Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 285 - 285: Tharz Kingdom [5]

The hall fell silent once more.

Then Lily, arms folded and brow furrowed, added coolly,

"Sect Master, we still haven't figured out what the imposter was doing these past six months. This is very concerning."

Elder Akha sighed and raised her hand.

"Other than dumping every single responsibility on me, I've seen no signs of sabotages either, but…" she paused. "Something doesn't sit right."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Speaking of trouble… I haven't seen that Angie lately. That dragon girl's been suspiciously quiet."

Tushan chimed in, frowning.

"Yeah, I usually cook for her. She never misses a meal, but she's been skipping out lately. I never thought to ponder why."

Ace's gaze sharpened.

And then Lily snapped her fingers, putting the pieces together.

"Wait... Shan Yifeng and Angie. They planned this."

Everyone turned to her.

She stepped forward, voice crisp.

"They stole the ring from Elder Mati, it wasn't just Shan Yifeng, she also has a take in this. I'm sure of it now. That ring, it's one of the keys to the next realm and it was also her ring to begin with. We just don't know how to use it so we had elder Mati hold on to it."

"So Shan Yifeng acted out of desperation?" Mati asked.

Elder Akha let out a long sigh and rubbed her forehead.

"I've failed to watch over my student. I've failed as an instructor."

Just then—

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Sect Master! Urgent!"

A voice echoed beyond the grand doors—followed by rapid, frantic knocking.

Khani and Kathum immediately bolted to open it.

A chubby, red-faced man stumbled in, panting heavily.

"The people!" he wheezed. "The villagers! They're at the front gates! They're demanding to be let inside!"

Lily clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

"Hypocrites. Weren't they mocking us a while ago?"

Ace didn't share her scorn. His voice was calm.

"It's human nature, Lily. They bite the hand the feeds them, most of them."

She turned to look at him, but said nothing more.

Elder Akha turned toward the head of the room.

"Sect Master," she asked calmly, "do we let them in?"

Ace gave a silent nod.

A flicker of surprise passed through Lily's eyes before her expression hardened.

"Tch. Master," she said, arms crossed, "if they so much as breathe disrespectfully, I'm kicking them out myself. I swear it."

Ace simply smiled, unfazed.

"That's fair," he replied. "But show them kindness first. Fear makes fools of many."

Lily scoffed but remained silent.

The meeting is adjourned for now," Ace said, brushing imaginary dust off his robes.

"Prepare to receive the villagers and get them settled. Insubordination won't be tolerated, make sure they understand that clearly."

A few elders nodded firmly.

"Oh, and Mati," Ace added, glancing toward the bald herbalist. "I want you to stay close to Aunt Liu Hong at all times."

Mati blinked. "...Like, all the time?"

"Yes. I want you to make sure nothing gets to her."

Mati saluted with a smile, "Understood, Sect Master."

From the side, Elder Akha raised a tired hand. "Uh, Master? Don't we need to plan, just a thought here, maybe prepare for the impending war? You know, there's an invading army, divine step realm enemy, don't we need a plan?"

Ace turned to her with a bright, easy smile. "Oh, that… I'll leave all the planning to you, Akha."

And just like that, he started walking away.

Elder Akha slowly sank back into her seat, rubbing her temples. "He really hasn't changed at all…"

She glanced suspiciously at Lily. "Are we sure that wasn't still the imposter?"

* * *

Legend grade Abyss, Tharz Kingdom:

"Are you dead yet?" Liu Mei popped her head around the shattered boulder, grinning ear to ear.

From beneath a steaming mound of wolf corpses, a bloodied figure rose with a groan.

Icehart staggered to his feet, one eye swollen shut, his armor hanging off in shards, drenched in blood, mostly not his, but enough was.

"Unluckily," he growled, his voice hoarse and ragged, "this billion-gold bounty is still breathing."

He coughed, winced, and quickly tried to mask it with a snarl. One of his knees gave a noticeable crack as he straightened up.

Liu Mei tilted her head, all faux innocence. "You sure? I don't want to dirty my hand so can't you just die already?"

"Keep talking," he rasped, wobbling slightly, "and I'll add you to the pile."

She giggled, skipping closer with a casual grace that made his temple throb. "Promise?"

Just then, a shimmer sparked in the air. A portal unfurled like a blooming flower of light.

"Oh! Sister Yuu is back!" Liu Mei said with a bright, cheerful smile, waving excitedly.

Yuu stepped through, calm and elegant as ever, her gaze landing squarely on the bloodied, barely-standing Icehart.

"Is he still misbehaving?" she asked dryly, already knowing the answer.

Liu Mei shook her head, arms crossed proudly. "Nope! He's obedient now. Like a good little dog. I told him to go kill himself by fighting that entire wolf pack."

She glanced over at Icehart, who was still swaying on his feet, covered in wounds. "Unluckily though. The wolves couldn't finish the job."

Right on cue, another ripple tore open in the portal and out stepped Betty.

"Hello there," she said with a serene smile.

"Betty…" Icehart growled her name like a curse, blood dripping from his lips as he collapsed onto the mound of wolf corpses.

His teeth clenched, eyes burning with hatred as he glared at the woman now standing calmly before him. She had been the reason for this downfall.

But Betty didn't even spare him a glance.

Instead, she turned towards Liu Mei, her voice gentle and composed. "How are the two sisters?"

Yuu, with a flick of her hand, closed the portal behind her, its swirling light sealing with a quiet hum.

"They're over there," Liu Mei said, casually pointing. "Still asleep."

Zhao Mei and Zhao Yun lay curled up at the far end of the cavern, side by side, their soft breaths steady and peaceful.

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