Inside a secluded room away from the kitchen.
Xie Ninger leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, one brow arched high.
A sharp scoff escaped her lips as she eyed Ace with pure disbelief.
"So, let get this straight." Her voice dripped with skepticism. "You're telling that you t the Hua family ancestor because she needed a ride across the Dark Valley River?"
She let out a short, humorless laugh, shaking her head.
"Xiao Zhi, I may not be the most knowledgeable person out there, but even I know that the Hua family's ancestor has been at the Legend Rank for centuries!"
She jabbed a finger toward him. "A Legend Rank! And you expect to believe that soone at that level—soone with countless ans to travel—needed you to ferry her across a river?"
Her eyes widened in sheer incredulity. "A boat ride? Really?"
Ace, lounging lazily in his seat, exhaled slowly. He didn't bother defending himself right away.
Instead, he let his gaze drift, lost in thought as he recalled the bizarre incident.
To be fair, when it happened, he too thought it was utterly ridiculous.
"Did you know that people who cross the sea at night during this season… never return?"
Those were her exact words.
And the worst part? SHE HAD SAID THEM WHILE THEY WERE ALREADY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA!
Ace could still rember the way his grip had tightened around the oar, how his arms had burned from rowing that frail, barely-holding-itself-together excuse of a boat.
The wooden fra creaked with every wave, as if it would shatter at any mont.
Beside him, Liu i, who seems to not understand the severity of the issue rowed the boat under his orders while still chatting amicably with Sarah.
While Sarah was the only one having fun, holding her lantern high, hell, she was even waving her leg as she watched him row.
Ace let out a dry sigh, shaking his head.
"At that ti, I had no idea she was the Hua family's ancestor."
Xie Ninger still looked like she couldn't believe a word of it, but Ace had no intention of giving her ti to dwell.
"I've answered your question." His voice was casual, but his eyes sharpened. "Now, why are you so desperate to reach the capital?"
Xie Ninger took a slow, asured breath.
[I'm sorry, I can't tell you the truth.]
The system ssage flickered into view before Ace's eyes.
Her voice, however, was steady when she spoke. "I need to et my little brother. He's not responding to any of my ssages as of late."
Her tone carried a confident tone.
But Ace's gaze didn't leave the system ssage in front of him.
His lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Oh? Do tell about this brother of yours. I'm quite curious."
[He's already dead… Why would you want to know?]
Xie Ninger forced a laugh. "Um, well… My brother is the silent type. He won't like company."
A poor excuse.
Ace didn't press further. Whatever her real reason was, she probably wouldn't reveal it now. And frankly, he really didn't pity her. Well, he didn't really care.
Instead, he shifted the topic. "Why do you need my help though?"
Xie Ninger's expression darkened. "The Head Huntress—your mother—put a bounty on my head. I can't enter the city through normal ans."
Ace's mind clicked the pieces together. "So you want to stay inside my space and expect to bring you out when I enter the city?"
She didn't deny it.
"Yeah," she admitted. "I hope you can really help ."
"But.. what makes you so sure that I own the Divine Garden?" Ace asked, narrowing his eyes.
Xie Ninger didn't hesitate. "Your laziness."
Ace blinked, staring at her.
She cleared her throat. "Let explain. I've been keeping tabs on you ever since you got banished. Every week, I reported back to your mother."
"I already know that part," Ace said flatly.
"Right, but then you started acting strange. You didn't eat for nearly a week. Well… it seems my rejection really did a number on you," she added with a smirk.
Ace's face darkened.
Still, as he recalled those early days, he cringed.
Instead of moving forward, he had wasted an entire week drowning in self-pity.
Back then, all he could think about was—
Why wasn't i enough? What was i lacking? What was I missing?
Then, as if rembering sothing ridiculous, a thought burst into his mind.
Yeah, f**k Rina! Who cares about her anyway?
anwhile, Xie Ninger continued, completely oblivious to his internal crisis.
"One week without food is manageable for a peak Warrior. That wasn't what stood out. It was what happened next."
She took a deep breath.
"You never once hit Liu i. She brought you fruits, and you ate them. But here's the thing—you didn't et anyone else, yet you always had a fresh supply of spirit apples."
Ace's brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
"And then, when we were treating Xiao i, you said you had a master. You claid you would go pick sothing up from them, but I know that you never t with anyone."
She crossed her arms, her expression unwavering.
"You do a bad job at telling lies, I can't believe everyone else actually believed your words."
She leaned back, satisfied.
Ace exhaled through his nose, rubbing his temple. 'Hey I ca from a peace loving world. How would I know anything about covering up tracks. Tch.'
He clicked his tongue as he leaned leaned back, arms crossed. "Now.. what exactly do I get out of this?"
Xie Ninger didn't hesitate. "Everything I own." Her voice carried a sense of finality, as if she had already accepted the cost.
"Everything?" Ace raised a brow.
"I'll give it all to you within a week's ti."
Ace took a slow breath, considering his response.
Just as Ace was about to respond, his vision flickered. A system ssage materialized before his eyes.
[Host, your connection to the outer world is weakening. You must leave imdiately.]
Ace blinked. "What?"
The words hadn't even finished registering when the system yanked him out.
His eyes snapped open and instead of the wreck he expect to see.
A small girl lay sprawled before him, her breathing weak, fingers curled tightly around a ring.
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