"Lantu, you..."
Hongmao looked into Lantu's pure, flawless eyes, his heart contracting violently.
Three parts relief, seven parts pain.
He was relieved because Lantu, having lost all her memories, had also lost her moral sense and beliefs as a hero.
Apart from her instinctive attachment to Hongmao, she simply couldn't hate him.
It was like a newborn infant's attachment to its family.
She didn't understand what was good, nor what was evil.
Even if Hongmao killed Hantian…
To Lantu, it wouldn't shake Hongmao's position in her heart in the slightest.
That was a feeling transcending the soul, engraved in her instincts.
However, it was precisely this feeling that caused Hongmao immense pain.
Lantu's forgiveness in this state didn't count.
She wasn't complete.
When she recalled her mission as the Ice Soul Sword Master, the honor of the Jade Toad Palace Master, would she still understand him as easily as she did now?
'Forget it, we'll talk about everything when the time comes.'
Hongmao took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the complex emotions in his heart.
A bright smile reappeared on his face.
At least, during this period of Lantu's amnesia, he was happy.
"Hongmao, you can't abandon me again this time. Also, you must tell me properly what happened in the past."
Lantu's eyes curved into two crescent moons as she leaned against Hongmao's chest, speaking sweetly.
As long as she was with Hongmao, she felt inexplicably happy. Everything felt light, like stepping on cotton candy.
"Okay, I'll tell you everything we experienced in the past."
Hongmao gently stroked Lantu's head.
Intertwining his fingers with hers, he walked towards the exit of the fighting arena.
The sun set in the west, it was dusk.
Hongmao looked at Lantu's pained expression before him and frowned with heartache.
He stopped his narration again.
"Let's forget it. Without finding a way to lift the Fountain of Youth's curse, you won't be able to recover your memories no matter what."
Hongmao let out a long sigh, his tone filled with deep self-reproach.
It was all his fault for being too pedantic and weak before!
If he had just killed Little Black with his sword earlier, none of this would have happened later.
"No, try again. This time, I can definitely..."
Lantu's face was pale as she endured the severe pain in her head, forcing herself to speak.
The memories she lost weren't due to some severe injury or psychological trauma.
But the 'curse' of the Fountain of Youth.
This curse could only be broken by the Santai Pavilion's Purity Origin Pearl.
Aside from that, whether it was a major shock, others telling her, or hoping the amnesiac remembers on their own, was all impossible.
That Lantu could barely remember a few deeply impressive names through her strong will and internal energy was already a miracle.
"Don't try anymore. I am definitely going to the Santai Pavilion. Apart from the Purity Origin Pearl, everything there exudes an eerie, mysterious aura."
Hongmao stopped Lantu, frowning slightly, his tone turning cold.
'That white-cloaked man who took Hantian away…'
'If I wasn't mistaken, he should be from the Santai Pavilion.'
'In all the world, those with such pure internal energy yet remaining unknown in the martial world could only be disciples of the Santai Pavilion, which had countless geniuses and remained in seclusion.'
"Santai Pavilion? The fighting arena manager said Hantian's mother's necklace was bought by someone from the Santai Pavilion."
Hearing the name 'Santai Pavilion', Lantu's eyes instantly lit up, and she quickly added.
"Moo! Moo!"
On the other side,
Niu Xuanfeng also widened his eyes upon hearing this name, constantly mooing to indicate he had also heard this name.
That stormy, thunderous night ten years ago,
The plain white figures who fed him the Purity Origin Pearl mentioned the name 'Santai Pavilion'.
Too unusual!
Seeing both Lantu and Niu Xuanfeng had their own responses, the cold light in Hongmao's eyes grew even sharper.
He even suspected that the setup involving the Fountain of Youth might also be the work of the Santai Pavilion.
All of this was a long-planned, shocking conspiracy.
Targeting the Seven Swords, or perhaps, targeting him and Lantu!
'And to find the answer to all this…'
A slight curve lifted the corner of Hongmao's mouth. He focused his consciousness and entered the group chat.
[Master of the Changhong Sword: @Dark Group Owner, Group Owner Benefactor, thanks to your information, I finally managed to reunite with Lantu. I am endlessly grateful.]
[Dark Group Owner: No problem, no problem. Remember to send some red packets in the group when you're successful later.]
'Finally reunited, huh.'
In the parallel world, Hattori sat up straight on the sofa, beaming with joy.
The deep, devoted love between Hongmao and Lantu was the first 'dog food' he ate in his childhood.
The Brave Return's screenwriters forcefully fed fans crap, not only separating them but also adding the annoying Hantian.
Hattori had long been unable to stand it.
Now, with his and the Young Master's efforts, the destined couple was finally united.
His old heart felt gratified.
[Master of the Changhong Sword: However, there is one more thing Hongmao would like to ask.]
In the Brave Return dimension, Hongmao rubbed the back of his head, feeling his face had thickened considerably.
Asking the Group Owner went from hesitant at first to coming naturally now, only took a few days.
Perhaps this was the change after darkening.
No longer bound by complicated etiquette, following his heart in everything.
[Dark Group Owner: What is it? Just say it. Don't feel embarrassed. @True Love Is Agumon, this guy took countless benefits from me and never felt the slightest bit embarrassment.]
[True Love Is Agumon: 555, Group Owner Boss, just talk with the Sword Master, why drag me into it? I truly regard you as my one and only boss to revere.]
[Master of the Changhong Sword: Uh, I just wanted to ask the Group Owner, what exactly is the Santai Mountain Santai Pavilion in my world?]
'Hiss…'
This question really stumped Hattori.
From what he remembered, the Brave Return was only filmed halfway before being canceled for various reasons.
The Santai Pavilion's background, the truth about the Fountain of Youth...
None were explained in the original work.
Even Hattori, who could be called a Doraemon, could only shake his head helplessly when faced with this question lacking source material.
[Dark Group Owner: @Master of the Changhong Sword, I don't know much about your world's affairs. However, the Santai Pavilion must have a significant background. Just their Purity Origin Pearl, produced once every ten years, is enough to mass-produce top-tier experts.]
Speaking of which, Hattori had actually always been curious.
The Santai Pavilion recruited disciples once every ten years, and the reward for first place in each recruitment assembly was the Purity Origin Pearl, which took a thousand years to produce a single drop.
Calculating it this way, it seemed all the Purity Origin Pearls were given to others?
What about the Santai Pavilion itself? Their core disciples? Didn't they covet the peerless Purity Origin Pearl?
Hattori absolutely refused to believe it.
Behind this, there must be a hidden, shocking secret unknown to others.
And this secret likely involved the ultimate main plot of the Brave Return dimension, connected to the fate of all the characters who appeared.