Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

What is this about? Do I ignore this?

Ace frowned at the sudden system notification, his instincts telling him that whatever it meant, it wouldn't be good.

"Fool, you're on your own now. You've completed your absorption of me."

The familiar voice—one that had always been lurking in his mind—spoke, but this time, there was a finality to it.

Ace exhaled sharply, shaking his head. He could deal with this later.

His thoughts were interrupted by the cheerful voices in front of him.

The kids, his sister—Ruby—laughing, Liu Mei and Shan Yifeng still bickering over the hoe, and even Lily and Rei enjoying their self-declared vacation.

Their smiles.

Ace felt something settle within him. Whatever dangers the system hinted at, whatever chaos was coming, this—this simple warmth—was what he needed to protect.

He clapped his hands together. "Alright! Now that we've tilled the land, let's head back."

Ruby tilted her head, confused. "Eh? But don't we need to plant the seeds?"

Ace smirked and ruffled her hair. "Not yet. Rice is a little different from other crops. First, we grow the seeds in a separate, controlled field. Once they sprout and become seedlings, we transplant them into the main field—after it's wet and muddy enough to support them."

Ruby blinked, processing the information. "So… we grow them first and then move them?"

"Exactly." Ace nodded. "Rice needs water—lots of it—to grow properly. If we plant the seeds now, they would be swept away by the water in the field. But if we wait until the field is properly soaked, the half-grown plants will thrive once they're moved."

"Ohhh!" Ruby's eyes lit up with understanding. "Then I'll work hard to help when it's time!"

Ace chuckled. "Good girl."

Liu Mei crossed her arms. "See? This is why I should've had the hoe. If I had it, I could've tilled the field and prepared the water."

As they walked back home, laughter filled the air, the warmth of their shared joy lingering even as the damp earth clung to their boots.

Then—rushed footsteps.

"Master Zhi! Master Zhi!"

Zhao Yun's voice cut through the cheerful atmosphere as she sprinted toward them, her expression urgent.

Ace blinked. Ever since the tournament, people had taken to calling him Master Zhi. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The group came to a halt.

"What happened? Why the hurry?" Ace asked, arching a brow.

Zhao Yun took a deep breath before dropping the news. "Your house burned down."

Ace stared at her. "...My house burned down?"

"Yes, Master Zhi. Completely. Everything's gone."

"But it was raining," Ace said slowly.

Zhao Yun nodded grimly. "Doesn't matter. It's been reduced to dust. Also there was a part of the land dugged up. The arsonist probably must have taken whatever was buried there, too."

Ace stood still for a moment, processing the words.

Then he nodded, exhaling lightly. "Got it. Thanks for letting me know, Zhao Yun."

Zhao Yun frowned. "Wait—that's it? You're not even a little curious?"

Ace tilted his head. "Oh, I am."

Then he grinned.

"But more importantly—Care to join us for dinner?"

Zhao Yun blinked. "Huh?"

Ace clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Another omelette feast, like last time. The cook's here with us again."

Zhao Yun opened her mouth, then closed it, utterly baffled.

…

***

— Dinner Time —

"I must say, I never took you for a glutton when we first met." Ace remarked, watching Zhao Yun wrestle with Liu Mei over a piece of meat.

"Master! Sister Zhao is so much older, can't she just give up?" Liu Mei protested, tugging at the last strip of meat with fierce determination.

"Because this is the last piece, and I need it," Zhao Yun shot back, her grip unwavering. "You get to eat this every day. Back in my sect, I barely get a taste." Her tone, however, carried an underlying meaning—one Ace didn't miss.

"Brother, brother! Is she another one of your potential wives?" Ruby chimed in from the side, already finished with her meal.

"No!" The denial came in unison from both Liu Mei and Zhao Yun.

They turned to each other, momentarily stunned, before looking away with a huff.

Ace, unfazed, cleared his throat. "Alright, enough of that. I've been meaning to do something. This village... I plan to change it."

Liu Hong, who was gathering the dishes, paused. "Shouldn't we consult the village chief first?"

Ace considered it for a moment but shook his head.

Before he could explain, Shan Yifeng—munching on a chicken drumstick—casually interjected, "Don't worry, Aunty. Master will just kill the chief and take his place."

Silence.

Liu Mei and Zhao Yun stopped mid-battle. Ruby's eyes widened. Even Liu Hong, halfway through picking a plate up, dropped.

A drop of sauce dripped from Shan Yifeng's drumstick.

Ace blinked. "What."

Shan Yifeng chewed. Swallowed. "Huh? What?"

Ace stared at him. "What the fuck, Yifeng, what happened to you?"

Shan Yifeng scratched his cheek, suddenly sheepish. "Ah uh… the chicken must've gone to my head?"

A few deep breaths and then Ace turned towards Zhao Yun.

"Do you remember what I asked of you when I gave you those Spirit Cabbages?"

"That your master wanted to start a business? Yes, I remember."

Ace raised a brow. "Oh? That's surprising. Well, you're right. I've been wandering around looking for a good location, and this village will do." He gestured toward the distance.

"It's strange, though. There's a river so close by, why haven't the villagers been using it to irrigate their fields?"

Liu Hong, who had been listening, looked puzzled. "Irrigate?"

Ace blinked in disbelief. They don't even know about irrigation? He nearly groaned but held his patience.

"It's simple," he explained. "If it doesn't rain, you don't just wait and pray for water—you bring it to the fields. Dig channels, guide the river's flow, and the crops won't wither even in a drought."

Liu Hong's eyes widened as the realization sank in. "You mean… we can make the water go where we want?"

Ace exhaled. "Exactly. Think of it like guiding water with your hands instead of waiting for rain to fall into your bowl."