Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: knock! knock!
The door creaked open as Lily stepped out.

“How is she?” Ace asked, his gaze steady.

Lily hesitated. “She’ll be fine, Master… but is this really the right thing to do?”

Ace exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable. “Right or wrong… does it even matter? She was bound to turn hostile against me, plus saving her gave me nothing in return. I don’t like the idea of killing. But that doesn’t mean I’ll allow her to terror me and at the very least, keeping her in a coma gives me time—to get stronger.”

Lily frowned. “And when will that be?”

Ace rubbed his temples. “Uh… after I raise my talent to match my disciples’ level?”

Lily sighed but nodded. “Okay, Master.”

A brief silence settled between them.

“Lily, tell me more about this world,” Ace said, leaning back slightly breaking the silence.

Lily tilted her head, her brows furrowing as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Then, with a soft hum, she began.

“Let’s start with the nearby city. White-Oak City—it’s controlled mainly by the Hua and Xiao families.”

Ace nodded, signaling for her to continue.

“And the village you came from, Master, is called Catfish Village.”

Ace blinked. “Catfish Village?” he repeated, his lips twitching. “What kind of name is that?”

Lily giggled, a playful glint in her eyes. “Well, Master, legend says it got its name because the river nearby is filled with giant catfish.”

Ace waved a hand. “Uh-huh, I see. Alright, continue.”

Lily’s expression turned a little more serious. “The world, Master, is vast—vast as the sky itself.”

Ace arched his brow. “Hmm, I can see that.”

Lily perked up. “You can?”

Ace smirked. “Yes.”

She squinted at him, clearly skeptical. “Are you just saying that?”

“Enough about that,” Ace quickly deflected, taking a sip of tea. “Continue.”

Lily sighed dramatically. “Fine, fine, Master. The kingdom we are in is called the Kingdom of Tharz.”

She leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Rumors say the current king is a glutton.”

Ace nearly choked on his tea. “Oh? Someone I can—and must—totally and definitely avoid!”

Lily giggled again, shaking her head. “You’d get along with him, I think.”

Ace scoffed. “Perish the thought!”

A faint cough echoed from inside the room.

Lily’s ears perked up. “Master, I’ll go check.”

Ace waved a hand. “Alright, alright.”

Without hesitation, Lily turned and stepped back inside.

“Master, can I say something?” Lily asked as she stepped out of the room a minute later.

Ace, still sipping his tea, turned to face her. “You look worried. What happened?”

Lily hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Master, do you have any plans to expand the farm? To develop it further?”

Lily continued, her voice steady but cautious. “Master, you’re not the only one with a system space. There are others out there. Some may take drastic choices, but—”

Ding!

[You’ve unlocked a key memory.]

A cold, mechanical voice interrupted her.

[Lily, your spirit bot has shared forbidden knowledge. Punishment is due—suppressing her realm to Gold Rank.]

Ace stared in shock as Lily’s body trembled. A sudden pressure descended on her, and she staggered, clutching her chest.

“Lily!” Ace moved instinctively, but the system had already acted.

Her cultivation had been forcefully suppressed.

Ace clenched his fists, frustration simmering beneath his calm facade.

Lily’s voice trembled, but she forced a smile, trying to mask the pain. “Master, I’m fine,” she said, though the words felt hollow. “Just had my realm suppressed.”

She paused, her gaze flickering with uncertainty. “It’ll be released eventually…” Her voice faltered, and she added softly, almost to herself, “Hopefully…”

“Lily…” he muttered.

Her words echoed in his mind—hopefully.

Before he could say anything more, her figure flickered and vanished into thin air.

Ding!

[Your spirit bot doesn’t have enough energy to visit the outer world.]

Ace exhaled sharply, staring at the empty space where she had stood just moments ago.

Shan Yifeng was the first to notice. Liu Mei, too caught up in teasing him, only realized something was off when he stopped responding.

She blinked, then turned to Ace. “Master, where’s Sister Lily?”

Ace took a sip of his tea, his tone casual. “She’s taking a break.”

Without another word, he stood and headed toward his room leaving the two kids confused.

Inside, a few baskets of Spirit Apples awaited him. He was going to eat them all.

His gaze lingered on the apples, and for a moment, a quiet voice crossed his mind.

“You’d get along with him, I think.”

Ace exhaled sharply, then let out a soft chuckle.

“Screw my life. I’m doing this.”

He picked up the first apple from the basket, brought it to his lips, and took a large, satisfying bite.

Each apple he devoured sent a warm sensation coursing through his body, a steady pulse of energy awakening his senses.

One apple became two.

Two apples became four.

Before he knew it, the days blurred into weeks. He lost track of time, somewhere between eating and cultivating, his body instinctively absorbing the power within the Spirit Apples.

As Ace cultivated, a cool sensation washed over him, spreading through his veins like a gentle stream. It was refreshing yet invigorating, as if his very core was being cleansed.

At the same time, a deep warmth settled in his chest, wrapping around him like a comforting embrace. It was an odd contrast—cool yet warm, soothing yet powerful.

More than anything, he felt stronger. His body thrummed with newfound energy, every muscle brimming with vitality. The weight of exhaustion vanished, replaced by an overwhelming sense of control and clarity.

Is this what Silver Rank feels like?

Ding!

[Host has successfully reached Silver Rank.]

Ace barely had time to process the notification before another message flashed across his vision.

[Rewarding delayed.

Settle the issue at hand first.]

His brows furrowed. Issue? What issue?

Then—knock, knock.

A sharp sound broke through the silence, snapping him out of his trance.

His voice was hoarse as he called out, “Who’s there?”

A pause. Then—

“It’s me. Xie Ninger.”