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

"Sister, brother-in-law, let me explain!" Cai Die let go of his hand and retreated repeatedly.

"It wasn't me, it was Cao Ying! It was all Cao Ying who said it!"

A thousand miles away, in a quiet courtyard.

Cao Ying, who was playing chess with Little Fairy Doctor, suddenly sneezed several times.

"Ah! Ahh!"

The chess pieces on the board bounced slightly from the impact. Little Fairy Doctor paused, raising an eyebrow and smiling, "That sneeze must mean someone's been talking about you."

Cao Ying rubbed her nose, raised her chin, and said with pride in her eyes, "Of course, I'm Cao Ying! Lots of people talk about me!"

……

In the courtyard, Su Baichen let out a soft "heh," walked past Cai Die, and bent down to pick up his daughter.

“Father, Auntie wasn’t wrong. Sister Cao Ying also told me some things… She said that the way Sister Yunyun looks at Father is a bit like the way Mother looks at Father.” Su Ling’er obediently hugged his neck, buried her face in his shoulder, and said in a muffled but clear voice.

Su Baichen's arm stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

He turned his head and gave Cai Die a deep look.

His gaze was calm and unwavering, yet Cai Die felt as if he had been seen through from head to toe. She could only lower her head awkwardly, staring at the tips of her shoes, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into.

Su Baichen withdrew his gaze and looked at the sky. The crescent moon had risen high in the sky, its clear light bathing the entire courtyard.

He gently patted his daughter's back, his voice softening, "Alright, it's getting late, Ling'er should go to sleep."

Upon hearing this, Cai Die's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly reached out to take it, saying, "Yes, yes, Ling'er, come here, Auntie will take you to bed, and Auntie will tell you a new story tonight!"

【Very good!】

It's been a full ten years... Tonight, finally... After putting this little darling to sleep, it'll be my husband and my turn...

She cheered inwardly.

The beautiful fantasy had barely begun when it was shattered by the baby's soft voice coming from my arms—

"Daddy, Ling'er wants to sleep with Daddy, okay?" Su Ling'er hugged Su Baichen's neck tightly, rubbing her little face against his neck, her voice as soft and sweet as freshly steamed sugar cake.

Su Baichen's heart melted into a pool of water in that instant.

What father could refuse such a request from his daughter? Especially when those big eyes, so much like her mother's, are filled with moonlight and anticipation, staring at you without blinking.

"Okay, of course it's okay." Su Baichen's voice was so gentle it could melt water. He lifted his daughter high in the air, making her giggle, and then gently touched her forehead with his own.

"Tonight, Daddy will tell Ling'er a story, the story of your mother's adventures across the continent when she was young, okay?"

"Great!" Su Ling'er cheered.

Su Baichen, holding his daughter, turned and walked towards the side room.

As he walked past Cai Die, Su Ling'er, who was in his arms, suddenly turned her head and quickly made a face at Cai Die—sticking out her tongue, blinking, and then burying her face back on her father's shoulder triumphantly.

The butterfly stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

A night breeze blew, lifting strands of hair at her temples. She watched as the father and daughter disappeared around the corner of the corridor, the clear laughter of Su Ling'er still seeming to echo in her ears.

【ah--!!】

A silent scream exploded in her heart.

[Su Ling'er! You little ingrate! All these years, all the strange and wonderful things I've collected for you have been for nothing! All the sneaking out to play with you have been for nothing! All the trouble I've caused for you while keeping it a secret from your mother has been for nothing! And you actually dared to ruin all my plans?!]

She stomped her feet in anger, but there was nothing she could do but grit her teeth at the air.

[Waaaaah... Sister, what kind of daughter did you give birth to? This isn't a sweet little girl, this is clearly a little vixen who steals men! She only steals her dad!]

The night was cool and still, and the courtyard was quiet. Only the faint sounds of laughter and conversation between a father and daughter could be heard from the distant side room, mingling with the chirping of insects, creating a scene that was both exceptionally warm and exceptionally heartbreaking.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Cai Die turned her head and looked once more at the quiet room deep in the courtyard.

A thought suddenly popped into my head, as if by some strange twist of fate.

【Yunyun, oh Yunyun…】

The butterfly gazed at the window light, silently murmuring to itself.

How long are you going to stay in this rut?

The night wind seemed to have picked up, rustling the leaves of the trees in the courtyard and stirring up some long-held thoughts in the butterfly's heart.

The young master has returned... but my sister will be able to return home in a few more days.

She pursed her lips, her eyes filled with complex emotions—concern, helplessness, and a hidden expectation that she herself was unaware of.

If only you could emerge from seclusion now...

Over the years, she watched Yun Yun do everything silently, and saw that her usually calm eyes would gleam with a soft light that even the person in question was unaware of when they looked at someone's portrait.

She teased, tested, and even "added fuel to the fire"—for example, "accidentally" letting Ling'er see the painting, or "unintentionally" bringing up certain old stories in front of Cao Ying.

Hurry up.

She whispered to herself, as if in prayer or a sigh.

[Before my sister returns... there are some things I need to say, if I don't say them now, I might never have the chance again.]

The moonlight cast a long, lonely shadow of hers. She stood in the empty courtyard, arms crossed, the evening breeze lifting her skirt and long hair.

