Samuel’s arrival was like a stone thrown into water—the ripples he caused didn’t fade even after he left, but instead drew even more “attention”.
People from neighboring villages, having heard that a “Hero” had appeared in Yueya Village, flocked over out of curiosity to “visit”.
They surrounded Luo Ling’s small house from a distance, pointing and gossiping as if viewing some rare spectacle.
Some even tried to break into Eve’s herb garden, wanting to “bask in the Hero’s glory” and pick a few pieces of “Holy Herb” to take back.
Luo Ling had no choice but to step in and drive these people away.
His expression grew darker by the day, and his temper turned irritable.
He didn’t understand.
Why couldn’t these people just leave him in peace?
Eve was troubled by it as well.
Her herb garden was her life’s work—the herbs within were meant for healing, not as some kind of “Holy Relic”.
She tried to explain this to them, but it had little effect.
Worse still, some ill-intentioned people caught wind of the situation and came as well.
One day, a man clad in ragged leather armor, with a brutish face, swaggered into Yueya Village with a few lackeys in tow.
He claimed to be an “Outlaw from the nearby mountain,” saying he’d come to “pay his respects” upon hearing of the Hero, but in reality, he was there to extort them.
“Hey, you’re that so-called Hero, right?”
The man swaggered over to Luo Ling, who was chopping firewood, and eyed him up and down.
“Since you’re a Hero, you must be loaded, huh? My brothers and I have been down on our luck lately. You see… shouldn’t you show some generosity?”
Luo Ling stopped his axe.
He stared coldly at the man.
“Get out.”
“Hey! You’re a cocky one!”
The man flinched at Luo Ling’s icy gaze, but emboldened by his numbers, he pressed on.
“Don’t be so arrogant! We know the Church and the Empire value you. If something were to happen to you here—”
He didn’t finish.
Luo Ling was already in motion.
No one saw how Luo Ling moved.
There was only a dull “thud”—and the brutish man was curled up on the ground like a shrimp, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain.
His lackeys froze in terror, but before they could react, Luo Ling dispatched them all with swift blows.
Luo Ling clapped his hands, his gaze icy.
“Take your men and leave Yueya Village. Next time, it won’t just be a stomachache.”
The men scrambled away in a panic, tripping over themselves.
This incident made the villagers look at Luo Ling with newfound awe and fear, but also deepened the distance between them.
They whispered among themselves:
“No wonder he’s a Hero. He’s on a different level.”
“Better not mess with him.”
“I wonder what he did before. He hits hard.”
Rumors grew wild like Wild Grass.
Some claimed Luo Ling was the descendant of a fallen Noble Descendant.
Others said he was a member of an Evil Organization, turned Defector by the Church.
Still others insisted he wasn’t even a Hero—Samuel had simply mistaken him for someone else…
These words wrapped around Luo Ling and Eve’s lives like Poisonous Snakes.
Luo Ling grew more silent.
He no longer tried to explain himself to the villagers, nor did he pay heed to the Rumors.
He poured all his energy into hunting, protecting Eve, and maintaining that small house.
Like a vigilant Lone Wolf, he fought the world’s alienation and misunderstanding with coldness and silence.
Only in front of Eve could he shed all his defenses and icy demeanor, revealing the vulnerability and dependence hidden deep within his heart.