Night’s Nomenclature-Chapter 501: Choose Your Own Path

“Older Brother, what are we doing? Can we go down the mountain?” The little girl walked on the narrow mountain ridge, looking to both sides, with abysses of over a thousand meters on either side.

Once she accidentally slipped on this mountain ridge, she would inevitably be smashed to pieces.

“Continue,” Qing Chen said calmly, “Continue to clear the rubble.”

This is Ao Sui High Peak, more than ten kilometers away from the ski resort. No tourists would come here at this time. Only Qing Chen and Shinguji Maki were left in the world.

Qing Chen acted as if nothing had happened and continued to sweep the rubble on the mountain ridge as usual.

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

No wonder the skiers said they had never seen Qing Chen, because Qing Chen did not ski.

However, what Shinguji Maki didn't expect was that Qing Chen would actually bring her to this mountain ridge and let her clean up the rubble with him.

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

Qing Chen said, “If you want to give up, just tell me, and I can take you down. Every day when I come up to clean the rubble, you can wait for me at the mountainside.”

Hearing this, Shinguji Maki suddenly pursed her lips and continued to bend down to clear the rubble without saying a word.

The wind on the mountain ridge was fierce and violent. Sometimes even Qing Chen could hardly maintain his footing, let alone an eight-year-old girl.

But unexpectedly, after Qing Chen said that, she never mentioned going down the mountain again, but silently did her work.

Several times, she almost got swept off the mountain ridge by the mountain wind, but she only exclaimed once and then silently found a rock to stabilize herself.

At this time, the little girl lowered her head, and transparent tears fell from her long eyelashes, blown into the valley by a gust of mountain wind.

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

Shinguji Maki suddenly stubbornly wiped away her tears, “I'm not afraid!”

The moment she left Bai Chuan Village, she almost thought her life was about to turn to a brighter place.

But who could have imagined that she would Face[-] even greater hardships than before.

Even when she worked at the hot spring hotel, she never had to experience such danger.

But Shinguji Maki still didn't say anything.

At this time, Qing Chen gradually sped up his clearing of the obstacles, because he was not sure if the Shadow Agency would find them here, nor was he sure how many people they would bring when they came.

Without Conquer with Virtue by his side, even if Qing Chen was very powerful in this ghost place, he couldn't defeat hundreds of enemies armed with guns.

A gust of mountain wind blew, and Shinguji Maki lost her footing and was about to be blown off the cliff.

Just when she thought she was going to die, Qing Chen reached out and grabbed her collar, pulling her back, “Continue.”

“Mm,” the little girl responded.

This innocent little girl not only has similar childhood experiences to Qing Chen.

At some point, Qing Chen even felt that she was somewhat similar to him in personality.

Not just the “sensible” unwillingness to be “annoying.”

But also the stubbornness and contrariness of not wanting to give up in the Face[-] of hardship.

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

When cleaning the rubble on the mountain ridge, even though she was scared to death, she never complained again.

At night, Qing Chen took the little girl down the mountain and hid in the ski resort's visitor center while the ski resort was closing.

There was no other place to stay in the mountains, and there was no food to be found. Although there were still people on duty at the ski resort, fortunately they only stayed in their own offices and would not easily come out to patrol.

Shinguji Maki whispered, “Older Brother, there are surveillance cameras.”

“It's okay, they can't see us,” Qing Chen said indifferently.

He knew that the surveillance cameras inside the visitor center must have been locked by Surface World One.

It's quite ironic that Qing Chen came to Bai Chuan Village this time without anyone he could trust, the only one he could trust was the artificial intelligence from the last era of Inner World that had destroyed humanity.

While the lights in the visitor center were off, Qing Chen took Shinguji Maki into the ski resort shop, “Take whatever you want to eat.”

The little girl hesitated and said, “Older Brother, stealing is bad.”

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

“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 she was planning to bury the past with fire, and he would look a little unmotivated if he was worried about a little food.

So he didn't stop her.

Seeing that she didn't dare to take more, Qing Chen took two more boxes of biscuits from the shelf and stuffed them into her arms, “If you're not full, how will you go up the mountain tomorrow?”

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

It was a bit risky to spend the night in the visitor center, because if they left traces, they would eventually be discovered.

The wrong number of goods, the tents being moved, these could all be clues to help the Shadow Agency find them.

But Qing Chen was about to Face[-] the fourth Trials of Life and Death challenge, and he, who was still injured from weight training, couldn't risk staying in the freezing cold. Before completing the challenge, he had to maintain a good condition.

Being hunted by the Shadow Agency was a consequence he had considered when he saved Shinguji Maki.

He was prepared to bear the consequences.

Qing Chen lay alone in the tent, listening to the sound of eating like a little mouse next door, “Maki, do you have any strange memories, such as a more technologically advanced world?”

“No.”

“What did your ancestors do?”

“Grandma said that Grandpa was the Headmaster in charge of the Bai Chuan Village temple's rituals, and Grandpa's grandpa was too. Originally, Dad was supposed to take over after 48, but something happened to him. Because a tourist died accidentally while he was guiding, Bai Chuan Village's income decreased a lot, so the villagers of Bai Chuan Village didn't like our family very much. It is said that a long, long time ago, our ancestors were messengers of the gods, who mastered the gods' war dance.”

“I see.”

Qing Chen was thinking about something. The surname Shinguji is actually very special, and it also holds a significant position in the mythology passed down by Shintoism.

He even felt that the reason why the Shinguji family could preside over the temple rituals in Bai Chuan Village was precisely because they possessed a certain kind of inheritance, but it was later lost.

Just like the Zhunti Method.

Until now, Qing Chen still didn't understand why Shinguji Maki could directly inherit the Breathing Technique. If she wasn't a beta tester, it must have something to do with this magical bloodline inheritance.

The next day, Qing Chen tidied up the tents before the ski resort opened and took the little girl back up the mountain.

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

Shinguji Maki was suffering. Because of picking up rubble, her small hands were red and swollen from the cold.

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 jade, kind-hearted enough to pass the Trial of Heart in an instant. Undoubtedly, after passing the Trial of Heart, she could become a Knight.

But passing the Trial of Heart is only the foundation of becoming a Knight. That path is too bitter, too tiring, and too dangerous. Even after passing the Trial of Heart, it is not certain that she will be able to persevere.

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

If she gave up, Qing Chen would help her smuggle into the country and escape from the Shadow Agency's pursuit.

If she didn't give up, they could continue together.

This was a test that Qing Chen had experienced, and it was also a test that every Knight had experienced. Shinguji Maki was no exception.