Daoist Wang's First Attempt at Flirting

This poor Daoist can ride the central elevator for free now, too.

Wang Jixuan walked with his hands behind his back along the asphalt path in Central Park.

The park had simulated sunlight, and it also mimicked Sunrise and Sunset according to the changing day and night outside the fortress.

Two enormous paintings flanked the massive elevator shaft.

The eastern painting depicted the Tree of Abundance. A Giant Tree stretched from heaven to earth, with the outline of a surface city behind it; it appeared during the fortress's daytime.

The western painting was Starry Night Moon. It appeared at night in the fortress, showing a starry sky and a single moon.

The east side was realistic, while the west was abstract. Both had considerable artistic merit.

The one thing he had to thank the landlady for was that, while living in the wooden building, he had been free to read those neatly categorized books, a collection comparable to a standard library in the Central District.

In Mu Liang's memories, water had been the only free resource, but Wang Jixuan had recently found another.

Books.

All kinds of books.

As long as one followed the library's rules, registered the borrowed books, returned them on time, and took good care of them, one could keep reading without end.

Wang Jixuan found that rather incredible.

When he cultivated in his sect, all manner of Ancient Texts had been kept in the Scripture Repository. They were the sect's foundation, the root of its legacy, and ordinary disciples were not allowed inside. Only after Wang Jixuan entered the Nascent Soul Realm and became an elder could he enter the top floor of the Scripture Repository to read the profound immortal texts.

Things were different here. If the library did not have a specialized book, one could search for and reserve it on a terminal, then find it in the library the next day.

Even first- and second-tier residents with bad credit or criminal records could borrow every book stored by the fortress.

Not bad at all.

As he was about to turn past the elevator shaft's outer wall, Wang Jixuan's gaze shifted to the greenery beside him, where he spotted several benches behind the shaft.

Only one girl sat there, her back tall and slender.

Wang Jixuan was about to approach when he instinctively halted.

His Spiritual Sense gave a faint twitch.

It was not warning him of danger. Rather... it had sensed the possible presence of something powerful.

There was no Mottled Qi. She probably was not a Psionicist?

Wang Jixuan studied her carefully. This was the first time his Spiritual Sense and perception had failed to align.

He found no other abnormalities. The source of his Spiritual Sense's reaction was this girl with the high ponytail.

Wang Jixuan let his hands fall naturally from his pockets. Several talismans and two Bone-Piercing Nails had already appeared within his sleeves as he slowly moved forward, soon catching sight of the girl's profile.

Even Daoist Wang, who had spent many years surrounded by the beauty of his senior and junior sisters, felt his eyes light up at the sight.

As he drew closer, her full appearance unfolded before Wang Jixuan.

The ponytailed girl's aura was remarkably pure and upright.

She was likely around twenty, her charm just beginning to blossom. She wore no makeup, yet her skin was smooth and delicate. Peach blossom eyes, willow-leaf brows, a slightly high but natural nose bridge, and gently pursed lips curving into a faint arc—she was absorbed in a thin book.

Her exquisite features complemented her long swanlike neck. The Creator's greatest effort in making her had likely gone into combining those beautiful elements into her exceptional temperament, without a trace of gaudy extravagance.

A loose, pale-yellow semi-sheer athletic top paired with black skinny jeans revealed her nearly perfect proportions. Her two slender, long legs were naturally crossed.

She truly was a beauty.

Yet what truly stirred Daoist Wang's Dao heart at that moment was...

A pair of silver-white Mechanical Arms, slowly turning the pages of the book.

The Mechanical Arms' casing was smooth, covered in countless almost invisible seams. Their bases seemed to extend into her chest.

Wang Jixuan could not help but praise her inwardly.

Disabled in body, unyielding in spirit!

Though life had dealt her an accident and physical suffering, she could still face it calmly and display her bodily flaws so confidently and generously.

This cultivation of her Dao heart alone was enough for him to learn from.

Wang Jixuan was now certain that the twitching of his Spiritual Sense came from the girl's Mechanical Arms. They resembled some kind of magical artifact, and this was also the first time he had encountered machinery of such precision at close range.

