Ch.15: First Meeting
Lu Sheng noticed it almost immediately.
The moment his gaze landed on the two girls by the river, both of them had already turned to look at him as well.
For several seconds, none of the three spoke.
The river continued flowing quietly between them, reflecting scattered fragments of sunlight beneath the moving trees.
Lu Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
Two children?
Here?
Even if this was only the outer regions of Star Dou Forest, it was still dangerous enough that ordinary adults would not casually wander around alone, let alone two girls who looked barely six years old.
Hundred-year spirit beasts were uncommon near the outskirts, but "uncommon" did not mean impossible.
And judging from the calmness in their expressions…
Neither of them looked frightened.
At the same time, the two girls were also silently observing him.
A lone child walking through Star Dou Forest alone, while carrying neither visible supplies nor attendants, was equally abnormal in their eyes.
Especially one who looked far too calm.
The awkward silence stretched for several moments longer.
Finally, Lu Sheng smiled lightly.
"Hello there."
His voice broke the strange atmosphere immediately.
The brown-skinned girl blinked once before grinning casually.
"Hello, little brother. What's a little kid like you doing alone in the forest at this hour?"
Lu Sheng's lips twitched slightly.
'Who exactly are you calling a little kid? We look the same age.'
But the thought only remained inside his head.
Based on years of experience from both lives, he already knew one universal truth:
Arguing with girls over age, height, or appearance during a first meeting was simply asking for unnecessary hostility.
Especially confident girls.
Better to let small things pass.
He was just about to answer.
When suddenly:
A translucent screen abruptly appeared before his eyes.
Lu Sheng's pupils contracted.
It was not the familiar interface of his game system.
The design was completely different.
The pale white text.
The strange mechanical format.
The faint distortion around the edges.
It looked almost identical to the interface he had seen before reincarnation…
Back when that masked existence had forced everyone to make wishes.
[Congratulations.]
[You have established first contact with a fellow reincarnator.]
[Self-Appraisal Function unlocked.]
A cold sensation spread across Lu Sheng's spine.
Slowly, another panel expanded before him.
[Name: Lu Sheng]
[Wish 1: Maximum possible luck.]
[Wish 2: Maximum positive probability toward favorable outcomes.]
[Wish 3: Complete memory retention.]
Then—
His gaze froze.
[Wish Drawback: Luck Backlash]
[Cycle Duration: Once every 6 years]
"..."
For the first time in a long while—
The smile on Lu Sheng's face disappeared completely.
...
These changes in Lu Sheng were naturally captured by the two girls as well.
The two exchanged a brief glance with each other, a silent understanding passing between them without the need for words.
When they looked back toward Lu Sheng again, however, his expression had already returned to normal, calm and harmless, as though nothing had happened at all.
"Oh, I am on my way toward the Qinglong Kingdom. The shortcut passes through here. Can you guys help me find the route?" Lu Sheng said casually, showing the map in his hand, completely masking any suspicious behavior.
But inwardly, he had already understood one thing clearly.
One of these two girls—or perhaps both of them—was a reincarnator like him.
He possessed memories from his previous life and knew very well that most transmigrators, especially in those multi-transmigration stories, eventually became ruthless or outright villainous.
No matter how beautiful the outer shell appeared, the inside could be darker than the abyss itself.
It was better to leave quickly than spend more time around them.
Especially after the new information he had just received.
He still needed to investigate this so-called Luck Backlash.
What exactly would happen every six years?
Would it be six years from now?
Or is it calculated since his birth?
Will it happen in some time?
How severe would it be?
How was he supposed to survive it?
There were dozens of questions, but no concrete solution.
The only option is to reach a safe place and study all of this in detail.
He could not afford to relax.
On the other side, the two girls were equally stunned after hearing his reply.
'No way you prepared an excuse that quickly? And even brought out a map for it? Did you already expect to meet someone and need an alibi to prove you had nothing to do with whatever happened near Nuoding City?'
Both of them were astonished by the speed at which Lu Sheng fabricated his explanation.
As for the possibility that he might actually be telling the truth—
Neither of them even considered it.
'Transmigrators are not reliable at all.'
The exact same thought surfaced in both of their minds.
Even the two of them had only barely managed to trust each other after repeatedly going through life-and-death situations together.
There was no way they would casually believe a stranger.
"Is that so? That is really ingenious of you, younger brother," the dark-skinned girl said with a faint smile. "To walk alone through a forest filled with spirit beasts and countless dangers just to save some time… there truly is no one else like you."
Lu Sheng's lips twitched again.
He could naturally hear the mockery hidden beneath her words, but he really did not want to sound overly defensive or act like an adult trapped inside a child's body.
"Not at all, not at all," Lu Sheng replied with a light cough. "Compared to you two wandering and playing carefree around the forest river yourselves, I can hardly be called brave."
This time, it was the other two who became momentarily speechless.
The dark-skinned girl immediately looked like she wanted to retort again, but before she could speak, the blue-haired girl gently stopped her.
"Stop it, Rouyue."
Then she turned toward Lu Sheng with a polite smile.
"Pardon our rudeness. My name is Hikari, and she is Bai Rouyue. We are also heading toward the Qinglong Kingdom, but we lost our way midway through the forest. If you don't mind, could we accompany you?"
As she spoke, her gaze briefly landed on the map in Lu Sheng's hand, making her intentions obvious.
She wanted to travel together with him.
Though a smile remained on her face, Lu Sheng could still sense the cold caution hidden beneath it.
'She thinks I'm lying and doesn't want me leaving so quickly. She probably suspects I'll lead them into some ambush or bring stronger people to target them and steal whatever cheats they possess.'
Lu Sheng quickly reached his conclusion based on the countless fanfictions and novels he had read in his previous life.
Kill competitors.
Take their opportunities.
Steal their cheats.
That sort of logic was practically universal among transmigrator stories.
But honestly speaking, he didn't have any idea like that.
His own cheat was on the verge of breaking out; it's too much to worry about others.
Now that the drawback behind his luck ability had been exposed, he felt like a walking time bomb.
So, if possible, he did not want to travel together with them at all.
But if he said no, they are very likely to tail and ambush him.
At this moment, reaching a safe location as quickly as possible was his highest priority.
Not traveling together with two strangers capable of stabbing him in the back at any moment.
A dangerous thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
'Why don't I just kill them?'
The moment that thought appeared, a faint sense of danger instantly enveloped his entire body.
His pupils contracted slightly.
'They're this strong?'
Disbelief appeared on Lu Sheng's face.
He knew exactly what kind of spirit ability he possessed.
It was genuinely divine-level.
Not to mention his raw physical stats were already comparable to those of a beast-type Soul Ancestor.
Yet even with all that—
His instincts were warning him.
His eyes hardened once more.
'I don't really have a choice except to play along for now.'
Coming to that conclusion, Lu Sheng immediately revealed a bright smile.
"Sure, why not? The more the merrier."
Then he added casually, "You can call me Lu Sheng, by the way."
"Excellent. Then we'll trouble Big Brother Lu Sheng from now on," the blue-eyed girl said cheerfully.
She looked both shy and innocent, her clear blue eyes carrying a soft warmth that made her appear completely harmless at first glance.
For a brief moment, only the smiling voices and light laughter of the three children echoed gently across the riverside, blending with the flowing water and rustling leaves to create an unusually harmonious atmosphere.
The peaceful riverbank beneath the afternoon sunlight almost resembled an ordinary meeting between children who had simply crossed paths by chance within the forest.
But beneath all those smiles and pleasantries—
There was only caution, calculation, and wariness hidden deep within each of their eyes.