Fighting Soul Clan Demoness

Chapter 656 The Existence of a Father

The Cao family's residence, an inner palace.

A middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes was arranging the flowers and plants in the pot with a calm expression, seemingly unaware of the young girl waiting silently beside him.

"After all these years, the Soul-Nourishing Flower that Rui'er planted back then is still blooming so profusely, which really makes me nostalgic."

After an unknown amount of time, the man finally put down the pot and looked up:
"It's a pity that she lived her whole life, and wanted to stand out her whole life, but in the end she still didn't get to see what you look like now."

The man had square eyebrows and a dignified face that exuded authority even when he was not angry. Even when he was at leisure in private, he still carried the dignity of someone who had long held a high position.

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying couldn't help but scoff, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm:
"These tricks are only good for those who are eager to fawn over you; there's no need to give me crocodile tears."

The man in brocade shook his head and sighed:

“Ying’er, although you are exceptionally talented, you are still too proud. If you could understand your father’s good intentions, you wouldn’t have suffered such a big setback in that assessment.”

"Painstaking effort? You dare to claim that?!"

Cao Ying's voice was filled with anger, her teeth clenched, as if concealing a burning hatred about to erupt, and she slowly said:
"If you truly had good intentions, why would you have hidden Mother away, and why would you claim that I am Cao Dan's younger sister? Don't you know how filthy and disgusting his eyes were when he looked at me?"

The man in brocade robes looked somewhat stiff. As half-siblings, Cao Dan harbored desires for Cao Ying, which made him, as the head of the family, feel a little embarrassed.

His eyes flickered, and even his voice was lowered slightly at this moment:

"Ying'er, I was unaware of this matter."

"Do not."

Cao Ying abruptly interrupted, sneering, "You know, you know better than anyone else, when it comes to being well-informed, who can match your vast reach as the head of the Cao family, who is above ten thousand others?"

"You assigned me to that lowly woman to solidify her position as the first wife, wasn't that just to consolidate your own power? If that's the case, then stop with your pretense. My mother doesn't need your pity!"

Who would have thought that Cao Ying, who always greeted everyone with a smile, would be so sharp and mean when she erupted, showing no mercy even to her own father?

A string of words came out of his mouth, making the man in brocade turn pale, as if something was stuck in his throat.

His lips trembled with anger, and he said sternly:
"Do you even realize how devastating it would be to the reputation of the Cao family if others found out that you were born to a servant?"

"By placing you under the tutelage of the first wife, I am not only upholding the Cao family, but also protecting you!"

When he got angry, he couldn't help but point to the door and shout:
"Look at Miss Ruoruo. Both are disciples of the Pill Tower, but why is she so cultured and talented, far surpassing you by a wide margin? If you continue to concern yourself with these trivial matters, I'm afraid it won't be long before your talent fades into obscurity!"

"Ah"

Cao Ying's eyes grew even colder, her gaze fixed intently on the other person, and she calmly said:
"You'd better find someone more capable than me from the Cao family. Your time is running out."

The calm voice rang out, yet it seemed to contain immense irony, causing the man in brocade robes to twitch violently.

"presumptuous!"

A thunderous, furious shout rang out, and an incomparably powerful aura swept over, causing Cao Ying to let out a muffled groan, her pretty face instantly turning deathly pale.

"Cao Ying, don't forget that your current achievements are all thanks to your father's cultivation. You've only been cultivating in the Pill Tower for a few years now. Are you going to forget your roots?!"

The overwhelming pressure rolled down, but Cao Ying showed no fear whatsoever. The sharpness in her eyes intensified, as if she were about to unleash a blade at any moment.

The sudden, angry shout echoed throughout the mansion, quickly attracting the attention of the servants, who were immediately terrified and cried out:
"master!"

A moment later, an elderly woman arrived, trembling, and quickly helped Cao Ying up.
"Master, Miss only lost one match, why is it such a big deal?"

This old woman had once been in charge of taking care of the head of the household and was also a relative of an elder in the clan, so she held a high position and dared to ask the man a question.

