"Ning Beichen, I've been diligently cultivating all day. Can you accompany me shopping and grab a bite to eat tonight?"
Li Wanrong's tone towards Ning Beichen was now one of playful coaxing.
"Alright, we'll go out tonight."
Ning Beichen agreed.
"Great!"
Though no longer a young girl, Li Wanrong acted like one, yet it didn't come across as childish or affected. Her status as a popular star was no accident; it stemmed from her own capabilities. Not to mention her acting experience, as a leading celebrity in numerous films and TV shows, she possessed a masterly understanding of male psychology. For a man as young and capable as Ning Beichen, it was impossible not to be affected.
In truth, she wasn't as foolish as Ning Beichen thought. During her cultivation, she sometimes feigned ignorance simply to have a reason to stay by his side.
That evening, Li Wanrong dressed herself beautifully, donned her high heels, and stood with Ning Beichen, looking like an enviable couple. She believed that if she unleashed her charm, Ning Beichen would be unable to resist.
However, the reality was that her supposed charm was utterly ineffective against him. Whether she flipped her hair, batted her eyelashes, or made subtle seductive gestures, Ning Beichen remained unfazed, dealing a near-fatal blow to her confidence and even making her question if he disliked women.
She had no idea that Ning Beichen had navigated a sea of women, encountering dozens, if not hundreds, of celebrities and models. Her little tricks were transparent to him. He didn't dislike women or beautiful women; he simply disliked those with ulterior motives. In the past, Ning Beichen wouldn't have rejected a beautiful woman throwing herself at him. He had never taken such encounters seriously; it was simply a game of who could outplay whom. But lately, after spending so much time with Liu Yilin, he found her occupying his every thought, leaving little room for any other woman.
They walked down the street without a car. Suddenly, Li Wanrong cried out, and Ning Beichen immediately turned to look. Her heel was stuck in the grate of a sewer, and after several attempts, she couldn't free it. She looked at Ning Beichen with a piteous expression.
Ning Beichen found it amusing. He walked over, knelt beside her, gently took her foot out of her high heel, and placed it on his knee. Then, he pulled her high heel free from the grate and helped her put it back on. This simple act, in Li Wanrong's eyes, exuded a man's tenderness, making her blush furiously. She swore this time she wasn't being deliberately suggestive.
Just then, a Taoist priest suddenly appeared before them.
"Wuliang Tianzun, are you Ning Beichen?" the priest asked Ning Beichen directly.
"You damned Taoists again. Speak, what do you want this time?" Ning Beichen's impression of Taoist priests and monks wasn't good, and he naturally lacked respect for them. To him, if they were coming after him, expecting respect was unreasonable.
"Liang Tian Palace wishes to invite you for a visit. We have matters to discuss with you." The priest spoke with a stern tone.
"Scram!" Ning Beichen retorted, his expression turning hostile. If they were going to be brusque, so would he.
The priest's appearance also annoyed Li Wanrong, who indignantly questioned him. "You Taoist are so rude. Is this how you invite someone?"
"Wuliang Tianzun. Very well, this is my oversight. I now sincerely invite Mr. Ning to Liang Tian Palace to discuss important matters." The priest restated his request to Ning Beichen. However, his words still felt off-putting. Perhaps he was an ascetic, rarely concerned with social niceties, or perhaps this was typical of the Taoist priests Ning Beichen encountered. Not all of them were like this; Taoist priests in scenic temples or monks in Buddhist monasteries were often polite and courteous, never speaking in such an offensive manner. It was only those who lived a reclusive life, focused on cultivation, who behaved this way, making it difficult for Ning Beichen to maintain a pleasant demeanor.
"First, tell me what this is about. If you don't clarify, I don't have time to go to your so-called Liang Tian Palace." Ning Beichen said to him. DAFENG NOVEL NETWORK. His pleasant evening date, despite not falling for Li Wanrong's allure, had been enjoyable. Now, to be interrupted by a Taoist priest was like finding a fly in his food.
"This matter is too grave. We must discuss it at Liang Tian Palace." The priest seemed incapable of communicating or improving his etiquette. A simple request, delivered politely, might not have been refused by Ning Beichen. But with such an aggressive tone, even if Ning Beichen had been willing, he lost the inclination. Ning Beichen thought, "I'm not one of your junior disciples, and you're not my father. Why should I obey you? You tell me to go east, and I go east; tell me to go west, and I go west? Do you think I'm a pushover?"
The priest, rejected by Ning Beichen, seemed momentarily flustered. He then lunged at Ning Beichen, apparently resorting to physical action when words failed.
"Taoist priest, what are you doing?" Li Wanrong was not one to be trifled with. Seeing the old priest shamelessly attack Ning Beichen, she reacted without hesitation, striking out at him with a palm.
*Bang!*
As Li Wanrong's palm struck, accompanied by a wave of heat, the priest was forced back several steps. He looked at Li Wanrong in surprise and said, "Molten Fire Palm! You are a descendant of the Li family!"
"Know how formidable I am now? I am Li Wanrong," Li Wanrong said proudly after repelling the priest with her palm.
"I didn't expect the Li family's lineage to continue and pass to a woman. This is indeed good news for the cultivation world." Though the priest wasn't angry, his tone and words still irked Li Wanrong.
"What's wrong with women? Would you exist without women? Why do you look down on women!" Li Wanrong sternly rebuked him.
"This humble Taoist didn't mean that, Miss Li. You misunderstood." The priest said, appearing somewhat embarrassed.
"Humble Taoist? I think you're just being glib. Take this!" Li Wanrong snorted and took a small step forward, launching a series of palm strikes at the priest.