[{"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-421":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},596394,846,"Chapter 421: Are We Lacking a Supreme Elder in Our Sect","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-421",421,"\u003Cp>The daylight was just right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the banyan tree at the Autumn Water Pavilion, the crisp clattering sounds of the ruby-red mahjong tiles echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How much are we playing for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Huh? Are we betting money? The sect rules forbid gambling—last time, Master, you got caught.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo straightened his expression. As everyone knew, he was a man of virtue, one who stood firmly against gambling and all vices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu curled her lips slightly. \"Who comes to the Autumn Water Pavilion for no reason? It's rare to play mahjong with my precious disciple. What's the fun without a little silver? Hehehe...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did the beautiful master's laughter just take a sinister turn?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yuzhi wore the same wicked smirk as Shang Wu while teaching Ying Bing the rules. Li Mo only knew the basics of mahjong, so he listened along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When one player won, the other three could keep playing until the remaining three also won or the tiles ran out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, the first to win wasn’t necessarily the biggest earner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing nodded softly after listening. \"I’ve never played before. I’m not very familiar.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Same here.\" Li Mo was still trying to wrap his head around the rules, looking slightly dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No worries. You already know the rules. Mahjong is all about luck, and beginners always have good luck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. Mahjong isn’t something so rigid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yuzhi and Shang Wu exchanged glances, both spotting the sly grins in each other’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mahjong wasn’t something so simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drain him dry!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, they absolutely had to teach the deep-pocketed Little Li a lesson!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think... I won?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing hesitantly pushed her tiles forward, her cool eyes flickering with uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavenly Win. Pure Suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yuzhi: \"!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fluke! This had to be a fluke!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her godly skills hadn’t even had a chance to shine yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu stared suspiciously at the ice block—how could someone have even better luck than her at the mahjong table?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible! Absolutely impossible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tsk...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo hadn’t won this round and was the biggest contributor to the pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Shang Wu and Qin Yuzhi had won, their hands weren’t big, so all three had to pay up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice block took it all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pay up, pay up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo took out his silver. Despite losing, he was still smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just luck.\" Qin Yuzhi refused to believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu reluctantly fished out silver from her purse, her face blank. \"Again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five rounds later, the atmosphere grew tense. Every game, the ice block won first, Shang Wu second, Qin Yuzhi third, and Li Mo dead last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tch... This is weird.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo drew another hand—a chaotic mess of colors, like a home wrecked by a husky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clearly wasn’t cut out for winning money at mahjong...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This round, Shang Wu and Qin Yuzhi both looked pleased, clearly starting with good hands. They exchanged glances, forming an unspoken alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice block remained expressionless, her gaze cool and detached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yuzhi swiftly arranged her ruby-red tiles. \"I’m not here to prove how strong I am. I’m here to take back what’s mine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious she was aiming for a big win.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu smirked. \"Little Bing, with this hand, you think you can beat me? You think you can take down the Qingyuan Sect’s Mahjong Goddess? If you do, I’ll—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kong!\" Little Li finally got a kong, his face lighting up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A kong meant immediate payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, a pale, slender hand reached over and took the One Bamboo tile before gently pushing her own tiles forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seven Pairs of Dragons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qingyuan Sect’s Mahjong Goddess and the Demon Summoning Sect’s Mahjong Tyrant were thunderstruck, slumping back in their chairs, faces ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you even know how to play?! She had Seven Pairs of Dragons, and you konged?!\" Qin Yuzhi clenched her fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I told you I don’t know how,\" Li Mo said blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Bing, you said you didn’t know mahjong!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu gritted her teeth as she tossed out her last silver piece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I really didn’t.\" Ying Bing tilted her head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I just learned. It’s simpler than divine arts or Go, so I picked it up quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu and Qin Yuzhi were speechless, unable to refute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They turned to see Li Mo grinning like an idiot, his smile harder to suppress than an AK.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What the hell are you smiling about? You didn’t win a single hand, kept feeding Little Bing winning tiles, lost the most, and you’re still laughing?!\" Shang Wu snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing glanced at Li Mo and noticed he’d run out of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she reached over, scooped up all her winnings, and placed them in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo froze. His AK-like smile slowly twisted into a minigun spewing blue flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"??\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Yuzhi and Shang Wu exchanged glances, jolting upright like patients on their deathbeds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was off. They’d been scammed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo had lost the most, but Little Bing had won even more. Combined, they were still up—meaning all the losses came from the two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were these two running a couples’ scam?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No more, no more. I’m broke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu pushed the tiles away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo glanced at the ice block. Today’s mahjong session was originally meant to prevent the resurgence of that... unpredictable entity, as Qin Yuzhi had suggested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t played long—who knew if it had worked?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master, you’re out of money, but I have some.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh? You’re offering it to your master? How embarrassingly kind of you...\" Shang Wu’s eyes sparkled as she sat back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If it’s embarrassing, let’s do it another way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo smiled shyly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ever heard of mahjong loans?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the game could restart, the Autumn Water Pavilion’s doors burst open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shang Wu looked over to see Sect Leader Shangguan Wencang, Elder Hanhe, and a few from the Hengyun Sword City standing there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shangguan Wencang froze at the sight of the mahjong table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Hanhe looked bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hengyun Sword City group, meanwhile, stared at the Hammer Tyrant sitting there unharmed, counting silver, as if they’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Zeng glanced at the strand of hair in his hand, then back at Li Mo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li Mo, are you... human or ghost?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Obviously not a ghost. Ghosts don’t play mahjong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Touched yet amused, Li Mo chuckled before their confusion could deepen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Naturally, I’m a jiangshi. Hehehe...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Demon, taste my sword!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait, I was joking!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, Li Mo explained fast—otherwise, he’d have had to catch a blade bare-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What in the world happened?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Hanhe finally relaxed but was still puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shangguan Wencang sighed in amusement. \"Martial artists should remain composed. What kind of example is it to panic at the slightest thing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take your time, Little Mo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Li Mo and Ying Bing had repelled the Great Shang remnants in the southern border, slain high-ranking members of the Demon Summoning Sect, and even took turns humiliating the Great Yu Crown Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sect leader had already done some soul-searching. For prodigies like these two, how could they grow without weathering storms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As elders, one must remain composed and not be prone to overreacting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo glanced at Qin Yuzhi and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Esteemed seniors, I’ve brought the Summoning Demon Sect’s leader out with me. For now, she can be considered... my employee.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s currently drafting her resume. So, our sect... is there a vacancy for a Grand Elder?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"????\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.....\u003C\u002Fp>",1249,"2026-05-30T17:19:00.270Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","07beb5d8736c1b6880aa7bce07e8f0aa8df02b96fe8b9130a10bedd4fc307a75","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-422","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-420",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]