[{"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-51":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},596424,846,"Chapter 51: Missing Person Notice for the Ice Block, Descending the Mountain, Mission to Hunt the Killer","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>\"Help?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo couldn't help but feel puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since when did the ice block ever ask others for favors?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing sat down at the stone table, habitually pouring tea, her cool and detached expression tinged with hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cleared her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come closer and listen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"......\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feels weird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Asking for my help but sounding like a superior lecturing me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What’s so important that you’re being this formal?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t usually care about much.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo sat opposite her, casually picking up the teacup for a sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even notice—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same cup Ying Bing had just drunk from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you taking a sect mission that’ll take you to Ziyang Prefecture City?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing’s gaze flickered slightly, as if she hadn’t seen his action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I haven’t accepted any yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I do plan to pick one in Ziyang Prefecture City.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo leaned back, hands behind his head, grinning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since coming to Ziyang, I haven’t had the chance to explore properly. Consider this my excuse to slack off a little.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This trip won’t be too busy. If you’ve got some errands, just say it outright.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mission was secondary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sect contribution points meant little to him—just picking an easy task to fulfill the requirement would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want you to find someone for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She’s probably... a beggar now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As memories surfaced, the frost in Ying Bing’s expression seemed to thaw slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, she hadn’t been able to join Qingyuan Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d ended up squatting in an abandoned house in Ziyang Prefecture City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was where she met Jiang Chulong, who also had nowhere to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this life, it was Li Mo’s help that unlocked her meridians and revealed her talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in her past life, without Jiang Chulong’s mutual support, she wouldn’t have succeeded either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that she was in Qingyuan Sect, Jiang Chulong was left alone, still struggling to survive those harsh days...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want you to find her and arrange food, clothing, and shelter for her.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo blinked at her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice block was worrying about someone’s basic needs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this even the same person he knew?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be... a relative?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hometown county had been ravaged by disaster beasts—her family should’ve all perished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe she’d gotten news that a lone survivor had ended up in Ziyang Prefecture City?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li naturally arrived at this conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he replied earnestly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t worry. Ziyang Prefecture City isn’t small, but finding someone isn’t too hard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you remember what they look like, maybe sketch it out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he pulled out ink, brush, and paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helping the ice block? He was all for it—anything related to her always brought great system rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, searching for family? Even without compensation, he’d gladly help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drawing...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing took the brush calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Li stared at the \"masterpiece\" on the table, expression grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ying Bing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me... do people actually look like this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the abstract, Picasso-esque portrait, Li Mo had to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want me to find someone, could we at least aim for realism?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This avant-garde mess—if I hadn’t seen a few of Picasso’s works in my past life, I wouldn’t even recognize it as a person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The features are clear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Female. Large eyes. Small lips.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing’s gaze drifted elsewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"......Any more... obvious traits?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ying Bing seemed to search her memories before adding,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She has a horrific chest wound, stutters when speaking, and... if cleaned up, she’s quite beautiful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh... how beautiful?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Comparable to me, in different ways.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Fair enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was of the essence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, Little Li managed to extract a few concrete details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No point delaying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to set out that very day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, he left several days’ worth of wine for his master, instructing Ying Bing to ration it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that settled, he headed for the Divine Arms Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rather luxurious carriage rolled down the mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Incense burned inside, tea swirling in its cup without spilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Li, why’d you take a mission to hunt some river pirate?\" Murong Xiao studied the wanted poster on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sketch provided by the sect’s external affairs hall was also blurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This era lacked photography—without a live reference, portraits relied on verbal descriptions, which often varied even for the same person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Had to find someone anyway. Might as well make it count,\" Li Mo said offhandedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cui Peng, a notorious bandit at the Internal Breath Condensation realm, had been severely wounded by an outer sect elder ten days prior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A master of body refinement and saber techniques, with dozens of lives on his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For other Qi-Blood realm disciples, even injured, Cui Peng was a tough opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to Li Mo?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a decent sparring partner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d yet to have a real life-or-death fight...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since Brother Li took the mission, I’ll turn Ziyang Prefecture City upside down to find him,\" Murong Xiao vowed, rubbing his head with a grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had learning the Golden Bell Shield made Murong slightly... simpler?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, who else are you looking for besides Cui Peng?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A little beggar...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the carriage, Murong Xiao scribbled notes diligently, hanging onto every word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He planned to enlist his grandfather’s help upon returning home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Murong family’s intelligence network was reliable—Li Mo trusted that much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the carriage entered the prefecture city, heading straight for the inner district, where the architecture outshone the outer city’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Murong Manor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo glanced up at the gilded plaque—the Murong residence was among the grandest in the inner city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master, Honored Li.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward, clearly forewarned, greeted them warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Li, make yourself at home.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murong Xiao relaxed visibly upon returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing through galleries and gardens, Li Mo observed with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place dwarfed his family’s estate back home—every detail exuded aristocratic refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiao’er.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the main hall, two elders sat before a lavish spread, sipping tea. The one in crimson robes beckoned Murong Xiao over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other, a purple-robed elder with half-black, half-white hair, fixed his gaze on Li Mo—then his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So this is the famed Li, the True Disciple.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Truly a hero among youths, as expected.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson-robed elder rose with a hearty laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Prefect and I were just enjoying tea when we heard of your arrival. He insisted on staying longer just to meet you—drank half my stock of Cloud Mist Eyebrow!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1086,"2026-05-30T17:19:00.269Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","64a13a91a6a8af3b03a06af3447867058006cdab3346e97686c5c8ca61c555b4","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-52","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-450",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]