Leaving out some unnecessary details, Luo Mo flipped through Tang San's diary.
[The Snake Hunting Forest was built around a forest. Many people had gathered at the entrance to the White Village, most of them boys and girls around eleven or twelve years old. Some of the children were accompanied by their fathers or mothers...]
"Wow? Is this place really that lively?"
Luo Mo couldn't help being curious.
"Could you share a little food with me? We can split the reward, too!"
A voice rang out from nearby, sounding as sweet as honey. Luo Mo was stunned.
"Share what?"
"Of course, the diary of the Snake Hunter brothers!"
The Snake Hunter brothers?
What the heck was that supposed to mean?
Luo Mo thought to himself, How would sharing work? The Snake Hunter's travel diary seems to have some kind of sharing function.
Before this, he'd learned that the travel diary could only be seen by its owner.
A moment later, the man in front of him gave a bright smile. "Did you forget to share your brother's Soul Skill knowledge?"
Luo Mo: "..."
What a strange guy. Could his ability actually be useful?
In the end, Luo Mo shared the blacksmithing knowledge anyway, then turned to the contents of the diary.
[At the entrance to the Snake Hunting Forest, a table had been set up. A young man wearing square-framed glasses sat behind it. Behind him stood a wooden frame, on which hung a tattered sign: "Shrek Academy..."]
Huh?
Luo Mo and the man beside him looked at each other. Tang San had actually run off to Shrek Academy?
[With a curious look, the young man watched as a boy came up to the table to bargain. His bespectacled eyes shone as he rubbed the boy's arm, then greedily rubbed his hands together. Finally, he said, dissatisfied, "Next one..."]
Luo Mo: "..."
Why did that description sound so familiar?
What a nice name. Why did it sound like he was trying to swindle people?
[Unable to watch any longer, Xiao Wu turned away. The boy's father kept smiling and begging him to take the child in. He even had the father kneel down, but the man still refused to let him in. Xiao Wu was furious, muttering, "Crooked merchant..."]
What, are you trying to start a fight with him?
Luo Mo had nothing to say. If you were the one being swindled, and you only had a small body, you'd be begging him to show mercy before the first round was over.
"Go on, Xiao Wu! Beat that crooked merchant!"
But Tang San began cheering instead, adding to Xiao Wu's agitation.
Luo Mo: "..."
[After staring at the bespectacled man for a while, Xiao Wu finally left and headed for Suotuo City. She stopped in front of a shop, went inside, and sat down on a chair to wait...]
"Shop... The bespectacled man..."
Luo Mo suddenly guessed who it was.
[He waited until nightfall, when the bespectacled man had gone inside. Then he sneaked into the shop and rummaged through the shelves, finally picking out a crystal...]
You stole a crystal after rummaging through the place?
You could've just taken it outright!
I really underestimated your first Soul Skill...
Luo Mo was so furious he could only curse himself.
Tang San was also a little speechless. "That guy was just too greedy..."
[After waiting outside the shop, Xiao Wu returned the next day when the bespectacled man had opened up. But he didn't notice the missing crystal. Suspicious, Xiao Wu returned at night and stole a bag of gold Soul Coins...]
"Good! Well done!" Luo Mo's eyes lit up.
He was furious at the thought of going to Canghui City to look for flowers, but Xiao Wu had just sent him a generous gift.
Maybe it was true that good things came to those who were patient.
[On the third day, Xiao Wu waited outside the shop again. Seeing the bespectacled man take things out and put them away, she watched for a whole day. She was getting impatient, but Xiao Wu still had no intention of giving up...]
Damn, had she really got into a grudge match with Flanders?
Luo Mo sighed.
[After another full day of waiting, the shop owner finally brought out a large piece of meat. A young man was in desperate need of some medicinal herbs, and the bespectacled man haggled like crazy. In the end, he got them at a ridiculously low price. Xiao Wu was furious and muttered, "Crooked merchant, shameful scoundrel..."]
Luo Mo thought, She knows he's a crooked merchant, so why does she keep watching him? Is she after something?
[At night, Xiao Wu sneaked into the shop once again and found the herbs. On them were two words: "bone marrow." She knew from the old master that it was a good thing. Just as she was about to take it, the shop lit up. Then she heard a voice beside her: "Caught you..."]
Huh? Bone marrow?
Luo Mo had thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the valuable thing mentioned in the diary really was bone marrow.
"Great! Xiao Wu, you're my lucky star!"
Luo Mo was so excited he nearly jumped up and gave Tang San a kiss.
Luckily, he managed to stop himself. Tang San wouldn't mind being kissed, would he?
Unexpectedly, a traveler's blessing appeared. But it would only work if Tang San didn't actively invite Luo Mo over. Otherwise, the blessing wouldn't take effect.
"Heh heh, this diary really makes the guy look bad."
Tang San said sourly, "Luo Mo, you should go tell him off. Give him a good scolding!"
Luo Mo: "..."
What a strange guy. Tang San had actually learned to be jealous.
[With her quick thinking, Xiao Wu hid on the other side of the bone marrow and used Snake's Home to send the bone marrow back home. She overheard the bespectacled man gasp in surprise. "It's actually a spatial-type Soul Bone! What a stroke of luck! My thanks, my friend..."]
"Hahaha... Good one, Little Wu!"
Tang San couldn't hold back his laughter. "That was satisfying!"
Luo Mo was in a good mood, too. That was the Soul Bone he'd been looking forward to for ages!
His spiritual power entered Snake's Home. In a corner of the little house lay a bundle of medicinal herbs, a bag of gold Soul Coins, and a crystal.
"Huh?"
Luo Mo suddenly noticed a few words. His spiritual power moved over to the crystal, and he saw that it was filled with something that glittered like golden threads.
"Could this be the crystal that Tang San originally stole from Flanders's shop?"
He hadn't expected another surprise.
Luo Mo really was going to make out like a bandit.
He just had to avoid meeting Tang San while he was in the spatial realm. That guy seemed to have gone out to play again.
Luo Mo hurried to Canghui City, put away the travel diary, and planned to set off again after resting for a while. He still had a few things to take care of, and he'd somehow gotten into the habit of traveling this way.
The road from the Snake Hunting Forest to Canghui City wasn't too far. It took less than half a day on foot.
By then, he could already see the city walls in the distance.
As the capital of the Huo Empire, Canghui City had thick, sturdy walls. Old Flanders and the others were stopped for inspection along with the other travelers, then let into the city after a brief check.
"Xiao Rui, Xiao San, Xiao Wu, you three should look after one another at the academy. Listen to the dean, and get along with your classmates..."
"Once the semester ends, Father will come back to pick you up..."
Along the way, Old Flanders kept talking to the three of them. He seemed reluctant to leave, while the three little ones listened in silence.
Before long, they arrived at the Canghui Soul Master Academy on the western side of Canghui City.
From a distance, they saw a tall gate built from sturdy grey stone, with two large, dark wooden doors below it.
Beyond the gate, a wide road led straight into the academy. On either side stood tall trees.
Right above the gate were four large characters:
Canghui Academy.
As the four of them approached the gate, someone pushed the door open and stepped out.
"What's the matter? Is this the sort of place someone like you can come to?"
Before you continue