Eating bizarre things in public upgrades my status; the Special Affairs Bureau wants me to join them

The shaman from the upper kingdom arrived at an unknown time.

He Li wouldn't just sit here waiting idly.

He still has many things to do, and many questions in his heart that he needs to find answers to.

So, after finishing his business with the elders and leaving the stone house, He Li led Yu Ji and the others to the residence of this body "Jiu," and began to consider what to do next.

"We must see that wizard."

"The other party definitely knows a lot of things, and we can only learn a lot through that wizard."

"It's just that the wizard's arrival time is uncertain."

"We can't just sit idly by; there are still many things in this era worth exploring."

"But we can't stray too far from the settlement."

"Otherwise, if that wizard comes..."

"Since we're not there, we'll have to take the initiative to go to the seemingly far-away Shangguo to find a wizard or Yufu, or we'll have to wait until the wizard comes next year."

All that could be heard was He Li speaking from inside the stone house.

Seeing the others nod, he continued, "I plan to find the other people in the settlement later to learn more about the existing power system in this era."

"And then there's the matter of that divine tree and the Golden Crow."

"Yu Ji and Yu Qingge will come with me then."

"Mu Lan, Li Shang, you two go with Jiang Hongxian and also inquire about other information. Also, be careful of monsters, evil spirits, and spiritual plants near the settlement."

"Especially spiritual plants and such."

"This era is rich in spiritual energy, and treasures abound. If we could harvest a large number of powerful spiritual plants..."

"Then our strength can be improved a lot more."

He Li arranged the operation.

But Mu Lan remained skeptical, asking, "Can we really just move things from this era as we please?"

"If we could move around freely, wouldn't the True Lord of the Sun and Moon could simply go to different points in time to collect resources and then bring them to eras with scarce resources?"

"Since he didn't do that..."

"Does that mean there's something wrong with doing it this way?"

"There are definitely problems!" He Li responded.

But he said somewhat nonchalantly, "If we take away the spiritual plants, we assume that the amount of resources available to those beings who are preparing to leave through the barrier between heaven and earth will be reduced."

"So the impact definitely exists, but as long as we don't collect data on a large scale, the problem shouldn't be too big."

"Besides, the resources here..."

"Nine times out of ten, they will be taken to the Middle and Upper Realms by the beings of this era."

"Even if we do collect on a large scale, the impact of any problems that arise will likely be mostly in the middle and upper realms, and won't have a significant impact on our lower realm."

Upon hearing this, Mu Lan seemed to be deep in thought.

Yu Qingge wholeheartedly agreed.

"That's true. In any case, the resources here will eventually benefit the beings of the Middle and Upper Realms."

"Those beings will still be our enemies in the future, so why don't we take them? Taking those resources will also weaken the fighting power between the Middle Realm and the Upper Realm."

"That's right!" Li Shang nodded in agreement.

They didn't want the Middle Realm and the Upper Realm to benefit.

He Li shrugged: "That's true, but we should still try to avoid large-scale collection."

"After all, the process of breaking through to the heavens and earth will take time."

"As for those spiritual plants, apart from the creatures that will leave in the future, the people who are currently living also need them, so... let's restrain ourselves and not really plunder the land."

"But then again..."

"Even in this era of abundant resources, precious spiritual plants are not so easy to obtain."

"So, let's act according to our capabilities!"

Hearing his words, Yu Qingge nodded.

But at that moment, everyone suddenly smelled a faint odor of burning plants coming from outside.

At first, the group didn't pay much attention, until the smell of smoke grew stronger and stronger, and a large amount of smoke drifted into the room, also blocking the setting sun outside and dimming the light...

Only then did everyone realize that something was wrong.

"What's going on?" Mu Lan stood up and looked outside.

He Li also looked outside.

Meanwhile, outside, many people from the settlement were moving dry branches or other flammable materials, and some were even placing what appeared to be torches on an elevated platform.

