Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 263

Chapter 263: Chaotic [4]
Inside the room, Ace let out a long, resigned sigh.

He leaned back into the couch, one hand lazily covering his face.

“These people…” he muttered, “so irresponsible with money. Eighty percent of my gold savings… gone, just like that…”

The door creaked again.

Ruby bounced in, hands behind her back, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Hehe~ Brother,” she chirped sweetly. “You do remember I have a stake in those golds too, right?”

She tilted her head, her voice saccharine as honey, and gave him an impish grin.

Ace cracked one eye open and sighed again. “Of course you do…”

Ruby beamed and plopped down beside him, resting her chin on his shoulder. “So technically~ you lost our money.”

Ace groaned, not from the scolding, but the weight of responsibility. Ruby might tease, but she had a point.

Ruby had chipped in from her modest novel earnings too, mostly out of pride, not practicality. It still counts.

“So, what brings you here?” Ace asked, allowing Ruby to climb onto his lap.

She did so without hesitation, curling up like a content cat, her arms folded playfully over his chest.

Ace smiled faintly and rubbed her head, his fingers running gently through her soft, chestnut hair.

“Hehe, Brother,” Ruby grinned. “I just had a new idea for a novel! I want to write about palace politics, schemes and stuff but I’ve got no experience with that. Can you tell me some stories?”

Ace froze for a beat, caught in a quiet dilemma.

Sure, he had read countless light novels back on Earth… but romance? Court intrigue? Political drama? Not exactly his forte.

He let out a long sigh.

“My dear sister, writing… it’s all about creativity. What you write, it’s your world. Wouldn’t you rather create a world that follows your own rules? If anyone found a loophole in your writing, you could turn that loophole into your plot.”

Ruby’s eyes widened as if something had just clicked. Then—bam—she leapt from his lap and gave him a dramatic, heartfelt bow.

“Master, thank you!”

Ace blinked. “Good, good…. wait a minute. Shouldn’t you be in seclusion already?”

“Ah—ahaha~!” Ruby giggled and bolted for the door.

As she disappeared down the hallway, Ace slumped back on the couch with a helpless smile.

He lingered in the silence a moment longer, then pushed himself to his feet with a sigh.

Ace stretched as he stepped out of his room, the morning sun casting a gentle glow across the courtyard.

His joints gave a satisfying pop as he rolled his shoulders, the scent of dew-kissed grass lingering in the air.

He made his way down the stone path toward the cornfields, greeting the disciples along the way.

The young cultivators, drenched in sweat and determination, were hard at practice, thrusting their wooden spears with disciplined precision.

Ace gave them a warm nod and a few quiet words of encouragement before turning toward his favorite spot, a worn wooden chair beneath the shade of an old, sprawling tree.

He settled in with a long sigh, the chair creaking familiarly under his weight.

Reaching over, he picked up his wide-brimmed straw hat and placed it on his head, shielding his eyes from the rising sun.

He plucked a golden stalk of grain and chewed it absently, eyes squinting toward the sun.

Then the wind shifted.

A sudden gust stirred the leaves above, carrying with it the faint scent of lilies and something ancient.

Ace paused, instinctively looking up.

From above, a figure descended in near silence, robes rippling like banners in a still wind, hair flowing like water.

The wind bore her gently to the ground, and when her feet touched the earth, she bowed with elegant composure.

“Sect Master Ace,” she said, her voice like a quiet bell. “I trust you’ve been well.”

Ace offered a slight bow in return, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

“Pavilion Master Luna. I trust you’ve been well also. What brings you here on such a fine day?”

Luna’s expression remained serene, but there was a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

“My disciples told me yesterday,” she began, “that you have finally obtained the item. Is that true?”

Ace nodded calmly. “It is.”

Luna stepped forward, her posture as graceful as her descent. “May I have a look?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

Together, the two made their way back to the sect’s main hall, walking in companionable silence.

Birds chirped in the distance, and the sound of training faded behind them.

Inside his office, Ace moved to a nearby shelf and retrieved a small lacquered black box.

He placed it gently on the table between them.

“Give it a look,” he said.

Luna stepped forward slowly, her fingers hovering over the box for a brief moment.

She took a deep breath, as though bracing herself, and then carefully opened the lid.

The moment her eyes fell upon the item inside,

her entire expression shifted. A flicker of disbelief. Then awe. Then fear.

With a snap, she closed the box and took a step back.

She stared at Ace, visibly shaken. “You… you actually found the real one… mine was a replica.”

“What do you mean yours was a replica?” Ace asked, his brow furrowing in genuine surprise.

Luna was already panicking. Her usually composed features were unsteady now, the serene mask cracking.

“You see, there’s this old legend… ah, forget that!” she snapped, pressing a palm to her forehead. “How did you even get your hands on the original?! It wasn’t supposed to exist… it was just a myth!”

“A myth, you say?” Ace leaned forward slightly, his voice calm but curious. “Then how were you able to tell this one wasn’t a replica?”

Luna paused. Her lips parted, then closed again. Finally, she slumped into the nearest chair, exhaling like her bones had turned to ash.

“Because I’m not stupid,” she muttered bitterly. “My replica doesn’t emit soul force this intense.” Her fingers trembled in her lap.

Ace blinked. Then leaned back slowly, the gravity of Luna’s reaction sinking in like a stone.