Mermaid Circus

Douluo Continent, coastal region, Binxing City.

Jiang Mian and his group walked down the streets, taking in the bustling sights of Binxing City.

Several children ran happily past them, holding pinwheels aloft. Vendors' cries rang out without end, and the dazzling array of goods was enough to leave anyone overwhelmed.

"Come take a look! The Star Luo Empire's most famous Mermaid Circus has arrived in Binxing City for a touring performance!" A chubby little boy held up a promotional poster and shouted loudly, drawing quite a crowd.

"The Mermaid Circus?" Xie Yue was somewhat surprised. He muttered, "Why would such a huge and famous circus come to perform in a place like this?"

"Are they that famous?" Jiang Mian and Evil Emperor looked at Xie Yue in unison.

"More than famous." Xie Yue spoke with great seriousness. "Their tickets are worth a fortune and almost impossible to get. Nana has always wanted to see their performance, but she never had the chance."

"They mainly perform acts involving tamed soul beasts. I heard the soul beasts can perform all sorts of highly difficult movements."

"Interesting." Jiang Mian smiled. "We have nothing to do anyway. Want to go take a look?"

"Everyone, listen up. I'll let you in on an insider secret." The chubby boy stood in the middle of the crowd and said mysteriously, "The Mermaid Circus recently acquired an extremely rare soul beast. This is the first time they're putting it on stage. Don't miss this chance—it won't come again. This is a performance that will witness history!"

"An extremely rare soul beast? How rare?" Jiang Mian scoffed. "Don't tell me it's a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."

"You're joking, friend." The chubby boy smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. "It's a thousand-year Little Dragonkin soul beast. They're said to live in the deep sea and only come to shallow waters right after they're weaned. The Mermaid Circus's Little Dragonkin had just been weaned when it happened to be caught by fishermen, then bought by the passing Mermaid Circus."

"Dragonkin?" Evil Emperor's expression changed. He pulled Jiang Mian and Xie Yue aside and lowered his voice. "Dragonkin soul beasts are as rare as hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. How could they possibly have caught one?"

"What are Dragonkin?" Jiang Mian asked in surprise. "Why have I never heard Di Tian mention them?"

"Dragonkin are dragons with mixed bloodlines. Di Tian has the bloodline of a true dragon, so naturally he looks down on such distant relatives." Evil Emperor explained, "Their history stretches far back. They don't live in the deep sea. They often follow deep-sea currents to the legendary Sky City, which is where the Dragonkin clan resides."

"Sky City?" Jiang Mian gave a bitter laugh. "That's a familiar name."

"Although that chubby kid was right that Dragonkin come to shallow waters just after being weaned to absorb a special kind of energy, that energy attracts terrifying soul beasts from the deep sea. Powerful Dragonkin always guard them while they absorb it. How could humans possibly capture one?"

"Whether it's real or not, we'll find out soon enough." Jiang Mian patted Xie Yue on the shoulder and smiled. "Didn't Nana want to see the Mermaid Circus perform? Perfect. Watch it, then tell her all about it when we get back."

"Nana will beat us to death." Xie Yue shrank back fearfully. "We didn't even tell her we were leaving this time. If we go back and provoke her again, aren't we just asking for trouble?"

"Look at how timid you are." Jiang Mian patted his chest and vowed, "Don't worry, brother-in-law. I'll protect you."

"You?" Xie Yue chuckled. "You're the fastest one alive when it comes to running away."

"Hey." Jiang Mian grabbed Xie Yue by the collar and tried to lock him up, but Xie Yue predicted his move. With a quick shift of his body, he reversed the hold and locked Jiang Mian in his arms.

"Your skills have improved." Jiang Mian tried to fight back, only to discover that Xie Yue had him firmly restrained. "All right, all right, let me go."

"Let's buy tickets and see what this Dragonkin is really about." Jiang Mian clicked his tongue in wonder. "If they're faking it, wouldn't that ruin the Mermaid Circus's reputation?"

"No one would believe us." Xie Yue spread his hands. "The Mermaid Circus has an enormous fan base. They won't destroy their signboard just because of a few words from us."

"They've got quite the public support, huh?" Jiang Mian smiled faintly. "Then we can't provoke them, or Spirit Hall's reputation might get smashed instead."

"Spirit Hall has far more influence than a commercial troupe like this." Xie Yue said, "If Spirit Hall accused them of fraud, the public would definitely believe Spirit Hall rather than their circus."

