Master Huo

"The fifth pet beast is finally taken care of." Ye Guchen let out a long breath. Ignoring everyone's astonished looks, he clasped his hands and thanked them. "Thanks for your help, everyone. I'll treat you all to a meal when we get back!"

"You said it!"

Chen Zifeng's eyes lit up. "We're going to eat our fill!"

"Sure, anything you want."

Ye Guchen smiled as he agreed.

Ma Xiaotao came over and whispered in his ear:

"Just treating us to grilled fish? What about me? Do I get a special gift?"

Ye Guchen turned to look at her and lowered his voice. "Of course you get a special gift."

Then he sent her a private message: "I'll give you a chance to blow off some steam in private!"

Ma Xiaotao gave him a light punch. The tips of her ears turned faintly red, but she didn't argue.

Everyone packed up and prepared to leave Butterfly Valley.

Before leaving, Ye Guchen didn't forget to store the nearly fifty-thousand-year-old Plate Armor Rhino in the Treasure Tome, too, so it could live alongside the Rainbow Butterfly it had been guarding.

Just then, Yan Shaozhe, who had been secretly protecting them all along, finally appeared.

As soon as he arrived, he clapped and said with a smile,

"Congratulations. You've completed this training mission perfectly."

His appearance instantly quieted everyone. Only Ma Xiaotao, Ye Guchen, and Dai Yueheng remained as relaxed as ever.

"Teacher!"

Ma Xiaotao went over to Yan Shaozhe and tugged on his sleeve.

"So, is there some kind of reward? Your student isn't asking for much. Just, say, eighty or a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

Yan Shaozhe smiled helplessly and patted Ma Xiaotao on the shoulder.

"Heh, you sure know how to ask for the moon! Do you think Gold Soul Coins are that easy to earn?"

Then he leaned close to Ma Xiaotao's ear and whispered,

"But... if you tell me how far things have gone between you and Guchen, I might consider raising your allowance."

Ma Xiaotao's face instantly flushed. She let go of his sleeve. "If you won't give me anything, then don't."

Naturally, Ye Guchen hadn't missed the faint whisper.

"You old rogue!"

When he reached Yan Shaozhe, Ye Guchen said jokingly,

"Hahaha, I won't pry, then."

Yan Shaozhe laughed aloud, but secretly sent Ye Guchen a message.

"You're bolder than I was at your age! You actually dare to date several girls at once!"

Then he gave Ye Guchen a thumbs-up.

As the dean of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, he hadn't missed Jiang Nannan's situation, and had clearly misunderstood the relationship between her and Ye Guchen.

Ye Guchen and the Shrek Seven Devils walked along Shrek Food Street.

The surrounding Soul Masters hurriedly made way for them, yet kept glancing over.

"Members of the Shrek Seven Devils! I never thought they'd all show up at once!"

"What kind of delicacy could bring them all here together?"

Ye Guchen was mingling with the seven on purpose, using his spiritual power to make himself less noticeable. He'd been too conspicuous at the outer court back then, and nowadays, girls often pounced on him the moment they spotted him.

Ye Guchen was starting to get scared.

Before long, they arrived at an ordinary grilled-fish stall.

The finest ingredients were often prepared in the simplest ways. Master Huo, who had been busy all day, began making grilled fish.

His Spirit Eye Martial Soul seemed made for grilling fish. He precisely controlled when to add each seasoning, and his command of the heat was just as exact.

No matter how busy they were, there was always a distinctive flavor that brought everyone together to enjoy a meal.

"Brother Guchen! You finally came. I've been saving grilled fish for you every day."

Huo Yuhao looked somewhat excited as Ye Guchen appeared before him, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What? We went through all that trouble to help you catch your fifth pet beast, and all you're treating us to is grilled fish?" Chen Zifeng slung an arm over Ye Guchen's shoulder, pretending to look cheated.

"Are you eating it or not?"

