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

Zi Yan opened her mouth, wanting to refute but unable to find a way to argue, and finally could only mutter softly, "I... I didn't take that many... Besides, those medicinal herbs are just sitting there anyway, and if I eat them, they can enhance my strength, it's a good deal..."

"You..." Su Baichen sighed, reaching out to ruffle Zi Yan's soft purple hair, his tone carrying a mixture of doting and helplessness.

"Don't be so reckless next time. I went to see Elder Zheng a few days ago, and he was almost dead. If I hadn't arrived in time and kept him alive with some medicine—"

He paused deliberately, watching Zi Yan's head droop lower and lower, and continued, "Our Canaan Academy is about to produce its first Dou Wang who was scared to death. And by a little girl like you. Is that acceptable if word gets out?"

Zi Yan bit her lip. Although she felt a little uncomfortable after being scolded, she remembered that Su Baichen had indeed gone to the medicine storehouse in person yesterday and taken all the responsibility upon himself in front of all the elders.

Although everyone knew perfectly well who had done it, no one dared to pursue the matter further after Su Baichen spoke up. This protection warmed her heart.

"Hmm... I understand." She nodded obediently, her voice barely audible.

Seeing this, Su Baichen's eyes flashed with a smile, and his tone softened: "Since you've shown a good attitude in admitting your mistake, I'll give you a surprise in a few days."

"Surprise?!" Zi Yan suddenly raised her head, her previous dejected expression vanishing instantly.

She grabbed Su Baichen's arm, her eyes shining like two amethysts.

"What surprise? Is it a newly refined pill? Or have you found some rare and precious medicinal herbs? Tell me quickly!"

She shook Su Baichen's arm, completely unaware that the battle situation in the distance had changed.

"Zi Yan! What are you doing, clinging to my man's arm!" Cai Die shouted, her figure flashing as she instantly moved from the window to the stone table, glaring at Zi Yan with wide eyes.

Su Ling'er ran over, panting, her face flushed red: "Sister Ziyan, how could you hug my father's arm! Let go!"

Zi Yan's eyes darted around, and instead of letting go, she hugged him even tighter, deliberately pressing her face against Su Baichen's shoulder and revealing a sly smile: "Of course I'm here to steal your man!"

"Su Baichen is my personal alchemist; he refines pills for me every day. What's wrong with me hugging my own alchemist?"

"You!" Cai Die and Su Ling'er exclaimed in unison, their pretty faces filled with resentment.

Su Baichen was surrounded by three women, surrounded by their noisy chatter and surrounded by three different fragrances.

The elegant lotus scent emanating from Cai Die, the sweet fruity fragrance of Su Ling'er, and the unique, refreshing herbal aroma of Zi Yan.

He shook his head helplessly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted into the distance.

Beneath the lava beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower lies the cave dwelling of the last Dou Di of the Dou Qi Continent, the Cave Dwelling of the Ancient Emperor Tuoshe!

Zi Yan's elderly father, Zhu Kun, was guarding the door!

The Ancient Dragon Emperor of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan was one of the three late-stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng powerhouses in the world, possessing an Emperor-level soul!

Chapter 217 Cai Lin Returns, Angrily Suppressing Cai Die and Su Ling'er!

Elder Zheng insisted on returning to the medicine warehouse to guard it as soon as he woke up from his coma, which surprised and concerned Su Baichen, who came to visit.

It is rare for a Dou Wang level expert to faint due to emotional fluctuations, even in the inner courtyard of Canaan Academy.

"Elder Zheng, how are you feeling?" Su Baichen asked gently, but his eyes were carefully observing the other man's complexion.

Elder Zheng's face showed a hint of embarrassment, but he waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright! I've just been overworked these past few days, I'll be fine after a short rest."

He deliberately raised his voice, as if the louder the voice, the more it proved that he was alright.

The two exchanged a knowing glance—discussing the embarrassing fact that a dignified Battle King had been frightened into fainting would do no good for anyone.

Elder Zheng almost couldn't wait to change the subject: "Elder Su, what brings you here today?"

Su Baichen readily agreed and said, "I need some medicinal herb seeds, the higher the quality, the better."

Elder Zheng immediately perked up, patting his chest and guaranteeing, "Leave this to me! There's not a single type of seed in the medicinal herb warehouse that I don't know. What grade do you need?"

"A few portions of each of the fourth grade and above," Su Baichen replied succinctly.

Elder Zheng's eyes flashed with doubt, but he quickly suppressed it.

Alchemists always have all sorts of strange and unusual needs, but as the manager of the herb warehouse, he had long since learned not to ask too many questions.

Everyone has their own secrets, and excessive curiosity is not wise in a place like the inner courtyard.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go get it right away." Elder Zheng turned and walked into the depths of the medicinal herb warehouse.

