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

When Yu Luoning pulled Cui Xiu into the snow cave, she couldn't help but pause for a moment.

A bonfire, though not very strong, had already been lit inside the cave. Since the group's storage bags were still locked, they naturally couldn't produce any fire-starting talismans.

No one knows where Shi Shangxu found this pile of dry firewood, and he even used the most primitive method of making fire by friction to start a fire.

Yu Luoning looked over and saw that Shi Shangxu's hand, which had been holding the sword, was covered with gray-black charcoal stains, and there were also several fresh scratches on his hand.

Yu Luoning's heart softened, and she wanted to go forward to comfort him, but seeing Cui Xiu beside her who had been so easily coaxed, she had no choice but to give up.

After the two entered, Shi Shangxu didn't say anything, but simply added more firewood to the campfire.

His gaze remained clear and bright, but when it fell on Yu Luoning and Cui Xiu's tightly clasped hands, his eyes became slightly subdued.

Cui Xiu glanced at him coldly, looked at the fire, snorted, and then sat down next to Yu Luoning.

On the other side of the fire sat Shi Shangxu, separated from the flames.

The three of them remained silent. The atmosphere in the cave was strangely eerie, with only the crackling of burning firewood. The air was heavy and oppressive.

Yu Luoning sat stiffly in place, eyes downcast, not daring to move an inch.

She silently absorbed the suffocating atmosphere of this chaotic scene and secretly resolved that as long as the two did not draw their swords against each other, she would resolutely pretend to be deaf and dumb to the end.

There's an old saying, what's it again? "If you're not deaf and dumb, you can't be a good father-in-law." The same principle applies to her.

If you want to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives, you have to endure the embarrassment that ordinary people cannot bear.

The campfire continued to burn, its pale yellow light casting long shadows across the cave.

Through the snow that obscured the cave entrance, Yu Luoning looked out of the cave. The night was deep, and the world was as black as if it had been splashed with ink.

"Cui Xiu, you said before that this is not the real world, but a mental illusion. Can you say more?" Yu Luoning suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence in the cave.

Perhaps it was because Yu Luoning had flattered him so shamelessly, or perhaps it was because of the warmth of the campfire, but most of Cui Xiu's gloomy and fierce aura dissipated, and his expression was unusually gentle at this moment.

"The master of this frozen inferno is the legendary Nine Nether Medicine Elder, who is also the master of the Nine Nether Pill Cauldron."

"Legend has it that the old physician dedicated his life to healing the sick, but in his later years he saved a heinous demon. After the demon awoke, he slaughtered millions of lives. In the end, he blamed himself for all the sins and died in despair. Perhaps his obsession before death was too deep; his regret and self-blame transformed into this frozen snowfield, symbolizing his completely frozen heart. To obtain the Nine Nether Cauldron, one must probably untie the knot in his heart."

Cui Xiu slowly recounted the whole story, and after listening, Shi Shangxu's brows furrowed with a heavy expression.

Yu Luoning frowned, staring intently at Cui Xiu, seemingly lost in thought.

Looking at her expression, Cui Xiu raised an eyebrow and said, "Why are you staring at Yu like that?"

"That demon who slaughtered millions of lives, could it be you?" Yu Luoning leaned closer and suddenly asked.

Cui Xiu was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and chuckled softly, asking without any hesitation, "So what if it's me?"

Yu Luoning laughed too, "I don't believe it."

"What? Don't I look like a heinous demon?" Cui Xiu raised an eyebrow, her expression laced with sarcasm.

Yu Luoning shook her head, her clear eyes reflecting the leaping firelight, without a trace of impurity.

"Although you're always fierce and your words aren't pleasant, you've saved me from dire situations time and time again. I don't believe you're some kind of indiscriminate killer. You either kill the most heinous villains or people who deliberately provoke or challenge you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Xiu froze. He looked at the bright-faced woman before him, and his heart felt as if it had been struck by something, slowly softening.

On the other side of the fire, Shi Shangxu's eyes trembled violently as he sat there quietly.

As the soft firelight cast a golden glow on Yu Luoning's profile, the unspoken understanding and unreserved trust between her and Cui Xiu deeply stung his eyes.

Even though the three of them were in the same room, he felt as if he were isolated from the outside. He felt a moment of disorientation, and suddenly a sour feeling spread through him.

So he really... couldn't accept it?

As darkness fell, Yu Luoning was exhausted after a long journey during the day.

She lay down on the hay, intending to take a nap, when she inadvertently glanced at Cui Xiu beside her. This big Buddha, who always valued style over warmth and whose collar was always wide open, was now wrapped up tightly in his robes and slightly curled up.

Yu Luoning couldn't help but chuckle. This guy finally realized he was cold, huh?

In fact, Yu Luoning did not know that Cui Xiu was not feeling ordinary cold at the moment. He only felt a strange stagnation from the depths of his Qi Sea, like a strange stagnation of spiritual power.

Thinking about the series of bad luck buffs, Choi Soo was extremely irritable.

He snorted inwardly, "That stupid fish has really screwed me over. I'll make her make it up to me."

Seeing his unusually weak appearance, Yu Luoning felt a warmth in her heart, took off her outer robe, and got up to drape it over Cui Xiu.

"Don't get cold! Look at you, you're dressed so lightly, just a robe, and the collar is so open, the cold wind is blowing right in. Remember to dress more warmly next time, or I'll worry."

Actually, it's about talking about male virtues, you know?

Without her outer robe, Yu Luoning was left in only a single layer of clothing, and she immediately shivered from the cold.

Upon seeing this, Shi Shangxu did not hesitate at all and immediately took off his outer robe to wrap Yu Luoning up completely.

This scene was witnessed by Cui Xiu.

Seeing Yu Luoning wrapped in Shi Shangxu's clothes, carrying the scent of another man, his originally gentle eyes instantly turned cold and desolate.

That nascent, faint feeling of being moved was instantly extinguished by an unnamed fire.