Zhou Qing and Tang San made their way to the shop within the Primary Spirit Master Academy.
Much like in Zhou Qing's previous life, even a primary academy had its own shops, mainly selling daily necessities, snacks, and wooden weapons such as knives, swords, spears, and halberds.
These wooden weapons were designed for students whose spirits matched weapon types, enabling them to train physically before becoming true Spirit Masters.
Since activating a spirit consumes spirit power, students who possessed weapon-type spirits would often practice with wooden replicas before advancing further.
As for iron weapons—
Most were considered controlled items. The city lord of Nuoding City, along with the branch hall master of the Spirit Hall, had explicitly banned the sale of such weapons on the open market.
Only some iron tools—like essential life tools, short knives, daggers, and short swords—were legally sold within the city.
Zhou Qing and Tang San each bought two sets of bedding and toiletries, then headed toward Dormitory Seven.
Perhaps they had been delayed a bit.
By the time they arrived at Dormitory Seven, a long-braided girl named Xiao Wu had already arrived—and had beaten Wang Sheng black and blue.
"More newcomers?" Xiao Wu twisted her neck and rubbed her fists, smiling sweetly. "Come on then—both of you at once."
"We came to study, not to fight," Tang San said. He was briefly stunned by her delicate features but quickly came to his senses.
"Well then," Xiao Wu said, dropping her fists. "Call me Big Sis Xiao Wu and I'll let you off the hook."
She skipped over to the boys and looked up at them.
Thanks to better nutrition, the six-year-old Zhou Qing and Tang San were already around 1.56 meters tall—about the same height as the nearly twelve-year-old Wang Sheng.
Their faces, however, still bore the softness of youth.
"Alright, Big Sis Xiao Wu."
"Understood, Big Sis Xiao Wu."
Zhou Qing and Tang San exchanged a glance and quickly complied.
Tang San didn't fully grasp why she wanted to fight them, but if calling her "Big Sis" avoided trouble, then there was no harm in it.
"What's up with you guys? You're so tall, but your guts are so tiny." Xiao Wu pouted, then grinned. "But since you two remind me of my younger brothers, from now on, you'll be my little sidekicks. Big Sis Xiao Wu's got your backs!"
No way!
How do Tang San and I look anything like the Sky Blue Bull Python or the Titan Giant Ape?
Zhou Qing groaned inwardly.
"No problem, Big Sis Xiao Wu. We'll be counting on your protection from now on." Zhou Qing spoke sweetly and, along with Tang San, found an empty bed to start unpacking.
At that moment, Xiao Wu suddenly remembered—she hadn't brought any bedding!
Seeing an opportunity, the battered Wang Sheng tried to curry favor by offering her his own.
Other working students followed suit, each offering their bedding.
But compared to Zhou Qing and Tang San's brand-new sets, these were like rags—though clean, they were yellowed, wrinkled, and stained.
Naturally, Xiao Wu wasn't impressed.
So she turned to Zhou Qing and Tang San and asked, "You two seem to know each other—why don't you let me borrow a set and just squeeze into one bed together?"
"Huh?"
Zhou Qing replied, "Don't tell me... you're broke?"
"Uh... yeah." Xiao Wu suddenly realized that in the human world, everything had to be paid for. She pouted and said sweetly, "That's why I wanted to borrow from you guys."
"If you're completely broke, you probably won't even be able to afford food before the academy assigns you a work-study job," Zhou Qing said with a sympathetic look. He pulled out two copper spirit coins and handed them over. "Here, take these and buy a set of bedding. Just pay me back later."
"No worries! With my skills, paying you back will be a piece of cake!" Xiao Wu beamed, proudly puffing out her flat chest. She took the coins and bounced off to the academy shop.
After Zhou Qing and Tang San finished making their beds, Wang Sheng walked over and asked, "You're not working students, are you?"
"How could you tell?" Tang San was surprised.
"We working students can't afford new bedding—we have to bring ours from home. And we definitely can't casually lend out two copper coins like that," Wang Sheng replied smugly.
Copper spirit coins meant little to Spirit Masters, but to commoners, even one coin could buy half a kilo of rice. In Nuoding City, where prices were higher, one coin could still cover three meals for a working student.
"We're formally enrolled students, not work-study ones," Zhou Qing explained. "But we are from the countryside. We came to learn, and we don't want to waste time cleaning the academy."
"Got it." Wang Sheng's tone softened. "So your village must be pretty well-off, huh?"
"We're from Holy Spirit Village," said Tang San.
"Holy Spirit Village? My grandfather told me about it. That place is known for its abundant grain—and it even produced a Spirit Saint. No wonder you're both so healthy." Wang Sheng and the other working students looked on with admiration.
But in truth, they knew their own situation best.
Holy Spirit Village may have had enough food, but it wasn't wealthy enough to send children to enroll as full students. Zhou Qing and Tang San had simply been lucky—blessed, in a sense, by the Spirit Saint that once came from their village...
"Which of you is Tang San and Zhou Qing?"
At that moment, a hoarse voice came from the doorway.
A disheveled-looking man stood there holding two sets of bedding.
"That's us," Tang San replied, raising his hand. "Are you the teacher in charge of assigning work-study students? I already paid tuition and I'm not a work-study student. But a girl who just left to buy bedding might be."
"No," the man said with a shake of his head. He walked over to Zhou Qing and Tang San. "I saw your profiles from Mo Hen. Since you're from the countryside, I brought you some bedding."
"Thanks, but we already bought ours," Zhou Qing replied, instantly recognizing the unkempt man.
Yu Xiaogang!
Earlier, because of how things played out at the gate, they hadn't crossed paths. But now he had come directly to them.
Of course! This guy is desperate to prove himself. Since he can't do it on his own, he wants to bet on a talented student. One from a humble background would be ideal.
That must be why he's been "hiding" at Nuoding Academy so he can keep checking on new student records every year.
But why Nuoding Academy specifically?
Zhou Qing immediately thought of the answer Yu Xiaogang had an old connection with the academy headmaster...
"It's alright, it never hurts to have a spare," Yu Xiaogang said with a smile, placing the bedding in front of them.
But Zhou Qing wouldn't let it go so easily.
He replied firmly, "Teacher, this feels like an insult!"
Yu Xiaogang froze, baffled. "What do you mean by that?"
Zhou Qing said, "We may be poor country kids, but we've got pride. Our village chief taught us to live with dignity and to never accept charity from others!"