Walking upstream along the clear stream, Tang Xiao Qi's heart remained on edge. On one hand, he hoped to meet the fellow disciple who had left the marks; on the other hand, he remained vigilant against potential dangers from any direction. The scenery along both banks gradually changed, the terrain began to undulate slightly, the forest remained dense, but occasionally there were some open river beaches.
He walked very slowly, very carefully, not only paying attention to any new communication marks that might appear on tree bark or rocks but also closely observing anomalies on the ground and vegetation. During this time, he discovered two more similar fight marks and a mark still pointing upward, which further confirmed he was heading in the right direction.
After roughly walking for over a shichen, the sun rose higher, and the light within the forest brightened considerably. Just as he was about to cross a shallow shoal covered with pebbles, from a dense bamboo grove not far ahead, suddenly came an extremely faint rustling sound, like clothes brushing against bamboo leaves!
Xiao Qi instantly tensed up, abruptly stopping his steps, lowering his body like a leopard, swiftly hiding behind a huge stream rock, holding the Frying Pan horizontally in front, his gaze fixed intently on that bamboo grove, even holding his breath.
Friend or foe? A demon beast or... a human?
The bamboo grove swayed, a slender yet agile figure slipped out as silently as a cat. That person was also very alert, holding a long sword, their gaze sharply scanning the stream beach. When her eyes swept over the large rock where Xiao Qi hid, she noticeably paused, seeming to sense something.
When Xiao Qi clearly saw that person's profile and figure, his heart suddenly leaped, almost exclaiming aloud!
That was a familiar, bright face full of heroic spirit—it was indeed Third Senior Sister Liu Yun!
"Third..." he just wanted to call out, but forcefully held back, fearing it might be an illusion or trap. He stared tightly at Liu Yun, noticing a faint tear on her daoist robe sleeve, but her whole person's qi was steady, her eyes clear, not appearing controlled or injured.
Liu Yun obviously also confirmed the identity of the person hiding behind the rock. She first slightly paused, then her eyes burst with joyful light, but long-nurtured vigilance prevented her from immediately rushing over. Instead, lowering her voice, with a trace of undetectable concern and relief, she shouted toward the rock direction: "Hiding sneakily, come out! Is it that fool Tang Xiao Qi?"
Hearing this familiar tone, full of teasing yet unable to hide concern, the last trace of doubt in Xiao Qi's heart completely vanished. He quickly stood up from behind the huge rock, his face showing unrestrained excitement: "Third Senior Sister! It's me!"
Seeing Xiao Qi standing before her unharmed—aside from his daoist robe somewhat torn, his face slightly pale from last night's fierce battle and tension—otherwise fine, Liu Yun clearly sighed in relief, her shoulders that had been tightly tensed slightly relaxed. She quickly walked forward, coming before Xiao Qi, examining him up and down a few times, habitually about to raise her hand to pat the back of his head, but halfway up, seeing his somewhat disheveled appearance, she lowered it again, just snorting: "You're lucky! Wandering alone in this damn place, not snatched away by a demon beast?"
Although it was a blaming tone, the hidden worry was obvious.
Xiao Qi scratched his head, grinning naively: "Good luck, encountered a Swiftwind Wolf, fought it, drove it away."
"Swiftwind Wolf? That peak first-grade one?" Liu Yun raised her eyebrows, somewhat surprised, examining him again, "Not bad! Qi Refining fifth layer can drive away a Swiftwind Wolf, seems I didn't teach you for nothing! Not injured?"
"Just some minor skin wounds, not a problem." Xiao Qi felt warm inside, quickly asking, "Third Senior Sister, why are you alone? Where's Senior Brother and the others? I saw the marks along the way, did you leave them?"
Liu Yun nodded, her expression returning to her usual briskness: "The marks were left by me. After teleporting in, I landed not far downstream of this stream, slightly luckier than you. Yesterday encountered two reckless Ironback Boars, dealt with them, then walked upstream along the stream the whole way, leaving marks, hoping to attract those scattered. Haven't met Senior Brother, Shi Jian, and Su Xuan yet, probably teleported farther away."
She paused, looking at Xiao Qi: "What about you? Along the way, besides that wolf, encountered anything else? Seen traces of other fellow disciples?"
Xiao Qi shook his head: "No, besides Senior Sister's marks and fight marks, haven't seen anyone else. I've been very careful."
"Hmm, being cautious is good." Liu Yun nodded approvingly, "This secret realm is larger than imagined, random teleportation scattered everyone. We're lucky to meet so quickly. Since we've reunited, next we'll act together, better chance of finding Senior Brother and the others."
"Yes, Senior Sister!" Xiao Qi answered without hesitation. Reunited with Third Senior Sister, his confidence surged greatly, that feeling of solitary wandering mostly dissipated.
Liu Yun acted decisively, immediately deciding: "We continue walking upstream along the stream. This stream seems like a vein of this area; following it, chance of meeting others is greater, also convenient for positioning. Follow me closely, stay alert to both flanks and rear."
"Understood!"
The two rested briefly, then traveled together. With Third Senior Sister leading the way ahead, Xiao Qi's pressure greatly reduced, could devote more energy to observing the environment and alerting the flanks. Liu Yun was experienced, her perception of danger far exceeding Xiao Qi's, often able to detect hidden poisonous insects or unstable terrain in advance.
While walking, Liu Yun inquired about the details of Xiao Qi's battle with the Swiftwind Wolf last night. Hearing how he used the Frying Pan to forcefully block the wolf's tail, and at the critical moment hit the wolf's head, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly, wanting to laugh but holding back, finally just commenting: "That black pot of yours is quite sturdy... but next time don't be so reckless, the Swiftwind Wolf's tail has considerable force, shaking internal organs would be troublesome."
Xiao Qi humbly accepted the teaching, also showed Liu Yun some low-grade spirit herbs he had collected. Liu Yun glanced, casually pointing out which were more valuable, which could be temporarily ignored, giving him clearer understanding of secret realm resource identification.
With a companion, the road ahead no longer seemed so eerily terrifying. Sunlight filtering through leaf gaps sprinkled sparkling ripples on the stream, their figures one after another, following the winding stream, steadily moving towards the unknown upstream area. Finding other teammates, and surviving in this secret realm full of both opportunities and dangers, became their current shared goal.