[{"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-531":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},596504,846,"Chapter 531: Face-Disfiguring Powder, Remnant Tune of Qinghai","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-531",531,"\u003Cp>\"My first opponent is Ning Que, followed by Jiang Yu, and the third might be that ice block...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo stood on the arena, silently calculating his odds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To enter Tianren City, he needed to win all three matches—or at most lose one. Two losses would practically seal his fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, he couldn’t use his hammer treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he absolutely had to secure the first two victories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across from him, Ning Que had finished meditating and stepped onto the platform. A jade flute hung at his waist, though the legendary weapon, the Clear Sea Remnant Tune Qin, was nowhere in sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the match even began, Ning Que suddenly raised a hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hold on!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Que eyed him warily. \"Li Mo, I believe you’re a man of honor. So, how about a gentleman’s agreement?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo, ever the chivalrous warrior, straightened with solemn dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since we’re both gentlemen, our duel should be fair and aboveboard. First rule: no foul language.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After careful observation, Ning Que had pinpointed one of the Divine Hammer Tyrant’s deadliest techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Art of Verbal Assault!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a refined flutist and qin player, he had no talent for comebacks—and he suspected Li Mo would out-talk him anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You misunderstand me, I would never—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Zang’ai said he learned it from you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Fine. What else?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No underhanded tricks either. No poison, no 'monkey steals the peach,' no throwing lime powder, no ambushes from behind...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I genuinely don’t do those—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? I thought Huang Donglai picked it up from you too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Que’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Him? That’s just... natural talent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo sighed and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hehe~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murong Xiao rubbed his bald head and grinned, his eyes sparkling with wisdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Snicker...\" Huang Donglai’s smile was far more sinister, and he flashed a thumbs-up toward the stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t a compliment, idiots!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s so funny?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, Li Mo understood Huang Donglai’s amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because as Ning Que spoke, his lips and hands suddenly began swelling, turning red and puffy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though I admit you’re handsome—almost as dashing as me—but... mmph... wha’s happenin’? Why’s my tongue so thick?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the stage, Murong Xiao blinked and pointed. \"Brother Donglai, don’t his lips look like sausages now? And his hands—like pork trotters...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Behold, my latest breakthrough!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Donglai clasped his hands behind his back, radiating serenity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure Li Mo’s victory, he’d spared no expense, using rare and precious ingredients he’d once only dreamed of affording.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But the tournament bans lethal poisons, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Deadly toxins are forbidden, indeed. But this isn’t poison. It’s not even toxic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Donglai produced a small vial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Meet the 'Face-Altering Powder.' Applied areas swell from trapped blood and impurities, but it clears internal injuries. After an hour, everything returns to normal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, it’s just a healing salve... with side effects!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murong Xiao leaned back slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he noticed Huang Donglai’s own body swelling too—his face now resembled a bear that had raided a beehive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait... had Huang Donglai coated himself in the powder and let Ning Que hit him?Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, the lips... ah, the flute!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn. This guy’s ruthless...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bastard!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So I was already poisoned!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Que gnashed his teeth, furious, and yanked the jade flute from his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Humiliating me like this? Don’t expect mercy now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I swear, it wasn’t me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo pleaded for reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire city was watching. He’d finally gotten a chance to play the elegant swordsman, engaging in a noble duel between gentlemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now this? How was he supposed to explain this mess?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ning Que was beyond reasoning. He raised the flute to his swollen lips and blew—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pffft—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Qin, who had just returned, looked around in confusion. \"Who let out such a loud fart?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a stunned silence, stifled laughter rippled through the audience. Ning Que’s sausage lips were nearly as thick as the flute itself, and his pork-trotter fingers couldn’t cover the holes properly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitiful? Yes. But that fart-like noise? Impossible to take seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you’re upset, but maybe I can help neutralize the—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shuddup! Don’ wan’ yer help!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Que snapped. He hurled the flute to the ground, then clasped his hands and pulled them apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An ethereal qin materialized before him, its body woven from flowing water, its strings rippling like waves, radiant with spiritual energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single pluck—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The note resonated, and the air itself seemed to liquefy. Currents swirled, whirlpools churned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for Divine Monk Huaikong’s spatial barrier around the arena, the entire square would’ve been submerged in a tidal wave of sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the hands playing it were still... pork trotters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sigh...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mo exhaled. Why was it so hard to be a dashing swordsman?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no time to lament. The divine weapon’s power demanded focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He steadied his mind. The Tianren Divine Sword gleamed in his grip, its edge shimmering like autumn ripples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This strike fused his mastery of the Nine Swords of Dugu—simplified yet profound. Channeling the sword’s divine might, its power surged layer by layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subtle yet direct. Sharp yet elusive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The music, once intangible, took shape in Li Mo’s eyes—sketched lines on parchment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His sword was the eraser.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Swords of Dugu could dismantle any weapon. Even musical ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianren Divine Sword could cut the formless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He weaved through the sonic tides, severing the interlocking whirlpools, disrupting the melody’s flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the blade halted just before Ning Que’s throat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had his core not achieved perfect circulation, even a fraction of the sword’s true power would’ve been beyond him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Que finally regained his composure—cold steel had a way of focusing the mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tune shifted from offense to defense, ethereal and distant, as if echoing across miles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each layer of sound the Tianren Divine Sword pierced, its glow dimmed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This melody, played by a divine instrument, didn’t just feel remote—it created actual barriers of space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sword slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it still reached the Clear Sea Remnant Tune Qin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snap—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A string broke, vanishing into nothingness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Impressive swordsmanship. I underestimated you—thought your blade was mediocre.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ning Que’s eyes flickered, then hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if this is all you’ve got, forget Jiang Yu... you can’t even defeat me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, too, had mastered divine techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And though the Clear Sea Remnant Tune Qin ranked below the Tianren Divine Sword on the divine weapon charts...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A weapon’s worth depended on its wielder.\u003C\u002Fp>",1083,"2026-05-30T17:19:06.745Z","2026-06-01T04:31:46.286Z",1,"novelbin.me","0444d605b75ab2d96ebedb327a5a7f76e6895aa3b8167c08ec4c3d550e0a25da","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-532","investing-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-chapter-530",737,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Finvesting-in-the-reborn-empress-she-actually-cal-cover.jpg"]