The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"Yes, take individual photos first, then group photos, and take them in different poses and angles!"

The forest was clearly Lacey's home turf, yet the two barefoot cavemen ran with ghostly agility. Lü Wenjun deftly dodged branches and pebbles, moving with ease as if he were on flat ground despite being in the forest. Velsa, on the other hand, overcame the terrain with his strong physique, grabbing the second and third brothers with a single sweep of his hand.

"The last one~"

Lu Wenjun grabbed the boss by the scruff of his neck and smiled, "Do you have anything else to say?"

The eldest brother waved his short arms haphazardly for a while, then completely gave up.

It raised its round head and cried out pitifully, "Daddy! Help me!!"

The plea for mercy was incredibly piercing, sweeping through the layers of leaves and startling flocks of birds in the forest. However, the sound only rang out once, yet the birds continued to take flight. From the depths of the jungle, a colossal shadow rose from the ground, completely enveloping the two figures!

"Didn't they just say there's also Da Laixi?" Lu Wenjun asked expressionlessly.

“Didn’t you say they were lying?” Virsa said.

"I believe it now, but this Lacey is way too big! Even the art style has changed!"

The thing was probably over ten meters tall. It looked like an ancient tree carved into a human shape, with several branches resembling deer antlers growing on either side of its head.

Old Man Lacey looked down at the two of them, his pupil-less eye sockets gleaming with a cold light.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I feel like Da Lacey is really angry."

"Most races get angry when they see their cubs being caught."

"How about we take the initiative now and have a good talk with Dad Lacey about his kid's annoying pranks?"

Lacey, the eldest, yelled, "Dad! They're the ones who bullied us!"

"Hoo-haa ...

Old Man Lacey's roar stirred up a strong wind, and Lu Wenjun forced a smile: "Did you hear that? Old Man Lacey just said 'Let's make peace'!"

"No, I think he meant 'I'll kill you all'."

"Look how sincere they are! They even uprooted a big tree as a gift for us, how incredibly kind of them!"

"Is it really possible for you to use this way to describe hitting someone with a tree?!"

The flying tree made a sound like a cannonball, and without saying a word, the two threw down Lacey and ran away.

Old Man Lacey roared to the sky, only to see the surrounding trees rapidly expanding like balloons. With a loud bang, the expanding trees exploded like bombs!

Lü Wenjun exclaimed in surprise, "The trees exploded! So it really does have this ability!"

"What other ability did you just mention? Whipping. Whipping, right?"

"Whipping a human with a tree branch shouldn't be that powerful—oh my god!"

Old Man Lacey raised his right hand, revealing a vine whip that was at least 20 meters long. The whip was made of dozens of vines and was as thick as a small tree. It looked like it could whip them from the forest to the top of the academy mountain.

The whip lashed down, and Lü Wenjun felt a howling wind behind him. But at that moment, Virsa turned and stopped. He stretched out his hands, and his steel-like "heretic claws" snapped together in mid-air, actually severing the whip tip!

"Dude, you're incredibly strong!" Lü Wenjun exclaimed.

“It’s not just about strength, it’s also about toughness,” Vilsa said. “My incantation is the arm of the monster ‘Grendel’.”

"Hands that can withstand numerous divine weapons and contend with epic heroes will not be broken by mere plants!"

Grendel is a giant monster described in the epic poem Beowulf, said to be incredibly strong, invulnerable to weapons, and possessing blood as hot as molten lava.

The poem says, "Every nail, claw scale, and thorn on its hands, every thorn and whip mark, is like barbed steel. Everyone says that no hard enough iron can pierce it, nor can any blade that has stood the test of time cut its blood-stained, cruel claws."

Vilsa's infusion technique is a manifestation of the monster's inherent hardness. Although limited by its level, it can only cover the palms, it is still one of the strongest defenses at the Heterodox stage!

Vilsa stood still and began to grapple with Lacey using his vine whip as a medium. Despite Lacey's ten-meter-tall frame, they were locked in a stalemate for a time, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Lacey rushed closer, throwing a left punch in an attempt to maintain her authority. But just as the attack was about to land, a will-o'-the-wisp appeared and hovered on its nose. Lacey's attention was drawn to the will-o'-the-wisp, and her punch moved accordingly, striking herself squarely in the face!

"Dad!" "Dad, you dialed the wrong number!"

