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

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Jiang Yuxing leaned against the carriage wall, looking down at the wooden planks on the ground, then at Shi Shangxu who was pulling the rope, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

"Want a ride?"

He shifted his gaze from Shi Shangxu to Yu Luoning, who was squatting on the wooden tray, and paused for a moment.

Shi Shangxu took in this scene, frowned, and tightened his grip on the rope.

Just as he was about to refuse, Yu Luoning stood up and said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you."

Shi Shangxu turned his head, looked at her, and lowered his eyes.

Yu Luoning, who was always good at reading people's expressions, said to Shi Shangxu, "You've been holding on for so long, take a break."

Shi Shangxu was silent for a moment, then the group boarded the carriage.

The interior of this vehicle was indeed spacious, far superior to theirs. Looking at the runes embedded in the walls, one could tell this vehicle was no ordinary car.

Yu Luoning withdrew her gaze, surprised that the oppressive feeling of gravity on the car was negligible.

Could it be a magical artifact that can defy gravity?

She looked away and stopped thinking about it.

At this moment, Yu Luoning and Shi Shangxu sat on one side, Mo Fei and Lu Mingyu sat opposite them, and Jiang Yuxing sat on the inside.

He was in a relaxed posture, with one leg slightly bent and a dark jade thumb ring in his hand.

He half-raised his eyelids, glanced at everyone, and said nothing.

Most surprisingly, a young woman was squatting at Jiang Yuxing's feet. She was beautiful and her hair was loosely tied up.

She lowered her eyes, kneeling on the thick blanket, her delicate face pressed slightly against Jiang Yuxing's legs, like a pet snuggling up to its owner.

The carriage was quiet; no one spoke.

The group felt a sense of strangeness.

Recalling the woman's tender and affectionate voice they had heard that night, everyone immediately realized the relationship between the two.

Mo Fei turned his head to the side and fiddled with his accessories, pretending to be very busy.

Lu Mingyu stared blankly at the sight, while Mo Feichao kicked him without making a sound, and the latter quickly lowered his head.

Shi Shangxu's face darkened, his brows furrowed slightly, and he didn't speak, but his discomfort was clearly written on his face.

Yu Luoning withdrew her gaze. She remembered what Lu Feishuang had said on the way: to cultivate diligently and not to entrust her happiness to a man, for it was wrong to depend on a man.

She glanced at the woman at her feet, showing respect.

Jiang Yuxing seemed to sense something. He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze passing over Shi Shangxu and landing on Yu Luoning. The corners of his mouth curved up. "Fellow Daoists, please make yourselves at home."

Shi Shangxu straightened his back without making a sound, actually using his body to block Yu Luoning.

In this way, it also conveniently blocks someone's naked gaze.

The carriage fell silent again, with only the sound of wheels rolling over the mountain road.

Yu Luoning lowered her head and didn't look at anyone.

Beside the man's feet, the woman slightly raised her head, looking at him with clear and sharp eyes.

She suddenly said to Yu Luoning, "Sister, you are so beautiful."

Yu Luoning was slightly taken aback, then laughed and said, "Haha, really? We're both good-looking."

Ye Yanshan chuckled coquettishly.

She looked up, her gaze sweeping between Yu Luoning and Shi Shangxu, her tone tinged with curiosity.

"My name is Ye Yanshan, you can call me Yan'er, sister. I just saw this young master pulling the cart all by himself, he must be working so hard. You must be the one he loves, sister?"

The air suddenly paused, and Yu Luoning felt the gaze from the inside fall upon her.

Yu Luoning remained calm, turned her head, her eyes watery as she looked at Shi Shangxu, and said softly, "Cousin, why don't you say it?"

Yu Luoning had previously thought that someone as rigid and honest as Shi Shangxu was too upright, and she originally planned not to provoke him.

But the way the man on the inside looked at her was blatant, as if she were an object. What didn't she understand? That was clearly the way a man looks at a woman.

Yu Luoning has always avoided men who are not morally upright.

Even the most rigid and old-fashioned commercial system is far better than this.

So, it was only natural to push the problem onto Shi Shangxu, and see how this idiot would respond.

As expected, Shi Shangxu did not choose to lie. He paused for a moment and then said, "She... is my cousin."

Ye Yanshan's eyes flickered slightly, and her smile deepened. "I see. Since you're cousins, then you're accompanying us as a relative?"

"Mm." Yu Luoning nodded.

"Sister, your cousin is so good to you. He'd rather suffer the hardship of towing the truck himself than leave you behind."

As soon as Ye Yanshan said that, Yu Luoning realized that the woman was making a comparison.

Yu Luoning laughed and said, "Sister Yan'er, what you said really resonates with me. My cousin is an honest and reliable person, but unfortunately, he can only do manual labor. Unlike your young master, who is incredibly wealthy and has such shrewd methods."

Ye Yanshan's smile froze: "What do you mean by this, sister?"

Yu Luoning looked around the carriage with envy in her eyes: "If I'm not mistaken, the array inside this carriage can probably resist the effects of gravity, right? It would probably cost several thousand or even tens of thousands of spirit stones to get off, wouldn't it?"

"Young master, you are truly kind-hearted to give us a ride. My sister, you must be used to seeing rare and precious things while accompanying your young master. It is a life of wealth and luxury that makes one envious."

"My cousin always said he came from a poor family, but I didn't believe him. After seeing you all today, I do believe it."

Ye Yanshan: "Sister, you flatter me. These are just material things, not worth mentioning. Sister, you're so beautiful, you can find a powerful backer in the future."

"Golden carriages that can resist gravity without exerting any effort, and elixirs that are readily available—these are all things that can be done with ease. If you want them, sister, I'm afraid nothing is impossible."

The air inside the carriage almost froze.

Yu Luoning could clearly feel Shi Shangxu beside him tense up. He didn't speak, his hands clenched white on his knees.

Ye Yanshan's words were tantamount to pointing at Shi Shangxu and saying, "You're poor, you have no money, you can't even afford to give your cousin a life of luxury."

Jiang Yuxing leaned back slightly, watching them with great interest.

Lu Mingyu looked at Shi Shangxu with a worried expression, feeling the soft cushion under his buttocks burning hot.

Mo Fei rolled his eyes silently.

Yu Luoning didn't say anything, but turned slightly to the side, her sleeve brushing against Shi Shangxu's hand.

He chuckled and said, "Sister Shan'er, that's a shallow statement. It's certainly good to be rich. But you have to use your money with dignity, not like you who don't even have a place to sit. My cousin may not be as wealthy these days, but he'd rather pull his own cart so I can sit and he won't leave me behind. That kind of kindness is priceless."

Ye Yanshan's face paled slightly.

At this moment, Jiang Yuxing suddenly spoke up, "Shan'er, you must not be rude to your guests. Friendship is worth a thousand pieces of gold, how can it be measured by spirit stones? I also greatly admire Brother Shi's integrity."

Shi Shangxu said, "I dare not accept such praise. It is only my duty. I will naturally take good care of my cousin."

The carriage fell silent; no one spoke the entire journey.