[{"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-288":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},596998,846,"Chapter 288: The Mountain Lord Temple, the Desire for the Somersault Cloud Reaches Its Peak","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-288",288,"\u003Cp>The winter rain fell in a steady drizzle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the desolate mountain, the sound of raindrops striking leaves echoed endlessly, the chill seeping deep into the bones with every breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cold and silent temple, a group of traveling merchants stumbled in, grumbling as they shook off the rain and checked their goods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We might be stuck on this mountain tonight. This shortcut was supposed to save time, but who knew we’d run into this cursed weather?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ugh, why is this mountain path so treacherous?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Spending the night up here… we won’t run into any demonic beasts, will we?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The merchants shivered as they complained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Relax, this is the Mountain Lord’s temple. The priests from the nearby villages make regular offerings here—it’s very efficacious.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve stayed here overnight before. Nothing to worry about with the Mountain Lord’s protection.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reassured by his words, the merchants settled down, lighting a fire to cook their meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, movement sounded at the entrance. The group tensed, looking up to see two figures stepping inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pardon the intrusion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man clasped his hands in greeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Travelers must help each other when they can,\" the guide replied warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man studied him thoughtfully before taking a seat beside a veiled woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, the merchants eyed the pair with curiosity, but soon lost interest, turning their attention to wine and roasted flatbread as they chatted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you heard? The guardian spirits in many places have been slain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ones in Nine Spirits Village and Humao Town—gone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who would dare commit such sacrilege?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not a who—a what. One’s a wicked flood dragon, the other a bird demon. No one knows how they teamed up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man blinked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the demon tribes, he was known as the Peerless Heavenly Flood Dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d spent his journey vanquishing demons and evil spirits, yet his reputation seemed… different from what he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The merchants glanced at him. The firelight had grown brighter, revealing his handsome features—gentle brows and a smile that likely radiated warmth, the very image of a refined gentleman, as outsiders from the southern border might say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, the woman wore a dark veil, her face obscured, her presence icy and unapproachable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What… exactly did they do wrong?\" asked Li Mo, the so-called \"wicked flood dragon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They killed the guardian spirits but refused to accept worship. Who are the people supposed to turn to now?\" a merchant retorted, as if stating the obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help but recall the time he and Ying Bing had slain a bloated river beast—a creature that deliberately stirred storms to capsize boats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after receiving sacrifices would it relent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By merely committing slightly less evil, it had earned the right to sit in a temple, feasting on incense and offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Small sacrifices every month, grand ones every year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Livestock for minor rites, children for the major ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If people don’t worship the guardian spirits, they won’t need offerings anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s absurd!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A merchant glared at Li Mo as if he were a heretic, indignant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s how it’s always been.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. A few cattle, a couple of children—it’s a small price to pay for everyone’s safety.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take this Mountain Lord, for instance. With his protection, wild beasts dare not approach. That’s why we can sit here and chat without fear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what if… you were the ones being offered?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo’s voice turned eerily quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At some point, the veiled woman beside him had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The firelight flickered violently as a frigid wind howled through the temple, plunging the air into deeper gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if something… was awakening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd gasped in horror, scrambling to flee, but they had barely reached the doorway when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive black shadow crashed to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the head of a mottled, bluish-purple tiger—ferocious and enormous, its maw wide enough to swallow a grown man whole, a sight both terrifying and grotesque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now it lay dead, its blood frozen solid, leaving only the pungent stench of carnage in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rain had ceased unnoticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moonlight spilled down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the headless tiger corpse stood a maiden bathed in lunar radiance, her sword sliding smoothly back into its sheath as jade-green wings flickered and dissolved behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night wind lifted her black veil, accidentally revealing a glimpse of breathtaking beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This Mountain Lord was quite formidable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo kicked the massive tiger head out the door with a light chuckle:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Definitely stronger than that fat-headed fish and that crow.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The merchants dared not utter a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The very figure they had been discussing earlier had been sitting among them all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mountain Lord!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the guide shrieked hysterically and collapsed stiffly to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panicked, the merchants scattered in all directions, wishing their parents had blessed them with extra legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, you forgot your goods!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo called after them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his words might as well have been a death warrant from a demon, spurring the merchants to flee even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sigh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young Li shook his head and kicked out the long-dead tiger specter as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because of Shang Qinqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their journey so far had been free of truly fearsome calamity beasts, mostly just the so-called 'wraiths' lurking along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they had barely covered a third of the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew what other twists lay ahead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After adding a few sticks to the campfire, the temple fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li Mo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing removed her bamboo hat, tucking it into the oversized puppet at her waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone as she spoke his name bore no trace of the swordswoman who had just slain a Mountain Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Coming.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo sat beside her, naturally taking her small hand in his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing handed him the Demon-Slaying Gourd before gripping a Moon Essence Crystal in her left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gourd was full—its contents could nourish the crystal. While not as potent as the power of living souls, it was still a sacred treasure for refining spiritual will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's begin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As everyone knew, opening a gourd required two hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he only had two hands—one of which was currently holding the ice block's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing seemed to grasp his dilemma. Pressing her lips together, she made to loosen her grip momentarily—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only to watch as the young man bit off the gourd's stopper with impressive boldness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think holding both hands would improve the dual cultivation effect?\" Li Mo asked after pouring the essence into the crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing arched an elegant brow: \"In that case, would holding feet achieve similar results?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the ice block learned to extrapolate? She was starting to show flashes of his own genius!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Worth testing. We might've discovered a new application for The Phoenix Cry Over Heavenly Marsh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I'm on night watch. You'll have to practice alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amusement glimmered in Ying Bing's eyes as she tapped his forehead with a finger and rose to her feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Young Li flexed his empty hand, feeling oddly bereft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, his longing for the Somersault Cloud peaked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single flip might not cover 108,000 miles, but surely it could return them to South Pass City?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they had to take turns keeping watch—no more dual cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he still lacked three transformations to complete the Seventy-Two Changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mastering these three transformations will grant access to the next divine ability...\u003C\u002Fp>",1242,"2026-05-30T17:19:00.270Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.889Z",1,"novelbin.me","58055a394d4bd94f2c1fb296e8610bc7ef6e68285965467ff9f2b92adeb81c60","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-289","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-287",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]