The little Laceys cried out in alarm, but the big Lacey was already dizzy from his own punch. Vilsa gripped the vine whip tightly and pulled hard, causing the big Lacey to lose his balance and fall like a giant tombstone towards the many little Laceys in front of him.

Lacey's face turned from green to blue, then from blue to purple. Seeing that he was about to be turned into a meat pie, a thousand emotions welled up inside him, culminating in a single, mournful cry: "Father—!"

At that moment, a silver phantom flashed by, and the eldest brother, Lexi, blinked sharply, only to find himself and his three brothers already dozens of meters away.

After transforming into his spring-legged form, Lü Wenjun put down the Laceys one by one and asked with a smile, "Want to play again?"

Chapter 34 The Tavern with Wheat Grapes

Five minutes later.

"I'm not playing anymore..." "Dad, I won't do it again." "Dad, please don't hit me!" "Ouch, that hurts!"

The four Lacey brothers were running away in all directions, clutching their backsides, when their father, Lacey, swung his rattan whip, making his good sons spin like tops.

"Hooo yaaaaaaaah!"

"What did Old Man Laisi say?" Lu Wenjun asked.

After listening for a while, Versa translated, "He went out to cause trouble and got tricked, yet he still has the nerve to call you 'Dad,' making his dad lose face along with you. That's roughly the gist of it."

"You even know Lacey! You're so knowledgeable."

No, I guessed.

The two sides reconciled very quickly, since there was no conflict to begin with. After Wilsa kindly helped Lacey up, Lü Wenjun read the letter of authorization with a rich and emotional tone and opportunely remarked, "You see, your child didn't even get a scratch," it was obviously not difficult for an old father to decide who to target.

“But this is truly a very Russian-style education…” Lü Wenjun exclaimed.

“You should live deep within the forest in all four seasons, why did you come all the way to the outer edge?” Velsa asked.

Lacey, the eldest, was whipped so hard he fell to the ground like a radish, and said pitifully, "Dad's been giving me less pocket money lately, so we came out to play pranks and get some snacks..."

"Big brother, what do you mean? You're not saying Dad's been earning less lately, are you?" the third brother shouted.

"No, no, I didn't mean that! Don't hurt me—Father!"

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo?!" (You have a problem with Dad's salary?! Are you telling me what to do at work?!)

Lacey, the eldest, was whipped away like a golf ball. Lacey's father shook hands with both of them with his fingers, then left with the grinning brats.

Lu Wenjun remarked with emotion, "They'd even betray their older brother to avoid getting beaten up. It's truly touching how deep their brotherhood is."

"That's it, isn't it? The true nature of a mischievous monster."

Not long after the Lacey family disappeared into the forest, Lü Wenjun noticed a change in the surrounding environment. The dense jungle suddenly seemed much thinner, and a white wooden house could be seen in the distance at the end of the road.

With the monster banished, the curse on the sacred ground was naturally lifted. The two walked towards the wooden house, casually remarking, "Do monsters also work to earn magic coins?"

“Ancient monsters did not practice magic; their ‘work’ was closely related to their origins. The Great Lacey was the guardian spirit of the forest, and its job was to protect the forest’s health and survival,” Velsa said. “Then you might ask, ‘So where do faith and fear come from?’”

"Then where do fear and faith come from?" Lü Wenjun readily agreed.

“The forest itself will be grateful for the care it receives, and the birds and beasts that benefit from the forest’s health, as well as the humans and monsters in the surrounding area, will also feel joy, gratitude, and a sense of security. These indirect emotions become a belief in nature and transform into the magic of the guardian deity.”

Lu Wenjun listened with great interest: "Just like farmers thanking God during a good harvest? The magic of ancient monsters doesn't necessarily come from strong-pointed 'idol worship,' or even 'faith.' Is it enough to just have the heart?"

“Strongly targeted beliefs are more efficient, so personified deities always favor sacrifices,” Vilsa said. “However, the earliest gods and monsters were often human personifications of nature. Take Lacey for example; often, the idea of ​​‘thanking the forest’ came first, followed by the ‘appearance of a guardian deity,’ and then, over a long period of time, fear or faith was added through stories.”

"Those who get lost in the forest think that Lacey is playing tricks on them, and thus Lacey came into being as a fairy. Those who encounter trouble in the forest believe it is Lacey's curse, and thus the malevolent monster Lacey came into being... Thus, Lacey transformed from a concept into a deity, and from a single existence into a diverse race, eventually evolving into 'the Lacey family'. In another secret forest, there will probably be other localized Laceys as well."

