The moonlight bathed the rooftop, and the surroundings of the Autumn Water Pavilion were silent, save for the occasional chirping of birds and the faint sound of their master’s teeth grinding in his sleep, adding to the serene atmosphere.

Li Mo sat upright, holding a certain ice block-like figure as soft as jade in his arms, one hand resting on her slender waist and the other on her thigh.

Ying Bing remained expressionless, feeling the warmth radiating from the hands on her waist and thigh. She pursed her lips, motionless as if under a paralysis spell. Her gaze was deep and unfathomable as she lowered her eyes.

It felt... hot.

"You..."

"Forty, it's forty. As a blacksmith, it's only reasonable to carry a second hammer, right?"

"......"

How strange. The law of complementary softness and hardness seemed to have failed on young Li Mo—his mouth could still remain so stubbornly firm!

After saying this, Li Mo felt the delicate hand resting on his shoulder curl into a tight fist.

Looking up, he saw Ying Bing’s deep, unreadable gaze as she spoke softly, "Truly, the pinnacle of physical refinement—your body is like a weapon..."

Li Mo thought for a moment and replied, "I’ve improved a little recently. It’s not just the pinnacle—it’s perfection. My body is now like a legendary weapon."

"?"

Ying Bing was momentarily stunned, her cold and aloof face betraying surprise.

The body was the hardest to temper. She had endured the torment of the Moon’s Yin energy since childhood to forge her icy jade-like physique. Yet, even so, her physical strength had always been slightly inferior to his.

Now, the gap was likely... even wider.

The countdown to the rankings was drawing closer...

Still, her spiritual strength should give her the upper hand, and she wouldn’t suffer another disadvantage against divine weapons.

The energies of Yin and Yang surged, her Moon’s Will resonating with the celestial orb above as time flowed quietly.

Before they knew it, midnight arrived.

The system was never late or absent:

[Scanning all prodigies within the Eastern Wasteland Domain, Yunzhou, and the Southern Frontier...]

[Comparing combat prowess...]

[50th among the three regions’ prodigies: Huang Donglai.]

[49th among the three regions’ prodigies: Du Yu.]

...

Ying Bing watched the rankings intently, her eyes fixed without blinking.

Soon, the list reached the top ten.

At first, Li Mo’s posture could still be considered that of a gentleman—he didn’t dare move recklessly. But after a while, he noticed that the ice block kept lowering her gaze, staring at a particular spot.

Moreover, her soft, fragrant body seemed slightly tense.

"What’s the ice block looking at?"

Curiosity getting the better of him, Li Mo also looked down.

The moment he did, his vision was obscured, and he nearly recoiled from the bounce-back effect.

"Mmm..."

"?"

Ying Bing shuddered, her tense body softening slightly. She pursed her lips, wanting to glare at Li Mo, but his vision was already blocked.

The warmth of his breath brushed against her skin, sending a ticklish sensation straight to her heart.

Just as the ice block was about to say something, the system’s ranking reached its conclusion.

[2nd among the three regions’ prodigies: Ying Bing.]

[1st among the three regions’ prodigies: Li Mo.]

[Congratulations, Host, for securing second place. Keep up the good work.]

[Please promptly locate the victor and fulfill the loser’s punishment... Oh? Detecting that the Host is currently seated in the victor’s lap. I’ll take my leave now—wouldn’t want to disturb~]

"......"

After its cheeky remark, the system vanished without giving anyone a chance to retort.

"Huh?"

Li Mo, his face still buried against her, suddenly noticed something odd.

The ice block’s heartbeat, already not slow to begin with, was now accelerating.

Not only was it faster, but the sound of her pulse also seemed louder than before.

Baffled, Li Mo asked, "Ice block?"

"Why do you keep scratching your neck lately?"

Ying Bing posed a seemingly random question—one even she didn’t know why she asked.

Her gaze fell on the faint red marks on the young man’s neck, likely from his own scratching.

Li Mo was puzzled but nodded.

"My neck’s been itchy lately, like mosquito bites. But my physique is this strong—what mosquito could even leave a mark? It’s gotten worse recently, and ointment doesn’t help."

"Really weird. Ice block, any ideas?"

"......"

Ying Bing recalled the scenes from her dreams.

Come to think of it, Qin Yuzhi had once mentioned that dreams and reality were connected in some intangible way, capable of influencing each other.

The stronger one’s mastery of dream-related arts, the more pronounced this effect.

But she had never cultivated dream arts, nor was her cultivation level high enough for dreams and reality to intertwine to this extent...

Still, now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

"I don’t know either," Ying Bing murmured softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she averted her gaze.

"Damn it."

As everyone knew, the ice block was vast and profound in knowledge.

If even she had no solution, he—merely "broad and deep"—stood no chance... Hm?

When he was little and got bitten by mosquitoes, what had his mother done?

A lightbulb went off in Li Mo’s head.

"Hey, even if we don’t know the cause, I think I’ve got a solution!"

"What is it?"

"Saliva. When I was a kid and got bitten, my mom would dab saliva on the bite and then reinforce it with a 'seal.'"

With that, Li Mo mimicked the method, carving a cross-shaped mark on Ying Bing’s wrist with his fingernail.

Ying Bing pursed her lips. "Will... that really work?"

"Of course! My mom’s methods were always reliable. But I can’t see my own neck..."

Li Mo blinked. "Sis, help me out?"

"......"

Ying Bing bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes shimmering like rippling moonlight.

"Sis, it’s itchy..."

"Really... you’re impossible."

With that, Ying Bing suddenly lowered her head.

Li Mo froze as he felt something warm and slightly ticklish on his neck, followed by a gentle nibbling sensation.

It reminded him of the long-haired calico cat he had owned in his past life—beautiful but aloof, indifferent to strangers and even to him, its caretaker.

Except when it was time for breakfast. Then, it would jump onto the bed and lick his neck.

"Still... itchy?" Ying Bing lifted her head, her eyes hazy.

"Uh... yeah!"

The virtuous young man Li Mo felt the warmth on his neck cool rapidly.

The itch there was gone.

But now, it felt like something was stirring inside his chest, itching to break free...

So he nodded earnestly in confirmation.

As everyone knew, the mosquito-bite remedy involved two steps: applying saliva and sealing the mark.

But the ice block had merged them into one!

The ice block was a genius!

The silvery moonlight draped over the two figures on the rooftop.

At first, they were both stiff—especially the expressionless Ice Fairy.

But gradually, she seemed to melt like an ice block in someone’s embrace...