Si Qing tried to communicate with the teenager in front of him, but the words caught in his throat. He knew how to write every character the other person spoke, but when strung together, he couldn't understand their meaning.
Fortunately, after asking his question, the child didn't insist when Si Qing didn't answer and ran off on his own.
Si Qing looked around in confusion, then turned to walk away. With every step, he could hear the hushed discussions of the people nearby:
"Oh my, this young man is so handsome. Is that ancient Chinese attire he's wearing? Young people like that nowadays, but I've never seen anyone wear it so stylishly."
"Wow, this little brother is too handsome!"
"Wuwu, I really want his contact information."
"..." Si Qing's spiritual energy was completely intact, so his hearing was sharp. He could hear these people's conversations even from a distance.
He uncomfortably rubbed his neck and looked around, hoping to find his sister or someone else, but unfortunately, he saw no one.
However, after walking a few steps not far ahead, he suddenly heard a spiritual energy call.
Si Qing immediately paused, looked around, and finally fixed his gaze on a street alley not far away. He ran over quickly.
Qi Yu was in that alley, using magic to summon Si Qing.
In this world, Si Qing was the most convenient person for her to contact and the easiest to find.
Si Qing called out Qi Yu's name as he ran.
Qi Yu turned and ran to Si Qing.
They shared a big hug.
"Finally, I've found someone I know. This world is too strange, with so many things I've never seen before. Look over there, there's a rolling tin box," Qi Yu said, pulling Si Qing's sleeve, feeling a sense of relief. She chattered on, making exaggerated gestures as if she had seen a monster.
Si Qing had never seen these novelties either and was momentarily amazed. After standing by the roadside and watching for a while, he turned to Qi Yu and asked, "So, why is that tin box rolling by itself?"
Qi Yu shook her head blankly.
It was her first time seeing such a "monster" too, how could she possibly understand it?
Si Qing wiped his face and changed the subject: "Sister, when did you wake up? Did you see anyone else? I woke up in an alley over there, and besides a bunch of old men and women, I didn't see anyone else. And the people here seem to be dressed quite revealingly."
Their arms and legs were exposed.
Si Qing thought to himself, then looked down, and suddenly took three steps back. He realized that Qi Yu had also changed into the same attire as the people in this world at some point.
"Is it strange?" Qi Yu looked down at her new clothes, which she had transformed using magic. "I also feel a bit chilly with my arms and legs exposed, but there's no other way. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Wearing those old clothes was too conspicuous; it felt like everyone was looking at us as we passed by."
Si Qing had to admit that his current attire was indeed too eye-catching.
He looked up and saw a piece of paper-like material pasted on the wall behind him. On the paper was a very handsome young boy wearing a blue top and dark blue pants. He couldn't tell what the material was, but the blue top had many scattered small accessories.
In the lower right corner of the paper was a character whose content was unclear.
Si Qing closed his eyes and transformed his hairstyle and attire to match the image on the paper.
Qi Yu watched with anticipation from the side. After a moment, she couldn't help but exclaim, "You look great! This transformation really suits you."
Si Qing ran a hand through his hair. "Most men in this world have short hair, and their clothing styles are very diverse. Most importantly, I glanced at the conversations of the men around us and they seemed too casual, vastly different from our world. I really don't understand what kind of place this secret realm we're in is."
"I don't care about that; I just want to find Senior Brother and the others quickly," Qi Yu said, looking around with some worry. "Our identities are convenient, but it's different for Senior Brother and the others."
She wondered if their spiritual energy was restricted in this space. If not, it would be fine, but if it was restricted, and they were strangers in this world with no one to rely on, what would they do?
Si Qing was also a little anxious.
He pulled Qi Yu, and after they found a secluded spot, he leaped into the sky, using clouds for cover, and began searching for the others.
However, as the siblings searched, in a废弃家具市场 (abandoned furniture market) by the roadside,
Chen Xi sat on a sofa with difficulty, fanning himself and looking around in confusion, not understanding why the building was so cool.
"Young man, are you waiting for someone? If you are, please find another place to sit, this sofa is for sale," an amiable old man called out to Chen Xi.
Chen Xi heard the word "sofa" and looked down at where he was sitting with some confusion, then stood up and took two steps back.
This thing was called a sofa?
Chen Xi touched his chin in confusion, secretly pondering how strange this world was. He had been to many secret realms before, but they were all places like forests or the deep sea. This was the first time he had encountered a secret realm that looked like another world.
And what was the difference between this so-called sofa and their couches? It just seemed a bit softer.
Chen Xi pondered as he picked up a pillow from the sofa and squeezed it.
He was surprised to find that it felt quite good.
"Young man, are you buying it? If you are, give me a sincere price. If not, don't fiddle with the pillow. If you break it, it won't be soft anymore," the old man said, snatching his belongings from Chen Xi's hand with distress. He patted them on both sides, then carefully placed them back in their position.
Chen Xi tilted his head and fell into thought.
Pillow?
Literally, was this thing meant to be held?
Then why was the character for "pillow" added at the end?
Chen Xi couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, so he simply picked up the pillow again, turned to look at the old man selling it, and asked, "How much is this?"