Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

"Boy, tell me—what kind of benefits do I get if I save you?" Sarah's lips curled into a smirk, her lantern swaying slightly in her grip.

Ace met her gaze, then turned his head toward Xiao Wuzi.

Xiao Wuzi was powerful—there was no denying that. But while his experience stretched across thousands, perhaps even millions of years, his current body was a limitation.

He had only just stepped into the initial Legend rank, whereas Sarah stood at the peak of it.

If he had a proper host, one that could withstand the full force of his techniques, then challenging someone a realm above wouldn't have been out of the question.

But right now? Right now, he had to be careful. He had to preserve this body.

Tch! If only I had a better host...

His fingers twitched at his side.

A brief hesitation. A fleeting moment of calculation. And in that brief moment, Ace made his move.

Ace's fingers curled around Xie Ninger's arm. In an instant, the world blurred. Wind howled past his ears, his muscles screaming in protest as he forced his broken body to move.

It didn't take long before he vanished along with Xie Ning'er.

Xiao Wuzi's fists clenched. His jaw tightened as anger simmered beneath his calm exterior.

His expression darkened instantly. His face turned ashen as he realized it too late.

Sarah's presence had stalled him just long enough.

"I shouldn't have hesitated." His voice was low, filled with self-reproach.

His cold gaze turned toward Sarah.

'If she hadn't interrupted…

If she hadn't given Sly Fox Xiao Zhi time to prepare…

Then that boy would have already been dead.'

Sarah frowned, her eyes narrowing.

"Where did he go?"

Xiao Wuzi didn't respond. He simply stood there, staring at the spot where Ace had vanished.

Her patience thinned. "Xiao family head, I asked you a question."

Xiao Wuzi exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. "Ghost of the Hua family… You let that sly fellow escape."

Sarah raised a brow. "Sly? As far as I recall, he's just a scaredy cat."

Xiao Wuzi chuckled, a deep, knowing sound. "That's exactly why I call him sly. You don't even knew you got played."

His gaze flickered with something unreadable. "I, on the other hand, have known him for half my life."

Xiao Wuzi then let out a breath before continuing,

"As the owner of the Divine Garden, he can enter and leave the space at will."

Sarah's eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought he was just the envoy?"

Xiao Wuzi scoffed. "No. Just because he has a mouth and knows how to speak doesn't mean every word that comes out of it is the absolute truth." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Sarah scoffed, twirling her lantern between her fingers. "Are you calling me stupid? I've lived for a thousand years, Xiao Wuzi, I don't waste breath arguing with toddlers."

Xiao Wuzi chuckled, shaking his head. "A thousand years, and you think that makes you old? Please. Grow a pair."

With that, he descended, landing where Ace had disappeared.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a handful of spirit stones and began inscribing formations into the soil.

Sarah watched him with mild curiosity. "What are you doing?"

Xiao Wuzi smirked. "Setting up a trap."

* * *

Ace stared up at the sky after entering the system space, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath.

Beside him, Xie Ninger lay unconscious.

He hadn't entered immediately—he had hesitated, ensuring he could bring her in with him. And now, as he looked at her, a single thought lingered in his mind.

Why did I even bother?

Ace gritted his teeth, forcing his arms to push against the cold, unyielding ground. His muscles screamed.

Every inch of his skin burned, each movement tearing at open wounds.

A thick, metallic taste filled his mouth. His breath hitched, shallow and ragged.

With a thought, the system tab flickered open.

"Lily, come pick me up," he ordered.

The damage was worse than he had expected. His fingers brushed against his abdomen, coming away slick with blood.

His gaze darkened.

"I'll come get my revenge, you stupid old man."

Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself toward a boulder and slumped down against it. His breath was ragged, his limbs heavy.

To hell with compassion.

He had nearly died due to her.

'Now that I've taken this risk, this better be worth the damn trouble.'

In the distance, he saw Lily rushing toward him.

Only then did he finally let his eyes close.

After an uncounted stretch of time, Ace slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw were two round, plump melons resting before him.

Perfectly shaped. Juicy. Tempting.

He stared.

"...Ahem."

A soft cough snapped him out of it.

Ace blinked, his gaze shifting up to meet Lily's.

She stood there, cheeks faintly flushed, but her expression was unreadable, somewhere between amusement and mild exasperation.

Still, he didn't look away.

"Lily," he said, his voice calm. "Bring me the melons."

Lily hesitated for half a second before stepping closer and holding them out to him.

Now that they were right in front of him, he took a long, close-up look before he glanced up at her.

"Can I eat it?"

Lily's blush deepened, but she nodded. "It's all yours, Master. Do whatever you want with it."

Ace didn't hesitate.

He sank his teeth into the neatly sliced melon, cool sweetness flooding his mouth.

The juice trickled down his throat, soothing and refreshing.

Chewing thoughtfully, he paused.

"…Wait." He glanced at Lily. "Do we even have melons on the farm? I don't recall planting any."

Lily tapped her chin, pretending to think, before snapping her fingers.

"Oh! Aunt Hong had some watermelons stored away. She gave me a few."

Ace nodded approvingly. "Good. Go plant the seeds."

Lily's lips twitched. "Sure, sure! Oh, and lend me Yuu too."

Ace didn't even open his eyes.

He waved a dismissive hand, already halfway into another juicy bite. "Yeah, yeah, take her; just don't bring her back all broken."

The cool, sweet juice trickled down his chin as he leaned back, exhaling in pure contentment.

Finally something in his life that wasn't trying to kill him.