“Top Three of the Qianlong Rankings?”
In a seemingly quiet corner of a Happy Sheep Hotpot restaurant, the owner, with his sunglasses on, looked like he didn’t care for anyone. But in reality, his ears were perked up like a cat listening for a mouse.
Let’s be honest—there’s a saying: “Take it easy on the hand that feeds you, don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
Having mooched off food and drinks at the Qiushui Pavilion for so many days, was Tian Miao really going to give up her God Hammer Little Overlord star status?
“Li, Brother Li?”
Li Mo was just getting into listening to the gossip from those wandering heroes when he heard someone calling him from behind. It was Little Princess Jiang, a towel draped over her shoulder and holding a menu, looking ready to take orders from the customers.
“You… what are you doing here?”
“Hey, do you like it?”
Li Mo pulled out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket.
Don’t underestimate the sunglasses; despite their small size, they were made of high-end materials. The frame was crafted from frost silver and fiery copper, blended together with a method of divine refinement. The lenses were borrowed from his master, who had smashed a few Guan Shen statues in the process—their eyes adorned with exquisite black jade. The lenses even had inscriptions carved inside, who knows how?
The effects of these inscriptions varied, but the pair Li Mo was planning to gift to Little Princess Jiang was supposed to enhance poise and aura.
“Ooh! I…”
Jiang Chulong was so excited, her mouth opened to let out a surprised squeal, but Li Mo put a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
So, she happily picked up the cloth strip and, emulating Brother Li, put on the sunglasses.
“How… how do I look?”
“Very spirited!”
“Really?”
“Yup! Don’t worry if you can’t make eye contact with others anymore. When you wear these sunglasses, no one knows where you’re looking! If someone stares at you, just put your hands on your hips!”
Seeing the once-timid Little Jiang turn into a cool version of herself made Li Mo grin, and he exhibited the cool pose himself.
Little Princess Jiang followed suit.
At this moment, the rowdy group of wandering heroes finished their drinks and turned around only to find Little Princess Jiang and Li Mo striking very impressive poses.
Moreover… did it seem like the gaze behind the lenses was aimed directly at them?
It was as if they were saying, “What the heck are you staring at?”
“!”
If the waiter wore sunglasses and had her hands on her hips, would anyone dare to order from her?
The person turned back again, silently choosing to back off from the bragging.
“… Looks like the sunglasses are a little too effective, even making the customers silent.”
“Brother Li, what are you listening to?”
“Listening to the Qianlong List. I’m about to head to the Imperial Capital, so I need to know what kind of opponents to expect.”
Li Mo said it with such a serious face, as if he were engaged in something monumental.
“Brother Li… that’s a bit heavy.”
Jiang Chulong thought for a moment, then added, “Let’s wait a bit longer; let the storyteller get here first.”
Although the Qianlong List was posted all over, it didn’t compare to the excitement of hearing someone narrate it dramatically.
“Chulong, do you want to go to the Imperial Capital?”
“I… I don’t know…”
After a moment, a storyteller in a long robe walked into the hotpot restaurant, clasped his hands in greeting, took a sip of tea to clear his throat, and struck the table dramatically.
“Hmm?”
Li Mo looked at him, feeling like he recognized this person, even though he had never met this old man before.
“Thanks to everyone’s kindness, I’m just here to make a living. Today, as usual, I will talk about the Qianlong List, which has a total of one hundred names. I could go on for three days and nights, so I’ll just touch on the highlights.”
The storyteller took out a copy of the Qianlong List and hung it up on a beam, pointing at it, “For example, there’s Huang Donglai, the last guy on the list—there’s not much to say about such a small fry.”
“?”
Li Mo, at this point, didn’t need his divine eye to confirm his suspicion.
The storyteller was actually Huang Donglai in disguise!
Flying Poison Double-Sided Turtle had taken up a side job, huh? Why not just go full-time as a master storyteller then?
“To highlight someone worth mentioning, there’s the missing princess of our Da Yu Dynasty, who has mysteriously debuted on the list, ranking in at number forty-eight!”
“And the evaluations for her are very high; they say she possesses a heavenly sword bone and that her mother, Shi Sujun the Fairy, was renowned thirty years ago as the number one on the Qianlong List.”
“But it seems she has lost her sword bone now.”
It was as if the storyteller was belting out a high-dramatic performance.
In the corner, Little Li listened, but his eyes behind the sunglasses fell into deep contemplation.
Little Princess Jiang was on the list.
This was only a matter of time, but… it seemed to be something many were reluctant to see…
Some things are not worth mentioning, but once the Qianlong List was published, Chulong was set on display.
“I… I’m not that impressive.”
Little Princess Jiang nervously fiddled with the hem of her clothes, but upon seeing Brother Li’s pensive expression, she crossed her arms, imitating him.
I can’t lose face when I’m with Brother Li!
【Name: Jiang Chulong】
【Age: 15】
【Root Bone: Innate Sword Embryo, Wild Grass Sword Bone Awakening.】
【Realm: Three Eye of Guan Shen.】
【Destiny: Grey Gold】
【Evaluation: Youngest daughter of the Emperor of Da Yu, possessing a heavenly sword embryo body; her elder brother, the Crown Prince, took her sword bone at fourteen years old, claiming it as his own. If she could shake off the dust from her heart and mend herself, she could become supreme over the sword.】
【Recent Encounter: Left in the hotpot restaurant, but her sword bone is being sought. On the third day at Misty Rain Tower, a personal strike was made to capture her, after which she went missing.】
Li Mo’s frown deepened.
