Chapter 304
The wind rustled the large tent, lifting the curtain slightly.
There, she appeared—the woman who resembled the cold moon hanging high outside. With her lips like shattered jade, she touched the spoon, gently blowing on the medicinal soup to cool it before feeding it to Li Mo.
“Why don’t we just leave?”
“Leave? Why would we do that?”
“Kid, listen to your brother. Let’s go back and make dumplings.”
“I can roll out dumpling skins now. Let’s do it together!”
“Alright then, let’s head back and make dumplings!”
The soldiers left in a chorus of murmurs.
As they departed, they even kindly lowered the tent curtain of the central command tent and secured it, preventing the cold wind from blowing in.
Inside the tent.
Ying Bing finished feeding the soup and took out some ointment to apply to his wounds.
Her eyes were heavy, and her fair fingers gently traced the scars on his body. She knew these frightening-looking injuries were not fatal, but she bit her lip harder, feeling the pressure build.
It must hurt a lot.
If she had already gathered the forms of a hundred birds today and manifested the Phoenix God, how could she let him charge into battle alone?
If only she were a bit stronger.
Her cool fingers glided over his face—his lips, his nose, his eyes.
Suddenly, his lips parted, and he murmured softly in his sleep.
“Bing Tuozi, once this battle is over, we’ll win.”
“What about the gift you promised me?”
Ying Bing’s fingers curled slightly, her pained gaze turning complex and inscrutable.
Just moments ago, he was leading troops into battle, yet now he was speaking such childish dreams?
What a legendary hero.
He was clearly still a child at heart.
At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in her ears:
【Listing all the talents from the Southern Frontier.】
【Conducting a power comparison for the host.】
Ying Bing froze for a moment.
So many significant events had occurred recently that she had overlooked this.
The system ranking she had initiated was due for an update today.
The power level was calculated based on recent and future strengths over a period of time.
Ying Bing looked at Li Mo. Given his current injuries, he clearly wouldn’t recover in the short term.
Does that mean...
ps: I’m applying for two updates today to sleep early. I hope the audience can approve. I need to get up early tomorrow to outline the next major plot.
This little writer has never asked for a break before, but sometimes I need two updates to rest my mind, read a bit (I swear on my chastity, I’m definitely not going to play games!).
I’m asking for some support, muah!
---
**Chapter 330: A Taste of Sweetness**
The faint crackling of charcoal in the copper basin dispelled the chill from outside the tent.
Ying Bing sat quietly at the edge of Li Mo’s bed, her legs crossed, gazing at the words invisible to others.
【Fifty-first talent of the Southern Frontier: Zhu Ningze.】
【Forty-ninth talent: Qiu Lianyu.】
【Forty-eighth talent: Hei Yu.】
...
The Southern Frontier was much larger than the Eastern Wasteland, yet the portion belonging to the human race was comparatively smaller.
Hei?
This seemed to be a branch of the Da Shang royal family, whose totem was the evil turtle that Li Mo had smashed. This meant that this tribe had participated in the attack on Qingmu City.
Many names on the list were similar.
Those remnants of the Da Shang still thrived deep in the Southern Frontier, influencing the land with their beliefs.
Ying Bing, expressionless, noted down each name and the tribes behind them.
【Tenth talent of the Southern Frontier: Zhong Ling.】
【Ninth talent: Huang Donglai.】
...
【Fourth talent: Zhong Zhenyue.】
【Third talent: Shang Qi.】
【Second talent: Shang Yusu.】
【First talent...】
She stared at the last line of the system.
Ying Bing.
She finally saw her name at the top of the ranking, the number one she had longed for.
Yet, she found herself lacking the joy she had anticipated. Perhaps it was because she didn’t see that familiar name. These fifty names felt empty, lacking something.
【Congratulations, host! You have achieved first place in the system ranking for the first time!】
The annoying system had deliberately enlarged the text and added special effects.
【This system has upgraded and added a celebration feature for the top rank. Would you like to fire a cannon for the birth of the top rank?】
“No, thanks.”
