Xie Xie: The Clown Was Me All Along

If it had merely been gratitude, Mu Xi would never have urged Mu Chen so impatiently to find out where Su Mo was.

Not to mention that when Yuan Baoer saw Mu Xi, she did not see even the slightest trace of panic on her face.

No one knew her own daughter's temperament better than Yuan Baoer.

Having been well protected by Yuan Baoer and Mu Chen since childhood, and spoiled by her master-uncle Zhen Hua, a Divine Craftsman, Mu Xi had practically never encountered any setbacks growing up.

Precisely because she had never faced any setbacks, Mu Xi's mental fortitude was rather average, far inferior to that of her junior brother Tang Wulin.

Yet after experiencing a life-or-death crisis, Mu Xi had not burst into frightened tears upon seeing her. Instead, she had acted cute with Mu Chen and asked him to help find the person who had saved her life.

Something was clearly off.

And then there was the way Mu Xi's eyes had lit up when she saw Su Mo. If Yuan Baoer had not pulled her back in time, Mu Xi would probably have thrown all restraint aside and run straight over to him.

Still, this kid named Su Mo really was quite handsome.

As expected of my Yuan Baoer's daughter!

As for what happened between Mu Xi and Su Mo, Yuan Baoer was happy to see it, so long as there was nothing wrong with Su Mo.

"Su Mo!"

Looking at the shy golden-haired beauty before him, whose heart had clearly begun to stir, Su Mo gave his name without any hesitation.

"Su Mo, Su Mo..."

After repeating Su Mo's name several times under her breath, Mu Xi suddenly smacked her forehead. Her face lit up with realization as she clasped her hands together. "Junior, I've heard your name before!"

Mu Xi had actually heard of Su Mo long ago.

As the student with the greatest cultivation talent in Eastsea Academy's history, Su Mo's name had spread throughout the academy as soon as he enrolled. It would not have been difficult for Mu Xi to hear of him.

Mu Xi simply had not expected that the person who saved her from the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear would be Su Mo.

"Um..."

Mu Xi had just wanted to invite Su Mo to her home as a guest, so she could repay him for saving her life, when a broad figure stepped in front of her.

Seeing Mu Chen blocking her way, Mu Xi said irritably, "Dad, what are you doing? Can't you see I'm talking to my junior?"

"Hurry up and move aside!"

Faced with Mu Xi ordering him around, Mu Chen did not answer. He merely stared at Su Mo with a smile. "So you're the one who killed the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear and saved Xiao Xi? A true hero comes from youth."

"I'm Mu Chen, president of the Donghai City Blacksmith Association. This is my card. If you need my help with anything in the future, feel free to contact me."

With that, Mu Chen handed Su Mo a business card forged from an unknown silver-white metal.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

Seeing her father so eager to draw a line between her and Su Mo, Mu Xi immediately grew anxious and was about to shove Mu Chen aside.

Before Mu Xi could do anything, Yuan Baoer, who had been watching the show all along, approached her with graceful steps and whispered a few words in her ear.

After hearing her mother's words, Mu Xi's fair little face instantly flushed crimson. She hurriedly waved her hands and denied it vehemently. "N-No... no!"

Seeing her daughter too embarrassed to even speak properly after her little secret had been exposed, Yuan Baoer smiled like a doting aunt.

As she had said, she did not oppose Mu Xi being with Su Mo, but only if there was nothing wrong with him.

Yuan Baoer and Mu Chen had encountered plenty of people like Su Mo before—people who had rendered them great favors.

Back when they worked at the Mingdu Blacksmith Association as the renowned Iron Triangle of the forging world, Yuan Baoer and Mu Chen had encountered people who tried every possible method to get close to the couple.

Most of those who tried to get close to them and build connections were from powerful, well-known factions across the Douluo Continent. Their purpose was simple: they wanted to use Yuan Baoer and Mu Chen to establish ties with Zhen Hua, the Divine Craftsman of the age.

As the only person in the world capable of crafting Four-Word Battle Armor, Zhen Hua was a highly coveted figure in the eyes of every major faction.

No one dared make a move against Zhen Hua openly due to the Federation and the Blacksmith Association, but there were always those unwilling to give up, trying to use the couple to form a connection with him.

Had they not brought little Mu Xi to Eastsea City, this remote little place far from the center of the continent, precisely to tell those people that they did not wish to involve themselves in continental affairs?

Looking at the business card Mu Chen offered him, Su Mo accepted it without any pretenses.

Seeing Su Mo take his card without hesitation, Mu Chen nodded in satisfaction.

If Su Mo had refused his card just now, that would have been troublesome.

With his precious daughter clearly interested in him, if Su Mo insisted on publicly trying to establish a relationship with him, Mu Chen truly had no way to refuse.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Su Mo, Mu Chen left the Spirit Pagoda with Mu Xi and Yuan Baoer.

"Did you really save Mu Xi from the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear?"

As soon as Mu Chen's group left, Gu Yue, who had been silent for a long time, could not help asking.

Though Mu Chen's attitude suggested it was probably true, Gu Yue still found it hard to believe.

As Leng Yaozhu's disciple, Gu Yue knew far more about the Spirit Ascension Platform than Tang Wulin and the others.

Once an overlord-level Soul Beast like the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear appeared in the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, it would essentially become that Spirit Ascension Platform's guardian.

Moreover, as the Master of Soul Beasts, Gu Yue knew better than anyone present just how powerful a hundred-year Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear was.

Against a Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, even if all five of them joined forces, they would not have had any chance of escaping.

Yet Su Mo had somehow escaped the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear's hunt while carrying the heavily injured Mu Xi. It was truly inconceivable.

Before Su Mo could respond, Wang Ling, who had been watching the show, cut in. "Little girl, it seems you've underestimated your classmate's strength."

"Your classmate did not merely save Miss Mu Xi. He also killed that hundred-year Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear before leaving the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Hearing Wang Ling speak up for him, Su Mo glanced at Wang Ling in surprise.

Wang Ling merely smiled.

All it took was a few words to leave a good impression on a genius like Su Mo. Anyone would know what to do.

"!!!"

A Soul Grandmaster killed a hundred-year Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear? Was that even human?

Not only Gu Yue, but Tang Wulin and the others were stunned as well. Although Tang Wulin had never seen an overlord-level Soul Beast like the Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear, that did not mean he did not know how terrifying it was.

Seeing Tang Wulin and the others frozen in place, Wu Zhangkong nodded helplessly. "He's right. Su Mo not only saved Mu Xi, he also killed that Dark-Gold Terrorclaw Bear."

With Wu Zhangkong's confirmation, no matter how unwilling Tang Wulin and the others were to believe it, they had no choice but to accept the truth.

Xie Xie in particular felt his face burning. Just moments ago, he had looked down on Su Mo for surviving in the Spirit Ascension Platform for less time than he had. Yet in the end, he was the ridiculous clown.

Thankfully, Su Mo had not held it against him. Otherwise, Xie Xie would never have had the face to appear before Su Mo again.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll head back first."

Su Mo looked around at the group standing there dumbstruck, yawned, and spoke weakly.

Su Mo was extremely satisfied with what he had gained today.

Not only had he gotten a top-tier External Soul Bone for free, he had also established a connection with Mu Chen, a Saint Craftsman.