180: Chapter 179 Traveling Together

"What is your sister's name?" An Xiaoman asked.

"Empress Yi," Xiao Jian replied.

"Empress Yi?" An Xiaoman's mouth twitched. Another chuunibyou name.

The father of these two siblings is quite a talent!

"How old is your sister?"

"Four years old."

"..." An Xiaoman's steps faltered. She turned to look at Xiao Jian's naive, youthful face, her mind feeling like it had been stuffed with mush.

She had assumed the little guy's sister would be at least in her teens or twenties, but it turned out—she was also just a four-year-old brat?

A four-year-old child, leading another four-year-old child, plunging headfirst into the Snow Maiden Ruins? Were these children's parents incredibly carefree, or were they intentionally letting them roam free?

"Forget it." She sighed, crouched down to straighten Xiao Jian's crooked collar, and spoke in a tone as gentle as if she were coaxing a chick, "You follow me for now, and I'll take you to find your sister. By the way, my name is An Xiaoman. You can call me Sister Xiaoman."

Xiao Jian looked up, his tear stains still wet, but he nodded obediently: "Sister Xiaoman."

An Xiaoman's heart softened. She took his hand and stood up.

That was easier said than done, but she knew clearly in her heart that trying to find a little girl in this vast Secret Realm was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Unless she had explosive luck, it was basically impossible. But to leave this four-year-old little guy behind—she couldn't do it.

It wasn't some grand sense of righteousness; her conscience just wouldn't allow it.

Just like that, the two of them, one big and one small, began to venture through the perilous Snow Maiden Ruins.

After walking a few steps, Xiao Jian suddenly pulled a lollipop from his pocket and held it out to An Xiaoman: "Sister Xiaoman, have some candy."

An Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, then took the candy, unwrapped the paper, and popped it into her mouth. The sweet taste melted on the tip of her tongue, and she smiled: "Thank you, little Sword King."

Xiao Jian peeled one for himself, put it in his mouth, and mumbled: "You're welcome."

"Sister Xiaoman, look! I found a Spiritual Fruit, for you!" Xiao Jian's chubby little hand held up a bright green fruit, waving it in front of An Xiaoman. The fruit emitted a faint, fresh fragrance, and it was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

Two days had passed since the two of them entered the Snow Maiden Ruins.

An Xiaoman carefully scouted the path ahead, specifically choosing remote corners to walk in, bypassing what she could and hiding whenever possible.

Over the past two days, the two had hardly encountered any Yao Beasts.

It wasn't because of good luck, but because An Xiaoman was too cautious—before entering the Secret Realm, she had already made a plan for herself: avoid Yao Beasts if possible, and never get into disputes with any Cultivators.

After all, she was only at the Peak of the Core Formation Realm. This Realm was practically at the bottom in the Snow Maiden Ruins; any random Nascent Soul could easily pin her to the ground and rub her into the dirt.

Competing for treasures or the Legacy of the Secret Realm was not something a small Core Formation Peak like her could get involved in.

Her goal was very simple—the Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Fruits scattered throughout the Secret Realm.

If she was lucky, she could pick a few high-grade medicinal herbs, hand them over to the Sect's Mission Hall upon leaving, and the points would be hers.

By then, she could exchange them for a nascent soul pill to increase her chances of advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage, and there would be hope of being promoted to the Inner Sect.

If she was even luckier, she might even be able to trade for a better Immortal Cave and wouldn't have to share a place with others.

"Little Sword King, the herbs you picked are yours; you don't need to give them to me..." An Xiaoman looked at the handful of herbs in Xiao Jian's hands, then looked at the pathetic few in her own pocket, her tone complex.

As an old aunt who had lived for five hundred years, her efficiency at scavenging in the Secret Realm was actually not as good as a four-year-old child.

But she didn't know—Xiao Jian was relying on his powerful Divine Sense of the Nascent Soul Stage. Throughout the journey, he had scavenged quite a lot of Spiritual Plants and Spiritual Fruits—several times more than An Xiaoman.

However, he had no interest in these low-grade Spiritual Plants, and after tasting a few Spiritual Fruits and finding them unpalatable, he stuffed the rest to An Xiaoman.

In his view, these herbs and fruits were nowhere near as delicious as lollipops.

"Sister Xiaoman, just keep them; I don't lack these." Xiao Jian shoved the Spiritual Fruits into An Xiaoman's hand, peeled another lollipop, and popped it into his mouth, mumbling, "My dad said, when you're out and about, you have to take care of girls."

An Xiaoman's mouth twitched. Looking at the Spiritual Fruit full of Spiritual Qi in her hand, then looking at the little tyke in front of her, who was chewing on a lollipop with an indifferent expression, she suddenly felt that in all her years of living, she wasn't as clear-headed as a child.

She took a deep breath, put the Spiritual Fruit away, and patted Xiao Jian's head: "Thank you, little Sword King. Once we get out, Sister will treat you to something delicious."

Xiao Jian's eyes lit up: "Is it better than a lollipop?"

An Xiaoman smiled: "A hundred times better than a lollipop."

Xiao Jian immediately perked up and pulled her hand to walk forward: "Then let's go, let's go! Let's pick more fruits and trade them for delicious food when we get out!"

An Xiaoman was dragged along, stumbling slightly, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This little guy was truly a foodie.

In the distance, a Yao Beast lay in the bushes, watching the two, one big and one small, pass through its territory, and lazily let out a yawn.

It recognized that little tyke—the ruthless person who had punched its neighbor away yesterday.

It decided to continue playing dead; it was better to avoid trouble.

"Sister Xiaoman, there's more here!" Xiao Jian dug another Spiritual Plant out of the grass, held it high, and handed it to An Xiaoman like he was offering a treasure.

"You don't need to give it to me, keep it," An Xiaoman waved her hand.

"Sister Xiaoman, you don't want it? If you don't want it, I won't look for any more." Xiao Jian threw the Spiritual Plant on the ground, crossed his arms, pouted his little mouth, and struck a pose that said, "If you don't accept it, I won't work."

An Xiaoman: "..."

She took a deep breath, crouched down, picked up the Spiritual Plant, and put it away. Then she patted Xiao Jian's head again: "Alright, I'll keep it for you for now, and I'll give it all to you when we get out. But—little Sword King, you can't be so loud, you know?"

"Why?" Xiao Jian blinked his eyes.

"Sister's strength is low. If we attract Yao Beasts or bad Cultivators, I might not be able to protect you." An Xiaoman's tone was gentle, but her eyes hid a trace of bitterness.

"Oh... then I'll protect Sister." Xiao Jian puffed out his little chest, looking very serious.

An Xiaoman smiled and rubbed his head: "Alright, you can protect Sister when you grow up. You're still small now."

Xiao Jian opened his mouth, wanting to say "I'm not small," but seeing An Xiaoman's soft gaze, he lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong. He was indeed still small—small enough that he couldn't even find his sister, small enough that he had to rely on others for protection.

"Alright, let's go." An Xiaoman took his hand.

"Sister Xiaoman, someone is coming." Xiao Jian suddenly stopped and turned to look to the front right.