Chapter 326: No Cheating Allowed

"Full of nonsense!" Xiao Ran sneered, "You go first, let me see?"

"How dare you!" Ba Tu shouted, "You desecrate the spirits! How dare you question the Fire God?"

The herders shouted loudly:

"You angered the Fire God!"

"Go up and walk!"

"Only if you can walk across can you prove your reverence for the Fire God!"

"Just cut them down, then!"

"Right! They don't dare to walk! Kill them!"

The herders raised their daggers and sabers again, ready to pounce.

Xiao Er, Lu Qi and Ha Ri Cha Gai, Qing Qing all stepped back a pace, drew together, and prepared to risk their lives.

"Fine! I'll go."

A clear, soft, childlike voice rang out.

The few felt a jolt in their hearts and turned to look at Tuan Tuan.

She looked up with her little face at the blazing coal pile, unafraid at all, as if appraising an interesting toy.

"Tuan Tuan!" Xiao Ningxun hurried, "That's hot coals! They'll burn you!"

"Third Brother, it's fine." Tuan Tuan lowered her head, untied the embroidered pouch at her waist, pulled out a strand of wool, stretched out her little arms, "Hold me."

Xiao Ningxun felt a shock in his heart and bent down to lift her.

Tuan Tuan looked at Ba Tu, raised a little finger and pointed at the coal pile, "Hey! What if I can walk across this fire?"

Ba Tu snorted, "If you can walk across that fire, it would only mean the Fire God has pardoned your disrespectful sin."

"Oh!" Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, thought, "Then if I walk across and my little feet aren't hurt?"

The people around erupted in a clamor.

"What a joke!"

"How could you not get hurt! Even a crippled foot would be lucky!"

Ba Tu stared at Tuan Tuan, "What nonsense are you spouting? That's impossible!"

Tuan Tuan shook her head, "You're wrong. If I walk across unharmed, it means the Fire God likes me!"

"He likes me, doesn't want to hurt me, so we're not disaster stars, right?"

The herders looked at each other.

"What she says does sound reasonable."

"Indeed! If one truly can walk the Fire God's path without a single hair of injury, that person is truly protected by the Fire God!"

"How could a person protected by the Fire God be a disaster star?"

Ba Tu furrowed his brows, "So what?"

Tuan Tuan laughed, "If that's the case, you must let everyone see whether it's really as my Third Brother said—that bad people caused the cellar to collapse, right?"

Ba Tu was stunned, and even Chief Agula was taken aback.

This kid... actually setting terms with the great shaman?

Ba Tu's complexion shifted repeatedly.

But under everyone's watchful eyes, how could he retreat?

He glanced at the coal pile; the broken pieces of iron were already glowing red‑hot in the coals.

"Fine!" Ba Tu gritted his teeth, "If you truly can walk barefoot over the coals unharmed, I will personally lead men to the cellar to verify!"

Tuan Tuan made a goofy face at him, "We agreed, okay! No cheating!"

Ba Tu's mouth twitched, he forced himself not to erupt.

Tuan Tuan turned and leapt into Xiao Ningxun's arms, one hand clutching his neck, the other little hand loosening in his embrace.

A faint glimmer flashed, and the wool vanished.

She muttered softly, "Protect my little feet as I walk over those coals!"

Xiao Ningxun's mouth curled up, a feeling of relief settled in his gut.

"Third Brother, put me down."

Xiao Ningxun gently set her down on the ground.

"No!" The few, not seeing what Tuan Tuan was doing in the brother's arms, simultaneously reached out and placed their hands on her small shoulders.

Xiao Ningxun shook his head slightly at them, and the few withdrew their hands, half in doubt.

"It's fine, don't worry!" After saying that, Tuan Tuan lifted her short legs, ran onto the altar, sat down on the ground, and took off her little boots.

She then ripped off her socks, exposing a pair of white, tender little feet, and waved them at Ba Tu, "Hey! Look! My little feet! Pretty?"

