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

"Cousin, don't be too sad. The path to immortality is always a perilous journey, where life and death are unpredictable. Let's just remember Senior Brother Lin and live well, so that we won't have wasted this encounter."

Shi Shangxu held her tightly and remained silent for a long time.

Yu Luoning pulled him to sit down in the inner hall, poured him a cup of hot tea, and took out a medicine for treating injuries from her Qiankun bag and handed it to him.

"Take some medicine to heal your wounds. I'll go get you some hot water and change your blood-stained clothes."

While cleansing techniques are useful, at this moment, a hot bath is the best way to relieve stress.

She turned and went to the outer room to make arrangements. Shi Shangxu sat in the inner hall, his gaze lingering on Yu Luoning's back, his red eyes silently following her every move.

Before long, the warm-up was ready. Yu Luoning carried a wooden basin into the house and helped Shi Shangxu, saying, "Wash yourself first."

Shi Shangxu's gaze lingered on her face for a long time before he softly hummed in agreement.

She took off his blood-soaked blue shirt and gently wiped his body with a warm towel.

Seeing him like this, Yu Luoning's heart softened a little.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

"Cousin, you still have me. At least you're not alone now, I'll be with you."

Shi Shangxu's breathing slowed down slightly.

Her once clear, star-like eyes were now veiled with grief.

Yu Luoning stroked her hand, gently brushing it across his eyes. Slowly, she placed a kiss upon them.

I don't know why, but suddenly a sentence popped into my head.

"Cousin, if I could, I would walk behind you, so that at least I would be the one experiencing the pain of losing a loved one, not you."

Shi Shangxu's eyes turned even redder.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand to cup the back of her head, deepening the kiss.

The kiss was gentle, yet intense.

It was as if he was pouring all the breakdowns, fears, and longing of the past few days into his heart.

Yu Luoning originally just wanted to coax him to relax, but after this kiss, her breathing became erratic.

She instinctively closed her eyes and returned the kiss.

They didn't know how much time had passed. The kiss finally ended, and Shi Shangxu's forehead rested against hers.

His eyes were closed, and his voice was terribly hoarse.

"Ningning, you must keep your word. Don't leave me alone."

This path to immortality is long and lonely. If one day you really leave before me, I'm afraid I'll go crazy. So you must, you absolutely must, walk behind me.

If fate is unavoidable, and I too perish before Senior Brother Lin, I still hope you live well. Even if by then, you have someone else by your side. Even if you no longer remember me. I still hope you live a long and prosperous life, witnessing all the splendor and wonder of this world.

Yu Luoning looked up, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window and fell on Shi Shangxu's profile.

His eyes held a resolute, almost pleading look.

Yu Luoning's eyes welled up with tears.

She felt utterly awful.

She lowered her eyelashes and buried her face in his chest.

Shi Shangxu sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding her close. His back, which had been tense for many days, relaxed. He was really too tired.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.

Yu Luoning got up, carefully picked him up, dried him off, put on clean inner clothes, cleaned the bath tub with a cleansing spell, and tidied up the room.

She sat by the bed for a long time, looking at Shi Shangxu's sleeping face, feeling a little sad.

Suddenly a voice reached her ears.

"What a loving pair of mandarin ducks!"

Yu Luoning suddenly raised her head and looked at the empty room.

The next moment, a wisp of evil energy slowly solidified in the air, and the figure of the purple-robed man slowly emerged from the void.

Choi Soo said lazily, "Don't worry, no one except you will notice that I'm here."

Yu Luoning looked away and glanced at Shi Shangxu, who was still fast asleep.

It's unclear what kind of magic Cui Xiu used, but he even managed to conceal his voice.

When did this guy arrive? Could he have come while Shi Shangxu was taking a shower?

He really is a pervert.

Yu Luoning took a deep breath and glared at him coldly: "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to see you."

Yu Luoning remained silent.

Cui Xiu's smile deepened: "I didn't expect that Xiao Ningning would be such a sentimental person. That kiss between you two even made me a little moved."

"And that line, 'I will die after you, so that I can bear the pain of losing my lover alone...' Tsk tsk tsk, it moved me to tears."

Yu Luoning's face turned bright red on the spot.

This pervert even spied on people dating.

"Choi Soo, is it something to be proud of to spy on people dating? Someone as powerful as you, engaging in such voyeuristic behavior, don't you feel ashamed?"

Cui Xiu looked completely innocent: "I just happened to be passing by, and I didn't expect to see the whole thing."

Just passing by, how could you run into the house while just passing by?

Yu Luoning took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with him.

There was nothing she could do; she was simply too strong for him.

Cui Xiu scoffed and took a step toward her, his purple eyes sweeping across her face, his wickedness growing even stronger.

"Ningning, I'm curious, does your little lover from the Taiyu Cangqiong Sect know that you've been lying to him all along, while you're entangled with other men?"

I still remember what you said to him.

There was once a sincere love placed before me, but I was penniless and felt deeply inferior...

……

I would say three words to him: I love him.

If God had to put a time limit on this love, I would hope it would be ten thousand years.

"Is that correct? My memory has always been excellent; I should remember every single word."

Yu Luoning's face flushed red. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and looked at Cui Xiu with a righteous indignation:

"Stop making sarcastic remarks. Let me tell you, I love everyone. Who says a person can only love one person?"

Choi Soo: "..."

Yu Luoning continued, "Xing Qi, I love him. My cousin, I love him too. To be honest, I also have an old flame. I love him too."

Choi Soo: "..."

Yu Luoning blinked: "Senior, if you stop threatening to kill me, I might just fall for you too."

Cui Xiu gave a hasty, mocking laugh, her eyes filled with sarcasm.

Yu Luoning continued confidently, "When fate brings you together, whoever you hold in your heart is the one you truly love."

I never intentionally toyed with anyone; I was simply kind-hearted by nature and couldn't bear to see any sincere heart go unrequited. I gave my true feelings to each and every one of them.

Furthermore, I never intended to let anyone down. I just didn't want to let down those who genuinely cared for me by making one choice. How did this gentleness and kindness become my fault in my senior's eyes?

"If you don't like it, just close your eyes. Anyway, I haven't bothered you, and you haven't done anything to me, so you haven't lost anything."

Cui Xiu laughed. "Interesting, truly interesting. These remarks have certainly broadened my horizons."

Yu Luoning blinked and wisely kept quiet.

Anyway, she was a terrible person, but she has made peace with herself and accepted herself as she is.

She's just a womanizer, she's just a jerk, so what?