Teacher by day, Farmer by passion-Chapter 123: Training.

When Ace arrived at the village, it had seen a huge development compared to when he first visited.

The roads were Now better paved, a sign of progress which filled him with satisfaction.

His steps led him to the familiar wooden door of Liu Hong's small house. The scent of freshly pounded herbs drifted through the air, bringing back a wave of nostalgia.

The door creaked open before he could knock.

"Oh, Xiao Zhi, you're here." Liu Hong greeted him warmly, her hands still dusted with medicinal herbs.

Ace nodded. "I'm here, Aunt Hong. This time, I want to invite you to live somewhere else."

Liu Hong's hands paused. "Is it far?"

Ace pondered the question. Was it far? In a sense, yes. But distance wasn't always measured in miles.

"It may be far, but it'll bring you closer to your daughter."

Liu Hong smiled faintly. "Xiao Zhi… do you know? When you first said you wanted to take Liu Mei as your disciple, I had already prepared myself to part with her. I only wanted her to have a better life."

She exhaled softly, her voice tinged with gratitude. "But even now, you still try and let me be part of her world. You didn't sever the ties between us. I'm truly grateful for that."

Then, after a small pause, she asked with a hint of hesitation, "Will I be a burden?"

Ace shook his head firmly. "No, not at all. You're a mother to her, and a mother figure to the other. Your presence will only be a boon."

Liu Hong smiled, but her eyes drifted toward the small village beyond the door.

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"And what about this place? What about the people here?"

Ace folded his arms. "I already made arrangements with the Flying Sword Sect a while ago. It will be fine."

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, then. I'll go with you."

Ace's lips curled up slightly. "I'm glad. Can you also help me convince my sister?"

Liu Hong chuckled. "Oh, Ruby? Sure. Though…. Can we wake her up later? she's been struggling to sleep lately."

Ace's eyes lit up.

"She's sleeping?" he whispered.

"Yes," Liu Hong replied.

Ace smirked. "Perfect. That makes this a kidnapping case, then."

Liu Hong blinked. "A… what?"

But before she could get an answer, Ace was already walking toward the bedroom.

Inside, Ruby lay fast asleep, her breathing steady, her face relaxed for the first time in a long while.

Ace stood at the edge of the bed, staring at her intently. A strange thought crept into his mind.

Doesn't she look like Rina?

The resemblance was uncanny. The soft features, the way their hair framed their faces, even their age was similar.

He reached down, gently grasping Ruby's hand in his own.

Then, without a word, he grabbed Aunt Hong's hand as well; all three disappearing in that instant.

One moment, they were in the quiet warmth of Liu Hong's home. The next—

BOOM!

The world shook as Liu Mei crashed into the ground, kicking up dust and sending shockwaves through the area.

Above them, Lily hovered in the sky, looking down with a casual air.

As soon as she saw Ace and the others, she rushed down to join them.

Ruby jolted awake from the sheer force of the landing, her sleepy mind struggling to process the bizarre scene before her.

Meanwhile, Liu Hong stood frozen in shock.

After all, as a mother, how could she not be worried? Her precious daughter had just been hurled from the sky with enough force to trigger an explosion!

But Liu Mei, unfazed, simply dusted herself off and turned around.

Then she stopped.

Her eyes widened. "Mother!" she cried out, dashing forward and throwing herself into Liu Hong's embrace.

Liu Hong held her tightly. "Mei'er, were you hurt?" she asked, checking her over in concern.

Lily, having landed beside them, greeted Liu Hong politely before waving a dismissive hand. "Aunty, don't worry. Except for Master, nothing can actually hurt this girl. Really, not at all."

Liu Mei, like an offended kitten, puffed out her cheeks and yelled, "Hey! It hurts! My ears hurt from listening to your lies! Bah!"

Lily smirked. "Oh right, I did promise you, didn't I? I said I'd only beat you."

Hearing that, Liu Mei let out an undignified squeak before practically diving behind her mother, gripping the back of her robe.

Peeking out from behind her mother's shoulder, Liu Mei made the ultimate bratty face—tongue out, one eye squinted in a mock taunt—before diving back into hiding like her life depended on it.

Ace rubbed his temples, sighing. "What exactly am I looking at?"

Lily responded casually, "We're training."

Ruby, confused, still sleepy asked, "What sort of training involves throwing someone from the sky?"

Lily turned to her with an easygoing smile. "Master's sister, you don't have to worry. In fact, if you would like, I can train you too."

Ruby blinked. "Huh? But I'm a cripple." She admitted it openly, without hesitation.

Lily smirked. "Many, many many spirit apples will do the trick, you don't have to worry one bit."

At the mention of spirit apples, Liu Mei, who had been silently observing, suddenly perked up and turned to Ruby with narrowed eyes.

"Aunt Ruby… Are you also going to be my competitor now?" she asked, her voice filled with suspicion.

Ruby looked at Liu Mei, confused. "Competitor? For what?"

Ace sighed, rubbing his temples. "Liu Mei, there are too many spirit apples in this place. Why would it even be a competition?"

Liu Mei, however, completely ignored his logic. Instead, she slowly turned her gaze toward her mother.

Liu Hong simply smiled at her daughter, amused but saying nothing.

Then Liu Mei turned back to Ruby, hesitating for only a moment before sighing dramatically.

"Well… You are Master's little sister. Since I am such a generous person, I suppose… I will allow you to have some of the spirit apples."

Ace simply stared at her, utterly speechless.