Two carriages moved slowly along the flat road, flanked by endless farmland. It was the harvest season, and countless farmers were busy in the fields.
The harmonious scene calmed the mind. Ma Ming looked out the carriage window at the scenery, and the gloom that had been weighing on his heart was instantly swept away.
Soto City truly lived up to its reputation as the granary of the Barak Kingdom. Just the boundless farmland outside the city gave people an invisible sense of security.
As the saying goes, "With grain in hand, one has nothing to fear."
Even the high-ranking Soul Masters needed to eat, let alone these ordinary people.
Soto City was very large; one couldn't take it all in at a glance. Even on the farmland roads outside the city, soldiers occasionally patrolled, which was enough to prove the Barak Kingdom's emphasis on agriculture.
Shrek Academy was south of Soto City. Ma Hongjun and the others didn't need to enter the city. They simply followed the farmland road for half a circle and arrived at a small village.
The village was small, only about a third the size of Ma Family Village. The wooden fences looked simple and rather shabby.
"Oh, Hongjun, our academy is in this village, taking up about half of it. It's small, but we don't have many students,"
Oscar said, pointing to the small village, somewhat embarrassed. He seemed to know his academy wasn't very impressive.
A simple wooden sign hung at the western entrance of the village, with five crookedly carved characters:
"Shrek Academy."
Inside, the houses were simple, no different from ordinary dwellings, not as luxurious as Ma Hongjun's house in Ma Family Village. Of course, this was just a comparison; they were all wooden houses, so the word "luxury" didn't really apply.
However, the environment was peaceful. Overall, the place gave one impression:
"Suitable for retirement!"
In fact, it truly was.
Shrek Academy was now considered a retirement home. The entire academy had seven students, now eight including Ma Hongjun.
Besides Dai Mubai and Oscar, the other five were teachers.
"Flander, Dean; Martial Soul: Cat-Owl; Level 76 Agility-Attack Type Battle Soul Saint."
"Zhao Wuji, Vice Dean; Martial Soul: Mighty Vajra Bear; Level 74 Power-Attack Type Battle Soul Saint."
"Shao Xin, Teacher; Martial Soul: Candy Bean; Level 69 Food-Type Weapon Soul Emperor."
"Lu Qibin, Teacher; Martial Soul: Star Luo Chess; Level 63 Control-Type Weapon Soul Emperor."
"Li Yusong, Teacher; Martial Soul: Dragon Pattern Staff; Level 61 Power-Attack Type Battle Soul Emperor."
Three Emperors and two Saints—this faculty lineup definitely surpasses most advanced Soul Master academies.
Five old men with two students—truly a place for retirement.
After meeting the teachers, Ma Hongjun, led by Dai Mubai and Oscar, went to settle his parents. There were
many vacant houses; they found a rather charming little courtyard, cleaned it up, and then let his parents move in.
Considering his father's limited mobility, at Dai Mubai's suggestion, Ma Hongjun decided to hire a servant to help take care of his parents.
"Hongjun, I'll take you to Soto City. If we're talking about hiring, the city is definitely better. Many servants there are trained and know a lot," Dai Mubai said.
"Mubai, that's not necessarily true. Most servants come from small villages to work in big cities; the training is just an extra layer of packaging."
Ma Hongjun, unlike Dai Mubai, grew up in a village and knew that many people from Ma Family Village went to work in the city, some specifically as maids for wealthy families.
"My parents will be living in this village from now on, so why not find a hardworking, gentle, and sensible woman here to help?"
Ma Hongjun thought. Since they were going to live in the village, finding someone from the village would be perfect; they just needed to choose someone diligent and practical.
"We can ask the village chief for help; he knows the villagers best."
Soon, they found the village chief, an old man.
"Soul Master, you need help?"
The old man's attitude was very good. In this world, ordinary people held Soul Masters in high esteem.
Dai Mubai and his group were old acquaintances with the village chief. The cooks at Shrek Academy were all handpicked by the village chief; their cooking skills were quite good, reportedly the best cook in the village.
"Yes, village chief, are there any suitable candidates in the village?"
Ma Hongjun briefly reiterated his requirements and then politely inquired.
"There are quite a few who can take care of people. Older ones include Granny Zhang, Aunt Wang…
these women are efficient and strong.
There are a few younger ones, but the best is the girl from the Miao family in the village, named Cuihua. She's a truly good girl. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also smart, kind, quick-witted, and not rigid. She's also good at housework.
