As soon as the words were spoken,
Little Black, who had been eavesdropping nearby, jumped out in surprise.
He exclaimed, "Impossible!"
"Hongmao couldn't have cultivated demonic arts! Besides, his martial arts were completely dissolved under the Fountain of Youth. How does he still have such strength to dare challenge the Phoenix Martial Arts School?"
On the other side, the middle-aged man, already scared half to death, shuddered even more upon hearing the name 'Hongmao'. The whites of his eyes rolled back, and he nearly fainted on the spot.
"Madam... the one challenging outside... could it be... the world-renowned Hero Hongmao who destroyed the Demonic Sect?" The middle-aged man asked, trembling, to the beautiful woman in the red dress.
The woman in red nodded, but her attention shifted to Little Black.
"Yellow-feathered black chicken! You just said Hongmao's martial arts were dissolved under the Fountain of Youth? Is that true?!" She demanded sharply, pointing the Changhong Sword at Little Black.
"Absolutely true! I fell into the Fountain of Youth with him. Hongmao lost all his martial arts, Lantu lost her memory and disappeared, and the other five swords all turned into infants… the ones you see here." Little Black swore, patting its chest, not daring to lie anymore as the situation escalated beyond his control.
"You! You lied to me, saying Hongmao stole the infants! So these are actually the Seven Swords! Aaaaah, I'll kill you with my sword!"
Upon hearing the truth, Shui Dingdang was overwhelmed with grief and regret.
She drew her sword, ready to stab Little Black.
She had idolized Hongmao since childhood, viewing the Seven Swords as her lifelong pursuit.
However, misled by Little Black's rumors, her very first act of chivalry involved knocking out Hongmao and slandering her idol's reputation.
How could she face Hongmao now? How could she continue to call herself a hero?
"Stop! What's done is done. Killing him is useless now. Better to hand him over to Hongmao for judgment. Let's observe the situation first."
The woman in red lightly pointed her right hand, releasing a surge of profound internal energy that knocked the sword from Shui Dingdang's grasp.
Then, her sharp gaze turned to Little Black, and she coldly snorted, "Little Black, you'd better not lie to me again. If I catch you in another deception, not only will Hongmao want you dead, but my Phoenix Martial Arts School will also spare no effort to skin you alive, tear your tendons out, and grind your bones to dust!"
As she spoke these last words, her voice waves materialized into a tangible aura, emitting two strands of killing intent aimed directly at the yellow feathers on Little Black's head.
Whoosh.
A cold wind blew, and another clump of his already sparse feathers fell out.
He was left with only five or six feathers, looking like a balding, utterly wretched black chicken.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," Little Black nodded like a sieve, bowing low with a servile expression.
"Hmph."
With that final sound, the woman in red lightly tapped her toes, taking several swift steps.
A gentle breeze followed her, as if ripples floated on green water, an autumn wind brushed a pond.
In the blink of an eye, she had maneuvered out of the courtyard in less than a breath's time.
"This..." Little Black stared, dumbfounded, "Master, could it be... your wife's skills have reached the pinnacle, comparable to the grandmasters?"
The light-foot artistry displayed by the woman in red ranked among the top masters Little Black had ever seen.
Those who could confidently claim to be above her, to completely overpower her, were likely only the Seven Swords before they fell into the Fountain of Youth.
"Of course! My wife's martial arts are peerless. Even during the Phoenix Martial Arts School's most glorious era, only masters at the level of the vice school master could rival her," the middle-aged man puffed out his chest, saying proudly.
The reason the Phoenix Martial Arts School managed to survive, albeit with great difficulty, after that great catastrophe, was largely due to the covert support of the woman in red, who defeated various challengers.
"However, my wife's purpose in going out now is probably to confront Hongmao in battle." After his moment of pride, a worried expression appeared on the middle-aged man's face as he looked towards the direction outside the courtyard.
He knew his wife.
Given her temperament, even the famous Hero Hongmao couldn't possibly make her hand over their daughter obediently.
Her plan was likely to negotiate first, using Little Black as a bargaining chip, to see if Hongmao would stand down.
If not...
'Hongmao lost all his martial arts... it seems he has relearned demonic arts... he might not necessarily be my wife's match.'
The middle-aged man comforted himself, grabbing Little Black by the scruff of the neck and walking towards the outside.
Outside the Phoenix Martial Arts School, Hongmao hovered in mid-air, demonic energy swirling around him, a shocking killing intent radiating from his brow.
He surpassed even the Demonic Sect's young master from back in the day.
The area around the martial arts school was packed with people, layer upon layer.
Countless martial artists from Phoenix Island curiously peered inside, trying to find out what was happening.
"I heard the Phoenix Martial Arts School offended remnants of the Demonic Sect and are about to be wiped out!"
"You don't know the whole story. It's that Demonic Sect remnant who took a fancy to the Phoenix Martial Arts School's young lady and wants to seize her to be his mountain stronghold wife!"
"Hmph! This guy clearly isn't any good. The Phoenix Martial Arts School has been stationed on Phoenix Island for centuries. Even if they've declined now, he can't just bully them!"
Whispers and murmurs filled the crowd.
Clearly, no one had a favorable impression of Hongmao, who is shrouded in demonic energy.
After all, the Demonic Sect had ruled the Central Plains martial world for over a decade, its demonic influence vast and far-reaching.
Even ten years after its destruction, the few remaining remnants that emerged had earned notorious reputations, causing widespread alarm.
Hongmao heard all this but dismissed it with disdain.
Let the world insult him, slander him, criticize him. What did it matter?
He no longer cared about such things.
Right now, he just wanted to speak his mind directly.
And chop the mastermind who harmed the Seven Swords and led to his miserable fate into mincemeat.
"The time of one incense stick is up."
"It seems the Phoenix Martial Arts School doesn't want to hand anyone over. Then don't blame me for taking action my…"
"Hold it!"
Just as Hongmao finished speaking and was about to act, the beautiful woman in the red dress, holding the hand of the hunched-over middle-aged school master, walked out from within the courtyard.
"This humble one is Gui Jiujiu, Master of the Phoenix Martial Arts School. This is my wife, Shui Lingling. We greet Hero Hongmao."
The middle-aged man bowed slightly, speaking respectfully.
His words left him calm, but the crowd instantly erupted.
"Hongmao? Is Master Gui referring to the Hongmao, leader of the Seven Swords?!"
"Impossible! Hero Hongmao was the great hero who destroyed the Demonic Sect. How could he look like this, full of demonic energy?"
"It's probably just someone with the same name. Hmph! Or perhaps this demonic fiend is trying to tarnish Hero Hongmao's identity by using his name. Everyone, don't be fooled."
At this moment, the reputation of the 'legitimate' Hongmao was elevated to its highest point.
And this was the first step in Gui Jiujiu and Shui Lingling's negotiation strategy.
Attack the heart.
Use the crowd's voice to elevate Hongmao to an extremely high status.
'If he cared about his identity as a great hero, his standing in the righteous path, no matter what, he wouldn't take action in front of everyone to abduct our daughter.'
'After all, he was the great hero, the great benefactor, the great Hongmao!'
Thinking this, Gui Jiujiu and Shui Lingling exchanged a glance, simultaneously revealing knowing smiles.
'Everything was under control.'