The sun hung high, casting its bright rays upon the land.
The street from Buyun Tower to the inner city gave Li Mo the distinct impression of heading to a concert—fan merchandise and souvenirs were everywhere, and the prices were downright...
A scam.
For instance, a single oversized doll cost fifty taels of silver, and the "ice-block" version was even pricier.
"Do people actually buy this stuff?" Li Mo couldn't help but wonder.
"I'll take all six."
Ying Bing clutched several plush "Divine Hammer Little Tyrant" dolls in her arms, finally relaxing a little.
Then she turned to look at Li Mo. Today, she wore her "Lunar Fairy Gown," exuding an aura of icy elegance—yet the sight of her hugging a pile of oversized dolls created quite the contrast.
"I want them."
The Phoenix Heavenly Empress might have many things...But money wasn’t one of them.
"Ice-block, don’t you already have one of these dolls?"
Li Mo pulled out a silver note. "How about we just buy one? The six dolls in your arms are getting squished out of shape."
The plush versions of "Little Li" were currently enduring pressures they were never meant to bear, contorting into pitiful shapes.
"No, I want all of them."
"......"
"Little brother, buy them for me..."
Li Mo realized that he, the mighty Divine Hammer Little Tyrant, was embarrassingly weak-willed.
The moment Ying Bing called him "little brother," his hand automatically handed over all the silver notes. If she ever called him "big brother" in the future, how would he even handle it?
He pondered for a moment and concluded that he had no defense.
"Frost Fairy, no need to pay—just give me an autograph!"
"The money must be paid."
Ying Bing stored all the dolls from the stall into her own oversized doll, a faint glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes.
"Do you know which other stalls are selling these?"
"Of course—Old Meng, Old Liang, Old Zhou, they all have them. After all, some people buy a Frost Fairy doll and end up taking a Divine Hammer Little Tyrant along with it."
"Got it. Thanks."
The stall owner carefully tucked the silver note into his robes—clearly, he had no intention of spending it.
This was something to enshrine at home, offering incense to it daily...
From there, Li Mo, Ying Bing, and the ever-following Shang Qinqing swept through stall after stall.
By the end, every oversized doll had been absorbed into Ying Bing’s collection...
Only when no more Divine Hammer Little Tyrant dolls could be found did a trace of contentment finally surface in Ying Bing’s eyes.
Now, she was the only one who had them.
"These dolls are pretty well-made."
Li Mo also picked up a Frost Fairy doll, tucking it into his pouch and occasionally giving it a squeeze.
Huh...
It was kind of fun, wasn’t it?
No wonder Ice-block liked rubbing the dolls’ heads so much.
"Aah... this scent! The fragrance of the divine..."
Shang Qinqing wore a look of intoxicated bliss, inwardly praising her own genius.
Because the supplier of all these oversized dolls...
Was her.
By the time they reached the inner city, the stalls had thinned out.
There simply wasn’t any space left for them—waves of noise and chatter filled the air, crowds packed like pouring rain.
At a glance, thousands stretched from the inner city’s entrance far into the distance. Today, even outsiders from the outer city had squeezed in, along with visitors from all corners of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Behind the sea of people stood grand canopied pavilions, where those of notable status sat—the further in, the more prestigious.
Naturally, Li Mo’s group passed through unimpeded.
"So lively."
Li Mo couldn’t help but feel his blood stir.
"Did you learn it all?" Ying Bing asked softly.
"Enough to get by!"
Li Mo clenched his fist.
To master that single move, "Divine Thunder Vanquishing Evil," and the sword intent of the Heavenly Sword Tomb, he had spent the equivalent of a thousand years’ worth of martial insights over the past few days.
"Mmm..."
Ying Bing lowered her gaze, a line of text appearing before her eyes.
[System Notification: Next ranking update in five days.]
[Defeat Penalty: Be marked with forty-nine "strawberries" by the victor and call them "husband."]
Her lashes fluttered slightly as she touched her neck.
Surely... he had learned this too, right?
"Brother Li!"
"Let’s go in together!"
"How’s your sword training coming along?"
Inside the inner city, many young prodigies greeted him.
If nothing else...
When it came to connections, the Divine Hammer Little Tyrant was undoubtedly number one in Hidden Dragon.
......
Between the inner city and the palace’s Meridian Gate floated an elevated arena.
The wooden platform shimmered with a faint golden glow—a relic from when the Martial Emperor renovated Mount Shanhai Palace. Damaged sections could be repaired with the infusion of spirit crystals.
Beneath the arena, gilded canopies gleamed brilliantly under the sun.
Here sat the scions of nobility and royalty.
Crown Prince Jiang Yu occupied the foremost seat, with princes and princesses deferring to him.
"Big Brother will undoubtedly take first place in Hidden Dragon again. Nothing worth watching," the Fourth Prince remarked with a shrug.
Princess Yuyang lifted her chin. "Naturally. The gap between Xie Xuan and Eldest Brother is vast, let alone the others."
"I wouldn’t be so sure."
Zhong Zhenyue was also present. As the son of the Southern Suppressing King—one of Great Yu’s last remaining divine generals—he held higher standing here than some of the lesser royals.
"Lady Ying and Brother Li only began their martial journey a year ago."