Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

"Go back and rest." The Grand Elder's voice drifted from ahead. "There are important matters to attend to tomorrow."

......

The four exchanged a glance, and finally turned and left the forbidden area.

On the way back, Murong Jiao was unusually quiet for a while. She didn't speak until she had walked quite a distance.

"I have a feeling... this tribe is hiding many secrets."

“Indeed,” Mo Fan said.

But now is not the time to delve into secrets.

Night deepened. The four walked slowly back to their lodgings along the stone path. As they passed the market, they saw Niu Kuang and Tie Dan sitting with several natives, playing drinking games and having a lively time. Song Chen, on the other hand, stood alone at the edge of the market, looking up at the starry sky, lost in thought.

The night breeze rustled through the treetops, carrying the unique scent of grass and trees of Pandonog. The torchlight in the distant market had thinned, as most of the natives had already left, leaving only a few scattered torches still burning.

Murong Jiao walked at the front, her hands behind her back, her head swaying back and forth.

Suddenly, she stopped.

"Hey!"

The three people behind him almost bumped into him. Fang Xu staggered and asked, "What happened?"

Murong Jiao turned around to face the three of them, her almond-shaped eyes shining brightly in the night. As if she had suddenly thought of a brilliant idea, a smile curved her lips.

"How about the four of us take a group photo?"

Fang Xu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly.

I agree!

He spoke a few seconds faster, as if afraid someone would steal his chance to agree.

"Perhaps this place will become a cherished memory for us!"

As soon as he said it, he felt something was off, scratched his head, and corrected himself.

"No, this is already it. So we need to write it down!"

The eyes of the two or three people turned to Mo Fan.

Mo Fan, of course, would not refuse.

"Row."

Just one word, concise and to the point. But as soon as that one word was uttered, Murong Jiao's smile noticeably widened even further.

"Then it's settled!"

She looked around, searching for a suitable spot. Her gaze lingered on the row of torches at the market entrance, then swept across the moonlit stone path behind her, finally settling on an open area at the edge of the market.

From there, you could capture the remaining embers of the market behind you, and the dazzling starry sky overhead. Pandonog is free from urban light pollution; the night sky is excessively clean, with the Milky Way stretching across it and countless stars covering the entire expanse.

"Right here!"

Murong Jiao ran to the open space, circled around it, and after confirming that the background was okay, waved to the three of them.

"Come here quickly, come here quickly!"

Fang Xu jogged over. Mo Fan and Murong Sha walked over side by side, their pace neither hurried nor slow.

"Stand up! Stand up!" Murong Jiao began to organize, her commanding manner exactly the same as when she was calling out to customers at the barbecue stall.

She pulled Murong Sha to her side, and the two sisters stood in the middle. Then she pointed at Mo Fan with one finger and Fang Xu with the other.

"You two, stand on either side. Mo Fan on the left, Fang Xu on the right."

Chapter 238 Capturing This Beautiful Moment (8,000 words today)

(8,000 words today, ending this chapter.)

Fang Xu obediently took his place, and Mo Fan didn't say anything, standing to Murong Jiao's left.

The four people stood in a row, facing forward.

"Wait a minute," Murong Sha suddenly said.

She turned her head and glanced at the spacing between the four people. They were too far apart, making the photo look like four strangers standing in the same frame.

“Come closer,” she said.

Murong Jiao immediately understood and took a half-step closer to Mo Fan, while also pulling Murong Sha closer to the center. Seeing this, Fang Xu also moved closer to the center.

The four people's shoulders were almost touching.

"That's about right." Murong Sha nodded.

Murong Jiao brought up the camera function in the task panel, swiped her finger across the virtual interface twice, and set up the time-lapse shooting.

"Three-second countdown! Get your expressions ready!"

She pushed the panel forward into the void, and the angle of the screen was just right to include the four people and the background behind them.

"Come--"

"Wait!" Fang Xu suddenly shouted.

Murong Jiao frowned: "What?! We're about to start filming!"

Fang Xu blushed and stammered, "I... I hadn't decided what pose to make..."

"Just stand there normally!"

"But standing still is so boring..."

Murong Jiao took a deep breath.

"three."

"Wait until I'm done—"

"two."

Fang Xu hurriedly forced out what he thought was a cool smile and made a peace sign with his right hand.

Murong Jiao raised her chin, revealing a confident and radiant smile.

Murong Sha's lips curled up slightly, her blue eyes gazing quietly ahead, a subtle yet beautiful smile.

Mo Fan —

He stood on the far left, without making any deliberate expression.

The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned than usual.

"one!"

click-

The shutter clicked.

An invisible light flashed by, capturing this moment in the frame.

The warm yellow glow of the fire at the end of the market, the starry sky overhead, and the stone-paved road stretching into the distance.

And—the figures of four young people standing side by side.

"It's done!" Murong Jiao immediately ran over to check the image.

Fang Xu leaned closer: "Let me see! Let me see!"

Murong Jiao unfolded the screen, and the four heads came together.

In the photo, four people stand under the night sky of Pandonog. Murong Jiao laughs the most freely, Murong Sha smiles the most gently, Fang Xu's peace sign is crooked but his smile is sincere, and Mo Fan's expression is not much, but his whole demeanor is relaxed and natural, which is in stark contrast to his usual serious appearance. In that instant, the firelight, starlight, smiles, night breeze—everything that belongs to this night—is frozen in a small frame.

Murong Jiao's smile grew even brighter.

"This photo is absolutely perfect!"

Fang Xu's smile deepened.

"very nice."

Murong Sha didn't say anything, but the faint smile on her lips lingered for a long time.

Mo Fan smiled knowingly.

He turned his gaze back to the night sky above.

Everything from these past few days—the hustle and bustle of the market, the competition in the mine, the smoke from the barbecue, the laughter around the campfire, Teacher Muyuan's notes, and the elder's instructions—has now transformed into a warmth that settles deep in my heart.

I'm leaving tomorrow.

But this night.

This photo.

They will stay.

The night wind in Pandonog still blew gently, and the torches in the distance flickered, as if bidding a final farewell to this ancient tribe.

And the beautiful memories belonging to the four of them were thus frozen in time.

Chapter 239 Sacrifice to the Divine Tree

-

The next day.

early morning.

Sunlight streamed through the window cracks, casting golden streaks on the floor of the wooden house.

Mo Fan was the first to wake up.

He sat up and glanced out the window. The sky was a clear, deep blue, without a single cloud, the sun was shining brightly, and birds were chirping sweetly.

It's a nice day.

Good weather for holding a sacrificial ceremony.

"Hmm—" Murong Jiao turned over on the other bed, her yellow pigtails spread out on the pillow, mumbled something in a daze, and then suddenly opened her eyes.