"What are they doing?"

Seeing this, Li Shang became curious.

He Li shook his head; he didn't know either.

However, Yu Ji interjected at this moment: "They...maybe they're preparing a big bonfire?"

"A big bonfire?" He Li looked at her.

Yu Qingge also responded: "Yes, this matter is recorded in our tribe's ancient books. It says that the nights in ancient times were far more dangerous than the nights in later generations."

"The ancient books do not provide any specific information about the dangers involved."

"The book only mentions wild animals and such..."

"But everyone knows this."

"There are definitely other dangers involved."

"Otherwise, the indigenous people in this settlement wouldn't have been able to make such a big fuss."

"And the way they're doing this now, they're probably preparing to light a large bonfire and burn it all night to try and prevent any monsters, evil spirits, or anything else from attacking the settlement!"

That sounds quite reasonable.

After all, even in the history that He Li knew, there were records of lighting bonfires to drive away wild animals.

However, the history here is imbued with mythical power.

What this big bonfire is meant to drive away...?

It's probably not just wild animals.

As he was thinking this, his gaze inadvertently swept behind him and he found that Jiang Hongxian had been silent for a long time, and even now she seemed to be somewhat distracted.

This caught He Li's attention.

He couldn't help but ask, "Jiang Hongxian? What are you thinking about? Why are you standing there silently for so long?"

"Huh?" Hearing He Li's voice, Jiang Hongxian suddenly snapped out of his reverie.

When she looked up, she met He Li's suspicious gaze...

She hesitated for a moment before speaking...

"I just suddenly sensed a peculiar fiery power in the distance and around me."

"Especially the power of the flames in the distance, that power felt no weaker than the sun... no, that scorching, flame-like power was even stronger than the sun."

"While similar forces in the surrounding area are weaker..."

"But they should not be underestimated either."

She paused for half a second before continuing, "I was just carefully sensing the power of this sudden flame, trying to find its source and see what was going on."

"So you found it?" He Li asked.

After hearing Jiang Hongxian's explanation, he was now also very curious about this suddenly appearing scorching power.

After all, it was already evening.

The sun is almost setting.

At this moment, Jiang Hongxian actually sensed a scorching power in the distance that was even stronger than the sun. This abnormal situation could not be ignored by He Li.

Most importantly, Jiang Hongxian said that the power wasn't just in the distance, but also all around them...

Wait, there are some all around them too?

He Li suddenly seemed to realize something, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at the people outside who were lighting torches and setting up the paths of the settlement, as well as preparing a large bonfire in the distance...

Could it be... that these two things are related?

He Li's mind raced.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Hongxian guessed what he was thinking and responded to He Li's question: "My senses tell me that there is a source of scorching power in the nearby mountains."

"And just as you thought..."

"There is indeed a special flame power that I can sense among those torches outside."

"These two things must be related."

Then she asked, "How was it?"

"How about we go check out the places I sense?"

"Although that's not the actual source, it's definitely related to this sudden, scorching power. Perhaps we can find something by going there?"

"Oh, no rush!" He Li shook his head.

"The local indigenous people must know something about this matter. Let's ask them first."

"Ask clearly before going there."

"If there's any danger, ask beforehand so we can take precautions!" With that, He Li turned and pushed open the door, walking out into the smoke-filled house.

Seeing this, the others quickly followed him.

When they came outside, they ran into Lie, who was carrying a torch and walking quickly toward them.

Upon seeing him, He Li quickly stepped forward to intercept him...

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? Oh right, you forgot!" Lie paused for a moment before realizing what he meant and quickly replied, "Fire Ancestor Chasing the Night, we need to light a bonfire to draw upon the Fire Ancestor's power to protect us!"

"Otherwise, disaster will surely follow under the cover of night!"

"Fire Ancestor?" He Li frowned.

Seeing this, Lie scratched his head and uttered three words...

"Suirenshi!"