Jun Ci saw it but wasn't too concerned. He asked, "What did you throw down there?"
Duan Chen smiled and replied, "Something good, I suppose."
In fact, what he had thrown down was his phoenix-headed hairpin.
That is to say, the red-clothed vengeful bride.
The red-clothed vengeful bride would find him on her own one day. As long as she was within this secret realm, once the red-clothed bride completed her task, she would search for him.
The phoenix-headed hairpin was not afraid of snakes at all. Within this realm, the phoenix-headed hairpin and he had no contract, or rather, no contract that could be traced.
He could use the phoenix-headed hairpin boldly and stir up trouble here.
What's more, very few people had seen him use the phoenix-headed hairpin.
Therefore, very few people could connect him to his identity, which would not bring trouble to Su Cheng.
Basically, everyone who had seen him use the phoenix-headed hairpin was already dead.
Seeing that Duan Chen didn't want to say more, Jun Ci didn't ask further.
Those who probe too deeply are destined not to be treated kindly.
Learning to keep one's mouth shut and to be a blind person is the best course of action.
The two of them, without a word, followed the direction Duan Chen remembered, covering their legs with spiritual energy, and using their respective familiar methods, they dashed towards that area.
Within the secret realm, no one knew how vast it was.
But a secret realm that the capital region found troublesome could not be particularly small.
It was either exceptionally large or exceptionally dangerous.
Therefore, they had to act with extreme caution.
At such times, transportation became a burden for them, spirit energy users who honed their physical bodies.
It was better to rely solely on their own two legs.
Running together, the two men reached a consensus, keeping pace with their teammates on this path.
Heading in Yuan Qingqing's direction.
And Yuan Qingqing, who Duan Chen was concerned about, was not doing well at all.
She wasn't as unlucky as Jun Ci, but she had encountered trouble that was difficult to resolve.
Yuan Qingqing looked at the old man before her with some helplessness and anxiety, her eyes fixed on the map as her younger brother's health bar slowly diminished. As his elder sister, how could she possibly not worry?
But the old man in front of her kept blocking Yuan Qingqing, refusing to let her leave.
Yuan Qingqing became increasingly anxious facing the silent old man.
She couldn't help but stamp her foot.
"Old sir, what exactly do you want? Speak up! Why are you blocking me here! I need to save my brother!"
Whether it was because Yuan Qingqing was truly angry this time, or for some other reason.
The disheveled old man standing before her looked at Yuan Qingqing with deep, dark eyes and suddenly opened his mouth.
"Is your surname Yuan?"
Yuan Qingqing was taken aback and looked at the old man warily, unsure whether to answer.
However, as Yuan Qingqing was wary and uneasy, the old man suddenly revealed his identity and opened his mouth to ask.
"Who is Yuan Shize to you?"
Upon hearing this name, Yuan Qingqing's body trembled violently. She looked at the old man before her, her eyes filled with absolute vigilance and defensiveness.
She still said nothing, and the old man, seemingly aware of Yuan Qingqing's hostility towards him, coughed and slowly sat down beside her, indicating that he meant no harm.
He extended his hand, took the pie he had snatched from Yuan Qingqing earlier, and slowly put it into his mouth, taking a bite.
He closed his eyes, chewed and savored the taste in his mouth, then opened his eyes and sighed.
"This taste is completely different from the pies Yuan Shize makes, but the method is definitely the same as his."
Yuan Qingqing's heart was shocked.
She only knew how to make one type of pie.
It was the type of pie before her.
It contained some jam as filling, but the sugar used in the jam was all honey, with milk and a little gelatin.
The gelatin made the jam more mellow and rich, and also more chewy.
For the crust, she used a bit of glutinous rice flour and yellow millet flour, which made the crust look like yellow crystal, translucent yet with a hazy feel.
This was taught to her by her brother, Yuan Shize.
But Yuan Qingqing was very good at controlling her temper and enduring loneliness.
She slightly parted her lips and anxiously asked the old man.
"Do you know my brother Yuan Shize's whereabouts? I am his biological sister! Can you tell me?"
However, the old man looked at Yuan Qingqing with a half-smile, shook his head, and the emotion in his eyes made Yuan Qingqing constantly wonder where she had slipped up.
Then, she heard the old man say with some helplessness, "The little girl is not honest. Yuan Shize has no biological sister. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the sister he adopted, Yuan Qingqing!"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qingqing no longer doubted the old man's true identity.
She could no longer hold back and anxiously looked at the old man, asking repeatedly.
"How do you know about my brother?"
Hearing this, a glint of golden light flashed in the old man's eyes. He ate the pie in a few bites.
He looked at Yuan Qingqing standing before him and nodded, "I said your facial features are definitely related to him... I used to be his teammate!"
Yuan Qingqing's face turned pale.
She did not see her brother appear beside the old man.
Anxious, she almost couldn't stand steady.
A bad thought flashed through her mind.
She looked sadly at the old man and asked, "My brother, has he already..."
Yuan Qingqing couldn't finish the rest of her words.
However, the old man gently shook his head, denying that it was as Yuan Qingqing imagined.
Could there be a turn of events?
Yuan Qingqing looked at the old man excitedly.
In fact, the reason she came to participate in this secret realm was to obtain something, and most importantly, to find out her brother's whereabouts.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, she seemed to get news of her brother.
However, Yuan Qingqing still maintained her vigilance.
Yuan Qingqing looked at the old man.
A smile appeared on the old man's lips. He raised his hand and waved, "How about this, I'll take you to find your brother."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qingqing hesitated and shook her head.
The old man asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Yuan Qingqing said softly, "I have another younger brother!"