[My Immortal Diary]

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Su Hao led He Qingqing and Little Fatty out of the restaurant. The two pouches of money he had "acquired" also ended up in his hands. It wasn't much—just about 10 silver shillings in total.

Both He Qingqing and Little Fatty looked at Su Hao with unconcealed admiration in their eyes. While they already knew Su Hao was formidable, they hadn't realized it was to such an extent.

As they mulled over the events that had just transpired, He Qingqing suddenly spoke up after a moment of silence, "Xiangwu, we've already retrieved the money. Wasn't it a bit too much to break his other hand...?"

Su Hao chuckled, "Oh? So, because the money wasn't yours, you think I was being too harsh? Why don't you ask Little Fatty if he thinks I went overboard?"

Little Fatty glanced at Qingqing, hesitated, and then cautiously said, "Well... I think breaking one hand was fair, but breaking two was a bit excessive. But whatever, we got the money back, so it's fine."

Su Hao smirked, "You two feel pity because you don't yet understand the value of money. Breaking both hands was already lenient. If he had dared to steal from me, I would've broken a leg too."

Recalling the scene where Su Hao snapped the man's hand, the two couldn't help but shudder.

Su Hao turned to them and said, "We're no longer in the peaceful environment of the Chashan Outpost. Here, everything depends on us. We don't go looking for trouble, but if someone provokes us, we must strike with thunderous means, so severe that they'll never dare to harbor such thoughts again."

He continued, "Once you show mercy, people will think you're easy to bully, and the troubles will never stop. Do you understand?"

He Qingqing and Little Fatty nodded, though they didn't fully grasp the idea.

Little Fatty then asked, "Xiangwu, what exactly are 'thunderous methods'?"

Su Hao smiled, "That depends on the situation. Let me give you an example: You love eating buns, right? Now, if I had a bun in my hand and told you that you had to trade an arm for it, would you do it?"

Little Fatty shivered, immediately hiding his arm behind his back and taking two steps backward. "Of course not! Xiangwu, don't even think about it!"

Su Hao rolled his eyes. "I'm just giving an example."

Then he continued, "Why wouldn't you trade it?"

"Because that'd be crazy! Only an idiot would do that!" Little Fatty replied.

Su Hao laughed. "Exactly, not even an idiot would make that trade. Why? Because exchanging an arm for a bun is far too costly, right?"

Little Fatty nodded, "Right!"

Su Hao raised a finger toward He Qingqing and Little Fatty. "So, you only need to understand one thing: As long as you make those who want to harm you realize that the price they'll pay for it far outweighs any satisfaction they might gain, no one will dare to mess with you."

Seeing the thoughtful expressions on He Qingqing and Little Fatty's faces, Su Hao summed it up, "The price they have to pay—that's what we call thunderous means."

With that, he didn't bother to explain further and instead took them to another restaurant for dinner.

....

After Su Hao and his group left, a few boys around ten years old, who had been dining in a private room on the second floor of the previous restaurant, began to discuss what had just happened.

"Brother Dayan, that short-haired boy was pretty amazing! He seems like a new student this year too, right?" said a girl with a bun hairstyle as she scooted closer to a cold-looking long-haired boy beside her.

The long-haired boy, with his handsome face devoid of expression, subtly shifted away from her and said in a chilly tone, "Probably. He seems quite skilled."

The boy's name was Jin Dayan, the third young master of the Jin family, one of the three great clans in Lingyun Town. He was hailed as one of the most talented warriors in the Jin family. At only ten years old, he had already broken through to High-Level Common Warrior, surpassing even the talent of his two older brothers. His achievements had caused a sensation throughout the town, and his name had become widely known. However, very few people had actually seen him in person.

Another girl, dressed in pink, couldn't stand watching anymore. She quickly stood up, yanked the bun-haired girl away, and said loudly, "Mo Xin, get away from my brother!"

The girl in pink was Jin Xiaohan, Jin Dayan's younger sister. The Jin family had a rather quirky tradition in naming their children: boys were given names with "Da" (big) and girls with "Xiao" (small) in it, which had become something of a family joke.

Mo Xin pouted in dissatisfaction, "I'm far enough! Xiaohan, you're too sensitive!"

Xiaohan glared at her, "You were practically sticking your face in my brother's!"