Xiao Ran let out a snort of laughter.

Ba Tu's face turned iron‑blue, he clenched his teeth in restraint, "In a moment you'll be scalded before you can even cry!"

Tuan Tuan stepped before the coal pile, a wave of heat hit her face, scorching it bright red.

Agula Mianlu couldn't bear it: "Little girl, think carefully, this isn't a game."

Tuan Tuan glanced at him, "Grandpa, you're actually quite nice."

Agula was startled, "That child!"

The herders held their breath, many closing their eyes.

Ba Tu's lips curled slightly.

Tuan Tuan lifted her skirt, raised her little foot, and steadily stepped onto the first crimson coal.

Many women turned away, unable to watch the gruesome scorching of flesh.

However, the expected scream did not sound.

Tuan Tuan stepped on the charcoal, even lightly grinding her little toe, tilting her head to feel it.

She lifted her head, blinked at Batu: "It's quite comfortable!"

Batu's smile froze instantly.

Tuan Tuan took another step.

This time, she stepped on the shattered iron caltrops buried in the charcoal pile.

Those red-hot sharp iron spikes should have instantly pierced her sole.

But under her feet, they curled up and softened, with a soft "puff" sound, turning into a pinch of black ash that mixed into the charcoal.

Tuan Tuan continued forward.

Third step, fourth step...

She walked not fast, leisurely and carefree, as if strolling on the grassland.

Those fair, tender little feet rose and fell between the red-hot coals, so white they dazzled, without a trace of red.

When she reached the center of the charcoal pile, she suddenly stopped, lowered her head to look at the fire beneath her feet, and gave a little hop.

Her tiny body lightly leapt up on the charcoal, and as she landed, a few sparks were kicked up.

Tuan Tuan giggled and spun around.

Next, she actually walked on the charcoal while hopping, jumping, and spinning, humming a little tune:

"Fire God Grandfather is so nice, Tuan Tuan is a good baby! My feet aren't hot at all, hopping and jumping is so much fun..."

The whole place fell silent.

Thousands of pairs of eyes stared, dumbfounded, at the tiny figure dancing in the fire.

Watching her pure white little feet lift, set down, lift again, set down.

Batu trembled all over, his face went from red to white, then to blue, finally turning deathly ashen.

He stared fixedly at Tuan Tuan's feet, which hadn't even broken the oil skin, mouth open but unable to make a sound, his deep-set old eyes filled with incredulous fear.

How could this be possible?

This is absolutely impossible!

Those shattered iron caltrops were hand-picked by him; when red-hot they could pierce even iron armor!

This kid! Just who is she?

Tuan Tuan finished the last stretch, steadily stopping on the ground at the far end of the charcoal pile.

She sat on the ground, brushed off the black ash from her feet with a sigh: "Really, you got my feet dirty."

Then she lifted her little foot toward Batu: "Hey! Did you see that clearly?"

She then raised it toward the herdsmen below the altar: "Look! The Fire God likes me!"

"Eternal life..."

No one knew who first murmured.

An old herdsman fell to his knees with a "thud," kowtowing heavily toward Tuan Tuan:

"Bliss of the Fire God! She is the child blessed by the Fire God!"

"A miracle! Truly a miracle!"

"This child is an envoy sent by the Fire God to the grasslands!"

More and more people knelt down, at first just a few scattered ones, then they joined together into a sea.

Finally, except for Batu and his few attendant priests nearby, almost the entire Ertun tribe lay on the ground, kowtowing devoutly to Tuan Tuan.

Even Agula trembled as he knelt, old tears streaming: "Fire God's envoy, please forgive us! The Ertun tribe is blind and has offended the envoy!"

Batu staggered back a few steps, pointing at Tuan Tuan, lips trembling: "You, you..."

Tuan Tuan put on her socks and little boots, stood up, and stared at him: "Hey! I'm done walking, my feet aren't hurt at all!"

"You should have everyone go check the cellar, right? You promised! No backing out!"