39: Chapter 39 He was actually being kept by the Flame Maniac Ma Xiaotao?!

"Hey, I'm talking to you two. Are you packed yet? It's already daylight!"

As the morning sun pierced through the thin mist in the woods, Ma Xiaotao's vigorous voice broke the silence of the campsite.

She had changed back into her fiery red outfit, her long hair tied up high, and she looked radiant, as if the person who had been tortured to death by the Evil Fire last night had never existed.

From inside Huo Yuhao's tent came Wang Qiuer's cold voice: "Our business is none of your concern."

"How is it not my concern?"

Ma Xiaotao walked to the outside of the tent with her hands on her hips, speaking with righteous indignation, "I haven't repaid Yuhao for saving my life yet! It was agreed that I would escort him back to the academy, so he must arrive safely! This is called repaying a debt of gratitude; it is the code of conduct for us Shrek Academy inner courtyard students!"

The tent flap was lifted by Huo Yuhao from the inside. He was already dressed neatly, a helpless smile on his face: "Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao, we are ready. But, you really don't need to trouble yourself; we can return to the academy on our own."

"That won't do!"

Ma Xiaotao shook her head like a rattle-drum, "No, absolutely not! What if you run into some blind bandits on the way again?"

As she spoke, her gaze intentionally swept over Wang Qiuer, carrying a hint of defiant provocation.

Wang Qiuer stepped out from behind Huo Yuhao with a cold face, her golden eyes staring directly at Ma Xiaotao: "He doesn't need your escort."

"I said, this is repaying a debt of gratitude, not an escort!"

Ma Xiaotao's stubborn temper flared up; she realized that she and this golden-haired girl were naturally incompatible, "Huo Yuhao, give me a straight answer. Do you want me to escort you or not? If you say no, are you looking down on me, Ma Xiaotao?"

With this accusation leveled at him, Huo Yuhao felt a massive headache coming on.

He felt Wang Qiuer's aura becoming dangerous again, so he quietly reached out a hand, hiding it beneath the wide sleeve of his school uniform, and gently squeezed her hand.

Wang Qiuer's hand was cold and stiff, but the moment he squeezed it, it relaxed just a fraction, almost imperceptibly.

She turned her head and asked Huo Yuhao with her eyes.

Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly at her, silently mouthing two words: "It's fine."

He knew Ma Xiaotao's personality too well.

She was like a raging fire, responding to softness but not hardness, straightforward, and without any malicious intent.

The more you refused, the more she felt you were looking down on her, and she would only pester you further.

It was better to just go with the flow; once they returned to the academy, she couldn't possibly follow him around every day.

Having figured this out, Huo Yuhao turned around and gave Ma Xiaotao a brilliant smile: "Since that's the case, thank you, Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao. With your escort, we naturally couldn't ask for more."

"That's more like it!"

Ma Xiaotao's mood instantly brightened, and she glanced at Wang Qiuer triumphantly, as if flaunting a silent victory.

Wang Qiuer's expression grew colder, but Huo Yuhao kept gently squeezing her hand, and that gentle Mental Energy flowed through their touching skin, soothing her emotions.

In the end, she didn't flare up again, but just turned her head to the side, her face clearly saying, "I am very unhappy."

Ma Xiaotao was truly the "rich woman" of the inner courtyard; she was extremely generous.

She directly hired a top-tier spirit tool carriage, with a carriage cabin spacious enough for four or five people to roll around in.

The interior was covered with soft blankets, and it traveled extremely smoothly, with almost no bumps felt.

The three of them got into the carriage, and the atmosphere became subtle.

Huo Yuhao very consciously sat in the middle, with Wang Qiuer on his left, arms crossed and eyes closed, radiating an aura of "stay away."

On his right was Ma Xiaotao, who was full of enthusiasm and couldn't sit still for a moment.

"Yuhao, look, if you turn into that intersection ahead, you'll find the most famous 'Sisi Snacks' in Shrek City. Their soup dumplings are incredible! When we get back to the academy, I'll treat you!"

"Yeah, okay." Huo Yuhao replied politely.

"And over there, see that three-story blacksmith shop? That's the best one in the city. The owner is a senior who graduated from our academy, a Level 6 spirit tool master! Many students get their spirit tools custom-made there."

