Isn't this too much for food protection

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?"