Battle Through the Heavens: Starting with Cao Ying as an apprentice

The golden retriever was startled by the sudden howl and jumped back two steps in disgust to avoid the "mixed liquid" dripping from the air.

"Don't get your saliva and tears on me," it said, wrinkling its nose.

"It's disgusting."

"No! No!" Zi Yan cried even harder, swaying back and forth in the air.

"I'm suffering inside, can't I even cry? I'm hanging here while you're down there eating delicious pills, I'm seriously resentful!"

"Waaaaahh ...

The sound of crying echoed in the quiet courtyard, startling a few night birds in the distant trees.

The little golden retriever covered its ears with its paws, looking utterly annoyed. It circled around twice on the ground, finally unable to bear the piercing noise any longer, and sighed.

"Alright, alright, stop crying!" it said irritably. "Here's a bottle, okay?"

As it spoke, it took out the previously rejected cyan jade bottle from its storage ring—there were still four pills left inside.

Zi Yan's crying stopped abruptly.

But then her eyes lit up, and she immediately shook her head: "I want a new bottle! An unopened one!"

"You—" The little golden retriever was so angry that his whiskers stood on end.

"Just this one bottle, take it or leave it!"

"Then take it back, I'll keep crying." Zi Yan said, her lips pursed, and she looked like she was about to start another round of wailing.

"You, you, you!" The little golden retriever was so angry at this shameless behavior that it spun around in circles. In the end, it couldn't bear to listen to the howling anymore and could only sigh in defeat.

With a reluctant expression, it took out a brand new white jade bottle from its storage ring—a small label was affixed to the bottle, with elegant handwriting reading "Honey Fragrance Heart-Clearing Pill, Grade Four".

"Take it, take it!" The little golden retriever tossed the bottle into the air.

With lightning speed, Zi Yan twisted in mid-air and caught the jade bottle steadily. Her movements were so agile that there was no trace of her previous tearful and disheveled appearance.

She couldn't wait to pull out the stopper and pour out a pale golden pill.

The pill felt warm to the touch and emitted a sweet honey fragrance that made one's mouth water just by smelling it.

Zi Yan carefully put the pill into her mouth.

The next second—

"Well--!"

Her eyes widened instantly, and she seemed frozen in place. The pill dissolved in her mouth, sweet with a hint of coolness, sliding down her throat and transforming into a warm energy that spread throughout her body.

The taste... was ten times more wonderful than the sweetest spiritual fruit she had ever eaten! No, a hundred times more wonderful!

"It's so delicious!"

Zi Yan squinted her eyes happily and let out a long, satisfied sigh.

Hanging upside down in mid-air, her face was radiant with an unprecedented smile of bliss. The moonlight shone on her tear-stained and mud-covered face, giving it a captivating glow.

The little golden retriever under the tree looked at her like this, shook its head helplessly, and muttered under its breath:

What a spineless person...

But a hint of a smile flickered in its golden eyes.

Chapter 182 The Gluttonous Zi Yan!

The next morning, as the sun rose, the group, who had been cultivating all night, returned to the courtyard one after another.

The air still carried the fresh scent of night dew, and the morning light filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

However, when Cai Lin was the first to step into the courtyard, the scene before her made her stop in her tracks.

The courtyard was in a mess—several spiritual herbs were trampled and bent over, and several empty pill bottles were scattered around the stone table. Most eye-catching was a small figure hanging from the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard.

It was a little girl who looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, wearing a slightly oversized purple dress, and was hanging on a tree branch in a rather comical pose.

Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open, and a trickle of saliva slowly flowed down the corner of her mouth, swaying gently with her even breathing.

"Bai Chen, is she the thief from last night?" Cai Lin turned to look at Su Bai Chen, who walked in after her, her tone filled with disbelief and surprise.

"This...this is still a child."

