Chase Game

The special event "Fire Retrieval" has ended. Player Ling Yi, you are returning.

Upon hearing the system's prompts, Ling Yi also felt his consciousness being stripped away.

Upon his return, he found himself still amidst the ruins of Dongshan Village.

He looked up at the sky and found that the sun had moved directly overhead.

"Several hours have passed again..."

Just then, his stomach rumbled in protest, a sound of hunger.

But before he went to find food, he had two things to do.

A panel appeared in front of Ling Yi, with a sentence written at the top—

Please choose one of the following three items as your reward.

The three items are [Burning Eyes], [Burning Hands], and [Ember Steps].

"Good heavens, they've brought over the parts that the father and his two sons each lost."

"So here's the problem: you promised three items, but where are my [Burning Eyes] and [Burning Hands]?"

"Only [Ember Step] is left, I'll choose Chicken Feather."

What he didn't know was that there was actually more than one starting point for special storylines.

There is also a starting point for both Shen Nianqing and Zhao Dayou.

Thanks to the special abilities of the Chosen One, Shen Nianqing and the other found the opening point in the cave and were the first to choose [Burning Eyes].

Zhao Dayou, relying on his memories as a "bandit," initiated a special storyline at the so-called treasure location.

He was just a fraction faster, and he took the [Burning Hand] before Ling Yi could.

Zhao Dayou chose this prop for a simple reason: he wanted to make up for the loss of his arm.

Therefore, Ling Yi had no choice but to reluctantly add [Jinbu] to his collection.

However, after seeing the item's skill description, he felt a little surprised.

【Ember Step】: "Dancer on Flames". After using the item, the legs will be immune to fire damage, and the evasion ability will be greatly increased.

During the use of the item, each time the user successfully dodges, a burning footprint, known as the "Ember Mark," will be left on the ground.

Once you have marked five or more targets, you can use the active skill "Lava Stomp".

All ember markers can unleash controllable "pillars of fire," and dodging during this time will continue to add markers.

Note: Users can walk on flames and lava.

"I was initially worried that the name would overlap with the abilities of the [Wind Speed ​​Shoes], but it turns out I was wrong."

【Wind Speed ​​Shoes】is a footwear-based speed-boosting item, while 【Ember Step】is attached to the legs and does not affect the use of Wind Speed ​​Shoes.

Most importantly, [Ember Step] not only has an evasion effect, but also a counterattack skill that changes the terrain.

This is the real reason that made Ling Yi change her attitude.

The acquisition of the items is over, but the matter of Dongshan Village is not yet over.

Although the special storyline of "Fire-Making" only goes as far as the contract between Afang and the Phoenix.

But that was just the beginning. What followed was the development of the Meng family, but that period was too long to fully unfold.

Therefore, the system directly extracted a section of Lao San's diary from his later years and presented it to Ling Yi.

"...Many years later, I still remember that night when my father took us hunting in the mountains..."

"After returning home, I took my father and brothers to the river to relieve the pain of the fire, but I neglected my younger sister."

"...The thing I regret most and feel most guilty about in my life is the neglect I showed to my younger sister back then."

"She shouldn't have to face that damned divine bird egg alone..."

"In short, the tragedy still happened, and my little sister became the so-called 'divine messenger'."

"She gained immortality, but at the cost of an inextinguishable flame; she can no longer embrace us, nor see the light again."

"What we gained in return was what our father and brothers had lost, but that stingy divine bird still took a cut."

"My father only regained sight in one eye, and my two older brothers only regained sight in one arm and one leg, respectively."

"The most unbearable burning pain has become bearable for a period of time by simply rinsing with cold water to cool it down periodically, thanks to my younger sister's efforts."

"However, Ah Fang's appearance was no longer presentable, and she could only stay in the cellar all day, rarely seeing the light of day..."

"Later, perhaps due to the effect of the divine bird's fortune as stipulated in the contract, my family received several windfalls in succession, and our fortunes soared to new heights."

"Because my father and brother are disabled and suffer from the pain of burns, I had to take on the heavy responsibility and become the head of this household who is constantly worried."

"Years later, my family's wealth became our greatest asset, and my two elder brothers' disabilities were no longer a flaw."

"The marriage that my parents had been longing for had finally come to an end, but a year later, my family was struck by lightning."

"The descendants of the two elder brothers also inherited the disability and that awful pain of burning..."

"Except for my lineage, my family has been forced to submit to that wretched bird for generations..."

"My father passed away in melancholy, followed by my mother, then my eldest brother, and so on... and finally, it was me."

"My children are still the heads of the family, and in my old age, just like my father and brothers did before, I have been staying in the underworld to accompany my little sister."

"This might be the last bit of compensation we can offer her..."

This concludes the diary entries.

After reading it, Ling Yi felt a sense of melancholy and regret.

The family initially hoped that the divine bird egg would bring them prosperity, but in the end, they were tormented by it.

The decisive and courageous father of Meng died in melancholy. Did he regret his decision?

The diary contained no unfounded speculations or hasty conclusions; it simply recorded this one sentence.

There was another point that puzzled Ling Yi.

The third son's diary did not record the Meng family's relocation to the county town.

Logically speaking, such a big thing should be mentioned, right?

Or at least when the third brother was alive, the Meng family was still the Meng family at the foot of Luofeng Mountain.

The answer to this question can probably only be found by returning to the Meng family.

But before that, let's fill our stomachs first...

"Perfect timing, I can also try out the [Ember Step] ability."

Ling Yi walked into the mountains and forests.

At this moment, there were still two people on Dongshan Mountain.

It was Shen Nianqing and Zhao Dayou.

Inside the cave, Shen Nianqing was still there.

The little pig-like creature lay sprawled on the stone tablet, its chubby paws tucked in, and yawned.

"My lady, we've got all the props, aren't we leaving?"

Before Shen Nianqing could answer, the tricolor dumpling had already started cursing:

"Idiot, have you already forgotten why we entered this game in the first place?"

Ma Tuan thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Oh, right, literary style!"

"I've been searching for the source, and I almost forgot about the essence of literature."

He tilted his head and looked at Shen Nianqing again: "But my lady, can there really be any scholarly atmosphere in this godforsaken place?"

Ma Tuan's gaze swept over the dilapidated cave in front of him, his eyes filled with deep suspicion.