7. Settling down for a while

After walking for a couple more minutes, Ace reached a river.

It wasn't too wide and deep so he could cross it if he decided to get wet, but what interested him was the little patch of land devoid of any trees near the water.

It was the perfect place to build a little camp so he can have a place to return to during his stay in the Dark Forest.

And that's what Ace started doing. He walked around collecting branches, leaves and moss to build his little home.

After he was done, he stripped himself out of his tattered clothes and jumped in the river.

He wanted to wash all the dirt and sweat he accumulated today walking in the forest and building his camp.

Since the river wasn't too deep, he could touch the bottom with his 5'6" height surprising for his only 10-year-old body. He would surely grow up to reach above 6'.

While relaxing and lost in thought, but not forgetting his earlier lesson and keeping his guard up, Ace heard footsteps coming from the other side of the river.

He quickly submerged his head underwater only keeping his eyes over it to see what it was.

Soon, coming out of the forest, a group of three beautiful came out of the forest. They were wearing attire clearly representing a sect, but as Ace knew almost nothing of the outside world, he didn't,t know which sect it was.

The girls reached the bank of the river as they never noticed Ace Hiding in the current of the river.

"Finally a river!" One of the girls said.

"Yes! We can finally wash ourselves after our long trip inside the forest!" another one said

"Haaaa... I'm all sweaty from all that walking and hunting beasts. I can finally wash myself." the last one said.

They soon started stripping and Ace, who was still staring at them started having a boner. It wasn't really his fault as it was the first time he saw a girl naked.

The three girls all dipped into the water until one of them screamed.

"AAAAH! Who is that!" she screamed as the pointed toward Ace as a part of his head was sticking out of the water.

The two other girls who had their eyes closed and relaxing opened them and noticed Ace's head.

"WHO DARES PEEP ON US!" One of them screamed.

They all ran out of the water to go get their weapons while unintentionally flashing Ace with their secret gardens as they got out.

Ace, who started panicking a little too, stood up and denied their claim of peeping on them.

"I wasn't peeping on you, you're the one who entered the river without checking if someone was already in it!" He said.

The girls, now dressed up again, couldn't deny his claim, but their pride couldn't allow someone, a man no less to leave after peeping on them.

"You! Do you know who we are?!" One of them said.

"...No?" Ace responded. He hardly knows any human. Maybe a couple of names of the servants passing in front of his courtyard back at the Feng manor but nothing else.

"Right you know we are... Uh?" the girl started saying before being dumbfounded. Everyone knew who they were by heart. They are three best friends who are a part of the Red Rose sect, one of the five hegemons of the region.

The Red Rose sect was an all-female sect and they were the three best geniuses of the sect. But that wasn't all. They are also the three flowers of the region. The three prettiest girls in the region.

Everyone knew them. From the kids to the elderly who all at one point saw a painting of them circulating in the region.

Someone not knowing them was almost impossible, even more so for a boy.

"You're lying! Of course, you'd know us!" one of them said.

"I swear! I really don't know you! I know almost no one!" Ace responded a little triggered by these egotistical girls.

"You... Get out of the water!" The girls couldn't believe their ears.

"Wh-What? I'm still nak..." Ace tried to say but

"Get out!" one of the trio screamed while gripping the handle of her swords. Her pride was hurt.

Ace walked out of the water toward his clothes.

While this happened the three girls were blushing.

While they seemed pure to everyone as the beauties of the region, they are still 16-year-old girls. They are interested in the opposite sex, just that they all were perverts who only thank with their crotch.

So they satisfied themselves with books... and sometimes even between themselves.

Now they saw the opposite gender's privates for the first time in their lives outside of books and... even in books they never read about something so... long and thick.