which point he could conduct full training.

Jingūji Maki suffered a lot because her little hands were frozen red and even a little swollen from picking up and dropping pebbles.

Qing Chen asked again, "Do you want to give up?"

"No," the little girl said calmly.

Qing Chen said nothing more.

This little girl is a rough gem, so kind-hearted that she can pass the Heart's Inquiry in an instant. Without a doubt, passing the Heart's Inquiry will allow her to become a knight.

But passing the Heart's Inquiry is only the foundation for becoming a knight. That path is too bitter, too tiring, and too dangerous. Even if you pass the Heart's Inquiry, you may not be able to persevere.

Therefore, Qing Chen left the choice to the little girl herself.

If she gives up, then Qing Chen will help her smuggle herself into the country to escape the pursuit of the Mysterious Affairs Department.

If she doesn't give up, then they can continue their journey together.

This is the test that Qing Chen has gone through, and it is also the test that every knight has gone through, including Jingūji Maki.

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