“Is it the Da Vinci effect or the Aladdin effect?”
Li Mo couldn’t quite recall.
After all, the light in front of him had taken shape, blinding his eyes.
What effect?
Did it have anything to do with the martial arts he had just taught him?
His genius brain was flooded with little question marks.
Teacher Ice Chunk heard Little Li’s confusion and realized she couldn’t answer such a seemingly absurd question.
Besides, she was bothered by even more absurd doubts.
The system’s words appeared before her:
[Nah nah nah, I knew you were going to question my authority again. My competitions are all backed by battle records.]
[To ensure accuracy, I arranged for you two to have ten virtual battles.]
“How many rounds did I win?” Ying Bing silently pondered.
[One round…]
Ying Bing: “?”
[You didn’t win any.]
The Phoenix Sky Empress was stunned, her peripheral vision unconsciously glancing at Little Li, who was lost in thought, seemingly shocked by something delicious. She pursed her crimson lips.
“How could that be…”
Even if Li Mo’s inner realm was one of a kind, and her Taiyin divine will was indeed an entity within his space, it wouldn’t completely erase the bizarre.
After all, the stars in his inner realm were woven by her own hands. Just because they trapped others didn’t mean they could trap her.
Even if she were at a disadvantage, losing all ten rounds was simply impossible, right?
“Do you have any records of the sparring?” Ice Chunk, maintaining her icy demeanor, questioned the system’s accuracy.
[Yes.]
[In the first round, Little Li called you ‘sister’ to end the match.]
The system’s summary was brutally simple.
After a moment of silence, Ying Bing asked in her heart, “I’ll learn from my mistakes and won’t let him have a chance to cheat again.”
[Yes, the system does excel at leveraging strengths while avoiding weaknesses.]
[In the fifth round, Ying Bing learned from her lesson, didn’t give Little Li a chance to speak, and struck first. At that time, Little Li was staring dumbly at you, and luckily, Ying Bing managed to hold back in time, plunging into his embrace, which neutralized his ability to resist.]
Ying Bing: “?”
She held back, didn’t that mean she should’ve won?
How did neutralizing his ability to resist come into play?
[The system’s competitions are not mere sparring; other factors are also part of strength. The final outcome is all that matters. Absolutely fair. If Ying Bing has doubts, she can try hugging him now.]
“….”
Ying Bing let out a gentle sigh, her mind flashing to the dress that still needed washing.
Being held by Little Li, even her cold demeanor seemed unable to respond.
[In the third round, Ying Bing accidentally lost a boot during the spar…]
[In the fifth round….]
[In the seventh round….]
[In the tenth round, due to consecutive grappling, Ying Bing, irritated, lunged at Little Li and bit him, but was caught in return. The combat was intense, and two hours later, Little Li was still wanting more, while Ying Bing passed out with her mouth still stubborn.]
Ying Bing stared at the battle records, slightly dumbfounded.
Aside from her martial arts talent, her greatest strength was her willpower, honed through years of suffering in icy conditions.
If she could endure more than ten years of pain, how could she pass out after just two hours?
The experienced Empress was abruptly confronted with knowledge she lacked.
She turned to him, only to find Li Mo still maintaining his previous pose, intently gazing at the Moon, his expression caught in shock.
Oh, right.
Ying Bing suddenly realized something and sat back in the hot spring.
“Why are you staring at me?”
“Just… suddenly a bit hungry.”
Li Mo wiped drool from the corner of his mouth, pretending nothing happened.
Ying Bing shrunk a little, coolly muttering, “There are still some fruits.”
“Oh, right.”
Li Mo reached for them and then ‘accidentally’ knocked the serving platter over, sending the fruits to their watery demise. He exclaimed, “Ice Chunk, the fruit’s gone!”
“…”
Ying Bing’s eyes fluttered slightly. “We don’t have anything to eat now; let’s talk about it later.”
“There’s ice, my favorite!”
Li Mo glanced at her crescent moon, nonchalantly licking his lips.
“I told you yesterday, Uncle Li and Aunt Gu are here; if you eat, they’ll see you.”
“Then I’ll just eat somewhere out of sight!”
Li Mo raised a finger, his gaze filled with wisdom.
“Out of sight…”
Ice Chunk was momentarily stunned, seeming to suddenly grasp how she had lost those ten matches.
Little Li’s eyes looked ravenous as he considered a certain wolf demon known for disguising itself as a human; it transformed into a werewolf on full moon nights. Today’s moon was indeed quite round, but he hadn’t sprouted any wolf fur, had he?
Was it because she had teased the Childish Ghost when she came in?
The Empress found herself cornered; it seemed she had miscalculated a bit.
“Out of sight…”
Ying Bing covered the moon, pondering for a moment before suddenly raising her snowy foot to step on his shoulder, saying coolly, “Then you can eat.”
Li Mo: “Uh, isn’t that… not okay?”
Little Li’s emotions ran a little high.
Ying Bing let out a soft breath, turning her head, pretending it was nothing, “That’s just you being too scared… ha…”
She shrank her neck, confusion flashing in her eyes. She stared blankly, but found Li Mo still there, as if everything that had just transpired was an illusion.
There’s an expression: “Timely and direct speech.”
As everyone knows, Little Li is an open-hearted and straightforward gentleman.
Li Mo felt his mouth often had a mind of its own, and it had been particularly chatty just now.
There was no helping it; he knew full well that mouths were meant for eating and speaking, not for consuming bizarre things.
Is that right? No, it’s not right.
But she, so dignified and cool, had just stepped on his shoulder, looking at him with those ‘you definitely won’t dare’ eyes.
Who hasn’t been tempted in the middle of the night? Who could honestly say they could hold back?
“Ice Chunk.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m still hungry; Sister wouldn’t let me starve, right?”
Li Mo rubbed his belly, shifting closer to Ice Chunk, his breath, hotter than the spring water, blowing into her ear.
Maybe he was just really hungry.
Once you take a bite, they don’t let you eat anymore, which only makes you hungrier.
The spring water flowed gently, the mist hung thick in the air. For the first time, Ying Bing felt things slipping out of her control, as if her spirit had become a kite cut free of its string, tossed in the wind.
The system’s voice saying, “Please execute punishment instead of rewarding him,” went unheard.
What on earth went wrong?
Wasn’t the Childish Ghost supposed to be obedient and easy to coax? Why did he seem so ravenous now? Previously, her cold glare would scare him into submission, but why was this time different…
Could it be because the popsicle came without wrapping, ready to consume?
“Li Mo.”
“Hmm?”
“That’s for babies.”
“I’m a Childish Ghost, who isn’t a baby?”
