Song Yan Ning had noticed the young man early on, and seeing how he persevered despite being rejected by so many filled her with a measure of respect. She took out a hundred low-grade spiritual stones and handed them to the young man.
The young man hadn’t expected Song Yan Ning to give him spirit stones, and for a moment he was too stunned to react, simply staring at Song Yan Ning in a daze.
"You don’t want them?" Song Yan Ning asked with a smile, looking at the young man.
"Yes, thank you! My name is Han Yunxi, and I will definitely repay the hundred low-grade spiritual stones to elder sister," Han Yunxi said, accepting the spiritual stones and happily expressing his thanks.
Song Yan Ning nodded with a smile, "Alright!"
Han Yunxi quickly walked toward the steward and after a few steps, turned back to Song Yan Ning. He took out a wooden box and handed it to her, "Keep this with you, and when I return the spiritual stones to you, you can give it back to me."
"That’s not necessary, I trust you’ll repay me," Song Yan Ning said, shaking her head with a smile and not reaching out to take the wooden box.
"Please keep it," Han Yunxi insisted, pushing the wooden box into Song Yan Ning’s hands before turning to approach the steward. The item in the wooden box was very important to him, but he trusted that Song Yan Ning would not betray his trust.
Song Yan Ning shook her head and chuckled, putting the wooden box into her storage ring without any interest in what was inside.
In the midst of the vast, endless grassland, two young people were slowly making their way forward.
"Big brother, let’s stop to rest for a bit," Hu Zheng suggested, wiping the sweat from his forehead. They had been here for several years, constantly seeking a way out, but the grassland was just too vast. Even though they traveled relentlessly, day and night, they could not see the end of it. Furthermore, the grassland was riddled with hidden arrays, which they could accidentally trigger.
"Alright," Hu Lan nodded and sat down on the ground, also feeling a bit tired after so many days of travel.
Hu Zheng sat beside Hu Lan, frowning at the boundless grassland and said, "I wonder how father and mother are doing now?" After discovering a transmission array in the Extreme Ice North Domain, they had entered it with their king and queen, but since then they hadn’t seen them again. They suspected that their king and queen were also in this grassland, but despite years of searching, they had not encountered a single member of the Fox Clan.
They had been targeted by the Dragon Clan and would have fallen if it weren’t for the Fox Clan’s trait of having more than one life. Although they had strived to cultivate over the years, the spiritual energy here was insufficient and there were no elixirs to enhance their cultivation. As a result, their cultivation levels had never recovered to their original state.
The sound of footsteps approached from ahead, and Hu Lan exchanged glances with Hu Zheng, quickly concealing themselves.
"The map shows that the secret realm is just ahead," the red-clothed woman said, scrutinizing the map in her hand and speaking to her companion.
The man in white beside the red-clothed woman glanced at the map, "It should be right here, let’s search carefully."
"Alright," the red-clothed woman nodded, scanning the area diligently with her Divine Sense, not missing any trace.
"Someone’s here." Her Divine Sense soon detected Hu Lan and Hu Zheng hidden in the bushes.
Startled, Hu Lan and Hu Zheng jumped to their feet and began to run. With their current cultivation, they did not wish to engage in battle with the others.
The red-clothed woman and her companion quickly gave chase to Hu Lan and Hu Zheng, certain that they too were here for the secret realm. The secret realm was theirs, and they would not allow anyone else to enter.
Soon, the red-clothed woman and her group caught up with Hu Lan and Hu Zheng, surrounding them in the middle.