I Really Wasn't a Lecher

"Demon-Subduing Staff Technique, First Form!"

Mu Chen, his Battle Will burning fiercely, tightened his grip on the quasi-divine artifact, the Demon-Subduing Staff. He bent his knees, sprang down from the dense canopy, and brought it crashing down with the force of a thousand jun.

"Roar!"

A savage bellow shook the branches and leaves. The forest overlord lying among the bushes abruptly leaped up with an agility that belied its enormous body.

The Mountain Bear was strangely furious!

As an earth-type spirit beast on the verge of reaching the intermediate rank, it had ruled the surrounding region for ages. It had been far too long since any living creature dared challenge its authority.

Its several-meter-tall, burly body rose like a human giant. One enormous paw, broad as a palm-leaf fan, came swatting straight at the audacious attacker.

If that blow landed, even a human genius would likely die on the spot.

Mu Chen wasn't foolish enough to meet it head-on in a contest of strength. He used his footwork to circle the near-mindless beast, weapon in hand, and wear down its strength.

The Mountain Bear had explosive power, but lacked stamina.

Against this sort of thick-skinned brute, he used a kite-flying strategy to slowly bleed it dry, exhausting it before looking for an opening on the move and aiming for a fatal strike.

About half an incense stick later, a deafening boom shook the ground.

The Mountain Bear struggled feebly for a moment, then could no longer support its mountain-like bulk. It fell stiffly to the ground, a hideous, pitch-black hole in the white markings on its chest.

It was an exceptionally precise wound, and a fatal one. The blow had nearly crushed the low-level spirit beast's heart outright, sparing it any pain.

Mu Chen crushed the behemoth's skull with a blow of his staff. Before the ball of spiritual energy rising from its crown could escape, it was sucked away by a Blood-Colored Token that shot into the air.

Part of the spiritual energy flowed into the token; the rest entered every part of his body, a rush of heat coursing through him.

Second-level spirit body. Breakthrough!

The first month of Mu Chen's campaign on the Spiritual Road Plane was drawing to a close.

A Royal Heir raised in fine clothes and rich food, he had never even bathed himself. Before this, he could hardly have imagined going dozens of days without a bath.

Dust-covered from his travels, Mu Chen was in desperate need of somewhere to wash.

"Mm, there it is."

As Mu Chen strolled through the forest, his eyes took in every direction and his ears caught every sound.

Suddenly, his left ear twitched.

Three hundred paces ahead, he heard running water.

He made up his mind and headed straight for the source of the sound.

The little stream was four or five zhang wide, its bottom clear as could be as it babbled along, its destination unknown.

On the bank, an exceptionally thick ancient tree towered into the sky. Its roots were at least as wide around as three or four adults with their arms linked, and its dense canopy stretched nearly a hundred meters.

A set of pale blue silk women's clothes had been neatly folded by the stream.

In the water, a delicate figure floated with her eyes closed, her body bare. Her skin was fair and her frame slender; she drifted naked in the stream, nimble as a little mermaid.

Anyone who saw her would have praised the lovely sight as "a beauty fresh from her bath."

"Tsk, what exactly was I expecting~"

Mu Chen crept quietly to the side of the path. He only took a cursory glance before losing interest.

Those taking part in the Spirit Road Selection were all thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boys and girls. Their bodies and minds had only just begun to mature; they were also exceedingly green and immature.

Put it this way: everyone looked like one of the guys.

Where were the beautiful, well-built older sisters from the royal family?

Ahem. Scratch that.

His Highness the Heir was a gentleman. If something was improper to look at, he simply looked away.

Among the pale blue women's clothes lay a Blood-Colored Token, faceup.

"Interesting."

Mu Chen leaned against the ancient tree's trunk and silently curled his lips.

Space-type spirit artifacts like Mustard Seed Bracelets and storage bags had long since become widespread throughout the Great Thousand thanks to the flourishing Spirit Artifact Master trade. They were cheap and had stable structures.

Nearly every martial artist with some means had one.

He didn't believe any of the human geniuses participating in the Spirit Road Selection lacked such a thing.

So why wasn't something as important as the Blood-Colored Token, the sole proof of qualification for the Spirit Road Trial, kept inside a Mustard Seed Bracelet worn on her person?

Either she was trying to bait someone into breaking the rules.

Or she had absolute confidence in her strength.

He didn't care which.

Mu Chen moved, slipping soundlessly out of the shadows, nimble as a cat. He placed the balls of his feet on the ground and walked step by step to the bank, bending down to pick up the token.

No bath, then. But he might as well make off with something and earn a windfall!

In theory, there was no way she could notice him.

But there was something even more accurate than a martial artist's instincts: a woman's sixth sense, a mysterious force that worked when it felt like it.

The beauty in the stream, who had been playing in the water with her back to Mu Chen, turned her delicate head without warning, against all reason, and looked toward the bank. A fair, lovely face came into view.

At that moment, shock and disbelief were written all over her delicate oval face.

Most people would have panicked at the sight.

But what sort of man was His Highness the Royal Heir?

Without a change in expression, Mu Chen picked up the token among the clothes and cupped his hands. "Greetings, miss. I am Zhou Yuan of Bailing."

You had to admit, he was quite polite. He immediately gave her the name of a friend.

Zhou Yuan was the son of Zhou Ye, sworn younger brother to the King of Hundred Spirits, and a good friend who would stand by him through thick and thin.

"Lecher! You shameless rogue!"

The beauty in the water reacted quickly, immediately submerging herself completely.

Perhaps this scoundrel's shamelessness had shocked her.

The shock still on her face swiftly gave way to a burning fury. Killing intent surged from her delicate body, and rage filled her dark, starry eyes.

"Hey~, miss, you can't say that."

"Old Li and Old Zhou here were the famous handsome young fellows of the neighborhood back in the day. Matchmakers coming to propose nearly wore out the threshold of our clan's door."

"Ahem. In short, a handsome man like me has no shortage of beauties."

"So I really wasn't being a lecher!"

Realizing he'd gone off track, Mu Chen cleared his throat and hurriedly defended himself with a straight face.

"By the way, I have something else to attend to, so I won't disturb you. Until we meet again."

As he spoke, Mu Chen stepped forward, scooped up the bundle of clothes, and slowly backed away.

"Naive. You think you can escape just because you've taken my clothes?"

The mysterious woman let out several cold laughs at the sight.

She slapped the surface of the water. Paying no heed to the fact that she was still completely naked, she leaped from the stream in the most revealing possible state, without a stitch on her.

"Lecher, die!!"

With a furious roar, the mysterious woman gripped a gigantic Crescent Moon Blade taller than she was. A fierce blade-light blazed around it as she charged straight at Mu Chen.

The blade was crimson, as if drenched in blood. It was clearly another quasi-divine artifact.

Damn, that was too damn much! (Damn—a kind of plant.)

Miss, I admire you for being a real tough one.

Mu Chen was stunned for a moment, nearly dumbstruck by how fearsome this girl was.

He froze for less than half a breath, then turned and ran.

Ah, this damned, nowhere-to-put-it charm of mine!

P.S. Zhou Yuan is the protagonist of Yuan Zun, the latest masterpiece by the great Tian Can Tu Dou.

Here, his name is borrowed for Mu Chen's childhood friend purely as a joke. Please don't read too much into it, bros.