A Dashing Display and an Unexpected Truth

He was secretly relishing the moment when, suddenly, a cold shout exploded beside him:

“Tomboy—!”

The instant he opened his eyes in response, his vision was brutally swallowed by a furious flurry of fists!

A steel-like fist, trailing turbulent air, was nearly upon him, causing Lin Mo’s pupils to abruptly constrict.

The teacup in his hand immediately slipped from his grasp.

In the instant his hairs stood on end, his body reacted even before his mind could process it!

It wasn’t merely a slip of the hand; he had deliberately hurled the teacup directly at Ji Xue’s face!

Yet, to Lin Mo’s astonishment, Ji Xue did not flinch or close her eyes in avoidance of the thrown teacup.

The teacup struck the thin film of spiritual energy enveloping her entire body, and instead of closing her eyes, she opened them as wide as they could go!

Every single one of Lin Mo’s movements was captured by her gaze!

Ji Xue’s fist now not only carried a fierce gust of wind, but also spiritual energy!

This spiritual energy emanated a scorching heat, rushing forward like a sharp, warm gale.

‘Was this considered some growth? All because of a casual remark he had made?’

A hint of surprise flickered in Lin Mo’s heart, yet his hands remained anything but idle.

After all, he was no pushover!

Perhaps others would never truly grasp the obsession Lin Mo, a man yearning to move, held for physical actions.

He had once fantasized about being able to move, to execute graceful and impressive actions, to display his handsome bearing, and to earn the admiration of his mother and other acquaintances.

Indeed, he was obsessed with learning, imprinting every single movement deeply into his mind hundreds, even thousands, of times; during those days when Lin Mo had an abundance of time, he watched countless examples.

These included not only films, but also various instructional videos.

His sole purpose was that, once his paralysis was cured, he could fully unleash his movements, allowing others to witness his ability to move, and how beautifully he moved.

Lin Mo steadfastly believed in and continued his studies.

Now, his paralysis had been cured.

And his body felt even more attuned to his soul.

Lin Mo’s palm, like a bolt of lightning, struck the pressure point on her elbow joint, instantly deflecting Ji Xue’s forceful punch!

He then seamlessly surged into her embrace, his shoulder forcefully ramming into her chest and abdomen like a battering ram, exploiting her unguarded opening!

“Ugh!”

Ji Xue let out a muffled groan, soaring backward like a kite with a snapped string, carving a desperate arc through the air.

Her back slammed against the light barrier with a resounding ‘thud’, sending ripples across its surface.

“You… you tomboy!” Ji Xue clenched her fists, tears welling in her eyes, the corners of her mouth drooping as if weighed down. “Did you really need to be so ruthless? Are you trying to kill me? Even if you had ten lives, it wouldn’t be enough to compensate if I died!”

Lin Mo was suddenly jolted back to reality!

‘Crap!’

‘He had forgotten this was his employer; wouldn’t such a heavy-handed move just give her a reason to dock his pay?’

A wave of regret washed over Lin Mo as he considered this.

‘Where had his cautious and meticulous nature gone? Why did he repeatedly act foolishly in front of this person?’

‘He had to salvage the situation!’

Just as Lin Mo was about to speak, Ji Xue preempted him.

However… Ji Xue painstakingly propped herself up from the light barrier, the intense pain from the impact in her chest and abdomen blanching her face, her voice carrying an almost imperceptible tremor.

Nevertheless, she stubbornly raised her head, meeting Lin Mo’s gaze directly, and enunciated each word slowly, “You tomboy, you were right. Only by keeping your eyes open can you truly see your enemy, truly discern all their movements. This time…” She took a shallow breath, attempting to steady her breathing, her eyes bloodshot, yet her gaze was sharper than ever before. “I saw everything.”

Ji Xue took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on Lin Mo, as if trying to engrave the clarity of that recent moment into her mind, turning it over repeatedly, before finally uttering, with a slight upward lilt at the end, an oddly awkward yet undeniable exclamation:

“Your movements… were quite dashing.”

The instant the words left her lips, it seemed as though all her strength to maintain her composure had been depleted.

Ji Xue’s body swayed slightly, and her back slumped heavily against the still-rippling light barrier once more.

She closed her eyes briefly, biting down hard on her lower lip, desperately suppressing the sob that threatened to escape due to the intense pain in her throat.

‘No docked pay.’

‘No more vicious curses.’

‘Only acknowledgment.’

