Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Deception [5]
The Blue Sea Restaurant was no ordinary dining hall, it was more like a tower of prestige, both literally and socially.

With seven floors in total, each ascending level required greater influence to access. The average guest would be lucky to step foot beyond the second floor.

Naturally, Princess Soho, with her royal blood and radiant smile, was escorted straight to the top, the illustrious seventh floor without a second thought.

Ace, Zhao Yun, and Princess Soho soon found themselves seated at a private booth with a panoramic view of the capital’s distant rooftops.

The décor was tasteful: flowing drapes in deep ocean hues, tables of polished blackwood, and faint runes inscribed across the walls to suppress sound and maintain privacy.

After placing their orders, a quiet lull settled at the table, broken only when Soho clasped her hands in delight and leaned forward, eyes gleaming.

“So,” she began with a grin, “you won’t believe what I heard this morning. A colossal bear, no—a Tyrant Beast Bear, was spotted near Catfish Village.”

Zhao Yun, mid-sip of her tea, froze. Her eyes snapped up to meet Soho’s, then darted briefly toward Ace. “Did you just say… a Tyrant Beast Bear? That also, near Catfish Village? Does it also have a scar?”

Soho nodded, amused. “That’s right! That’s exactly what the scouts have reported back. The bear was towering, scarred, fur black as midnight. Apparently, it left a massive trail through the forest.”

Zhao Yun’s hands curled slowly into fists. “I… I know that beast,” she said quietly. “My sister and I fought it once. Back then, we had two of our sect brothers with us.”

Zhao Yun’s expression had grown grim. “It was already at Dark Gold stage back then,” she murmured. “We barely made it out alive…”

A pause.

“…Though the two disciples I brought along to rescue my sister didn’t really make it.”

Though, there was no sorrow in her voice, only resignation.

“still, they were only inner disciples,” she added with a faint shrug.

Ace blinked slowly. The words echoed in his mind like a distant bell.

Only inner disciples…?

He was just about to offer a few words of condolences, he took it back.

He didn’t comment on it but it did made him flinch a little on how casual she said that,internally, the casual dismissal left a cold taste on his tongue.

Princess Soho tilted her head, sensing the shift in mood. “It must’ve been quite the battle,” she said gently, trying to steer the conversation. “Still, if that beast made its way out of the forest… it could actually become a problem for the nearby villages.”

Zhao Yun nodded, her brows furrowed with worry.

Ace leaned back in his chair, quietly watching them both.

Their conversation paused as soft footsteps approached. A waiter in a robe embroidered with waves and cranes bowed respectfully, placing a long lacquered tray on the table.

“Your dishes, honored guests,” he said with a serene smile before withdrawing.

The aroma that followed was rich and inviting. At the center was a glazed spirit duck, its skin golden and crisp, resting atop stir-fried bamboo shoots.

Dumplings shaped like flower petals sat nearby, filled with pheasant and hints of fruit.

A bowl of pale green soup shimmered with herbs and petals, while sizzling tofu on black stone filled the air with a spicy tang.

Lastly, a tray of five-colored spirit rice completed the spread, each grain glistening with subtle qi.

Zhao Yun’s eyes widened. “This… is amazing.”

Princess Soho smiled, clearly pleased. “The seventh floor has its standards.”

Ace said nothing, simply tasting the duck with a distant look in his eyes.

Picking up chopsticks, he poked into the duck and took a bite.

At the very instant, a screen appeared in his mind catching him off-guard.

Princess Soho and Zhao Yun also lifted their chopsticks, ready to dig in but just then Ace’s hand shot up.

“Stop.”

His voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp, low, and urgent.

Both girls froze mid-motion, startled by the sudden shift in his tone.

Without another word, Ace stood and walked toward a discreet corner of the elegant dining floor.

He pressed two fingers to the base of his throat and forced himself to retch. A thin line of bile hit the polished floor, followed by a trace of shimmer, faint, but there.

Not natural. Not normal.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, he straightened, his expression grim as he returned to the table.

“There are poisons laced in the food,” he said flatly, eyes locked on the duck centerpiece.

Zhao Yun’s face instantly paled, wuici putting down the chopsticks in her hand.

Meanwhile Soho simply blinked, her smile faltering for the first time that afternoon.

Ace’s gaze flicked toward her, unreadable.

“Seems like even royal company isn’t as safe as it pretends to be. You really are a walking bomb.”

The tension thickened like storm clouds gathering, and the once welcoming seventh floor now felt more like a gilded cage.

Then a slow, deliberate clap echoed through the room.

C lap… cl ap… cla p…

It wasn’t really loud. But in the silence that followed Ace’s warning, it may as well have just been the thunder.

Ace’s eyes snapped toward the sound just as glowing runes flared to life across the walls, floor, and ceiling, an instant snap of pressure sealing the room shut. A formation.

Before Ace could so much as react, the air thickened, locking them into place. Movement wasn’t impossible, it was just expensive.

A voice followed, laced with mockery. “Full of smarts now, are we?”

From the shadows near the entryway, a figure emerged.

He was dressed entirely in black, tight, silent wrappings from head to toe, just like one of those movie ninjas Ace had watched in his old world. No face, only eyes visible, and a faint glint of metal at his hip and the quiet confidence of someone who expected to be feared.

Ace didn’t move. He just narrowed his eyes, calculating.

The formation was advanced but not flawless, he could already see the seams where the mana flowed unevenly across the corners.

Still, he didn’t like how easily the formation was triggered in a royal-secured restaurant.

Which meant…

Inside job? Or someone with the help of the owner?

Zhao Yun’s chair scraped as she slowly stood, hand inching toward her waist.

Princess Soho’s smile had vanished completely, her posture stiff but calm, almost too calm.

Ace kept his focus on the man in black.

“Who sent you?” he asked, his voice low.

The ninja-like man tilted his head, as if amused.

“I’m just here to collect what’s mine,” he said casually, tapping one wrapped finger against the hilt at his side.

“Which is?” Ace asked.

The man’s voice lowered. “My master’s undivided attention.”