Chapter 83: Fierce Flame Fire

  Her palms were sweating, and Yan Zhao tightly grasped Yuwen Qiming's hand, her heart racing. Although the old man in front of her looked kind and gentle, she always felt that this warmth hid an unspeakable cruelty behind it.

  Indeed.

  "According to our tribal rules, as long as Zhaodi can pass through the fiery flames, she can become a member of our Mani tribe."

  "Do you want her to go through the fiery flames?"

  "No, it's me."

  Shi Shu rushed to Yuwen Qiming's front in a panic, grabbing his sleeve and shaking his head desperately: "Absolutely not, young master, absolutely not! The substitute must endure double the suffering, absolutely not!"

  "Prince!" Although she didn't know what the fierce flame was, judging from Shi Shu's reaction, Yan Zhaoge could guess that it must be extremely dangerous. "I can do it."

  Yuwen Qiming smiled brightly and brushed away the hair on her temples, her eyes filled with dense joy, "Listen."

  "Young master has thought it through, the fierce flames will scorch the heart and bones, the substitute must endure twice as much. If they cannot withstand it, they will be buried in the fire, no one is allowed to rescue them."

  Yuwen Qiming nodded and looked straight at Qu Xuan, saying loudly: "Qiming's heart is set, I still hope that Grandfather Qu will fulfill it."

  Xia Tian and Yuan Longyu exchanged a glance, both of them were confused.

  He stroked his white beard and gave a faint smile as he instructed the young people beside him, "In that case, you can go prepare now."

  "Yes." The four young men bowed in unison and each prepared themselves.

  "Elder!" Shi Shu turned around and ran back to Qu Xiang, knelt down in front of him with a thud, and begged in a low voice: "Elder, have mercy! Let me take the young master's place and suffer that fiery flame instead!"

  "Shi Shu, isn't it that you want to marry that Yan girl?"

  “……”

  "Quickly step down, our clan rules are strict and cannot be replaced at will."

  Shi Shu did not dare say more and could only shake his head silently before retreating to one side.

  Yan Zhuo's eyes were red-rimmed with worry as she stared at Yuwen Qiming, her eyes unblinking. Yuan Longlin and Xia Tian gradually sensed something was amiss, their expressions also unable to relax. Only Yuwen Qiming continued to smile as if nothing was wrong.

  In a short while, a two-meter-long and one-meter-wide oil pad was laid out in the courtyard, with dense rows of dagger blades pointing upwards. On top of the oil pad, an iron plate about half a person's height was erected, covered with inverted spikes, allowing two people to walk side by side. Someone lit a fire on the oil pad, and the flames quickly spread, heating up the iron plate until it turned bright red.

  "The flames of fierce fire are ready, since the young master is willing to replace Yan Niang to bear this fierce flame, then please let the young master walk back and forth on it barefoot." Qu Xuan said slowly.

  "Yes." Yuwen Qiming nodded his head and smiled.

  "No!" Yan Zhao Di tightly grasped his arm, her eyes filled with fear and distress. "No, young master, I'm not worth you doing this."

  "How could it not be worth it, if you're not worth it then no one in this world is. I, Yuwen Ximeng, have said that if I'm going to marry you, I will definitely marry you. Have you forgotten what I said? Don't think about anything else, just believe me, believe me!" He let go of her hand and resolutely walked under the iron plate, taking off his shoes and socks.

  "Master San Si!" Shi Shu finally couldn't help but speak out to dissuade him.

  "Yuwen Qiming, you're crazy! You'll get hurt doing this!"

  "Yuwen, don't be foolish! Whatever it is, I'll help you figure it out. We can go ask Third Brother for help, just don't act impulsively."

  Xiatian and Yuan Longlin couldn't bear to look anymore, it was a scorching hot iron plate with thorns all over it, would anyone's feet be okay after walking on it?!

  She slightly raised her eyelids, and with a gentle wave of her hand, said "Stop them."

  The four young men around him immediately walked to the front of Yuan Longlin and Xia Tian, lined up in a row, and stood firmly behind them, no matter how anxious they were, they couldn't get past this human wall.

  Yan Zhaodi stared blankly at Yuwen Qiming as he stepped onto the iron plate, her two eyes overflowing with tears that seemed to have lost all control. She had always known they weren't a match made in heaven, she had always known they couldn't be together, yet time and again she compromised under his deep affection and overbearing ways. She deceived herself into staying by his side, thinking he would eventually tire of her and leave. But at this moment, in this scene, she finally understood that she could no longer bear to part with him, and for the rest of her life, even if it was just a fleeting instant, she wanted to be with him.

  Pfft~~ Splash~~

  As soon as his foot touched the iron plate, the inverted thorns immediately pierced into his palm, and the skin was even scorched with a burnt smell. Yuwen Qiming gritted his teeth and took another steady step forward.

  "Long Xiaosi, what is this...!" Xiatian Wuze grabbed onto Yuan Longlin's cloak. This was simply too cruel, it was practically torture!

  Yuan Longlin furrowed his brow, gazing up at Yuwen Qiming, his fists clenched tightly. The four men before him were each extraordinary in their skills, and even if he had rushed forward to rescue Yuwen, he wouldn't have been able to break through their blockade by half an inch. The disparity was already clear. Taking a deep breath, he bowed deeply to Qu Xuan, "Elder Qu, I am the current Brocade King, the seventh son of the Emperor. I know that nobles have their own rules, and as an outsider, I shouldn't interfere. However, Yuwen is my closest friend, and I cannot just stand by and watch him suffer. Therefore, I implore you, Elder Qu, to show mercy and spare his life. I would be eternally grateful."

  Qu Yun nodded slightly, a faint smile of relief also appeared on his lips. He returned a courtesy to Yuan Longlin and said slowly: "The King of Brocade's kindness to my young master is appreciated by the old man. However, our clan's rules are like this, and I dare not abolish them arbitrarily. Moreover, Your Highness probably doesn't want Xiangong to be criticized by people in the clan and have her identity doubted in the future."

  "This......" Yuan Longlin was speechless, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

  Yuwen Qiming turned his head and nodded gratefully at him.

  Before long, bean-sized sweat beads flowed down Yuwen Qiming's forehead, and his collar was a patch of water. It could be seen that he was tightly biting his teeth, but those eyes were always warm and calm. His feet had long been bloody and blurred, the edge of the iron plate constantly dripping fresh blood into the fire.

  "Zhaodi!" Suddenly, a loud shout from Xia Tian made Yuwen Qiming's head buzz, and he almost fell off the iron plate. A pair of hands timely supported him, and he only felt a blur in front of his eyes. He narrowed his eyes to see clearly that the owner of the hands was Zhaodi. Quickly looking down at her feet, a pair of tender white feet were standing bare on the iron plate, with fresh red blood slowly gathering under them.

  Pain! More painful than his own injuries, tenfold, a hundredfold.

  "Get down." He scowled at her and shook off her supporting arm. "Get down right now."

  Enduring the intense pain in her feet, Yan Zhuo tightly grasped his arm and refused to let go.

  "Zhāo diān!" Yu Wén Qǐ Míng was really furious, it was the first time he yelled at her in such a harsh tone. "Get down quickly!"