Seeing the sword light coming at him, every hair on Hongmao's body stood up. Years of life in the martial world had honed his instincts, and he twisted his body aside on reflex.
Swoosh…
The water-blue sword gleam shot past the tip of his nose, striking a large boulder nearby and carving a deep gash into the stone.
A chill ran down Hongmao's spine. The attacker's skill wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, but if that strike had landed on his current, powerless self, it would have torn open his flesh and shattered his bones.
"Hmph, not bad reflexes," A clear, somewhat haughty voice remarked from the dense forest ahead.
The leaves rustled, and a young girl dressed in blue emerged from the undergrowth. She was petite and wore a phoenix mask. Trailing behind her, with an utterly fawning look on its face, was Little Black.
The moment it saw Hongmao, it pointed a wing and shrieked, "Heroine! It's him! Look! Those four crying babies next to him? He stole them! I tried to stop him, to do the right thing, and he ambushed me! He's completely despicable!"
Little Black's expression was cunning as it poured fuel on the fire.
"You! Heroine, it's not what he…" Hongmao began to explain.
"Shut up!" The blue-clad girl cut him off sharply. Her face was a mask of disgust as she stared at Hongmao with contempt, "The evidence is right here. Caught red-handed, and you still dare to deny it? Do you take me for a fool?"
"Exactly, exactly!" Little Black chimed in, "The heroine is brilliant and wise! There's no way a lowly villain like you could trick her!"
It continued to heap on poisonous, sarcastic words, tearing down Hongmao's character.
Hongmao hung his head, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. A flash of bitter, helpless hatred crossed his eyes.
'Why?'
'I had held fast to his chivalrous principles. I had treated Little Black fairly, protected it, escorted it all this way.'
'And in return, it turned on him, stabbing me in the back and smearing my name.'
He could see it in the blue-clad girl's expression… his character, in her eyes, was already in the gutter.
'I am the Master of the Changhong Sword!'
'Stealing babies? Ambushing others?'
'If these lies spread, I would be condemned by everyone, become an object of universal scorn!'
"No! I didn't steal them! They're my companions! I didn't ambush anyone! I…" Hongmao's explanation was cut short once more.
The girl in blue looked more disgusted by the second, 'This villain was not only guilty of terrible crimes but also a coward and a hypocrite who wouldn't own up to them.'
She, Shui Dingdang, idolized the legendary Hero Hongmao and had sworn to make a name for herself in the martial world.
How could she possibly believe the lies of a scoundrel like this?
"Villain, have at you…!" A brilliant water-blue sword gleam shot forth, aimed directly for Hongmao's shoulder.
This time, Shui Dingdang held nothing back, putting all her strength into the strike.
Though Hongmao's martial arts experience was vast and his skill that of a true master, against this raw power difference, he could only let out a despairing sigh and collapse to the ground in frustration.
Just before darkness took him, the clarity in his eyes was replaced by a fierce, dangerous glint.
His gaze locked firmly onto Little Black.
He could endure being hurt, being beaten, being cursed.
But his good name? That was not something he would allow to be trampled.
If he managed to survive this ordeal, no matter what, he would make that black chicken pay.
Meanwhile, in the main world, Hei Xiaohu was seeing red.
This was Hongmao.
The Hongmao he had schemed against, poisoned, trapped, and fought personally, yet could never quite defeat… the man who always slipped away.
And he had been outsmarted by a mangy chicken?
"This isn't just an insult to you, Hongmao." Hei Xiaohu growled, his face dark, "This is a slap in my face!"
The steel teacup in his hand was the third one he'd picked up, as he'd crushed the previous two in his fury.
Still, he was starting to understand why Hattori thought Hongmao might turn dark. An insult this profound would make even the most saintly hero feel a pang of bleak despair.
"Still…" Hei Xiaohu mused, "Knowing Hongmao's stubbornness, he could probably endure even this. It shouldn't be enough to break him."
"So what is this 'emotional wound' the Group Owner mentioned?"
Burning with curiosity, he clicked play on the next part of the memory.
On Coconut Island, Lantu finished gently wrapping Hantian's wound and softly blew on the bandage.
"There." She said softly, "All better. The pain should be gone now."
Her tender, gentle manner made Hantian's eyes go slightly unfocused.
"Mother..." The word escaped his lips before he could stop it.
"Mother?" Lantu was taken aback. Then she smiled gently and waved a hand in front of his face, "Hantian, are you thinking of your mother again? I'm not her. I'm Lantu. Your companion here in the gladiator pits. We rely on each other to survive."
"Right... Sorry. That was out of line." Hantian caught himself, a faint blush coloring his usually cold cheeks as he turned away.
'She looks so much like her.'
Three days had passed since Lantu had woken up. In that time, Hantian had fought five matches in the arena, each victory hard-won. The opponents were tougher than he'd expected.
But Lantu was there. Every time he returned, bruised and bloodied, she was there with that pained, caring look, bandaging his wounds with a mother's tenderness.
And when she finished and blew softly on the injury to soothe it, his heart would tremble.
He didn't know what this feeling was, but the sight of Lantu made his heart beat faster.
Thump. Thump.
He stole a glance at her. She sat quietly on the stone steps as usual, like a solitary, ethereal lotus flower. Her gaze was distant, a clear and unmistakable longing in her eyes.
'Who was she thinking of?'
"Lantu," Hantian began after a moment of silence, unable to quell the restlessness in his heart, "We've been here three days now. Can I... ask you something? What brought you to Coconut Island?"
He wanted to understand her. He wanted to know her past. And he wanted to know about the person she was longing for.
"I don't remember." Lantu said, her eyes clouded with confusion, "I only know that the baby I was holding is a very important companion. I have to protect him."
"And... a name. A name that keeps echoing in my heart. It feels more important than my own life."
"What name?" Hantian asked, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly.
"Hongmao." Lantu took a deep breath and spoke the name that was always on her mind, "I thought... I thought maybe you were Hongmao, Hantian. The feeling in my heart told me that if I were ever in mortal danger, Hongmao would be the first one to come save me."
Her voice was soft and carried a faint, almost imperceptible trace of resentment, "But the one who appeared before me... was you."
"I don't even know who Hongmao is to me. Maybe he really is that important. Or maybe... he's just someone I made up."