Chapter 288
Upgrading the "Wukong Seeking the Dao Map," this should also come with some divine abilities, right?
"Want to know?"
She looked at the young man, whose righteous demeanor was tinged with a hint of guilt, and gently narrowed her beautiful eyes.
"!"
Li Ming's heart skipped a beat.
Just a moment ago, while buying clothes, he had been all bravado, but now it seemed that confidence was quickly slipping away.
This unexpected question hit him like a classic line:
"I bought a very sexy swimsuit."
The youngest among the top ten on the Qianlong List, her title alone spoke volumes about her unattainable status—like the moonlight, appearing cold and sacred, yet utterly out of reach.
At that moment, she had just stepped out of the bath.
The clothes she wore were the ones he had just picked out, and she approached him with an ethereal grace.
Whispering in his ear, she said:
"I won't tell you."
"???"
Li Ming never expected that the icy beauty might actually be a little mischievous!
The mischievous ice beauty was intentional!
The accommodating Li Ming was now reaping what he had sown. He quickly bent down to wash up, testing the water temperature, and submerged himself in the tub, finally letting out a long sigh of relief.
"This water is a bit cold; why don't you change it..."
"I can just heat it with my true essence; it's wasteful to change it."
"....."
Ying Bing sat at the head of the bed, listening to the splashing water inside, feeling a bit dazed.
What had she just done?
She glanced at her collar, her long fingers curling up, a blush rising as she quietly changed her clothes.
"Better toss this away..."
Muttering to herself, she tossed the discarded clothes into the basket.
Wait.
When they practiced together, their spirits were connected; even if she didn’t say anything...
Before long.
Li Mo stepped out from behind the screen, drying off the water from his body, only to find Bing sitting there, communicating with the Jade Phoenix God.
Bing had already started her training? He had intended to casually ask her about it.
Having perfected the Seventy-Two Transformations, he no longer needed to communicate with the Jade Phoenix God; tonight, he planned to work on the "Wukong Seeking the Dao Map."
Just as Li Mo was about to step outside for some fresh air, he heard her call:
"Li Mo."
"Yeah?"
"I have some clothes that aren't dry yet."
They never needed to hang their clothes out to dry.
The Li Ming brand dryer was highly praised by everyone who used it.
Li Mo nodded, picking up the pile of clothes, intending to dry them out while getting some air, but he noticed something familiar among them.
It was that pearl-white, lotus silk undergarment—the most expensive piece he had bought.
Huh? Wait a minute.
Didn’t he just buy that?
He turned back in confusion, but the door slammed shut with a bang.
Had she passed through?
Li Ming picked it up.
"....."
"Hiss...."
---
**Chapter 313: Conversations in the Military Tent, Compensation**
In the early morning, the wind chimes on the eaves jingled in the cold wind.
Inside, the clothes hung out to dry were occasionally stirred by the breeze that sneaked in.
Strangely, a certain local style from the southern border seemed to be missing.
Who knows if it was hidden away by some crafty thief or if something went wrong in the process.
Bing was still quietly resonating with the Jade Phoenix God.
She wasn’t going to the military camp today; it seemed she was at a critical point in her training.
"How strange."
"Why can’t I upgrade?"
Stepping out from the side room, Li Ming put the Golden Creation Seal into his system space, lost in thought.
It turned out that when it came to being aloof, the Monkey King was truly the strongest.
The Creation Seal hadn’t been applied.
"Didn’t I already comprehend the Somersault Cloud?"
As he walked onto the street, he casually bought a local breakfast, enjoying the fragrant and spicy pancakes.
While heading toward the Qingmu Camp, he pondered.
The Indestructible Vajra was actually perfected; it was just that its duration was related to his physique.
The Seventy-Two Transformations went without saying.
Was it because of the Somersault Cloud?
"The true marvel of the Somersault Cloud is that it can traverse vast distances in an instant."
"Right now, I can only fly through the air; that doesn’t count as perfection."
"But it’s not 'light' enough, and it feels a bit too mystical..."
As Li Ming was deep in thought, he suddenly bumped into a somewhat familiar figure halfway down the road.
Li Ming froze, almost failing to recognize him.
