Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’

Chapter 14: Hotpot, Ying Bing’s Dream

Inside the carriage.

Though outwardly unassuming, this carriage concealed extraordinary wonders. The crossbeams alone were crafted from gold-fragrant wood, intricately carved with taotie patterns – sturdy, rot-resistant, and exuding an exotic aroma.

It was the martial world’s equivalent of a luxury vehicle. Remarkably, one felt not even the slightest vibration while seated inside.

“As expected of the Sect Leader’s carriage.”

“Senior, how much does this carriage cost?”

Li Mo, feeling a bit uneasy, couldn’t help but marvel at it.

He felt like a country bumpkin entering a wealthy household for the first time – curious yet afraid to touch anything.

“This old man’s surname is Ba. I’m but a humble servant, young master. You may call me Old Ba,” the elderly coachman said with a kindly smile. “As for this carriage, if priced in gold, it would cost tens of thousands of taels. It was a gift from the owner of the Hesheng Trading Company.”

Li Mo was stunned. He who thought himself modestly wealthy suddenly felt the sting of poverty.

Tens of thousands of taels in gold? Even if made entirely of gold, it shouldn’t cost that much.

Seeming to sense his confusion, Old Ba explained with a chuckle, “This carriage is forged from cold iron. Even those in the Divine realm couldn’t damage it.”

“No wonder I can’t afford it,” Li Mo said with sudden understanding, patting his thin purse. His dream of owning such a luxurious ride was shattered.

At the tea table, Ying Bing sat calmly drinking tea. Her demeanor was so casual and natural that one might mistake her for the carriage’s rightful owner. No – Li Mo even had the illusion that she was condescending to be there.

‘Wasn’t Ice doll just a punching bag in the Li household before?’ Li Mo couldn’t help but marvel. This was what it meant to possess imperial bloodline!

…

Back at Autumn Water Pavilion.

Ying Bing casually picked up a withered branch and began practicing her swordsmanship, attempting to gauge how far she could push her sword techniques at her current level.

At the kitchen doorway, Li Mo asked, “What would you like to eat today?”

Of course, Qingyuan Sect had its own dining hall. However, since each meal with the Ice doll could earn him rewards, Li Mo was happy to cook.

“Anything is fine. I have no appetite for food, so you needn’t put much thought into it,” Ying Bing replied without turning her head.

“That’s because you haven’t encountered true delicacies yet,” Li Mo said confidently. “Without exaggeration, if I cook seriously, it would be unparalleled under heaven.”

Among his rewards were many seasonings not found in this world. He even had a packet of hotpot seasoning that he’d been craving for a long time.

Ying Bing said nothing. It was unclear if she had even heard him.

“She’s too focused,” Li Mo sighed to himself. People weren’t machines. Neglecting one’s human needs for too long could lead to mental issues.

“Senior Sister Ying Bing, are you here?” a voice called from outside.

Li Mo went out to find an outer sect deacon carrying large packages. They contained various exotic meats that nourished one’s qi and blood – delicacies not commonly available outside.

This was the treatment befitting the Sect Leader’s personal disciple.

The outer sect deacon introduced the meats: iron-boned cattle, green-scaled fish, and rock sheep, all raised on Rare Beast Peak.

“Beef, lamb, fish – if we made a hotpot with these, oh my,” Li Mo thought, his mouth watering.

Half an hour later.

Rich, spicy aromas wafted through the courtyard.

Li Mo sat before the stove, swishing paper-thin slices of iron-boned beef in the broth.

“Perfect,” he savored. When the exotic meats of this world met hotpot seasonings from his previous world, the taste was unforgettably delicious.

“Try some,” Li Mo said, placing some cooked fish in Ying Bing’s bowl.

A layer of red oil clung to the girl’s lips, making them appear even more alluringly red.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Li Mo asked.

“It’s alright,” Ying Bing replied, her chopsticks moving slightly faster than before.

Li Mo noticed and smiled, “Then eat more. Exotic meats are good for martial cultivation.”

“Food and pleasure are human nature. One should enjoy when it’s time to enjoy,” he added.

Amidst the rising steam, the girl’s features became indistinct. Her cheeks moved as she chewed, but it was unclear if she had heard his words.

…

Upstairs, in a room.

[Congratulations, host. Investment: One serving of exotic meat hotpot.]

[Feedback reward obtained: One Xuan Crystal.]

[Xuan Crystal]: “Contains the purest source qi between heaven and earth. Can be used for refining, forging weapons, or powering various devices. Its uses are boundless.”

“This hotpot was certainly worth it,” Li Mo mused.

A milky-white, diamond-shaped crystal appeared in his palm, emitting faint points of light. The energy it contained was familiar to him.

It was the same source qi he absorbed during cultivation, only far more concentrated. It would take him an incredibly long time to accumulate this much on his own.

While not particularly useful to Li Mo himself, this item was extremely valuable. A single crystal would fetch an astronomical price!

Those who wished to ascend to higher realms relied on such treasures.

“It’s decided. We’ll eat exotic meat every day from now on!” Li Mo resolved, putting away the Xuan Crystal. “I must keep Ice doll well-fed.”

Suddenly, he remembered something else.

Didn’t Senior Brother Xiao Qin have a Seven Star Ancient Jade?

Because the Seven Star Ancient Jade required source energy to activate, Xiao Qin’s cultivation level had been constantly declining.

Wouldn’t this Xuan Crystal perfectly solve his problem?

“I can’t use the Xuan Crystal anyway. I might as well invest it in him,” Li Mo reasoned.

He had deduced some patterns about investments.

