Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Chapter 13 Xie Ninger_2

"Xiao Zhi, we need to talk."

Xie Ninger walked into the house just as Ace finished preparing the omelet.

He considered ignoring her, but there was a weight in her tone that made him pause.

"...Alright, let me give this to the kids first. Then we can talk."

Carrying the plates, he stepped outside, placed the omelets in front of the two eagerly waiting children, and then returned, closing the door behind him.

"Is it true that you used to beat them?"

Ace froze for a split second before exhaling.

"Yes, I did."

He could have denied it—wanted to deny it—because it wasn't him. It was Xiao Zhi, the original one.

But the truth was what it was.

Unlike the rest of the village, who was exposed to his misdeeds, Xiao Zhi seems to have been careful around Xie Ninger.

He had meticulously hidden his cruelty, never raising a hand against the children when she was around.

A twisted attempt at maintaining an image, as if that would somehow erase what he did the moment she left.

If he had just... not hit them at all, things would've been simpler. But apparently, the old Xiao Zhi hadn't been the brightest.

Xie Ninger took a seat, her gaze fixed on Ace.

Ace, on the other hand, did everything he could to avoid looking at her. He racked his brain for a response—something, anything—but came up empty.

"It seems you've changed," she finally said.

Of course, I have. I'm literally a different person.

The words burned on his tongue, but he swallowed them down. Instead, he settled for a neutral reply.

"Yeah, I've changed.."

Xie Ninger didn't respond right away. She studied him for a long moment before speaking again, her voice quieter this time.

"Tell me... are you changing because you truly want to correct your ways, or—" she hesitated. Then, with a deep breath, she continued. "Or is it because you think I'll give you a second chance if you do?"

Silence filled the room.

Ace exhaled slowly.

How was he supposed to answer that?

He had changed because he wasn't the same person anymore. Because he wasn't in a depressed state as xiao zhi was.

Her sister, Zhao Mei, a proud and undefeated core disciple of the Azure Sky Sect, lay motionless, her breathing shallow. Her body was covered in hastily wrapped bandages, but crimson still seeped through in places, a cruel reminder of the battle they had barely escaped from.

She had not expected the forest to be this dangerous.

Zhao Yun clenched her fists, nails biting into her palm. They had set out with confidence—she, a gold-ranked cultivator, leading two silver-ranked sect brothers in search of their senior sister.

When they finally found Zhao Mei, she had already been locked in combat with a grade 3 beast, a creature equal in strength to a dark gold cultivator.

Despite her wounds, Zhao Mei fought ferociously. She should have been at a disadvantage, bleeding and outnumbered by the beast's relentless strikes, yet she had stood her ground, exchanging blows with it like an unyielding force of nature.

For a moment, Zhao Yun had believed they could win.

But reality was far crueler.

The battle dragged on, each moment growing more desperate. Then, when they thought they had an opening, it happened—, Lou Chen, a silver rank, made a fatal mistake. A misstep, a moment too slow.

The beast's claws tore through him effortlessly.

Zhao Yun could still hear his choked gasp, the gurgling sound as blood filled his lungs. His body collapsed in a heap, eyes wide in shock even as life left them.

But there was no time to grieve.

They had to run.

She had barely managed to help Zhao Mei to her feet when the forest fell silent—a silence far more terrifying than the battle they had just fought.

Then, the ground trembled. The air thickened with an oppressive force.

A grade 4 beast emerged.

Zhao Yun's breath caught in her throat. It was stronger, faster—there was no chance of winning.

She turned to her remaining sect brother, Wei Lin, and in that instant, she saw the resignation in his eyes.

He already understood their situation.

A core disciple was worth more than an inner disciple.

Without hesitation, Wei Lin let out a laugh—bitter, fearless—before stepping forward.

"Go!" he shouted. "If any of us have to die, let it be me!"

Zhao Yun wanted to argue, but before she could speak, he had already charged ahead, sword flashing as he met the beast head-on.

She didn't look back.

She couldn't.

With Zhao Mei barely conscious, she had continued to ran, the guilt weighing on her like lead, Wei Lin's final stand burned into her mind.

They had fled blindly, stumbling through the thick underbrush, each step feeling heavier than the last. Just as her strength was beginning to wane, they had stumbled upon the small house they first arrived at—the home of the man who had spirit apples.