An Ordinary Mother

At this time, the film industry in Su State was in its infancy. Many shooting techniques and cinematic languages had not yet emerged, let alone special effects. Compared to films from Earth before the 1950s, Si Ming didn't think there were any works here that could attract him. It wasn't until he saw the film's title that he realized he was wrong and understood that this film was an absolutely refreshing and unique masterpiece, completely different from those flashy and cheap films, because its name was—

"Spirit Transformation Grandmasters Battle a Million Zombies!"

Chapter 619 An Ordinary Mother

Si Ming believed that Su State's films were still in their infancy and would certainly not have any interesting themes. However, he was wrong about one thing: the fantasy, magical, and martial arts works on Earth were realistic in Su Guo. Directors and screenwriters did not need much imagination; they could simply use real-life themes to create a fantasy atmosphere.

In the Sea Continent, there is a profession of corpse driver. They can drive corpses to walk on their own. The impression of zombies among the people of the Sea Continent comes from this. It sounds mysterious, but in reality, it is just a unique method of controlling the movement of a corpse by injecting True Qi into the body. In essence, it is no different from Sword Control Technique. After all, a corpse is just an object that has lost its life, only with a more complex structure.

Clearly, these zombies are completely different from the zombies in fantasy and cultivation worlds, and they are also far removed from the corpse monsters of the Barbarian Continent. They don't even have the ability to move on their own, and once the corpse driver takes away their True Qi, they will turn into corpses.

Although the title of this movie, "The Spirit Transformation Grandmasters Battle a Million Zombies," is related to zombies, it has nothing to do with Hong Kong zombie movies. It is closer to a zombie movie. Although the zombies in it do not have the ability to turn people into their own kind by biting them, there are not just one or two, but thousands upon thousands of them. There may only be a few dozen actual zombies, but the director used the camera to create the impression of thousands upon thousands.

Besides creating an overwhelming atmosphere of terror through endless hordes of zombies, most zombie movies also focus on analyzing human nature. For example, the characters might be forced to kill their zombie parents to survive, commit suicide after being bitten by a zombie to avoid harming their friends, grapple with the internal struggle of whether or not to risk their lives to save the elderly and weak, or even kill each other for meager food supplies.

Such portrayals of human nature are completely absent in "Spirit Transformation Grandmasters Battle a Million Zombies." The content only features five Spirit Transformation Grandmaster unleashing their power amidst a horde of zombies, using various methods to brutally kill them. There's no question of humanity, nor even a hint of horror.

A swordsmanship Grandmaster unleashed a technique similar to "Ten Thousand Swords Heavenly Dipper," unleashing a torrential downpour of sword energy from mid-air, decapitating thousands of zombies; a body-refining Grandmaster charged into the horde of zombies, creating waves of flesh and blood wherever he went, his body as tough as iron, impervious to blades and spears, enduring the zombies' bites without injury; a fist-fist Grandmaster destroyed a building with a single punch, the collapsing structure crushing a vast number of zombies...

In the end, the five Grandmaster find the culprit who caused the zombie horde. Si Ming, a super corpse driver with the cultivation of a Void Returning Great Grandmaster Reversion Realm, hears someone at the scene complaining, "He's clearly Void Returning Great Grandmaster, yet he still has to drive corpses. Did the screenwriter's brain get eaten by zombies?"

After a fierce battle among the six, with various extreme moves on display, the result was naturally that good triumphed over evil. The five Grandmaster narrowly defeated their powerful enemy at the cost of serious injuries. However, a righteous attack is not a true attack, especially considering the number of zombies; it was clear that the enemy was the one who outnumbered the weak.

The plot of the entire film is weak, with almost no logic. It's basically just five Grandmaster showing off their skills. Its value is similar to a Hollywood popcorn movie, but the visuals are extremely gorgeous; on Earth, that would be considered a massively expensive special effects film.

This was the first time Si Ming had ever seen such a refreshing, unpretentious, and entertaining zombie movie. He watched it with great interest and felt that if this movie were made on Earth, it would definitely be a masterpiece.

However, the audience at the scene wasn't very impressed, likely because they'd seen too many movies of the same genre. Many complained, "It was all fighting, where were their brains?", "Those five actors who played Spirit Transformation cultivators weren't even Spirit Transformation!", and "The plot was too clichéd."

Si Ming suddenly realized that if someone were to film Jurassic Park on the Sea Continent, the dinosaurs definitely wouldn't be called dinosaurs; they'd probably be called giant chickens. The plot would be a group of powerful individuals who would break into an unfamiliar island, discover a large number of enormous animals, and be overjoyed. They would then build a slaughterhouse on the island and make a fortune.

Suddenly, Si Ming remembered that his mission wasn't to watch a movie, but to accompany someone to one. The movie they had just seen contained quite a few bloody scenes, and Xie Xiaomei was still a child. Wouldn't she be frightened by such content?