You wouldn't believe it, but all the young men in the village consider it an honor to marry Cuihua. The number of suitors who come to her house could circle the entire village.
Cuihua is gentle, sensible, and considerate. Everyone in the village says that whoever marries Cuihua is truly blessed; this girl will definitely be a virtuous wife and loving mother.
Cuihua…"
Ma Hongjun and his two companions were speechless. The village chief's tone had veered off course, and he was praising Cuihua to the point of being unbelievable. He seemed to possess every virtue a girl in the village could possibly have.
It didn't feel like he was looking for a helper; it felt more like he was picking a girlfriend.
"Village chief, why don't you take us to see Cuihua?"
Ma Hongjun had to interrupt him. There were too many good qualities among the village girls; the old chief would never finish listing them all.
Soon, the village chief sent someone to fetch Cuihua.
She looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed simply, with a clean face. She
wasn't particularly beautiful, but Ma Hongjun could see a kind of purity in Cuihua, a purity like clear spring water, tranquil and serene.
This innocent, simple purity, untouched by the world, must be the most beautiful image of a rural girl.
In Cuihua, Ma Hongjun vaguely saw his mother, Li Hui, in her youth.
Perhaps this was why his father fell in love with his mother.
This Cuihua must be the same Cuihua from the original story who broke up with Ma Hongjun because she couldn't stand it anymore.
How could Ma Hongjun have been so heartless as to destroy such a pure girl? It was too cruel.
Even now, Ma Hongjun couldn't bear to think about it.
However, he was even more cruel than before, telling the village chief his decision.
"Village chief, take her!"
"Oh!"
"Oh!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were stunned for a moment, both exclaiming in surprise.
"Hongjun, you should ask Miss Cuihua if she's willing!"
At this moment, Cuihua was still unaware of what was happening. Looking at the handsome Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, her face was already flushed, and she was blushing. When she heard Ma Hongjun say he wanted her, she shyly lowered her head.
"Ah, Miss Cuihua, are you willing?"
Cuihua looked up at Ma Hongjun, their eyes met, and she quickly lowered her head again shyly.
"I...I'm willing!"
Cuihua agreed shyly at first, then realized what he meant and asked in surprise.
"Oh, no, you, you haven't said what you're going to do yet."
Seeing Cuihua's reaction and hearing her words, Ma Hongjun knew he was in trouble; the girl had misunderstood.
After some explanation, the blush on Cuihua's face slowly faded, followed by a gradual sense of disappointment.
Ma Hongjun sighed inwardly.
Being too handsome was a sin.
"Miss Cuihua, I won't let you suffer. I'll pay you five, no, ten gold soul coins every year."
"Besides, my parents are very easy to get along with. You just need to help them out in your daily life."
Cuihua stood there looking lost, seemingly pondering something.
"Cuihua!" the village chief called out.
"I, I'll think about it. I, I need to discuss it with my parents. I, I'll give you an answer tomorrow."
After saying that, Cuihua took off running with her head down.
"I'll leave the deposit with the village chief. Come back to the village chief when you've thought it through,"
Ma Hongjun shouted after Cuihua's retreating figure. Then he took out five gold soul coins and placed them in the village chief's hand.
"Soul Master, this is too much," the village chief said in a trembling voice.
"This isn't for you, it's for Miss Cuihua." After Ma Hongjun finished speaking, he took out another silver soul coin and gave it to the village chief.
"This is for you, thank you for your trouble, Village Chief."
The village chief: "..."
On the way back, Dai Mubai and the other person kept staring at Ma Hongjun.
"What are you two looking at!"
"Hongjun, you don't have feelings for Miss Cuihua, do you?"
"How could I? Do I?"
"Of course I do, don't you think it's obvious?"
"What's wrong?"
"Even if you hire a high-class servant in the city, it only costs one gold soul coin a year. You're hiring someone in the village, and you're paying ten gold soul coins."
"Ah, then I'm losing out."
"Hmph, pretending to be ignorant when you know the truth, you definitely have other thoughts!"
"Tell me, are you unable to suppress your lust again?"
"No, I'm just hiring a helper, how can it be as complicated as you think, Mubai, your thoughts are really dirty."
As soon as he finished speaking, flames burst into flames on Ma Hongjun's body.
Oscar: "Evil fire."
Dai Mubai: "Haha!"
Ma Hongjun: "..."