In the shadowy streets of Qingmu City, the ambiance was less than bustling, but at least it was well-lit, showcasing a variety of attire that could be described as “unique.”
It wasn’t as flashy as Yunzhou’s nighttime view, but it had its own flair, a charm exclusively belonging to the South Border.
According to Zhong Zhenyue’s tales, just twenty years ago, Qingmu City was a desolate place, but under Uncle Qu’s management, it now bustled with life, its doors never shut at night, and everyone living peacefully.
Many brothers who had come from South Guancheng had even found a new home here, really putting down roots.
“Boss, are you going to make sugar paintings again today?”
As they passed the same sugar painting stall as yesterday, the burly grandson of the stall instantly recognized their little king.
“Want one?”
Li Mo turned around to ask.
The moment he asked, he felt a delicate hand tighten in his palm, her fingers curling slightly.
“I had one yesterday,” Ying Bing replied, shaking her head.
“We could make one that’s different from yesterday’s! They say it’s all about the color, fragrance, and taste! The shape is very important, and changing the appearance gives you a whole new experience!”
“How so?”
Zhong Ling asked curiously, as she had heard you need to capture a person’s heart by first capturing their stomach.
Like in the case of Li Mo and Ying Bing.
I mean, if Li Mo didn’t cook so well, would the famed Cold Fairy be waiting at the gate for him to return home?
To be honest, she was quite surprised; at first glance, this Cold Fairy truly lived up to her name, appearing as if she were a celestial being who didn’t even step foot in the mundane world.
Wife-attracting fighting spirit… although he promised not to call him that in front of Li Mo…
But at that moment, the impression they gave Zhong Ling…
Only mistaken names existed, not mistaken nicknames!
Li Mo smiled slightly; this was his forte.
“Same food, different shapes! Some make you ravenous, while others are just a chore to eat. Let’s say, for example…”
He poured a bit of sugar syrup onto the table from the stall, gently prodding it with a bamboo stick.
“Think this looks appetizing?”
Little Li pointed at the squiggly, poop-shaped sugar syrup on the table.
“Ugh…”
Judging by Zhong Zhenyue’s instinctual dry heave, his answer was pretty clear.
“…”
Zhong Ling thought to herself that this wife-attracting artist was rather good.
He knew what looked unappetizing.
Ying Bing tilted her head slightly.
“This is a negative example,” Li Mo chuckled.
“And a positive example would be?”
“Give me a moment.”
As Li Mo melted the syrup again with a flicker of flame, his gaze briefly dropped.
This was merely his subconscious action when he was thinking.
And by pure coincidence, a pair of supple long legs in short boots with fine white stockings flashed before his eyes.
Anyone ever have that experience when you zone out while taking notes in class, only to look down and find a jumbled mess of thoughts on your notebook? Or even during an exam, zoning out and accidentally writing down the name of your crush in a fill-in-the-blank question?
Little Li was currently in such a situation.
“Brother Li, is this what you called looking good?”
“That looks like…”
Zhong Ling and Zhong Zhenyue exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes.
Ying Bing’s sideways glance flew over.
A true gentleman…
“What a great journey begins with a single step! Isn’t that a nice meaning?”
Li Mo grabbed the sugar chunk and tossed it into his mouth.
“But weren’t we talking about the color and fragrance? Doesn’t this sugar look unappetizing…”
“Sugar? What sugar?”
Li Mo looked as grave as a judge, but his expression was like someone suffering from amnesia:
“Oh, right, where was I? Ah, talking about the color and fragrance of cooking! How about we have barbecue today? That’s the best way to test my theory!”
“…”
Seeing his cheeks stuffed and his shiny lips unbothered by wiping off any residual sugar, he was still rattling off words. Ying Bing, expressionless, gently extracted her slender hand from his palm, removed her hairpin, and let down her glossy black hair.
With her hair down, it covered her ears and neck.
Zhong Zhenyue looked confused, while Zhong Ling began to harbor some doubt about Little Li’s cooking skills.
Not long after…
They arrived at the tavern.
The owner of the tavern had once been a corporal under the King of South Border and recognized Zhong Zhenyue. As soon as Zhong Zhenyue showed up, the one-armed owner hurried over.
The two engaged in nostalgic chatting and many feelings.
Ying Bing hopped off the carriage and went straight to the private room, her footsteps seeming rather… hurried?
Li Mo wasn’t sure what had gotten into her.
“I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”
“…mm.”
Li Mo noticed her pausing at the doorway, seemingly lost in thought, and nodded lightly after a slight delay, unable to shake off a sense of suspicion.
Ying Bing was probably pondering some profound martial arts concept, right? Just like his own earlier state of distraction.
After a word with the owner, Li Mo slipped into the kitchen. It was past mealtime, and the kitchen was empty.
As he was deftly chopping vegetables, a familiar figure slipped into the kitchen, her expression a mix of hesitation and the desire to speak.
Zhong Ling.
“Young Hero Li.”
“Ha! You want to learn to cook?” Li Mo twirled a kn*fe, slicing a precious ingredient that resembled green peppers into strands as thin as hair.
Zhong Ling shook her head vigorously:
“No, I wanted to ask, what happened between Zhenyue and that Heavenly Demon Saintess in Yunzhou?”
“Ah this…”
The chopped green pepper strands fell onto the cutting board.
Li Mo wondered if Zhong Ling had a habit of flipping tables.
“Didn’t Zhong Zhenyue tell you?”
“He said a bit. He just mentioned that the enchantress confused him, and you were the one who woke him up. He said you told him more; avoiding heavy topics should be light.”
Li Mo nodded seriously:
“I feel like Young Lord might not be avoiding heavy topics lightly; maybe he was just deeply impacted by what I did.”
When he had seen Zhong Zhenyue ‘miraculously escape d*ath’, he had been frantically searching for a restroom.
“How was he enchanted? What was it about that enchantress…”
Zhong Ling gritted her teeth.
She had quietly stood by Zhenyue’s side for so long, and that enchantress? She’d only seen him a few times and had already stirred Zhenyue’s heart.
How could he possibly be fooled without any feelings involved!
Li Mo pondered a moment and asked, “Do you know what Young Lord likes?”
“He likes strength.”
“?”
“So I’ve been working hard to get stronger. He never won against me when we were young. What’s wrong with that?”
“…”
Li Mo’s mouth twitched slightly, thinking these two can’t fully blame Old Zhong for their current situation.
He’s no love expert.
But among Zhong Ling and Zhong Zhenyue, he could sense a bit of the vibe of a love consultant.
As if he were recalling that time when he pulled Ying Bing’s hair as a child.
Maybe it was precisely for this reason.
Li Mo found himself seriously mulling over:
“I’m stronger than Zhong. In fact, there are many more stronger than Zhong in this world. His admiration is more for the idea of wanting to be strong.”
“Then back then… how did that enchantress do it?”
“Let me think…”
Little Li fell into deep thought.
Based on his experience, it seemed like the more of a straight guy you were, the more susceptible you’d be to the green tea type.
She’d make you breakfast, tie your shoelaces, help with homework — nothing could compare to a single phrase from a big wavy haircut saying, “Brother, are you there?”
“That enchantress must’ve been like this…”
Little Li, emotional consultant, on duty!
Hmm.
A consultant who had never eaten pork but had seen pigs run back in their past life…
“Is that… really going to work?”
…
