The cicadas tonight seem particularly noisy.
It’s midsummer, the perfect time for ice-cold treats, and Li Mo had been soaking in the hot springs for a while. As everyone knows, you shouldn’t stay in a hot spring for too long—even though you’re submerged in water, your mouth can still get parched from the heat.
Li Mo had never tasted anything so delicious in both his lifetimes.
So the old saying about things reversing at their extremes holds true. Just as poisonous plants often have their antidotes growing nearby.
The ice block wasn’t a good cook, but the most delicious thing had always been hidden on her person.
The "Wife-Blessing Sword Hero’s" idea of the tastiest thing changed twice in one night.
"Ha..."
A delicate hand rested on his head—perhaps initially meant to push him away, but it lacked the strength to do so.
Li Mo, his vision obscured, lifted his head and saw Ying Bing’s dazed eyes, as if her usual sharpness, serenity, and coolness had all been sucked away by some whirlpool along with her soul. Though no seal had been planted on her neck, the blush spreading across her skin was breathtaking.
Perhaps the ice block had finally figured out why she had fainted—what exactly had happened during those two hours.
He had never seen the Phoenix Heaven Empress look so foolish before.
Li Mo thought boldly to himself: The ice block could dominate him countless times, but if she lost just once...
"It seems the sealing was a success."
Li Mo suppressed a smirk and cleared his throat. "We accomplished the seal, and I got to enjoy something delicious. That’s what you call killing two birds with one stone."
"Huh? Mm..."
Ying Bing had already been soft before, but now she seemed boneless, barely able to stand without leaning against Li Mo.
Her mind was still trembling, her thoughts far from recovered.
"Hey, is that the fruit that fell into the hot spring earlier? I haven’t had any yet..."
Li Mo averted his gaze.
He didn’t consider this acting on wicked impulses—this was simply sharing the spoils equally.
The most important virtue of a gentleman is fairness! Fairness, damn it, fairness!
"W-Wait a second."
Ying Bing pinched his nose, trying to intimidate him with her usual icy glare. But her eyes only shimmered like autumn water, devoid of any chill, making it all the easier to lose reason.
"What’s wrong?"
"That’s not fruit..."
The soul-deprived ice block hadn’t fully processed things yet. Even a fool wouldn’t mistake something for fruit, and only when she accidentally spotted actual fruit floating in the water did she realize.
Seeing that Ying Bing had caught on, Li Mo might have normally played it off as a simple mistake.
But right now, he had two heads and only one brain—rational thought was beyond him.
Yet the moment he leaned in, his lips met the back of Ying Bing’s delicate hand.
Ying Bing struggled to keep her voice steady as she spoke to her childish companion:
"Slow down... Don’t act like Zhu Bajie."
Li Mo paused, surprised that the ice block even knew who Zhu Bajie was. Had he mentioned him in one of his stories before?
Sure, he’d been humming the tune of "Zhu Bajie Carrying His Bride" lately, but he couldn’t possibly eat like Bajie too—that would ruin the taste entirely.
This time, Li Mo was certain.
Ginseng fruit.
It couldn’t possibly compare to the moon’s flavor—no wonder people made mooncakes in its shape.
Though Ying Bing had agreed, her mind was also bubbling with pink fantasies. Hadn’t she already been punished once for failing? Why was she being punished again?
Even the system had notified her that the penalty was complete...
Holding his head in her arms, she couldn’t help but clutch the hair at the back of his scalp, her long legs curling inward.
Some time later—Li Mo couldn’t tell how long, but he was thoroughly intoxicated—he suddenly froze when Ying Bing spoke:
"Li Mo..."
"Huh? Oh, that’s Hammer Buddy. It’s in a bit of a mood right now."
"But didn’t Hammer Buddy break? And since when could it use the Heaven-Earth Manifestation?"
"...I didn’t use it."
Li Mo coughed lightly, his gaze clearing somewhat.
Even the most iron-willed, upright gentleman had to behave when someone had leverage over him.
Ying Bing’s fingers curled nervously whenever she tensed up.
Leaving the tragic remains of the fruit floating in the hot spring, Ying Bing changed her clothes and hurried out of the Mistflower Eternal Spring, not daring to look back at the fool.
Even her own reflection in the water had startled her—she couldn’t bring herself to meet her own gaze.
Wrapped in a blanket on her bed, she unrolled the imperial decree, a trace of fear flickering in her eyes.
Suddenly, the thick, wrist-sized scroll seemed delicate and petite...
She had escaped today.
But what about during the wedding?
The date was already set...
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the penalty. That was close—almost lost a few more entries.]
[Rewards are being distributed.]
[Reward One: Netherfrost Crystal...]
The rewards were all extraordinary treasures, but Ying Bing’s beautiful eyes were clouded with confusion.
Did her strength even matter in this battle anymore?
Meanwhile.
In the room downstairs, Li Mo lay on his bed, curled up and unable to sleep despite the late hour—his mind was unusually alert.
He even felt like tearing a wheel off something and rolling it around for fun. Everyone had played with hoop-rolling as kids, right?
Li Mo knew he needed to calm down.
Washing his underwear early in the morning every day—what kind of life was this?
"Calm as ice, unshaken even if the sky collapses..."
"Wait, ice?"
Reciting a meditation technique he’d acquired from an investment, Li Mo found it utterly ineffective—his mind was flooded with images of Ying Bing in every possible state.
Especially today’s scene, which was crystal clear.
"Hammer Buddy, Hammer Buddy, how could you fall so low?"
Li Mo lamented his hammer’s disgrace.
This time, Hammer Buddy didn’t stir in the pocket dimension or express dissatisfaction.
Pausing, Li Mo searched his system space and pulled out the dim, crack-covered hammer. Sensing its master’s presence, the Indomitable Starbreaker Hammer emitted a faint spiritual pulse.
If it could speak human language, Hammer Buddy would probably unleash a torrent of words unfit for young ears.
"Sorry, Hammer Buddy. My bad."
Li Mo averted his eyes guiltily before solemnly promising:
"Don’t worry, I’ll fix you. You’re too important to me."
"Without you, who’s gonna take the blame for—uh, I mean, who’s gonna accompany me to hammer technique exchange meetings?"
With that, he checked his system.
Two reward opportunities remained unused.
The system’s treasures were dazzling—even Celestial Destiny hammer weapons forged from stellar cores, artifacts from the Upper Realm, were available.
But what suited him best was what mattered. Hammer Buddy had been with him through thick and thin—more than just a weapon, it was a companion.
After searching for a while, Li Mo’s eyes lit up.
[Spirit-Fusion Weapon Core]: "Allows two weapons to merge, combining their strengths. The weapons’ qualities must not differ too greatly, and any damage will be repaired during fusion."
"If supplemented with forging techniques, the resulting weapon’s potential can be further enhanced."
Li Mo exchanged for it and looked down at Hammer Buddy.
Narrowing his eyes, he asked seriously:
"Hammer Buddy, do you want to learn the Heaven-Earth Manifestation?"
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.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
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)
