"Damn it."
Li Mo covered his nose, his expression dazed.
As a noble divine weapon, was Hammer Treasure a place to casually lay hands—or feet—on? Moving one foot was bad enough, but she had to go and use both.
His peripheral vision traced the impossibly long legs beside him. The ice block—Ying Bing—lay there with her delicate brows relaxed, still fast asleep.
She probably hadn’t been sleeping well lately, finally allowing herself a moment of rest today.
"But she shouldn’t relax too much."
"The ice block might have softened, but I..."
"Do I look like I’m joking with my localized Fa Tian Xiang Di?"
Li Mo stood up, tilting his head at a 45-degree angle toward the ceiling to keep the warmth in his nose from trickling down.
"Miss Ying! Miss Ying!""Little Ice!"
The door suddenly rattled with knocks, followed by two vaguely familiar female voices.
When he opened it, he saw Zhong Ling and Shang Qinqing standing outside.
"Huh? Li Mo, I was just about to ask Miss Ying where you were."
Zhong Ling blinked in surprise—she had gone to look for Li Mo first.
Shang Qinqing’s eyes instantly lit up as she dug into her pocket, pulling out a handful of sunflower seeds to munch on.
How does the Shang Clan head always have a handful of seeds ready at any moment?
Li Mo hid half his body behind the door, silently complaining before asking,
"What’s the matter so early in the morning?"
"Oh, my father wishes to see you. He’s invited you and Miss Ying to the imperial city as guests."
The "father" Zhong Ling referred to was naturally the highly esteemed Prince of the Southern Frontier.
Li Mo nodded. "Alright, Ying Bing and I will head over together later."
But the moment he nodded, the warmth in his nose began trickling again.
"Brother Li, you’re..." Zhong Ling’s expression turned wary.
Li Mo wiped his nose with a straight face, feigning nonchalance. "Minor issue. I sparred with Ying Bing, and she accidentally... misstepped. Just a small injury."
"Really?"
Shang Qinqing narrowed her eyes, unconvinced.
Did nothing life-threatening happen?
She wanted to see babies being made and was convinced it might happen soon.
"Really!"
Li Mo’s tone was firm.
Just as he spoke, a drowsy voice sounded from behind him:
"Who’s here?"
Ying Bing’s sleepy face carried a lazy charm, like a lotus on the verge of waking. A few strands of disheveled hair clung to her lips, making it hard to connect her with the aloof, goddess-like "Frost Immortal."
"!"
Li Mo’s sharp eyes caught sight of the shocking crimson stains on Ying Bing’s pristine white nightgown...
Oh no, when did my nosebleed get on her?
He hadn’t noticed at all earlier.
"??"
Zhong Ling leaned back in tactical retreat, her gaze gradually glazing over.
Shang Qinqing’s eyes sparkled with excitement and glee as she let out a "Giggle-giggle"—like a pure-blooded phoenix imitating a hen.
"Seems last night’s sparring was quite intense, huh? Maybe rest a bit longer before heading out. Little Ice might not be in the best condition..."
"...That’s blood from my nose!"
"Ohhh~" Shang Qinqing’s expression was indescribable as she waggled her eyebrows.
"I’ve been feeling overheated lately, so..."
"No need to explain. I believe you."
"You’ve been cracking seeds nonstop!" Li Mo was certain the Clan Head’s eyes didn’t match her words.
Eight seeds per second—you expect me to buy that?
Ying Bing also lowered her gaze, freezing for a moment when she noticed the bloodstains on her nightgown.
She didn’t suspect anything else.
Instead, she realized what the warm thing she had been stepping on in her dream actually was...
......
Downstairs, surrounded by a squad of heavily armored royal guards, Zhong Zhenyue—wrapped up like a dumpling—peeked out.
Seeing only Li Mo and Zhong Ling approaching, he asked curiously,
"Where’s Miss Ying?"
"She said she wanted to rest properly, so I’ll go on her beha—"
Before Li Mo could finish, Zhong Ling interjected:
"She’s preparing to have a baby."
"?"
Zhong Zhenyue’s body jolted, aggravating his wounds as he hissed through gritted teeth.
After a moment of silence, he gave a thumbs-up.
"It’s not that fast—wait, no, you’ve got it all wrong!" Li Mo was stunned.
Zhong Ling, how do you casually drop a bomb like that?
"The maids at the prince’s manor told me. There was blood."
Zhong Ling wore the expression of someone who had grasped the absolute truth.
The manor’s elderly maids had served many noble households, and Zhong Ling had personally witnessed them cutting bloodstained cloth from newlyweds’ beds in the morning.
"Let’s just go..."
Li Mo glanced at the sky before boarding the carriage.
The carriage sped straight into the inner city, unimpeded until nearing the imperial city, where inspections grew stricter—recognizing tokens, not faces.
The Prince of the Southern Frontier’s residence was said to be in the imperial city, but it was actually situated between the inner and imperial districts, where all the nobility resided.
Along the way, Li Mo kept his Heaven’s Decree Divine Eye active, observing the surroundings.
He still had two centuries’ worth of martial insights left.
Plenty for the Hammer Dao, but far too little for the Sword Dao—reserved for emergencies.
Yet, the Nine Swords of Dugu was just one step away from completion.
So, in these two days, Li Mo planned to scout for investment opportunities in the imperial city.
"Brother Li, you and Miss Ying aren’t married yet, right?"
As the carriage slowed, Zhong Zhenyue suddenly asked.
Your reaction time is a bit slow...
Li Mo lowered the curtain—the street was growing quieter. "No..."
"Then I suggest you hurry up and get married. Once she’s your wife and you’re her husband, everything will be proper. Plus, I’m curious—what’s marriage like?"
As she spoke, Zhong Ling blushed and glanced at Zhong Zhenyue.
"Marriage... Ying Bing in phoenix coronet and red robes..."
Li Mo couldn’t help but imagine it.
The scene was the classic wedding night from period dramas.
What kind of deeds in a past life would earn you the right to lift the veil and see the Frost Immortal’s face in the flickering candlelight?
The thought startled him, and he forced his mind to rein in.
Ying Bing was his only red-tier destiny. Back then, he had only dared to cling to her jade legs for rewards—how could he have dreamed of this?
Now, he’d reaped the rewards, learned from Teacher Ice Block, and even had the audacity to imagine her calling him husband and bearing his children...
Li Mo, you’re a shameless beast!
"Can you really have a baby without getting married? That can’t be right..."
Zhong Zhenyue wore a grave expression, wisdom gleaming in his eyes.
In his mind, the "marriage" ritual was an absolute prerequisite for procreation.
"...Why do you think that?"
"No child has ever attended their parents’ wedding. So how could there be a child without a wedding?"
"Fair point."
Li Mo’s past-life "educational materials" stirred in his mind.
But he resisted the urge to voice them.
Because, honestly...
Just thinking about those beastly ideas was getting him excited.
Gentlemen judge actions, not thoughts.
So he’d keep them to himself. Saying them out loud? That was a whole different level.