Ye Guchen was used to this by now. He brushed Chen Zifeng's hand away, then took the grilled fish Huo Yuhao handed him and passed it to Ma Xiaotao.

"Yuhao, have you got more? Grill some extra. I've brought some genius Soul Masters from the inner court to support your business today!"

Huo Yuhao was still a little sensitive and insecure. Having just heard Chen Zifeng's thoughtless teasing, he felt even more insignificant.

Of course, he knew Chen Zifeng hadn't meant anything by it. Seeing Brother Guchen so enthusiastically supporting him made him very happy.

"Sure, sure! Brother Guchen, you all sit down. I'll grill some for you!"

Everyone sat down around the nearby table.

"I have to say, it really is delicious!"

Ma Xiaotao couldn't help praising it after her first bite.

"Of course. Yuhao's a first-rate grilled-fish chef!"

Ye Guchen didn't hold back in praising him, either.

Hearing the name "Yuhao," Dai Yueheng paused. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

He glanced at Huo Yuhao and realized he didn't recognize the boy. He thought of a name one of the servants at his residence had mentioned, but then shook his head. "It's probably just a coincidence."

Ling Luochеn gave Huo Yuhao a once-over, but couldn't see anything particularly special about him.

"So this is the boy you brought back?"

Ye Guchen nodded. "That's right. I saw that he had a good talent for Soul Tools. If I'm not mistaken, I've found the academy a promising student."

Just then, Huo Yuhao brought a large platter of grilled fish over to the group.

"Yuhao, sit down and have some with us!"

Faced with Ye Guchen's invitation, Huo Yuhao hurriedly waved it off.

"No, no, I've already eaten, and I still have to keep selling grilled fish."

After saying that, he quickly returned to the grilled-fish cart and continued cooking.

Just then, Tang Ya came over carrying a large platter of drinks.

"Yuhao, give me a hand."

"Eh? Why have you sold so much today? You only just opened, and your grilled fish is almost gone?"

Looking at the empty grill, Tang Ya couldn't help feeling puzzled. Was grilled fish really that easy to sell?

But when she glanced to the side, she spotted a group of people sitting nearby.

"Senior Guchen!"

Tang Ya wasn't as shy as Huo Yuhao. She set the drinks on the table, pulled over a stool, and sat down beside them.

"Senior, are you done with your work? Try this drink. I'm telling you, Yuhao's grilled fish and this special fruit juice are the perfect match!"

As she spoke, she pushed a glass of fruit juice in front of Ye Guchen.

Everyone stared at Ye Guchen in astonishment, then glanced back and forth at Ma Xiaotao.

Gongyang Mo even scooted back a step with his stool. "Brother! I never knew you were this bold. You're on your own now. I'll burn incense for you next year!"

Ye Guchen saw their strange expressions and couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.

"What are you thinking? Tang Ya has a boyfriend. Besides, do I look like that kind of person?"

At that, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not quite!" Chen Zifeng said, eating grilled fish as he picked up a glass of fruit juice. "You are that kind of person!"

"Ah, you rascal!"

Huo Yuhao watched everyone tease one another. He felt out of place, and his eyes were full of envy.

"Yuhao, come over. I'll introduce you to everyone."

Ye Guchen saw that Huo Yuhao was feeling down and quickly waved him over, motioning for him to sit beside him.

This time, Huo Yuhao didn't refuse. He gathered his courage and sat down next to Ye Guchen.

"This is Ma Xiaotao, captain of the Shrek Seven Devils and a Soul Emperor. You can call her Sister Xiaotao."

"Sister Xiaotao!" Huo Yuhao obediently greeted her. For the sake of the grilled fish, Ma Xiaotao replied in kind.

"If you run into any trouble, you can come to me."

Ye Guchen began introducing everyone, starting from his left and going around the table.

The introductions went smoothly at first, but when he got to Dai Yueheng, he faltered.

"Damn, how could I forget about this?"