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

The flower field was in a very remote corner. It was planted by some relative, but no one took care of it afterward.

Now the flowers bloom all over the mountains and fields, one patch after another. When the wind blows, the fragrance of the flowers spreads, making people feel refreshed and happy.

Yu Luoning walked through the flower field. Today she was wearing a floor-length silver brocade dress. As the hem of the dress swayed slightly, tiny glimmers of light appeared and disappeared in the folds.

The sunlight fell on her, making her originally fair skin almost translucent, and she looked like the bright moon and sun that had come to life.

At this moment, a few strands of her hair were lifted by the wind, and her eyebrows and eyes appeared exceptionally soft in this warm color.

Shi Shangxu looked at the person in front of him without saying a word, but his heart became vibrant because of the girl.

He was wrong; he shouldn't have left her alone outside the gate.

The number of those who covet it will only increase.

This place is too remote. The rules outside are numerous and chaotic. People with Foundation Establishment cultivation can do whatever they want. She is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining and doesn't have enough strength to protect herself.

He couldn't come out whenever he wanted, and whenever he did, his senior classmates would tease him about it.

It will be even more difficult to come out frequently in the future, and the distance between the inner and outer sects is almost half an hour, even when flying on a sword.

Shi Shangxu stood silently in the flower field for a long time.

"Luoning".

Yu Luoning turned around and looked at him with a smile: "Hmm?"

"Besides the formal disciples, there is another type of person who can live in the inner sect." After considering it for a moment, Shi Shangxu decided to speak.

"Who is it?"

"Daoist partner".

Shi Shangxu paused for a moment, then said, "If you become Daoist partners, you can live in the inner sect. The spiritual energy there is abundant, the rules are clear, and there are none of the messy things from the outer sect."

The flower field fell silent for a moment, as if even the wind had stopped.

Yu Luoning looked at him, her heart skipped a beat; the boy opposite her was serious.

After a moment of silence, she slowly curved the corners of her mouth into a smile, her tone soft and understanding.

"But cousin, didn't you say that you only do those things with the person you love?"

"To become Daoist partners, one must cultivate together. Could it be that my cousin only wants to be my nominal Daoist partner without fulfilling his responsibilities?"

"Or are you going against your own wishes?" Yu Luoning took a step closer and looked up at him.

Shi Shangxu looked down at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, but he did not answer.

Yu Luoning smiled gently.

That was actually her goal, wasn't it? She should be happy to see Shi Shangxu following the script she had prepared.

But when Shang Xu was actually willing to bring her into the inner sect as a Daoist partner, Yu Luoning hesitated instead.

"Cousin, I don't need you to give me that much."

She looked up at the flower fields around her, then looked at him again, her voice earnest: "If you come out to see me often, I'll be content."

Shi Shangxu remained silent for a long time, then said in a low, hoarse voice, "I'll go ask my master if I can live in the outer sect in the future. With me here, those people will be wary of me."

Yu Luoning was taken aback.

The spiritual energy in the outer sect can't keep up with that in the inner sect, so the cultivation speed will definitely be much slower. And running back and forth like this is also very tiring.

How will Elder Jianfeng and his fellow disciples view him?

Yu Luoning kept her head down and didn't say a word.

She turned her face, and the wind carrying the fragrance of flowers wafted towards her.

"No, you should focus on your inner sect cultivation and not let me hold you back."

"I owe you enough already, how am I going to pay you back if I keep owing you more?" Yu Luoning muttered to herself.

Shi Shangxu looked at her but didn't respond. The two of them stood in the flower field without saying a word.

The wind blew the petals up, sending them flying everywhere, drifting between the two of them before falling to the ground.

When I returned to the courtyard, it was already dark.

Shi Shangxu was about to leave, but when he thought of the way Cao Jinglei looked at Yu Luoning during the day, he paused and didn't move.

Yu Luoning seized the opportunity to persuade him to stay, saying, "It's getting late, why don't you leave tomorrow morning? You can just meditate and cultivate tonight."

The order of the times and the order of business have been reached.

The courtyard has only one room, with the inner bedroom and outer hall separated by a screen.

Yu Luoning was sleeping inside, while Shi Shangxu sat cross-legged on a mat outside the screen, his back straight, surrounded by a faint aura of spiritual energy.

