Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’
Chapter 226: Have You Ever Seen a Dragon

Night had fallen.

The private room was dimly lit, with candlelight filtering through the frosted glass shades, casting a hazy glow that seemed to shut out even the moonlight.

"Take off your shoes."

Li Mo sat on a small stool, gazing earnestly at Ying Bing, who reclined on the massage chair. He hoped this gesture would repay her for the effort she'd expended earlier while rushing about—and maybe, just maybe, secure some investment in the process.

As for why he was sitting on a stool...

"Take off my shoes... why?"

Though Ying Bing's jade-like face remained as composed as ever, her slender, fair fingers had already tightened their grip on the fabric of the massage chair.

"Have you ever seen a dragon?" Li Mo asked solemnly.

"I have," Ying Bing nodded.

Had she seen one in a past life or in a dream?

He was momentarily at a loss for words.

Noticing his speechlessness, Ying Bing tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and corrected herself, "Oh, then I haven't."

"Good. You’re about to," Li Mo said mysteriously.

Ying Bing's delicate brows furrowed slightly, a few question marks practically materializing above her head.

Li Mo grinned. "Because you’re about to experience the full dragon service."

Ying Bing didn’t quite understand what this strange term meant, but Li Mo explained it was a new service their tavern planned to offer customers.

If it was meant for guests, it was probably... somewhat normal.

Besides, it involved dragons—a word now absent even among the myriad beasts of the Southern Border, reserved for solemn and dignified contexts, often used by the imperial family.

Li Mo added, "If you feel uncomfortable at any point, just let me know."

The young man was oddly enthusiastic, though he wasn’t entirely sure why.

"Want any extras?"

"Extras?"

"Never mind, I’ll add lotus wine for you. Enhances the experience."

He poured snow lotus wine—worth a thousand taels of silver per bottle—into the basin, unbothered by the fact that the water would eventually be discarded.

But he soon regretted it.

Her calves were fairer than snow, her toenails like delicate petals curling slightly as she tested the water temperature before finally dipping her feet in.

"Mmm..."

"What’s wrong?"

Ying Bing noticed Li Mo had fallen into deep thought.

He was suddenly struck by how wasteful it felt to pour out this water—especially since it now contained such precious wine.

Well, it must be because of the wine’s muscle-relaxing properties...

"I’ll... begin now. Just relax."

"Mm."

Ying Bing turned her face away, silent.

Li Mo observed that though the "ice block" maintained her usual aloof expression, her fingers and toes curled slightly whenever she was nervous.

This was a truth he’d confirmed firsthand.

Earlier, it had just been a hypothesis—after all, practice was the sole criterion for testing truth!

A moment later...

"Are you done?"

"I haven’t even started yet."

"But you’ve been... rubbing for a while."

"Impossible. You must just be feeling every second drag on."

"......"

Li Mo employed the Flower-Pinching Technique, but well...

This was probably just the eternal struggle between service providers and their clients.

The more indifferent Ying Bing looked, the more determined Li Mo became to find her pressure points.

So he located a particularly sensitive acupoint and pressed down—squelch~

Hmm...

Good thing he dodged fast.

Otherwise, those damp, jade-white toes might’ve ended up in his mouth.

When he looked up, Ying Bing’s cool gaze clearly spelled out:

'Not funny.'

So Li Mo behaved himself.

Honestly, whoever created the Flower-Pinching Technique was a genius. Even without its core essence, the technique was remarkably effective.

And was Li Mo taking this seriously?

Well, customer Ying Bing certainly thought he was enjoying himself a little too much.

In any case, Ying Bing’s tense posture gradually relaxed.

But that annoying system never missed an appointment—and was never late.

[Ding—]

[Countdown to the next ranking comparison: one minute remaining.]

The system’s virtual text overlapped with Li Mo’s figure.

Ying Bing glanced down at him, her lashes fluttering with an unreadable emotion.

Unlike the first two times, she wasn’t so confident now.

She’d lost twice already. Though she’d since mastered divine techniques, what exactly had Li Mo just been using?

"You go to the top of the Sword Tower often, don’t you?"

Li Mo was diligently applying the Flower-Pinching Technique, though his hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Still, multitasking wasn’t an issue:

"Yeah. I’ve been trying to sketch the strange stone up there, but no luck so far. Though I have made some progress..."

"Why sketch the stone?"

"If it’s that mystical, maybe it’s a Great Dao Divine Form?"

Li Mo chuckled.

Ying Bing dismissed it as a joke. "You can’t possibly depict a Great Dao Divine Form right now."

She’d never heard of anyone successfully copying one.

The most skilled painting sage she knew could only replicate Extreme Forms—and even that required perfect conditions.

Normally, the inheritance of Extreme Forms involved powerful figures splitting off fragments of their soul to leave behind divine imprints.

Ying Bing didn’t find it odd that Li Mo could study two divine imprints.

Most in the Observation Divine Realm were lucky to master one divine imprint in their lifetime—some didn’t even manage a Lower Form.

But she herself had taken the path of observing a hundred avian Extreme Forms to condense the Phoenix Divine Form.

"If you want to study other divine imprints, you’ll need ones compatible with your physique."

"But I don’t know what suits me."

Li Mo shrugged.

Only the things he drew himself seemed to fit.

"It can’t just be a rock."

"What if a monkey jumps out of it?"

"You—"

Ying Bing’s cold gaze suddenly paused.

She looked down and saw his hand resting on her calf.

While they’d been talking...

When had it moved up there?

Li Mo coughed professionally. "Just say the word if it’s uncomfortable."

"Right now..."

Ying Bing’s lips parted slightly.

But the countdown was already nearing zero.

3...

2...

1...

[Results of the third Eastern Wasteland Domain prodigy ranking have been announced.]

[Note: The next ranking will expand its comparison scope.]

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Ranking, 50th place: Zheng Conglong]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Ranking, 39th place: Lin Jiang]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Ranking, 22nd place: Murong Xiao]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Ranking, 11th place: Xiao Qin]

...

[Eastern Wasteland Domain Prodigy Ranking, 2nd place: Ying Bing]

...

[Congratulations, Host. You’ve secured second place in this ranking.]

[Rewards are being issued...]

[Detected that Host has activated the Punishment for the Defeated. All rewards have been stored in the system space and will be distributed after punishment is completed.]

[This punishment’s content: Request ‘Li Mo’ to touch you.]

[Requirement: Cover over 80% of your body’s surface area.]

Ying Bing pressed her lips together, momentarily dazed.

It was unexpected—yet made perfect sense.

Or perhaps, deep down, she’d already braced herself for this?

The air seemed to freeze for a second.

Li Mo suddenly felt the smooth arch of her foot tense up again, her previously relaxed legs stiffening once more.

Hmm...

To be honest, the issue wasn’t whether Ying Bing could adapt or not.

Student Li Mo felt he needed to cool off too—maybe take a cold shower or something.

It was a bit overwhelming.

But the investment feedback still hadn’t refreshed. Was it because the investment wasn’t complete yet, or did this not even count as an investment?

"First time being a deadbeat dad—it’s normal not to be used to it."

"Let’s end it here."

Yet just as he shook the water droplets off his hands and stood up, $2ing Bing’s faint voice drifted from behind him. She seemed to be struggling to maintain her composure:

"Wait… can’t you see the dragon?"

"What dragon?"

"The dragon in ‘full-service dragon.’"

"??"

Li Mo turned back in confusion.

Her jade-like face, usually as cold and clear as frost under moonlight, now seemed more like the moon’s reflection rippling across a lake, faintly trembling.

Must be the lighting.