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

Su Baichen silently embraced her, letting her tears flow, but his arms tightened silently, offering her the most solid support.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment, as the colorful butterfly cried out and Su Baichen comforted her.

Meanwhile, Su Ling'er, who was left standing there, was completely stunned.

Her small mouth was slightly open, her big round eyes were wide open, and her gaze moved back and forth between the two people who were tightly embracing each other. Her little head was full of huge question marks, which were almost solidified and floated out.

What... what's going on?

Who is this handsome uncle who suddenly appeared? Why did my aunt cry so hard and rush over to hug him as soon as she saw him?

He just said... "I'm back?"

An incredible thought, like a tiny spark, ignited in her heart with a "poof," and quickly burst into flames.

Could it be... could it be that he is...?

Su Ling'er stood there, stunned, watching the figures embracing each other, listening to her aunt's suppressed sobs and the other person's gentle comfort. She felt that the whole world had become strange and wonderful.

She subconsciously raised her little hand and touched her face, her mind blank, the words echoing in her ears:

Who am I? Where am I? What should I do?

Chapter 214 Daughter's Request: Daddy, Hug Me!

As night fell, the courtyard was bathed in soft light.

In the dining room, the three sat around a mahogany round table, on which were several home-style dishes, steam rising gently, carrying the warm atmosphere of home.

Su Baichen looked around and found the house much quieter than he remembered.

He looked at his daughter beside him, who was diligently eating but kept glancing at him, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

"Cai Die, where is everyone? Why are you and..." He paused, his gaze falling on Su Ling'er.

When the little girl was caught peeking, she quickly lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, and pretended to be focused on eating, but her chopsticks were only stirring the rice grains in the bowl.

Cai Die smiled slightly, added a bowl of soup to Su Baichen's bowl, and said softly, "Six years ago, Cao Ying broke through to the Dou Huanghou realm and couldn't wait to go out and travel."

"You know her personality; she can't sit still. She's only come back three or four times in the past few years, and each time she's in a hurry, saying she's pursuing some 'true essence of alchemy'."

She paused, then continued, "Little Fairy Doctor also broke through to the Dou Huang realm four years ago and went out with them. The two of them often travel together. In their last letter, they said they were traveling in the Northwest Continent and seemed to have discovered some ancient ruins."

"As for Qinglin, something happened to the Snake-People tribe three days ago. It seems there was a problem with the tribe's priest, and my sister took her back with her. Before she left, my sister specifically told me to tell her when you come back." Cai Die sighed softly.

"As for Senior Yao Chen and Senior Yao Tianhuo, they returned to Zhongzhou last month. Senior Yao Chen said that there were some matters to attend to at the Zhongzhou Pill Tower, while Senior Tianhuo wanted to go back and visit his old haunts."

"Yun Yun is currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Dou Zong realm."

Su Baichen listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup. When he heard about Cao Ying, he raised an eyebrow: "Cao Ying broke through to the Dou Huang realm six years ago? How is that possible!"

He remembered clearly that Cao Ying was only at the Dou Ling realm when he left. Although she had exceptional talent, the speed at which she went from Dou Ling to Dou Huang in just three or four years was truly astonishing.

A hint of a smile flashed in Cai Die's eyes: "Hmm, it is quite surprising, but that girl's luck is indeed excessive."

She put down her chopsticks and recalled carefully, "In the first year after you left, Senior Yao Chen obtained a Sea Heart Flame from somewhere. Considering that Cao Ying's cultivation method was compatible with the strange fire, he gave it to her. When that girl absorbed it, the entire courtyard was shrouded in blue flames for three days and three nights. After it was completed, she directly broke through from a high-level Dou Ling to a three-star Dou Wang."

"For the next year or so, she practically lived in the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower."

Cai Die shook her head and continued, "Sometimes when I sent someone to deliver food, she didn't even have time to eat. With the help of the pills you left behind, she reached the six-star Dou Wang level in the second year."

Su Baichen listened intently, and Cai Die continued, "The real turning point came in the third year. The Heavenly Flame Refining Tower suddenly erupted, and the Fallen Heart Flame broke through the seal. Fortunately, you had made arrangements in advance, and we joined forces with the academy elders, taking three days to suppress it again."

"As agreed before you left, this Fallen Heart Flame will be given to Cao Ying to absorb."

A look of amazement flashed in Cai Die's eyes, and she said with concern, "That girl is really going all out. She has been in seclusion for a full forty-nine days, and her aura has already reached the level of a four-star Dou Huang."

After listening, Su Baichen let out a long sigh of relief: "I see, that makes sense. I thought this brat had taken some extreme path to break through."

As he spoke, he habitually picked up a few slices of tender meat and placed them into Cai Die's and Su Ling'er's bowls respectively.

"Eat more, you've all worked so hard these past years." His tone was gentle, and his gaze lingered on his daughter for a moment.

Seeing his daughter eating obediently with her head down, Su Baichen felt a surge of emotion. He subconsciously raised his right hand, wanting to pat Cao Ying's head as he used to do.

But as he reached out his hand, he suddenly froze—after five years of absence, would his daughter still accept such intimacy?

