Chapter Sixty-Six: I Am Not a Bad Person

"Why am I a bad person?" Sun Licheng asked.

"My mother told me that some bad men especially like to lure little children, then take them to do bad things. She also said girls must be careful of these bad people." The young girl pouted, looking at Sun Licheng with disdain, as if she had already seen through him.

Sun Licheng’s face instantly darkened with lines of exasperation.

"Alright, so now I'm the creepy uncle," he silently complained to himself.

"Then why did you run away from home? Aren’t you afraid of bad people?" Sun Licheng thought for a moment and asked.

"That’s different. My goal is to become a great Medusa warrior, one of the most powerful beings in this world!" The little girl clenched her small fists and swung them in front of her, saying this with pride all over her face.

"Do you know what a bad person is?" Sun Licheng, unable to continue his sarcastic thoughts, asked again.

"Hmph, besides you, the Naga are bad people. Their big tails are so annoying. They not only stick to the women in their own tribe, but often come to the Medusa tribe to seduce our women. My mother said they are really bad," the little girl snorted, pursing her lips.

"What about your men?" Sun Licheng was curious.

"We Medusas don’t have men." The girl gave Sun Licheng a surprising answer.

Through her explanation, Sun Licheng finally understood. The Medusa race was made up entirely of females. For the sake of reproduction, they would marry into other races, but all their children were girls, no matter if the father was an ancient dragon.

"Damn, these genes are impressive!" Sun Licheng marveled internally.

Every Medusa was a warrior from childhood. When they grew up, they would go out to temper themselves, seeking greater strength. However, it seemed that Veena was still a bit young for that.

"My mother told me to always beware of bad people, because having children is extremely painful, and you can’t go out for a long time," Veena said seriously, showing wisdom beyond her years.

"How long is ‘a long time’?" Sun Licheng was curious.

"Mother said, at least more than three years. At that time, Medusa warriors are very weak." At this, Veena’s little face tensed, as if she was a bit frightened.

"Why is that?" Sun Licheng asked.

"How would I know? I'm just a little girl," Veena rolled her eyes at him.

"Then… how old are you this year?" Sun Licheng was a bit unsure of how old she was and decided to ask.

"I'm thirty years old," Veena replied, leaving Sun Licheng astonished.

She doesn’t look it at all. Sun Licheng circled around her, scrutinizing the little Medusa, making her visibly nervous.

"How long do Medusas usually live?" he asked, thinking of a possibility.

"How long? Let me think... Oh, I remember, the oldest grandmothers in the tribe are over two hundred years old," the little Medusa replied after thinking for a moment.

Sun Licheng did the math: Medusas could live over two hundred years, at least twice as long as humans. Veena, at thirty, was not yet fifteen in human years—she really was just a little girl.

"This world is full of long-lived monsters. Not easy to deal with," Sun Licheng thought. But he didn’t consider that in terms of longevity, few in this realm could compare to him. His body was entirely forged by divine power, and the divine energy within him, fused by the Taiji cyclone, was no longer corrosive. He would likely live for a very long time.

It was now clear to Sun Licheng that the little Medusa before him was just a silly big sister type. He had no interest in arguing with such a girl, so he said, "I’m not a bad person. If you come with me, not only can I give you food, but I can also heal the wound on your tail. You can leave whenever you wish." He ended by swearing in the name of the God of Oaths.

In this world, any vow made in the name of the God of Oaths was protected by the Wheel of Order—no one dared go back on it.

Seeing Sun Licheng so earnest, little Medusa Veena believed him.

Soon, she gathered her jars and bottles into a small bundle and followed Sun Licheng and Gou Rou out of the cave. As they left, Sun Licheng noticed her movements were unnatural. Upon asking, he learned her tail injury was very serious, likely already festering.

With some effort, and with the help of Sun Licheng and Gou Rou, Veena finally exited the cave.

By now it was midday. Outside, the sunlight was brilliant. Sun Licheng, stepping out abruptly, found the sunlight almost blinding, and reflexively shielded his eyes with his hand. If he found it harsh, Veena struggled even more. She screamed, then tightly covered her eyes with her hands.

Hearing the commotion, the Wolf King happily ran over and, spotting the little Medusa, sniffed around her curiously.

When Veena finally opened her eyes, she found a tall gray wolf in front of her and panicked. She immediately drew her bow and arrow, ready to attack.

