Just Do What You Love

"Throughout my life, Li Mo has always acted with unwavering integrity... Here I come."

Young Li was already in a daze—not only did his hammer seem to have a mind of its own, but so did his brain.

Yet the moment he stepped behind the folding screen, he saw the "ice block" already dressed in her nightgown, her dark hair adorned with delicate frost blossoms. With a gentle shake, they scattered like glimmering stardust. She sat cross-legged on a low stool, her snow-white legs folded, her eyes narrowed into crescents that sparkled with quiet amusement.

"??"

Li Mo instinctively leaned back.

"You’re done bathing?"

"Of course. I called you after I finished."

Ying Bing tilted her head slightly, feigning innocence.

"You’ve turned devious, Ice Block," Li Mo muttered, clicking his tongue.

"Not at all. I’m a very serious person—everyone says so."

She narrowed her eyes further, trying to look stern.

"Then why didn’t you call me after you got out?"

Ying Bing lowered her gaze, looking elsewhere. "The water was getting cold, and you don’t like changing it..."

"..."

Li Mo found himself at a loss for words.

Bathwater infused with Ice Block’s essence could last others three years if diluted.

Could he just pour it all down the drain? He couldn’t bring himself to do it. So, he had no choice but to trust her.

"My massage skills have improved recently, Ice Block. Just wait a moment." Li Mo tossed his shirt aside in one swift motion.

Ying Bing, who had already retreated to sit at the edge of the bed, quietly glanced down at her fair, delicate toes, unconsciously curling them slightly.

"Wait... something’s off."

Li Mo noticed the clothes she had changed out of beside him—strangely reminiscent of Southern Border aesthetics...

But then it hit him.

When Ice Block had gone to bathe earlier, she hadn’t brought her oversized doll or a change of undergarments...

So what was she wearing under that nightgown now?!

Li Mo sucked in a sharp breath, nearly inhaling a lungful of Ice Block-scented bathwater.

"Martial insights—pour them in!"

As it turned out, his talent for finger techniques wasn’t bad either. With forty years of martial insights invested, his Flower-Picking Finger technique reached the pinnacle of mastery!

This became one of the few martial arts—aside from his hammer techniques—that Li Mo had perfected to such a level...

Once dressed, Li Mo stepped out.

Ying Bing sat primly on the soft couch in her pearl-white, lotus-silk nightgown, her legs pressed together as she gazed absently at the moonlight outside, lost in thought.

Hearing his footsteps, she turned her head.

Li Mo wore a solemn expression. "Ice Block, my martial arts have advanced again."

"What did you improve?"

"A supreme finger technique—perfected to its peak!"

It was rare to encounter someone skilled in finger techniques, let alone one who had mastered them to such a degree.

Finger techniques were notoriously difficult to train, less practical than fists or palms, and if one sought lethality, weapons were superior...

"You don’t seem convinced. Here, stretch out your foot—let’s spar a little, just a light exchange."

"?"

Ying Bing clutched the hem of her gown, sensing that his idea of "sparring" might not be entirely martial in nature.

Still, she placed her slightly curled foot onto his lap.

"Prepare yourself!"

Li Mo seized her petite foot in one swift motion!

Ying Bing continued staring out the window, but gradually, the moonlight in her eyes shifted—from the clear brilliance of the sky to the rippling reflection in a well. Her grip on the oversized doll tightened.

She took a deep breath. Just as Li Mo was about to intensify his efforts, she murmured softly:

"When did you learn this?"

"Recently," Li Mo replied without looking up.

Ying Bing pressed her lips together, thinking his talent in this area was unexpectedly impressive. Quietly, she remarked:

"But weren’t you focusing on sword practice lately?"

"!"

Li Mo’s fingers froze mid-motion. After a pause, he answered:

"I hit a bottleneck. Progress has been slow..."

His comprehension of sword intent had been stagnant recently.

"Wasn’t it going well before?"

"Yes, the Sword of Chivalry came easily, but the Sword of Governance is proving much harder."

Li Mo rubbed his temples in frustration.

The Sword of Governance encompassed the scholar’s blade and the general’s blade.

At this rate, he’d never reach the Imperial Sword that lay beyond. Not that he was particularly interested in either, to be honest.

"Why did you start learning the sword in the first place?"

Ying Bing wiggled her toes curiously.

Li Mo pondered, his hands still occupied with her soft, fragrant skin. "Hobby, I guess? Swordplay looks cool—graceful, free-spirited, the thrill of the jianghu, standing up for justice, showing off a little..."

"Then just do what you love."

"..."

Li Mo paused, lifting his gaze to meet hers. Under the moonlight, her face was half-lit, her expression gentle yet inscrutable.

"If it’s a hobby, it doesn’t matter how good you are. As long as it makes you happy."

"Right!"

Li Mo’s eyes brightened with sudden realization.

Ying Bing’s lips curved faintly—until he added:

"Actually, finger techniques are my hobby too. Even more fun than swordplay."

"?"

Slowly, Ying Bing’s tense body relaxed.

This might have been the first time she’d lost a "sparring" session with Li Mo, but she had to admit...

A perfected finger technique was truly formidable...

As her body eased, so did her heart.

She didn’t want Li Mo to force himself into things he disliked—whether it was sword training or venturing to the Sky Phoenix Domain.

The burden of the Sky Phoenix Domain was too heavy for someone who’d already lived through so much.

Let him stay a carefree fool forever...

"Alright."

Reluctantly, Li Mo released her foot and yawned.

Only to find the Celestial Phoenix Empress already curled up on the couch, her breathing even, her sleeping face serene and peaceful.

Ice Block really didn’t treat Li Mo as an outsider at all!

"When did she fall asleep?"

Muttering to himself, he scooped up her soft, fragrant form. The moment he lifted her, a sudden realization struck—the tactile feedback confirmed...

No Southern Border customs beneath.

She really wasn’t wearing...

Oh no.

Li Mo swiftly and silently deposited her onto the bed, clapping a hand over his nose. Just as he turned to leave, a slender hand unconsciously grasped the hem of his robe, tugging him back.

Now afflicted with a "bleeding debuff," spending the night here would be unbearable.

So, he retreated into his World Seed.

"Who lives in a pineapple under the sea~"

After an episode of SpongeBob, Li Mo’s condition stabilized somewhat. He sighed:

"Doing what you love comes at a cost—sometimes even bloodshed..."

"But Li Mo, with your unyielding spirit, how could you give up so easily?"

He’d finally figured it out.

Since the Imperial Sword and Sword of Governance were beyond him...

Why not focus entirely on the Sword of Chivalry and master it to perfection?

Li Mo was certain this was what Ice Block had meant.

He was nothing short of a genius.

...