Mu Rong's expression suddenly shifted, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"City Lord Cang, surely you aren't going to tell me that a beggar from a village could awaken a rare martial soul and possess such powerful innate soul force?"
He paused, then continued, "And what about that Ice Phoenix?"
Before Cang Changhe could answer, Mu Rong offered an explanation of his own.
"That's because my mother was an orphan."
"An orphan?"
Cang Changhe repeated the word, then seemed to realize something. His pupils contracted.
"Perhaps you don't know what the surname Murong represents, but you must have heard of the Jade-Eyed Serpent Clan!"
"Ah!"
The words rang out like thunder in Cang Changhe's ears.
The Jade-Eyed Serpent Clan! A clan that had earned its fearsome name throughout the Empire of the Heavenly Ghosts, ruthless and poisonous, stopping at nothing to achieve its aims!
How could a beggar from Soul Village possibly know about the Jade-Eyed Serpent Clan?
Cang Changhe forcibly suppressed the shock within him and let out a cold laugh.
"Even if you were from that clan, what could you do?"
"Now you're just a worker in Ju Yuan City."
"Or perhaps all this is just a lie you made up to scare me and get your revenge?"
He'd been tricked.
Then he'd better find out what he could about this famous, sinister figure. That might prove more useful than anything else.
"City Lord Cang, you guessed wrong."
Mu Rong's expression turned serious.
"My mother was sworn siblings with Murong Bo, the head of the Murong family."
"Before she died, she told me the truth and said she'd found a way to return me to my orphan family in Heavenly Dipper City."
"And over the years, my uncle, Murong Bo, has been traveling all over the continent, searching for his younger sister. Surely someone as well-connected as you has heard something about it."
"Actually, I have my own plans. I don't want to return to Heavenly Dipper City just yet."
Mu Rong looked straight at Cang Changhe and slowly spoke his final words.
"But City Lord Cang, you can testify that I'm an orphan, that my uncle Murong Bo hasn't been able to find any trace of me."
Cang Changhe fell silent.
Murong Bo's name wasn't one that a minor soul master from a remote village would know.
Mu Rong had even accurately named the orphan family's location: Heavenly Dipper City.
And Murong Bo himself had spent years traveling the continent, apparently looking for something. Only the great powers knew the details.
Looking at this child, who seemed six or seven years old, with his confidence and maturity far beyond his years, Cang Changhe found it impossible not to believe him.
For a moment, he really did hesitate.
The Jade-Eyed Serpent Clan was a family renowned for its cunning and deadly poison.
"Hmph! Even if you are from the Murong family, what can you do?"
Cang Changhe swallowed his fear and sneered.
"If Murong Bo doesn't come looking for you, I could kill you. By the time he finds out, it'll be too late!"
"Ha ha, go ahead and try."
Mu Rong shook his head.
"If you've got the nerve, try making that threat to the city lord's manor."
For a moment, Cang Changhe really was at a loss.
Damn it. He didn't want to get involved.
He couldn't kill the child, but he didn't dare offend him, either.
Mu Rong's approach had been psychological warfare.
His real aim was to intimidate a high-ranking official like Cang Changhe.
Murong Bo's name was a far more effective weapon than any martial soul.
The Martial Soul Hall had immense power. Surely it wouldn't risk provoking a growing genius over a mere worker.
But Murong Bo was a notorious old monster, infamous for his poisonous methods and complete disregard for reason!
What's more, this old monster had been traveling all over the continent. No one knew whether he was looking for herbs to counteract the backlash from a martial soul.
Cang Changhe's psychological defenses crumbled. He knew he was beaten.
"Ha ha. Since you don't have the guts to kill me, and you don't dare bring the whole Murong family down on me, then I'll be off to earn a living. There's nothing else for me to do here."
Mu Rong picked up his teacup again and sipped leisurely.
"You're really determined to eat me alive!"
Cang Changhe felt his chest tighten, but in the end he forced himself to calm down and put on a smile.
"Actually, even if what you said is true, ten thousand gold soul crystals is still too much!"
"If you want to negotiate, then there's room to bargain."
Mu Rong's master gave him a meaningful look.
"City Lord Cang, you can do better!"
Cang Changhe felt as if he'd punched a pillow. This little boy had somehow turned his whole situation upside down.
He gritted his teeth.
"Five thousand! That's my limit!"
"All right, deal!"
Mu Rong agreed crisply, without the slightest hesitation.
"Let's make one thing clear. City Lord Cang has to give me a storage soul device, too. Otherwise, I'd have nowhere to put all that money."
Cang Changhe immediately froze, the smile he'd just managed to put on his face crumpling.
He swallowed.
"Wait, you little rascal... You're still trying to squeeze more out of me?"
"What else?"
Mu Rong held up a finger.
"City Lord Cang, I think you'd be satisfied with the five thousand gold soul crystals you offered. There's no need to haggle over the rest."
"Besides, Cang Lin is my little brother. I can't even get him a present?"
"You..."
Cang Changhe was so angry he couldn't get a word out.
That little brat! He'd been waiting for a chance to jump into the hole all along!
On second thought, his foolish son could become brothers with this exceptional child. That was a blessing. Perhaps, in the future, it would be a great stroke of good fortune.
Besides, the boy might really be descended from the Murong family. It wouldn't hurt to get close to him.
"Fine! You've got yourself a deal!"
Cang Changhe rubbed his hands together and told his attendants to fetch five thousand gold soul crystals and a storage soul device.
Then he looked at Mu Rong again.
"May I ask why you ended up in Soul Village?"
Mu Rong put away the storage soul device and gave him a vicious smile.
"City Lord Cang, that's private. I'll have to keep it to myself."
Cang Changhe asked no further questions.
Most likely, the boy was being pursued by enemies. He wanted to become stronger and avenge his parents.
Soon, an attendant brought over a storage soul device and a finely crafted ring.
Mu Rong accepted the ring, suppressed the agitation in his heart, and calmly sent a thread of soul force into it.
Within a spacious area of several cubic meters, a gold card lay quietly against the wall.
Five thousand gold soul crystals. He'd got them.
Now that the deal was done, Mu Rong rose to leave.
"Why not stay for a meal before you go, young friend?"
Cang Changhe rose as well.
"No need. My mentor has things to attend to."
Mu Rong was set on leaving. Cang Lin hurriedly saw him off, and Mu Rong walked out of the city lord's manor without looking back.
Watching him disappear from view, Cang Changhe turned to his foolish son and chided him.
"From now on, make sure you get along with him. Spend more time with him."
"Even if the background he told us today was all made up, just his courage and composure have already taught everyone here a lesson. And besides, that boy really does seem like a born genius."
"He may well achieve the rank of Soul Emperor—or even Soul Saint one day!"
Before you continue