Mo Xin just giggled and turned to ask Jin Dayan, "Brother Dayan, that kid seemed younger than us, but he took down three mid-tier martial artists in an instant. Do you think he's also an High-Level Common Warrior?"

Jin Dayan shook his head uncertainly, "I'm not sure, but if it were me, I wouldn't have been able to take them down so cleanly."

Jin Xiaohan and Mo Xin's smiles froze. Immediately, they said, "Impossible! That kid just got lucky."

Jin Dayan's lips curled slightly, and he said faintly, "Maybe. We'll meet him eventually again."

....

By now, the sky had darkened, and the academy was illuminated only by dim lights. Fortunately, the moonlight, soft as a veil, bathed everything in a pale glow.

After escorting He Qingqing back to her dormitory, Su Hao intentionally introduced her to her roommates, making it clear that she had someone backing her up, in case she became isolated in the girls' dorm.

Although Su Hao prided himself on his experience, he still couldn't fully grasp the complexity of relationships in a girls' dormitory. With He Qingqing being fresh out of the Outpost-village and knowing nothing about such matters, she could easily become a target for bullying.

When Su Hao and Little Fatty returned to their own dorm, they found their two other roommates already there.

One of them was tall and muscular, his face tanned dark by the sun. He was a full head taller than Su Hao, and his bulging muscles made him look much older, at least twelve. Judging by his appearance, he had likely just met the age requirement for admission.

The other roommate was a small boy, around ten years old. Compared to his peers, he looked malnourished and was even skinnier than He Qingqing. At the moment, he was curled up in a corner of his bed, timidly eyeing the tall, dark-skinned boy.

It was clear that the two weren't on friendly terms.

As soon as the tall boy saw Su Hao and Little Fatty return, he flashed a wide grin and said, "Heh! Welcome to my dorm. Let me introduce myself: I'm Kong Yang, but you can call me Brother Yang. From now on, I'm the boss around here. My word is law. Alright, it's your turn, shorties!"

Su Hao felt a headache coming on. Trouble like this was everywhere. Glancing at Little Fatty, he noticed that the boy was already looking terrified.

Little Fatty stammered, "B-Brother Yang, I'm Li Cunzhi. You can call me Cunzhi."

Kong Yang scowled, "What Cunzhi? You're clearly just a fatso."

Little Fatty wanted to argue, but didn't dare.

Seeing that Little Fatty had already given in, Kong Yang grinned victoriously and then turned to Su Hao, "And you, shorty?"

Su Hao adjusted his clothes, then turned to Little Fatty and said, "Watch closely. This is what thunderous means look like."

Little Fatty, confused, nodded his head.

Su Hao crooked his finger at Kong Yang, "Come on. Let's take this outside."

He then turned and walked out without waiting for a response.

Kong Yang chuckled, "Oh, you've got guts." He followed with heavy, confident steps.

They stood face to face outside, their expressions hidden by the dim moonlight.

"My name is Wu Xiangwu. Are you ready?" Su Hao asked.

"Heh, don't worry. We're roommates, so I'll go easy on you," Kong Yang said as his muscles began to bulge.

"Watch carefully," Su Hao said, then vanished from where he stood.

Kong Yang's eyes widened in shock. "Where did he go?!"

"Bang∼!"

Before he could react, Su Hao had already appeared behind him and kicked him flying.

Kong Yang, dazed, scrambled to his feet and, seeing Su Hao standing where he had been just moments ago, shouted angrily, "You sneak attacked me!"

Su Hao simply said, "Watch closely this time. I'm coming."

"Bang∼!"

Another punch sent Kong Yang flying sideways.

"You—" Kong Yang started, but before he could finish—

"Bang∼!"

Su Hao kicked him several meters away.

"Damn—"

"Bang∼!"

"I—"

"Bang∼!"

....

After a while, Kong Yang lay motionless on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Big brother, please stop. I give up. From now on, you're the boss. I'll do whatever you say!"

Only then did Su Hao stop. He turned to Little Fatty, who was staring wide-eyed in shock, and asked, "Now do you understand what thunderous means are?"

Little Fatty stammered, "Y-Yes, I do!"

At that moment, their small, timid roommate rushed out, looking up at Su Hao with admiration. "Big Brother Xiangwu, my name is Hua Wanli. Can you teach me? I can pay for tuition!"

Su Hao glanced at him and chuckled, "No need. You'll learn everything you need at the academy."