Ma Hongjun

Morning.

Zhao Xuan was woken up by Tang San from his bed. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Tang San, who was covered in sweat.

"Xiao San, where did you go so early in the morning to be all sweaty?"

"I went to collect Hidden Weapons," Tang San explained. He had spent a lot of effort making those Hidden Weapons, and he couldn't bear to throw even one away.

Zhao Xuan shuddered involuntarily as he recalled the long, blue-tipped needles Tang San had poisoned, and the bolts of the cold, gleaming crossbow.

"Collecting them was good, collecting them was good."

"Snore~ Snore~"

"Is that... Oscar? When did he get back?" Zhao Xuan heard a snoring sound and turned to see a figure sleeping soundly on another bed.

"Never mind, let's go eat first."

"Alright, let's go call Xiao Wu first."

Arriving outside the girls' dormitory, Tang San didn't go in directly because there were other girls inside besides Xiao Wu. He stood at the door and knocked.

"Coming," a somewhat weak female voice came from inside. It was Xiao Wu's voice. Zhao Xuan clearly saw a flicker of joy in Tang San's eyes.

Tsk, this sister-complex.

As expected, Xiao Wu opened the door. She looked much better than yesterday, but her face was still a little pale. She might need a few more days of rest to fully recover.

"Xiao San, Xiao Xuan," Sister Xiao Wu greeted them. Compared to her usual energetic self, she looked more like a delicate young girl now.

However, compared to her usual self, she looked more pitiable now.

"Xiao Wu, are you alright?" Tang San asked worriedly, his eyes practically overflowing with tenderness. Zhao Xuan's skin crawled.

"I'm fine," Xiao Wu shook her head. Her scorpion tail braid swayed slightly. As she nodded, a hint of something unusual seemed to appear in her eyes as she looked at Tang San.

"That's good, let's go eat first. Where are Hermione and the others?" Tang San breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Xiao Wu say she was fine.

"Hermione is already up. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing are still cultivating."

As soon as Xiao Wu finished speaking, Hermione walked out from the side, her eyes still half-closed, her fluffy blonde hair a little messy.

"Are we going to eat? Perfect, I didn't know where the cafeteria was," Hermione said, rubbing her eyes.

The cafeteria was said to be in the east, but they didn't know the exact location and had to search for it one by one.

Because Shrek Academy was located in a small village, the buildings weren't too far apart. However, at a glance, they couldn't see many houses.

"The academy's infrastructure is really terrible," Hermione lamented again. Although her family only ran a junior Soul Master Academy, its facilities were much better than this place.

"I don't know what the Dean of the academy is thinking. Hmm... Zhao Xuan, what do you think if we poach the teachers from this academy to Nuoding Academy?" Hermione's eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan clicked his tongue. "Tsk, it's a good idea, but do you think it's that easy to poach people? Why don't the advanced academies come to poach them?"

"That's true."

Hermione nodded. They had already seen a Soul Emperor and a Soul Sage. But why were these teachers staying here? There must be a deeper reason.

Because the village wasn't large to begin with, Shrek Academy occupied one-third of the village area. After walking for just a few steps, they were already out of the academy.

Outside the academy, they could see a small stream. Lush water plants grew on both sides of the stream, and crystal dew drops still clung to the green blades of grass.

Following the stream upwards, there was a building built by the stream, and wisps of cooking smoke were rising from it.

"Could that be it?" Zhao Xuan asked doubtfully.

"We'll know when we look," Sister Xiao Wu took the lead without hesitation.

As they walked along, they reached a fork in the road when they suddenly heard a quarrel. The group looked towards the sound and saw a man and a woman arguing not far from them.

The girl looked ordinary but was youthful and beautiful, about fourteen or fifteen years old. Judging by her simple clothing, she should be from the village.

The boy looked even younger, around the same age as Tang San and the others. He was slightly plump and looked sturdy, with short hair, small eyes, and chubby cheeks that looked somewhat cute. The most amusing thing was the two small mustache-like whiskers above his lips.

The group chuckled and didn't pay much attention, preparing to head towards their destination. However, the voices of the two grew louder and louder. Hearing the content of their argument, the group's expressions became strange, and they stopped in unison.

But the following content was even more bizarre. Sister Xiao Wu couldn't help herself: "Stop it."

The chubby boy and Cuihua were startled by Xiao Wu, who suddenly jumped out. Then, the chubby boy's eyes lit up. Perhaps seeing the others following behind Xiao Wu, the chubby boy waved his hand impatiently: "Get lost, don't meddle in other people's business."

Sister Xiao Wu naturally wouldn't back down. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the chubby boy: "Robbing a woman in broad daylight, and you have the nerve to talk back?!"

The chubby boy seemed startled, then angrily retorted: "This is a conflict between me and my girlfriend, what business is it of yours!"

Sister Xiao Wu's eyebrows shot up. Zhao Xuan and Tang San stepped forward at the right time, standing behind Xiao Wu, looking quite imposing. The chubby boy subconsciously took a few steps back.

Hermione watched quietly from the side, her expression a little strange. It looked as if Xiao Wu and the others were the villains.

Perhaps seeing the tense atmosphere, the young girl named Cuihua hurriedly stepped forward: "Please don't misunderstand, Hongjun is indeed my boyfriend."

The imposing aura of Zhao Xuan and the other two faltered. They looked at the serious girl with surprise. Zhao Xuan and Tang San quietly retreated.

Zhao Xuan looked up at the sky speechlessly. This was rather awkward.

Sister Xiao Wu, as the protagonist, felt even more awkward. Ha, did she really interfere in someone else's relationship? But it didn't seem like it just now?!

The two groups stood on opposite sides, with the young girl in the middle, and the scene fell silent.

"Zhao Xuan, Tang San, what are you two doing here?" Suddenly, Dai Mubai's voice came from behind them.

"Dai Mubai."

"Brother Dai?"

Zhao Xuan and the others responded. At the same time, the young man named Ma Hongjun across from them also called out.

The two groups suddenly froze, then exchanged glances. Dai Mubai walked over, looking at them strangely.

"What's wrong with you all? Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is Ma Hongjun, another student from our academy. His Martial Soul is the top-tier Beast Soul, the Evil Fire Phoenix."

"Hongjun, these are the new students this year, your junior brothers and sisters."

The group exchanged glances, suddenly feeling even more awkward.

Dai Mubai looked puzzled. "What's wrong with you all? Did something happen?"

"Ahem... it's like this," Zhao Xuan said awkwardly.

"..."

"Hmm?" After listening to Zhao Xuan's explanation, Dai Mubai understood. He looked at the young girl with a strange expression.

"Miss Cuihua, you can't stand it anymore either."

Cuihua nodded shyly, then turned and ran off in a flash.

"Cuihua, Cuihua." Ma Hongjun stood there calling out with reluctance.

"This... what exactly is going on?" Tang San asked. By now, no matter how slow he was, he understood that things were not as they had imagined.

Seeing Ma Hongjun looking a bit dejected, Dai Mubai smiled. "Let me explain then."

"..."

After everyone listened, several pairs of eyes shot towards Ma Hongjun, and the two girls' faces turned completely red.

"I... I'm going to go eat." Ma Hongjun's face flushed, and he quickly slipped away.

"Heh heh. Even this fatty knows how to be shy," Dai Mubai couldn't help but laugh.

"Shrek Academy? Monster Academy? It truly lives up to its name."

Zhao Xuan and the others marveled inwardly.

(Next, I need to think about how to incorporate original plot points. It should be difficult...)