Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 264 - 264: Backstab [1]

Luna looked up at him, her eyes clearer now, filled with a piercing intensity.

"So… who exactly are you, Sect Master Ace?"

Ace hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

He could either just make up a story or try to explain himself.

After a long silence, Ace finally spoke, voice low but certain. "It's for the best that you do not know. I will tell you in due time."

He decided to go the mysterious path, in any case. It was for the best.

Luna didn't press further. She simply bowed her head, her tone softening. "As you wish."

Ace gestured to the box on the table. "So. Will you be taking it?"

"Can I?" she asked cautiously.

"I meant it for you to have it in the first place," he replied, folding his arms loosely.

Luna gave him a long, skeptical look. "…Do I have to do anything for it in return?"

she asked. "Maybe raising your babies? Or become your wife?" she muttered under her breath.

Ace chuckled and walked over, standing beside her.

"No. None of that. We already made a deal, remember?" he said gently.

"You promised me a quiet mountain to rest on… and an occasional batch of sect disciples. In return, you wanted that artifact. So let's stick to that, shall we?"

Luna looked up, conflict flickering in her eyes. Her fingers curled tightly in her sleeves.

"But… that deal was made under the impression it was just a replica. This is…"

Ace turned away, his voice distant now. "Replica or original… in my eyes, they're the same."

Luna paused.

And then her breath caught, just for a moment. Her eyes widened slightly, as though something inside her had just clicked.

"…I see," she whispered. "I understand now."

She stood, bowed deeply. "Thank you… Sect Master Ace. I need to go. Thank you so much."

He gave a slow nod, watching her figure disappear down the hallway.

For a moment, silence filled the office.

After a few moment passed, Ace stepped out of his office, the cool mountain air brushing against his skin like an invitation.

Without a word, he made his way down the stone path toward the back of the sect, toward solitude.

Where the sect seclusion cave was built.

It stood silently among the hills, a natural formation long since hollowed out and reinforced with subtle arrays.

The entrance, moss-framed and quiet, welcomed him.

Inside, the cave was empty, silent except for the distant drip of moisture echoing in the dark. A place untouched by time, sealed off from the world's noise.

Ace took a few steps in, then found a spot beneath the largest stalactite, a place where the energy of the earth flowed most purely.

One of the reasons why this specific place was chosen as the seclusion cave.

He lowered himself into a seated position, crossing his legs into the lotus stance.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a bottle from his system's wine cellar, an unassuming gourd, its seal faintly glowing with ancient runes.

He turned it in his hand and checked the stats displayed before his eyes.

Spirit Wine [Poorly Prepared]

Age: One hundred thousand plus years.

Effect: Induces deep soul-trance. Temporarily amplifies soul force. Risk of hallucination or enlightenment varies.

Ace narrowed his eyes at the label.

"Poorly prepared, my ass," he muttered with a faint smirk. "Old enough to have watched empires rise and fall. Anyway, Shan Yifeng should start trying to learn the time dilation formation inside that cellar."

He uncorked the bottle.

The aroma that escaped was sharp and sweet, like overripe peaches soaked in lightning.

One whiff tugged at the edges of his consciousness.

Settling deeper into his lotus posture, he closed his eyes and began to recite the Mantra of the Verdant Dao, the sacred incantation of the Path of Eternal Harvest, a cultivation art rooted in the rhythms of life, decay, and rebirth.

His voice was calm and steady, a whisper against the cave walls. With one smooth motion, he lifted the bottle and drank.

The spirit wine slid down his throat like liquid fire.

For a brief moment, there was nothing but silence.

And then suddenly everything bloomed.

His senses split open like petals at dawn. The cave fell away.

He no longer felt stone beneath him, only the pulse of ancient roots, the swirling breath of the heavens, the low hum of the world's soul reaching out to him.

His consciousness slipped, guided by the wine and the mantra, pulled into a deeper plane.

The spirit wine coursed through his veins like liquid sunlight, warm, golden, and slow.

As his soul slipped deeper into the trance, Ace felt a pleasant current wash over him, as if he were being bathed in the breath of spring itself.

His heart beat in tune with the earth beneath him.

With each breath, his meridians opened wider, drawing in the spiritual energy like roots drinking rain.

His soul force expanded, not explosively, but steadily, harmoniously, like vines wrapping around the bones of the world.

Around him, the cave began to respond.

The mosses clinging to the damp rocks stirred, faintly at first. Then, ever so slowly, they began to change.

A patch near his right hand deepened in hue, then bloomed with tiny silver flowers, each the size of a raindrop, glowing with inner light.

On the wall behind him, a stretch of moss thickened and rose, shedding its damp skin to reveal delicate saplings pushing outward.

Thin, translucent leaves unfurled, trembling with newborn life.

From cracks in the cave floor, shoots emerged, curling up toward the warmth of Ace's spirit.

Some grew into vines with pale blue petals. Others formed spiraling grasses that shimmered like crystal threads.

The air changed, turning soft and fragrant.

A calming sweetness filled the cavern, like a thousand gentle blossoms breathing as one.

Even the cold stone walls seemed warmer, as if life itself had returned to this forgotten space.

Ace remained motionless, deep in meditation, his breathing slow and rhythmic. The mantra of the Verdant Dao echoed faintly through the growing life.