Ice Block Soup
As dusk deepened, the snow-covered streets resembled white clouds tinged with rosy hues.
Looking at Li Mo's nonchalant expression, Ying Bing inexplicably wanted to curl her fingers, but she was holding a candy in her hand, which was completely enveloped by him, so where could she curl them up to?
Even during the heaviest snowstorm today, she didn't feel cold at all. Her skin and bones, tempered by the Taiyin Power, were nothing to her, as a little bit of wind and frost was nothing.
I'm used to it by now.
If you don't know cold, you naturally won't know warmth.
But now her left hand was outside, and her right hand was in his pocket, enveloped by his warm, large hand.
The contrast between warm and cold suddenly became clear.
"A little."
"!"
To be honest, even Little Li himself only just realized what he had subconsciously done.
Are you kidding me? Ice Block can be cold?
But the soft, boneless little hand in his palm did seem to have been warmed up a bit, and Li Mo couldn't help but scrutinize her expression.
Ying Bing remained expressionless, but a faint blush appeared on her pale face, perhaps because the twilight outside the car window had sneaked in.
Her clear, bright eyes gazed out the window, bathed in the interplay of sunlight and moonlight, a tapestry of light and shadow.
"I must learn this skill properly in the future!"
Huzi looked at the two people in the car and wiped his eyes.
He used to think that all candy tasted the same, so why bother drawing it?
But now he desperately wants to paint this scene with sweet sugar syrup; this is probably what Grandpa meant by...
Candy is sweet to the mouth, but a painting is sweet to the heart?
Just then, the sound of carriages and horses suddenly came from the end of the street. The carriages, covered with oilcloth, pressed deep ruts into the snow.
The convoy was escorted by two rows of soldiers, who, judging from their uniforms, were clearly soldiers from Greenwood Camp.
"Young Hero Li."
The leader was one of Qu Sheng's lieutenants, who had met Li Mo yesterday at the Jiawei Restaurant.
He immediately sat down on his horse and bowed in greeting.
"I was busy with military duties today and couldn't watch the military exercise or witness Young Hero Li's charisma. It's a real pity."
"What have you been busy with?"
Li Mo asked casually.
Then she winked at Huzi next to her, and the latter realized what she meant, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Winter is approaching, and these are all military rations and supplies that have been procured."
"No wonder there are so many."
"That's not many. Sigh, there are 80,000 soldiers, plus logistics, and over 100,000 people to feed the horses."
At this point, the deputy general frowned again and said:
"I wonder if these military supplies will be enough to get us through the New Year."
The lieutenant gave another greeting and then returned to camp with the supplies to report back. Li Mo raised an eyebrow at this.
Judging from the words of this lieutenant, it seems that the Greenwood Camp is still facing a shortage of supplies?
But Greenwood City is the outpost of Southern Pass and the deepest city of Great Yu in the southern Southern Border, which is of great significance.
Even if there has been no war in this area for many years, surely there should be no shortage of military rations and pay?
He had once witnessed the Garrison Army in Treasure Vase Town, a stark contrast to the strict discipline of Nanguan City.
If there's a lack of military pay, this chaos is not hard to understand...
"Etc!"
Li Mo thought for a moment and then called out to the lieutenant.
In his System Space, there were still many supplies purchased from Yun Province Hengtong Trading Firm that day, many of which were actually unused.
I plan to return to Purple Sun Prefecture in a few days; there's no point in staying here.
It would be better to stay at the Greenwood Camp.
[Congratulations, host! You have successfully invested in Greenwood Camp, alleviating their food shortage.]
[You have an investment feedback report to claim.]
Night fell.
Inside the central command tent, Qu Sheng drank a bowl of medicinal soup, and some color returned to his pale face. Hearing the announcement outside the tent, he took a deep breath and said in a strong voice:
"Come in."
The lieutenant entered the tent, startled at first. "Commander, has your old injury flared up again?"
"It's just a minor disturbance to your Qi and Blood and energy; it's nothing serious."
Seeing the expression on the lieutenant's face, Qu Sheng frowned and said:
"Is the procurement of military supplies not going smoothly?"
The lieutenant said in a gruff voice, "The quartermasters who went to various towns to requisition military rations all said that the local Guardian were not very cooperative, only handing over a token amount of military rations. Those ungrateful bastards!"
"Let's have less then," Qu Sheng sighed silently.
If you push the Garrison Army too far, in the end they can only push the people under their jurisdiction.
Southern Pass is no longer the powerful force it once was, boasting a million-strong army and enjoying the full support of the Great Yu Kingdom.
"Let's think of another way."
Rubbing his temples, Qu Sheng looked at the map in the tent, seemingly deep in thought.
After a moment, he turned back and glanced at the lieutenant who was still standing there.
"Is there anything else?"
The lieutenant nodded. "Part of this batch of military supplies was a gift from Young Hero Li..."
"The supplies he purchased before coming to Southern Border?"
Qu Sheng taken aback, then smiled and said:
"Though it's a drop in the ocean, it's still a token of our goodwill."
How much supplies can one person bring to Southern Border at most?
But he never dreamed that Li Mo's purchasing agent was someone who was prepared to stay in one place for life.
"It's not just a drop in the ocean; you'll see when you see it."
Qu Sheng was puzzled, but he accepted the Sumeru Object handed to him by the lieutenant.
"The food and medicine here were all donated by Young Hero Li."
"..."
Qu Sheng slightly. This amount of military rations was equivalent to one-third of what had been collected from various towns.
Military rations are secondary.
Among them were many common elixirs, such as Gold Sore Medicine and Qi Replenishing Pill, all packed in the Sumeru Object he gave to his lieutenant.
Even with these supplies, the shortage of military provisions was still unavoidable, but it greatly relieved the immediate crisis.
Qu Sheng exhaled a deep breath, his excitement lasting for a moment before his expression turned somewhat complicated.
War is about to break out in Greenwood City.
He was still unaware of how much power the Calamity Beast and the Great Shang Remnants had mobilized this time.
He could only do everything he could to increase his side's chances of winning and improve the hope of defending Greenwood City.
That's why he hesitated that day, swallowing back the words he wanted to use to persuade the Young Marquis and Young Hero Li.
But what if we can't hold on?
Are we to let people like Young Hero Li perish here with them?
On the other side.
The aroma of delicious food wafted from the private room of Jiawei Restaurant; these were the four simple dishes that Little Li and Ice Block ate every day.
The soup was missing.
During the meal, Li Mo kept studying:
"Ice Block, how effective is adding Golden Leaf Health Herb to the soup?"
"That's for alchemy. Putting it in soup... maybe it'll retain about 50% of its effectiveness."
Ying Bing's cheeks twitched slightly.
Little Li often creates recipes; is he researching how to make soup this time?
She'd gotten used to it.
"That's not bad."
Li Mo placed the Golden Leaf Health Herb on the table, took out a box of strange little flowers, and asked again:
"Won't the medicinal effects conflict if it's taken with Runyuan Rose petals?"
"No, they complement each other to some extent."
Ying Bing said.
Li Mo then took out various heavenly materials and earthly treasures, filling half the table with a dazzling array of them.
Ying Bing raised her eyebrows slightly. With so many ingredients, it would be more like a bucket than a pot.
What kind of soup do you want to make?
Li Mo thought for a moment, then pondered, "If I had to say what kind of soup it is... Ice Block soup?"
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