[My Immortal Diary]

The streets of Lingyun Town were very clean and tidy, unlike the messy and filthy medieval era cities that Su Hao had imagined. There was no stench of garbage or sewage. The streets were paved neatly with stone slabs, and the houses on both sides, though varied in style, were arranged in an orderly fashion, stretching far into the distance.

People constantly came and went from the town, most of them villagers from nearby settlements bringing their goods to the town to sell. Large and small carts moved back and forth, making the town lively and bustling.

For He Qingqing and the chubby Li Cunzhi, this was the first time in their lives seeing so many people. Their eyes were filled with wonder, gazing curiously at everything and everyone.

"Little sugar beasts! Only 2 copper coins each!"

He Qingqing and the little Fatty stared wide-eyed, drooling as they looked at the vendor.

"Fresh wild boar meat buns! Just out of the oven! Only 3 copper coins each!"

He Qingqing and Li Cunzhi were immediately distracted by the smell of the freshly baked buns.

"Hot sesame cakes...!"

Now they wanted those too.

….

He Jianyong and Uncle Li were feeling generous today. Seeing how much their children wanted these treats, they readily paid for everything, and of course, they didn't leave Su Hao out.

Su Hao tried a little of everything, and all he could think was, 'Delicious!'

Next, He Jianyong took the group to a tailor shop, where he ordered two new sets of clothes for each of the three kids. The shop worked quickly, so all they had to do was wait for the finished outfits.

Su Hao, adapting to the local customs, didn't make things difficult for the tailor by requesting anything special. Instead, he chose a simple, comfortable style. His outfit consisted of an inner shirt and an outer robe. He chose white for the inner shirt and light blue for the outer robe, giving the outfit a slightly old-fashioned look. With a belt around the waist, it had a neat and dashing appearance.

He Qingqing chose a light green outfit with white accents, making her look like a delicate and graceful young girl.

Li Cunzhi, on the other hand, picked the flashiest design of all. At first glance, you'd think he was a rich young master, but the colorful outfit gave off the impression of someone wearing sunglasses, flip-flops, and beach shorts. It gave a very mismatching impression.

This time, Su Hao didn't feel comfortable having He Jianyong pay for him again, so he took out his own money and paid 2 silver shillings for his outfit. It suddenly dawned on him that he might be running low on money.

Afterward, He Jianyong led them to a weapons shop to select armor and blades.

The weapon shop was large, and as Su Hao wandered around, he noticed that there was a wide variety of armor and knives, as well as hammers, axes, long-handled blades, spears, and other weapons. However, there were no swords to be found.

Su Hao's dream of becoming a swordsman was instantly shattered. In this world, humanity's main enemies were gigantic, heavily armored fierce beasts, and perhaps swords simply weren't as effective as blades.

His armor was still usable, as he had replaced it a year ago, but his short blades had become worn and too small. So, he sold it to the weapons shop for 2 silver shillings and spent 5 silver shillings on a new blade with about 70 centimeters long edge, losing 3 silver shillings in the process.

The more Su Hao looked at his new blade, the more he liked it. He realized that there was nothing wrong with liking new things.

He Qingqing and Li Cunzhi also picked out their preferred long blades and armor, and the group left the weapons shop.

After wandering around the town, buying all the necessary daily supplies, they headed straight for Warrior Academy.

Today was the academy's registration day for new students, and the academy grounds were especially crowded, packed with people.

The registration process was simple: those who had sensed their blood Qi before the age of twelve could enroll after filling out some basic information and paying 1 gold crown, which was equal to 100 silver shillings.

The conditions seemed straightforward, but very few could actually meet them. First, sensing blood Qi before the age of twelve was enough to eliminate a large portion of the population. Then, the tuition fee of 1 gold crown was astronomical, and not many families could afford to pay that much.

Su Hao fumbled through his money pouch for a long time before reluctantly pulling out a gold crown. He handed it over to the registrar and received a special token engraved with a cloud emblem.