Seeing this, the man's chest heaved, then he quickly suppressed his aura and abruptly wiped his face.
"What happened today must not be publicized." He turned around, regaining his dignified bearing as the head of the family.
"With the Dan Conference imminent, quickly escort Miss to the manor to rest and recuperate."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man strode towards the door, and one could vaguely hear undisguised curses.

After the man left, the old woman hurriedly carried Cao Ying to a nearby chair, straightening her clothes while muttering to herself:
“Oh dear, look at your father. He’s such a grown man, yet he still hasn’t changed his irritable temper. No wonder that brat Cao Dan never learns anything good. Xiaoying, let’s not stoop to his level.”

Cao Ying lowered her head, appearing as stubborn as ever, but her body trembled slightly.

The old woman felt distressed seeing this, but didn't know how to comfort her, so she could only say:

"Xiaoying, tell your aunt what exactly happened that day. Why did she suddenly rush onto the stage to compete with others in alchemy?"

Cao Ying fell silent immediately.

It turned out that after the competition that day, Cao Ying, unwilling to accept the result, bluntly exposed Hun Ruoruo's lie in public.

To her utter surprise, the pill that was so obviously fake from the initial preparation to the final fusion was hailed as a divine object by everyone.

To say the pills are fake? Those are pills refined by the successors of the Pill Tower, how could they be fake? Even if the shape and texture are different from normal pills, that just shows their lack of knowledge.

Saying the process is wrong? That's ridiculous. They even summoned Dan Lei (a powerful magic weapon), and there are hardly any people on the field who can refine seventh-grade pills. What makes you think their process is wrong?
So, over time, Cao Ying, the only one who saw through the truth, became the target of ostracism and ridicule. People just assumed that she had gone mad because she couldn't bear falling from the top spot.

But that alone was not enough to make Cao Ying completely despair.

What truly broke her down, to the point that she began to doubt the very existence of the Pill Tower, was the efficacy of that seemingly chaotic pill.

When Cao Ying, refusing to believe her fate, found Hun Ruoruo and swallowed the pill, the incredibly pure water elemental energy became the final straw that broke her back.
Like.

so similar.

That power, like the 'Life-Turning Pill,' also possesses the ability to bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded, and is even more powerful. The only difference is that it heals with water elements, while the 'Life-Turning Pill' relies on medicinal power.

Such a subtle difference, coupled with the opponent's water-attribute strange fire, the Sea Heart Flame, would have been difficult for Cao Ying to discern if she hadn't known beforehand, let alone those parasites whose eyes were corrupted by fame and fortune.
It is precisely the combination of all these conditions that has woven such a flawless lie.

That woman was indeed terrifying to the point of despair.

From the very beginning, no one could escape the target she had set her sights on. What was even more despairing was that the frankness of the other party's words far exceeded that of the so-called prestigious and righteous families of Danta and Cao.

Cao Ying's lips moved slightly, and a crystalline light gradually shone from the shadows, like pearls with a broken string.

As dusk fell, the old woman had already sighed and left, but a strange black shadow had appeared in front of Cao Ying, seemingly mocking her silently.

She mechanically raised her head.

"You're absolutely right, we're the same kind of people."

Hun Ruoruo's eyes were deep and her graceful figure was shrouded in black mist, like a messenger emerging from the abyss, carrying unimaginable mystery and allure.

"Since that's the case, why not let me take your life and follow me from now on, so you'll no longer be bound by this hypocrisy and filth?"

She looked down at Cao Ying, a dreamy smile playing on her lips.
"The shadow of evil also lurks in your heart. Continuing to be controlled by the Cao family will only bury your talent. This place does not belong to someone like you."

Cao Ying's eyes were red, and she finally sighed softly, closing her eyes as if resigned to her fate.

As soon as she finished speaking, a pair of jet-black wings instantly emerged from the black mist, wrapping around and enveloping her body.

"Don't kill him," Cao Ying pleaded.

Hun Ruoruo's voice was incredibly gentle, but a chilling glint flashed in her eyes:

"It doesn't matter what you say."
-
In the original novel, Cao Dan harbored ulterior motives towards his younger sister, Cao Ying. This provides a convenient way to resolve that, and hopefully, this explanation will satisfy the readers. (Although this character feels a bit too much of a minor character, ahem.)
(End of this chapter)