He silently made a decision.

When he politely declined her later, he would not look at her Mechanical Arms. Instead, he would meet her eyes directly, offering as much encouragement as possible and showing the goodwill of a stranger.

Moving forward, Wang Jixuan reached the bench where the ponytailed girl sat. With the calm composure of a cultivator and the relaxed confidence of a Security Team leader, he took the initiative and extended his right hand.

"Hello, I'm Mu Liang."

The girl visibly froze for a moment and looked up at Wang Jixuan. Her smile vanished at once, and she stood to lightly shake his hand.

The Mechanical Arm moved smoothly, without the slightest sense of lag.

Wang Jixuan felt that the inside of the Mechanical Arm was extremely soft, almost no different from Normal Human skin.

"Ling Tong."

She gave her name.

Ling Tong?

Was that Wen Tongtong's nickname or childhood name?

Someone actually used the character for "spirit" in her name. Daoist Wang found that faintly pleasing.

They released each other's hands after a single shake. Wang Jixuan asked openly, "May I sit beside you?"

"Please do. This is a public area."

The ponytailed girl sat down alongside Wang Jixuan, seeming not at all nervous herself.

She marked her place in the romance novel and closed it, then stared blankly ahead for a moment, as though savoring something.

Wang Jixuan took the initiative. "Do you know about my situation?"

The girl nodded lightly. "Yes. I saw the file. Upholding justice and eliminating evil, and Black Storm."

"Uh, they even told you about that?"

Daoist Wang was somewhat stunned as he turned to look at this "Miss Wen."

Ling Tong's ponytail swayed gently. Tilting her head slightly, she asked in a quiet voice, "Was I not supposed to know?"

"Well..." Wang Jixuan raised a hand to his forehead. "I wanted to live quietly for a while. Now you've gone and learned everything."

Ling Tong looked at his expression, and a smile could not help appearing on her exquisite face.

"Don't worry. Captain Zhou instructed me not to talk about it carelessly.

"I just didn't expect you to be less... solemn and slightly old-fashioned than Captain Zhou said. And you're not as hard to get along with, either."

Wang Jixuan gave an awkward laugh.

He did not know why, but he had become somewhat more talkative today.

That was right—security.

Around this girl, he felt an inexplicable sense of ease, as though he were perfectly safe.

Was it because of her Mechanical Arms? They were indeed precise enough, and novel to him as well.

"I really was somewhat difficult to get along with before. Back then, I hadn't considered how to face this cruel world. But now, I feel that... everyone is interesting. The knowledge contained in books is vast, and there are countless trains of thought I had never even considered before.

"I still have so much to learn... Enough about me. How about we talk about you?"

"Me?" Ling Tong seemed somewhat confused.

Wang Jixuan smiled. "Well, I read in a book that one should try to keep the conversation centered on the other person and not always talk about oneself."

"Was it that book Fortress Men and Women? I've read it too."

Ling Tong looked ahead, sighed softly, and lowered her gaze to her palm.

The simulated Mechanical Arm possessed a different sort of beauty.

Wang Jixuan hurriedly changed the subject. "Do you like music?"

"I listen sometimes." Ling Tong smiled lightly, with a faint gleam in her eyes. "You're very considerate of other people's feelings. You're completely different from the personality Captain Zhou described."

Wang Jixuan felt that he ought to encourage this disabled woman.

It was only that he had not wanted to do such things before. He was a cultivator over a hundred years old, not incapable of it.

Wang Jixuan spoke in a steady, slightly low voice.

"It depends on who I'm with.

"Doctor Wei Na feels like a ball of fire to me. If I don't keep my distance, she'll burn me to ashes.

"Captain Zhou is like a landscape painting. Whenever I think I've seen all of him, he reveals a different view hidden among the mountains and ink washes—perhaps a charm in his personality, or his background."

Ling Tong tilted her head and asked, "What about me?"

Wang Jixuan's gaze happened to catch a flower in the greenery.

He immediately thought of a wonderful description. "A flower."