Yu Luoning opened her eyes out of boredom, and through the screen, the handsome profile of the young man was faintly visible.

After watching for a while, she said, "Cousin, can you please stop cultivating?"

In the brief silence outside the screen, a voice asked, "What's wrong?"

Yu Luoning said, "When you're like this, I feel anxious. I feel like I should try harder too. Don't keep pushing me like this."

Yu Luoning's words were indeed a bit domineering.

But for a man and a woman to be alone in a room, such a perfect opportunity, would be quite a mood killer for cultivation.

Upon hearing this, the person outside the screen chuckled softly, "It was my oversight. I'll listen to you."

A moment later, a slight noise came from the floor, and Shi Shangxu lay down accordingly.

The two were separated by a screen, and neither of them spoke. Yu Luoning casually asked about his life in the inner sect.

Shi Shangxu said a few words, and from those few words, Yu Luoning could sense that the inner sect was a completely different world, filled with spirit beasts, birds, and rare herbs.

The senior brothers and sisters of Jianfeng were also quite friendly, and Yu Luoning couldn't help but feel envious as she listened.

I don't know when, but the room became quiet.

Yu Luoning closed her eyes, and after a while, she secretly opened them and glanced at the screen.

She rolled around in the quilt a few times, making a slight noise, but the person outside the screen did not react.

Yu Luoning smiled and tiptoed to the outside of the screen, squatted down and took a look.

The boy remained in a straight sleeping position, breathing steadily, as if he were truly asleep.

Yu Luoning lay down next to him, secretly lifted the corner of his blanket, and crawled inside.

The next moment, the boy's eyes suddenly opened.

Four eyes meet.

The atmosphere remained still for a full three seconds.

Shi Shangxu's heart pounded wildly, and he tried to keep his voice steady: "Miss Luo Ning, what... do you want to do?"

Yu Luoning blinked and said matter-of-factly, "It's too dark at night, I'm scared to sleep alone."

Shi Shangxu pursed his lips, unsure of what to say.

Yu Luoning also knew that her reason was untenable.

But the boy didn't say anything, so she became even more demanding.

Before he could say anything, she moved closer to him and grabbed his arm.

Shi Shangxu stiffened, his voice hoarse: "Miss Luo Ning..."

"I'm scared, that's why I want to stay close to you."

"I...I have a calming talisman, and the room is also protected by a barrier, so nothing unclean will come near..."

Yu Luoning: "..."

"You really want to distance yourself from me?" Yu Luoning raised her eyes and looked at him with a deep gaze.

Shi Shangxu pondered for a moment: "That's indeed inappropriate..."

"Inappropriate? Didn't you think it was inappropriate when you stayed? Do you know how talkative those aunties living in this courtyard are? Believe me, the news of you staying overnight will be all over the relatives' quarters by tomorrow morning!"

Shi Shangxu was taken aback; he hadn't expected this at all.

He fell silent.

Yu Luoning said softly, "Go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow morning."

How could Shi Shangxu possibly sleep?

The person he liked was right beside him. Although he knew she might not have the same feelings for him, she would always do this, getting closer from time to time, teasing him, and then casually saying, "It's nothing, I don't care."

Shi Shangxu thought to himself.

She's a bit awful.

In the darkness, his ears burned intensely, and his face turned red all the way up his neck, but thankfully he couldn't see it.

After finally calming myself down, I closed my eyes and focused on breathing, but the person next to me stirred.

She hugged his arm, snuggled closer to him, buried her face in it, and let out a soft, satisfied moan.

And so, the breathing that had finally calmed down suddenly became disordered again.

"Could you... not move around?" His voice was a little hoarse.

Yu Luoning firmly refused: "No. I'm a restless sleeper anyway. You can move around, I don't mind."

Shi Shangxu: "..."

He stared at the dark ceiling in silence for a long time, and in the end he didn't say anything. He just lay there stiffly, motionless, carefully controlling his breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, the breathing beside me gradually calmed down.

She was really asleep.

Shi Shangxu turned his head to look at her in the darkness.

Then, gently, he reached out and tucked the blanket over her.

I probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

The next morning, Shi Shangxu practically fled.

...Hehe, this is the dividing line that's running away quickly...