An Agreement (Two-in-One)

Xu Yuan's eyes were very serious when he spoke.

Along the way, he witnessed the role of formations in this world; their influence was felt in war, people's livelihoods, and production.

Technological innovation has a real and tangible impact on productivity development.

In the past, even in prosperous times, it was common for ordinary people to go hungry. But now, the people of Great Yan can generally guarantee two meals of rice. Moreover, the rice on the market is even divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D. They have even cultivated spiritual rice containing Source Qi.

In the words of my past life, this Fourth Sister was a top-notch scientific research talent.

What's the point of having a research talent like you not staying at the Institute of Investigation doing research, but instead going out to do "business"?

Thinking of this, Xu Yuan suddenly glanced at the boots and clothes on his Fourth Sister's jade-like feet and asked:

"Little Four, did you design these boots yourself?"

Xu Xinyao didn't speak immediately, but lowered her eyes to ponder Xu Yuan's words.

After a long while, she looked up as if suddenly realizing something:

"Ah?"

Xu Yuan repeated what he had just said.

Xu Xinyao smiled, pursing her lips:

"Yes, that's right."

Xu Yuan then asked:

"When I attacked you earlier, it seemed like a shield was generated. Was it because of your clothes?"

Xu Xinyao shook her head, reached down to her collar, and pulled it down.

"."

Xu Yuan's gaze remained fixed, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Looking down along the girl's delicate collarbone, Xu Yuan saw a sky-blue, form-fitting soft armor.

Faint array patterns could be seen flowing on the soft armor. The array patterns were very intricate, with lines that were almost invisible to the naked eye. Only by Will Soul could one perceive the specific array patterns.

Xu Xinyao said softly:

"The fabric can't withstand the array patterns; it's this Sky Feather Armor."

"Do you have any offensive or defensive methods?" Xu Yuan then asked.

"Have."

Xu Xinyao made no attempt to hide anything from Xu Yuan, pulling up her sleeves to reveal a bracelet-like object on each of her fair wrists.

Without Xu Yuan asking, Xu Xinyao raised her hand towards the ground on her own.

"Clatter."

A surge of Source Qi followed by an almost inaudible sound, and then a needle the size of a millimeter pierced the earth about ten meters deep.

The moment Xu Yuan 'Will Soul sensed it, he went numb and glanced sideways at Ran Qingmo.

They exchanged a glance, Ran Qingmo said softly:

"It won't work for me."

Xu Xinyao said softly:

"Sister Qingmo's cultivation is profound; such toys are naturally useless to her."

As she spoke, Xu Xinyao pulled out two large items from her Sumeru Ring.

A crossbow and a stick about ten centimeters in diameter.

Xu Yuan looked somewhat puzzled.

Xu Xinyao didn't seem to be stopping. She handed the two items to Xu Yuan, indicating that he should take them first, as if she wanted to show Xu Yuan all her weapons.

Xu Yuan subconsciously took them and Will Soul to sense the two objects. He discovered that the stick was hollow and instinctively held it up to look inside.

At this moment, Xu Xinyao explained softly:

"This is the Soul Splitting Crossbow, which can attack the Will Soul. That stick can fire Source Crystal explosives."

"."

Xu Yuan silently put down the stick and looked up at his Fourth Sister, who was displaying weapons.

At this moment, Xu Xinyao had already taken out a somewhat strange-looking object from her Sumeru Ring.

It is rectangular in shape, one foot long, and as black as ink, like a Black Box. However, it has a handle at the bottom, but no trigger.

Xu Yuan's eyes twitched when he saw this thing.

The appearance of this thing reminded him of the Fourth Sister's "ultimate move" in Cangyuan.

In Cangyuan, whenever these Fourth Sister unleash their ultimate move, the 2.5D character will summon a dark, unsightly creature.

Xu Yuan was about to ask.

Xu Xinyao had already pointed the Black Box at the ground beside her.

"." Xu Yuan.

"Call out--"

A slight sound was heard, and Ran Qingmo unconsciously frowned slightly.

Xu Yuan couldn't see clearly because the Saint's Remnant Soul was still sealed, but he sensed a massive fluctuation of Source Qi spreading outwards.

And the next moment,

Xu Yuan clearly saw the power of the Fourth Sister's "ultimate move".

A hole about the size of a thumb appeared in the ground.

Its interior was pitch black, stretching downwards until Xu Yuan's own soul power reached its maximum extent without ever seeing the end.

A moment of silence,

Xu Yuan frowned and asked:

"Little Four, where did you get the Source Qi for this artifact?"

The previous bracelet was disposable, and the crossbow and stick were inlaid with concentrated Source Crystal, but this Black Box had no Source Qi.