"This token is your identification as a student of Lingyun Warrior Academy. Don't lose it. If you do, it will cost money to replace," the registrar warned sternly.

Su Hao thought long and hard about where to put the token so that he wouldn't lose it. In the end, he tossed it into his money pouch.

After successfully registering and being assigned a dormitory, He Jianyong and Uncle Li said their goodbyes and returned to Chashan Outpost.

….

Each dormitory at the academy housed four students. Su Hao and Li Cunzhi were placed in the same room, but their other two roommates had yet to show up.

Since there were fewer girls, their dorms were located on the other side of the academy. After settling in, Su Hao and Li Cunzhi helped He Qingqing find her dormitory, waiting outside while she organized her things.

At that moment, Li Cunzhi turned to Su Hao and asked, "Xiangwu, what should we do next?"

Su Hao looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean, 'What should we do next?'"

Li Cunzhi looked uneasy and replied, "I mean… our dads have gone back, and now it's just the three of us. I feel a bit…"

Su Hao understood. Li Cunzhi was feeling scared.

It was his first time being away from his parents, facing the world on his own. Feeling lost and confused was natural.

Su Hao patted him on the shoulder and said, "There's nothing we need to do. Just wait for the academy's arrangements. Didn't you get a list of instructions? Just follow that."

Li Cunzhi still looked unsettled. "But… it still feels kind of empty. Xiangwu, don't you feel anything?"

Su Hao chuckled. "What should I feel? Isn't it all the same? Relax, Li Cunzhi. It's just your first time at school. You'll get used to it soon, and you'll probably come to like it here."

Li Cunzhi nodded, but remained silent.

Not long after, He Qingqing emerged. Although she tried to hide it, Su Hao could tell that, like Li Cunzhi, she was also feeling anxious and uncertain.

Su Hao couldn't help but shake his head and sigh to himself, 'They really are just kids.'

"Let's go!" Su Hao called, leading the way.

"Where to?" Li Cunzhi asked.

Su Hao waved the instruction sheet he had received and calmly said, "I'm going to show you two around so you can get familiar with the place. Otherwise, you might get lost. Then we'll go have dinner."

Li Cunzhi asked, "But Xiangwu, isn't this your first time here too?"

Su Hao nodded, "Yeah, first time."

Li Cunzhi looked at him with admiration, and He Qingqing's eyes also showed a hint of envy. She wished she could be as calm, composed, and wise as Su Hao, as if everything was under control.

"This is the cafeteria. We'll come here for meals from now on… Over there is the training ground, where most of the basic training takes place. I imagine we'll be spending a lot of time here… And this is the bathhouse, where we can wash up… That building is the classroom, where cultural lessons are held… And that's the teachers' quarters over there, but we usually won't have any reason to go there..."

Li Cunzhi and He Qingqing followed along, their eyes wide with amazement.

"Alright, that's about everything. Did you get all that?"

He Qingqing nodded earnestly. Li Cunzhi nodded at first, but then shook his head, saying, "Why bother remembering when you're here, Xiangwu?"

Su Hao snorted, "You think I'm your babysitter? Think again."

Li Cunzhi awkwardly laughed and said nothing more.

Glancing around, Su Hao noticed the sun had already set. "Let's go! Time for dinner."

Li Cunzhi suddenly piped up, "Hey! Since it's our first day here, how about I treat you guys to something good!"

Without waiting for Su Hao or He Qingqing to protest, Li Cunzhi grabbed both of them and started pulling them toward the boys' dormitory. "Come on, come on, let's head back and get some money first."

Su Hao frowned and warned, "Li Cunzhi, from now on, don't leave your money in the dorm. You should always keep valuable items like that with you."

Li Cunzhi waved his hand dismissively, "Ah, it's fine. Don't worry, what's the worst that could happen? It's not like it'll grow legs and run off."

But after searching the dorm for a while, Li Cunzhi suddenly panicked and shouted, "Xiangwu! Hurry up and help me! I can't find my money!"

"!!!" Su Hao suddenly had a bad feeling.