"Let's buy three tickets first." Jiang Mian walked over to the chubby boy with a smile and asked, "Little brother, where are the tickets sold?"

"At Binxing City Square." The chubby boy grinned innocently and pointed them in the right direction. "My name is Fuda. If you mention my name, the tickets might be a little cheaper."

"Oh? You've got that much pull, little brother?" Jiang Mian teased. "Then we really have to thank you."

"It's actually a predetermined discount. Otherwise, at the usual price, they wouldn't be able to sell the tickets at all." Fuda's chubby little face wobbled as he gave a bitter smile. "Binxing City may be prosperous, but it's still a step below the imperial capitals of the two great empires and other major cities."

"How much are the tickets?" Jiang Mian asked.

"One Gold Soul Coin per ticket at the original price," Fuda replied.

"That's not expensive." Jiang Mian smiled, then suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "Anyone who wants to watch the show, come with me! I'm treating everyone to the performance!"

The moment they heard that, the crowd surged toward them, surrounding Jiang Mian and the others three layers deep.

"What do you want us to do?" A middle-aged man in coarse clothing carried an adorable little girl on his shoulders as he asked, "Do we have to give anything in return?"

The man was clearly cautious. After all, such bargains often came with traps. At best, one could lose money; at worst, one could lose everything, even one's life.

"Don't worry, you don't need to do anything." Jiang Mian said, "Spirit Hall is grateful for everyone's support over the years. Since the circus is touring here, we'll pay out of pocket to treat the friends of Binxing City to a performance."

At some point, Xie Yue had slipped into the crowd. He shouted slogans loudly, stirring up everyone's emotions.

"Spirit Hall not only awakens our martial souls, but even treats us to performances! They seek benefits for us common folk! We swear to serve Spirit Hall until death!"

This kid is pretty good at this. Jiang Mian's lips curled up slightly as he silently gave Xie Yue a thumbs-up.

"All of you, follow this brother to the ticket booth. I'll reimburse the expenses." Jiang Mian casually took out five bags of Gold Soul Coins and handed them to Fuda. "There are one thousand Gold Soul Coins in here. See if it's enough. If not, I'll give you more."

"This is far more than we need." Fuda held the Gold Soul Coins in both hands, his voice trembling. "Senior, the circus can only hold five hundred people at most."

"Treat everyone for two days." Jiang Mian patted Fuda on the shoulder and shouted, "Five hundred people per day, first come, first served! If you get there late, you'll miss out! Brothers, charge!"

"Thank you, Spirit Hall!"

"We pledge our loyalty to Spirit Hall!"

"Spirit Hall, I'll serve you like an ox and horse!"

The crowd shouted slogans as they charged toward Binxing City Square like madmen.

"What are you doing?" Evil Emperor finally asked after watching the crowd disappear.

"Building some popularity for Spirit Hall." Jiang Mian smiled. "It won't cost much anyway."

Just as Jiang Mian was about to go watch the performance, a middle-aged man wearing a Spirit Hall uniform suddenly approached and asked politely, "Who are you?"

"And you are?" Jiang Mian asked in return.

"Rui Sha, bishop of Spirit Hall's Binxing City branch."

"Oh, so it's Lord Bishop." Jiang Mian clasped his hands and smiled. "I am Jiang Mian, an honorary elder of Spirit Hall. This is my token."

As Jiang Mian spoke, he took out the token representing his identity. Rui Sha was startled at first and looked at it in disbelief. After confirming that it was genuine, he dropped to his knees with a thud, held the token in both hands, and said respectfully, "Greetings, Elder."

"There's no need for this." Jiang Mian helped Rui Sha up, put away the token, and said, "By age, you are my senior."

Rui Sha wiped the sweat from his forehead and said in a trembling voice, "Elder, you are far too gracious to this lowly one."

"Come on, let's watch the performance together." Jiang Mian invited him with a smile. "Since we're here, you should show us some hospitality as well."

"Please." Rui Sha naturally obeyed with respect. If he could latch onto an elder like this, his future promotion would be assured.

The faster members of the public had already collected their tickets and entered the circus grounds obediently. Those who failed to get tickets could only leave in disappointment.

"Don't lose heart, everyone. The event will last for seven days, though I can't promise there'll be enough for everyone." Jiang Mian hurriedly called out to the townsfolk preparing to leave.

