Silence fell over the room. The nobles, who had been chatting and laughing just a moment ago, suddenly froze in their expressions.
The sound came from the arena, but Empress Chu Ge heard it. She silently glanced at the eunuch beside her, who immediately drew his golden python whip, producing a sharp crack in the air.
"To blaspheme the Heavenly Venerable is utter arrogance!"
Li Mo looked up.
Beneath the canopy, nobles, princes, and even Jiang Yu on the stage all cast expressionless glances at him.
The sun seemed to dim a bit, shrouded in dark clouds, its light barely visible in the gloom.
For some reason, the feeling of impending doom and impending destruction emanating from these dark clouds was even stronger than the imperial authority that Jiang Yu had displayed earlier.
For a moment, all things were silent.
"..."
Tian Miao's lips parted, but no sound came out.
Ying Bing face as cold as ice, stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Mo.
"I am tired. Let's stop here for today."
Emperor Jingtai waved his hand, his crown tassels swaying slightly, obscuring his expression.
As daylight returned, the three suns, which were about to sink below the horizon, once again emitted their dim, yellowish light.
The Heaven Patrol Guard and the strongmen, who had been filled with dread and fear, finally dispersed.
"Brother Li, you're incredibly audacious. If this were a crime, it could lead to the execution of your entire family." Huang Donglai surviving the ordeal and released his secret weapon.
If anything had gone wrong, he would have picked up Li Mo and used a combination technique to escape.
"What do you want to eat tonight?" Li Mo asked with a nonchalant smile.
"How about some barbecue? How about grilling some seafood, like sea cucumber?"
"Brother Murong might not agree..."
As Li Mo boarded the carriage, he smiled outwardly, but his mind was filled with deep thought.
Those noblemen and dignitaries gave him a... strange sense of disharmony.
The feeling was like the Wind and Moon Cottage he had seen—perfectly beautiful and serene on the surface, yet reeking of a nauseating stench inside...
Is it just my imagination?
As evening falls, the city lights resemble a sea, and the bustling night air is palpable.
The Cloud-Stepping Tower was bustling with activity, as the Crown Prince officially moved in today and sent invitations to all the prodigies on the Cloud-Stepping Tower Hidden Dragon Ranking, hosting a grand banquet for the heroes.
There will be two days of rest between the next round of competition, mainly to allow the participants to recover from injuries and regain their form.
The lobby inside the building was brightly lit, and people were clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.
Li Mo set up a barbecue stall outside Cloud-Stepping Tower, and the Clear Abyss Sect members grilled and ate by the roadside.
"Huh? Is that the Divine Hammer Little Overlord?"
"The Cold Fairy is here too..."
"And that monk with the particularly sharp tongue, the incredibly fast Flying Poison Two-Faced Turtle, Xie Xuan too... are they all on the Hidden Dragon Ranking?"
"Why are they setting up stalls here?"
Passersby were baffled, but Li Mo himself seemed quite pleased with himself.
But his skewers smelled so good that passersby were mesmerized and wanted to try them too.
"Big brother, how much are these skewers?"
A little girl with pigtails ran over while her parents weren't looking.
"Um... you eat first, let me think..."
Li Mo gave her a few skewers, and was wondering how much they would cost when the girl's father rushed over and tucked his daughter under his armpit.
"I'm sorry, the child is ignorant and too presumptuous..." The man was very anxious and put the skewers he had just taken back.
Li Mo noticed the man's gaze was uneasy and timid, as if he and the man were not of the same species.
"I'm happy to sell it, and she wants to eat it; what's wrong with that?"
"How can we eat what you're eating?"
"??"
Seeing the man repeatedly say goodbye, Little Li was filled with questions.
What do you mean by saying that you can't eat what I'm eating?
Am I not human? Am I even human?
"If you do that again, I won't take you out to play next time," the man scolded the young girl as he walked into the crowd.
"But Daddy, it smells so good!"
