The next morning, golden sunlight danced across the river as Haoboi stirred on his high branch. He ate a simple breakfast from the Storage Bag, washed his face in the cool water, and continued his quiet journey downstream. After three months of solitude, the forest felt almost like an old friend—dangerous, but familiar.
Then he heard it: the soft crunch of footsteps on leaves and the light sound of two young voices laughing and splashing.
His heart quickened. People. Real people at last.
He jumped down from the branch in one smooth, silent motion—Stealth Specialist wrapping him like a second skin—and followed the sounds through the thick ferns. At a gentle bend in the river, where the water formed a clear, shallow pool, he stepped into view.
Two beautiful girls, both sixteen years old, were bathing naked in the sparkling water. One had long, flowing black hair that clung wet to her back; the other had warm chestnut hair tied loosely. Their simple village clothes lay folded neatly on a flat rock nearby. They were laughing softly, splashing each other while washing, completely unaware.
Haoboi cleared his throat politely and stepped forward.
"Good morning," he said in his calm, steady voice.
Both girls screamed in shock. They instantly crouched low in the water, arms crossed tightly over their chests and bodies, faces flushed with fear.
"Who are you?!" the black-haired girl cried out. "Are you a bandit?! Don't come any closer!"
Haoboi raised both hands at once to show he meant no harm and quickly turned his back to them, staring instead at the trees.
"No," he answered gently. "I am not a bandit. I am sorry for startling you. I heard voices and came to see if there were people. I will not look until you are dressed."
The girls scrambled out of the water, grabbed their clothes, and dressed as fast as their shaking hands would allow. They snatched up the large clay pots they had brought to fetch water, still watching the stranger warily.
Only when they were fully clothed did Haoboi turn around again. He stood a respectful distance away, his young, handsome face—smooth and strong, looking no older than eighteen—softened by a gentle smile. Even in his simple, clean farmer's clothes, he carried himself with quiet strength.
"I am a traveler," he said. "My name is Luo Feng."
(Inside his mind, the name felt right. Luo Feng… that was the strong hero from that donghua I used to watch when I was young, back in my world. It sounds good here. Better to keep everything else hidden—my real name, the bull, the goddess who threw me away, the evil God's gifts, everything.)
He kept his voice warm and asked, "Where are you from?"
The girl with the long black hair, still a little flushed but standing taller now, studied him for a moment before answering. "We are from a village nearby. Eden Village."
Her friend, the one with the chestnut hair, nodded shyly and added, "I'm Luna… and this is Miya. She is the daughter of our village chief."
Miya gripped her water pot a little tighter, but her eyes softened just a fraction as she looked at the calm, handsome traveler who had not tried to harm them.
The river flowed on behind them, carrying the promise of something new. Haoboi's long, lonely walk through the Forbidden Forest had finally brought him to people—and to the edge of Eden Village.