Shrek Daily Cultivation 1

At this moment, Yue Ling turned his head and stared at the old man and the young boy in shock.

Elder Mu appeared aged and frail, his back hunched and his long, snow-white hair and beard hanging down. His face was deeply lined, his dim, yellowed eyes half-closed, and he wore simple white robes. He radiated an aura of kindness, possessing the distinct, mysterious air of a hidden master.

The little boy beside him was full of energy, standing obediently by Elder Mu's side while his eyes darted around, curiously taking in everything. He was, in all likelihood, his descendant.

From the very beginning until now, Yue Ling had not sensed a single ripple of soul power from Elder Mu. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air; perhaps even his own teacher could not achieve such a feat.

Elder Mu looked at Yue Ling with a kind expression. Yue Ling felt an inexplicable sense of strangeness, but unable to put his finger on it, he simply let it go.

Bei Bei, standing to the side, looked around with wide-eyed curiosity.

"Ahem."

Prompted by Elder Xuan, Yue Ling snapped out of his shock and quickly bowed deeply to Elder Mu.

"Greetings, Elder Mu. My name is Yue Ling, I am eight years old, and my martial soul is the Wonder-Silk Heavenly Chrysanthemum!"

"Oh, ho ho, it's fine, no need to be so nervous. We were just passing by to see what the excitement was about..."

"That's right, big brother! Your soul skill was truly magnificent!"

"Thank you, little one. What is your name?"

"My name is Bei Bei!"

Elder Xuan took a swig of wine and looked at Elder Mu with a smug expression.

"How about it? My newly accepted closing-door disciple, not bad, right?"

"Hmm...! Xuanzi, you have a good eye. This new disciple is indeed excellent; his talent is strong and his temperament is sound."

Elder Xuan's eyes crinkled into slits as he beamed.

Elder Mu turned his gaze toward Yue Ling.

"Your teacher is the vice-commander of the Inspection Team and is very busy. If you have any questions regarding your cultivation, you may ask me. If I am not around, go ask Zhang Lexuan."

Yue Ling nodded heavily. "Understood, Elder Mu!"

"Very well, I shall return now. Bei Bei, say goodbye to your big brother."

The golden-haired boy waved at Yue Ling. "Goodbye, big brother!"

"Mm, goodbye!"

As soon as the words left their lips, the two vanished in the blink of an eye.

Yue Ling stared at the scene, dumbfounded and filled with envy.

Elder Xuan's greasy hand patted his head, causing Yue Ling to jump in protest.

He looked at his disciple's resentful expression with an awkward smile.

"Alright, alright, why are you staring at me like that? They're already long gone. I'll be busy soon too; as a member of the Shrek Inspection Team, one cannot afford to slack off."

"Teacher, do you think Elder Mu is even stronger than you?"

"Why ask so many questions? Hmph, let's go!"

Elder Xuan huffed and puffed as he tore through the air and departed.

Evil soul masters... an organization, elders... I must gather the Sea God Pavilion to investigate this.

Yue Ling watched his teacher fly further and further away, not even having the chance to say goodbye.

What a busy man!

Only after Elder Xuan had completely disappeared did he sit on the ground. Feeling the lingering scent of chrysanthemum within his domain, he gradually calmed his soul power and mended his fatigued body.

Ugh, I forgot to ask Master for gold soul coins...

Yue Ling wanted to buy chrysanthemum seeds and other flower seeds to create a garden outside; the space was just sitting there unused anyway.

If he had a small garden, not only would his mood improve, but his spirit would also be satisfied.

Hundred Flowers Village.

The sea of flowers visible everywhere was the key to Yue Ling's rapid soul power growth. Sitting amidst the flowers allowed his mind to settle and his spirit to relax, making his cultivation twice as effective with half the effort!

It was a pity, though... sigh.

Yue Ling sighed softly. The seed of wanting to become stronger had begun to sprout, but he couldn't rush these things. He had to handle the immediate problems first.

I'll go ask Sister Lexuan later. If that doesn't work, I'll just have to ask her to lend me some gold soul coins...

After Elder Xuan left, Yue Ling hesitated for a long time before finally borrowing a thousand gold soul coins from Zhang Lexuan, promising to pay her back with interest.

