Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

As Ace stepped outside, he was met with the soft, rhythmic cadence of a story being told.

"…And so, when he claimed the world was merely an extension of his body, no one believed him. They scoffed when he spoke of a place where immortals could be slain by mere mortals."

The voice was gentle and steady.

"He was even famous for his kindness to mortals, treating them as equals. But people fear what they don't understand. If someone told you that you were merely living on top of their body, would you accept it?"

"No!" a child's voice answered, full of conviction.

A little girl, the one called Stupid Fool, leaned forward eagerly. "Grandma, Grandma! What happened next?"

Liu Mei, basking in the attention, was about to continue on, until her eyes landed on Ace.

She froze.

"…Ah. M-Master," she stammered, her laughter turning sheepish.

The children, oblivious to her embarrassment, turned their attention to Ace in an instant.

"Master?" one child echoed.

Another joined in. Then another.

Before he knew it, a small swarm of children had surrounded him, their eyes brimming with excitement.

"Mr. Master! Can you let Grandma teach us how to fight?"

Ace blinked. Grandma?

His gaze flickered to Liu Mei, who was already red with embarrassment, sinking into herself as if she wished the ground would swallow her whole.

Just then, a chorus of grumbling stomachs echoed through the air.

The kids ignored it, used to going hungry, but Ace didn't ignored it as he had already made preparation for it.

"Alright, settle down," he said, clapping his hands. "Liu Mei, is Lily already out investigating?"

Liu Mei opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak.

"Oh my, Master, I'm back just in time, aren't I?"

Lily's voice rang out as she strolled toward them, a small boy trailing behind her.

"This boy is Xiwei," she announced with a grin.

Ace nodded. "Good good. Now, let's feed the kids."

Lily's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Master, shall we escort them inside the system space?"

Ace blinked. "Huh? Oh right… RIGHT!"

He reached out to activate the system, only to freeze when the familiar spatial portal actually opened this time.

Ace frowned. "Wait a second… Lily, why has the system been malfunctioning so much lately? I got kicked out twice already."

Lily tilted her head innocently. "Oh, that's because there are way too many residents inside the space right now."

"…Too many?" Ace narrowed his eyes.

"Well, Master…" Lily gave him a sly look. "You still haven't sold those arrogant fools despite saying you would."

Ace's jaw twitched. "I—"

"I have them locked up for now," Lily continued sweetly, her smile small but oh-so-smug.

Ace exhaled. "Fine, fine. I'll go sell them while the kids are being fed."

"Okay, okay! Kids, let's go eat until our bellies burst!" Lily announced dramatically, her enthusiasm infectious as the children cheered.

Ace sighed, watching as he tried opening the system space again.

He rubbed his temples, realizing just how bad this could get. If the system was already struggling, what would happen if an emergency hit?

He had been too relaxed about it, way too careless.

[Host! Insufficient energy. Please refrain from entering the space yourself.]

Ace stared at the message. Then he smirked. "Ah, finally. It actually tells me what's wrong."

Lily giggled.

"Lily, take the kids to Shane. I won't be entering. And while you're at it, send Shan Yifeng out."

At that moment, Liu Mei tugged on his sleeve.

"Master…" she mumbled hesitantly.

Ace raised a brow.

"…Can I stay outside too?" she asked in a timid voice.

Before she could hear an answer, she heard her master say to the kids. "You need your grandma, right?"

The kids immediately lit up. "Yes, Grandma stays!"

"Well, Mei'er, the verdict is in," Ace said, crossing his arms. "You have to stay inside the space with them."

"But… but, Master—!"

Ace didn't even let Liu Mei finish. He turned away, waving dismissively as Lily grabbed her by the wrist.

"Come along, 'Grandma,'" Lily said sweetly, her grip tightening.

"Wait, I—!"

"Too late." With a playful hum, Lily yanked Liu Mei into the portal, the kids cheering as they followed along.

Ace let out a long sigh as the system space sealed shut behind them.

It wasn't long before Shan Yifeng stepped out of the system space.

But he wasn't alone.

Trailing beside him was Xie Ninger, her arms crossed and her expression dark.

Ace barely had time to react before she stormed up to him, her glare sharp enough to cut.

"And why exactly are you here?" Ace asked puzzled.

"You disappeared in the middle of our conversation!" she fumed, hands on her hips.

"Ah… right." Guilt tugged at Ace's conscience, but he quickly smothered it.

He scratched his head, debating whether an explanation was even worth the effort.

In the end, he sighed. "Look, I'll help you get into the capital, but before that, I need you to help investigate this village."

Xie Ninger huffed but gave a nonchalant shrug. "Fine by me."

Shan Yifeng, who had been standing quietly, suddenly beamed. "Master, did you miss me?"

Ace squinted at him. "Don't tell me you're trying to imitate Liu Mei… If you are, please stop. It's creepy."

Shan Yifeng merely chuckled, his expression unreadable. Then, as if flipping a switch, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Master," he said, his voice lowering, "I smell blood."

Ace's gaze sharpened. "Oh? Where?"

Before Shan Yifeng could answer, Xie Ninger, who had already perched herself atop a nearby rooftop, dropped down with a grim expression.

"He's not wrong," she confirmed. "There's a strong stench of blood in this village. Are we really staying to investigate?"

Ace frowned. "How bad is it?"

Xie Ninger hesitated, her brows furrowing. "The kind of smell that lingers after thousands of murders."

Ace stiffened. "A thousand—?! How the hell can you even tell?"

She tapped her nose. "I can smell it."

Ace turned to Shan Yifeng for confirmation.

Shan Yifeng, as usual, simply smiled peacefully.

Ace exhaled sharply. "Alright then. Change of plans, we're leaving the village."

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