First Meeting with Luo Li

"What? It was me?"

Lin Suchou watched Mu Chen's astonished expression. Though he felt guilty inside, he still pretended to remain calm on the surface.

"Fine, Brother Lin. You got quite an eyeful that day, but I was chased by that girl for so long, and now you're pretending to be clueless."

Mu Chen stared at Lin Suchou like a resentful young wife and sighed.

He could recognize me from that!?

I'd even changed clothes... As expected of the protagonist.

Seeing how certain Mu Chen was, Lin Suchou stopped pretending and came clean. "Well, Brother Mu, to be honest, I was resting there that day when that woman started bathing right away. I was afraid that if I walked out, she'd misunderstand, so I could only stay where I was and not make a sound.

"Besides, I was so far away that day. It wasn't as enjoyable as you made it sound."

Hearing this, Mu Chen felt even worse.

How had he gotten an eyeful?

That day, he had only just followed the noise and pushed aside the grass. Before he could see anything, he spotted Lin Suchou hiding in the distant brush, then that woman discovered him and chased him all the way.

"Ah, I was just unlucky. Forget it, forget it. That woman was simply too overbearing and unreasonable."

Mu Chen finally let it go and continued drinking Monkey Wine with Lin Suchou.

"Exactly. She wouldn't even listen to your explanation."

Lin Suchou nodded in deep agreement as he silently tore off a piece of Bear Paw Meat.

"So that's why Brother Lin helped me earlier."

Mu Chen shook his head and smiled.

"Hehe, I was mainly curious why you were protecting those three little monkeys."

Lin Suchou smiled before asking, "But Brother Mu, how did you recognize me?"

"Your gaze that day was different from the confusion in my eyes. And I vaguely caught sight of your eyes, Brother Lin."

Mu Chen pointed at his own eyes with a faint smile.

"I see. But why should meeting require prior acquaintance? Our encounter today is fate. Come, keep drinking."

Lin Suchou raised the gourd and urged him to drink again.

"True. Brother Lin, I toast you. No matter what, you helped me today, so I owe you a favor."

Mu Chen spoke with a serious expression. Then time passed between their lips, and before long, it was time to part ways.

"Then, Brother Mu, I wish you first place in the Fifth Guardian Land. I'll be on my way."

"The same to you, Brother Lin. Thanks to your guidance today, I would never have found the direction otherwise."

The two cupped their fists once more before going their separate ways, leaving behind only the still-warm embers.

"Chitter, chitter."

The little monkey carrying the wine came over and picked up a piece of the bear meat the two had not finished, stuffing it into its mouth.

After tasting it, it leaped about in excitement, dancing with joy.

That Mountain Bear had often stolen their wine. Today, their great vengeance had finally been avenged.

After bidding Mu Chen farewell, Lin Suchou continued northward. Along the way, he fought monsters and leveled up, drawing much closer to becoming a Level 3 Spirit Body.

"Hmm? Why is there blood?"

When Lin Suchou entered the depths of a mountain, he suddenly discovered a pool of blood ahead.

He immediately lowered his body and carefully approached. The smell of blood drifted into his nose.

"Human blood..."

Lin Suchou frowned slightly. The blood had not yet dried in the wind, so it had clearly been left there not long ago.

After thinking briefly, Lin Suchou turned his gaze toward the treetops above.

He leaped onto a nearby tree and inspected it closely.

Sure enough, he found the same bloodstains on the third tree.

Following the trail of blood, he found stains on nearly every third or fourth tree. Clearly, this person was badly injured.

As his body rose and fell through the trees, Lin Suchou discovered a petite girl surrounded by five or six people dozens of miles away.

Lin Suchou could not see the girl's face, but he saw a head of silver hair.

It cascaded down like a waterfall, reflecting a faint silver gleam beneath the sunlight. It was truly beautiful.

After a moment's thought, Lin Suchou knew the girl's identity. She was Luo Li, whom he had been desperately searching for!

Wasn't Luo Li supposed to be hunted down by Ji Xuan's people only in the Final Spirit Road?

Why was it happening now... Could this be another butterfly effect caused by him?

"System, does the girl below meet the conditions to be a Goddess?"

Lin Suchou asked silently.

Ding! Scanning the target. Appearance meets requirements, background meets requirements, status meets requirements, talent meets requirements...

Ding! Scan complete. This girl fully meets the conditions to be a Goddess!

Hearing the system's words, Lin Suchou once again turned his gaze toward the grass below.

"Luo Li, just submit to Brother Ji Xuan! You've been poisoned by us and seriously wounded. You don't want us to defeat you, take your Blood Token, and kick you out of the Spirit Road, do you?

"So what if you killed four of our brothers? There are still five of us left. How long can someone at the peak of Level 2 Spirit Body hold out?"

The blue-clothed youth leading the group held a Battle Saber as he threatened her.

"If you want my Token and Spirit Artifact, then come take them. Why waste so much breath?"

The Black Longsword in Luo Li's hand trembled slightly, and a blur of sword shadows appeared.

"Stubborn fool! Brothers, get her!"

Just as the blue-clothed youth was about to charge at Luo Li, Lin Suchou leaped down from the tree and landed beside her.

"You five grown men are bullying one girl. Aren't you ashamed?"

Lin Suchou gripped the Fiery Red Longsword, his words dripping with mockery.

"Hehe, so you're some idiot trying to play the hero and save the beauty. Do you think Luo Li, this ice mountain beauty, will care about you because of that?

"Even Brother Ji Xuan finds this venomous beauty troublesome. She may be beautiful, but she's poisonous. Aren't you afraid she'll bite you back?"

Sensing that Lin Suchou was also a Level 2 Spirit Body, the blue-clothed youth tried to scare him off with words.

"Brother, why not give me, Zhao Tiandu, some face? Once we defeat Luo Li, we can even share some of the spoils with you."

Yet Lin Suchou still refused to retreat. "Your face is less useful than my shoe insole."

"You...!"

Zhao Tiandu clenched his Battle Saber, clearly enraged.

Yet he laughed in fury instead. "Hehe, then ask the beauty beside you. Ask her whether she'll repay you afterward."

"Of course I won't. You should leave."

Luo Li's voice sounded beside his ear.

However, Lin Suchou said indifferently, "What I do is my freedom. Whether she repays me is her freedom."

"Another idiot blinded by beauty! Brothers, attack! Beat some sense into this fool with a brain full of mush!"

The moment Zhao Tiandu finished speaking, he charged viciously forward with the other four youths, all of them Level 1 Spirit Bodies.

Lin Suchou remained expressionless as he rushed forward as well. The dagger in his hand shot out like an agile venomous snake.

Splat!

In a single exchange, bloody holes appeared in the hearts of all four youths, and they collapsed on the spot!

"This..."

Zhao Tiandu was the only one left, his expression blank with shock.

Whose subordinate was this? How could he be so formidable!