I'm Really Not a Scoundrel

"Demon-Subduing Staff Technique, First Form!"

With battle intent surging, Mu Chen gripped the quasi-artifact, the Demon-Subduing Staff, in his hands. He bent his knees, leaped from the dense canopy, and brought the weapon down with the force of a thousand jun.

"ROAR!"

Accompanied by a savage roar that shook the branches and trunks, the forest overlord lying in the bushes sprang up with an agility that defied its massive frame.

The Mountain Bear was inexplicably enraged!

As a beast on the verge of breaking through to the intermediate rank and the undisputed ruler of this region, it had been far too long since any creature dared to challenge its authority.

Its sturdy, multi-meter-tall frame stood like a giant among men. With a palm as large as a fan, it swiped directly at the audacious attacker.

Had that blow landed, any human genius would have perished on the spot.

Mu Chen was not foolish enough to clash with it head-on. He activated his movement technique, weapon in hand, and began to circle the maddened beast, wearing it down.

The Mountain Bear possessed explosive power but lacked stamina.

Against such thick-skinned brutes, the strategy was to kite it, bleed it slowly, and exhaust it, all while waiting for an opening to deliver a fatal strike.

About half a stick of incense later, a thunderous boom shook the ground.

The Mountain Bear struggled feebly for a moment before its mountain-like body collapsed, unable to hold itself up any longer. A gruesome, pitch-black hole gaped in the white fur on its chest.

It was an exceptionally precise piercing wound—a fatal one that had shattered the low-level spirit beast's heart in an instant, leaving it no time to suffer.

Mu Chen smashed the giant's skull with 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 essence flowed into the token, while the rest merged into his body, sending waves of heat coursing through him.

Second-level Spirit Body, breakthrough!

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

As a Royal Heir who had grown up in silk and splendor, pampered since birth, he had never even bathed himself. The idea of going dozens of days without a wash would have been unimaginable before.

Dust-covered and weary, Mu Chen was in desperate need of a place to bathe.

"Hm, found one."

Strolling through the forest, Mu Chen kept his eyes sharp and his ears alert.

Suddenly, his left ear twitched.

Three hundred paces ahead, the sound of flowing water reached him.

His heart stirred. Making a quick judgment, he dashed toward the source of the sound.

A creek four or five zhang wide flowed clear and bottomless, winding off into the unknown.

On the bank, an exceptionally thick, ancient tree towered into the sky. Its roots were at least as thick as three or four grown men could embrace, and its dense canopy covered nearly a hundred meters of the surrounding area.

A pile of pale blue silk women's clothing was neatly folded by the creek.

In the water, a delicate, slender figure was bathing, her skin fair and her form graceful. She swam with her eyes closed, as agile as a little mermaid.

Anyone who saw this would surely call it a perfect "Beauty Bathing" scene.

Tch, what exactly was I expecting?

Mu Chen, who had silently crept to the roadside, took only a cursory glance before losing interest.

Those participating in the Spirit Road Selection were all thirteen or fourteen-year-old boys and girls. Not only were their bodies and minds still developing, but they were also incredibly green and immature.

To put it bluntly, looking at them, they were all just "the boys."

Where were the beautiful, curvaceous older sisters from the royal palace?

Cough, scratch that.

His Highness the Royal Heir was a gentleman who would never engage in lewd behavior, and he quickly averted his gaze.

Among the pile of pale blue clothing, a Blood-Colored Token lay face up.

"Interesting."

Mu Chen leaned against the trunk of the ancient tree, the corner of his mouth curling up silently.

Space-spirit artifacts like the Mustard Seed Bracelet had long since become widespread across the Great Thousand world due to the prosperity of the spirit artifact masters; they were cheap and structurally stable.

Almost every cultivator with any capital possessed one.

He did not believe that any of the human geniuses participating in the Spirit Road Selection would be lacking such a thing.

So, why would she leave the Blood-Colored Token—the only proof of participation in the Spirit Road trial and such a vital item—outside of her Mustard Seed Bracelet?

Either she was trying to bait him, or she had absolute confidence in her own strength.

He didn't care about either possibility.

Mu Chen moved, stepping out of the shadows without a sound. As nimble as a cat, he walked toward the bank on the balls of his feet, bent down, and reached for the token.

If a bath is out of the question, making off with a windfall is a decent alternative.

Logically speaking, his actions should have gone completely undetected.

Yet, there exists something far more precise than a martial artist's intuition: the inexplicable sixth sense of a woman, which works whenever it feels like it.

The beauty in the stream, who had been bathing with her back to Mu Chen, defied all reason as she suddenly turned her head, casting her gaze toward the bank to reveal a fair, pretty face.

At this moment, that exquisite, oval-shaped face was filled with shock and disbelief.

If this scene had happened to anyone else, they would have panicked long ago.

But who exactly is our Royal Heir?

Mu Chen's expression remained unchanged. As he picked up the token from the pile of clothing, he cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, miss. I am Zhou Yuan of the Hundred Spirits."

You have to admit, he was quite polite, immediately offering up his friend's name.

Zhou Yuan is the son of Zhou Ye, the sworn brother of the King of Hundred Spirits, and also his own loyal brother-in-arms.

"Lecher! Scoundrel!"

The beauty in the water reacted quickly, immediately submerging her entire body.

She was perhaps stunned by the sheer shamelessness of this villain.

The lingering shock on her face quickly transformed into intense fury. Surging killing intent erupted from her delicate body, and her pitch-black, star-like eyes were filled with rage.

"Hey now, miss, you can't just say things like that."

"Back in the day, I, Old Li—I mean, Old Zhou—was a famous heartthrob for ten miles around. The matchmakers coming to propose nearly trampled the threshold of my clan."

"Ahem, anyway, with looks as handsome as mine, I really don't have to worry about finding beauty."

"So, I am truly not a scoundrel!"

Realizing he had drifted off-topic, Mu Chen gave a light cough and defended himself with a straight face.

"Right, I have matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you any further. Until we meet again."

With that, Mu Chen stepped forward to scoop up the bundle of undergarments and slowly retreated.

"Naive. Do you think you can escape just by taking my clothes?"

The mysterious woman sneered at the sight.

She slapped the surface of the water, and, completely disregarding the fact that she was still stark naked, she leaped from the water in an extremely exposed state, without a single thread of clothing.

"Lecher, die!!"

With a roar of extreme fury, the mysterious woman brandished a giant Crescent Moon Blade that towered over her own height, charging straight at Mu Chen with a razor-sharp blade aura.

The blade was crimson, as if stained with blood; it was clearly a quasi-divine artifact.

Damn, this is too much!

Miss, I respect you as a real man.

Mu Chen wavered for a moment, nearly stunned by this incredibly fierce young woman.

After freezing in place for less than half a breath, he turned on his heels and ran.

Ah, this cursed, restless charm of mine!

PS: Zhou Yuan is the protagonist of the latest masterpiece by the great author Heavenly Silkworm Potato, Yuan Zun.

Using his name here for Mu Chen's childhood friend is purely for comedic effect; brothers, please don't overanalyze it.