Teacher by day, Farmer by passion - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Stop moving! Let me hit you!
Ace let out a slow breath, his fingers tightening slightly on the doorframe.

“I want no trouble. Why don’t you just leave after being healed?” he asked from inside the room, his voice calm but firm.

His mind raced. Is she here to kill me? Should I have killed her instead?

The thought sent an uneasy chill down his spine. He didn’t want to cross that line. Not yet.

But before he could dwell on it, a voice rang out.

“Master! We’re in trouble!” Liu Mei’s urgent cry shattered the silence.

Ace stiffened. “What now?”

“The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament starts in three days, and the Hua family has been coming over repeatedly asking for Shan Yifeng!”

Ace’s thoughts ground to a halt. This…

Without hesitation, he swung the door open.

He half-expected Xie Ninger to lash out, to sneer, to challenge him for saving her against her will.

Instead, she just stood there. No accusations. No attacks.

Right. If she wanted me dead, she could’ve done it while I was cultivating.

Before he could say anything, a familiar voice piped up.

“Master, Master! I missed the food!”

Ace blinked. “You don’t miss me?”

Liu Mei pouted playfully. “I miss you too, but… food, you know, Master.”

The lady in front of you is plotting against you. Get rid of her.

The voice in Ace’s head was relentless, pressing against his thoughts like a shadow creeping in.

“Where’s your junior brother?” Ace asked, his gaze shifting to Liu Mei.

“He’s practicing sword techniques the Hua family gave,” she replied without hesitation.

Ace studied her for a moment. “And you? Why aren’t you practicing?”

Liu Mei grinned sheepishly. “I had to take care of Sister Ninger.”

At the mention of her name, Xie Ninger, who had been silently observing the exchange, turned to Liu Mei. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but then she hesitated, closing her mouth again.

Liu Mei arched a brow. “Since when did you become a mute, Sister?”

Giving Liu Mei a glare, Xie Ninger started to speak.

“Xiao Zhi, it’s like this. According to what Zhao Yun said, the Hua family only has one family slot for the tournament. If you want Liu Mei to participate, you’ll have to go through the ‘pay-to-fight’ method. But the Hua family claims they can’t afford it.”

Ace frowned. This is uncomfortable.

He had expected hostility from Xie Ninger, but so far, she had shown none. Instead, she was calm, almost too calm.

Then, a voice in his mind roared with frustration.

Human, why are you so stupid?! She’s clearly lowering your guard!

Ace took a few deep breaths before turning to Xie Ninger.

“Ninger, can you teach Liu Mei some of your techniques? I’ll treat you to delicacies in return.”

Xie Ninger’s gaze remained steady. “What’s your goal?” she asked.

Ace didn’t hesitate. “For Liu Mei to reach the top—to become one of the Phoenix.”

Ninger shifted her eyes to Liu Mei, studying her. Then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, she said, “You know she’s already at peak Silver, right?”

Ace blinked. “Wait… what?”

Liu Mei giggled, rocking on her heels.

Ace ran a hand through his hair before grinning. “This calls for a celebration! I’ll kill a Spirit Pig.”

At that, Liu Mei gasped with pure excitement and bolted out of the room, eager to spread the news—of course, to her junior brother.

Xie Ninger raised an eyebrow. “It’s just a pig. Why is she so excited?”

Ace’s grin widened as he followed after Liu Mei. “Oh, you’ll find out soon.”

Ninger watched him go, a flicker of confusion in her eyes. Who is this? This surely isn’t the Xiao Zhi I once knew…

With that thought lingering, she stepped forward, following him out.

…

…

Shan Yifeng was practicing diligently, his wooden sword slicing through the air as he repeated the techniques the Hua family had sent him.

They hadn’t bothered to send a teacher—just the techniques, as if that was enough. And yet, for the past two weeks, they had come knocking every single day.

Not out of concern, not out of goodwill, but simply because they couldn’t get their hands on Spirit Vegetables anymore.

Tch. Did they really think Master was so petty that he’d stop trading just because they refused to let Senior Sister join the tournament?

The thought irritated him. He wanted to shove the truth in their faces—that Master didn’t need their material wealth, their so-called status, or their favors. He had magic of his own.

Can you manifest a pig from thin air? No. And as far as Yifeng was concerned, nobody could—except Master.

With a sharp thrust and a clean swing, his wooden sword met the boulder in front of him. A sharp crack echoed through the air as the stone split neatly in half.

Hmph. Still, it’s a handy technique they gave me.

Then, just as he was admiring his progress, it came.

That voice.

Loud. Relentless. Impossible to ignore.

“Junior Brother! Junior Brother! Junior Brother!”

It was Liu Mei.

She had been shouting that for a while, her voice carrying across the training grounds like an unstoppable force.

Shan Yifeng groaned, gripping his sword tighter. Here we go again.

Shan Yifeng took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then, with a burst of speed, he leaped forward, his wooden sword cutting through the air as he slashed at Liu Mei.

It was just a wooden sword—yes—but it had cleaved a boulder in half. If it hit her, she would definitely feel it.

But Liu Mei was quick.

With an almost lazy sidestep, she shifted slightly to the right, the sword missing her by the width of a finger. Her dark eyes glinted with amusement.

“You’re slow. Did you forget?”

Her tone was nothing short of a taunt.

Shan Yifeng’s expression darkened. “You—!”

Without another word, he lunged again, swinging with precision, aiming to catch her off guard. But she was already gone, her lithe frame slipping away just before his strike landed.

Liu Mei’s laughter rang out as she danced just beyond his reach, her movements light and effortless.

“You’re wasting too much energy, Junior Brother.” She twirled on the balls of her feet, hands behind her back. “Did you already forget Master’s lesson? A strong swing doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t land.”

Shan Yifeng gritted his teeth.

He refused to let her toy with him.

Planting his foot into the ground, he adjusted his stance, this time using the momentum of his missed strike to twist his body mid-air. The moment his feet touched the ground, he pushed off again, aiming lower—sweeping at her legs instead of her torso.

Liu Mei blinked.

“Oh—!”

Caught off guard for just a split second, she barely managed to leap over his attack. Her hair swayed as she spun through the air, but the moment she landed, she turned to him with an even brighter grin.

“You’re getting better!” she said, hands on her hips. “But still not good enough.”

Shan Yifeng exhaled sharply. “You—!”

Fueled by sheer frustration, he charged again, swinging relentlessly. Each strike carried force, precision, and frustration—but Liu Mei dodged every single one, her giggles never ceasing.

“Missed.”

“Missed again.”

“Ooh, close!”

Shan Yifeng’s eye twitched.

“Stop moving!”

“That’s not how fights work, Junior Brother.” Liu Mei winked as she ducked under his next attack. “Now—try again.”