【and……】

She suddenly thought of the little one nestled in her father's arms, and a helpless yet doting smile crept onto her lips.

If you come, maybe... you can even help me keep that unruly little brat who's always trying to steal her daddy in check.

This thought inexplicably eased her mood. She glanced one last time at the warm window light, then turned and walked towards her own room.

As night deepened, all was quiet. Only in Yunyun's secluded room remained the lamp still lit, its dim yellow light flowing silently across the window paper, as if accumulating something, or perhaps waiting for something.

Inside the room, Su Baichen gently patted his daughter, humming a tune from his past life.

Su Ling'er snuggled closer to him, finding the most comfortable position, and her breathing gradually became even.

Just before she was about to drift off to sleep, she mumbled something indistinctly:

"Father... the light in Aunt Yunyun's room seems brighter than usual..."

Su Baichen paused slightly in his patting gesture.

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the walls and look into the depths of the courtyard.

There, a single lamp, dim as a bean, burned quietly in the deep darkness of the night.

Chapter 216 Mischievous Zi Yan!

Since Su Baichen returned to Canaan Academy, his secluded little courtyard has never been quiet again.

Cai Die and Su Ling'er were like two cats fighting over territory, constantly bickering over trivial matters.

The afternoon, which should have been a time for a pleasant rest, was broken by a series of loud arguments.

"Auntie, what are you doing! This is my room!" Su Ling'er stomped her feet angrily, her rosy face full of dissatisfaction.

Today, she specially wore a newly made pale yellow dress, and her hair was adorned with the butterfly hairpin that Su Baichen had given her the day before. She wanted to look beautiful for her father, but she bumped into Cai Die, who was swaggering around on the soft couch by the window where she usually sat, fiddling with some objects.

Cai Die leaned against the window, her snow-white skin accentuated by her long, light blue dress. She casually fiddled with the jade hairpin in her hand, not even lifting her eyelids. "This isn't your room," she said, "this is my man's room. Besides—"

She finally raised her head and gave Su Ling'er a meaningful smile.

"Little Ling'er, your father hasn't spoken yet, what's the rush?"

"You!" Su Ling'er blushed with anger and stood on tiptoe to reach for the thing in Cai Die's hand.

"Auntie, give me back the hairpin! Father just gave it to me yesterday!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Cai Die turned around gently, avoiding Su Ling'er's small hand, and held the jade hairpin high, examining it closely in the sunlight.

The jade hairpin is entirely emerald green, with a butterfly about to take flight carved on the head. It was carved by Su Baichen himself using top-quality jade.

"Tsk tsk, the workmanship, the quality—" She deliberately dragged out her words, and when she caught a glimpse of Su Ling'er's anxious expression, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

"Auntie Butterfly!" Su Ling'er jumped and leaped, but the height difference was too great, and she couldn't reach her no matter what she did.

Seeing this, Cai Die simply placed one hand gently on Su Ling'er's head and raised the hairpin even higher with the other, teasingly saying, "Hehe, little shorty, want something? No way!"

"You're bullying me!" Su Ling'er's eyes reddened, and her voice trembled with aggrieved sobs.

At the stone table on the other side of the courtyard, Su Baichen slowly sipped his tea, seemingly oblivious to the farce unfolding before him.

"Hey, Su Baichen, aren't you going to go and stop them?" Zi Yan, sitting opposite him, rested her chin on her hand, her large purple eyes filled with helplessness towards the two of them. She had heard that Su Baichen was back yesterday and rushed over without stopping.

Upon meeting, he grabbed Su Baichen's sleeve and demanded, with a sense of entitlement, that his "empty and helpless granary" be filled.

Su Baichen simply smiled and casually tossed her a bottle of newly refined pills.

Zi Yan hugged the medicine bottle with satisfaction, but she didn't notice Elder Zheng, who was in charge of the medicine warehouse in the distance, whose face was as pale as paper.

The poor elder watched helplessly as Zi Yan moved away a full thirty percent of the precious medicinal herbs in the storeroom, and on the spot, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.

They say she just woke up not long ago.

"It's alright." Su Baichen put down his teacup, his gaze casually sweeping over Cai Die and Su Ling'er, who were still struggling, a faint smile curving his lips.

"The two of them actually have a very good relationship. This little squabble is just their special way of getting along."

He paused, then turned to Zi Yan, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "You, on the other hand, surprise me a bit. You didn't join their 'game,' which isn't like you at all."

"What? What?!" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan jumped up from the stone bench like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

She pointed at Su Baichen with one trembling hand, clutching her chest with the other, feigning "utter grief": "So, this is how you see me!"

Su Baichen raised an eyebrow, feigning doubt: "Isn't that so?"

"I am Zi Yan, the little tyrant feared by everyone at Canaan Academy!" Zi Yan puffed out her chest, trying her best to look imposing.

"How could I possibly be like them, arguing and bickering over trivial matters? I'm a person who's going to do big things!"

"Oh? What happened to Elder Zheng a few days ago? He's still unconscious." Su Baichen said leisurely.

"That, that's different!" Zi Yan's momentum immediately diminished, and her voice weakened.

"I did that... to eat! Yes, eating is the most important thing!"

Su Baichen chuckled and shook his head: "Eating? I think it's more like you're craving something."