He tentatively opened his mouth:
“Chulong, do you want to accompany me to the Imperial Capital?”
“With Brother Li? Sure!”
Little Princess Jiang, who had been hesitant, immediately nodded.
As long as I’m with Brother Li, I’ll go anywhere!
As her voice fell, the recent encounter in the divine eye shifted.
【Recent Encounter: Returned to the Imperial Capital with Li Mo, entering into the target range of Jiang Yu, who is targeting her. Her wild grass sword bone breaks at the Qianlong Conference, fortunes uncertain.】
“…..”
Li Mo looked at the subtly smiling Chulong and pat her on the head.
Having gone through the resurrection of Yun Meng Xian, he had an inkling that the divine eye used a question mark not because it couldn’t see through it.
It indicates there is some existence there; just knowing its name already ties you into fate.
When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you…
Sticking your neck out is just inviting danger; at least in the Imperial Capital, Chulong could stay beside him.
“Brother Li, why do you look like you’re not happy?”
“Chulong is from the Imperial Capital, so you must know what delicious food is there, right? I’ll be counting on you then.”
“Not a trouble at all…”
Jiang Chulong’s cheeks flushed, her dreamy eyes filled with longing.
“Of course, the biggest variable in this Qianlong List comes from our Ziyang Mansion’s two individuals.”
At this moment, Huang Donglai, disguising himself as the storyteller, paused for dramatic effect.
That teasing pause sounded oddly professional; I wonder who he learned that from.
“Why only two, wasn’t God Hammer Little Overlord supposed to have died in the Yun Meng Dungeon?”
“Right? Ugh, I still can’t believe it’s true.”
“Li Shaoxia was a good person when he was alive…”
Others who hadn’t seen the Qianlong List but had heard rumors were now chiming in.
“Hey, this gentleman asked a good question.”
The storyteller Huang Donglai (or simply Huang the Storyteller) raised a finger:
“When I first saw it, I was skeptical, and I had a Huanmo Sect member interrogated—uh, I mean, asked nicely. The answer I got was that I witnessed it firsthand; the God Hammer Little Overlord was left with just a hair.”
“So, I came here to get to the bottom of this.”
“Who would have thought that upon the Qianlong List’s release, he not only survived but didn’t even get hurt, still retaining the fourth place on the Qianlong List!”
“Yet, he was left with just a hair. Why didn’t he d*e? What exactly happened behind this? Is it a twist of human nature or a loss of virtue…”
As he spoke, Huang the Storyteller’s tone became impassioned, full of emotion with no artistry.
“Does the gentleman happen to know the inside story?” someone asked.
“Not at all.” Huang Donglai shook his head.
A chorus of boos erupted in the hotpot restaurant.
“But think about it; our God Hammer Little Overlord, charged across the battlefield of the South Border, a hero among many. What’s a mere dungeon compared to that?”
“If you guys had seen his prowess in the South Border, you wouldn’t believe he would fall. Actually, I think his nickname should be changed to ‘The Unkillable God Hammer Little Overlord,’ much more fitting.”
The moment he finished speaking, Huang Donglai felt a chill at the back of his neck and his sharp instincts made him glance sideways.
Then he saw two cool figures in sunglasses staring right at him.
“!”
“Just a regular guy, but if I had to say, I think the God Hammer Little Overlord’s standing isn’t very reasonable; everyone knows Li Mo’s swordsmanship is pretty good too…”
Huang the Storyteller wisely dropped his bravado and quickly switched the topic while everyone was still processing.
“By the way, the big change I was referring to isn’t just him.”
“Cold Fairy has risen rapidly, formally surpassing many contenders in the Qianlong list for the top three, including the Huanmo Holy Son, Tian Miao Walking, the Penglai Xuan Girl, and others! She’s achieved a spot in the top three!”
“And not only that, she has also risen one rank in the Hundred Flowers List!”
The hotpot restaurant suddenly erupted into chaos, with those who had heard of it expressing their astonishment, while newcomers were taken aback.
“Gotta say, the top spot is the Queen, just a little bit of favoritism for her, right? How much do you think the top spot on the Hundred Flowers List had to do with her…”
“The first is the Crown Prince, the seventh is Xie Xuan from Tianshan; how long has it been since they moved?”
“In previous years, the top three were all Nine Dots of Guan Shen, or even half a step into the inner scene. Yet she’s just stepped into seven dots!”
“She was just being overshadowed by the God Hammer Little Overlord last time; I suspect they’re neck and neck.”
“She has also been quiet lately, yet she surprises everyone when it counts.”
“She must have put in a lot of effort…”
…..
Meanwhile, at the Qingyuan Sect.
Inside the Qiushui Pavilion.
【Congratulations, host, for once again completing the punishment for the defeated.】
【Completion rate is ten percent.】
【Grade: B+】
Ying Bing: “?”
It was just like yesterday, still a B rank…
What about an A?
【Currently distributing the rewards for the B+ ranking…】
【The reward is: a complete black battle suit, and you must wear the battle suit to spar with the winner!】
“Battle suit? Spar?”
Ying Bing raised her brow; at least this time it seemed more reasonable.
She wasn’t stupid; did he honestly think Li Mo just had a hammer in his pocket?
Ying Huang didn’t understand love and had never been in love, but this was a bit too presumptuous!
By the way, why is it so emphasized that the battle suit is black?