Seriously, doesn't the world have a rating system? And why did Auntie Liu take her child to watch this kind of film?

Si Ming suppressed his complaints and turned to look. He found that Xie Xiaomei was not only not frightened, but was also watching intently, her face full of excitement. She clenched her hands, and whenever the protagonist in the movie unleashed a spectacular special move, she would let out a soft "Oh~".

Even after the movie ended, Xie Xiaomei was still somewhat unsatisfied, her face radiating excitement, and exclaimed, "It was so, so wonderful!"

Auntie Liu smiled and said, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yes!" Xie Xiaomei nodded vigorously.

"As long as I enjoy it, that's enough. For movies, nothing is more important than being entertaining. As for deeper meanings and symbolism, those are things the director can pursue. As a viewer, I just want a way to release stress, and this type of movie is perfect."

Auntie Liu stretched lazily, showing signs of fatigue. After all, she was currently in the startup phase, and it was much harder for a woman to build her own business than for a man, let alone gain recognition from her peers.

Even though the existence of True Qi in the Sea Continent has made up for the physical gap between men and women, and improved the status of women to a great extent, at least far higher than during the feudal dynasties on Earth, it is still impossible to truly achieve gender equality. This is because the number of Spirit Transformation cultivators is too small, less than a quarter of that of men. In this world with extraordinary martial arts, the level of martial arts is the primary factor determining social status, while other factors such as wealth and power take a backseat.

It's not that women are less talented in martial arts than men, but rather that women are less combative than men. There are plenty of male martial arts enthusiasts, but very few female ones. Men like to spar and compete with other women, while women prefer to fight for them.

Auntie Liu stood up and said, "Let's go eat. I've already made a reservation at Jade Forest House."

Xie Xiaomei asked in confusion, "Didn't we just eat?"

"That's just a temporary snack, like a light meal. The main course is coming up. Jade Forest House employs top chefs, so getting a reservation isn't easy. Qingqing really likes their food," Auntie Liu said, thinking of her daughter. "By the way, Qingqing, how are you planning to eat?"

Qingqing had transformed into a necklace hanging around Xie Xiaomei's neck, replied, "When we eat, Xiaomei and I switch bodies, taking a bite and then switching."

As a result, Qingqing ate the most at dinner, and luckily, people who practice martial arts have big appetites, so she didn't overeat.

After dinner, everyone took a walk in the park for a while before returning to Qingqing's house.

"Whether you want to stay or not, I have no objection," said Auntie Liu, the hostess.

"Never mind, it's a sensitive period right now..." Si Ming wasn't stupid enough to let a woman stay overnight at his house at this crucial time. "I'll come over tomorrow morning."

"Whatever, I'm exhausted, I'm going back to sleep. You guys have fun, just remember not to be too loud."

Auntie Liu yawned, turned around and went back to her room. Xie Xiaomei watched her back with a complicated look.

After noticing this, Si Ming asked, "How was it? Wasn't it as scary as I imagined?"

"Hmm," Xie Xiaomei nodded gently, "So there are such wonderful mothers after all..."

In Si Ming's opinion, Auntie Liu's performance tonight was not particularly good, just average. She didn't take any special care of Xie Xiaomei. But from this, it's not hard to imagine what kind of person Xie Xiaomei's mother is.

"This is the first time I've had such a peaceful meal. My aunt even put some food on my plate... I was quite surprised."

At the time, Xie Xiaomei thought Auntie Liu was going to hit her with chopsticks, which caused quite a commotion.

"Get some rest tonight, don't think too much. I'll come see you again tomorrow." Si Ming waved his hand.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Liu Qingqing also conjured a hand and waved it incessantly, which looked quite terrifying, as if a hand had grown out of Xie Xiaomei's chest. A passerby happened to see this scene and was so frightened that he fled for his life. Si Ming could only hope that the other party thought he had misjudged the situation and would not report it to the Mohist Knight Guard.

Back at the orphanage, as soon as Si Ming entered, he heard the sound of footsteps. Even without sensing any presence, he knew that only Hongdou could walk like that.

Sure enough, a moment later Hongdou ran up to her, took out a piece of paper, and said, "I filled in Xiao Ming's name on the marriage compatibility form, Xiao Ming should fill in mine too."

Is it this again? Si Ming couldn't help but sigh. The Marriage Compatibility System invented by Nation of Valor is really dangerous. The people of that country must be living in dire straits.

However, Hongdou's words didn't pose a risk of causing trouble. Si Ming didn't change the subject and instead took out his own table.

"Wow, Xiao Ying is so cunning, she beat me to it." Hongdou pouted unhappily, "It was me, it was me first! I was the Xiao Ming first, whether it was hugging or falling in love with you, it was me first..."

"Stop, stop, stop! This dialogue isn't right!" Si Ming quickly stopped Hongdou from turning white again. "Who taught you these lines?"