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

After confirming that no one was around, Yu Luoning raised her hand and pointed in the air. A stream of spiritual energy was injected into the spatial bracelet, and a small sandalwood box popped out.

The box was opened, and inside lay 29 Dao Pattern Stones, plus one high-grade Dao Pattern Stone that had been refreshed by the system.

Yu Luoning counted them once.

Previously, when she and Choi Soo fell into the underground fissure, she painstakingly dug out a total of 32 Dao Pattern Stones.

One was placed on the small grave mound as an offering, one was given to Lu Feishuang as a favor, and one was given to Shi Shangxu to refresh the high-grade Dao pattern stone.

The remaining 29 stones are all here, plus the high-grade Dao pattern stones refreshed by the system, for a total of 30 stones.

Among them, these 29 ordinary Dao-patterned stones are covered by rough raw stone skin, and look like small, inconspicuous gray stones.

Only the refreshed high-grade Dao pattern stone lacked its original stone skin, shimmering with light and color, with pale golden spiritual patterns flowing across its surface. Smooth and profound, it was clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

Yu Luoning's gaze lingered on the high-grade Dao pattern stone for a moment before she reached out and pushed it into the innermost part of the box.

She'll leave this one for now; she wants to keep the best one for herself.

Yu Luoning turned her gaze back to the remaining Dao pattern stones and remained silent for a while.

She had heard the words of the Feng family head clearly in the deacon hall just now.

The Feng family wants Feng Qiguang to gain recognition and status.

Yu Luoning thought slowly.

What if Little Phoenix really comes to her asking for a title? Should she give it to him or not?

If you were to grant it, what kind of status or title would you grant it?

Is it not enough to just date?

Yu Luoning frowned. Once she was officially recognized, she felt like she would become a scumbag woman who had a husband but still messed around outside.

Okay, even though she's been acting like this for a while now, we can't just leave out the ritual, right?

Forget about formal titles for now, but the sense of ceremony is still important.

She sent out a wisp of her divine sense to contact the rat in the jade bracelet space.

A moment later, the little mouse poked its furry head out of the jade bracelet's space.

Yu Luoning asked, "Do you know how to peel off the outer layer of this patterned stone?"

The mouse scratched its head. "Master, the outer skin is very strange, and I don't know how to fix it yet."

"That means there's no way to open it right now."

The mouse nodded.

Yu Luoning stared at the rough, gray stone in his palm and remained silent for a while.

He added, "Since we can't peel it, let's make the most of it and carve something on it."

"What's engraved? A peerless martial arts technique?"

"Carve a heart," Yu Luoning said seriously.

Mouse: "??"

Its tiny mouse eyes were filled with shock.

They actually used this precious Dao-patterned stone to carve the little hearts of mortal young lovers?

If Heaven could speak, it would strike you all with a bolt of lightning.

Yu Luoning didn't care at all. No matter how precious the Dao Pattern Stones were, she had so many.

Even the most precious things need to be used; otherwise, are they just for decoration in storage space?

"Listen carefully, carve a heart in the very center," Yu Luoning instructed, gesturing as she went. "On the left, carve a little salted fish to represent me. As for the right, carve a small feather to represent a little phoenix."

The mouse blinked, looking suspicious. "Master, are you planning to give this priceless treasure to the young master of the Feng family as a token of love? But the skin can't be peeled open, so the Daoist power inside is useless. If we forcibly cut it open later, won't the inscriptions on the surface be ruined?"

"How can one measure the actual value of such a precious object that symbolizes emotion?"

Yu Luoning smiled and rested her chin on her hand, while Shushu was completely stunned.

"That's called romance, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

"You're small but meticulous, so I'll entrust this carving task to you."

The rat took the Dao Pattern Stone, channeled its demonic power, and began carving on the rough stone surface.

Yu Luoning supervised the work from the side.

She had the mouse carve an abstract salted fish on it. The shape of the salted fish was roughly made up of a circle and a triangle, and she even asked the core of the circle to be carved with her own eye-rolling emoji.

Next, in the middle is a crooked heart, and on the right is a line representing a phoenix feather.

Yu Luoning examined it for a long time and was very satisfied.

After doing all this, she threw the rat and the Dao Pattern Stone into the jade bracelet space at the same time.

At this moment, the tiny brain of the mouse started working frantically.

Something's not right, something's very wrong.

The master only sent it to the young master of the Feng family. What about my cousin then?

It likes its kind and gentle cousin Shi.

As for the terrifying evil god Cui Xiu, Shushu was somewhat afraid.

As its most loyal subordinate, it must help its master solve his problems!

The master must have forgotten that it is a big taboo to not distribute favors evenly.

Without further ado, the rat used all its demonic power to work overtime like crazy in the space.