Startled, Sun Licheng quickly grabbed her hand and explained.

Upon hearing this was Sun Licheng’s companion, the little girl lowered her bow and started studying the Wolf King intently. After a while, she looked at Sun Licheng.

With the good light outside the cave, she now noticed Sun Licheng was unlike any goblin she had ever seen. Not only was he neatly dressed, but his fur clothing looked soft and made him appear energetic. His gear was complete—he had a knife and a crossbow, both made of metal, not the primitive stone or bone tools of goblin tribes.

As a natural-born warrior, Veena was fascinated by weapons, especially wanting to see the saber at Sun Licheng’s waist. In the Medusa tribe, only elite warriors owned melee weapons. She only had a regular bow and arrows.

Sun Licheng readily agreed to her request, drawing the saber and handing it to her hilt-first.

He didn’t expect that as soon as Veena took the saber, her expression darkened and turned extremely grim.

"What’s the story with this knife? Where is my aunt?" Veena demanded coldly, her voice icy.

"Your aunt? I don’t know her," Sun Licheng replied, bewildered.

"You’re lying. This saber is my aunt’s Twin Moon Blade. Even though it’s broken, I can recognize the hilt at a glance!"

Veena’s words immediately reminded Sun Licheng. He hurriedly explained how he accidentally fell into the tunnel, encountered a manticore, then witnessed the Medusa and the lion’s fierce battle.

"Unfortunately, by the time I saw that Medusa—your aunt—she was already dead. To prevent other beasts from eating her, I dragged her body into the underground river. Of the two sabers you mentioned, this is the only one I found," Sun Licheng finished, sighing.

Veena’s aunt had been stunningly beautiful and mature, but that damned lion had swatted off half her head with one paw—utterly merciless.

"Auntie..." The little Medusa hugged the saber and burst into tears.

From her broken words, Sun Licheng learned that the dead Medusa was Veena’s mother’s elder sister and a renowned warrior of the Moonlight Spring tribe. She had left years ago to train. She had always been Veena’s idol, and Veena had run away from home largely to follow in her aunt’s footsteps. She never expected her aunt’s heroic journey to end in death at a lion’s claws.

Watching the sobbing girl clutch the saber, Sun Licheng could only smile wryly.

"Sigh, looks like the Mountain-Cleaver Saber is gone for good. Well, let Veena have it—at least it’s returned to its rightful owner. This expedition yielded nothing but cost me a fine blade. A loss," he thought, shaking his head.

After the girl had cried her fill, Sun Licheng let her ride the Wolf King, and led everyone back to the Moonstone Tribe.

The goblins of Moonstone Tribe were shocked to see Sun Licheng return so soon, and even more astonished that he brought back a large snake. The goblin children timidly hid behind their mothers, peeking curiously at Veena on the Wolf King’s back.

When the old chieftain, Yadair, the one-eyed leader, and Christina arrived, Sun Licheng explained everything and introduced Veena to everyone.

Hearing the danger in the cave was resolved, the tribe was overjoyed. The cave had water and fish—priceless resources for the now-weak Moonstone Tribe.

To express their gratitude, the tribe held a grand feast, but looking at the table full of wild greens and the tiny bit of meat, Sun Licheng found he had no appetite. It wasn’t that he was picky—the food was not only unpalatable but also scarce.

Seeing the gaunt faces of the tribe, Sun Licheng sighed and took out all the food he had brought, cooking a meal for everyone. Soon, a large pot of stew was ready.

The little Medusa ate the delicious stew and said with a smile, "Sun Licheng, you’re the best. If I had to eat what these paupers eat, I’d starve to death."

Sun Licheng quickly stopped Veena’s careless words, whispering, "Don’t say that. They are just too poor. You must understand—not everyone in this world gets enough to eat."

Even on Earth, many regions live in perpetual hunger. Poverty is not a sin.

"Hmph, don’t look down on people. If it weren’t for Brother Sun Licheng, you wouldn’t even have food to eat right now. How dare you talk about others," Christina, who had long been annoyed at Veena receiving so much care from Sun Licheng, seized the chance to retort.

Immediately, the two girls started bickering, turning the meal into a noisy affair.

"Sigh..." Watching the scene, Sun Licheng scratched his head and could only keep sighing, while Yadair by his side laughed heartily.