As the sun sets, an orange-red halo shines onto the earth, casting a warm glow on the scattered houses in the valley.

Out-of-town visitors cross the valley entrance and step into another noisy world deep in the mountains. Young children ran to meet the crowd, shouting with their arms outstretched.

"Welcome to the Valley of Fire!"

Xiao Ye followed behind the red-haired people and looked around at the scenery.

The meandering river runs along the bottom of the valley and seems to be burning under the brightly colored sky. Two or three storey houses are lined up along the river, and as the valley floor rises staggeredly, the layers of spires are densely packed in the field of vision, like a pile of small and delicate toys.

The exterior of the brand-new house is painted with a colorful and highly saturated lacquer, which has not yet been dulled by the passage of time, adding a myriad of vivid colors to the monotonous deep mountains.

The buildings in the valley are not arranged in a regular manner like in the city, but are scattered all over the mountain, large and small, and they are particularly smoky because of the disorder. The stone-paved path was full of people, and there was a faint sound of drums coming from the end of the valley, and the middle-aged man walking on the road couldn't help but turn in a circle with the sound of the drums, and accidentally hit his head on his own platypus fire beast, which was so hot that he screamed. A young man unobtrusively directs a Pokémon to battle a friend on the side of the road, and the flames scorch the spire of the beautiful attic next door, provoking the victim, a middle-aged woman, to roar like an angry lion, and the troublemakers have already giggled and run away.

Adults and children alike are keen to see the excitement, and the small villages nestled in the valley are full of life, as if they had just been forced to relocate due to the earthquake.

"We're back! Ready?" the members of the patrol quickly blended in, giggling and greeting their fellow friends on the side of the road. The Flame Folk were keen to visit the house, especially in the evening after work, when a group of people gathered as they walked, and the dinner of each family turned into a group feast.

The inhabitants of the Valley of Flames didn't seem to be surprised by the sudden appearance of a purple-haired outsider, and treated Xiao Ye with the same attitude as a child running and jumping in the mountains. Xiao Ya didn't know anything about the customs of the mountain people, and was almost pulled into the house to eat by a family at the entrance, and hurriedly explained, "You are mistaken, I am not your son who just dyed his hair"—perhaps the brain circuits of the outsiders were too strange, causing everyone nearby to laugh and cry.

"Na, is the big sister a tourist? How did you find us? Mom said we just moved, so tourists probably won't be here this year. The children who said "welcome" to the night pestered the outsiders and chattered.

"Of course I brought it!" Yong Zhen never mentioned the mess of having sent out an invitation but forgetting to leave his address, and turned around, "Xiaoye, I'll go say hello to my parents first, and come to my house for dinner later......!"

He thought about it, and pushed the red-haired friend lightly and heavily, causing the boy to almost collide with Xiao Ye and squeeze Pichu flat, "Yang Yu, please be a tour guide for a while-bye, see you later!"

Before the words fell, Yongzhen had already run away with full action.

Yang Yu, who was deducted from the position of a tour guide with a word, shook his head helplessly and apologized to the frightened Pichu.

"Mound!" the electric mouse stinked and raised his chin high.

Xiao Ye blinked, picked up the fluff ball and handed it to the red-haired boy, "It means 'I'll forgive you if you touch it'." ”

"Eh, oh......"

Yang Yu took Pichu a little confused and gently stroked the soft fluff on its back. The mouse changed into a comfortable position in the boy's arms and yawned lazily.

"I'm sorry, Yong Zhen is always so reckless. Yang Yu smiled at his new acquaintance, "Xiaoye, you're here for the first time, right?, do you want to take a stroll around the neighborhood, or do you want to take a break first?"

The boy's eyes glanced at Xiao Ye's arm from time to time, as if he wanted her to be baptized in the medicine box first. And Xiao Ya himself didn't want to bother with the wound that was still thirty seconds away from healing, and said with great interest, "Then please let Mr. Guide lead the way."

The settlement of the mountain people on the southern island is very different from all the cities that Xiao Ye has visited before. Even if you count the memories of the other world, the scenery in front of you is still very fresh.