Once granted, Yue Ling headed to the Shrek City flower market full of anticipation to purchase Spirit Pattern Chrysanthemum and ordinary chrysanthemum seeds.

These seeds were quite expensive; one hundred Spirit Pattern Chrysanthemum seeds cost three silver soul coins, while one thousand ordinary chrysanthemum seeds cost only one silver soul coin. The difference was that the former was a cultivatable plant-type soul beast, while the latter was just a common flower.

After some intense haggling, Yue Ling spent only two gold soul coins to secure five hundred Spirit Pattern Chrysanthemum seeds and ten thousand ordinary chrysanthemum seeds.

During this time, Elder Xuan returned once, worried about him.

Yue Ling told his teacher about planting flowers and borrowing money. Elder Xuan immediately rewarded him with ten thousand gold soul coins, which delighted Yue Ling (in truth, it was money for a soul bone, but he didn't give it all at once for fear Yue Ling would spend it recklessly).

The first thing he did with the money was pay back Zhang Lexuan.

Inside the courtyard.

Elder Xuan said nonchalantly that he could plant wherever he liked in the back mountain and the hillside, provided he didn't plant in the courtyards of other elders, as everyone had different ways of living.

Yue Ling understood this well and nodded obediently.

Elder Xuan turned and flew away under Yue Ling's gaze. He had originally intended to show off his skills in front of his teacher.

After all, this was a craft Yue Ling was quite proud of.

If he doesn't have the appetite for it, then so be it. Hmph, I'll eat it myself.

As it turned out, the moment he stir-fried some dishes using strange soul beast meat, he attracted the little glutton, Bei Bei.

The first time, he peeked from behind the courtyard gate without coming in, shrinking back shyly no matter how much Yue Ling waved.

The second time was the same...

The third time...

The fourth time, Bei Bei finally walked in, though his face was flushed. His golden hair shone under the sunlight, and his skin was fair; he looked radiant and quite cute.

Perhaps his cravings finally overcame his shyness. Once the food was served, he began to wolf it down.

Yue Ling guessed that Elder Mu's diet was likely healthy and bland, and perhaps mealtime was a formal affair. Besides, he was just a child himself; it was only natural that the food he liked would also appeal to other children.

Once or twice was fine, but after eating like this frequently, Elder Mu grew restless.

At mealtime, he called Bei Bei to eat, but Bei Bei felt his scalp tingle and only took two bites before stopping, leaving Elder Mu feeling bewildered.

This child, when did eating become so difficult? A child this age is in a growth spurt; he can't just stop eating...

It was only under Elder Mu's subtle observation that he discovered Bei Bei would sneak over to Yue Ling's place every night to finish his meal before heading home.

That little brat Bei Bei, he's completely different when he eats with him. Especially that ravenous way he wolfs down his food—it's just like me when I was young, ho ho.

He decided to let it be.

Occasionally, Elder Mu would come by, though it would give Yue Ling a massive fright.

This made him realize a few things. Ugh, I can't just cook kid-friendly food all the time. I should eat some lighter vegetables every few days.

Elder Mu only came by occasionally, and Bei Bei felt the shame of being discovered. Yet, because he was a glutton, he ultimately stayed at the table. Even if the meal was awkward, it was still better than going back.

Of course, Elder Xuan would also return occasionally, partly to check on Yue Ling and partly because he was simply hungry.

Since he was still young, Elder Xuan was initially skeptical of the food he made, but after just one bite, he couldn't stop. The rice jar was nearly empty after the few days he stayed. [Crying]

After Elder Xuan left, Yue Ling's land-clearing and flower-planting project began.

The sea of flowers once visible in Hundred Flowers Village was now nowhere to be seen, having become an obsession in Yue Ling's heart.

Since he couldn't see them, he would create them himself.

He got straight to work.

He furrowed his brows, thinking through the steps.

First, he had to clear the weeds and wild trees on the slope, removing rubble and dead branches. Then, he would dig horizontal terraces along the hillside to prevent soil erosion from the rain. Next, he would divert a small stream from the stone pond in the courtyard, digging shallow channels along the side of each terrace to provide water. Finally, he would sow the seeds.