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

Seeing the little fire demon's expression, Yu Luoning immediately understood what was going on. She smiled and continued, "You came from outside before, were you a cultivator, a demon beast, or a native creature of Phoenix Ancient City?"

"I'm not telling you!"

The little fire demon turned its face away angrily, its body shrinking into a tiny ball out of fear of the cold air from the water prison.

Seeing that there was no way to escape, it said viciously, "When the king finds out that neither of you can escape, he will turn you into little fire demons and make you dig for fire crystals every day. If you don't dig 100 baskets a day, he won't feed you."

Yu Luoning's eyelids twitched.

Looking at Bai Rongling, she said, "Why do I have this feeling that their king isn't some respectable demon?"

"Your intuition is correct," Bai Rongling said calmly.

Yu Luoning withdrew her gaze, looking down at the defiant little fire demon in the water prison. Her bright eyes narrowed slightly, and she said meaningfully, "Little demon, I advise you to understand the situation. We are holding you hostage. If you don't behave, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The little monster's big eyes blinked twice, it raised its head, and shouted, "I would never betray our king!"

"Splatter it with water! I refuse to believe it won't behave."

Bai Rongling: "..."

Bai Rongling was speechless, but still did as he was told. He released a jet of water towards the little fire demon, and water vapor immediately rose up, causing the little fire demon to scream loudly.

Seeing this, Yu Luoning suddenly thought of Angela's ultimate move and happily added sound effects, "Zzzzz~~~".

Bai Rongling's slender fingers paused slightly, and the water jet even split open.

He turned to look at her, his eyes conveying an indescribable expression: "Could you...be a little more polite?"

Yu Luoning blinked. "No."

Bai Rongling let out a barely audible sigh.

Once the magical light was extinguished, the little demon in the water prison finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the flames on its body dimmed considerably.

Yu Luoning asked, puzzled, "Why stop? Keep sizzling!"

"Don't add... weird sounds from the side."

Yu Luoning didn't think anything was wrong at first, but when she heard his words, she suddenly realized something, raised an eyebrow, and said sarcastically, "Language was created for people to use. People with dirty minds will find everything dirty. I was clearly simulating the sound of flowing water."

Bai Rongling slightly lowered her chin: "..."

Yu Luoning chuckled, "You get angry at me so easily, you'll never have enough anger in the future."

Bai Rongling fell silent, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

His gaze fell on the little fire demon in the water prison, and for a moment he couldn't tell which one was actually being tortured.

Seeing that the little monster was still stubborn and refused to confess, Yu Luoning's tone became a little heavier, "Bai Rongling, keep scolding him, we can't waste any more time."

Bai Rongling became serious and continued casting the spell. The little demon was sprayed so much that it staggered and fell, clutching its head and yelling, "Stop spraying! Stop spraying! I'll tell you, okay?"

Yu Luoning raised her hand, and the water column stopped abruptly.

Xiao Yao shook off the wet droplets on her body before explaining with a wronged expression, "All I know is that the King is in the abyss of the forging grounds. Every day, the fire crystals we dig out have to be delivered to the mine and eventually reach the King."

Yu Luoning continued, "What does your king want the Fire Crystal for?"

"Of course... cultivation."

The little fire demon hesitated slightly, and Yu Luoning narrowed her eyes, her tone cold and stern, "What exactly is it for?"

Seeing that the fire demon refused to speak, Yu Luoning slightly turned her gaze toward Bai Rongling.

Bai Rongling tacitly conjured a bluish-green light at her fingertips.

Upon seeing this, the little fire demon screamed in fright, "I'll talk, I'll talk!"

"Forge a divine weapon!"

"What divine weapon?" Yu Luoning continued to ask.

"It is a token shaped like a feather, which the King has been forging for many years."

"Alright, let's ask something important. Do you know how to get out of here?"

"You can't get out unless you kill the King. The entire Forging Grounds is a cage; as long as he doesn't die, the cage won't break."

Yu Luoning breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; as long as there was a way, they could get out.

"Now we need to figure out just how strong this great demon is," Yu Luoning continued to ask.

The little demon sighed, "No one can kill him."

"That's because you're all not strong enough. If you cultivate to a high enough level, how could you not kill him?" Yu Luoning sneered.

The little demon sulked, "We just can't kill him! The King is very strong; only he himself can kill him. You guys..."

The little fire monster spoke with disdain, looking Yu Luoning up and down. Although it didn't say the last sentence, its expression was smug, and its mouth was pouting.

Yu Luoning laughed in exasperation, wishing she could splash water on its face.

She asked a few more questions, and after finding out the strength of the powerful demons here, Yu Luoning and Bai Rongling exchanged a glance.

Yu Luoning smiled and said, "In case you go out and secretly report to someone, you should stay in my spatial jade bracelet first."

Upon hearing this, the little demon flew into a rage, "You wretched woman, you said you'd let me go, you broke your promise..."

Before she finished speaking, Yu Luoning sucked the little demon into her spatial jade bracelet.

The world suddenly fell silent, and Yu Luoning nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmph, how can you believe everything a pretty woman says?"

Bai Rongling, who had been silent until now, twitched her eyebrows slightly upon hearing this.

Yu Luoning looked at him and said, "What? Do you think what I said is wrong?"

Bai Rongling's lips twitched slightly, and she said in a cold voice, "No, what you said is correct. I'm just wondering how much more cautious I should be when facing you in the future?"

Yu Luoning choked, momentarily unable to reply.

Her mind worked incredibly fast. After a moment's thought, she suddenly chuckled, "Then you're doomed. You can't possibly guard against me."

"However, if you're willing to let me sleep with you once, I'll tell you how to guard against it."

Bai Rongling's gaze froze, her expression blank for a moment.

He probably never expected that after he had decisively rejected her yesterday, this woman would be able to come back as if nothing had happened.

Is that why you're still thinking about him?

After a moment of silence, Bai Rongling's voice was cold, "Cui Xiu is probably still desperately searching for you. How can you do this to him?"

Yu Luoning remained silent for a moment.

This question stumped her. She glanced at the encyclopedia discreetly; the page for Bai Rongling was still lit up.

So many! There are so many!

A rough estimate reveals that there are as many as thirty-five spells...

It's heartbreaking to see something you can't have, but not be able to eat it.

Yu Luoning puffed out her chest, her courage growing.

He tentatively asked, "Then how about you don't tell me... and I won't tell you either..."

Bai Rongling sneered, cutting him off, "Yu Luoning, do you really think I'm willing to be your servant?"

Yu Luoning blinked, not daring to say a word.

At least a wife has a title; according to her plan, this is at most a mistress, and the kind that can't be seen in the light of day.

Or, a fleeting romance would also work.

We will not bother each other afterwards.

Bai Rongling stared at her changing expressions and, for some reason, felt a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, Yu Luoning asked, "Then... what will it take for you to agree to my request?"

"I'm easy to talk to. Just tell me what you want—spirit stones, magic weapons, pills—I'll try my best to satisfy you and make sure you don't suffer any losses..."

What's the difference between this and going to a brothel to keep male concubines? Bai Rongling felt deeply insulted, and her gaze grew colder.

Yu Luoning's eyes lit up. He scratched his head and laughed, "If all else fails, I'll sleep with you once, and you'll sleep with me back?"

"In short, I can cooperate."

As long as it allows her to make a copy.

Unfortunately, Bai Rongling's eyes were unusually cold, and she spoke through gritted teeth, each word deliberate and forceful: "Don't even think about it!"

"No, I..."

Bai Rongling leaped up, and no matter how Yu Luoning tried to communicate with him from behind, the white figure never turned around.