Ace left the system space before anyone could settle in enough to start questioning him—especially his sister, Ruby.
He wasn't ready for that conversation just yet.
Now standing outside, he let his gaze sweep over the small, empty house. It looked lonelier than he rembered.
The warmth that once filled it had been replaced by silence, as if it had been waiting for this mont to be abandoned.
"I wonder if there's anything important to Aunt Hong that is available here," he mused.
Without hesitation, he opened a gate and summoned Lily who arrived swiftly.
"Bring a few people over, take everything into the space.," Ace instructed.
Lily gave a slight nod, and within monts, a group of humans walked out of the gate and were set to work.
They dismantled the house with practiced precision, salvaging everything of value. It was quick—too quick.
Ace folded his arms, watching as the last piece of wood was taken away. "Well, they sure work fast."
With nothing left to tie him here, he turned away and walked toward the fields.
The path was as peaceful as he rembered, the gentle rustling of leaves and distant hum of village life creating a familiar backdrop.
Upon reaching the fields, he saw the villagers already at work, bent over in the wet soil, carefully planting rice seedlings.
The irrigation improvents had made things easier, yet the sight of old n toiling under the morning sun gave the scene a sense of tilessness.
His gaze drifted to a particular plot of land. It was flourishing now, completely covered in spirit rice.
Then, another field—the one where Liu i and Shan Yifeng once had their childish mud-throwing battle.
He could still hear Shan Yifeng's outraged shrieks and Liu i's smug laughter.
Yet now, the soil had been perfectly replanted, as if their antics had never happened.
"Liu i's mother sure works hard," he muttered to himself.
Then, he reached an area separate from the farmlands. Squatting down, he let his fingers run through the dirt.
This was where he and Shan Yifeng had buried the body of those assassins.
Ace's eyes twitched for a second as he realised that the soil had been disturbed.
His expression darkened.
"Well… this is interesting."
Ace left the village behind and continued his journey, eventually arriving at a familiar settlent—the small town where he and his disciples often stopped when traveling between White-Oak City and Catfish Village.
As usual, he found himself at an inn, craving a quiet al before setting off again.
"Uncle, so pork belly with a plate of ran, please."
The order was placed, and soon, steaming food was set before him. He picked up his chopsticks, savoring the rich flavors.
Then, a familiar voice rang out.
"Uncle, a bowl of ran, please."
Ace didn't need to look up. He knew who it was.
Sitting across from him, as if this were just a casual encounter, was Xie Ninger.
"I really, really need your help," she said.
Ace barely spared her a glance. Instead, he continued chewing a piece of pork belly with deliberate slowness.
"Xiao Zhi…" Xie Ninger called again, her voice quieter this ti.
Still, he didn't respond. Instead, he casually slurped his noodles, ignoring her entirely.
So might question why he paired pork belly with ran.
Well, there was no particular reason.
It was just a rebellious teen phase—doing things simply because he felt like it.
Silence stretched between them as her own bowl of ran was served. She began eating too, matching his pace.
Minutes passed before Ace finally spoke, setting his chopsticks down.
"What is it that you really want?"
She hesitated for a brief mont before replying.
"Take into the capital."
Ace raised a brow. "Why not go yourself?"
Before she could answer—
BOOM!
The world exploded.
One second, Ace was savoring the umami of pork belly, and the next, fire and splintered wood engulfed him.
A deafening roar filled his ears as a shockwave tore through the inn, throwing tables and shattering beams. Heat seared against his skin.
He barely registered his body crashing through the wreckage, the impact rattling through his bones.
For a mont, the world blurred.
Then, through the haze of destruction, a voice cut through the chaos.
"Hahaha… Xiao Zhi, I expected better from you!"
Ace gritted his teeth, forcing himself to rise. Pain flared through his body, but he refused to stay down. His vision swam as he looked toward the source of the voice.
A figure erged through the smoke, his silhouette frad against the raging flas.
Xiao Wuzi.
The family head of the Xiao Clan. The man Ace had actually been wary of for so long.
He wasn't in a hurry. He walked through the wreckage at a leisurely pace, stepping over broken beams as if they were re inconveniences. His presence was suffocating, soul energy crackling around him.
He stopped a few feet away, peering down at Ace with an air of mild amusent.
"Die for ," Xiao Wuzi said simply.
He raised his palm. Power crackled in his hand, gathering into a devastating attack.
Ace clenched his fists, but his body refused to move fast enough. He could only watch as the attack was about to be unleashed—
Then, another voice interrupted.
"My, my… what do we have here?"
It wasn't loud.
A slow, deliberate set of footsteps echoed through the ruins. Sohow, amidst the broken wood and rising flas, the sound was eerily clear.
A woman stepped into view holding a lantern, illuminated by its flickering light.
Sarah.
His heart clenched.
mories of the rotten boat trip across the Dark Valley Sea flashed through his mind.
And now, she was here.
Xiao Wuzi's expression darkened with wariness. "The Hua family's ancestor?"
Sarah smirked, the lantern swaying ever so slightly in her grasp. "That's right."
Xiao Wuzi scoffed. "What brings you here?"
Sarah tilted her head, her smile never wavering. "This boy here—he's mine. I've marked him as my target."
Xiao Wuzi chuckled. "Good. That makes things easier. I only need him dead. You can have the rest."
Sarah's smirk deepened. "No, no. I don't need the rest."
Xiao Wuzi's amusent faltered slightly. "You will need it. From what I can see, you're on the verge of ascending to immortality. And I can provide you with a hint on how to achieve it."
Sarah's gaze then flickered towards Ace.
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