Tasting a Little Sweetness

The soft crackling of the charcoal fire in the copper basin dispelled the chill outside the tent.

Ying Bing sat quietly by Li Mo's bedside, her legs crossed, her eyes lowered as she looked at the handwriting that no one else could see.

[50th Place in the Southern Border Frontier: Zhu Ningze]

[Ranked 49th among the Prodigies of Southern Border: Qiu Lianyu]

[Southern Border Frontier Prodigy, Rank 48: Black Feather]

The Southern Border is much larger than the Eastern Wasteland Domain, but the portion belonging to the human race is actually smaller.

Surname: Hei

This also seems to be a branch of the Great Shang Dynasty royal family, whose totem is the evil tortoise that Li Mo smashed. In that case, this tribe participated in the attack on Greenwood City.

Many of the names listed above are like this.

Those Great Shang Remnants still live active deep in the Southern Border, influencing this land with their faith.

Ying Bing remained expressionless as she memorized each name and the tribe behind its surname.

[Number 10th among the prodigies of Southern Border: Zhong Ling.]

[Ninth place among the prodigies of Southern Border: Huang Donglai.]

[Fourth Place in the Southern Border Frontier: Zhong Zhenyue]

[Third Place in the Southern Border Frontier: Shang Qi]

[Second Place in the Southern Border Prodigy Competition: Shang Yusu]

[Number one among the prodigies of Southern Border...]

She looked at the last line of text in the system.

Ying Bing.

She finally saw her name on the highest list, the top spot she had longed for for so long.

But she found that she wasn't as happy as she had expected. Perhaps it was because she didn't see that familiar name; all fifty names seemed empty, as if something was missing.

[Congratulations, host! You have achieved first place in the system rankings for the first time!]

This annoying system has deliberately enlarged the text and added special effects to it.

[After the system upgrade, a leaderboard celebration effect has been added. Should we offer a celebratory cannon salute for the leaderboard's crowning?]

"No."

Ying Bing tied her hair up again and inserted a jade hairpin.

[But this time the host doesn't need to complete the system punishment, isn't that something to celebrate?]

Is it worth celebrating...?

The punishment is over.

"But I promised to give him a gift."

"The top spot on the Peerless Prodigy Ranking should not break its promise."

Ying Bing stood up.

Phoenix Heavenly Empress, the mistress of the Cassia Palace, how could she go back on her word?

But he hasn't woken up yet...

The system was announcing the top prize, but she was so engrossed that she didn't even hear what the prize was.

She couldn't help but recall a story Li Mo had casually told her after dinner.

The sleeping princess was awakened by a kiss from the prince.

At the time, she thought the story was too childish, but now she wonders, if it unfolded as a children's story, wouldn't it...?

Ying Bing glanced at Little Li, who was still sleeping peacefully, and then went to the copper charcoal stove to brew the second batch of medicine.

A little while later.

Li Mo woke up.

He first smelled the bitter smell of medicine and couldn't help but frown.

He opened his eyes, but was startled.

Not far away, in front of the charcoal fire, a graceful figure, seemingly untouched by worldly affairs, was tending to the fire, watching the heat of the medicine inside. Her delicate hand held a fan, gently fanning the flames so they licked the bottom of the stove.

The firelight softened her beautiful face, making her radiant and captivating.

"Ice Block..."

Looking at Cold Fairy, Li Mo felt a warmth in his heart.

"You're awake? Perfect timing."

Ying Bing gently poured out the medicine and walked closer:

"The medicine is ready, drink it while it's hot."

"!"

Little Li's expression was complicated.

The sight of Ice Block brewing medicine for him as soon as he woke up was truly heartwarming.

But this is a medicinal soup Ice Block.

She made it herself.

Li Mo still can't forget that Stir-fried Pork with Chili.

Ying Bing lowered her face, her eyes still seeming to hold the smoky hue of the fireplace from just now.

"Li Mo, be good."

"I'll drink it!"

Li Mo believed himself to be Immortal Body, immune to all poisons; what was a mere Ice Block soup to him?

He tried to reach out and grab the medicine, then drink it down in an instant.

But they found that his arms were numb and he couldn't move them at all, which was probably a side effect of being empowered by the world's power for too long.

Fortunately, the spoon for the Ice Block was already at my lips.

"Is it very hot?" Ying Bing asked.

"It's not hot, but..."

Li Mo's expression was like that of Painful Piggy Hero, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

It's not just suffering.

What was in this bowl of medicine? He somehow detected a sharp, sarcastic taste in it...

"Really? This medicine shouldn't be..."

Ying Bing frowned, took a bite herself, and visibly shuddered slightly.

After a moment of silence, she said:

"Good medicine tastes bitter, but it helps you recover faster."

"It's okay to go slower... cough cough!"

Despite the glare from Ice Block, Li Mo still pinched his nose and took two more sips.

But this medicine is too bitter.

He had only taken two sips when he couldn't help coughing.

"Ice Block, do you have anything sweet left? I won't say you've done anything particularly hard, but you've certainly had a tough time. You deserve some sweetness in return."

"Sweetness..."

Ying Bing pursed her lips.

After thinking for a moment, she put down the herbal medicine and took out the malt candy from the Big-Headed Doll.

Li Mo was thinking that adding sugar to the medicine might slightly reduce its harshness...

Then he saw the sugar reach the Ice Block's lips.

"?"

Li Mo was taken aback.

Shouldn't we give him a little taste of sweetness?

But the next second, she caught a whiff of a delicate fragrance. She moved closer and could see the soft glow emanating from her eyelashes.

The firework colors in her eyes became even more distinct as she looked over.

Little Li suddenly understood the meaning behind her eyes:

"A treat, have some."

In the eyes of the world, what kind of person is Ying Bing? Cold, pure, and mysterious. The title "Cold Fairy" alone shows how unattainable she is.

But now she has a candy between her lips, and she's right next to me.

She didn't say a word.

But when my eyes are fixed on you, I feel breathtakingly moved, and I can no longer focus on anything else in the world.

That's not a gaze.

That's an arrow piercing my heart!

Little Li used to not understand that there was no such thing as a stunning beauty in the world who could bring down a city or country and cause disaster. The so-called "femme fatale" was just a way of shifting the blame onto women.

Now he wants to say, "King Zhou, I understand you."

So this is the gift Ice Block was talking about...

I ate it.

"Um..."

The upright and virtuous Li Mo leaned closer, only to find that the candy was a little further away.

Get closer...

It's gotten even further.

"?"

My gaze shifted upwards, and I noticed the color in her eyes trembling slightly.

The candy on my lips had melted a little, leaving a thin, glistening layer of syrup.

"You Ice Block..."

Li Mo spoke with a serious expression.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, her chin was pinched by a slender hand.

The snowstorm outside the tent seemed to be getting heavier.

Will Huzi and his grandson still be setting up their stall?

No wonder there's an idiom that means "to find sweetness in something"...