Ace and Liu i searched their surroundings, but there was no sign of Sarah.
Did she fall into the Dark River? Or—was she so kind of high-level cultivator who couldn't fly but could teleport?
No matter how Ace tried to make sense of it, nothing added up.
Liu i clutched White Fur tightly, her small hands trembling against the thick, soft fur. The unease in her eyes was unmistakable.
Ace noticed. As the adult, it was his responsibility to reassure her.
"Oh, right," he said suddenly, as if recalling a long-forgotten detail. "She did ntion she was a Legend Rank cultivator, didn't she? How could I forget?"
"Really?" Liu i whispered, her voice barely audible, tinged with hesitant hope.
Ace tapped his chin, feigning deep thought before sighing dramatically.
"Oh, wait. She was a ghost."
For the first ti, Liu i let out a high-pitched shriek—one that could probably be heard halfway across the valley.
In an instant, she bolted toward Ace, throwing herself at him with a terrified wail.
"Master, master! Hold ! Don't leave !" she sobbed, burying her face into his robes.
Tears spilled onto White Fur's pristine coat, but the five-tailed snow fox didn't so much as twitch.
She remained nestled in Liu i's arms, calm and unmoving, as if she understood the little girl's fear.
Ace sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile. Without hesitation, he scooped Liu i up into his arms.
She was still just a child—light as a feather in his grasp. And besides, he was Silver Rank now. He could carry her all day if he had to.
Liu i clung to him tightly, sniffling against his shoulder.
Ace patted her back. "Alright, alright. No ghosts will take you while I'm here. Happy now?"
She gave a tiny nod against him, but her arms didn't loosen.
Ace exhaled, adjusting his grip. "Looks like I'm stuck carrying you for a while."
But as he held her close, he didn't really mind.
"Now you finally act like a child," Ace muttered, adjusting his grip on Liu i as she nestled against his shoulder.
A tiny voice, barely above a whisper, reached his ears—so soft that only he could hear.
"But… but they said I should grow up quickly and stop being useless…"
Ace's grip tightened slightly. His steps slowed.
"Did your mother say that?" he asked, his tone unusually gentle.
Liu i shook her head against him. "No… she did not."
Ace tilted his head slightly. "Then what does she say?"
Liu i lifted her head just enough to look at him, her earlier fear now replaced with a warm, innocent glow in her eyes.
"Master, my mother always says… she's happy to see healthy and active! Hehe!" She bead, rocking excitedly in his arms as if she hadn't been on the verge of tears monts ago.
Ace exhaled through his nose, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.
"Then that's all that matters, isn't it?"
Liu i nodded eagerly, her small arms wrapping around his neck with a giggle.
Ace sighed. "Right. Looks like I'm carrying you a little longer, then."
Liu i gasped dramatically. "Master! Master! Are you calling fat?!"
Ace gave her a deadpan look. "I'm saying you've grown too comfortable."
"Hehehe, that's because Master is comfy~!" she chirped, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder like a spoiled kitten.
Ace groaned, but the warmth in his eyes never faded.
At least she was acting her age now.
The snow fox, having reclaid its rightful throne atop Ace's head, nestled comfortably in his hair, while Liu i remained snug in his arms, her fingers idly playing with the ends of his sleeves.
With the road stretching endlessly before them, the trio marched forward, their journey far from over.
Ace, for the first ti in a long while, allowed himself to relax.
Perhaps it was the lingering warmth of Liu i's earlier words, or maybe the sheer absurdity of everything he'd been through finally dulled his sense of urgency, but he found himself doing sothing strange—sothing unlike him.
He opened his mouth to share stories.
Not just the usual grumbling or sarcastic remarks, real stories, events of his past world. Well he shared it in such a manner where it all sounded like a magical world.
He spoke of vast cities that stretched into the sky, of glowing screens that answered any question with a simple touch, of vehicles that roared like beasts yet needed no spirit stones to move.
Liu i listened with wide, fascinated eyes, her little hands grasping at his robes whenever a particularly exciting part ca up. Even White Fur twitched her ears in interest, her five tails swaying lazily in rhythm with Ace's words.
For a brief mont, he forgot about the dangers ahead.
For a brief mont, he forgot that these children—his disciples—were just that.
Children.
A sharp chi suddenly rang in his head, yanking him back to reality.
[Ding!
Host… You have been neglecting cultivation for a while.]
Ace nearly tripped. "Oh, co on! Can't I have one peaceful mont?"
[Peaceful mont? You've been slacking. Where's the discipline? Where's the motivation?]
"Oh, I don't know," Ace drawled. "Maybe still recovering from the part where I had to cross a nightmare-infested valley with one kid and one ghost in tow?"
[Host, please. Crossing Dark River was nothing.]
Ace scoffed. "Nothing? You made it feel like I was trudging through the River of Reincarnation itself!"
[Ah, well then, congratulations. Your reward for completing the quest will still be oxygen.]
Ace blinked.
"…What?"
[Did you not breathe during this entire trip?]
Ace opened his mouth, then closed it.
"...You're telling my reward was breathing?"
[Correct. I'm sure I ntioned that before the trip began.]
Ace's eye twitched.
[If you had a brain, you'd realize the quest reward was already being handed out before you even started. That only ans one thing.]
Ace exhaled sharply. "...And what's that?"
[It ans you were guaranteed to complete the quest from the beginning.]
Ace paused, processing that information.
"Huh. That's… allowed?"
[Of course. Why would I try to kill my own Host? When did you beco this stupid?]
Ace took a slow, asured breath, his fingers itching to strangle sothing..
Liu i, completely unaware of the war raging in her master's head, happily swung her legs in his arms. "Master, master! Tell more about the cars! The big, roaring ones!"
Ace sighed, adjusting his grip on her before continuing the story.
anwhile, the snow fox yawned and curled her tails around his head, thoroughly enjoying her personal ride.
Reviews
All reviews (0)