Simultaneously traversing: the pinnacle of all realms

They hadn't gone far when DouDou came over again. "LuZe, I have something to tell you."

"explain."

"Aren't you studying medicine? I've compiled some information from the 'Medical Canon for Saving the World,' making it easier to remember than the original text. Would you like to take a look?"

Lu Ze glanced at him.

"You think you can just show this medical text to anyone?"

"You're one of us." DouDou said this with a little embarrassment, her shy demeanor making her look like a little pug.

"Besides, your golden light is also helpful to my medical research. We're exchanging what we have for each other."

This child, clearly meant well, but insisted on finding an excuse. Lu Ze's lips couldn't help but curve into a smile.

"OK."

DouDou's eyes lit up, and she hopped a couple of steps. Then, remembering something, she took out two chicken legs from her pocket and handed one to LuZe.

"Here, have a taste. I secretly baked this this morning."

Lu Ze took it and took a bite.

The chicken was roasted to a golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and sprinkled with some unknown spices.

"The craftsmanship is good," he said.

DouDou proudly raised its chin, its tail almost reaching the sky.

-

After traveling for several more days, Lu Ze and his group finally arrived at the territory of Happy Forest.

Despite being called "Happy Forest," it's not actually a forest, but rather a mountain resort nestled in a basin. It's not large, with houses built against the mountainside, featuring white walls and gray tiles, arranged in a charmingly staggered pattern.

Moreover, the Happy Forest here is different from the Happy Forest in other classic martial arts novels. It is not happy at all; at best, it is a wine shop and inn.

A stone archway stands in front, with the three characters "Kuaihuolin" carved on it in strong, vigorous strokes, as if carved with a sword.

"We're here!" Da Ben slung the bronze rod over his shoulder and strode inside, his excitement barely concealed. "This is my home! My godmother lives here! I haven't seen her in ages, I miss her terribly."

Rainbow Cat followed behind, his gaze sweeping over the layout, and he nodded slightly: "This place is nestled against the mountains and beside the water; it's quite a nice spot."

Blue Rabbit looked around and said softly, "And it's very quiet, like it lives in peace with the world. I just wonder where Thunderclap Manor is?"

If the original plot were followed, this tranquility would soon be broken—the members of the Demonic Cult would track them here, and Sixth Sister would sacrifice herself to protect Da Ben and the Thunder Sword.

But it's different now.

With Ma San Niang dead, the Demonic Cult lost a vital source of intelligence.

Pig Wujie was severely injured, while Bull Whirlwind was not seriously injured, but the gambler was probably more concerned about where to play dice now.

Of course, it's also possible that they're in a water dungeon.

Moreover, without the combined projection of Rainbow Cat and the others, the Demonic Sect had no idea where they were going and could only rely on their own spies to search for them.

Just like Hei Xiaohu, whom we encountered long ago in the original story, we haven't even seen a shadow of him yet.

"No matter what, there's much more time than in the original storyline," Lu Ze thought to himself.

-

The main street of Happy Forest is not long, and the bluestone pavement has been worn smooth and shiny by the years.

There are several shops on both sides of the street, and the largest one has a sign that reads "Happy Forest".

Da Ben stopped at the door, slammed the copper rod on the ground, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Godmother! I'm back!"

A clinking sound of porcelain came from inside the inn, followed by a woman's voice, tinged with surprise and reproach: "Da Ben? You rascal, you finally decided to come back?"

A middle-aged woman came out of the inn.

She was about thirty or forty years old, dressed in a simple blue cloth dress, her hair tied up with a silver hairpin, her face dignified, and one could still vaguely tell from her eyes that she was a beauty in her youth.

Her hands were still covered in flour, and she was wearing an apron, so she had obviously been busy in the kitchen.

Sixth Sister-in-law.

The first thing Lu Ze noticed about her wasn't her face, but her hands.

The tiger's mouth had thick calluses, and although it was covered in flour, her fingers were long and strong, and it was clear at a glance that she was not an ordinary woman.

Da Ben rushed up and hugged Sixth Sister-in-law tightly, nuzzling her like a child: "Godmother, I missed you!"

