[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal":3,"chapter-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-103":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Investing in the Reborn Empress, She Actually Calls Me ‘Husband’",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},596863,846,"Chapter 103: When dealing with heretics and evil forces, theres no need to reason with them","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-103",103,"\u003Cp>Ling River Dock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was darkening, caught between the lingering sunset and the rising crescent moon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temple fair at the dock was just coming to an end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a casual flick of his hand, the temple’s abbot plucked the smiling head of the flower-holding Buddha statue and placed it atop his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to face the three figures behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you here to offer incense, or to pray for blessings?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the one wearing a dragon-headed mask among the three stepped forward and spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Better to rely on oneself than to beg for divine favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well said.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You three have given me quite the pleasant surprise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From today onward, you are members of the Drizzle Tower. You may take on assignments from the Shadow Hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Succeed in this task, and you’ll be promoted to Human Butchers as an exception.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stretched out his palm, revealing three copper Swallows of the Hall, resting in his massive hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a fleeting moment, the swallows seemed alive, their wings fluttering as if imbued with a will of their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to rush. Complete the task, and these Swallows will be yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May we ask what the task entails?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Three Evils of Huai Mountain exchanged glances before the dragon-masked man asked in a muffled voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha replied calmly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Escort a shipment downstream with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember, this is confidential. Not a word to anyone, lest the Qingyuan Sect catches wind and interferes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If word leaks, no one can save you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shipment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Qingyuan Sect must never know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or face utter ruin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The trio—Tiger, Dragon, and Leopard—exchanged glances and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha mistook their hesitation for fear of the risks, unwilling to cross the Qingyuan Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With another chuckle, he added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been the abbot of this dock temple for over a decade, watching fishermen haul in their catch every day. I’ve learned one thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The fiercer the waves, the more valuable the fish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you three aren’t willing to take risks, how will you ever rise to greatness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, Li Mo concealed his surprise and pressed further:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want us to take such a risk, at least tell us what we’re transporting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just delivering some children to a summoning outpost of the Demon Calling Sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha answered patiently before asking again:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re smart men. What’s your decision?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his words faded, faint Buddhist chants echoed through the small temple, soothing the mind and body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The message was clear:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that you know the truth, this ship isn’t one you can simply step off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dragon-masked man clasped his hands in salute:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are at your service.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha had barely relaxed when a dagger, hidden in the shadows, shot toward his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strike was silent until the last moment, when a surge of killing intent erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha, a Perception Realm cultivator, reacted with unnatural speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body twisted like a slippery serpent, evading the fatal blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spun around and caught the blade between his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not trained in Buddhist arts, sharpening his awareness to break free from the killing aura, the strike might have wounded him gravely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is the meaning of this!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile on his borrowed head twisted into the wrathful visage of a Ming King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No answer came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he was met with a mist of clouds, thick as an impending storm, filling every inch of space around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A domain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly realized it only resembled one, lacking the pressure of an Inner Landscape martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the icy chill seeped into his bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ying Bing!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gust of wind howled—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pale cyan sword light and the silent dagger’s killing aura swirled together, shaking the bloody glow around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thrust his palms forward, and two phantom handprints shattered the incoming blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what followed were two gleaming swords—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One red, one blue, entwined like twin dragons of ice and fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dazzling slash struck as if hitting metal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spat out a mouthful of burning ice shards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That strike had nearly killed him. Had he been slower…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, his body bore no wounds, but the headless golden Buddha statue in the temple dimmed noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had I not spent over a decade building my foundation here, I’d have capsized in a ditch today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Mo, you’ve delivered yourself to me—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could finish—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to reason with demonic heretics. Attack together!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll smash the statue—you cut him down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo summoned a hammer and barked orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen through it: without destroying the Buddha statue, they couldn’t kill their foe quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mere Perception Realm cultivator, yet so troublesome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha: “......”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to stop them—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn’t fight the other three at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing was the real threat. The other two were little more than annoying flies he could swat aside with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this girl… she was terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even one-on-one, with over a decade’s worth of accumulated prayer power, he’d likely be forced onto the defensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now there was Li Mo too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intel he’d received said Li Mo used a sword—since when did he wield a hammer?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Form of Settling Heaven and Earth: Thunder’s Judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hammer descended like a rolling storm, thunderous as the first strike of spring, shaking the world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an Inner Breath cultivator?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In sheer terror, the Laughing Buddha hurled a string of black prayer beads, hoping to block the blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the beads shattered mid-air, their trapped souls wailing before dispersing into nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The decade’s worth of prayer power—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the true wrath of heaven, it crumbled like rotten wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bell’s toll pierced metal and stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden statue cracked like a spider’s web, its layers peeling away to reveal bleached bones beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, he could no longer resist the icy sword energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frigid wind pierced through him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword energy, sharp as needles through leaves, riddled his body with holes. Blood froze before it could even drip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>......\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Ling River Dock, a finely dressed young man paused mid-step as he questioned the locals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That came from…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’d be the Laughing Buddha Temple. We fishermen always pray there before setting sail.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old fisherman’s words struck Luo Yu like lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Laughing Buddha Temple?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t that where children had vanished during the temple fair?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without another thought, he shot toward the source of the disturbance like a startled swan.\u003C\u002Fp>",1093,"2026-05-30T17:19:00.269Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.889Z",1,"novelbin.me","e2cabf4dd9221ed642cb674d384256c7fe7c83e0b1ac15488b988dbd3ff03bb8","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-104","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-102",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]