In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

Chapter 90. The Real and Fake Ma Xiaotao

Having lived for over three hundred years, Xu Ming had seen all sorts of people. In order to calm Xuanzi down, he deliberately did not use the lecturing tone of an elder to persuade Xuanzi, but instead stated a fact to him.

Xuanzi wasn't a fool. He stood out among many competitors and became the disciple of the previous Sea God Pavilion Master (Mu En's senior brother), and that wasn't solely due to his Gluttonous Divine Ox Martial Soul. In the Douluo Continent, where the average IQ was lower than Luo Sanpao's, his IQ was clearly above average.

It's a very simple question: as a young Soul Master with boundless talent, why would someone be willing to pledge allegiance to the Star Luo Empire? Is it simply because you offered a sufficient price?

No, that's not the case. The price that the Star Luo Empire can offer is also the same that the Sun Moon Empire can offer. Adhering to the principle of "better to be the first than the last," the Star Luo Empire may be able to attract a group of talented and powerful Soul Masters to join them. But on this basis, there is still a problem—that is, can this country survive? Is it necessary for them to take up arms to defend this country?

To put it bluntly, they wanted to observe whether the Star Luo Empire had any chance of survival before deciding whether to bet everything on this sinking ship.

After figuring out the key point, Xuanzi still looked down on Xu Ming's approach. Even if he couldn't openly arrest her, he could secretly drug her food to make Xiao Hongchen and Ju Zi have something happen between them, thereby undermining the internal relations of the Sun Moon Empire!

……

The scene shifts to Shrek Academy, outer courtyard, inside the dean's office.

Mu En, Long Xiaoyao, Yan Shaozhe, and Cai Meier stared at the girl in front of them with extremely complex expressions. Despite their different appearances and auras, the Fire Phoenix Martial Soul was undeniable. Her behavior and even some subconscious little actions were exactly the same as Ma Xiaotao's.

After forcibly suppressing her restless heart, Cai Meier slowly asked, "Miss, can you tell me... what's your name?"

Although they are master and apprentice in name, Cai Meier, as the master's wife, has long regarded Ma Xiaotao as her own daughter, and she will never allow her daughter to be replaced by someone else.

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaotao tilted her head, looking puzzled, and asked, "A name? What's that? Is it a code that everyone should have?"

Code name?

Seeing the girl's adorably clueless appearance, the four were a little at a loss. It was clear that... she had lost all her memories since birth, retaining only some basic living habits...

It's fake. Compared to Ma Xiaotao from the Shrek Academy team, this Ma Xiaotao... no, the girl whose behavior and habits are very similar to Ma Xiaotao is more likely to be fake. It's more likely that other forces created this fake Ma Xiaotao drama to distract the Sea God Pavilion.

However… given the question of the authenticity of the Sea God Pavilion's third-generation successor's identity, the four decided to conduct a few more tests. After all… everyone knows how unreliable Xuanzi is, and it's not impossible for outsiders to replace Ma Xiaotao in Star Luo City.

Their first stop was in the Yan residence... Ma Xiaotao's room.

"Young lady, do you recognize this room?"

While speaking, taking advantage of Ma Xiaotao's momentary daze, Cai Meier pushed her into the room.

The four of them stood at the doorway of the room, staring intently at the girl in front of them.

Ma Xiaotao wandered around the room with a blank expression. Suddenly, she seemed to be attracted by something, and quickly walked to the desk and picked up a photo frame on the table.

Inside was a photograph of a middle-aged woman with long, fiery red hair holding a little girl who looked only two or three years old.

The middle-aged woman with fiery red hair is Ma Xiaotao's biological mother, Ma Jingjing, who was the head of the Tangmen Mintang at the time. When Ma Xiaotao was six years old, Ma Jingjing entrusted her daughter to the Sea God Pavilion, and there has been no news of her since.

When Ma Xiaotao saw her mother's photo, she felt a moment of mental confusion. The wooden photo frame fell to the ground with a "thud." The next moment, she slowly knelt down, put her hands on her head, and seemed to be muttering something.

Unfortunately, she had no relevant memories of the photo, didn't know who the woman in the photo was, what her relationship was with her, or even what kind of emotions she should express.

Ugh!

All four of them sighed. After this round of probing, they actually thought that this unremarkable-looking girl was more like the real Ma Xiaotao, because... the night Ma Jingjing left, Ma Xiaotao cried all night in this same position, and that expression... was almost impossible to imitate.

This is a bit tricky. If the girl in front of them is real and the one in the Shrek team is fake, then given Ma Xiaotao's current silly and cute appearance, the identity of the third-generation successor of the Sea God Pavilion probably won't fall to her.

Left with no other option, Mu En could only leave Long Xiaoyao behind to accompany Ma Xiaotao, ostensibly for companionship but in reality to monitor her. Meanwhile, he took Yan Shaozhe and Cai Meier to Seagod Island to test Ma Xiaotao, who had just returned to the inner courtyard.

……

After returning to Shrek City, A-Ying's personality became much more restrained. The Shrek team members might have their impression of her subtly changed, but not the others... Three months! After playing the role of Ma Xiaotao for another three months, she could gradually unleash her true nature and become her real self again!

According to Shrek Academy's usual practice, after participating in the Youth Soul Master Competition, Ma Xiaotao, given her current status, would have already met the graduation standards for the Inner Academy and should be assigned to a position in the Supervisory Group for training. However, almost three days have passed, and while her classmates Ling Luochen and Xixi have already found their places, hers remains undecided. Could it be… that someone has discovered her identity?

Aying was never a pessimistic person, and pessimism wouldn't help in this situation. However, because of Ma Xiaotao's special status, she needed to consider things for a while. Therefore, she didn't ask anyone else for advice. She spent her days eating and sleeping, occasionally challenging the inner court instructors to quickly get used to Ma Xiaotao's fighting style.

That day, Ah Ying had just finished lunch and was about to head to Poseidon Island for some fresh air when Cai Meier, who had just arrived, blocked her way.

"Master, Master's wife, what brings you here?" A hint of panic flashed in A-Ying's eyes. No one knows a child better than their mother, and she was unsure whether her acting skills could fool Cai Meier.

Seeing this, Cai Meier teased, "Oh, now that you have a girlfriend, you're not thinking about your master's wife anymore? What, are you really determined to marry Miss Ling and spend your life with her?"

(End of this chapter)