"Senior Sister, you know so much." Huo Yuhao continued to play along.

"Of course! I've been here for almost ten years; I could walk from the south of the city to the north with my eyes closed!"

Ma Xiaotao patted her chest, looking proud.

She seemed completely unaware that with every word she spoke, the cold aura on Wang Qiuer beside her grew heavier.

When the carriage drove past a bustling commercial street, Ma Xiaotao pointed at a magnificent building outside the window and said: "Look! That's the Shrek Grand Auction House! It's an industry controlled by our academy, and there are so many good things inside! Sometimes you can even see rare materials shipped from the Extreme North!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a cold voice rang out.

"We are here to attend school, not to be tourists."

Wang Qiuer finally opened her eyes, her golden pupils devoid of any ripples, just looking indifferently at the incessantly talking Ma Xiaotao.

That one sentence was like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing all of Ma Xiaotao's enthusiasm.

The air in the carriage solidified at this moment.

Ma Xiaotao opened her mouth, the expression on her face shifting from excitement to astonishment, and then to a hint of embarrassment and annoyance.

She had never been choked like this to her face before, and for a moment, she didn't know how to retort.

Call her meddlesome? But she was indeed introducing things to Huo Yuhao.

Call her noisy? But there were only three people in the carriage.

"Ahem." At the critical moment, Huo Yuhao stepped up. He smiled bitterly to smooth things over: "Qiuer has a rather cold personality and doesn't like to talk much; please don't mind, Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao. Actually... actually, I haven't properly toured Shrek City for many years either, so hearing your introduction, Senior Sister, feels very intimate."

He turned to Wang Qiuer and said in a low, almost pleading voice: "Qiuer, Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao also meant well."

Wang Qiuer glanced at him, her look seemingly saying "you're the only one with a kind heart," but ultimately she closed her eyes again and didn't say anything more.

Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief and smiled apologetically at Ma Xiaotao.

Looking at Huo Yuhao's handsome and gentle face, and those clear eyes that seemed to be able to cleanse one's soul, the slight displeasure in Ma Xiaotao's heart dissipated unknowingly.

She waved her hand and muttered: "Forget it, forget it, I won't lower myself to her level. Hmph, if it weren't for your sake..."

Although she said that, the rest of the journey was much quieter.

The carriage returned to tranquility, with only the sound of rolling wheels.

Huo Yuhao leaned against the cushion, watching the streetscape rapidly receding outside the window, his heart in a daze.

That's right, he was back.

It was winter when he left, and now that the holiday was over, it was a new semester.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, and every tile here was so familiar it felt carved into his bones.

His gaze passed through the carriage window, looking toward the area in the center of the city surrounded by high walls and forests; the silhouette of the academy was already faintly visible.

"We're here!"

With a light shout from Ma Xiaotao, the spirit tool carriage stopped steadily before the magnificent main gate of Shrek Academy.

The five gold-plated, dragon-flying-phoenix-dancing characters "Shrek Academy" shone brilliantly in the sunlight, carrying a sense of eternal, immutable weight and majesty.

No matter how many times one saw it, it would always inspire awe.

Huo Yuhao stepped out of the carriage and took a deep breath.

The air seemed to be filled with the familiar scent that belonged to the academy.

In his heart, there was no excitement about reporting for duty, nor was there any expectation of rising to fame in the new semester.

There was only one thought, clear and firm.

Dong'er, the holiday is over, I'm back.

I wonder how your holiday went?

Did you miss me?

Did your cultivation fall behind?

"Hey, Yuhao, what are you thinking about? Your soul has flown away."

Ma Xiaotao's voice interrupted his thoughts. She walked over and slapped him on the shoulder carelessly, "Alright, arrived safely, my mission is complete. Remember what I said: in the future at the academy, if any blind person dares to bully you, just report my name, Ma Xiaotao! Especially in the outer courtyard, I still have some face!"

She smiled ostentatiously and confidently, her fiery red long hair dancing in the wind like a burning flame.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Huo Yuhao thanked her sincerely.

Although the journey had been somewhat absurd, he could feel Ma Xiaotao's undisguised sincerity.

"Why be so polite!"

Ma Xiaotao waved her hand, "You did me such a huge favor, what's escorting you a little way? Alright, I have to go back to the inner courtyard to report in. You two hurry off to report for duty as well. Remember to go eat those soup dumplings when the time comes!"