“Do you think… it was dashing?”

“Of course.” Ji Xue nodded, though her expression didn’t quite match the straightforwardness of her words. ‘Hmph, even though I don’t want to admit it.’

‘But I was beaten so badly. I’m still your employer, couldn’t you have gone a little easier? With those moves, it’s as if you’re afraid your head is too secure on your neck!’

Lin Mo felt a small surge of joy.

After all… his small wish had come true.

And he wouldn’t even have his pay docked.

“Want to learn? I can teach you,” Lin Mo offered playfully, extending a hand to Ji Xue as he approached her.

“Stop spouting nonsense. Whether it’s the Qi Condensation stage or the Foundation Establishment stage, the teachers in my palace all say that close-combat techniques are the most crucial. It’s just… for some reason, the teachers in the palace are unwilling to seriously teach me, calling me barbaric, claiming that close-combat techniques exist only for the weak. As a member of the Ji family… with such overbearing cultivation methods, there’s no need to waste time learning close-combat techniques. The cultivation methods are tyrannical, empowering one with immense strength. Cultivating them grants the power of ten thousand jun, enough to break all techniques with a single force.” Ji Xue grumbled, recounting past events like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Lin Mo found it easy to understand; after all, in this world where women held supremacy, close-quarters combat likely seemed quite barbaric to them.

“It’s not hard to understand. Things invented by men, naturally—”

“What’s wrong with men!” Ji Xue retorted immediately, her voice resonant and forceful, each word carrying weight.

Lin Mo froze.

“If something is useful, it’s good; there’s no need to categorize it by status or worth. I don’t see anything wrong with men. To generalize from past events and negate everything is what’s truly base.”

Ji Xue grasped Lin Mo’s outstretched hand, but the moment she pulled, not only did she fail to pull herself up, she dragged Lin Mo down with her instead!

“Ah!”

With a short gasp, both lost their balance and tumbled to the ground.

Lin Mo landed beside her, his hands braced to prevent a full collapse, and in a virtually face-to-face position, they gazed at each other in silence.

However… for some reason, Lin Mo was staring so intently at her face.

“What are you gaping at? This is utterly disrespectful! How dare you pin me beneath you?”

That exquisitely beautiful face possessed an indescribable charm, causing even Ji Xue to blush faintly.

“What exactly do you want?”

“You… don’t dislike men?”

“Heh, you’re as flat as a man yourself, yet do you see me disliking you? Didn’t I still pay to employ you? Even if you were a man, I wouldn’t mind.”

‘Why?’ Ji Xue didn’t understand.

This world was filled with hostility towards men, as if all men were unforgivable, deserving of death.

Lin Mo lived cautiously, believing he would never encounter another Yang Po Po.

“Why don’t you dislike men?”

Ji Xue felt a touch of helplessness, yet upon reflection, perhaps her own thoughts were the truly unconventional ones.

But she genuinely couldn’t bring herself to hate them.

Looking at Lin Mo’s gaze, filled with doubt and disbelief, she thought, ‘Perhaps this tomboy doesn’t even know why she hates men either.’

‘She just did it because others told her to.’

‘What she was about to say might very well influence his entire life.’

After all, she was a princess; her words certainly carried significant weight.

She deliberated for a moment, then earnestly provided her answer.

“Why hate a man who has done nothing wrong, who works diligently and earnestly? I would hate a man who burns, kills, and plunders to the core. Aren’t there bad people among women who burn, kill, plunder, and commit all sorts of evil? Then why are there no scholars who criticize women, who denounce women? To put it plainly, it’s because those scholars themselves are women. To conform to the masses, to enjoy popular affection, they write carelessly, having long abandoned their own convictions and insights. They write whatever the higher-ups favor. Tomboy, if you were a man, I wouldn’t dislike you. Don’t hate everything; know what you hate and why you hate it. Don’t just hate whatever you see, only to be asked what you hate and reply, ‘I don’t know, someone else told me to.’ That is the real joke.”

Ji Xue gently stroked Lin Mo’s cheek, softly saying, “Don’t mind the gazes of others; just stick to what you believe is right.”

‘Hmph, what I just said must have been incredibly dashing.’

‘Look at that tomboy’s gaze; she must have been stunned by me~’

‘No helping it, who told me I’m a princess? Of course my words have substance!’

However, at this moment, Ji Xue had no idea just how profoundly those words had shaken Lin Mo’s heart.