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

Clouds swirled around the celestial palace when suddenly a figure descended from the clouds and landed steadily on the steps outside the Star-Picking Palace.

The man was dressed in white, with black hair cascading down his back like a waterfall. A crescent-shaped mark was faintly visible between his brows. He was aloof and otherworldly, like a deity untouched by worldly affairs.

The wind chimes under the eaves were gently stirred by his aura, and ripples of spiritual energy spread out, penetrating the entire palace.

Inside the hall, Xing Qi's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Yu Luoning was sitting cross-legged, practicing her internal energy. Sensing the change in him, she opened her eyes and looked at him with a puzzled expression:

"What's wrong?"

In her eyes, Xing Qi was ridiculously strong and shouldn't have shown such an expression.

But at this moment, he looked just like a student whose homework was being checked by the teacher, his face slightly flushed, and he hesitated to speak.

"My brother is here. He's very strict with me and doesn't let me see outsiders."

Yu Luoning understood immediately, stood up, and was about to leave:

"Then I'll leave quickly."

"no."

Xing Qi stopped her, looking somewhat troubled. "If you use the teleportation technique, the residual spiritual energy will remain inside the hall, and he will be able to sense it from outside."

Yu Luoning paused.

"You mean, he can sense me casting spells inside just by standing outside?"

Xing Qi nodded.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Xingqi thought for a moment, then pulled her toward the inner hall.

Deep inside the inner hall, a bed stands in the center, supported by four jade pillars, with layers of curtains hanging down on all sides.

Xing Qi gently lifted one side of the curtain. "Ningning, you go in first. I'll lower the curtain. You wait for me here."

Yu Luoning: "..."

Are you sure your brother won't find out?

Yu Luoning swallowed her words.

How could someone who can sense even a trace of the aftereffects of a spell not sense a living, breathing person like her?

After Xing Qi finished speaking, he left in a hurry.

Yu Luoning was thus shoved into his bed.

The curtains had been drawn, and the surroundings were suddenly unusually quiet. She looked around and examined the bed.

The quilt was soft and smooth to the touch, as if there was nothing there.

The moment my fingers touched your palm, a subtle spiritual energy quietly seeped into it, bringing an indescribable comfort.

The jade pillow was made of an unknown material, and it contained abundant spiritual energy.

She withdrew her hand and estimated that she had burned a full 200 high-grade spirit stones in the Moon Gazing Cave to aid her cultivation, and that spiritual power was only enough to help her break through 20%.

But the spiritual power contained in this palace pillow is many times greater than that of those 200 high-grade spirit stones.

She had known for a long time that Xing Qi was wealthy, but she hadn't expected him to be this rich. His lifestyle was completely different from hers.

What's rare is that Xingqi is also so friendly, cute, and well-behaved.

If she were that wealthy, she'd probably walk with an air of arrogance, as if she didn't recognize anyone.

Yu Luoning silently withdrew her hand, huddled in a corner of the bed, hugged her knees and curled up into a ball, trying to take up as little space as possible.

She unconsciously started to let her mind wander again.

I don't know what kind of person Xingqi's brother is, but he seems to be very serious towards Xingqi.

That person is so powerful, they should be able to sense my presence upon entering the palace, right? Could it be that this bed has some kind of ability to block spiritual energy detection?

As Yue Qi stepped into the palace, Xing Qi was already there to greet him, his face showing no sign of anything amiss.

"elder brother."

Yue Qi glanced at him, her brow twitching slightly. She didn't say anything, turned around and walked out, clearly intending to talk on the terrace.

Xingqi followed.

The terrace is built overlooking the clouds, with no obstructions on any side, only a vast sea of ​​clouds.

Yue Qi looked into the distance, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke.

He was as cold and aloof as ice, but when he looked at his younger brother...

The coldness in his eyes would subtly dissipate, and his tone would soften.

"I'm going to the northern misty swamp to exorcise demons soon, which will take anywhere from ten days to a month."

He paused, turned his head, and looked at Xingqi:

"Is there anything you want?"

Xing Qi thought for a moment and then spoke:

"have."

Yue Qi raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak.

"I want to go to my brother's palace to get it."

"...Just tell me, and I'll go get it for you."

"no."

Xing Qi shook his head and said seriously, "What you give me doesn't count. Only what I pick out myself and choose myself counts as mine."

Yue Qi stared at him for a moment, then took out a storage ring from her sleeve and handed it over:

"We have everything inside, you can choose whatever you like."

"That won't work either. It has to be kept in your warehouse, and I'll go get it from there."

Yue Qi remained silent for a moment, his expression subtly changing for a fleeting instant.

"……what ever."

After the two finished speaking, Yue Qi did not leave immediately.

He stood on the steps, looking at the sea of ​​clouds, for a long time.

The wind blew, and the white clothes fluttered.

He turned around and stepped into the air to the north.

~

Yu Luoning cherished every moment in the Star-Picking Palace and worked even harder in her cultivation.

They didn't even know when Xing Qi left.

Yueqi's palace is deeper and closer to the Star Palace, and the treasure vault is at the very innermost part, sealed by a barrier.

Xingqi, holding the jade token given to him by his brother, traveled without hindrance.

He stood at the door and looked around. The shelves were filled with all sorts of magical artifacts, magic weapons, elixirs, and ancient books.

He went in and started picking. He took all the Ten-Thousand-Year Flood Dragon Pills; they could strengthen his foundation and cultivate his spiritual energy.

A whole box of Aurora Spirit Stones. These Aurora Spirit Stones are even more expensive than high-grade spirit stones. A single Aurora Spirit Stone could even buy a city in the mortal realm.

Take it all away.

A mobile flying boat. Last time, Ningning refused the one her brother gave her, so this one is a little smaller, and Ningning shouldn't refuse it again.

