Encounter

"Maiden of the Forest?"

As Lu PingAn grew more familiar with this world, more differences between the two worlds came to light.

For example, because True Gods existed in this world, Earth's myths had either vanished without a trace or been replaced by different versions.

"Why does the Maiden of the Forest remind me so much of Earth mythology? The Goddess of the Forest Diana and the King of the Forest in the Nemi region are far too similar."

Diana, the ancient forest goddess of Nemi—near present-day Italy—presided over forests, wild beasts and livestock, and the bounty of the earth. She possessed holy water that could cure diseases, and her priests were known as Kings of the Forest.

But the most memorable thing about her was that her "King of the Forest" was not a fixed position.

"Each generation's King of the Forest held a lofty status, yet would be killed by his successor. Or rather, the victor of the forest duel became that short-lived priest doomed to die young."

"And their goddess longed to watch her believers slaughter one another in the forest. Even a lowly slave could become the new king, so long as he successfully killed the exalted King of the Forest."

The scene felt familiar to Lu PingAn. Wasn't that exactly how Chris operated back then?

Were all Gods of Life this brutal, or was that simply the essence of so-called "life"?

Lu PingAn had no answer, but that did not stop him from reevaluating the "benevolent" Maiden of the Forest.

"Since I intend to go further down the Gardener path, I'm destined to deal with her more often. In her secret realms from now on, I can kill to my heart's content."

The materials Lu PingAn had obtained recorded three other orthodox Life Gods: the Candle Holder, the King of Harvest and Delicacies, and the Blood Rose of Love.

But honestly, all of their reputations were rather questionable, and only the Blood Rose could provide the Gardener path.

Further up the path, there were subtle differences even along the same route. Simply put, the battle-oriented Combat Gardener was considered heresy by traditionalists.

There were supposedly several Life-type evil gods as well, but Lu PingAn lacked the authority to access the relevant information.

Considering Chris's temperament, they were probably even worse than Lady Lin. They might even be connected to the so-called Mother Goddess, and Lu PingAn had no desire to have his surveillance rating raised again.

".The Maiden of the Forest, who craved blood and slaughter, was actually the best-regarded God of Life. Can you believe that?"

Lu PingAn did not think this "truth" could have been hidden from everyone. Lady Lin did not seem to have made any effort to conceal it.

The reason she was so popular, with numerous companies and medical facilities in this city, was probably just that she was the least awful option. Humanity needed a relatively friendly and orderly Lord of Life.

After finishing his call with his family, Lu PingAn received a call from Xia Qin, asking where he was.

She seemed to need him for something. He casually said he would be back soon and set off for home.

Cat Cat, on the other hand, had been badly shaken. She tossed out, "I'm going to train, meow," then ran off to do extra training.

It was worth mentioning that while selling the "stolen goods," Lu PingAn had run into their original owners: the Wilderness Four Wolves.

"Yo, we meet again."

The Young Man looked at them with a grin. In one corner of the shop, the four wolves who ruled the newcomer district did not even dare breathe, frozen stiff in place.

"Hello, hello!"

The eldest wolf was dumbstruck. The second wolf, who had been shoved forward, felt like crying. Why had they run into this menace here?

"Have you eaten? What brings you here? We know this place well. If you need any help—"

The next moment, he nearly slapped himself.

This was a shop specializing in fencing stolen goods. What else could anyone come here for?

Their group were regular customers here, planning to buy some equipment on credit so they could return to their old trade. The other side had naturally come to—

Clatter!

Lu PingAn dumped a sack of "stolen goods" straight onto the counter and asked the clerk to appraise them.

He sold their belongings right in front of their original owners, then looked curiously at the second wolf as if wondering what kind of stupid question that had been.

The fence's clerk was also very familiar with the regular customers' equipment. After a quick inspection, he gave the Wilderness Four Wolves an awkward look. Weren't these guys' equipment? Had they kicked an iron plate?

"The total value is around sixteen thousand, but you know the rules here. I'll give you ten thousand. Selling?"

That was less than expected, but Lu PingAn could not be bothered spending time finding other channels or buyers.

He nodded and agreed, successfully fencing the stolen goods right in front of their original owners.

"Too arrogant, too arrogant! I'm going to expose this guy's disguise. He's not some expert! He's just a newcomer."

The eldest wolf had figured everything out. Gritting his teeth, he decided to go all out and expose Lu PingAn's true face.

"You—"

"Big Brother, don't!"

"Big Brother, we know you're brave! You'll always be our good big brother! But don't do it!"

Then his brothers grabbed hold of him!

One hugged his legs, one clung to his arms, and one yanked his head back, terrified that he would act on impulse and drag them all to their deaths.

"Don't stop me! I'm going to fight this guy!"

With the eldest wolf's explosive temper, how could his brothers possibly hold him back?

Hearing that, Lu PingAn turned and glanced at the eldest wolf. Just one glance, a smiling one.

The eldest wolf froze.

"Is he really a newcomer? Could he be pretending to be weak just to mess with me?"

"Killing people in secret realms is one thing. Killing outside is against the law. But if we attack first, then he's acting in self-defense..."

"A conspiracy?! This has to be a conspiracy! My wisdom has seen through everything. I absolutely can't let this conspiracy succeed!"

In an instant, dozens of thoughts flashed through his mind. The wise old wolf had seen through it all!

"Ow! What are you doing? I can't move with you all holding me! Let go! Let me fight him!"

Thus, the eldest wolf was dragged back by his brothers, taking a big step backward.

Boom!

Everyone pushed in the same direction, and they immediately turned into a tangled heap rolling across the floor!

Watching the Wilderness Four Wolves roll into a ball in the corner, Lu PingAn smiled. These guys were genuinely interesting.

He shook his head, glanced over the shop's decor, and waited for the clerk to finish the transaction before preparing to take the money and leave.

But when Lu PingAn truly prepared to leave, the "wise eldest wolf" began to stir again.

"What if he's fooling me again? If he really is a weakling, and we just watch him sell our equipment while Xiao Zhang spreads the news, how will the Wilderness Four Wolves ever show our faces in the Jianghu again?"

The moment he stirred, his brothers pounced on him together and pinned him down completely!

"Big Brother, we're begging you! Just endure it, let it go! Our lives matter! This isn't a secret realm!"

The eldest wolf struggled harder and harder. Between losing face and possibly losing his life, he hesitated—but the next moment, he no longer had to.

The doors of the "general store" suddenly swung open, and a group of people entered. Several of them were old acquaintances of Lu PingAn.

".Did you hear? Those scum from the Dragon Snake Gang were attacked. Eleven people were blown to death on the spot, and they still have no idea who did it."

"Apparently there were plant-type explosives at the scene. Maybe it was a High-Tier Gardener. Heh, I told you, that kind of business earns little and offends plenty of people. Maybe some big shot just didn't like the look of them."

The newcomers were not speaking loudly, but the shop was so small that there was no way they could not be heard.

Plant-type explosives? High-Tier Gardener? In an instant, the Wilderness Four Wolves froze.

Some sucked in a breath, some swallowed hard, and some turned pale.

The next moment, all four heads instinctively turned toward Lu PingAn.

"Shh."

Smiling, Lu PingAn held his thumb sideways and made a zipping motion.

Sure enough, he received a series of frantic nods.

"Heh, such good boys."

The Young Man smiled, took his money, and left.

What, the zipper gesture had been made at the wrong height, and he had zipped across his neck instead?

Well, perhaps he was simply not very practiced at making gestures for people to keep secrets.