"It has finally come to an end."
Jun Ci pretended not to see the research-obsessed look on Xi Er's face and cautiously glanced at Duan Chen.
"How do we get up?"
"Indeed, it's time we went up," Duan Chen said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Let's go back to where we came down. It will be easier to ascend from there."
"Finally, we can get out of here!"
Jun Ci let out a sigh of relief. He was truly starting to fear Xi Er. Being around her constantly made him feel like he might end up as an anatomy subject.
The three walked side by side and soon reached the spot where they had descended. Although it was still a considerable distance to the upper ledge, it was not a difficult feat for them.
However, as they began to ascend, a problematic issue arose.
Both men looked at Xi Er, who stood beside them, completely oblivious to what had happened, with appraising eyes.
Xi Er looked back at them, dazed.
She tilted her head.
"What is it?"
Duan Chen sighed with a hint of helplessness. Lifting one person up, while difficult, shouldn't be a major problem. However, the height was indeed considerable.
Jun Ci hesitated.
He ultimately did not voice his offer of help. It was as if he couldn't help in any meaningful way.
...
"Little brother!"
At the top of the cliff.
Yuan Qingqing looked at her brother with teary eyes.
Yuan Yuan had sustained some injuries. His face was bruised, and one of his arms hung limply, clearly indicating a severe fracture.
Yuan Yuan, enduring the pain, smiled at his sister.
"I'm fine, sis. Don't worry too much about me."
How could she not worry?
Yuan Qingqing's voice caught in her throat, rendering her speechless. She finally reached out and wiped away the tears that threatened to spill.
She forced a smile.
"It's okay, as long as you're alive. By the way, have you seen the lady who was with Mr. Jun?"
"You mean Qin Nanyuan?"
Yuan Yuan shook his head regretfully.
"I haven't seen any living person along the way. If you and your two brothers hadn't come to rescue me, I would still be struggling alone."
That's troubling.
Yuan Qingqing frowned slightly.
Finally, she sighed in resignation.
"It's fine, let's not worry about that for now. Earlier, I detected the whereabouts of Mr. Jun and Brother Duan. Let's go find them together."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yuan's face lit up with excitement and anticipation.
He beamed.
"Really?"
Yuan Qingqing nodded affirmatively.
Zuo An, standing beside them, spoke with a hint of confusion.
"Detected?"
Yuan Qingqing froze for a moment. She suddenly remembered that she hadn't told Zuo An that she had a way to locate her other friends, and it wasn't through the supposed twin telepathy. She had inadvertently let slip.
Zuo An cast a deep look at Yuan Qingqing. Instead of pressing further, he actively helped Yuan Qingqing by glossing over the matter.
"Since you've located your other friends, let's follow the trace. We should rescue them as soon as possible."
"This secret realm is not a place to linger. The longer you stay, the more you risk being assimilated, and the harder it becomes to escape."
"Alas, you must be extremely careful," Zuo An said with a wry smile. "As they say, time waits for no one."
Yuan Qingqing bit her lip and instinctively asked.
"Then you can't get out?"
Her eyes darted around, clearly scheming something.
Zuo An looked at her with a hint of helplessness. He found himself somewhat exasperated by the vigilant young girl.
He shook his head and said softly.
"Of course, I have a way out. Otherwise, I would have gone mad like those people long ago, instead of waiting here for you and your brother to finish discussing matters before making a decision."
Yuan Qingqing turned her head away awkwardly.
At the same time, Duan Chen and Jun Ci finally climbed out from the bottom of the cliff.
They hadn't returned to the same side of the cliff they had descended from, but rather to the opposite bank.
This was where Yuan Qingqing and Yuan Yuan were located.
During this time, other people had also found their way to the opposite bank through various means. However, the price they paid was exceptionally high.
Duan Chen and his companion paid them no mind.
Beside them was a rope, resembling a cable car line, salvaged from somewhere, stretching across the two ends of the cliff.
People coming and going stared at the pair with expressions of horror, some even displaying disgust and wariness.
"Why are they looking at us like that?"
Having spent so much time with Duan Chen, Jun Ci had unconsciously picked up a tendency to be talkative.
He looked himself up and down curiously, not noticing anything improper.
Duan Chen glanced at himself and then at the things he was carrying – one held in his arms, the other strapped to his back – and chose to remain silent.
Xi Er had been divided between the two of them, with one carrying her upper body and the other her lower half.
How could they not be stared at with peculiar gazes?
However, it was precisely because of this that they were able to successfully return to the cliff top. Otherwise, relying on just one person to help another would have been incredibly difficult.
The black mist at the bottom of the cliff had a suppressive effect on their abilities.
As soon as Duan Chen and Jun Ci reappeared on the cliff, Yuan Qingqing and Yuan Yuan could see them on the map again.
And their distance was not far.
The siblings were overjoyed.
"How did you two suddenly appear?!"
Yuan Qingqing's initial surprise quickly turned into delight.
Their proximity was not just "not far," it was alarmingly close.
Yuan Qingqing had been fretting about where to find them, only to look up and see their heads emerging from the bottom of the cliff.
While ecstatic, she also noticed the things they were carrying.
Instantly, Yuan Qingqing's pupils constricted.
She stared in utter shock, stammering.
"You, you two... you dismembered someone down there, and you brought the pieces up?"
Jun Ci suddenly remembered the half of the body that had been strapped to his back due to its lack of weight and had thus been overlooked.
He then recalled the strange looks the others had given them.
His face instantly darkened, as black as the bottom of a pot.