Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

The rich aroma of sizzling Spirit Chicken filled the air as Liu Hong, midway through stirring, finally looked up.

"You two know each other?" she asked, her gaze shifting between Ace and the beaming Xiao Lin.

Ace remained silent, still processing the unexpected reunion, while Xiao Lin—no, Ruby—was practically glowing with excitement.

"Yes, Aunty! He's my brother! I told you my brother came to this village, remember?" she chirped, clearly delighted.

Liu Hong blinked, her expression thoughtful. "Ah… that. Yeah, I remember. But I never expected you two were actually related."

And who could blame her?

When Xiao Zhi—now Ace—first stumbled into this village, he was a drunkard, an utter mess. The man had quite literally pummeled his own students, when they first came to learn from him.

Sure, she had seen him change, had watched as he slowly shed that past self. But some memories… some memories refused to fade.

And now, faced with the cheerful girl before her, Liu Hong couldn't have possibly imagined the two were family.

…Well, most of that was because the girl in front of her had introduced herself as Ruby.

Ruby practically launched herself at Ace, arms wrapping around him in a tight hug.

"Brother! I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, squeezing him like she was afraid he'd disappear again.

Ace stiffened for a moment—public displays of affection weren't exactly his thing—but he eventually patted her back awkwardly.

Liu Hong, meanwhile, didn't seem the least bit offended that she had been deceived by "Ruby's" fake name. She simply let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head before turning to Yifeng.

"Yifeng, help me with the stirring, will you?"

"Yes, Aunty!" the boy chimed, quickly setting to work.

Liu Mei, having just finished preparing the sauce, handed it over to her mother before suddenly skipping toward Ruby.

Then, to everyone's surprise—including Ruby's—she hugged her too.

Ruby, after retracting from Ace, blinked in surprise at the little girl who was grinning ear to ear as she clung to her.

"What do I call Master's sister?" Liu Mei asked, tilting her head up curiously.

Ruby, still processing the hug, turned to Ace in confusion.

"Oh? Ah… Master?" She gave him a questioning look.

Ace simply nodded. "She's my disciple."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in amusement, but before she could respond, Liu Mei pointed toward Yifeng.

"And him?"

"That's my little junior brother," Ruby said, her voice dripping with mock authority, especially dragging out the little part.

Ace rolled his eyes, but Yifeng's face immediately scrunched up in protest.

"Hey! I'm not little, I'm older than you!"

Ruby laughed at his reaction before turning back to Liu Mei.

"You can call me Elder Sister Ruby."

Ace raised a brow at her. "Ruby, huh? That's actually a nice name."

Ruby beamed. "Right, right! I knew you'd love it!"

Then, with a playful huff, she crossed her arms.

"You totally pestered me into calling you 'Ace' when we were kids, remember? And in return, you called me 'Ruby!'" she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ace's mind froze.

That… wasn't right.

He had never told anyone to call him 'Ace' since coming to this world. He was sure of it.

So how did she know? A coincidence? No.

She said it so casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

What the hell was happening?

Did his predecessor actually know something before he took control over his body?

Ace shoved the unsettling thought aside. He didn't have time to unravel it now.

Ruby, oblivious to his inner turmoil, tugged at his sleeve with a pout.

"Brother, where have you been? I was dying of hunger! If Aunty Hong hadn't found me in the hills, I'd be nothing but a skeleton by now!"

She giggled as if she hadn't just described a near-death experience.

Liu Hong, who had been calmly tending to the chicken, paused. Her eyes flickered toward Ace before she let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"Xiao Zhi, your sister here… is not right in the head," she said, deadpan.

Ruby gasped, "Aunty! So rude!"

Liu Hong ignored her protest and continued, her tone turning serious. "I found her half-dead while gathering herbs. If I hadn't been there, the two of you would be reuniting in the afterlife instead."

She gave Ruby a pointed look, as if warning her not to be so reckless next time.

Ruby, however, only grinned. "But you were there! So it worked out!"

Liu Hong sighed again. "That's not the point."

Ruby tried to brush off Liu Hong's concern with a giggle, sticking her tongue out and tapping her head with her fist in an exaggeratedly cute manner.

"Teehee~!"

She barely had time to finish her act before Ace flicked her forehead.

"Listen to Aunty Hong," he scolded lightly.

Ruby rubbed her forehead with a small pout, but the moment of playful banter ended as Ace's gaze sharpened.

"Ruby… what happened to your cultivation base?"

The question froze her in place. For a brief moment, emotions flickered across her face—sadness, resignation or even fear.

Then, with forced nonchalance, she smiled.

"It's okay, Brother. I just lost the cultivation I worked for… but I still have my roots."

She said it lightly, as if it wasn't a big deal. As if she hadn't lost something precious.

But the more Ace looked at her smile, the sadder it seemed.

And before he could say anything else, the mask broke.

Tears welled up in Ruby's eyes, and she suddenly collapsed against his chest.

"Brother, what should I do?" Her voice was small, trembling with raw fear.

"I'm scared… I'm scared…"

Ace stiffened, feeling the weight of her words. He wasn't good at this kind of comfort. Never had been.

"Ruby, Ruby, stop—there are kids around!" He tried to pry her off, but she clung to him even tighter.

"I don't care!" she wailed, refusing to let go.

Liu Mei, who had been standing there awkwardly, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and gently patting Ruby's head.

"There, there, Elder Sister Ruby. Don't cry, don't cry."

Ruby, still sniffling, blinked down at the small girl comforting her.