Ying Bing tied her hair back again, inserting a jade hairpin.
【But this time, the host does not need to complete the system punishment. Isn’t that worth celebrating?】
Worth celebrating...?
The punishment was gone.
“But I promised to give him a gift.”
“I shouldn’t go back on my word.”
Ying Bing stood up.
As the Phoenix Empress, the master of the Gui Palace, how could she not keep her promises?
But he wasn’t awake yet...
The system was announcing the rewards for the top rank, but she was lost in thought, not even hearing what the rewards were.
She couldn’t help but recall a story Li Mo had casually told after dinner.
The sleeping princess awakened with a kiss from the prince.
At the time, she thought the story was too childish, but now she wondered, if the story unfolded as it did in childhood tales, wouldn’t it be...
Ying Bing glanced at the still-sleeping Li Mo, then returned to the charcoal stove to brew a second batch of medicine.
A little while later.
Li Mo woke up.
He first caught a whiff of the bitter medicinal scent and couldn’t help but frown.
When he opened his eyes, he was momentarily stunned.
Not far from the charcoal fire, a figure that seemed untouched by the world was tending to the pot, watching the soup’s simmering state. With a delicate hand, she fanned the flames, coaxing them to lick the bottom of the pot.
The firelight softened her jade-like features, making her captivatingly radiant.
“Bing Tuozi...”
Li Mo looked at the cold fairy, feeling warmth bloom in his heart.
“You’re awake? Just in time.”
Ying Bing gently poured out the medicine and approached.
“The medicine is ready. Drink it while it’s hot.”
“!”
Li Mo’s expression was complicated.
Waking up to see Bing Tuozi brewing medicine for him was indeed heartwarming.
But this was Bing Tuozi’s medicinal soup.
She had ‘personally’ made it.
Li Mo still couldn’t forget that spicy stir-fried meat.
Ying Bing lowered her face, her eyes still reflecting the warmth of the stove.
“Li Mo, be good.”
“I’ll drink it!”
Li Mo felt like he was invincible, immune to all poisons. What was a mere bowl of Bing Tuozi’s soup?
He tried to lift his hand to grab the bowl and gulp it down.
But he found his arms felt numb, unable to move—likely a side effect of wielding the world’s power for too long.
Fortunately, Bing Tuozi had already brought the spoon to his lips.
“Is it too hot?” Ying Bing asked.
“Not hot, but...”
Li Mo’s expression was like a pained cartoon character, hesitating to speak.
It wasn’t just bitter.
What on earth was in this bowl of medicine? He could taste a sharp, acerbic flavor...
“Really? This medicine shouldn’t...”
Ying Bing frowned, tasting a bit herself, visibly shivering.
After a moment of silence, she said, “Good medicine is bitter; you have to drink it to get better quickly.”
“Taking it slow isn’t a problem... cough cough!”
Under Bing Tuozi’s gaze, Li Mo chose to pinch his nose and take two more sips.
But the medicine was too bitter.
After just two sips, he couldn’t help but cough.
“Bing Tuozi, do you have anything sweet? I’m not saying I’ve worked hard, but it’s been quite tough. I should at least taste something sweet.”
“Something sweet...”
Ying Bing pursed her lips.
After thinking for a moment, she set down the medicine and took out a piece of candy from the big-headed doll.
Li Mo was just thinking that adding this candy to the medicine might slightly improve its sharpness...
Then he saw the candy at Bing Tuozi’s lips.
“?”
Li Mo was taken aback.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a taste of sweetness?
But the next second, he caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance as she leaned in closer, allowing him to see the soft glow on her eyelashes.
Her gaze, now clearer, sparkled with warmth.
Suddenly, Li Mo understood the unspoken words in her eyes:
“Sweetness, eat.”
What kind of person was Ying Bing in the eyes of the world? Cold, pure, mysterious—her title as the Cold Fairy made it clear how unattainable she was.
But now, with candy on her lips, she was so close.
She didn’t say a word.
But when her eyes looked at you, it felt breathtaking, making it impossible to focus on anything else in the world.
That was no mere gaze.
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