Hearing Old Li say, "I don't accept this," Mu Chen finally snapped out of his immense shock.
He spread his mouth in a grin and burst into hearty laughter, clapping Old Li on the shoulder with such delight that it practically spilled out of him.
"Hahaha! I knew it would turn out this way! You just can't understand the world of geniuses, you little punk! Convinced yet?"
His smugness made Old Li's beard bristle and his eyes bulge. He nearly jumped up and down with rage.
"Old Mu! Don't get too full of yourself! It's not like... it's not like you did anything but get lucky and find a little monster!"
Though he was still laughing, Mu Chen didn't forget what mattered. He quickly lowered his voice and reminded Old Li:
"All right, all right, stop shouting. Old Li, you have to keep Yao Chuan's situation under wraps. Find a way to hide the awakening records and whatever else. Don't let a word get out, especially not to Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. You understand what I mean?"
Old Li's face immediately twisted into a bitter grimace.
"Old Mu, you're putting me in a tough spot here. The awakening records are one thing. I can figure out some way to fudge those. But the problem is, a living Indomitable Soul Spirit in our branch tower—especially one at the level of the Ao Jin White Flame Dragon—has to be accounted for!
Something that big has gone missing. How am I supposed to hide it? What am I going to tell the people upstairs?
This is no joke!"
Mu Chen spread his hands and shrugged, putting on the shameless air of someone who had nothing to do with it.
"That's a technical problem for you, Old Li. I can't do anything about it. Anyway, you have to cover for my son!"
Seeing Old Li still frowning and looking like he was dead set against it, Mu Chen's eyes darted about. He leaned close to Old Li's ear and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, pulled out his trump card.
"Hey, Old Li, think about it... You wouldn't want to see your beloved goddess, Leng Yaozhu, lose out on a promising talent because certain people targeted her future outstanding disciple and made trouble for her, would you? Hmm?"
"You...!"
Old Li had been struck right in the middle of his embarrassing, youthful unrequited love. His old face reddened, and he nearly choked.
He glared at Mu Chen, pointing a trembling finger at him.
But then he thought of Qiangu Dongfeng's methods, and of Yao Chuan's promise to Leng Yaozhu: "Sister, I'll come find you."
Old Li deflated like a punctured ball. He heaved a heavy sigh and gritted his teeth in defeat.
"Fine! Fine! You win! I... I'll shoulder it! I'll do my best to find a way to smooth things over!"
"That's more like it!"
Only then did Mu Chen look satisfied. He patted Old Li on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I owe you big time!"
Having taken care of Old Li, Mu Chen was in high spirits. With Yao Chuan and Mu Xi in tow, he swaggered out of the Spirit Pagoda under the branch tower master's resentful, helpless gaze, then climbed into the car bound for the Blacksmith Association.
The car pulled smoothly into motion.
Sitting in the back seat, Yao Chuan thought about how Old Li had been rendered speechless when Mu Chen threatened to expose his "crush on Leng Yaozhu." Surprised, he couldn't help saying:
"I never would have guessed that someone as important as Uncle Li would also..."
Mu Chen sat in the front passenger seat. Hearing this, he nodded matter-of-factly and laughed.
"Of course! Leng Yaozhu is recognized throughout the Spirit Pagoda as its number-one beauty. She's beautiful and powerful, and back when she was at Headquarters, the people secretly in love with her could've lined up all the way from here to the gates of Eastsea City! Old Li's feelings were perfectly normal!"
"Is that so?" Mu Chen had barely finished speaking when Mu Xi's voice came from the back seat, thick with suspicion and jealousy. "Then, Daddy, going by the way you said that, were you secretly in love with Aunt Leng Yaozhu back then too? Hmm?"
Mu Xi's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint in them. She added in a breezy tone:
"Want me to call Mom on the soul communicator right now? I'm sure she'd love to know."
Mu Chen jolted so hard he nearly sprang out of his seat. A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out across his back, and he hurriedly denied it, his voice climbing several notches.
"No! Absolutely not! My love for your mother, Bao'er, is as clear as the sun and moon!
I even gave up the chance to develop in the mainland's core region for her back then, and that was how I managed to push that brat Zhen Hua aside. Isn't that proof enough?
My admiration for Deputy Tower Master Leng was purely that—admiration! You understand? Xi'er, you can't go making things up!"
Mu Xi curled her lip, huffed, and turned to look out the window.
Of course she knew her parents were deeply in love, and everyone knew how devoted her father was to her mother.
She had said that purely because the nameless fire in her heart hadn't died down yet.
That Leng Yaozhu, just because she had a good figure, had kissed Yao Chuan on the cheek the very first time they met!
Mu Xi hadn't even kissed him yet!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She lowered her head to look at the still-youthful curves of her chest, then glanced at the scenery flashing past outside the window. A little figure in her heart howled furiously:
Hmph! She's just an old woman! What's there to be proud of? It's not like she's... not like she's just got a little more up top and a little perkier backside... I...
I'm still young!
Once I've grown up a bit more, I'll beat her hands down! Hmph!
Mu Chen saw his precious daughter puffing out her cheeks in the rearview mirror, her face clearly saying, "I'm not happy." He knew she was still jealous of Leng Yaozhu.
He shook his head helplessly. The little girl's thoughts were written all over her face.
Never mind. She was just being childish. She'd get over it in a while.
Before long, the car pulled up at the Eastsea City Blacksmith Association, bringing them back to Mu Chen's territory.
Once they entered the president's office, Mu Chen finally had the chance to ask the question that had been eating at him all the way there.
He rubbed his hands together and looked at Yao Chuan with excitement.
"Yao Chuan, we're safe now. Hurry up and tell Uncle Mu—what was the first Soul Skill you got after absorbing that Indomitable Soul Spirit from the Ao Jin White Flame Dragon? I feel like a cat's paw is scratching at my heart. I've been dying to know! I didn't dare ask back at the Spirit Pagoda in case it caused too much of a stir."
Mu Xi had still been sulking, but at the mention of this, her ears perked up too. Temporarily forgetting her jealousy, she leaned closer and asked curiously:
"Yeah, yeah! Tell us! What kind of powerful skill is it?"
Yao Chuan closed his eyes and carefully sensed the new power inside him. After a moment, he opened them, but his expression looked a little strange. His brows knitted slightly, as if he'd encountered something unexpected.
Seeing his expression, Mu Chen's heart gave a lurch. Thinking the Soul Skill wasn't as good as expected, he hurriedly tried to reassure him.
"What's wrong? Does the Soul Skill feel weak? That's normal, too. You've only just started out, after all. Your Soul Spirit may be special, but its age is what it is. The first Soul Skill is all about laying a solid foundation. Later on..."
Mu Xi quickly nodded in agreement.
"Exactly! Just absorbing it successfully was already a huge miracle! It doesn't matter what the skill is!"
Yao Chuan shook his head, cutting off their guesses.
"That's not it. The skill itself feels... well, pretty unusual. I just didn't expect it to be this type."
He paused, as if trying to find the right words. "Forget it. I might not be able to explain it clearly. I'll just show you."
He raised his right hand, palm facing up, and warned them, "But stand back to look. Whatever you do, don't touch it with your hands."
As soon as he finished speaking, a soft, transparent screen of light silently opened in Yao Chuan's palm, yet it gave them an inexplicable sense of dread.
It looked fragile, but... it also seemed like an invisible, towering wall!
"This is my Soul Skill... I'll call it Colorless Wall."
Yao Chuan's voice slowly rang out from beyond the Colorless Wall.
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