Fortunately, No Lives Were Lost

"Ah, what could I possibly teach him? It's all the boy's own hard work."

"When he was little and frail, we just wanted to send him to the Qingyuan Sect to toughen him up. Who’d have thought? Accidentally ended up raising a Hidden Dragon—way more impressive than his old man."

Surrounded by fawning relatives, Li Dalong feigned modesty while basking in the glory, waving his hands dismissively, though the wrinkles on his face bloomed like flowers.

Truth be told, Comrade Dalong was a tad nervous.

After all, he hadn’t even known his son and Little Bing'er had made the Hidden Dragon Ranking until the county magistrate himself rushed over the next morning to personally hold his horse’s reins. Only then did he find out.

Damn impressive.

Just as Old Li was puffing up with pride, the room suddenly fell silent, and he felt a sharp twist at his waist.

He looked up:

"Well, well, look who’s back—our prodigal son!"

"The pride and joy of the Li family has returned! Quick, take a seat!"

"After accomplishing such great deeds in the Southern Border, His Majesty is sure to reward you handsomely, right? How much silver will that be?"

"You’d deserve nothing less than a lordship!"

The family showered him with praise, their laughter warm and effusive. It felt both familiar and strange—like last year’s gathering, when he was still sickly and weak, and his uncles and aunts had lavished him with compliments. Only the content had changed.

Even though Young Li had since become the "Little Tyrant" and seen his fair share of grand spectacles, the relentless praise from relatives still made him want to dig his toes into the ground.

Li Mo and Ying Bing took their seats—one beside Li Dalong, the other next to Gu Xueqin.

With so many eyes on them, the two behaved more formally, reverting to their old dynamic from before the Qingyuan Sect: neither too close nor too distant, neither warm nor cold.

Li Mo leaned in and whispered, "Dad, it’s not even New Year’s yet. Why are Aunt, Uncles, and the others all here?"

"Here to sound things out," Li Dalong muttered under his breath, his expression unreadable.

Li Mo was baffled. Sound what out?

"You don’t even know your own epithet on the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"

"The Divine Hammer... Little Prosperous Wife Battle Soul?"

"Then why ask?" Li Dalong raised his cup and clinked glasses with Great-Uncle.

"......"

Li Mo’s fists clenched so tight they creaked.

Who said the Qingyuan Sect’s Best Leading Man had no rivals? Huh?

Yantian Sect! Just you wait. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west.

As he and Ying Bing settled into their seats, the atmosphere grew even livelier. But since Ying Bing had always been an ice block—aloof and untouchable—no one dared poke at her.

All the attention was directed squarely at Young Li.

Auntie, noticing how properly the two were sitting, recalled their past quarrels and couldn’t spot any hints of closeness. Smiling slyly, she asked:

"Little Mo, you’re already this age—still not betrothed?"

In the Great Yu Dynasty, sixteen was a common age for marriage.

Creak—

Huh?

Auntie glanced around in confusion. What was that ear-splitting sound?

"My parents married for love, so I believe in free courtship. No arranged matches for me."

Li Mo sat ramrod straight, his expression solemn.

Second Uncle Li Xiaolong cleared his throat and chimed in:

"Free courtship’s a fine thing! If you ever change your mind, just let your Second Uncle know. A few of my colleagues have lovely daughters—perfect for taking as concubines. Presentable enough for polite company."

CREAK!

"...I’m not even married yet. What’s this talk of concubines?"

Li Mo’s eyes flashed as he waved his hands dismissively.

Great-Uncle, sharp as ever, squinted at the two’s training robes:

"Let’s not meddle in the youngsters’ affairs. These two—Little Mo and Little Bing'er—are clearly focused on martial arts. They’re aiming for the top of the Hidden Dragon Ranking! What use do they have for our matchmaking?"

Li Mo nodded emphatically. Great-Uncle was absolutely right.

He, Li Mo, was devoted to the martial path.

Tonight, he even planned to seek out the ice block for an all-night discussion on how to counter the Golden Crow Projection. His dedication spoke for itself.

But then, Great-Uncle took another sip of wine, stroked his beard, and added:

"Then again..."

"You two made the Hidden Dragon Ranking together. That’s auspicious! Working in harmony, advancing side by side—now that’d make for a fine tale."

"......"

Li Mo’s eyelid twitched.

Damn. Forgot to change clothes before coming back.

"Hey, now that you mention it, those outfits do look rather matching," Li Dalong said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Training robes. The sect had these made for Ying Bing and me."

"If they’re standard issue, why are they black and white? And why the different designs?"

Faced with this piercing question, Young Li faltered.

"I’ll retire for the night."

Ying Bing shot Li Mo a glance, stood, and left for her room.

"Son, what exactly happened in the Southern Border?"

Gu Xueqin steered the conversation elsewhere. She’d been worried sick, and seeing her son return unharmed filled her with relief.

Li Mo exhaled and recounted some of his Southern Border experiences—omitting the classified bits.

After a few more rounds of drinks, he excused himself and rose from the table.

He instinctively headed toward the side chamber before correcting course and veering toward his own bedroom.

With the ice block home, they couldn’t share quarters.

For now, they’d have to "part ways."

The relatives watched as the two retreated to separate rooms, exchanging glances. It was hard to imagine these two as a pair.

Mainly because Ying Bing, while stunningly beautiful, was frost incarnate. When she’d first been brought home as a child, they’d thought her mute.

But when those piercing eyes fixed on you, it felt like the Lady of Forgetfulness had watered down her soup before serving it.

"Weren’t these two sworn enemies?" Auntie mused.

Great-Uncle watched Li Mo disappear into his room and raised an eyebrow:

"Heh. What’s wrong with enemies? You lot should quit meddling in the youngsters’ business."

With Little Bing'er’s temperament, if she didn’t favor someone, would she let them near?

If they couldn’t even exchange words, how could they be enemies?

What mattered was that word—only.

Auntie, Second Uncle, and the rest still didn’t see anything between the two, but since Great-Uncle had spoken, they nodded along.

Second Uncle, for instance, had only brought it up because his superior kept hinting at it.

One by one, the relatives took their leave, and the hall quieted.

Li Dalong watched the youngsters head to separate rooms and sucked his teeth, finally relaxing.

He and Gu Xueqin had been worried.

Ying Bing might’ve seemed as cold as ever, but there was an intangible difference—something the others couldn’t detect. But the couple had raised her. They shared an unspoken intuition.

This time, the feeling was stronger.

Thankfully, they weren’t sharing a room yet.

If they weren’t even married, what if an "accident" happened...

Old Li and his wife exchanged glances. Though relieved, they couldn’t shake a vague sense of emptiness.

"Wife, fetch me the dictionary and reading glasses."

"What for?"

"Gotta pick a good name in advance. For when the time comes..."

"Oh, give it a rest."

Gu Xueqin rolled her eyes.

Li Mo is alright, just a bit mischievous. When the tutor sent him home, he remarked that the boy was clever indeed, but simply beyond his ability to discipline.

Li Dalong?

Now here’s a fellow who, after eight repetitions by the tutor, still managed to recite "a man must uphold his principles" as "a man must bed everyone."

Oh, and incidentally, father and son share the same tutor.

.......

pS: Making up for yesterday’s late-night update.