His left hand, veins bulging, trembled slightly as he stroked the openwork exterior of the stove...
At this moment, Old Xiao looked solemn and preoccupied. He straightened his slightly hunched body by pulling his arm back, then suddenly raised his right hand, put it in the corner of his mouth, gritted his teeth, and a drop of bright red blood oozed from the tip of his index finger.
"Dad! What are you doing?" Qiao Mei was startled by Old Xiao's actions.
The next moment, he raised his bleeding finger high in front of him. "Pfft!" The blood dripped onto the ornate iron sheet outside the furnace, quickly seeping into the surface and engulfing the furnace...
Immediately afterwards, the sounds of "sizzling... crackling!" filled the air, the flames were burning loudly, and the inside and outside of the furnace turned a deep red.
Upon closer inspection, flames suddenly flickered inside the stove, which had previously been without any fire. The flames moved and made a continuous "sizzling" sound as they burned.
"Puff, puff..." The flames flickered and swayed from side to side. The once peaceful stone cave was soon filled with heat, and the flames leaped and seemed to grow even stronger.
Then, a wave of heat filled the cave.
At this moment, Old Xiao's profile was facing Qiao Mei. Originally somewhat gloomy, it was now illuminated by the firelight, displaying brilliant colors.
The corners of his mouth were subtly turning upwards, and a strange look appeared on his previously expressionless face.
With a rosy glow on his face, Old Xiao reached out and suddenly pressed his fingers on the stove. There was no door in front of him before, but now, as if struck by a mysterious force, the stove was instantly bounced away. Like a gust of wind, a flame stretched out its long tongue and licked at Old Xiao's face.
A surge of intense heat forced Qiao Mei and Mo Tian to take a few steps back.
Oh no! The next second, Mo Tian cried out inwardly.
Old Xiao's face was flushed red in the firelight.
"I should go! Hahaha!" Old Xiao raised his head, gave a sad laugh, and then, without looking back, stepped into the furnace door...
"Dad!" "Uncle!" The two people in the cave cried out in unison.
However, a blast of hot air pushed the two of them away from the stove.
Old Xiao's walking speed was truly astonishing; in the blink of an eye, his thin figure disappeared into the flames.
"Dad!" Qiao Mei cried out in pain, reaching out her hand.
However, with a loud "bang!", just as Qiao Mei's fingers were about to reach the fireplace, the carved door suddenly slammed shut. She watched helplessly as her father's back turned, turning crimson. Qiao Mei's knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Uncle!" Mo Tian was right behind Qiao Mei, and the sight made him gasp.
"Dad!" Qiao Mei moved closer, struggling to stand up. She reached out, trying to find the stove to open it, but the stove was so hot that her fingers couldn't get close, and she couldn't find the door to go inside.
"Don't come near." Old Xiao's voice came from the stove, his voice a little weaker than before, "Only when I leave can everything have a good start."
“Sister,” Mo Tian stepped forward, reached out and grabbed Qiao Mei, shook her head and sighed, “This is Uncle’s choice, and there is nothing we can do about it.”
"No! No!" Qiao Mei covered her face with her hands and shook her head repeatedly, seemingly unable to accept the reality before her. She reached out a hand, and Mo Tian put his arm around Qiao Mei's shoulder, silently comforting her.
"Children, don't be sad, everything will be alright." Old Xiao's voice gradually faded into the distance.
"Puff puff..." Just then, countless flames shot out from the hollowed-out opening...
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