Dual cultivation makes you stronger, everyone else is a prodigy, and I'm the only one slacking

Li Yunyu went to meet with guests.

Only Yu Luoning and the head steward Li Keqing remained in Jixue Pavilion, staring at each other.

Yu Luoning felt uncomfortable under their gaze, so she simply spoke up.

"Chief Steward, is there any particular custom regarding the Lu family of Yulou?"

Li Keqing then withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "The Lu family and my Li family are both major families in Nanchuan. There are many prominent families in Nanchuan, as well as some smaller families and gangs, but only the Lu family can be considered on par with my Li family."

Yu Luoning nodded, then asked, "So, what brings the Lu family here today?"

Li Keqing said, "Over at the Purple Bamboo Grove, the water level of Wangyue Lake has recently dropped, revealing the entrance to a small cave. Miss Lu has come this time to invite the young master to explore the cave together."

Yu Luoning's eyes lit up immediately, and she almost couldn't help but slam her hand on the table.

Here it comes, the standard "picking up opportunities" plot.

Suppressing her excitement, she asked, "Are there... many rare and precious medicinal herbs inside?"

Li Keqing's lips twitched when he saw her like this.

Yu Luoning was only at the first level of Qi Refining, so it was impossible for him to go to this small cave. However, seeing how interested the girl was, he patiently explained.

"A newly discovered hidden paradise is unpredictable. With good luck, you might find spiritual herbs, spiritual minerals, or even inheritances. If you're unlucky, well, you know what happens. What? Are you interested in this hidden paradise?"

Yu Luoning: "No one is uninterested in opportunities, right? But I know that with my current strength, going there would be suicide."

"At least you have some self-awareness." Li Keqing sat on a stone bench in the pavilion, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Although it was the truth, Yu Luoning felt unwilling to accept it.

Her excitement subsided, and she asked again, "Head Butler, who is the eldest daughter of the Lu family you just mentioned? Is she... very familiar with the young master?"

Li Keqing stroked his beard, a rare hint of pride on his face. "Lu Feishuang, the legitimate daughter of the Lu family, is a prodigy of her generation, just like the young master. We sparred and had occasional interactions when we were young, so we're quite familiar with each other."

"Miss Lu has some feelings for our young master. She even sent someone to sound her out a couple of years ago."

Yu Luoning was taken aback by his question. "And then?"

Li Keqing smiled: "If the young master hadn't refused, she would have married into the Li family long ago."

Yu Luoning instantly became alert.

Good guy.

Emotions can be business rivals.

She coughed, trying to keep her expression natural. "Will the young master go to Wangyue Cave?"

Li Keqing said, "It's hard to say. But with such an opportunity before me, I'll most likely go."

As soon as he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of the lost look on Yu Luoning's face and chuckled to himself.

Yet another woman has fallen head over heels for her young master.

/

Li Yunyu decided to go to Wangyue Cave in half a month.

If the Dao of Nirvana is found within the cave, it will greatly benefit his cultivation.

Regardless of Lu Feishuang's purpose in inviting him, Li Yunyu felt it necessary to make the trip in person.

Yu Luoning's heart was in turmoil.

Childhood sweethearts, unrequited love...

This Moon Gazing Lake Cave is bound to encounter danger, and once the two go through life and death together, their friendship will surely grow stronger rapidly.

What if another cliché scene of offering oneself in marriage happens?

Will her skills be copied?

After all, she had put in a lot of effort into Li Yunyu, and she didn't want the duck that was about to be eaten to fly away.

/

Yu Luoning sidled up to him, about to speak, when Li Yunyu turned his head first.

Yu Luoning: "Young Master, are you going to visit Moon Cave Heaven with Miss Lu?"

Li Yunyu looked at him and nodded.

Yu Luoning rubbed his hands together, his face flushing slightly, and got straight to the point: "Could I come along too?"

Li Yunyu sighed: "This secret realm is fraught with danger. You're only at the first level of Qi Refining. If you enter the cave and get swept away by demons, should I save you first, or watch you cry in fear?"

Yu Luoning retorted, "Does Young Master really think I'm that useless?"

Li Yunyu tilted his head slightly, slowly and deliberately scrutinizing her: "Why do you think of yourself that way?"

Why do you talk so rudely?

She couldn't be bothered with this big Buddha.

He plopped down in a chair and slumped listlessly onto the table.

Li Yunyu looked at her for a long while, and after a long pause, he sighed almost imperceptibly: "If there is anything I find in the cave, I will bring it back to you."

Yu Luoning slightly lifted her face, which was buried in her wrist, her expression full of resentment:

"Do I care about those opportunities, spirit stones, and treasures?"

She was furious and stood up abruptly, the chair creaking as she did so.

"That Miss Lu has been in love with you, young master, and now she's eagerly inviting you to go on an adventure in the grotto. A lone man and a lone woman in that dangerous place are most likely to spark some romance."

Yu Luoning suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Looking at the handsome man before her, whose refined and elegant demeanor resembled that of an immortal, she felt a sudden pang of guilt and lowered her eyes slightly.

"I'm worried that she might have ulterior motives towards you, young master. What if... what if she pulls off some kind of hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scene, or something like an aphrodisiac plot, and then tries to cling to you, young master?"

After saying that, Yu Luoning was moved by her own acting skills.

It would be a disservice to her acting skills if the Oscars didn't award her one.

An eerie silence filled the air.

Li Yunyu was taken aback at first, and his slender eyes behind the white silk widened slightly.

He clearly didn't realize that Yu Luoning's insistence on going with him was because she cared about him.

A subtle pleasure, which he himself was unaware of, quietly crept out from the bottom of his heart; it was soft and warm, and he did not reject it.

His originally handsome and expressionless face had inexplicably softened at this moment.

He said, "If that's what you're saying, then it is indeed dangerous."

Yu Luoning nodded, her face full of agreement.

Li Yunyu smiled: "You can go if you want. There are still half a month before departure. If you can break through to the second level of Qi Refining, it's not impossible."

Half a month, Qi Refining Level 2?

If she hadn't experienced the first level of Qi Refining, she would have thought it was an easy task.

Cultivating oneself here is not easy.

Yu Luoning suspected it was related to the spiritual energy in the air.

This also explains why families of all sizes and sects cherish secret manuals so much.

If just anyone were to cultivate, there wouldn't be enough spiritual energy to go around, and the very foundation of the cultivation world would likely be shaken.

However, the Li family's ancestral home is located in a mountain spiritual vein, making cultivation much easier than outside. What ordinary cultivators would take months of arduous training to achieve, they could accomplish in just ten days here.

Take a deep breath.

She was willing to risk everything for her master's chastity!

It's a deal.

Yu Luoning is full of fighting spirit.