Chapter 284
The garrison commander, Wu Lang, personally led the horse to bring back Li Mo from the battlefield.
At this moment, the military formation gradually came to a halt. Among the armored soldiers, the young man stood tall and proud, accepting the admiration of the troops.
What a thrill.
No wonder the protagonists in novels love to show off in front of others.
It was a pity he wasn’t in battle gear; it would have suited him even better.
However, feeling the increasingly perfected divine pattern of the Stone Monkey within his dantian, Li Mo decided that this minor flaw was nothing to worry about.
The Seventy-Two Transformations were complete.
The next divine ability was the Cloud Somersault, which would finally cover his biggest shortcoming—speed.
Once he mastered the Cloud Somersault, wouldn’t he be able to use the Golden Transformation Seal to deduce the Wukong Seeking the Dao diagram into a grand divine form?
Excited, Li Mo clenched his fist.
“This is the general’s steed. Please, Young Hero Li, mount.”
Wu Lang had brought forth a pure white horse, its coat unblemished, with silver scales covering its joints.
“Alright.”
Li Mo mounted the horse, but his expression was even more tense than when he had been the focal point of the formation.
This horse was incredibly difficult to ride.
He had never been good at it.
Yet, the tension he felt was selectively ignored by those present.
The young man, already handsome and radiant, had just displayed unparalleled bravery, and now, atop this rare steed, who wouldn’t praise him as a gallant youth, a hero in his prime?
“Li Shaoxia!”
Someone shouted first.
Then the entire training ground echoed with calls for him, a thunderous cheer.
It was as if a legendary hero had returned triumphantly, riding on a rainbow cloud.
Hearing the approaching sound of hooves, Ying Bing gently lifted her gaze, watching him come closer.
She had put away her guqin and was now gently rubbing the head of a doll, her eyes sparkling with a hint of something unusual.
“Cold Fairy, are you gathering troops? The more, the merrier?”
“.....”
Ying Bing paused, her fingers on the doll, and softly said:
“Fortunate wife, valiant in battle?”
Li Mo, who was already not great at riding, nearly fell off the horse.
Returning to the command platform, the generals naturally showered him with praise.
Qu Sheng even suggested that to thank him for his contributions to the Qingmu Camp, they should gift him the white horse, this snow-white dragon.
Li Mo politely declined, citing that he had a better mount.
Emmmmm.
Not a horse.
It was the Cloud Somersault.
Though it might seem odd to be dashing in and out of battle on a cloud, it was certainly more normal than a horse.
.....
In the blink of an eye, dusk fell, and the sun, which had hidden all day, finally broke through the clouds.
The afterglow bathed the thin snow, reflecting a hazy light, like a curtain that vividly displayed the exotic charm of Qingmu City.
The horse-drawn carriage rolled out from the brightly lit Qingmu Camp, where training continued.
‘The system still has a pile of rewards to tally.’
‘And I haven’t had the chance to comprehend the Cloud Somersault yet.’
Li Mo lay in the carriage, waves of fatigue crashing over him like a tide.
No matter how strong his physique, carrying the armor of forty soldiers left him feeling weak.
This fatigue was not just physical; his spirit felt it too.
He was truly exhausted.
Moreover, not far away, Ying Bing was gazing down, her serene and flawless face reflecting the snowy dusk outside. She was holding a pen, writing her understanding of military formations.
The soft sound of her writing mingled with the crunch of the wheels over the snow, creating a harmonious tranquility.
Li Mo’s mind went blank, and he didn’t want to think about anything. He simply watched her in silence.
“If only there were a Wuhua Bulao Spring here.”
“Hmm.....”
Ying Bing glanced out the window. Since the spring was at Qingyuan Sect and not here, she replied:
“Bathing in a light snow should be quite comfortable.”
“Bathing... In our room, the bathtub seems pretty big?”
Li Mo thought that with some heavenly materials, it could barely count as a low-end version of the Wuhua Bulao Spring.
He would have to try it when they got back.
“.....”
Ying Bing didn’t seem to hear him, as she continued writing.
But tomorrow, Qu Sheng might end up with a few more question marks on his forehead.
What kind of formation was Li Mo’s?
And what was this bathing momentum?
“Hey, Li Ge!”
As they approached the tavern, they spotted the sugar painting stall, but today there were hardly any little kids around, just the stall owner’s grandson, Huzi, who immediately recognized their leader.
