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

After the morning's commotion, Yu Luoning had planned to sleep a little longer, but was woken up by the treasure-hunting rat.

"Master! Quick, quick, I've sensed the magical treasure!"

Yu Luoning suddenly opened her eyes, sprang up from the couch with a somersault, changed her clothes, grabbed her crossbody bag, and went out.

As the sun sets, its afterglow bathes the entire town in a warm orange hue.

There is a stone bridge in the city, and stalls are set up on and under the bridge, making it very lively.

Yu Luoning stood hesitantly at the bridgehead, glancing around.

She wondered, "Is it really possible to find a bargain here?"

The treasure-hunting mouse peeked out from the small compartment, pointed its little paw to the right, and whispered, "There's something strange about that tattered scroll with calligraphy and paintings at the old man's stall on the far right!"

Yu Luoning looked over.

He was an elderly gentleman with white hair and beard, sitting quietly behind his stall, with several calligraphy and paintings laid out in front of him.

She stood still, not walking over immediately.

To be honest, she naturally had a bit of a resistance to selling calligraphy and paintings on the street.

This was thanks to being scammed once in her past life. Back then, she was still a student with little pocket money. A middle-aged man was selling a bunch of paintings printed from who-knows-where to each class, speaking in a very pitiful tone, about persevering for his dreams and all that.

Yu Luoning, being soft-hearted, spent a week's allowance to buy two paintings. Only after buying them did she realize they were prints, with mediocre artwork and even worse framing.

From then on, she became more wary of these kinds of stalls.

The calligraphy and paintings on the old man's stall weren't bad, but they weren't particularly appealing either. She wasn't willing to pay for them.

She stood in front of the painting for a long time. Suddenly, she realized that there really was a scroll covered in mud, just as the shabby painting stall had described.

That painting is quite interesting.

Yu Luoning's heart skipped a beat.

She walked over, squatted down, and reached out to press one end of the scroll. Just as she was about to pick it up, another hand pressed down on the other end of the scroll at the same time.

She looked up.

A boy, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with handsome features, was squatting opposite them.

He wore a simple blue shirt and no expensive ornaments, but his eyes were clear, open, and pure, without a trace of impurity.

The other person was looking straight at him, without any other intention.

The two of them stopped at the same time.

The bridge was noisy with people, and the setting sun cast long shadows of the two people on the bluestone slabs.

It was as if everything had frozen for a moment.

Yu Luoning swallowed, her heartstrings being gently plucked.

It's him!

The boy who saved me when the maze in Wangyue Cave collapsed.

Ding!

[Handsome Men's Pictorial Guide - Times and Business]

[Copyable list]

[Mind Clarity Technique: Perceive lies. If projected outwards, it can automatically reduce the effectiveness of illusions and mind-controlling formations within a certain radius. PS: Liars, illusionists, and formation masters—these three professions will collectively lose their jobs upon seeing you. You truly leave no way for your peers to survive!]

[Nirvana Fire: An offensive fire spell that summons three fireballs simultaneously to burn enemies. PS: Angela wants to confiscate your spellbook after seeing your fire spells.]

[A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains: A spacious storage space that can temporarily immerse one in a dreamlike landscape. PS: The Panorama of Rivers and Mountains is here! Please come in and browse freely, it's free!]

[...] (Haven't decided yet)

Luo Ning's eyes widened slightly.

The next potential partner is practically delivered to our doorstep!

On the other side, Shi Shangxu looked at Yu Luoning and was also slightly taken aback.

Although he sensed a faint spiritual energy in the painting, he was too embarrassed to continue when he saw the girl staring intently at him.

Shi Shangxu smiled gently and released his grip. "If you, young lady, also take a liking to this item, then it is fate. I am not talented enough to take what belongs to someone else. Please, young lady, take it."

After saying that, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards her, then turned to leave.

Yu Luoning wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by, and immediately called out to him, "Um, young master, wait a minute..."

Looking back at the order of time.

Yu Luoning blinked, then a thought struck her. "I... I don't have enough money... Could you lend me some spirit stones?"

Shi Shangxu was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and looked at her.

The woman had bright, lively eyes, and her gaze held a hint of unnatural pleading as she looked at him, as if she had mustered up her courage to speak.

He smiled gently and asked, "How much does the young lady need?"

Yu Luoning turned to the old man and asked dryly, "Grandpa, how much is this painting?"

The old man's eyes lit up when he saw someone asking the price: "Young lady, you have a good eye! This is a painting passed down from my ancestors. I heard it was left behind by a great cultivator. I would never sell it if I weren't desperate. Here's what I'll do: give me fifty high-grade spirit stones."

Yu Luoning frowned.

She had plenty of spirit stones in her storage bag, but haggling was a matter of principle.

"Old man, the spiritual energy contained in this painting is very weak. Fifty high-grade spirit stones could buy a mid-grade magic weapon."

The old man knew exactly what she wanted to buy and wouldn't budge an inch.

Yu Luoning put the painting down without hesitation, turned to Shi Shangxu who was waiting to the side and smiled slightly, with a hint of apology: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, young master. I think it's a little overpriced to buy this painting for fifty spirit stones."

"It's alright."

Shi Shangxu smiled gently, clearly having realized that she wasn't really not planning to buy.

Now that he has already given up the painting, he naturally won't cause any trouble at this time, and will stand quietly to the side.

Yu Luoning turned to leave, but took less than three steps.

"Hey, young lady, don't go!" the old man chased after her. "Then tell me, what price do you want?"

Ten.

"Ten pieces?! You're really good at bargaining. You've reduced fifty to ten. You can't sell them, you can't sell them. You might as well go look at other ones."

Yu Luoning remained calm and composed, slowly lifting her feet and walking forward at a leisurely pace.

Before he had taken three steps,

"Wow, I'm really impressed by you."

The old man sighed. "Well then, it's fate that we met. Twenty coins, fixed price, no lower than this."

Yu Luoning stopped, turned around, and pouted: "Twenty it is. Seeing that the old man is still setting up his stall so late, it's not easy for him. I'll take the loss."

She walked back to the stall, rummaged through her storage bag, then looked up at Shi Shangxu and blinked: "Young master, do you still stand by what you just said?"

She actually had about a hundred high-grade spirit stones in her Qiankun bag, but after borrowing money from her, they became familiar with each other over and over again.

Shi Shangxu looked at her and smiled, his smile as radiant as the sun in the sky.

He took out ten spirit stones from his storage bag, placed them on the stall, and said to Yu Luoning with genuine sincerity, "Miss, there's no need for this. I saw the way you looked at this painting, and I knew it had found a kindred spirit. Gold is easy to come by, but a true friend is hard to find. Consider these spirit stones a token of goodwill, and I'm giving them to you as a gift."

After saying that, he nodded to her, turned and left, his back as straight as a pine tree.

Yu Luoning stood there, clutching the painting, watching his figure disappear into the crowd, lost in thought.

Where did this male bodhisattva come from?

Ten high-grade spirit stones were given away without even a name being left. Shouldn't the normal procedure be to exchange names and agree on repayment?

He simply gave it to her, rendering all the strategies she had prepared useless.

The treasure-hunting mouse poked its head out of the small bag and whispered, "Master, he's gone."

"I know." Yu Luoning came back to her senses, looked down at the painting in her hand, and then looked up in the direction where Shi Shangxu had left.

She instructed, "Remember his scent, and see which way he went."

Time and order?

Great, you're next.