Xu Xinyao smiled at Xu Yuan, her eyes crinkling, and waved her delicate hand in front of Xu Yuan.

A light blue ring on her index finger stood out.

"Isn't this the Sumeru Ring?"

Xu Xinyao shook her head, her voice gentle:

"It differs from ordinary Sumeru Ring in that it can directly extract the Source Qi from the Source Crystal within the Sumeru Ring."

"."

Xu Yuan's eyes widened. "You figured this out yourself?"

Xu Xinyao nodded. "Yes, but my father helped me a lot. Without his cultivation, this ring could not have been made at all."

"."

In that instant, Xu Yuan suddenly realized that his father's educational approach did indeed have significant problems.

This kind of formation innovation is already epoch-making. Instead of keeping such a talented researcher at home and letting her wander around, why not bring her back to study diligently?

"Science and technology are the primary productive forces"—hasn't this old man heard that saying?

After a few breaths of silence,

Xu Yuan looked at the Sumeru Ring on his Fourth Sister's slender fingers and suddenly coughed lightly:

"Ahem, Xin Yao, your Third Brother didn't hit you willingly before. Look at this ring and this Black Box."

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Xinyao handed the Black Box to Xu Yuan and then began to take out the ring.

"." Xu Yuan.

The other party's decisiveness left him completely bewildered; his earlier intention was to have a new set custom-made for him after returning to the Imperial Capital.

Xu Yuan, holding the other party's weapons, freed one hand to hold her hand as she took the ring:

"What I mean is, once we get back to the Imperial Capital, you can build me another set. You still need this one for survival."

Xu Xinyao hesitated slightly:

"I only need the Soul Splitting Crossbow. Third Brother, you always run into trouble, you need this more than I do."

Xu Yuan waved his hand and stuffed all three items back into Xu Xinyao's arms:

"Alright, if Xu Changge sees me carrying your things when we return to the Imperial Capital, he'll most likely think I stole them from you."

He paused for a moment,

Xu Yuan glanced at the bracelet on Xu Xinyao's wrist and whispered:

"This is a nice item, can I have one?"

"Also, think carefully about what I just said."

"Thousands of years ago, even in times of prosperity, many people still went hungry. Now, in the Great Yan Dynasty, if there are no natural disasters Demon Beast, most people can have two meals of rice a day as long as they work hard."

"If you want to save the people, it's the same everywhere."

"."

After a long silence, Xu Xinyao said very seriously:

"Xin Yao will think it over carefully."

"Oh"

Xu Yuan chuckled lightly, waved his hand, and walked towards the main house in the courtyard.

Night falls.

As a Colonel Wang of Shengshan County, the accommodations and food provided to the three of them were probably the best in Shengshan County at that time.

It was basically handled according to the pre-disaster standards.

Exquisite Demon Beast ingredients paired with fine wine.

Moreover, Colonel Wang was very good at interpersonal relationships, and even sent several pretty maids to serve Xu Yuan's daily needs these past few days.

However, it was clear at a glance that these girls had just bought the clothes and brought them over immediately, as many people had no choice but to sell their children or abandon them to survive during the disaster.

Xu Yuan refused.

When they were rejected, these pretty young girls cried and refused to leave.

Xu Yuan understood them.

Human life is probably the least valuable thing in Shengshan County right now.

They said a lot but didn't listen. After the last word, "Get lost," the girls obediently left.

Upon seeing this action, Xu Xinyao looked at Xu Yuan as if he were a monster.

In his memory, this Third Brother was basically obsessed with women, but after glancing at Ran Qingmo, who was silently staring at the girls beside him, he understood.

Xu Xinyao wanted to take in these poor people, but ultimately didn't say anything.

Xu Yuan was very satisfied with this.

He had initially thought his Fourth Sister would be overwhelmed with sympathy, but she actually managed to hold back.

Blind kindness is not kindness; they are just passersby, destined to leave. It would be better to leave them to Colonel Wang to arrange.

Xu Yuan enjoyed his dinner, as it was delicious. Xu Xinyao only listlessly ate a few mouthfuls of spirit rice, Ran Qingmo didn't eat, preoccupied with something.

After finishing dinner, Xu Yuan went back to his room to cultivate first, Xu Xinyao and Ran Qingmo whispered some words to each other.

The cultivation efficiency of the Nine Yuan Calming Technique is about two-thirds of that of regular cultivation, and without the Source Crystal bonus, meditation is still the most efficient method when you have the time and energy.

Because of the presence of flying Demon Beast, the fog in the sky has not yet dissipated, and tonight will be a moonless night.

Absorb the Source Qi escaping from the Source Crystal into the body, and guide it along the meridians for one cycle after another.

At 1:15 AM, in the dead of night, after another complete cycle of the Heavenly Cycle, with a "snap," Xu Yuan naturally broke through to the sixth-grade Iron Body, still without any bottlenecks.

