The incredibly clever fellow drew his knife

"Good grief, you can control people? Is that really something you can do?"

Faced with Luo Mo's question, Tian Meng immediately puffed out his chest.

"Of course! I'm a Soul Beast of Righteous Lineage. I'd never use those wicked, crooked methods. Tell me, are you planning to take in that little girl?"

"I do have that idea." Luo Mo nodded.

"Don't tell me you're planning to use that weird look in your eyes to make her your puppet, then control her with emotions and increase her fear?"

As a Spiritual-type Soul Beast, Tian Meng was quite confident when it came to this sort of thing.

Luo Mo was speechless.

He hadn't expected illusion and emotional control to be used together like that.

He'd learned something new.

After all, the effects of those soul skills were only temporary. They couldn't control someone's emotions forever, much less change their thoughts.

But as long as the seed of fear was planted, it would blossom on its own.

Luo Mo withdrew his mental barrier and walked toward Xiao Wu. She froze for a moment, then stared at him with eyes full of yearning.

I'm going to die. I'm going to die...

A Soul Skill could save this pitiful, weak little rabbit who had no one to rely on.

"Xiao Wu, right? My name's Luo Mo. If you want to live, I can give you a chance."

As he spoke, Luo Mo used an illusion to conjure a black pill. He held it out in front of Xiao Wu. "This is a one-day poison pill. Eat it, and if you don't get the antidote from me within a day, you'll die from the poison. If you don't believe me, you can try running away."

"Eek!"

Xiao Wu grabbed the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

She understood very well that death was right in front of her.

But she didn't want to die!

She still wanted to avenge her mother!

Luo Mo couldn't help but sigh. Even Xiao Li's idea had worked.

He withdrew the illusion, then followed Tian Meng's instructions and used emotional control to amplify the despair Xiao Wu felt right before her death. He made her truly believe she'd swallowed a deadly poison.

As he watched her struggle with the fear of being given only one day to live, Luo Mo felt a little guilty.

Sure enough, Xiao Wu's pale little face showed a hint of despair. Her eyes welled up, and she looked utterly miserable.

"Fine." Tian Meng's voice rang out triumphantly in the sea of consciousness.

"One step left." Luo Mo answered Tian Meng. Amid Tian Meng's doubtful gaze, he reached out and pulled Xiao Wu to her feet.

"Since you ate my pill, you're my person now. I'm a man who keeps his word. Seeing as you've become my little sister, I'll help hide the Soul Beast Aura on you."

So he really knew!

Xiao Wu's eyes flickered. In the next moment, they returned to normal, and she obediently nodded.

"Come on. Wait here for now."

Luo Mo waved his hand, hiding his own aura behind a mental barrier. Then he vanished in a flash, leaving the forest.

In the sea of consciousness, Tian Meng couldn't help asking, "Little Mo, did you really give her a poison pill? How'd you suddenly get so kind?"

Luo Mo returned to his small cabin in the village. He spread out his spiritual sense, confirmed that nobody was nearby, and explained, "The idea of using a stick and a carrot is a rule of thumb my ancestors discovered after thousands of years of research."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tian Meng still didn't understand.

"First, threaten someone with a stick. If they obey, give them a carrot. That way, they'll get what they want. But if you only threaten them with a stick, they'll pay a price."

Luo Mo left the cabin and headed toward Tang San's house.

At the same time, Tian Meng explained, "People are creatures that seek benefits and avoid harm. Combining a stick with a carrot makes them unconsciously avoid danger, and helps them feel more secure as they move forward."

Tian Meng fell silent for a moment, then said uncertainly, "But Xiao Wu isn't human."

Luo Mo: "..."

"Xiao Wu has already transformed into a human. She naturally thinks like a human. And you're not really human, either. You know what? Only Soul Beasts with Soul Power will have the chance to transform into humans in the future."

Tian Meng: "???!!"

Soon, Luo Mo arrived at the entrance to Tang San's house. He saw Tang San practicing his strength with an iron hammer, one swing after another. The shirt on his back was soaked through with sweat.

It was the first time Tian Meng had seen Tang San in the sea of consciousness, and its expression was a little strange.

As for Tang San's behavior, it didn't feel it was anything special. After all, why should it take sides?

That little brat had been hiding things from it, after all.

And what reason did it have to stand up for him?

"Hey, Little San, you're hammering iron again."

Splash!

Tang San's hand slipped, and the hammer nearly flew out of his grasp.

Good grief! Good grief!

Every time, Luo Mo said the exact same thing. Couldn't he come up with something different?

It was killing him!

But when Tang San turned around, he saw a faint smile on Luo Mo's face. He looked handsome and a little roguish as he gave a soft "Oh."

I can't keep putting up with the way that bastard keeps showing up at the worst possible time.

At that moment, Luo Mo silently used his spiritual sense to scan Tang San's home, confirming that Tang Chen wasn't there. Then he casually started chatting with Tang San.

Earlier, he'd used a spiritual disguise to conceal his Soul Power fluctuations and stats.

While he spoke, Luo Mo took out a handful of dried fish. Slowly twirling the jade ring on his right hand, he waited for Tang San to turn around before slipping his spiritual power into Snake's Home and carrying out the Rabbit-for-Plum Swap.

He transferred the Soul Beast Aura on Xiao Wu to Tang San.

Since Soul Beast Aura had an area-of-effect effect, Tang San was the one who'd eaten the dried fish. So Tang San would blame Xiao Wu for what happened.

"Hey, does this count as setting him up?" Luo Mo wondered.

But since he'd already taken a stand, Luo Mo didn't bother overthinking it. All that was left was to wait for Tang Chen to come home and have a good meal.

Knock, knock, knock—

After saying goodbye to Tang San, Luo Mo headed out of the village.

He'd removed the Soul Beast Aura from Xiao Wu. Now, naturally, he needed to arrange a new identity for her.

He'd tell the people outside the village he'd found Xiao Wu, then bring her back to the village openly.

That would count as taking the proper route.

"Um... big brother, what place is this?" Xiao Wu asked timidly, still a little afraid.

"This is the village where I grew up. It's called Soul Village."

"And now you're taking me to your home?"

Seeing that Luo Mo was indeed easy to talk to, Xiao Wu relaxed a little.

"Don't worry. We'll go see the village chief first. I'll ask him to write you a letter of recommendation, then we can go register you at the Soul Master Academy."

"Okay." Xiao Wu fell silent.

She wanted to ask about her mother's enemies, but she was afraid someone might overhear.

Luo Mo glanced at Xiao Wu's hesitant expression and didn't blame her. "You can relax now. You don't have to worry about the poison anymore."

As soon as he said that, Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. They sparkled like stars in an empty sky.

Luo Mo stared for a moment, dumbfounded.

"Hey, isn't that Xiao Jie? And the girl next to you—is she your sister? She's so pretty."

An old woman with a walking stick stepped out of a corner. She spotted Xiao Wu beside Luo Mo and couldn't help asking about the lovely little girl.

"I found her outside. She's my little sister now."

Luo Mo answered casually. He hadn't expected his "Oh" to sound so awkward.

"Found her? Ha, ha, ha! How could you find such a pretty girl outside? You must've picked her up, right?"

Luo Mo: "..."

Chapter 10: The incredibly clever fellow drew his knife