[My Immortal Diary]

Su Hao glanced at He Qingqing and smiled, "It's nothing, I'm just curious. This is my first time entering a town."

He Qingqing was startled by her own reaction and quickly turned her face to the side.

Compared to a few years ago, He Qingqing had become much more reserved, truly growing into a young woman. Ever since Su Hao killed the green-eyed coyote in front of her, she seemed to have matured overnight. She no longer asked Su Hao to play with her like she used to.

However, from that point on, the relationship between He Qingqing and Su Hao became quite strange. It was no longer Su Hao avoiding He Qingqing, but the other way around. Whenever they bumped into each other, He Qingqing would only exchange a few words before hurrying off.

This puzzled Su Hao for a long time. He wondered, 'Did this girl develop some sort of autism?'

Little Fatty, on the other hand, hadn't changed much. Shortly after they set off, he was already chattering away, asking questions non-stop.

"Hey, Dad! You said you studied at the warrior academy too? You must be lying!" Little Fatty looked at his father with suspicion.

Old Li glared at him fiercely. "Lying? Your old man never lies! Back in the day, I was a big deal at the academy. Who didn't know your old man, Li? I'm telling you, back then..."

Both Little Fatty and He Qingqing listened intently, their eyes wide with curiosity. After hearing the story, Little Fatty still had his doubts and mumbled, "Dad, everything you said sounds kind of fake."

Old Li shrugged nonchalantly. "Believe what you want. Back then, your mother fell for me because of it. And listen, when you get to the academy, don't disgrace the family name. If anyone bullies you, hit them back hard!"

Little Fatty patted his chest confidently. "Of course! I won't disgrace you, Dad. I'll make sure to protect Qingqing. Anyone who dares bully us will get beaten up. Right, Xiangwu?"

Su Hao lazy responded, "Yeah, yeah."

Little Fatty glanced at He Qingqing, then boasted smugly, "Too bad Hongtao still hasn't able to find his blood Qi. Otherwise, he could help protect Qingqing too."

He then turned to He Qingqing and said, "Don't worry, Qingqing. Even if it's just me, I won't let anyone bully you."

He Qingqing rolled her eyes. "Do I need your protection?"

Little Fatty wasn't embarrassed in the slightest and immediately replied, "I'm just making my stance clear."

Then he ran over to Su Hao and pulled him closer. "Xiangwu is so strong! If I can't handle it, I'll ask Xiangwu for help."

He Qingqing, puzzled, asked, "But we're going to study. Why would there be so many bad people waiting to bully us?"

At that moment, Old Li, walking behind them, let out a sly chuckle. "Of course there'll be trouble. Why do you think it's called a warrior academy? It's a place where you learn how to fight, haha∼!"

Su Hao glanced at He Qingqing and Little Fatty, feeling a headache coming on. 'So, does that mean there will be constant nonsense every day? And I have to take care of these two kids? Just thinking about it gives me a headache! What should I do? Should I beat up all the students as soon as I arrive? If I become the school tyrant, maybe that would reduce the trouble?'

He Qingqing frowned slightly, then seemed to think of something, her gaze becoming resolute.

Little Fatty, on the other hand, remained optimistic, waving his fists. "The only person I've ever feared in a fight is Xiangwu! Bring it on—I'll beat them all! I'm already a beginner-level warrior, and soon I'll be at the intermediate level!"

He then curiously turned to Su Hao and asked, "Xiangwu, what level are you now?"

As soon as Little Fatty asked about Su Hao's level, He Jianyong, who was walking at the front, perked up his ears.

He was also very curious about Su Hao's current strength. With his sharp senses, he could faintly feel a sense of threat from Su Hao, which was unusual—very unusual.

He had never felt this way from a child or a young teenager before. This made him wonder if he was overthinking things.

Su Hao responded with a vague smile, "Well, I'm not really sure. Probably somewhere around your level."

Little Fatty was dissatisfied with Su Hao's vague answer and speculated, "Xiangwu, could it be that you've already reached the high-level warrior stage? A few years ago, people were saying you were about at the intermediate level, so you must be at the high level by now!"

Su Hao chuckled. "Haha, something like that. I'm not too sure."

Little Fatty took Su Hao's response as confirmation and immediately exclaimed in awe, "Xiangwu, you're amazing! Truly a genius—I could never compare. I heard that high-level warriors your age are the top talents in the academy. They're the ones who get special treatment!"

Su Hao praised him, "Really? Little Fatty, you sure know a lot."

Little Fatty puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course!"

....

The journey was relatively uneventful, with no beast attacks, much to Little Fatty's disappointment.

After some hurried travel, the group finally arrived at their destination by the afternoon—Lingyun Town.

"This is Lingyun Town?" Little Fatty stood at the town's gate, his mouth agape in awe.

Even He Qingqing marveled, "Lingyun Town is huge! And the walls are so tall. It's magnificent!"

Old Li laughed heartily. "Surprised, huh? Haha∼! Once you're inside, don't keep gawking like that, or people will know you're from the countryside and look down on you."

Even the well-traveled Su Hao was taken aback by the sight of the town.

Setting aside the vast size of Lingyun Town itself, just the walls were awe-inspiring. They stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions, and the height was staggering—at least fifteen stories high. How tall was that? Forty or fifty meters, at least. It seemed a bit excessive.

Standing beneath such towering walls, a person felt incredibly small.

These walls didn't seem to be built just to fend off human invaders—they looked more like they were meant to keep out massive beasts. That raised a question: 'What kind of beasts could be so formidable that the residents of a small town needed such towering walls to protect themselves?'

Su Hao, ever curious, asked, "Uncle Jianyong, why are the walls so high? Are they meant to defend against some powerful enemy?"

He Qingqing and Little Fatty were also full of curiosity. "Yeah, why build them so high?"

He Jianyong laughed heartily. "Haha∼! Every so often, some powerful beasts pass by Lingyun Town. The walls are to keep them from getting hungry and wandering into the town to eat people. By building the walls higher, it can block some of the fierce beasts."

Su Hao and the others were well aware of what "fierce beasts" referred to. Fierce Beasts were not the same as ordinary wild animals.

The strongest wild animals were just large predators, with power comparable to high-level warriors at best.

However, there was no limit to the strength of fierce beasts. They came in all shapes and sizes—some were as small as a fist, while others were as massive as mountains, terrifying beyond measure.

A single powerful fierce beast could easily destroy an entire city with just one blow.

Seeing He Qingqing and Little Fatty shiver at the mention of fierce beasts "eating people," He Jianyong laughed again. "Haha∼! Don't worry, the town is much safer than our outpost in the Mountains. There are powerful warriors stationed on the walls at all times. As soon as they spot a beast approaching, they'll drive it away immediately."

With that, he led the way through the town gates. "Come on! Let's get inside and register quickly."