“Li Ge, you guys just came back from Qingmu Camp, right?”
“Exactly.”
“It was so lively there today! I heard the prodigies from the Qianlong List were performing military drills. Did you see them in person? Were they as impressive as they say?”
“Not bad, I guess. Just a bit better than Wu Yanzu.”
“??”
Li Mo glanced at the sugar painting stall and asked:
“Business not so good today?”
“Yeah, it’s cold, and the sugar is freezing before we can finish painting it. We can’t sell the sugar paintings, so Grandpa was worried about the sugar getting damp at home and went back, leaving me to watch the stall.”
Huzi pouted, seemingly unhappy that he couldn’t go to Qingmu Camp to see the excitement.
“Then why not just sell sugar balls? Roll the sugar into balls and wrap them in paper, sell them cheaper.”
“Hey! Why didn’t Grandpa and I think of that? Li Ge, you’re a genius!”
Before long, since they were close to the tavern, Li Mo simply got out of the carriage, eagerly discussing sugar ball making with Huzi.
Watching the boy roll the sugar balls, Ying Bing couldn’t help but show a hint of helplessness. She then lowered her gaze to check the military formation strategy she had just written.
But after just a glance, she froze.
To form the Li Mo formation and create the bathing momentum, the key was importing sugar...
Ying Bing’s serene eyes momentarily filled with confusion.
What had she written?
How did she end up including the system’s punishment in there??
While she was lost in thought, Li Mo laughed loudly:
“Ha! Our first sugar ball is ready!”
“Li Ge is amazing!” Huzi cheered beside him.
Li Mo raised an eyebrow and smiled. He remembered that Ice Fairy seemed to enjoy sweet snacks, even if she didn’t say it, she had finished an entire sugar figure the other day.
So he ducked back into the carriage and pressed the sugar into her palm.
“.....”
The freshly made sugar ball was warm to the touch.
If it went into her mouth, it would surely melt quickly, turning into sweet, stretchy syrup, right?
Looking at the sugar ball, Ying Bing’s eyelashes fluttered. She seemed to have found the reason for the chaotic military formation strategy.
“Your hands are so cold.”
Li Mo frowned and casually tucked her slender hand along with the sugar into his pocket.
....
PS: Little Pujie is taking a sick day today; the fever won’t go down even with medicine, so I’m planning to get an IV.
Please support me with some energy, orz.
---
Chapter 309: Ice Fairy Soup
As dusk deepened, the snow-covered streets seemed to be painted with a rosy hue.
Ying Bing watched Li Mo’s nonchalant expression and inexplicably wanted to curl her fingers, but her hand was holding the sugar, completely enveloped by his warmth. Where could she hide it?
Cold?
Even during the worst of today’s wind and snow, she hadn’t felt cold. Her ice-like skin, tempered by the power of the moon, was used to the elements.
She had long since adapted.
Not knowing cold, she naturally didn’t know warmth.
But now, with her left hand outside and her right hand tucked in his pocket, wrapped in his warm grip, the contrast between cold and warmth suddenly became clear.
“It is a bit.”
“!”
To be honest, Li Mo himself had just realized what he had unconsciously done.
What a joke, Ice Fairy feeling cold?
But the delicate, boneless little hand in his palm did seem to warm up a bit, and Li Mo couldn’t help but study her expression.
Ying Bing remained expressionless, but a faint blush appeared on her moon-white face, though it was hard to tell if it was the dusk light sneaking in through the window.
Her clear, bright eyes gazed out the window, perfectly illuminated by the twilight, a blend of light and shadow.
“I must learn the craft well in the future!”
Huzi watched the two in the carriage, rubbing his eyes.
He used to think all sugar tasted the same once it hit the tongue, so why bother with the effort of painting it?
But now, he desperately wanted to capture this moment and paint it with sweet syrup. This must be what Grandpa meant by...
“Sugar is sweet in the mouth, but painting is sweet in the heart?”
At that moment, a sudden sound of hooves echoed from the street’s end, as a covered carriage pressed deep tracks into the snow.
The convoy was flanked by two rows of soldiers, clearly from the Qingmu Camp based on their attire.
“Li Shaoxia.”
The leader was a subordinate of Qu Sheng, who had seen Li Mo at the Jiawei Tavern yesterday.
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