Lu Wenjun memorized everything and felt a greater sense of respect for his large friend.

“Velsa, you know a lot about ancient monsters.”

“Our race of giants also originated from the typical ‘personification of nature.’ Although we have all switched to speech magic, we still maintain the habit of tending to the mountains and forests,” Vilsa said. “I think you have lived in the outside world for a long time and are not very familiar with this information, so I told you more about it.”

Lu Wenjun patted his arm (Vilsa was 2.1 meters tall and he couldn't reach her shoulder): "Is your family the kind with a lot of younger brothers and sisters?"

"Oh, how did you know that?"

"You exude that solid and reliable older brother aura."

Velsa picked up the jade pendant and took a picture: "But my siblings have never respected me much. They always say I'm not very bright."

"That's unusual, you're quite knowledgeable... By the way, why did you suddenly take a picture?"

"Update post: I just received many replies requesting an update."

"..."

Lu Wenjun stopped and pressed his knuckles against his forehead.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Versa? Let me check what post you're updating?"

Velsa looked at him, puzzled. "That one just now?"

"What do you mean by 'that one'?! The post from Laixi Laosan?!"

"It's a photo of the three of us..."

"How could you actually post it?! Didn't I just give you a look and you even gave me a 'I understand' look back?!"

Vilsa nodded: "I thought you just told me 'send it now without waiting three seconds'."

"That's not what I meant!"

Lu Wenjun let out a wail comparable to that of Boss Lacey, and Velsa pondered, "Should I delete it?"

"How many replies have there been? Delete them before they become a hot topic!!"

"We're on the 189th floor now."

"So many! Don't these idle people have to go to school?!"

"Furthermore, a 'hot' label appeared next to the title."

"It's become the hottest topic of the day! Woohoo!"

Lu Wenjun clutched his head and twisted around like a shrimp about to be boiled. Velsa took another picture and said, "Everyone seems to like it, so let's keep updating."

"Stop updating! Why do you still want to update?!"

Vilsa looked at him sincerely: "Because I want to see more replies."

"They've been corrupted! The honest giants from Northern Europe have been corrupted by internet culture in just half an hour! I totally understand how your younger siblings feel now!!"

"I plan to keep updating until the mission is over, and I'll start a thread every time something interesting happens."

"You've already planned out the posting schedule, you're practically born to be an internet celebrity!"

I have a feeling that its reputation has quietly died out somewhere in the world.

But with so many people having seen it now, deleting the post is pointless. After all, reputation doesn't put food on the table, so let it be...

"By the way, you're quite popular in the replies," Virsa added.

"I don't want this kind of popularity..."

Lu Wenjun walked towards the wooden house in a daze, like a zombie, and raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Hello, is anyone home...?"

This beautiful white wooden cabin is much larger than a typical forest lodge; it has two floors and a spacious interior, easily accommodating fifty guests. Above the cabin hangs a sign depicting wheat and wine, indicating that this is the tavern that made the request, "Wheatgrass."

The wooden door opened, and a woman with wheat-colored hair peeked out, then closed the door without saying a word.

"..."

The two people outside the door exchanged a puzzled look and knocked again: "Hello?"

The woman in her early thirties opened the door again, and said listlessly, "Robbery?"

Why would you say something like that?

“Look closely, do we look like robbers?”

The woman nodded slowly, her gaze sweeping over their sincere eyes, their naked upper bodies, their lower bodies clad only in leaf skirts, their arms covered in dust from the fight, and their two homemade wooden guns.

She softened her tone and said gently to the two high-achieving students, "Are you here to beg for food?"

·

"I'm so sorry! Aunt Huise meant no harm. To be honest, this is the first time we've encountered a customer like this in all the years we've been running this shop."

Mr. Cabone, the tavern owner, leaned on the counter and laughed incessantly, while Ms. Hugheser, who had opened the door earlier, said dejectedly, "It's not my fault. This kind of clothing wasn't fashionable when I was young."

"This is it! The kind that freshmen really like lately, the Aztec primitive style... hahaha!"

Lu Wenjun couldn't help but shout, "What right do you have to laugh at us?!"

The bar owner, Cabone, looked like a philosopher from a classical oil painting. He wore sandals, was bare-chested and backless, and was only wrapped in a white cloth, which he called a "Greek robe".