The two of them walked along the red-washed river. Many children ran around them, chasing each other, followed by a few adults yelling "Boys, come back to dinner".

"Actually, there aren't that many people in the Valley of Flames. Probably thinking that the clansmen were too noisy, Yang Yu smiled a little embarrassedly, "Usually most of the clansmen work outside - for example, my parents are now working in the Hezhong area, and only a small number of people stay here. But now that the fire worship festival is coming, everyone who can take a leave of absence will come back for the holiday. ”

"I see. Xiao Ye nodded, pointing to the people who were dancing to the sound of drums not far away, "Are they also preparing for the Fire Festival?"

"Well, it's a dance during a rehearsal festival. Yang Yu replied.

The girls and boys who were dancing were not very old. Their clothes were embroidered with delicate gold and red patterns, and bright feathers hung around their necks—seemingly identical to those of Yang Yu. The dancers' faces are also painted with intricate patterns, which resemble ancient totems and some kind of mysterious words.

Sayo curiously glanced at the dancers - and then was stunned by the dancers who "tore" the patterns off their faces.

"What's wrong?" Yang Yu wondered.

"The pattern on his, their faces......" Xiao Ye didn't know how to express his feelings vividly for a while, "Isn't it painted?"

"That's a tattoo sticker. Yang Yu replied calmly, "It's been a tradition for festival dancers to draw patterns on their faces for many years - but it's too cumbersome to actually draw with a brush, and it seems that dancers from decades ago would still do that?"

"Oh......"

Xiao Ye was a little stunned by the impact of the "tattoo stickers on the faces of isolated mountain peoples", so he had to respond a few times randomly.

"By the way, I see that everyone seems to be wearing feather ornaments that look very similar?"

"Well, that's our tradition too. Yang Yu tugged at his scarf and showed the three wobble feathers on his neck ring more clearly to Xiao Ya, "This is made from the feathers of the Flame Chicken—it is said that the Flame Folk used to make trinkets from the feathers dropped by the Flame Bird a long time ago. ”

Xiao Ye nodded knowingly.

At this time, the two of them happened to walk past the tall stone slab standing by the river. The painting on the slate seems to have been some years old, and the color is beginning to fade, but the outline of the picture is still clear. The depicted figure is dressed in the costume of the Flame People, and wears a brightly colored crown of feathers, which resembles a blooming flower, with feathers stretching out from the inside out, and the roots are woven together by fine silk threads, majestic and mysterious.

"This is a portrait of a patriarch from more than two hundred years ago – the crown on his head is only a patriarch qualified to wear. The temporary tour guide boy dutifully explained. Seeing that Xiao Ye was carefully observing the paintings, looking a little curious, Yang Yu added, "If you want, you can go to the souvenir shop and buy it." ”

"Eh......" Xiao Ye was stunned, "Isn't the feather crown only the patriarch qualified to wear it?"

"Hmm...... It should be said that only the patriarch is eligible to wear it for free?"

Sayo: "......"

"Rest assured, we will not use Bobo's feathers to dye as feathers for a flaming chicken. Yang Yu, a young man from a deep ethnic group in the mountains, seriously promoted his family's specialty shop, and did not feel that he had completely destroyed the mystery advertised in the poster, "It will feel warm when worn on your head in winter, and guests who are afraid of the cold must consider it." ”

Saya: "............"

Yang Yu: "What's wrong?"

Sayo: "It's nothing, I just feel the atmosphere of a paladin with a holy sword in his hand charging on a motorcycle." ”

Yang Yu: "...... Huh?"

After walking through half the village, Sayo also realizes that there are a lot of false elements in the propaganda on the poster. Although the "isolated mountain culture" is a very attractive selling point for tourists, it is unlikely that there are no ethnic groups in the territory of the Union that have not yet been assimilated by modern technology.

"Ahead is the heart of the Valley of Fire. It's time for the Dance to the Gods. The red-haired boy stood on tiptoe and pointed in the direction the drums were coming from.

There is an open space by the river, where a wide, circular wooden altar stands. Torches are placed on the edge of the altar, reflecting the faces of the people on the altar in red.

And in the center of the altar, a tall crystal pillar stands quietly.