Because of the different Cultivation Method, even after Xu Yuan entered the Iron Body, his body did not have the copper skin and iron bones that ordinary martial arts practitioners possess.

Looking down at his palm, Xu Yuan gently shook his head, put away the Source Crystal, tidied his long hair, and then rolled over and lay down on the bed.

As his cultivation level gradually increased, Xu Yuan could no longer achieve the feat of breaking through two realms in a month as he had before, but the feeling of becoming stronger was still good.

This time, his Source Qi reserves increased by more than half, and his senses became clearer. Without circulating his Cultivation Method, he could now hear whispers from about ten meters away.

With a focused mind and circulating his Cultivation Method, Xu Yuan could clearly hear the heartbeat of Xu Xinyao in her sleep in the next room, even through the door.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan activated his full power and continued to probe towards the room next to Xu Xinyao's.

He wanted to hear what the Big Ice Block was doing. She wasn't cultivating tonight; if she were, she would steal Source Qi in the vicinity.

After a few breaths,

No sound.

There was neither breathing nor heartbeat.

As expected, once you reach the fourth rank of Body Fusion, most people will learn to control their body's instincts, such as their heartbeat, in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Having thought this through, Xu Yuan gave up, sighed, dispersed his Cultivation Method, and slowly opened his eyes.

Then,

He saw a dark figure standing silently on his bed.

Yes, it's standing on the bed, not beside the bed.

The air condensed.

There was no moonlight, no Bright Pattern Lamp, only the faint light from the distant bonfires on the street.

The dark figure stood silently at his waist, its two long, slender legs spread apart, and a pair of clear, serene eyes staring down at him.

"."

Xu Yuan was frightened.

Late at night, I closed my eyes, opened them again, and there was someone else in my bed.

He instinctively wanted to break the seal on the Saint's Remnant Soul and call for help, but then he recognized the person on his body through those few breaths of eyes.

Xu Yuan let out a long breath, relaxed, and smiled:

"Ran Qingmo, are you making a scene?"

He said halfway through,

Xu Yuan's gaze gradually shifted downwards, landing on the Ink Sword in the other person's hand.

The Ink Sword had no luster, but judging from its general shape, it was probably not in its sheath.

His smile froze, and Xu Yuan stammered out the second half of his sentence:

"What... what are you doing?"

What does this mean?

He paused for a moment,

"Well, I think we can talk this out calmly. You go first."

Xu Yuan looked at her on top of him, his eyes widening. As he spoke, his mind raced, trying to figure out how he had offended this Big Ice Block. But his thoughts had barely begun to form when...

"Buzz-"

A short buzzing sound.

As the shadowy figure flickered, Xu Yuan felt a chill on his cheek and immediately muted his microphone.

Alright, there was no scabbard after all.

The Ink Sword was stuck right next to his head, piercing through the pillow, and a chilling aura instantly surged out.

immediately,

Xu Yuan then saw the woman standing at his waist slowly move. She bent down little by little, and the Ink Sword pierced through the entire pillow, and then the wooden bed, as she did so.

Time seemed to slow down incredibly slowly at that moment.

Xu Yuan raised his hand, but she grabbed it and pressed him down onto the bed.

I tried to struggle, but it was no use.

Ran Qingmo was far stronger than him, and even circulating his Cultivation Method was useless.

But gradually,

Xu Yuan realized something was wrong, because the strength in her hands was gradually increasing.

The moment she sat on his waist, Xu Yuan finally couldn't hold back any longer:

"Hiss Ran Qingmo, it's about to break, but be gentle!"

"."

Ran Qingmo snapped out of her reverie, her beautiful eyes blinking in the darkness. After a moment's thought, she loosened her grip slightly, but didn't let go.

With the pain gone, Xu Yuan stopped resisting. He inhaled the fragrance emanating from the woman on his body, while the cold aura emanating from the Ink Sword began to freeze around him.

After doing all that, she, sitting on his lap, suddenly fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.

For a moment, the two of them were frozen in place.

After meeting that serene gaze for a long while, Xu Yuan smiled:

Are you going to kill me, or sleep with me?

"."

After a moment's thought, the woman on top of him honestly shook her head:

"... No, that's not what you said."

"What did you say?"

"."

She didn't reply.

But the Ru Lan breath gently brushed against his cheek.

In silence,

She gently pressed her red lips to his cheek.

When she raised her head, Xu Yuan looked up at her and saw a mist he had never seen before in her deep eyes.

A moment of silence,

He seemed to know what he needed to do now.

"."

"."

One breath later,

"Buzz--"

A loud sword cry resounded throughout the room.

I'll be done with this dental work tomorrow.