Before Su Baichen could answer, a golden light darted out from the corner of the courtyard. Little Jin skipped over to Cai Lin's feet, tilting its head back and shouting, "Mistress, it's her, it's definitely her!"

The little guy spoke with great enthusiasm, gesturing with his two front paws: "Last night, she stared at the Butterfly Mistress's Bloodline Evolution Pill, her eyes practically glued to the screen, sparkling brightly! I saw it all clearly from the shadows!"

Seemingly to make her story more convincing, Xiao Jin added, "Besides, she's incredibly agile. If our master hadn't been prepared and set up a formation, she might have actually succeeded!"

Su Baichen smiled slightly upon hearing this, squatted down, and gently stroked the little golden retriever's fluffy head. "Okay, I know. You worked hard last night, come back and rest now."

Little Gold squinted its eyes in enjoyment, rubbed against Su Baichen's palm, and then transformed into a golden stream of light, disappearing into Su Baichen's body.

After putting away Xiao Jin, Su Baichen turned his gaze back to the little figure still fast asleep in the tree and shook his head helplessly.

"What do we do now? Send her directly to the Grand Elder?"

He turned to Cai Lin and asked, "After all, you are an inner court student. Breaking into someone else's residence and stealing pills is not a small matter according to the academy rules."

“No…” Cai Lin blurted out almost subconsciously. She took a few steps closer, looked up at Zi Yan who had been hanging all night, and her heart softened for no reason.

"Look at her, she's been hanging here all night, she's already pitiful enough."

At this moment, Cai Die also walked in from outside. As soon as she saw Zi Yan in the tree, her angry expression softened instantly.

“Yes, brother-in-law, she’s still just a child.” Cai Die walked quickly to her sister’s side and looked up at Zi Yan.

"Besides, she didn't actually steal anything, so let her go. I was going to settle accounts with her, but... but she looks even younger than Qinglin."

As Cai Die spoke, she couldn't help but reach out to touch Zi Yan's swaying leg, but Su Baichen stopped her with a look.

"Alright, since you're both pleading for her." Su Baichen looked at the two soft-hearted women and rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"Cai Lin, put her down gently."

Cai Lin nodded, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and gracefully rose into the air. She carefully untied the vines binding Zi Yan, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a fragile piece of porcelain.

When Ziyan fell into her arms, the little girl just mumbled something unconsciously, snuggled her head into Cailin's warm embrace, and continued to sleep.

While fast asleep, Zi Yan seemed to be dreaming of some delicious food. She smacked her lips and mumbled indistinctly, "Stop it...don't disturb my meal...all these pills are mine...mine..."

As she spoke, her little hands waved wildly in the air, as if trying to drive away the "enemies" stealing her food in her dream.

Seeing this, Su Baichen's lips twitched involuntarily, and he sighed inwardly, "What a complete glutton, he dreams of eating pills all the time."

However, upon further reflection, he realized this could be an opportunity—Zi Yan had an innate craving for high energy, and using pills to build rapport might be a good approach. Feeding her the pills once she woke up should ease the tension.

Cai Die, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but reach out and gently pinch Zi Yan's pink cheek, her eyes full of amusement: "Sister, look at her, she's dreaming about eating, she's a real little foodie."

Cai Lin gently landed with Zi Yan in her arms. Looking down at the innocent sleeping face of the child in her arms, she couldn't help but smile gently: "Yes, this greedy look reminds me of you when you were little. Back then, you always craved my snacks, and sometimes you would sneak a few candies when I wasn't looking."

“Who’s like her!” Upon hearing this, Cai Die stomped her foot, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"I was such a well-behaved child, I was definitely more successful than her!"

As she spoke, she chased after her sister, who was carrying Ziyan into the house, with some annoyance. The two of them entered the main house one after the other, leaving Su Baichen shaking his head helplessly in the courtyard.

At this moment, Cao Ying also came over and respectfully bowed to Su Baichen: "Master, then this disciple will also go back to my room to consolidate my cultivation."