Finally, he also packed in some protective amulets and extraordinary elixirs.

He walked around inside again, collected everything that looked good, and finally stood in front of the mostly empty shelves, looking them over before deciding that it was about right.

Back at the Star-Picking Palace, Yu Luoning had just finished cultivating. She stood up and stretched her limbs, then turned around and saw Xing Qi with a beaming smile.

"What is this?" Yu Luoning looked down at the thing he was handed to her.

It is a jade bracelet.

The jade bracelet was made of white jade, warm and flawless, and looked like an ordinary ornament.

But when she scanned her head with her divine sense, she immediately realized something was wrong.

There's more to this jade bracelet than meets the eye.

This is not an ordinary storage bag, but an entire compressed void, bottomless and astonishingly large.

Compared to her other storage rings, this is absolutely amazing!

Wait a minute, this jade bracelet seems to contain quite a lot of things, but with his current cultivation level, he can't see through it.

"This is for you."

Yu Luoning looked up at him.

"Didn't I tell you? Don't easily give away the gifts your brother gives you."

Xing Qi shook his head, his expression serious. "These are all mine. I took them myself from his storeroom, so they are mine, not a gift from him."

Yu Luoning: "..."

Give me your hand.

Yu Luoning looked completely bewildered, unable to keep up with Xing Qi's train of thought.

Xing Qi held her wrist and gently touched her fingertip with his index finger, causing a tiny drop of blood to slowly seep out.

He channeled the drop of blood onto the jade bracelet.

The blood droplet landed on the bracelet and disappeared in an instant.

The next moment, Yu Luoning felt a slight vibration coming from the jade bracelet.

A faint light suddenly appeared on the bracelet, swirled around once, and then slowly faded away.

It has recognized its master!?

"Alright." Xing Qi released her hand and smiled, "Now it's yours. I've sealed it with the power of the stars, so it only recognizes your bloodline. No one else can see it or take it out."

"Even I can't open it."

Yu Luoning: "..."

At this moment, the universe within the white jade bracelet also clearly appeared in her mind.

She had countless Dragon Pills, a whole box of Aurora Spirit Stones, a flying boat, several incomplete cultivation manuals, numerous protective talismans, and a pile of pills whose names she didn't know but which looked quite extraordinary...

Yu Luoning was completely stunned by the impact.

He gasped, a chill running down his spine. He quickly removed the jade bracelet from his wrist and stared at him in shock.

"Did you rob your brother's treasure trove? Take it now, I can't keep this, it's too valuable!"

Seeing her so anxious, Xingqi felt a little sad and said, "Ningning, the jade bracelet has already recognized its owner, so there's no use in taking it back."

Don't you like it? Why won't you accept my gift? Why do you have to be so distant with me?

Yu Luoning had a headache for a moment.

What a spendthrift son! He's such a foolish son of a landlord! If it were her own brother, she would have broken his legs.

Last time, she casually mentioned that gifts given by her brother couldn't be given away.

As a result, this dim-witted child actually went to his brother's warehouse and did the work himself, thus bypassing her reason for refusing.

They even forced her into a binding arrangement!

Yu Luoning sighed and gave in completely; the die was cast.

If you take advantage of someone else's divine karma, you might have to spend your whole life repaying it.

Yu Luoning reluctantly withdrew her hand. "Let me make this clear from the start: if your brother finds out in the future, you'll have to protect me at all times and make sure I don't get slapped to death."

Xingqi blinked, puzzled. "Why did your brother hit you?"

"Because his treasure trove has been emptied, and I am the beneficiary."

"But my brother is very capable, he doesn't need these things."

"Your brother doesn't need it, but doesn't your sister-in-law need it too? A man should always keep some savings to appease his wife."

Xing Qi was taken aback. "Sister-in-law?"

"Yes, when your brother was trying to win your sister-in-law's favor, he didn't even have any decent gifts left."

Xingqi thought for a while, then muttered softly, "Brother doesn't have a Daoist partner."

"Not now, but maybe later?"

Xingqi thought for a while longer, her delicate brows furrowing more and more tightly.

He felt that what Yu Luoning said made some sense, but something also felt off.

Finally, he had a sudden realization, as if he had found the best solution, and looked at her with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Then it's best if brother doesn't have a Daoist partner."

Yu Luoning: "?"

"Having a sister-in-law is troublesome. My brother's things have to be shared with her, and so do my things. There's not much left for Ningning."

Xing Qi clenched his fist with a straight face, "So it's better if brother doesn't have a Daoist partner, that way we can give our things to Ningning."

Yu Luoning fell silent, looking at his matter-of-fact expression, which even suggested he intended for his brother to remain a bachelor for life. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

I don't know whether to be moved or to mourn for his brother.

"My little darling! Are you sure your brother won't betray you and beat you up if he hears these words?"

Xingqi shook her head: "No, my brother never hits me."

After saying that, he looked at the jade bracelet on the woman's wrist, his eyes sparkling, his expression satisfied.

Whenever Ningning looks down and sees the jade bracelet, she will probably think of him.

Yu Luoning touched the white jade bracelet on her wrist, saying nothing, but feeling extremely melancholy.

As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's gift is bound to him." Since we are already bound by blood, if we are still hesitant and coy, it will only make us seem pretentious.

But she dared not touch this windfall.

The reason is simple: what if one day Xingqi's powerful and unreasonable older brother realizes what's going on and comes to collect the debt in person?

She didn't use much of it, so she can return it as is, which will save face for everyone.

But if too much is done, it will be difficult to explain.

Even selling her wouldn't make up for it.

Thinking of this, Yu Luoning breathed a long sigh of relief, and the moral burden that had been weighing on her heart dissipated.

Honestly, I feel so unworthy!