Southern Border, Qingmu City.
The weather was clear and sunny, with remnants of unmelted snow glistening under the sunlight. Strangely, the eaves of the Jiawei Tavern were entirely free of snow—it had long since vanished, perhaps due to the occasional mystical fluctuations emanating from one of its private rooms.
Unbeknownst to a certain "wife-blessing battle soul," yet another of his noteworthy titles had slipped away, pushing his dream of becoming a Sword Immortal further out of reach.
He was currently engaged in dual cultivation.
Thanks to the harmony of yin and yang, the effects of Phoenix Cries Over Heavenly Marsh had improved by more than ten percent, and his injuries were nearly fully healed. Today, he would finally set out to gather the power of the masses.
Young Li Mo was fully prepared!
"Li Mo, why do you keep... staring at me?"
"Oh, that’s also part of my preparations."
By now, Li Mo had mastered Ying Bing’s frosty expression to about seventy percent accuracy!
This was the result of his painstaking efforts—during their dual cultivation sessions, he had spent countless hours face-to-face, studying her features.
The missing thirty percent? Mostly not in the face.
The faint blush at her neck was something he could never replicate—nor did he have much use for it...
With that, Li Mo adopted an aloof, noble, and inscrutable expression.
The "Ice Block’s Frosty Face"—Li Mo Edition.
"Pretty convincing, right? Don’t I suddenly seem divine?"
Ying Bing’s beautiful eyes momentarily lost focus before she silently withdrew her hand and murmured,
"It’s time to leave. Clan Leader Shang and the others are probably waiting downstairs. Remember to take off your clothes."
"Take off my clothes?"
"This is training attire. It’s only for training."
"But this is my best-looking outfit."
Li Mo stroked the bold golden sun patterns embroidered on the fabric, reluctant to part with it.
He didn’t own many well-fitted garments to begin with.
A few were standard Qingyuan Sect disciple robes, one was sewn by his mother, and another was made by Princess Xiao Jiang.
But none of those carried the right aura for the occasion.
Since this was a performance—er, a mission to gather the power of the masses—it wasn’t just acting that mattered. Costumes and props had to be on point too.
The Best Actor of the Golden Statue Awards didn’t rely solely on his looks—he had professionalism.
Besides, this outfit matched Ying Bing’s.
Just thinking about it filled him with pride.
"Fine, wear it then."
Ying Bing tied up her hair, knowing full well that if Li Mo wanted to wear it, he’d sneakily change back into it later anyway.
Absentmindedly, she reached out to smooth the wrinkles on his collar.
"But you’ll have to return early. Otherwise, face the consequences."
What consequences could come from wearing clothes?
The two descended to the tavern’s main hall, now bustling with martial artists skilled in animal mimicry techniques.
No matter—Li Mo was slightly proficient in that area himself and could blend in seamlessly.
Wu Qing’s gaze lingered on the pair descending the stairs, looking like a golden boy and jade girl.
Her brow arched as she wondered if she should ask Feng to make a matching set.
"Xiao Mo, where did you two get these couple’s outfits made?"
Shang Qinqing immediately perked up, magically producing a handful of melon seeds from somewhere.
"Tsk, no wonder you turned down that phoenix coronet and robes of the previous dynasty’s empress. You’ve got something even better—a sun and a moon. Quite thoughtful."
Li Mo glanced at Ying Bing and coughed lightly.
"This is training attire. Also doubles as my performance costume."
Is this how young couples flirt these days?
Ying Bing lowered her eyes, speaking with perfect composure.
"Mn. It improves training efficiency."
"What kind of training?"
Shang Qinqing, the Great Shang Dynasty’s goddess of love, once again zeroed in on the critical detail.
Li Mo barely opened his mouth when a familiar pressure landed on his foot—Ying Bing had stepped on him.
Her expression remained unchanged.
"Clan Leader, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll prepare some dishes for you."
"I know your intention is to shut me up, but..."
Shang Qinqing smirked.
"Isn’t this more like... silencing a witness?"
Seeing Ying Bing actually heading for the kitchen, Shang Qinqing wisely stopped teasing and rallied the martial artists to depart.
As Li Mo stepped out of the tavern, he inexplicably turned back.
He didn’t know why—it was pure instinct.
There, on the second-floor balcony, stood a figure in an obsidian liuxian dress, watching him.
Li Mo grinned and waved. Ying Bing nodded, then casually turned her gaze elsewhere—though he could tell her attention lingered.
"I’ll come back early."
With that, Li Mo and the group of demons left the city.
Still within the city walls, they refrained from using their bloodline powers and walked toward the gates.
Along the way, Qingmu City’s peaceful scenes unfolded before them.
If not for the scars on the walls, no one would believe this serene town had teetered on the brink of destruction not long ago.
A sense of tranquility washed over Li Mo.
He wasn’t sure if it was pride, but he felt genuinely happy.
Soon, they neared the gates, where a dense crowd had gathered—just like when Li Mo and Ying Bing had first arrived.
"Did the Hidden Dragon Ranking update again?"
Li Mo found it familiar yet odd.
Qingmu City was on Great Yu’s farthest border, with no Dragon Gate nearby. How had news spread so quickly?
Shang Qinqing smiled without answering.
Suddenly, the crowd erupted.
"The rankings are out!!"
"Is Young Master Li on it? That’s who I came to see!"
"Tsk, looking through the Hidden Dragon Ranking, no other young hero has the makings of a one-man army. Young Master Li’s feats rival the ancient Hegemonic King!"
"Our Qingmu City gets to bask in the glory too—we’re finally on the map!"
The excitement was palpable. Spectators craned their necks, packed in layers around the notice. Even schoolchildren paused on their way to class, drawn by the commotion.
The "Young Master Li" in question couldn’t even see the ranking himself, forced to rely on hearsay.
"Fourth! Young Master Li is fourth!"
"Elder Guo, did my epithet change?"
Li Mo asked his most pressing question.
Guo Chuan, a towering elder of the Whale Clan, had a clear view.
His expression turned peculiar.
"Both yours and Miss Ying’s."
Wu Qing was curious too. She’d once dreamed of making a name for herself in the martial world, though marriage and motherhood had derailed those plans.
"Miss Ying’s ‘Lunar Sword Phoenix’ is gone. Now it’s ‘Goddess of Gushe.’"
"Your ‘Lone Eccentric Sword’ is no more."
"It’s now... ‘Divine Hammer Little Overlord.’"
Li Mo nearly fainted.
(Seeking support—charging appreciated. Mwah!)