The texture of the crystal pillar is almost transparent. Perhaps it was the influence of the evening skylight, or perhaps it was the reflection of the torches, and the orange flames continued to dance inside the crystal pillar, as if they were spiritual creatures. The surface of the crystal pillar is carved with dense words and symbols, which look clearly the product of old age, but the handwriting has not become blurred at all.

Sayo recognized it as the Uber hieroglyphs, the oldest script ever discovered, and the world's most indecipherable ritual language.

The transparent crystal pillars covered with handwriting seem to reflect the magnificent civilization of ancient times. It's a pity that there is a crack that spreads from the top of the crystal pillar to the middle, destroying its cohesive beauty.

This pillar is called the "Pillar of the Covenant" and is said to be more than 1,000 years old. Yang Yu's voice rang out at the right time, "The inscription carved on it is a black cypress hieroglyph, which is said to be related to the ancient rituals of the Flame People - it's just that this script is so old that few people other than the patriarch can decipher it now. ”

On the altar, surrounded by torches, a group of people are dancing.

Their costumes are gorgeous and mysterious, with two golden feathers clinging to their cheeks, shaking in the wind like the pointed ears of fairies. The dancers sometimes high-five, sometimes beat the drum at their waist – it doesn't look flashy, but it makes a very special sound. It was not like the sound of a drum, but like a human being singing something reverently, an invisible melody that vibrated in the air, shocking and yet gentle like water.

The dancers dance to the rhythm of the drums. Their dance steps are light, without the heaviness of a sacrificial dance, and every movement is filled with pure joy.

The girl in the center of the queue wears a long red dress with two white flowers on her sideburns. She swirled lightly, like a spirit born out of fire.

"That's the Oope drum. Perhaps afraid of disturbing the dancers, Yang Yu lowered his voice, "It sounds completely different from ordinary drums, right?"

"Well, it's like someone is singing. Xiao Ye replied softly as well.

"The Upe drum is an important treasure of our family that has been handed down since thousands of years ago. It can emit different tones of voice to convey information – for example, the opening signal of the annual Five Mountains Fire Ceremony is given by the Upe drum. "It is said that in ancient times, our people would use the drums of the Upe drum to communicate with the flame birds, and thus communicate with each other. ”

Xiao Ye turned her head sideways and looked at the person beside her. The boy's side face was covered with a blur of light in the setting sun, and those flame-colored eyes stared at the dancers on the altar, as if they were shining.

"Yang Yu, you seem to like these drums a lot. ”

The young man was stunned for a moment, and then smiled crookedly.

"Of course—that's our treasure. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the roar of rising flames sounded above the altar.

Xiao Ye saw that the flames of the torches around the altar were swelling at the same time, spinning and converging towards the center of the altar. The figures of the dancers were instantly engulfed in flames and disappeared into a field of orange and red.

But the dance continues, and the unique rhythm of the Upe drum is still resounding. As if endowed with spirituality, the flame rises and falls with the beat of the drums, becoming the new dancer on stage.

When the gathered flames swelled to their limits, they exploded.

The girl in the rain of fire stepped on the shoulders of the tall man and gracefully ended the final dance step. The flames spread out at the dancer's feet, turning into a huge fire lotus that lifted the people on the altar.

The girl opened her mouth, and the obscure pronunciation of the old words slowly flowed out.

[The gods who have guarded the people of fire for thousands of years]

【Here we dedicate our dance from the soul to you】

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Small Theatre:

The dancers beat the drum at their waists – it doesn't look flashy, but it makes a very special sound. It was not like the sound of drums, but like humans singing reverently, and the dancers danced to the high and low chanting, and the girl in the center of the procession, dressed in a long red dress, swirled lightly like a fiery spirit.

Sayo: Isn't it hard to beat the Upe drum to such a melody?

Yang Yu: Well, everyone who dances now has been practicing for at least three years.

Sayo: I wonder what kind of sound people don't skillfully make......

Yang Yu: If you have little strength, it's a big needle bee flying.

Night: ......

Yang Yu: If you have a lot of strength, it's a roar and a bomb singing.

Night: ............