[{"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-370":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},596643,846,"Chapter 370: Face-to-Face Confrontation, Then Drawing Ice Blocks","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-370",370,"\u003Cp>The Ying Family Manor lay under a gray, overcast sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where are Bing'er and Little Mo?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying's mother scanned the courtyard but saw no sign of her daughter or the Li family's boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn't help but worry—after all, Little Li Mo had once famously taught the young girl how to pee standing up...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They're over there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Xuliang, who had just returned from his study, gestured toward a spot beneath a tree at the corner of the manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small table, recently brought out by a servant, stood there, furnished with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone—items Little Li Mo had requested earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li Mo had already unfurled a sheet of paper, letting sunlight spill across its surface as he sat with the solemn focus of a master painter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Ying Bing sat beside him, grinding ink with her small hands, her crimson sleeves adding a touch of grace to the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe I should take up painting too in my spare time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Xuliang watched the two children, feeling a twinge of envy before chuckling at himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His daughter had never ground ink for him—but was he really going to be jealous of a little kid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ink's ready.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Bing spoke coolly, her expression unreadable as she glanced at Little Li Mo from the corner of her eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How good could a child her age possibly be with a brush?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought dampened her enthusiasm slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry, I won’t let that ‘big brother’ you called me go to waste.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li Mo grinned, dipped his brush into the ink, and set it to paper. At first, his strokes were awkward—his hands were smaller now, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, he found his rhythm, his brush dancing across the page with effortless grace, as if bringing the scene to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Bing’s eyes gradually brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Qinghe County’s main street.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"During the New Year, there are lion dances, sugar-figure sellers, firecrackers...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Mo spoke, he painted, conjuring a vivid scene of New Year festivities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only he could still wield his spiritual intent—then he could borrow Senior Brother Ouyang’s technique and make the painting move, immersing the viewer completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, for Little Ying Bing, who had never seen the world beyond these walls, it was already a breathtaking glimpse into a new reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li Mo arched his caterpillar-like brows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So lively...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Bing’s face softened momentarily before she composed herself, her voice quiet and measured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s... acceptable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Acceptable?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young artist’s eyes widened in disbelief. This wasn’t a divine-view painting, but as a meticulous brushwork piece, it was quite skilled, wasn’t it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had painted countless martial insights, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet instead of clapping and exclaiming, \"Big brother, you’re amazing!\", she’d merely deemed it passable?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just you wait—that was just a warm-up!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Determined, Little Li Mo snatched up his brush again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here’s the Qingyuan Sect. Ever heard of it? It’s the greatest sect in Purple Sun Prefecture, and the masters there are all quite... unique.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is Elder Xue, a genius alchemist who once carried a lantern into an outhouse to search for a lost pill...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And this is Elder Qian. Never speak during meals with him—I swear he has two mouths. He can devour an entire table’s worth of food while talking nonstop...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Landscapes and figures sprang to life under his brush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Bing’s frosty gaze wavered, a faint mistiness creeping into her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm. Not bad... I suppose.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo noticed something odd. Despite her pursed lips and the shimmer in her eyes, her words remained stubbornly lukewarm—\"acceptable,\" \"not terrible,\" \"decent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was she toying with him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tricking him into painting more by pretending indifference?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she wasn’t turning into a mischievous little ice block—she’d always been one!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah well, if my paintings are just embarrassing myself, I might as well stop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed dramatically, feigning defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing she’d been caught, Little Bing lowered her lashes, the sunlight gilding them with a delicate glow. A faint blush dusted her pale cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big brother... paint one more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo’s entire body tingled, his soul nearly leaving his body as his brush clattered to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of zero-to-hero, point-blank attack was this?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this level of cuteness even legal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheating! This was cheating!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...And of course, he caved instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young artist, thoroughly defeated, smacked his disobedient hands twice before picking up the brush again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big... brother?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Xuliang, who had just approached the children, stiffened as if struck by lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His carefully rebuilt composure shattered into pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How?! What had this brat done to make his daughter act so adorable?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just by painting some mediocre—wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo’s brush moved, weaving a tranquil world—a moonlit courtyard, a gently flowing river, a lush banyan tree...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plaque above the gate read:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Autumn Water Pavilion.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since when could a child paint like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, want to see what you’ll look like when you’re older?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo sneezed mid-stroke—Little Bing had leaned in so close their heads nearly touched, her hair tickling his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Older... me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to see.\" ×2\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Little Bing could answer, Ying Xuliang and his wife spoke in unison behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo nearly jumped out of his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You were just planning to elope with their daughter, and now you’re holding her hand while painting, caught red-handed by her parents—how is this not terrifying?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their attention seemed entirely fixed on the \"grown-up ice block.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pang of melancholy struck Li Mo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What parent, gazing at their little sprout, hadn’t wondered how they’d blossom?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ying Xuliang and his wife would never get to see it...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Xuliang fetched his finest paper and inkstick, laying them out with reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo rolled up his sleeves and began with utmost focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He employed the techniques of divine-view painting, though his current spiritual intent was too weak to create a true one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the banyan tree, the painter and his three spectators held their breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the finished painting with golden flecks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young woman’s elegant figure graced the page—radiant yet cool, her gaze piercing through the paper as if meeting the viewer’s own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bing’er... all grown up?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying's mother stared, emotions swirling—shock, joy, sorrow—tears glistening in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha! My daughter will be a beauty, won’t she? Just like this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Xuliang laughed heartily, certain this was exactly how his little girl would blossom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Is this me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Bing felt an inexplicable strangeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The painting gave her the sensation of crossing time, locking eyes with her future self—a flicker of familiarity, like light scattering the mist over her heart’s quiet lake...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's not finished yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's missing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Me, of course. I’ll grow up too—aren’t you curious about what I’ll look like in the future?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li grinned and pointed at himself.\u003C\u002Fp>",1142,"2026-05-30T17:19:00.270Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","8f0ab6853bcd86d5844ef4a25bd9b003d2ffce75f7af13ed8c4e1ef208fc7ab9","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-371","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-369",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]