Ace took a sip of the tea and warmth spread through his chest like a slow sunrise, the subtle bitterness of the leaves balanced by a whisper of floral sweetness.
He could taste the effort in it, not perfection, but earnest precision. A touch too long on the steep, maybe, but it gave the flavor more weight, more soul.
The aftertaste lingered like a mory, soft, elusive, but comforting.
In his mind, the words ford on their own.
Quiet resolve… rushed action… and just the tiniest pinch of stubborn pride.
He glanced at Lotus over the rim of the cup, thoughtful.
Then, without warning, a frown tugged at his lips.
Wait a minute... since when did I beco a tea connoisseur?
That thought barely had ti to finish before A strange pressure built behind his eyes, like a dam creaking under weight.
His grip on the cup tightened, knuckles whitening as a surge of unfamiliar terminology flooded his thoughts, oxidation stages, altitude-specific steep curves, mineral infusions...
He winced.
"If you cut the steeping ti by twelve seconds and use spring water filtered through spirit stone dust, the aroma will stabilize better in cooler climates," he blurted out.
Everyone turned to stare.
Liu i raised an eyebrow. "Master, are you... okay?"
Shan Yifeng, now sitting up, scratched his head.
Lotus, on the other hand, was furiously scribbling sothing on a small notepad she'd produced out of nowhere.
Ace stared down at the cup in mild horror.
"System," he muttered under his breath, "did you just upload tea knowledge into my brain?"
There was no response from the system.
But Ace suddenly felt a wave of dizziness crash over him.
He raised a hand weakly, motioning to Lotus. "Leave us alone for now."
Lotus didn't need to be told twice. "Gladly!"
she chirped, vanishing so fast she nearly left a dust trail behind. The door clicked shut behind her like a punctuation mark.
Ace turned to his disciples, his voice quiet but firm. "Stay inside the house. Don't wander outside."
Without waiting for a response, he lowered himself to the cold, hard floor, laying his head flat against it.
The coolness helped, but only just.
Liu i hesitated, her gaze locked on him, concern written all over her face.
Then, slowly, almost cautiously, she knelt beside him and leaned forward, placing her ear gently against his chest.
Her lashes fluttered as she closed her eyes, listening, perhaps for his heartbeat, perhaps for sothing deeper.
Shan Yifeng watched the scene with a furrowed brow. He took a seat near the wall, arms crossed, his sharp eyes narrowing.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, voice calm but edged with curiosity.
Liu i turned her head slightly, blinking. "Did what?"
"You can read thoughts," Shan said, his tone matter-of-fact. "I don't know how, but you can. So why didn't you read Miss Lotus's thoughts when she ca in?"
Liu i blinked. Then again, slower this ti. Her cheeks tingled with warmth.
She scratched her cheek with a single finger, glancing away, then back. "Ahaha… yeah, yes, yes, you're right…" she stamred.
A lump of embarrassnt settled in her throat, and her laugh ca out awkwardly loud. "Haha… how silly of …"
The laugh kept going, awkward and a little too loud, as her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. She looked genuinely embarrassed.
'Why didn't I think of that?' she thought to herself, ntally smacking her forehead.
Is this what Master ant when he said bad people always have an IQ tax around the hero?'
Then she suddenly turned towards Shan yifeng, an expression full of mischief, her earlier embarrassnt gone like a puff of smoke.
"Junior Brother Shan," she cooed, each word slow and deliberate, like she was drawing a blade she didn't intend to use.. yet.
Shan Yifeng didn't move, but his gaze slid toward her. "What are you scheming?"
Before the words had even left his mouth, he felt a familiar pressure nudge at the edge of his mind. His eyes snapped to her, narrowing.
But Liu i only giggled, hands folded under her chin as she rocked slightly in place. "Tch, can't even catch you off guard…," she sighed.
With a soft hum of mock defeat, she lowered herself beside Ace. Her fingers brushed his robe like it was sacred fabric.
She rested her head on his chest, listening to the calm rhythm filled with warm. Solid.
Her body relaxed, her breath grew soft—and within seconds, she'd drifted off, a small smile lingering on her lips.
Shan Yifeng squinted, watching them in silence for a long mont.
He didn't speak for a while.
Then, Shan Yifeng stood slowly, his expression unreadable. With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned a brush and knelt at the threshold.
Lines flowed beneath his hands, precise, geotric, glowing faintly like starlight trapped in ink.
"Rest well, Master," he murmured, sealing the last sigil with a soft press.
Then he turned his eyes to the rest of the house, the one the academy had issued to his Master and let his gaze linger thoughtfully on a side wall.
"…I should add a formation room nearby after I claim my money," he muttered to himself, already mapping out the design in his head as he quietly stepped outside.
As soon as Shan Yifeng stepped outside, he paused.
To his right, a boy stood waiting, calm, composed, and exactly where he expected him to be.
"Well, looks like I was right," he muttered under his breath.
The boy inclined his head. "Young master, your 50,000 gold is ready. Please, follow ."
Shan Yifeng studied him more closely. Despite being called a boy, he looked every bit an adult, likely eighteen or older.
He wore the academy's uniform: a pristine white robe accented with a single line of gold running along the shoulders.
It wasn't just clothing. On him, it looked like a badge of separation, marking the line between the noble and the ordinary.
Yet despite the elegant robes and composed deanor, the student reeked of nervous energy, like a peacock puffing its feathers, hoping no one noticed the tremble in its legs
Shan Yifeng didn't stay for long. He gave the quiet interior one last glance before stepping outside.
He followed the student in silence, but inwardly, his thoughts stirred.
'I, an eleven-year-old, act more refined than this grown man', he mused, watching the student's overly rigid posture and the way he seed to walk with exaggerated importance.
Is this what passes for maturity around here?
Shan's eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his mouth tugging up in a faint smirk.
He kept his pace slow and asured, hands behind his back like a young lord inspecting his estate.
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