Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 288 - 288: Lily's New Desciple.

Lily looked mildly annoyed, which was terrifying, because it meant the real rage was percolating beneath that gentle expression.

But instead of yelling or waving her hand and turning the boy into sparkles, she… exhaled.

Calmly.

"No need to panic. I already have a feeling what your child wants to say." Her voice was still calm.

Too calm.

"And unless he says something atrocious, like that thing over there." she gestured vaguely at the bisected corpse now cooling on the ground, "I promise, no one will be harmed. Not even a single strand of th the boys hair."

The mother, trembling, finally placed her son in front of Lily.

"Go on… speak up," she whispered, her soul clearly halfway to the heavens already.

The boy looked up at Lily with sparkling eyes.

"Sect Master of Sky High Sect… can I be a disciple in your sect?"

Before anyone could process what he said, Lily disappeared from view.

And then—bam!

She reappeared mid-hug, scooping up the boy like a cat claiming a kitten.

Ace's pupils dilated.

Akha dropped a scroll she was pretending to read for composure.

Neither had seen her move.

They were now both experiencing the exact same inner thought:

If Lily had actually gone berserk… we'd be dead. All of us. The mountain would be gone. The whole continent flipped like a dumpling in a wok. And here i thought I could hold her back if something went wrong.

Lily, meanwhile, was busy spinning with the boy in her arms like a happy older sister.

"You're in. He's in! He's mine! I finally have one who asks to join instead of being forcefully recruited after several near-death threats!"

Lily suddenly froze mid-spin.

Realization dawned.

She blinked down at the child still snug in her arms, then quickly straightened up, trying to restore her dignity without actually letting go of the boy.

She clutched him tighter.

Then turned, slowly, sheepishly, to face Ace.

"Umm… Sect Master," she began, her voice suddenly filled with carefully measured seriousness, "can he be my first direct disciple? Please?"

Ace blinked.

"You don't want to test his aptitudes first?"

Lily frowned like she'd just been asked if water was wet.

"Do I need to?" she replied, somewhat offended. "I only need one thing in a disciple, that is loyalty. And besides, we have 'those'."

With that, she hoisted the boy onto her shoulder like a prized artifact. "Also, look at him. He's adorable. That's already 80% compatibility."

She glanced down. "What's your name, little boy?"

The boy, wide-eyed from his new altitude, beamed. "My name is Alucard! Do I call you Master now?"

Lily puffed up like a proud older sister. She didn't answer, just turned her big violet eyes to Ace with a silent "can I keep him?" expression.

Ace exhaled. Long and deep.

"…Alright. That's it. You can have him," he said at last with a tired smile. "But only if his mother agrees."

Lily turned to the woman, eyes sparkling like a puppy that just found its forever home.

The mother, tears streaming and knees shaking, nodded so fast it was a blur. "Yes! Yes! Please take care of him!"

"Wooo!" Lily grinned and spun again.

Ace, meanwhile, turned back to the gathered villagers, voice firm.

"In the meantime… I suggest you leave this area, go to your designated areas."

He then turned to Akha, "Elder Akha, why don't you take them and take care of their lodgings."

Tired and weary she still nods her head and took the crowd with her.

Once the crowd faded, Ace stayed behind, arms folded, eyes steady.

Only the child's mother was left, trembling where she stood. Her eyes flicked between Ace, the bloodstained dirt, and the last fading echoes of that sword strike.

The murmurs of the retreating villagers still drifted on the wind, low, bitter whispers.

"… look at him abusing his power…"

"…he didn't even hesitate, now he's going to punish the mother…"

"…we shouldn't have come here…"

Ace sighed to himself, eyes narrowing faintly.

These people really think I can't hear them..

He turned away from their noise and faced Lily, who was still gleefully holding little Alucard on her shoulder like a trophy.

"Lily," he said calmly, "as Grand Elder, taking in a direct disciple is no simple matter."

Lily immediately pouted like she'd just been told the bakery ran out of peach buns.

"But it's simple for you, isn't it? You've got Liu Mei, Shan Yifeng, and even roped in your own sister. Must be nice—being Sect Master and all."

Ace blinked.

Was she… jealous?

He blinked again.

No, she was genuinely pouting. Like a child told to share her toy.

"…Seriously?" he asked, incredulous. Then he chuckled, rubbing his forehead.

"You're unbelievable."

He took a breath and turned serious again.

"But listen, I know this might sound strange, but you need to take care of both the boy and his mother. Not just as their protector… but as someone who understands what it means to lose a home."

Lily opened her mouth to retort but paused—

"…But didn't Shan Yifeng's father di—"

THWACK.

Ace's fist landed squarely on her head.

Not hard enough to injure.

But definitely hard enough to say "Nope. Don't go there."

"Owww!" Lily clutched her head, sulking.

"…Hah… and she could've dodged that, She's fast enough to outrun light but takes the hit on purpose… unbelievable." Ace muttered to himself.

He shook his head again.

"Anyway. That's all I had to say. I'm going to speak with the village chief, find out why they suddenly sought shelter here in the first place."

Just then, a tiny, shaky voice cut through the air.

"T-The v-village chief…"

They both turned. The boy's mother was trembling, still hugging herself.

She raised a trembling hand… and pointed directly at the two halves of the bisected corpse still lying on the ground.

Ace stared.

Lily blinked.

Ace looked once more at the cooling halves of the man, then sighed.

"…Well," he muttered, "that actually complicates things."

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