Little Ice Cube: "Brother," Li Mo is a Bad Kid

"Is it possible to take Little Ice Cube and escape, sparing her from everything that will happen tonight at the Ying Family Manor?"

Li Mo held her cold, soft little hand while rummaging through his pockets for stolen snacks, his mind racing.

He turned and asked,

"Sister Bing, do you want to go out and see the world?"

"Go out?"

"Yeah, it’s New Year’s—Qinghe County is bustling with excitement."

"..."

Little Ice Cube stayed silent, so Li Mo took it as agreement.

No time to waste.

With that, he led her by the hand toward the manor gates.

The breeze from the distant Qing River drifted lazily.

The girl’s delicate fragrance, like orchids in a secluded valley, wafted over with the wind, occasionally accompanied by strands of her hair lightly brushing against his neck, tickling him.

She had rushed out in such a hurry that she hadn’t tied up her hair.

"Woof~!"

At the gate, a little yellow dog stood up and growled at the two youngsters, though its attempt at intimidation fell flat.

The two white spots above its brows made it look less fierce and more adorably silly.

"?"

Ying Bing frowned slightly, her gaze locking onto the dog, whose growl instantly turned into a whimper.

"Be good, don’t go snitching on us."

Li Mo solemnly tossed it a piece of jerky, and the dog, now thoroughly subdued, wagged its tail.

For some reason, he suddenly felt like a thief.

Wait—why did he think "again"?

Sneaking out in broad daylight with a sheltered little girl—if they got caught... he’d definitely be hung up and beaten when he got home.

This is a dream, this is a dream...

"Have you never been outside before?"

Li Mo didn’t know much about Little Ice Cube’s life before she came to his family.

"I went out once, to see a doctor. I woke up in the clinic."

Little Ying Bing let herself be led forward, her eyes brightening slightly as she took in the scenery beyond the manor walls—equal parts curious and timid.

A hint of the lively, radiant spirit befitting her age seemed to flicker back into her.

Amused, Li Mo deliberately let go of her hand and quickened his pace.

Little Ice Cube would purse her lips in displeasure, trot a few steps to catch up, and silently extend her hand, waiting for him to take it again.

She looked like a winter sprite heralding spring.

"Tiny but adorable..."

Li Mo murmured.

Ying Bing’s small hand hovered mid-air, fingers curling slightly. "What did you say?"

Li Mo put on a serious face:

"I said, since I’m the first friend to take you out to play, shouldn’t you call me ‘big brother’?"

"But you’re younger than me."

Little Ying Bing tilted her head, eyeing him in confusion.

"That’s what happens when you stay cooped up—you miss out on common knowledge."

Li Mo declared confidently:

"Among good friends, it’s a Qinghe County tradition for girls to call boys ‘big brother.’ Look, Uncle Ying is younger than Auntie, but sometimes even she calls him ‘big brother.’"

"?"

Little Ying Bing’s gaze drifted, as if searching her memory, her expression blank.

It was true—Mother did occasionally call Father ‘big brother’...

But was it the same?

Studying Li Mo’s earnest, slightly chubby face, Little Ice Cube lowered her eyes, the frost in them quivering.

"Big... big brother."

"!"

Even though he’d been the one to coax her, the moment those two crisp syllables reached his ears, Li Mo felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body tingling.

The Phoenix Heaven Empress, the future protagonist of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands!

Normally, she’d just call him "brat"!

Of course, this was the baby version of Ice Cube—not the aloof, ethereal Frost Immortal she’d become.

But that was exactly why!

The gap moe hit its peak in this moment, enough to drain anyone’s HP instantly.

Not even Ultraman could withstand this.

"Happy now?"

"Mhm... Of course! Let’s go—whatever you want to eat today, I’ll buy it. Have you ever tried candied hawthorns or donkey rolls?"

Li Mo’s scalp prickled.

Muttering to himself, he led her onward.

But as they walked, he noticed her small hand tightening in his grip. When he glanced at her face, he saw traces of pain, her fair forehead beaded with sweat.

With every step outward, her suffering deepened.

It hurt so much her vision blurred, as if she’d lost all awareness of the outside world.

Li Mo froze.

Only then did he truly take in their surroundings.

Emptiness.

The Qing River still flowed in the distance, and the New Year’s market below bustled with noise—yet between these scenes and the Ying Family Manor stretched vast blankness, invisible from a bird’s-eye view.

Like a pencil sketch erased in patches, leaving hollow gaps.

The Ying Family Manor’s mountain stood as an island amidst the void.

"Little Ice Cube was unconscious when she went out to see the doctor..."

"People can’t dream of things they’ve never seen."

"So everything beyond the Ying Family Manor—places she’s never been—are unreachable in her dream?"

Li Mo understood.

To put it in gaming terms, the distant market and Qing River were just "textures."

Only the Ying Family Manor was interactive. Right now, he was leading Little Ice Cube straight into an "invisible wall"!

Seeing her grow paler by the second, Li Mo didn’t dare press forward. He quickly guided her back.

"If we can’t leave, we can’t escape before the ‘New Year’s Beast’ arrives."

"What now? Fight it head-on?"

The "Little Tyrant of the Divine Hammer," Li Mo, ranked fourth among the Hidden Dragons, could hold his own against mid-to-late sixth-tier opponents.

But this was Ice Cube’s dream.

Here, he was just a kid. Forget a calamity beast—even the little yellow dog’s mother could chase him down the street.

Their only hope was to wake the dream’s "owner."

In one’s own dream, they were invincible...

"Time’s running out."

The sky leaned toward dusk as Li Mo turned to Little Ice Cube.

"Weren’t we going to the market?"

Little Ying Bing had no memory of what just happened.

Her mind still lingered on the moment she’d called Li Mo "big brother," expecting him to take her out to play.

Li Mo led her back inside:

"It’s getting late. If Uncle Ying and Auntie can’t find us at dinner, they’ll worry."

"?"

Little Ying Bing pulled her hand free, her expression cool and serious, faintly echoing the aura of the grown Ice Cube:

"Li Mo."

"Yeah?"

"You lied. You’re a bad kid."

"..."

Sure, he’d tricked her into calling him "big brother," but no one wanted to take her away from here more than he did!

Yet it was impossible—and now Little Ice Cube didn’t even remember what happened. How was that fair?

Now she was angry, refusing to let him hold her hand.

"Wait—we might not get to go out today, but I can draw it for you! Pick where you want to visit, and next time we’ll head straight there."

"You... can draw?"

"Heh, ‘can’ is an understatement. Fetch me ink and brush!"

Li Mo’s eyes gleamed—mention of drawing had sparked an idea.

After all, dreams couldn’t conjure things one had never seen.

So his drawings would be entirely new to Little Ice Cube, wouldn’t they?

At that time, he would paint the Qingyuan Sect, paint the Autumn Water Pavilion, and even paint the grown-up ice block—Ying Bing!

Seeing those unfamiliar yet familiar scenes might stir something within her, awakening her self-awareness?!

What a perfect two-for-one solution!

As expected of you, the brilliant little Li Mo!