Extra Chapter 4:

Lu Yu’s admission into the military academy went very smoothly, even with Her Majesty the Queen’s endorsement. However, the matter of a female entering the academy also drew widespread public attention—

"Is it true a female applied to the military academy?"

"I don’t get it. The Empire has progressed so much, so why would a female apply to the military academy? What does this mean? Don’t tell me females will be able to fight on the front lines in the future. That’s just unbelievable!"

"This is something you wouldn’t even dare to dream of in the past. Females are really starting to change!"

"By the way, did you guys not know? The female who applied to the academy is Lu Xiao’s youngest sister. I also heard she has another sister who’s a military doctor. Their family is a true role model."

"To be honest, the trend of female empowerment is in full swing now. The female in my family doesn’t dare act so willfully anymore. If she misbehaves, the female head of the house will actually discipline her now. After all, females care a lot about their reputation. Nowadays, if you go out and people start talking about whose family’s female hasn’t changed yet, they get ridiculed. But I think it’s great!" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Seriously, I think this new atmosphere is pretty good. My mother and Father’s relationship has gotten a lot more harmonious. Life feels more and more exciting. I never wanted to find a female partner before, but now I’m starting to consider it. I used to be afraid of being bullied, but now I feel like there’s hope!"

...

The buzz around Lu Yu entering the military academy continued, but she had already successfully enrolled. Lu Huan accompanied her to register at the academy that day. Lu Xiao had originally planned to come as well, but she was too famous now, and her appearance would have easily caused a commotion.

It was better for Lu Yu to keep a low profile on her first day.

However, Lu Xiao had bought Lu Yu new bedding and had someone deliver it to her dorm room in advance.

After Lu Huan helped Lu Yu finish the registration process and they entered the dorm room, they found the conditions weren’t great, but not terrible either. Because Lu Yu was a female, she was assigned a single room.

The male students were all in four-person rooms.

Lu Huan started helping tidy up the dorm, but Lu Yu stopped her. "Sis, don’t worry about it. I can clean up later. Tell me, how’s your internship at the military hospital going?"

"What can I say? It is what it is. Seeing patients, saving lives—no different from a regular doctor. I just don’t know when they’ll assign us to the front lines. Everyone’s getting impatient."

"At least you have a chance soon. I have to wait four years before I can go to the front," Lu Yu said with a helpless look.

"Don’t be jealous. I might have to wait that long too. Maybe we’ll even end up going together!"

"That would be great! We could look out for each other, hehe." Lu Yu giggled and hugged Lu Huan. "Sis, I feel like this life is something I never dared to imagine. I never thought I’d be able to apply to the military academy. It really feels like a dream."

"That’s because we have a great older sister. If she hadn’t set an example for us, you and I would have just ended up like Mother."

Lu Yu nodded, then hesitated for a moment. "Have you been to see Mother?"

"I have. Her life isn’t as good as it used to be, but she’s not starving. She’s just putting on a brave face for the sake of her pride. I only go back to see her once in a while. That’s about it."

"Me too. I only go back to see her occasionally. Sis, I really don’t want to become a person like Mother. I’m terrified of it. That’s why I don’t dare to slack off. I’m afraid that any laziness will turn me into that, and that’s just too scary!"

"We won’t. Neither of us will. And our eldest sister wouldn’t let us, either. Otherwise, she’d literally beat us up." Lu Huan thought back to how she used to be—a truly dark Chapter in her history. But thankfully, she had come to her senses.

The two chatted for a while longer. After they finished cleaning the dorm, Lu Yu put her things down and turned to Lu Huan. "Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria and see how the food is here."

Ever since the military districts established their own mess halls, the military academies had also brought in chefs.

Now, they ate normal meals most of the time; nutrient solutions were no longer a necessity for soldiers.

On their way to the cafeteria, Lu Huan and Lu Yu ran into many male students from the same year who were also registering.

When they saw Lu Huan and Lu Yu, they all looked astonished.

Lu Huan whispered, "You’ll probably run into this a lot at school from now on."

Lu Yu said nonchalantly, "Let them stare. It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of flesh over it. Besides, once I beat them all to the ground, the only thing they’ll feel when they see me is fear!"

After hearing this, Lu Huan found herself unable to argue. She even felt that Lu Yu had a point.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, they found it was even more crowded. The moment Lu Yu and Lu Huan walked in, the air went silent for a few seconds.

Then, people started whispering—

"Hey, hey, isn’t that Lu Yu? Oh my god, I can’t believe she actually showed up to register!"

"I wonder which class she’ll be assigned to. It’d be great if we were in the same one!"

"Ahhh, who’s that with her? It doesn’t look like Lu Xiao."

"That must be Lu Huan. I remember she’s a military doctor. My brother hurt his wrist during training a couple of days ago, and she was the one who treated him!"

"Lu Xiao’s two younger sisters are so outstanding, too. I wonder what kind of males they’ll choose as partners!"

"They’ll definitely be extremely picky when it comes to partners. We shouldn’t even get our hopes up!"

"Honestly, I don’t think Lu Yu will be able to last. Even though we’re an academy and the training isn’t as intense as in the military districts, it’s still not easy for us to get through. Let alone a female!"

"Why are you so doubtful? You think Lu Yu can’t handle it? I think she can. I just went to check the entrance exam rankings. Lu Yu placed in the top ten, with a better score than a lot of the males. Don’t underestimate her. Plus, I heard she started training years ago. She’s definitely got the willpower!"

"I agree. The very fact that she, as a female, applied to the military academy means she’s already thought it through. There’s no way she’s afraid of a little hardship."

"I think so too. Besides, her father is Admiral Clan, and she has Lu Xiao and Ares. How could she not know what she’d be facing by enrolling in the academy?"

...

The voices weren’t quiet, and both Lu Yu and Lu Huan heard them. Neither of them said anything, though. When it came to this issue, they had both thought about it more clearly than anyone.

It was precisely because they were females that they had to think about it so clearly. After all, if they hadn’t chosen this path, their lives would have been exceedingly comfortable.

And for that very reason, they understood better than anyone what they were truly doing.

Neither Lu Huan nor Lu Yu ever regretted their decision. Lu Xiao had once told them that one’s destiny must be held in one’s own hands. Only by becoming strong could they have the power to choose their own path in life!