Jing Lei returned to the spot where he had last seen Han Yu. Still munching on his steamed bun, he looked around for the familiar teenager. Suddenly, a familiar voice called out.
"Young master! I finally found you!", Han Yu came rushing toward him, completely out of breath, as though he had been running around without stopping.
"I'm here, Han Yu," Jing Lei replied innocently.
"Please don't run off on your own like that again, young master! My heart nearly stopped when I realized you were no longer beside me!" Han Yu said, still sounding worried.
He then lifted Jing Lei into his arms and began walking toward the Jing residence. By then, the sunlight had begun to turn orange as the sun slowly descended toward the horizon.
That evening, Jing Wenxuan called his son into his room.
"Lei'er, Lei'er, come here!"
He beckoned his son closer. Su Ruyan was sitting beside him, and she also gestured for Jing Lei to approach. Having just returned from outside, Jing Lei happily ran toward his father. Jing Wenxuan showed him a set of white clothes decorated with a small white rabbit embroidered on the sleeve.
"Do you like it?" he asked.
Jing Lei's eyes widened. It was obvious that he liked the clothes very much. He nodded enthusiastically.
"I like it, Dad!"
"Then they're yours. Consider them a gift from us."
"It would look lovely with the rabbit hairpin you received earlier," Su Ruyan added.
At the mention of the hairpin, Jing Lei suddenly remembered the boy dressed in black whom he had met before. He fell silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"That hairpin... I gave it to a black cat.", Jing Lei tried to lie.
Jing Wenxuan and Su Ruyan exchanged confused glances.
"Um... the cat needed it more than I did. I mean, it looked weak and frail, so I gave it the hairpin. I hope that cat can sell it and buy something healthy to eat..."
Jing Lei desperately tried to come up with as many excuses as he could. His expression was both guilty and utterly innocent as he fidgeted with his fingers. Rather than getting angry, however, Jing Wenxuan and Su Ruyan simply chuckled.
"A cat can't sell things or buy food by itself, Lei'er," his father remarked.
Somehow, every excuse Jing Lei came up with was so endearing that neither of his parents could bring themselves to scold him.
"Don't worry. We'll buy you another rabbit hairpin next time," Su Ruyan reassured him as she pulled her son into her arms.
"Really?", Jing Lei's face immediately brightened.
Elsewhere in the city...
"Leader... what should we do if he actually manages to achieve a hundred consecutive victories?"
A man dressed in black stood before another man, who was idly stroking his moustache.
"There's no way he can do that.", The man fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking again.
"Have that man become his hundredth opponent."
"But that man is a martial artist, and not a weak one at that. Wouldn't that be unfair?"
"Fair or not, I don't want him to win his hundredth match. I have no intention of paying someone such an enormous sum of money."
A wicked smile crept across his face. The man in black remained silent for a moment before bowing slightly.
"Understood, Leader.", He then turned and left.
The man he had been speaking to was none other than the leader of the Red Lotus Gambling House.
Back at the worn-out little house...
"Dear... perhaps it's time for you to give up the fights. I-I don't want you collapsing again..."
Lin Yue carefully wrapped a bandage around the wavy-haired man's injured body.
"Just forty more fights... If I can do it, our lives will finally—"
"Wu Jian!"
Lin Yue interrupted him. Her expression was a mixture of worry and anger. Her eyes were red, but her tears had already dried.
"I don't want you getting hurt anymore. I still have my mother's keepsake. We can sell it and live off the money for a while, at least until you find a decent job."
Wu Jian firmly held his wife's hand.
"Don't. That's your mother's keepsake. I can still fight."
Both of them turned their gazes toward the young boy sleeping on the bed. They wanted nothing more than to give their son a better future. Yet, it seemed as though fate itself was playing a cruel game with their family.
Several days passed.
Wu Jian continued fighting, winning one match after another without a single defeat. As his winning streak grew, so did the crowds gathering to watch him. It seemed that he was gradually gaining more and more admirers.
Autumn was approaching, and the wind had grown increasingly chilly. Yet the crowds never stopped coming to watch his matches. At last, Wu Jian reached his ninety-ninth consecutive victory.
Before his hundredth match, however, he was summoned to the office of the Red Lotus Gambling House's leader.
Wu Jian entered the room with suspicion. Suddenly, a bag of money was placed on the table in front of him.
"The identity of your hundredth opponent is no ordinary matter. Take this money and forfeit the match. You cannot win this one. If you do, you might end up angering someone you shouldn't.", The leader spoke without even turning around to face him.
"...I cannot accept this.", Wu Jian stared at the bag of money.
"You made me a promise. This amount isn't even one-tenth of what you promised me."
"As I said, your hundredth opponent has a special identity. Even I cannot do anything about this. Take the money and surrender the match."