The person before him was disheveled, his clothes tattered and dark, but his eyes shone brightly, filled with a familiar wariness and an inexplicable sense of stealth...
Huang Donglai?!
"Donglai, have you expanded your side hustle to the Beggar's Sect? Your connections are too wide."
"Li brother? Cough, I didn’t expect to see you in Qingmu City."
Huang Donglai's eyes lit up, then he forced a smile and said:
"To be honest, Li brother, I was entrusted to deliver a military message to the Qingmu Camp; it’s just to save some trouble."
Li Ming nodded, the light of the Heavenly Mandate in his eyes fading, and he smiled:
"So you’re a part-time courier now. Just yesterday, I was thinking of you; General Qu sent me a prized steed, but I didn’t accept it."
"???"
After all, there weren’t many people in the world who remembered him, so Huang Donglai was quite touched.
If he hadn’t heard the reason.
"Donglai, since the military message needs to reach General Qu, and yours is particularly urgent, why not come into the camp with me?"
"That’s exactly what I was thinking."
Li Ming led Huang Donglai into the Qingmu Camp, and the patrolling soldiers recognized Li Ming, allowing them to pass without hindrance.
The southern border was home to a variety of disaster beasts; he hadn’t even showcased all the transformations from the Seventy-Two Transformations yesterday, and he had planned to continue the military exercises today.
On the training grounds, sergeants were already leading their troops in specialized drills, giving the entire camp a bustling atmosphere.
This scene struck Huang Donglai with a sense of impending storm.
"Li brother, it seems there might be a battle in Qingmu City soon; you should make plans to leave."
"A battle?"
Li Ming was taken aback, his brows furrowing.
There hadn’t been a war in the southern border for many years; why was it so sudden...
He vaguely sensed something and furrowed his brows, not answering Huang Donglai’s question.
After a moment, the personal guard brought back General Qu’s response, leading the two into the central military tent.
Inside the tent lay a sand table over three zhang long and wide, depicting a map of Qingmu City; this was likely a military secret. General Qu could have chosen another place to meet them, but for some reason, he still opted for this location.
General Qu stood before the map, greeting them with a friendly smile:
"I heard from the guard that Li Xiaojia’s friend has urgent military news?"
"General Qu, I am Huang Donglai..."
Huang Donglai handed over the letter, feeling a sense of relief once it was delivered.
Li Ming was curious about this so-called military news, but it wasn’t something he could easily inquire about, and he felt a weight in his heart.
Because he could see General Qu’s expression growing increasingly serious.
"Please, have a seat."
General Qu invited them to sit down and personally poured them tea:
"This letter is very important; thank you, hero, for traveling so far and risking your life to deliver it. No wonder you are a friend of Li Xiaojia."
After saying this, he turned to Li Ming, taking a deep breath:
"Let’s go; we need to leave Qingmu City."
Li Ming held his teacup, hurriedly asking, "Is the situation in Qingmu City that serious?"
General Qu stared at the map, no longer hiding his weariness:
"In recent days, I’ve used the art of 'On War' to calculate the battle situation many times. Initially, the odds of victory were only thirty percent, but with your appearance, they have just crossed fifty percent."
"Until today, upon seeing this letter."
"Yes, I’ve known for a long time that this battle would happen. A few days ago, I intended to let you and the Young Marquis leave together, but at that time, I swallowed my words to increase our chances of winning."
"I truly do not wish to see the brothers and the prince’s hard work in building Qingmu City go up in flames..."
"....."
Li Ming fell silent for a moment.
How did General Qu know in advance?
The divine jade from beyond the heavens.
He wasn’t foolish; he just hadn’t experienced war.
"And what about you, General? If there’s no chance of victory..."
"A broken jar will not stay intact; a general is bound to fall in battle."
General Qu filled their teacups again:
"Actually, many years ago, when I accompanied the prince to slay that monstrous crocodile, I should have died then."
"You two are different; both of you are prodigies of the Qianlong, young heroes, with a vast world awaiting you."
"Let’s go; if we delay any longer, it will be too late."
General Qu tiredly cupped his hands to them.
The tent fell silent once more, the wind outside howling harshly.
At that moment, Huang Donglai spoke again:
"This letter was given to me by a scout on the brink of death; he should belong to the Qingmu Camp."
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