"Go away, go away, how old are you and still acting like this?" Sixth Sister-in-law smiled and pushed him away, but the affection in her eyes was impossible to hide.

She turned to look at the group of people following behind her, her gaze sweeping over Rainbow Cat, Blue Rabbit, Sally, Dou Dou, and Lu Ze, before finally settling on Da Ben's face.

"Are these all your friends?"

"That's right!" Da Ben patted his chest proudly as he introduced, "They are the Seven Heroes!"

"This is Young Hero Rainbow Cat, Master of the Rainbow Sword! This is Palace Mistress Blue Rabbit, Master of the Ice Soul Sword! This is Sally, Master of the Purple Cloud Sword! This is DouDou, Master of the Rain Flower Sword! And this one—"

He walked over to Lu Ze and pointed, "Lu Ze, a good brother I met while traveling the world!"

Sixth Sister's pupils contracted slightly.

Successor of the Seven Swords.

She certainly knew what that meant.

But she didn't show any sign of distress, simply smiling and inviting everyone in: "Come, come, come in and sit down. Da Ben's a real troublemaker; he must have caused you quite a bit of trouble along the way, right?"

"No, no," Rainbow Cat said politely. "Big Benz is a generous and righteous man who has helped us a lot."

The group entered the inn, and Sixth Sister-in-law went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Da Ben volunteered to help, but was slapped away by Sixth Sister-in-law: "What are you going to help with? You'll be lucky if you don't make things worse. Go sit with your friends!"

Da Ben chuckled as he returned to the lobby, sat down at the table, and began pouring tea for everyone.

"Isn't my godmother a good person?" he said smugly.

"Okay." Blue Rabbit nodded with a smile. "I can tell she cares about you a lot."

Da Ben scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed: "Of course. If she hadn't taken me in when I was little, I would have been begging on the streets long ago."

Lu Ze held his teacup, looking at Da Ben's innocent face, and suddenly felt a mix of emotions.

He decided to talk to his sixth sister-in-law tonight.

-

Late at night.

The guest rooms at Happy Forest Hotel are all on the second floor, and Lu Ze was assigned to the innermost room.

He lay in bed, listening to the snoring of the man next door coming through the wall. After an hour, making sure everyone was asleep, he quietly got up, dressed, and went out.

The corridor was dark, with only an oil lamp at the top of the stairs emitting a dim yellow light.

Lu Ze did not light any lamps. He tiptoed down the stairs, around the lobby, and into the backyard.

The backyard wasn't big; it had a well, a few old locust trees, and a small house with a light on.

That was Sixth Sister-in-law's room.

Lu Ze walked over, stopped at the door, and knocked.

"Who?"

"Sixth Sister-in-law, it's me, Lu Ze."

There was a moment of silence in the room, then footsteps were heard. The door opened, and Sixth Sister stood in the doorway, holding a rag in her hand, clearly having been wiping something.

"Young Master Lu? What brings you here so late?"

"There's something I want to talk to Sixth Sister-in-law about," Lu Ze said in a low voice. "It's very important."

Sixth Sister-in-law glanced at him and stepped aside to let him in.

The small house was simply furnished with a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe.

There was a sword on the table. The scabbard was old, but the blade was well-preserved and gleamed coldly under the oil lamp.

Lu Ze's gaze lingered on the sword for a moment before shifting away.

"Have a seat." Sixth Sister offered him a chair and sat on the edge of the bed herself. "Speak, young hero, what is it?"

Lu Ze did not sit down, but turned around and looked intently into Sixth Sister's eyes.

"Sixth Sister-in-law, do you believe that Rainbow Cat and the others are the real Seven Heroes?"

Sixth Sister-in-law was puzzled, but after thinking for a moment, she smiled and said, "Of course I believe you. The Seven Heroes are very famous, and at this time the Demonic Sect is still tracking you everywhere. No one would risk impersonating the Seven Heroes."

"Besides, Da Ben is my son. Why wouldn't I believe what he says?"

Lu Ze remained silent, feeling that his words had been superfluous.

Yes, Da Ben is Sixth Sister's son, so of course Sixth Sister believes it.