Since fairness is the priority, the carvings on the remaining stones must strictly adhere to a uniform format: a salted fish on the left, a heart in the middle, and a pattern representing the meaning of each person's name on the right.

The second one is engraved with a ruler, representing my cousin's sense of order.

The third one is engraved with a large black sword emitting black smoke, representing Cui Yaojing.

The fourth one has a small star engraved on it, representing the Conch Boy.

After finishing carving these, the mouse looked at the remaining twenty or so Dao pattern stones.

The little paws scratched its head.

No, what if the master wants to expand the fishpond in the future?

If we wait until new fish enter the pond before carving, will that be enough time? We need to prepare more stock.

So, for the next two hours, the dedicated old sculptor's two claws danced like afterimages.

The surface of the Dao Pattern Stone is rough and hard, and it would take a lot of demonic power and effort to carve a completely identical pattern on it.

After processing all the Dao-patterned stones, the mouse was so exhausted that it collapsed.

However, looking at the results before it, it wiped away its sweat with satisfaction.

If the master later chooses a concubine, it will immediately add a pattern symbolizing the concubine's name.

Flexible production, configuration on demand.

She will not mistreat any of her husbands; she will treat them all equally, giving each one a piece of her affection.

The night was deep, and the moonlight shone like quicksilver across the ground.

Outside the ruins, in the courtyard where the Feng family temporarily settled.

Yu Luoning and Feng Qiguang snuggled together, a rare occurrence for them.

Feng Qiguang was dressed in a black outfit, looking clean and neat.

Since he awakened his true phoenix bloodline, a golden light has been faintly flowing in his eyes.

The flowing light was very similar to the glint that occasionally flashed in Yu Luoning's eyes; it was a resonance between the bloodlines of the True Phoenix.

"It's so beautiful." Yu Luoning squinted her eyes, and Feng Qiguang met her smiling eyes.

He curved his lips into a smile, his aura becoming increasingly gentle.

After a long while, Yu Luoning moved slightly, flicked her finger, and took out a Dao-patterned stone from the jade bracelet space.

"This is a token of our love that I specially prepared for you. Do you like it?"

Feng Qiguang looked at the dusty stone and assumed it was just an ordinary object.

His long eyes lowered slightly as he reached out and pinched the rough stone. When he saw the engravings on it, a rare look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a small fish, a heart, and a ruler-like pattern drawn on the far right.

Feng Qiguang held the Dao-patterned stone in his palm and smiled, "Ningning, does this little fish represent you?"

Yu Luoning squinted and responded with two "uh-huhs".

With her left hand, she lifted his shirt and touched the large, white tear, poking it a few times.

Feng Qiguang asked, "But why is a ruler used to represent me?"

"Isn't it a little feather?"

Yu Luoning's mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted it out subconsciously.

By the time they realized it, it was too late.

At this moment, she stared wide-eyed at Feng Qiguang, and stopped what she was doing.

An eerie silence fell over the air.

After a long silence, Feng Qiguang's voice was chilly as he said, "Oh, so there are little feathers too."

Yu Luoning felt somewhat embarrassed.

She smiled shyly and reached into the jade bracelet's storage space.

Feng Qiguang looked down and saw another gray stone, exactly the same as the one in his palm.

He looked down at the smooth engravings on the stone.

This time, it was a small, black sword that was emitting smoke.

It must be said that the mouse's carving skills are remarkable; it managed to carve a sword into a majestic and imposing shape.

Feng Qiguang: "..."

Yu Luoning: "..."

Yu Luoning blinked, quickly put the stone away, and said with a forced smile, "It's not this one, do you believe me?"

Feng Qiguang crossed his arms and let out a cold snort, his voice laced with a sour, angry laugh.

Yu Luoning took out another star from the Starry Sky Jade Bracelet, this time it turned into a small star.

For some reason, Feng Qiguang's eyes reddened slightly.

Yu Luoning's expression froze, and she quickly took it back.

"...Don't rush, let me look..."

Finally, she took out a stone with a Taoist pattern on its right side, which had a small feather engraved on it.

It finally matches up.

Yu Luoning breathed a sigh of relief, holding the stone with a somewhat stiff smile.

"Little Phoenix, this one is for you."

Feng Qiguang didn't speak, his golden eyes staring silently at her, and Yu Luoning's heart skipped a beat.

Feng Qiguang's gaze lingered on her face for a long time. He lowered his voice, his pupils seemingly veiled in mist.

"That's really nice. Those three are probably for my three older brothers, right?"

The final chapter of the book.

Yu Luoning.

Graduate.

He died at the age of twenty-one (physical age), a death driven by altruism.

...Hehe, I've shamelessly come back to life, Little Phoenix, listen to my explanation...