“Go ahead.” Su Baichen nodded.

Little Fairy Doctor and Qing Lin also took their leave one after another. Before leaving, Qing Lin glanced curiously in the direction of the main house and asked in a low voice, "Will that little girl be alright?"

"Don't worry, your sister Cailin will take care of her," Su Baichen replied gently.

After everyone had left, the courtyard finally quieted down. Su Baichen walked to the stone table and sat down, taking out an exquisite bronze mirror from his storage ring. The mirror's surface was as smooth as water, with intricate cloud patterns carved along its edges.

He gathered a wisp of pale white battle aura at his fingertips and gently touched it onto the mirror. Ripples spread across the mirror, and after a moment, Yun Yun's beautiful face appeared in the mirror.

"Young Master." Yun Yun's voice came through the mirror, carrying a hint of surprise.

"Yunyun, what's the situation in the Jia Ma Empire? How is the Ya family doing now?" Su Baichen asked directly.

Yun Yun in the mirror straightened her expression and reported earnestly, "Young Master, the situation in the Jia Ma Empire has basically stabilized. With the support of your pills, Ya Xue's cultivation has progressed rapidly, and she has now broken through to the Dou Wang realm. With this strength and our covert support, the Ya family has completely established itself in the empire and become a leader among the emerging forces."

“Very good.” Su Baichen nodded in satisfaction and continued, “We have some matters to attend to at Canaan Academy and expect to stay for a while. Please arrange your work and come join us.”

"Yes! Son!"

A clear look of joy flashed in Yun Yun's eyes, but she quickly regained her usual composure: "I will begin preparations immediately, and we will be able to set off in three days at most."

The communication ended, and the mirror returned to normal. Su Baichen put away the bronze mirror, his gaze turning towards the main house, a meaningful smile playing on his lips—it seemed that the courtyard would be even more lively in the days to come.

Yun Yun, far away at the former site of the Yunlan Sect in the Jia Ma Empire, was holding the bronze mirror that had been restored to its original state tightly in her hands, with an uncontrollable smile on her face.

“That’s wonderful… Young Master hasn’t forgotten me, he still remembers to let me come over…” she murmured to herself, her eyes shining brightly.

Chapter 183 Top-Tier Magical Beasts!

In the room, Zi Yan groggily opened her eyes, her long purple hair falling messily over her shoulders.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up, finding herself lying on an unfamiliar bed with soft brocade bedding beneath her and a faint fragrance filling the air.

Where am I?

She stretched, limbs outstretched like a lazy cat, a hint of confusion flashing in her purple eyes.

Immediately, memories of last night flooded back—she sneaked into Elder Su's courtyard, intending to steal the eighth-grade pill, but ended up hanging from a tree, then Xiao Jin appeared…she ate the pill…and went to sleep.

Zi Yan jumped up in shock: "Oh no! Elder Su must be back and caught me!"

She tiptoed toward the door, but in her haste, she knocked over a jade bottle on the bedside table.

The jade bottle rolled onto the carpet with a soft thud. Zi Yan quickly bent down to pick it up. She saw that the jade bottle was pure white, with a faint luster flowing around its body. It was warm to the touch and was clearly not an ordinary item.

"This seems to be..."

Zi Yan's eyes lit up, vaguely recalling that she seemed to have seen Elder Su fiddling with something at the table in her drowsy state last night.

She carefully uncorked the bottle, and a rich yet gentle fragrance of elixir immediately wafted out. This fragrance was unlike any of the elixirs she had stolen before; it had no pungent medicinal smell, but instead carried a sweet scent, like peaches in the morning dew, or like melting amber.

"The aroma is different, but the energy is extremely high." Zi Yan licked her lips, judging from her years of experience stealing pills.

"It looks safe to take."

She poured a pill into her palm. The pill was pale gold in color, with a subtle shimmering light flowing across its surface, and it seemed to tremble slightly as if it were alive.