The dining table fell into an eerie silence.
That morning, Li Mo had prepared steamed buns, but the last one was snatched by the ice block—Ying Bing—who then... mercilessly dunked it into a bowl of vinegar.
Squelch—squelch—
The bun let out a despairing, terrified whimper as its pristine, translucent skin instantly turned pitch black.
Qin Yuzhi hadn’t even processed it yet. "Huh, isn’t that enough, Little Ice? It’s practically soaked black in vinegar."
Squelch... squelch!
Jiang Chulong pressed her lips together, as if she could already imagine the overwhelming sourness of that bun. A shiver ran down her fair neck.
Everyone else tilted their heads at a 45-degree angle, staring blankly into space as if their souls had left their bodies—except for...
"Then let’s go now."
Xie Xuanteng sprang to his feet, eager to set off.
"What’s the rush? Brothels don’t open this early in the morning," Li Mo shot him an exasperated look before clearing his throat.
"As everyone knows, a righteous gentleman like me has no interest in such frivolous places. This is absolutely not for personal gain."
"It’s just that Xie Xuan’s words this morning enlightened me, so I’m merely returning the favor..."
"You seem quite familiar with brothel operating hours."
"!"
Li Mo whipped his head around.
There stood the ice block, her gaze dark and unreadable, as she placed the vinegar-drenched bun into her mouth—expressionless.
"!!"
Everyone’s scalps tingled, shoulders hunching involuntarily.
How could she eat something that sour without flinching?
Wasn’t this the same as killing without blinking?!
This time, even the Three Heroes of Hengyun and Xie Xuan—whose cunning rivaled that of Senior Brother Xiaobao—wisely kept their mouths shut, all eyes turning to Li Mo.
Wife-Provoking Soul, how will you handle this?
But then again, Li Mo was nothing if not a genius.
A flash of inspiration struck him!
"Actually, I plan to take the ice block with me."
Ying Bing: "?"
Everyone else: "Huh???"
Not just their tablemates, but even the nearby prodigies of the Hidden Dragon Ranking fell into stunned silence, their eyes glazed over in disbelief.
Seriously, bro? You’re taking the second-ranked beauty on the Hundred Flowers Ranking to a brothel?
The entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands regarded the Frost Fairy as an untouchable goddess, someone to be revered—yet here you are, dragging her to the red-light district and planning to throw money at other women right in front of her?
What kind of insane move is this?!
Who could possibly outlive you, Wife-Provoking Soul?!
"Wait, the House of Moonlit Pleasures doesn’t serve female patrons," Xie Xuan—ever the expert, having worked there—knew the rules inside out.
Li Mo took out a handkerchief and dabbed at Ying Bing’s crimson-stained lips.
"Simple. The ice block can just dress as a man."
With that, he turned to Ying Bing, gently taking her delicate hand—the one clutching the oversized doll—and murmured:
"We promised to explore the Imperial Capital together. Let’s start with the House of Moonlit Pleasures."
"..."
"Big sister, I want to see you in my clothes."
At this moment, Li Mo—who usually loved being called "gege"—deployed his ultimate move!
Ying Bing pressed her lips together. Lately, this childish fool seemed to have unlocked some hidden potential, calling her "big sister" at every turn.
And now, he’d added, "I want to see you in my clothes."
How was she supposed to counter that?
After a moment of silence, Ying Bing realized she couldn’t.
"...Fine."
"!!"
The moment the word left her lips, everyone present felt as if they’d been struck by lightning, thoroughly roasted.
Something even more unbelievable had happened—the Frost Fairy had agreed!
"Holy shit... is he actually a genius?"
Xie Xuan had initially been a bit skeptical of Li Mo.
But after witnessing this masterstroke, his head itched, as if something was about to sprout...
"As expected of him. I want to learn this too..."
Wu Chushu’s scalp went numb as he sucked in a sharp breath.
Bai Jinghong didn’t hold back his mockery: "Go ahead. I’ll root for you. The third on the Hundred Flowers Ranking is the Sect Master of Penglai Star Sect, the first is Her Majesty the Empress, and the fourth... is Hua Nongying. Which one are you planning to charm?"
"..."
How the hell was he supposed to pull that off? Did he want to start a rebellion, or did he think he could outplay the two greatest sirens of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands?
(Why two? Because the "sea" of Penglai Star Sect and the "sea" of the House of Moonlit Pleasures operated on entirely different wavelengths...)
Wu Chushu’s gaze toward Li Mo shifted to one of awed envy.
Meanwhile, Li Mo led Ying Bing back to his room and rummaged through his wardrobe, eventually selecting an opulent brocade robe—one he’d worn when he first arrived at the Qingyuan Sect, back when he was still a frail young master.
"I think I’ve outgrown this now."
Li Mo held the luxurious garment against himself.
"This one, then." Ying Bing took the robe, a faint softness flickering in her eyes.
So much time had passed. What had once been too small for him now seemed like it might fit her perfectly.
Some time later...
While Li Mo flipped through the "Muscle-Tendon Change Classic," sunlight poured into the room—third-ranked on the Hidden Dragon list—gilding every elegant furnishing in gold, filling the space with radiance.
Ying Bing stepped through the shimmering light, emerging from behind the screen. The robe was slightly oversized on her, but that worked in her favor, downplaying her... generous proportions.
Her jade-like face, crowned with a silver hairpiece, and her serene phoenix eyes exuded both nobility and grace.
Of course, that alone wouldn’t fool the seasoned merchants of the pleasure quarters.
The real key was the Formless Glazed Veil, which truly rendered Ying Bing indistinguishable from a man.
"Well?"
Ying Bing smoothed out the robe’s wrinkles, breathing in its familiar scent.
"Incredible, Ice Block."
Li Mo’s copy of the "Muscle-Tendon Change Classic" slipped from his fingers and hit the floor with a thud, but he was too stunned to even close his gaping mouth, let alone pick up the book.
He’d worried Ying Bing might be uncomfortable in men’s clothing.
What he didn’t know was that in her past life, Ying Bing had weathered many storms. Her peerless beauty had often invited unnecessary trouble, so she’d occasionally disguised herself as a man for convenience.
"Really?"
Ying Bing’s face suddenly drew closer.
"!"
Li Mo realized she had one hand braced against the wall behind him.
Wait, was this...?
He was being pinned—no, wall-slammed—by the ice block! And she was so close he could catch the faint fragrance of her lips when she spoke... but the moment passed in a flash.
Ying Bing shot him a quiet glare before draping the Formless Glazed Veil over herself.
"Let’s go."
Lately, he’d been overusing his ultimate moves.
So the wicked ice block had... launched a sneak attack!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