The Destiny level formed the basis for rewards.

And things that helped the investment target more would improve the rewards beyond the Destiny baseline.

Xiao Qin had purple Destiny.

The feedback rewards would certainly far exceed the value of one Xuan Crystal.

“I don’t need to learn the Six Harmonies Fist anymore,” Li Mo thought. “With two years of martial insight, I should be able to master it anyway.”

Drawing on his previous experience, Li Mo didn’t use up all his martial insights at once.

[Five years of martial insight infused into cultivation.]

[After one year of practice, you have fully mastered the Six Harmonies Fist and can use it in combat, reaching the Minor Accomplishment Stage.]

[In the fourth year, through long-term focus, you have integrated the Six Harmonies Fist into your daily life – walking, sitting, lying down. You are no longer constrained by fixed movements.]

[In the fifth year, your Six Harmonies Fist has reached the Major Accomplishment Stage.]

A familiar feeling washed over him.

But Major Accomplishment wasn’t enough.

[Five more years of martial insight infused into cultivation.]

[In the first year, you continuously practice the fist technique, vaguely sensing higher realms of the art.]

[In the second year, inspiration strikes. You seem to have found the correct direction and begin to verify and refine your understanding.]

[In the fourth year, your Six Harmonies Fist technique achieves a great breakthrough!]

[In the fifth year, you gain new insights, though these insights are not yet fully clear…]

The familiar sensation returned.

After fully assimilating the insights, Li Mo clenched his fist, feeling an urge to test his skills.

So he immediately assumed a fighting stance in his room and began vigorously practicing the fist techniques.

Each move was powerful and fluid, indistinguishable from what he had originally practiced.

Crack!

Li Mo gathered strength from his entire body, concentrating it into a single point, and threw a thunderous punch.

Intent permeating the six directions!

With this punch, the sleeve at his arm tore apart, disintegrating into countless fragments.

“Such power with only one meridian opened,” Li Mo exhaled deeply, going to change into new clothes.

Even now, he couldn’t fully unleash the might of the Six Harmonies Fist.

Cultivate!

He sat cross-legged, quietly circulating the Heart Lotus technique.

…

Ying Bing’s sword flickered, producing nine sword flowers with a single strike.

The Flower-Seeking Sword technique.

She knew it in her past life, but today she still watched attentively as Elder Han he demonstrated it once more.

After all, this was the sect’s secret technique. If she claimed to already know it, she couldn’t explain how.

At present, she could at most produce nine flowers with one sword strike.

At her peak, she could casually unleash this technique to create a rain of flowers across the sky, all formed from sword energy.

If augmented with Yin energy, she could easily freeze a great lake.

Her current level was still too low.

Ying Bing sheathed her sword and stood upright, preparing to intensify her practice.

Suddenly, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

The activity next door…

“His cultivation can draw upon heaven and earth’s source qi?”

“This shouldn’t be a method known to Shang Wu. It’s more like a special constitution…”

Ying Bing was somewhat surprised.

She knew of many techniques that directly borrowed source energy to strengthen oneself.

But regardless of which one, they could only be used by those at the External Realm or above. Without connecting one’s internal and external heavenly realms, a martial artist simply couldn’t directly draw energy from heaven and earth.

That could only mean one thing.

It was due to Li Mo’s special constitution.

“Source Martial Body… Azure Wood Body… Supreme Heavenly Body…”

Ying Bing fell into reminiscence, recalling many geniuses she had encountered before.

Some of them indeed had talents worthy of her memory.

Which of these might Li Mo possess?

Or perhaps it was one she hadn’t encountered before?

A moment later, Ying Bing withdrew from her thoughts.

She was merely curious about why Li Mo’s changes were so drastic.

What constitution he had didn’t really matter.

If she didn’t recognize it, it meant it wasn’t strong enough – at least not enough to rank on the Nine Heavens Sovereign Rankings kept by the Tianji Pavilion.

And if it was one of those belonging to her defeated opponents from memory, what of it?

In any case, it couldn’t compare to the ten legendary physiques.

She practiced continuously for two hours.

Once again, a chilling aura began to emanate from her body.

Just as she sat down on the bed.

Knock knock—

The door was pushed open a crack, and Li Mo poked his head in, carrying a copper basin:

“Ying Bing, the exotic meats need refrigeration. I’m putting them in your room!”

The Ice doll refrigerator – everyone who’s used it says it’s great.

“?”

Ying Bing watched as he placed a covered basin of exotic meats in the corner, then left again.

As he left, he even helped extinguish her lamp.

In the past, she would certainly have thrown the basin out and warned Li Mo with a cold glare, ensuring he wouldn’t dare enter her room casually or leave things inside again.

But today…

The delicious taste of the hotpot seemed to linger on her tongue, impossible to dismiss…

If the meat spoiled, they wouldn’t be able to eat it anymore, right?

Swish—

She pulled the bed curtains closed.

The biting cold in the room spread, growing ever quieter as she gradually fell asleep.

The sleeping girl’s brow furrowed slightly.

But it wasn’t due to the torment of extreme cold.

She was dreaming.

She dreamed of when she was the exalted
Phoenix heaven, ruling over Gui Palace.

“Palace Master, I know that members of the Gui Palace cannot be tainted by romantic love, so… please, Palace Master, cripple my cultivation.”

“Master, I’ve met a good man during my travels through the jianghu…”

“Palace Master…”

“Hahaha, Ying Bing, so you don’t even know what love is. How pitiful you are!”

…

Various chaotic scenes flashed by, causing her brow to furrow even deeper.