The little girl looked aggrieved when she suddenly felt something being stuffed into her hand. She looked up and saw that the older brother who had been selling kebabs had somehow followed her and was even raising his eyebrows at her.
She understood; her older brother told her to eat it secretly.
Ying Bing watched as Little Li, who was returning from the crowd, was still calculating the cost of the kebabs, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
Still so naive.
Despite its current Nine Heavens and Ten Earths fame, some things have remained unchanged from the beginning.
"Ice Block, why are you staring at me like that?" Li Mo asked, completely bewildered, as he brought over the skewer.
I love to laugh.
Li Mo: "??"
It is well known that Ice Block has a beautiful smile, but it is also well known that Ice Block doesn't like to smile.
Do you think I'm fooling an eight-year-old?
After dinner, everyone chatted about the opponents they had encountered in the ring, and then Li Mo returned to the Cloud-Stepping Tower.
Along the way, those who saw him, whether from Cloud-Stepping Tower or the prodigies of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, either looked embarrassed or pretended not to see him.
But they all avoided it like the plague, as if it were a venomous snake.
"Does Big Brother Li smell bad?"
Princess Little Jiang curiously leaned over to sniff, but only smelled barbecue.
"Those who curry favor with the powerful are unlikely to achieve great things," Xie Xuan shook his head.
Li Mo frowned, realizing the reason.
Many Hidden Dragon, after making their mark and achieving great Dragon Gate, would stay in the Imperial Capital. But today, everyone witnessed the falling out Divine Hammer Little Overlord and the Crown Prince.
It wouldn't matter if the Crown Prince wasn't there, or in private, but now that he's moved into Cloud-Stepping Tower.
At this moment, he greeted Li Mo and chatted and laughed, asking if he wanted to make a living in the Imperial Capital from now on.
As for those who want to return to their original sects, most of them belong to extremely powerful sects, representing the sect's stance.
Naturally, it's even less likely that they would do anything sensitive.
Well, of course, Li Mo wasn't familiar with these people to begin with, so it didn't matter; he'd just had barbecue with the ones he was close to.
"Tsk, they always give me weird looks when I'm using a hammer, why are they still like that when I'm using a sword? Whatever, I'm used to being Wife-Prospering Fighting Soul's and the Divine Hammer Little Overlord '..."
Li Mo complained as he went upstairs.
Ying Bing glanced at him with a clear and gentle gaze. "How outsiders see you has nothing to do with what you do."
"What about our own people?"
"You look like a childish brat pretending to be strong."
"..."
Li Mo was speechless for a moment, then suddenly his expression turned serious, and he said earnestly:
"That childish brat needs to recharge in your room."
"Just charging? Then you don't need to come to my place."
"No, I'm the one who's charging your batteries. You've been standing for so long today, your legs must be tired," Little Li said righteously.
"I'm not tired..." Ying Bing lowered her gaze slightly, looking to the side.
"Impossible, don't pretend to be strong. My butt feels like it's going to die after sitting for a long time. That's when I need to use my special method to revive it."
Ying Bing pursed her lips, her eyes deep and unfathomable:
"I'm afraid you won't be able to control Hammer Treasure."
"Who said that? Hammer Treasure listens to me the most!"
A quarter of an hour later, Little Li regretted his firm tone and had to admit that his voice was a bit loud.
Inside the room.
The sound of rushing water came from behind the screen. Li Mo was hunched over, sitting upright in a dignified manner, a characteristic of the Little Li the Gentleman.
Hammer Treasure is so disobedient!
He tried to control it, but the sound of the rushing water seemed to have a magical power, making him think of other inexplicable images!
Damn it, I never expected Ice Block to want to take a bath today!
Why are you taking a bath, you Ice Block? And for so long? Aren't you afraid you'll melt?
After a long pause, a clear, melodious voice came from behind the screen, carrying a hint of amusement:
Do you want to take a shower?
Looking for a phone to charge you, muah! -3-