After speaking, she glared at the silent Wang Qiuer beside him, then turned and walked toward the inner courtyard without looking back.

Not until Ma Xiaotao's figure disappeared from view did Huo Yuhao withdraw his gaze, only to find Wang Qiuer looking at him with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing."

Wang Qiuer indifferently shifted her gaze and walked toward the academy gate, "Let's go, aren't you going to report for duty?"

Huo Yuhao looked at her back, shook his head helplessly, and followed quickly.

He didn't tell anyone, including the newly acquainted Ma Xiaotao, and including the subtly related Wang Qiuer by his side, about the true secret of the Extreme North.

The existence of Brother Tianmeng, the truth about the Ice Empress becoming a Soul Spirit, and the Snow Empress who slept deep in his Spiritual Sea as his second Spirit... these were all his trump cards.

...

Huo Yuhao's return should have been like a drop of water merging into the ocean, unable to stir up even the slightest ripple among the thousands of students in the outer courtyard.

However, the development of events exceeded everyone's expectations.

There was no other reason, only that the person who escorted him back was Ma Xiaotao.

"Have you heard? Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao, the 'Flame Maniac' of the inner courtyard, actually personally escorted a junior from the outer courtyard back to school this morning!"

"What? Really? Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao? That senior who is said to have a temper so fiery she could set Sea God Lake on fire?"

"Absolutely true! Several people saw it at the gate! That spirit tool carriage was a model exclusive to the inner courtyard, and after getting off, Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao even patted the junior on the shoulder, telling him to report her name if anything happened!"

"My god! What background does this junior have? To be treated like that by Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao?"

"I don't know! But I heard he's exceptionally handsome, even better-looking than our outer courtyard's heartthrob, Senior Xu Sanshi!"

"Hiss... this background must be deep! Could he be a descendant of some major family who has connections with Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao's family?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's going to be lively now. I guess it won't take a day for the entire outer courtyard to know about this junior named Huo Yuhao."

Curiosity is the best catalyst.

Amidst various versions of rumors, Huo Yuhao's background was spread more and more outrageously, from the young master of some hidden Sect to the illegitimate child of the Empire's royal family; all kinds of speculations emerged one after another.

And this wind soon blew into the inner courtyard, which was separated from the outer courtyard by only a wall.

In the inner courtyard, in a quiet room of a secluded pavilion.

The lake-blue halo slowly dissipated like water ripples, and a young girl sitting cross-legged slowly opened her eyes.

She had dreamy powder-blue long hair, the strands hanging down to her waist, her skin whiter than snow, and her features as exquisite as the most perfect masterpiece of heaven.

But in those eyes, which were also blue, there was a hint of coldness at having her cultivation interrupted.

Outside the window, two inner courtyard female students responsible for cleaning were conversing in hushed voices.

But their words still drifted clearly into the quiet room.

"...Exactly, I really want to see what that junior named Huo Yuhao looks like, to be able to make Senior Sister Ma Xiaotao look at him differently..."

"Yeah, they even say he's very handsome..."

The three characters "Huo Yuhao" were like a pebble, precisely thrown into the girl's calm lake of a heart.

She slightly knitted her delicate eyebrows.

Slowly getting up, she walked on her white jade-like bare feet to the carved wooden window and gently pushed the window open a crack.

Fresh air poured in, bringing with it clearer sounds of discussion.

Her gaze looked toward the direction of the outer courtyard, where it was clamorous, filled with the hustle and bustle brought by the end of the holiday and the beginning of the new semester.

In those beautiful blue eyes, a flash of complex emotion that could not be described or explained flickered.

There was the anticipation of a long-awaited reunion, a faint displeasure at someone else getting there first, and a trace of... nervousness that even she herself had not noticed.

The powder-blue-haired girl parted her cherry lips slightly, letting out a barely audible self-murmur, her tone carrying a bit of amusement, and a bit of helpless reproach.

"Huo Yuhao... one holiday without seeing you, and you've certainly managed to stir up trouble."

At this moment, she stood gracefully, peerless in beauty, and had long been the dream lover of countless male students in the inner courtyard.

However, her heart seemed to have long been lost to that silly yet incredibly persistent boy.