Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’
Chapter 214: The Familiar Feeling of Ying Bing, The Richest Man Comes to Propose Marriage

Little Li swore an oath.

His moral character was absolutely impeccable, and his integrity was rock-solid.

But who could blame him when that swimsuit fit Ying Bing so perfectly? The combination of her icy aloofness and pure allure didn’t clash—instead, they complemented each other flawlessly...

Who wouldn’t be mesmerized by that?

The swimsuit was a reward from the system.

So!

The system was the bad one here—Little Li was innocent.

Li Mo wiped his nose and said with a straight face:

"Just now, at Elder Xue’s place, Senior Brother Xiaobao and I were refining pills. The heat was a bit too intense, so... I got a little overheated."

"I know a little."

Gazing at the girl’s jade-like face, her moonlit eyes flickered with a hint of something unreadable.

The thoughts Li Mo hadn’t managed to suppress resurfaced in his mind, making his nose itch again.

He quickly distracted himself:

"Let’s start practicing. If we don’t hurry, the sun will be up soon."

"Mm."

Glancing at the bright moon already tilting westward in the sky, Ying Bing gave a slight nod.

"Wait!" Li Mo suddenly spoke up again.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, just adjusting my state."

The second layer of Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh allowed one to vaguely sense the other’s emotions.

Last time, when he was pondering the techniques of the Flower-Pinching Fingers, his thoughts had strayed a bit too far, and his emotional fluctuations had been detected by the ice block.

This time, his thoughts were even more unruly.

He swallowed a Tranquil Heart Pill, steadied his mind, and began contemplating the Mona Ice Shard within the World Seed.

A moment later.

Li Mo opened his eyes:

"I’m ready now."

Two massage chairs, adjustable to any angle, materialized out of thin air.

"You want one?"

Li Mo sat down, adjusted to a comfortable position, and turned to ask.

Ying Bing’s eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly as she shook her head:

"No."

"Last time you were fine with it..."

Li Mo was puzzled.

Ying Bing: "......"

Well... before their souls had connected and she hadn’t sensed Little Li’s vague, wandering thoughts, she had been fine with it.

But ever since that incident, she found it hard to look at that massage chair the same way.

"Then let’s begin..."

"Wait."

Just as he was about to touch her jade-like hand, she suddenly pulled it back.

Li Mo blinked in surprise.

The girl closed her eyes:

"I need to meditate for a moment too."

"......"

The night breeze whispered, the moon bright and stars sparse.

The lakeshore of Fish-Dragon Lake was silent, so quiet that only the faint rustling of clothes in the wind could be heard, mingling with the distant, sporadic chime of wind chimes downstairs.

The boy and girl exchanged glances, neither speaking a word, an unspoken understanding between them.

A while later.

A faint ripple of soul energy finally began to flow.

Time passed.

The moon set, the sun rose, and the eastern sky lightened with dawn.

By the time they rose after a night of practice, a familiar voice called out:

"Junior Brother Li, there are so many people looking for you outside!"

Tang Xiaobao rushed up, skidding to a stop with his little arms swinging behind him.

"How many?" Li Mo asked.

Tang Xiaobao counted on his fingers but quickly ran out of digits. He could only say:

"Enough that they’re practically breaking the inn’s doorstep."

"Senior Brother Xiaobao, do you know why they’re looking for me?"

Having just learned last night that the Drizzle Pavilion had increased the bounty on his head, Li Mo had been on high alert.

"Probably... probably because of the Hidden Dragon Ranking? You’re famous now!"

Tang Xiaobao clearly didn’t know either.

Fame from the Hidden Dragon Ranking...

That made sense. While he personally didn’t feel much about it, his and Ying Bing’s rankings were shockingly high.

But Ying Bing’s rank was even higher than his.

Why were all these people coming to see him?

"Senior Brother Xiaobao, go and gather all the elders."

"Got it!"

"Wait—call Master too."

Li Mo took out a sobering pill.

Then he turned to Ying Bing:

"Ice Block, you coming?"

"......"

Ying Bing shook her head lightly.