"You can cover the remaining costs." Jiang Mian smiled at Rui Sha. "All right?"

"Please rest assured, Elder." Rui Sha promptly promised. "We will not fail your trust."

Jiang Mian nodded. When Fuda saw Jiang Mian and the others approaching, he hurried over and led the four of them to seats that had long been reserved.

They were the best seats for watching the performance. If Binxing City had not been so cramped and the venue only temporarily constructed, it should have been able to accommodate several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of people.

Fortunately, the temporary venue was small. Otherwise, Jiang Mian really would not have been able to play the part of a wealthy young master.

The first few acts were fairly conventional. They featured common hundred-year soul beasts working with animal trainers to perform difficult tricks, such as jumping through rings of fire and other familiar acrobatics.

What truly interested Jiang Mian was the enormous water tank that had been brought out at the beginning. It was made entirely of transparent glass and held a Mermaid Princess. This was also the Mermaid Circus's signature act.

The Mermaid Princess and a very handsome animal trainer put on a series of brilliant performances that drew thunderous applause.

Even Jiang Mian, who usually carried himself with such reserve, could not help clapping and cheering. Their performance was dignified and grand without losing its tender romance. The details moved the heart, making it an outstanding pantomime.

"Friends, the highlight of today's Mermaid Circus is about to begin." A short man dressed as a clown appeared from nowhere. He rubbed his hands together, and dazzling fireworks instantly burst across the entire venue. "The highly anticipated Dragonkin performance! This is the unprecedented first showing, and all of you are witnesses to history!"

It was the same enormous glass water tank that the Mermaid Princess had used earlier. This time, however, a Dragonkin appeared within it, with the lower body of a fish and the upper body of a human, along with two dragon horns growing from her forehead.

Her scales shimmered all over her body. She seemed deeply ashamed of being exposed before the public and kept retreating into the corner.

The animal trainer yanked the iron chain around her neck, forcibly dragging her before the audience. The Dragonkin looked panicked and swam back and forth through the tank. The trainer's face darkened, and he actually pulled out a terrifying spiked club, intending to tame the Dragonkin in front of everyone.

Evil Emperor frowned. His eye was exceptionally sharp, and he leaned close to Jiang Mian's ear and whispered, "As expected, it's fake. This definitely isn't a Dragonkin."

"Why would they do this?" Jiang Mian was deeply confused. The circus Xie Yue had described as so famous had actually fallen so low as to deceive its audience with fraud.

"I can't accept this." Xie Yue covered his face, seemingly unwilling to believe that the Mermaid Circus would deceive its audience.

"You're one of their diehard fans too?" Jiang Mian glanced at Xie Yue speechlessly and whispered, "There must be some hidden reason behind this."

"Elder, should I expose them?" Rui Sha suddenly leaned over and asked.

"Leave them a way out." Jiang Mian shook his head. "Perhaps they have their own difficulties."

"Look! That animal trainer is beating the Dragonkin!"

Someone shouted, and Jiang Mian and the others immediately turned their attention toward the tank. The Dragonkin gripped the chain binding her neck with both hands as she struggled to dodge the trainer's iron club. Her body was already covered in wounds, and blood continuously stained the water red.

"Stop!" Jiang Mian frowned. He truly could not stand such injustice and immediately shouted, "What are you doing?"

"You don't understand, sir. These beasts have not developed intelligence yet. This is how they must be handled. Otherwise, if their wild nature flares up, they'll hurt people." The clown hurriedly explained.

"Bullshit." Jiang Mian shouted angrily. "Would a thousand-year Dragonkin soul beast endure a beating without fighting back? Stop immediately!"

The animal trainer was hot-tempered as well. Hearing Jiang Mian's words, he surfaced at once and snapped, "What the hell do you know? Just watch quietly."

"What did you say?" Before Jiang Mian could speak, Rui Sha slammed the table and stood up, saying indignantly, "Do you know that this is an elder of Spirit Hall? How dare you act so recklessly? Are you tired of living?"

"Ah!"

The animal trainer instantly froze in shock. The clown's legs went weak, and he quickly dropped to his knees, begging bitterly, "My lord, we failed to recognize your greatness. We deserve death. You are magnanimous, so please don't take it to heart."

At this moment, Jiang Mian remained calm and composed. He said indifferently, "Who is in charge of the Mermaid Circus? Get over here."