The hand hovering in the air looked extremely awkward. A hint of sadness flashed in Su Baichen's eyes, but he slowly withdrew it, letting out a soft sigh.

"Ok?"

Just as he was about to completely withdraw his hand, he felt a gentle touch on his palm.

He turned his head in surprise and saw that Su Ling'er had raised her head slightly at some point and had taken the initiative to put her little head under his palm.

Her soft black hair, styled into two cute buns, was gently rubbing against his palm.

Su Baichen was stunned, and then his eyes welled up with an indescribable warmth and emotion.

He stroked his daughter's hair carefully and tenderly, as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

As Cai Die watched this scene, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and a huge weight was finally lifted from her heart.

Over the years, her and her sister's biggest worry has been that Ling'er will become estranged from Su Baichen because of the lack of a father's love.

It now appears that the power of blood ties is far greater than imagined.

The dining room was quiet for a moment, with only the soft sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering together.

"Daddy..."

A tiny voice suddenly rang out.

Su Ling'er raised her head, her clear eyes sparkling with expectation and a hint of unease. She bit her lip, as if gathering her courage, and whispered, "Can you hug me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she nervously clutched the hem of her clothes with her small hands, but her eyes were fixed on Su Baichen, filled with longing and anxiety about being rejected.

[Father won't refuse, will he?]

What if Daddy refuses?

I really want to hug Daddy!

Su Baichen was stunned, and the chopsticks in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter".

He stared blankly at his daughter, unable to react for a moment.

There's nothing I can do, happiness came too suddenly.

His daughter's request was wonderful; he desperately wanted it.

"No, no problem, of course no problem!" His voice trembled slightly as he quickly stood up and hurriedly walked around the table.

"Come here, Daddy will hold you, Daddy will hold you!"

He bent down and carefully lifted his daughter from the chair.

The moment that small body fell into his arms, Su Baichen felt his heart filled with a warm and abundant emotion.

He gently and steadily cradled his daughter, as if embracing the whole world.

Su Ling'er was initially a little stiff, but she quickly relaxed, slowly wrapping her little hands around her father's neck and burying her face in his shoulder.

She had waited for this embrace for far too long.

Cai Die watched this scene quietly, her eyes slightly warm. She quietly turned her face away, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and when she turned back, her face was beaming with a bright smile.

Su Baichen held his daughter and paced gently in the dining room. Looking down at the little one in his arms, he felt a surge of emotions.

He will spend the rest of his life making up for the time he missed in those five years.

The moonlight outside the window was as clear as water, and the room was warm and cozy. On this night, Su Ling'er finally regained the wholeness that she had been missing for so long.

"Ling'er".

Su Baichen said softly, "Father will never leave for so long again."

The little one in his arms didn't answer, but simply held him tighter. That silent response was more precious than any words.

Chapter 215 My Father's Little Sweetheart!

The warmth of dinner had not yet dissipated when Su Baichen stood under the porch, gazing towards the quiet room deep within the courtyard.

The warm yellow candlelight shone through the window paper, appearing exceptionally peaceful in the twilight—Cai Die said that Yun Yun had been in seclusion for three months.

Su Baichen was somewhat lost in thought when a pair of arms gently wrapped around his waist from behind.

"Yunyun, how are you?" Caidie pressed her face against his back, her voice filled with laughter.

Su Baichen chuckled: "What do you mean, 'how'?"

The butterfly turned to face him, looked up at him, and the moonlight fell into her eyes, shimmering with a mischievous light.

"What do you say?"

She reached out and straightened Su Baichen's clothes gently, but her words pressed him relentlessly.

"During these ten years, especially the five years my sister was pregnant, besides me taking care of her day and night, Yunyun was the one who came most frequently. Preparing medicine, making soup, talking to my sister... she didn't miss a single thing?"

She paused, her fingers unconsciously tracing the embroidery on Su Baichen's clothes: "Later, when Ling'er was born, Yunyun came to play with her every few days. You didn't see it, but when Ling'er was learning to walk, she fell down and cried loudly. Yunyun was even more anxious than I was. She rushed over, picked her up, comforted her, and checked if Ling'er was hurt."

The lanterns under the eaves swayed gently, casting flickering light on Su Baichen's face.

Just as he was about to speak, a small figure peeked out from behind the moon gate.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Su Ling'er ran over, lifting her skirt, tilting her head back, her eyes sparkling.

“And I’ve also seen Sister Yunyun sometimes staring at a painting in a daze! I secretly saw it once—” She stood on tiptoe.

Su Baichen smiled and picked up his daughter. The daughter leaned close to Su Baichen's ear and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear, "That picture on it is Daddy!"

Su Baichen was taken aback, then chuckled and pinched her daughter's little nose: "Hey, you little rascal, do you even know what we're talking about before you interrupt? Be careful your mother comes back and punishes you."

"I'm not afraid at all!" Su Ling'er put her hands on her hips, raised her head, and looked like a little adult.

"Don't take advantage of my young age. Aunt Butterfly tells me stories every day..."

Before she could finish speaking, the butterfly pounced on her and covered her mouth.

But it was too late.

Butterfly could feel the gaze behind her—calm and gentle, yet it sent chills down her spine.

She mechanically turned her head and met Su Baichen's "kind" smile.