She had no interest in wasting time on such trivial worldly affairs.

"Alright, we’ll head to Sword City together later."

Li Mo went downstairs.

Ying Bing silently watched the boy’s retreating figure. She brewed a pot of tea, planning to practice Phoenix Aura after finishing it.

Phoenix Aura could convert foreign inner energy into foreign true essence.

She hadn’t had the chance to do so since opening her second meridian.

She would start later...

Hm?

Just as she sat back down, Ying Bing froze.

She saw her own chair—empty.

And the one she was sitting on now... was still warm.

The sensation reminded her of not long ago, during sword practice, when she’d been careless and...

Letting things happen naturally was one thing.

But that mental image... wasn’t exactly natural.

.........

As Senior Brother Xiaobao had said, the visitors this time were quite the spectacle.

It made sense for people to want to get acquainted with a future powerhouse from the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but etiquette dictated they should’ve sent a formal invitation first.

Yet these guests had arrived in a hurry, practically rushing over the moment they learned Li Mo’s whereabouts.

As if afraid someone else would beat them to it.

The elders were thrilled—Qingyuan Sect had never been famous in Yunzhou before.

But after Li Mo told them about Xu Yi, they quickly sobered up.

After some discussion, they decided to meet the visitors—but Li Mo would keep his Heaven’s Eye active the entire time.

Soon, they arrived at the inn’s first floor.

There were many people, but most were attendants standing at attention, all at least at the Inner Breath realm, with some even at the Observation Spirit stage.

Only one person was seated.

Ouyang was taken aback when he saw him.

"Rich Man Sun?"

Rich Man?

Li Mo looked over. The man Ouyang called Rich Man Sun was a rotund figure dressed in luxurious silk, a thick coral-and-gold belt studded with gemstones cinched around his waist.

Two words: obscene wealth.

A stark contrast to the low-key Little Li.

"Greetings, esteemed masters of Purple Sun Manor."

Rich Man Sun stood up, his words flattering the Qingyuan Sect elders, but his eyes fixed on Li Mo:

"I am Sun Gui, head manager of Yunzhou’s Prosperity Trading Company. I’ve come today specifically to pay my respects to Young Hero Li and establish ties with Qingyuan Sect."

Prosperity Trading Company was one of the four major trading houses in Great Yu, with business routes spanning the entire empire and branches in every prefecture.

On paper, merchants in Great Yu weren’t highly regarded—but that was just on paper.

In reality, even the governor of Yunzhou or the lord of Hengyun Sword City would treat Sun Gui with courtesy.

"So it’s Manager Sun."

The Qingyuan Sect members remained polite and composed.

"Might I ask why Manager Sun seeks me?"

Li Mo smiled, cupping his hands with effortless grace.

The man wasn’t a Drizzle Pavilion assassin—he was an Internal Scenery realm expert himself.

Sun Gui was momentarily stunned.

Do they not know how rich I am?

But after a brief pause, his confident demeanor returned.

"Young Hero Li is truly a man of remarkable bearing. Excellent... truly excellent."

Sun Gui cut straight to the point:

"My daughter is an avid reader of the tales written about you. She admires you greatly and has been pestering me nonstop these days."

"She’s my only child, and I’m soft-hearted, so I’ve brought some humble gifts."

"Men!"

With a clap of his hands, his attendants began opening chest after chest outside.

Aside from the large chest at the very end...

In an instant, the dazzling gleam of jewels and treasures filled the room, drawing gasps of awe from the onlookers.

"This humble one has come precisely to propose a marriage alliance. Might I ask if Young Hero Li Mo is already betrothed?"

Tap—

A light footstep sounded.

Someone had just stepped into the hall—right in time to hear those words.

Ying Bing's calm, phoenix-like eyes narrowed with a subtle, unreadable glint.

.....

Updates might be slow at times, mainly because this little struggling author wants every chapter to be as engaging as possible. Sometimes, the plot progression feels too flat, making it hard to put pen to paper.

Thank you, dear readers, for your patience. OrZ.

Humbly asking for your support~~