"A flower?"

Ling Tong said softly.

"Flowers all look fragile, and flowers exist only for fruit."

Wang Jixuan shook his head. Imitating the voice Zhou Zhengde used when encouraging others, he said warmly.

"Comparing women to flowers is not merely because flowers bloom and fall for the sake of the plants' reproduction. It is also because when flowers bloom, they add a rare color to this world.

"Gentle waves in tender eyes, blossoms flourishing in abundance.

"When I see flowers, I feel happy. Seeing you feels the same, so I thought of that comparison. On behalf of the few members of our patrol group whom I know, I thank you for adding a little color to this dim fortress with your beauty."

Ling Tong was somewhat dazed.

She quietly watched Wang Jixuan, her lips parting slightly as she softly said, "If I weren't..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing. Talking with you is very interesting." Ling Tong unconsciously pursed her lips and lightly moistened them with the tip of her tongue.

Wang Jixuan sighed inwardly.

He hoped his encouragement could brighten her mood and let her escape, if only for a few seconds, from the pain of losing her hands.

Suddenly.

Without changing his expression, Wang Jixuan looked toward a corner to the side.

At an entrance leading into Central Park, a mass of Mottled Qi entered Wang Jixuan's range of perception.

A Psionicist.

A powerful Psionicist.

This person was even slightly stronger than the Psionicists Wang Jixuan had previously sensed, the ones who had followed the Biological Affairs Minister to pressure Zhou Zhengde!

There was no baleful aura. It seemed he had not killed anyone?

But a powerful Psionicist had appeared here and was walking straight toward them.

The pistol won't work.

Wang Jixuan silently stood up, a Bone-Piercing Nail appearing in his palm.

Faced with a Psionicist several degrees stronger than Wen Qian, he did not have much chance in a direct clash, but he had no intention of sitting still and waiting to die.

The other party suddenly lunged forward in the passageway, and that mass of Mottled Qi began to surge with extreme speed.

He was here!

A hooded, masked man rushed out of the passage.

Wang Jixuan was about to strike immediately, but the man seemed to have anticipated it. He thrust out his left arm, a glowing Plasma Shield appearing above and below it, while his right hand drew a large-caliber revolver "pistol" and prepared to pull the trigger at Wang Jixuan...

He was slightly faster than Wang Jixuan at full sprint!

Wang Jixuan realized things had gone wrong and immediately moved to shove the woman beside him away while evading.

Buzz, whoosh—

What the hell?

Before Wang Jixuan could make any move, a powerful gust of air rushed at him from beside him.

Ling Tong suddenly shot forward, powerful airflow erupting from the elbow joints of her Mechanical Arms!

After two quick strides, she was moving so fast that she left an afterimage!

Bang!

The revolver "pistol" fired a crackling electric "fishing net," but before the net could spread, a Mechanical Arm whose hand and forearm had sprouted blades sliced through it as easily as tofu!

Ling Tong spun like a dancer, her left Mechanical Arm punching into the front of the Plasma Shield. The masked man was knocked backward, the Plasma Shield instantly failed, and his defenses were wide open!

A toned, long leg came down in a vertical kick. The masked man was stomped in the chest and pinned to the ground. Ling Tong extended her right arm, spread her five fingers, and aimed at the masked man's head.

Click, click-click-click-click.

Orange-red light spots appeared in her palm. Her forearm expanded to twice its size, powerful magnetic fields and streams of energy restrained by those fields emerging across it.

Destruction Laser Cannon, level-one preparation.

"Ling Tong! Me! It's me! Cough, cough!"

The man beneath her shouted at the top of his lungs, yanking off his mask to reveal the face of a thin, slight middle-aged man.

"Don't get worked up! Turn that thing off!

"I was just playing a joke on this young man! Why did you react so fiercely?"

"Oh."

Ling Tong shook her right hand, disengaging Destruction Laser Cannon mode. Her Mechanical Arm returned to its normal slender form.

She turned to Wang Jixuan, smiled faintly, and nodded.

"He's one of us. Probably."