His voice remained calm, though a wicked expression lingered on his face. Wu Jian, who could not see him, remained unaware of it.
"I'm sorry, but I won't surrender.", Wu Jian bowed before turning around and leaving the room.
Behind him, the Red Lotus leader clenched his fist in anger.
The hundredth match finally began. As always, Jing Lei had not missed the opportunity to watch Wu Jian fight. His hundredth opponent stepped onto the arena. A few moments later, the battle began.
To everyone's surprise, Wu Jian's opponent suddenly unleashed a bolt of lightning. A loud crack echoed through the arena as the attack struck the ground.
"What?!"
Jing Lei was startled.
"Han Yu, what's that?"
"This isn't good. Mr. Wu Jian's opponent is a martial artist, and a rather powerful one at that," Han Yu replied, his expression turning serious.
Wu Jian was equally surprised, but he continued fighting despite having nothing but his raw physical strength to rely on. Knowing he was at a disadvantage, he tried to close the distance between himself and his opponent. More bolts of lightning shot from the man's palms, but Wu Jian refused to give up.
He managed to evade several attacks, but was struck by many others. Each time he fell, he forced himself back onto his feet. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His arm was badly injured, yet he continued fighting.
After struggling desperately to close the distance, Wu Jian finally managed to land a powerful punch that sent his opponent flying beyond the edge of the arena. The man quickly got back to his feet, but the rules were clear: whoever fell outside the arena would lose. He could no longer return to the stage.
All he could do was glare at Wu Jian. Wu Jian had finally won his hundredth consecutive match. Cheers erupted from every corner of the hall. Despite his battered condition, he had not lost hope. Instead, he smiled brightly, as though all the pain and suffering he had endured had finally come to an end.
As Wu Jian descended from the opposite side of the arena, his defeated opponent glared at him. In a voice so quiet that no one else could hear, the man whispered,
"I will kill you."
After the match, Wu Jian returned to the Red Lotus leader's office to claim the reward he had been promised. However, the only answer he received was:
"Come back tomorrow. I need some time to prepare your reward."
With no other choice, Wu Jian could only leave empty-handed and return the following day.
Night had fallen, and the wind was growing colder.
Han Yu draped a fur cloak over Jing Lei's shoulders. It was rather large for the little boy, but that hardly mattered since Han Yu would be carrying him all the way home anyway. The streets had grown quiet. The sky was painted in shades of orange as the last light of the day faded. As Wu Jian made his way home, someone suddenly stepped in front of him.
"Stop."
It was the man in black who was always seen standing beside the Red Lotus leader. Without another word, the man tossed a bag of money toward Wu Jian.
"Take this and run away with your family. The leader never intended to pay you your reward. He might even send people to kill you and your family.", His expression was unusually serious.
Wu Jian's face darkened.
"What...? He's going back on his promise? Is this the integrity of the Red Lotus Gambling House?!", He was furious.
"Don't take your anger out on me. Even telling you this and giving you the money means I've gone against the leader. You need to run away tonight."
Wu Jian wanted to argue, but the moment he thought of his family, he swallowed his anger. He had no choice. He clutched the bag of money and hurried home.
At home...
"Dear, pack our things! We have to leave tonight. The Red Lotus leader might send assassins after me!", Wu Jian rushed inside, his expression grim.
"What?!", Lin Yue was shocked. Her gaze immediately shifted toward the little boy lying on the bed.
"I'll carry our son. Just pack the important things!"
Lin Yue hurried around the room, gathering whatever belongings they needed. Wu Jian helped her as well.
Fortunately, they owned very little, so it didn't take long to pack everything. When Wu Jian lifted Wu Zhen into his arms, the boy slowly woke up.
"Dad...?", His voice was still drowsy.
"We have to leave now, son. Just be patient for a little while."
Wu Jian carried little Wu Zhen with one arm and held a bag with the other. Lin Yue carried another bag as she followed closely behind them.
Unfortunately, before they could get very far, someone blocked their path.
"You're not going anywhere."
It was the same man Wu Jian had fought in his hundredth match. Wu Jian immediately glared at him. He lowered Wu Zhen and carefully handed the boy over to Lin Yue.
"Dear, go ahead. I'll deal with him."
Lin Yue wanted to protest, but then she noticed their son looking at them with his weak, tired eyes. She finally nodded. Supporting Wu Zhen by holding his shoulder, she began walking away, keeping the bag in her other hand.
"Heh. Do you really think that was a wise decision?", The man smirked.
"There's no one around to witness what happens here. Besides, the Red Lotus leader has already dispatched a capture squad. He's accusing you of stealing one of his belongings because you weren't satisfied with the reward he offered."
"What?! How despicable! He didn't even give me a single coin of my promised reward, and now he's accusing me of stealing from him?!"
Wu Jian's anger flared.
"That's right. A whole search party has been sent out to capture you and your entire family."