31: Bound to dual cultivation partners

"Brother's yurt is really comfortable." Shu Chang sat down by the stove.

"If you like it, I'll give it to you. You sleep here, and I'll go sleep in your yurt," Li Xiuwu said with a smile. He had paid for this yurt himself.

The yurt was thick and sturdy, with felt rugs covering the ground. He had even prepared a fireplace, so naturally, it was comfortable.

Shu Chang rolled her eyes at him.

"Even if you were willing, the ladies from the makeup team wouldn't be."

Shu Chang didn't have a single-occupancy yurt; there were several other female staff members in hers.

"That's not necessarily true. Your brother here is dashing and handsome; who knows how many people are drooling over me."

"Narcissist." Shu Chang covered her mouth and giggled.

After crying in front of Li Xiuwu once, she had opened up a lot, revealing the temperament of a young girl.

"Are you still reviewing tonight?" Li Xiuwu asked her.

"No need." She shook her head, holding her milk tea, sitting by the stove and staring at the steaming flames.

"Brother, why do you think people feel relaxed and comfortable when they look at fire?" Shu Chang asked him suddenly.

Li Xiuwu paused for a moment, thought carefully for a while, and said, "It should be genes left over from ancient times."

Shu Chang tilted her head to look at Li Xiuwu, waiting for a more detailed answer.

"Ancient humans didn't have houses at first. After they learned to use fire, they discovered that other animals were afraid of flames, so they would light bonfires where they slept."

Bonfires could dispel darkness, dispel cold, and roast food. This process might have lasted for tens of thousands of years.

In human genes, a dependence on flames was formed.

Shu Chang nodded, feeling that what Li Xiuwu said made sense.

The two of them leaned against each other, chatting. Although Shu Chang was introverted and quiet, she was ultimately a young girl. Once she let down her psychological defenses, she had endless things to say.

Until very late, she leaned against Li Xiuwu and fell asleep.

Li Xiuwu carefully placed her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and he made a floor bed on the other side of the yurt.

Early in the morning, Shu Chang woke up and found herself in a strange environment. Her heart skipped a beat, and she sat up abruptly.

Upon discovering Li Xiuwu sleeping on the floor opposite, she suddenly calmed down.

It was a bit cold in the morning, and the wood in the fireplace had burned out, leaving no open flames.

She lifted the quilt and went to the fireplace to add firewood.

Before long, the flames ignited. She sat there, her gaze slowly shifting to Li Xiuwu, who was still asleep.

"Brother." Her eyes were dazed as she murmured subconsciously. Feeling a softness in her heart, she sensed a kind of intimacy.

[Detected top-tier cauldron Shu Chang, affinity has reached 80. Bind as Dual Cultivation Dao Companion?]

Li Xiuwu, who was still sleeping, was suddenly awakened. He opened his eyes.

After reading the system notification, his gaze locked onto Shu Chang.

He watched for a while, hesitating, not knowing what would happen after binding.

She was the first female whose affinity had reached 80, and Li Xiuwu didn't want to give it up.

"Bind."

[Dual Cultivation Dao Companion Shu Chang bound successfully. Dao Companion Aura activated.]

[Dao Companion Aura: Increases comprehension, improves cultivation effects. The closer the distance, the better the dual cultivation effect. Physical contact can help both parties improve their cultivation to the greatest extent.]

Feeling a lightness in his mind, as if his comprehension had improved a bit, and apart from that, nothing else happened. He felt much more relieved and lifted the quilt.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Xiuwu waved his hand in front of Shu Chang.

"Ah." Shu Chang was startled awake, her face flushing slightly.

"It's nothing." She regained her composure and looked up at Li Xiuwu.

Li Xiuwu checked the time: "It's time for breakfast. We still have to film later."

The crew members got up even earlier than the artists; they had already gone ahead to set up the shooting location.

Beside director Wang Xinming, several staff members who lived with Shu Chang mentioned that she hadn't returned last night.

Wang Xinming frowned, feeling a bit worried.

Not long after, he saw Li Xiuwu and Shu Chang walking over together.

"Go and get your makeup done quickly; we have a lot of scenes to shoot today," Wang Xinming said to the two of them.

"Okay." Both nodded.

"Li Xiuwu, wait a moment. I want to talk to you about today's scenes," Wang Xinming called out to Li Xiuwu.

Shu Chang didn't suspect anything and went to the makeup artist's yurt.

"What are you trying to do? How old is she?" Wang Xinming's expression wasn't good as he questioned Li Xiuwu.

"Director, I think you've misunderstood." Li Xiuwu roughly understood the director's thoughts.

Wang Xinming didn't want to hear his explanation and warned him directly: "No matter what thoughts you have, you are not allowed to mess around in my crew."

If the two were of an appropriate age, he wouldn't have any objections, but now it wouldn't do.

"Don't worry, Director. I won't cause you any trouble," Li Xiuwu nodded solemnly.

"Here is your down jacket." Wang Xinming returned the down jacket from last night to him. He felt a bit irritable; there were too many things going on with the crew.

There were constant problems with the filming on the snowy mountain. Yesterday, Wang Xinming even fell into a snow pit.

Li Xiuwu had his long hair loose, was wearing monk robes, and had his down jacket draped over them.

Filming began quickly.

[Detected cultivation of illusion arts with Dual Cultivation Dao Companion, Charm Aura activated.]

As the two stood together, Wang Xinming's eyes lit up behind the monitor.

"The effect is amazing." The two seemed like a man and woman who were meant to live in ancient times.

"Cut," Wang Xinming shouted. He was very satisfied with this shot.

"OK, very good."

Hearing the director call out that it was good, the whole crew immediately got moving, and assistants handed down jackets to the two.

"I feel like the state was really good just now," Shu Chang stood beside Li Xiuwu, her hands placed by her mouth, blowing warm air.

It was too cold, her hands were frozen red.

"Put your hands in my pocket." Li Xiuwu grabbed Shu Chang's hands.

Shu Chang stood in front of Li Xiuwu, her hands reaching into his down jacket pockets.

Wang Xinming finished watching the playback on the monitor and started having the crew set up for the next shot.

He noticed Li Xiuwu and Shu Chang standing together and frowned subconsciously.

"A handsome man and a beautiful woman, this is quite good," Liu Xiao Ling Tong stood beside the director.

"They are still too young," Wang Xinming said.

"Only when young should one leave behind some beautiful memories."

Throughout the day, the two's filming went very smoothly. Wang Xinming even wondered if they were really in a relationship.

For the sake of the crew's progress, he didn't dare to interfere.

In the evening, Shu Chang brought her textbooks and came to Li Xiuwu's yurt.

[Detected Host guiding Dual Cultivation Dao Companion in cultivation, Comprehension Aura boosted.]

Shu Chang seemed to have divine help. Under Li Xiuwu's guidance, she quickly understood the content in the textbooks.

She felt as if she had suddenly become enlightened and was studying happily. Perhaps what she had promised her mother could be better realized.

"Learning makes me happy." It wasn't until ten o'clock that she realized the passage of time.

"Just sleep here, it's too cold outside." Shu Chang, who was about to return to her own yurt, was kept behind by Li Xiuwu.

"Mm." Shu Chang nodded.

"I'll sleep on the floor bed."

"Be good." Li Xiuwu touched her head.

Many crew members thought they were dating, not only living in one yurt but also becoming incredibly tacit in their acting.

Well, it's a film crew; everyone didn't care too much.

Li Xiuwu hung a curtain in the middle of his yurt.