The interior of the medicinal herb warehouse is much larger than it appears from the outside. Rows of shelves made of thousand-year-old ironwood are neatly arranged with various rare medicinal herbs and seeds.

The moonstones embedded in the walls emitted a soft glow, and the air was filled with a mixed medicinal fragrance.

Elder Zheng moved nimbly among the shelves, taking out one small jade bottle after another.

Each bottle is labeled with the name of the medicinal material, its grade, and the date of harvest using special ink.

Seeds of medicinal herbs of grade four or above are rare, and many require specific environments to maintain their viability.

As he selected the herbs, he pondered to himself: This young Elder Su is always so unpredictable. Ordinary alchemists only focus on mature herbs, but he seems to have a particular fondness for seeds.

However, considering Su Baichen's alchemy skills and those eyes that always held a deep meaning, Elder Zheng felt it was best not to delve too deeply into it.

An hour later, Elder Zheng walked out of the storeroom looking slightly tired, with a dark blue storage ring in his hand.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." He handed over the storage ring.

"There are seventeen types of fourth-grade seeds, nine types of fifth-grade seeds, three types of sixth-grade seeds, and one type of seventh-grade seed. Take five portions of each type. We are currently out of stock of higher-grade seeds. We hope Elder Su will understand."

Su Baichen took the storage ring, scanned it with his soul power, and nodded in satisfaction.

He didn't explain its purpose, but simply put the storage ring away—in fact, the moment he touched the storage ring, he had already transferred the seed inside into the Heavenly Profound Pearl using his soul power.

In that mysterious space, the Ice Condensation Dragon and the Ice and Fire Twin Dragons had been waiting for a long time.

Upon receiving the seeds, they immediately began to busy themselves around the carefully crafted Yin-Yang Eyes of Ice and Fire within the Heavenly Profound Pearl.

The unique ecological environment there is the perfect place to cultivate the seeds of these rare medicinal herbs.

(As for the Xuanhuo, it was left in Douluo Continent and was never brought back.)

"Elder Zheng, thank you for your help this time." Su Baichen suddenly remembered something and took out a jade bottle from his bosom.

"I've noticed you've been stuck at the three-star Dou Wang level for several years. This pill might be able to help you."

Elder Zheng took the jade bottle, and the moment he uncorked it, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air. His eyes widened, and he exclaimed in disbelief, "This...this is a Spirit-Fighting Pill?!"

The sixth-grade pill, the Battle Spirit Pill, can help a Battle King expert increase their strength by one star without any side effects. At an auction, such a pill would be enough to attract fierce competition from various factions, making it priceless.

"A small gift, nothing more." Su Baichen smiled slightly, his figure gradually fading away, leaving only his voice echoing in the air.

"I hope that when we meet again, Elder Zheng will be a four-star Dou Wang."

Elder Zheng held the jade bottle, staring blankly in the direction where Su Baichen had disappeared.

After a long silence, he shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Alchemists are indeed all so generous, giving away sixth-grade pills just like that."

He carefully put away the pills, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

Immediately, a figure with long purple hair and a mischievous personality appeared in my mind—that was the famous little tyrant of the inner courtyard.

"Well, at least that little girl has found a good home." Elder Zheng muttered to himself, a complicated smile on his face.

The elders of the inner court had mixed feelings about the purple-haired girl: she was mischievous and troublesome, but her bright eyes and occasional sincerity made them want to love her.

Now that they see her gradually calming down by Su Baichen's side (except for what happened a few days ago), the elders are quite relieved.

When Su Baichen returned to his courtyard, a chilling aura swept over him.

In the courtyard, Cai Lin, dressed in a purple dress, held a slender wooden stick, her delicate face clouded with gloom.

In front of her, Cai Die and Su Ling'er stood side by side, heads bowed and silent, looking like two lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

The sound of the wooden slats cutting through the air was crisp and sharp, sending chills down one's spine.

"Are you two planning a rebellion?!" Cai Lin's voice was as cold as ice.

"I've only been gone a few days, and look what you've done to this house!"

She pointed towards the main house: "Especially my room! Go inside and see for yourselves, does it even look like a room anymore?!"

Cai Die peeked up, only to meet her sister's sharp gaze, and immediately lowered her head again. In her heart, she cried out, "Husband, oh husband, please come back! My sister is truly enraged this time!"

Su Ling'er, standing to the side, was even paler than usual, her little hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes: "Daddy, help me! If you don't come back soon, Ling'er's little bottom is going to get a beating!"

"Su Ling'er! Come here!" Cai Lin suddenly called out her name, startling the little girl.

Su Ling'er moved forward with small, hesitant steps, her head bowed even lower.

"Tell me, how did my phoenix feather headdress turn into a pile of fragments?" Cai Lin's voice was almost squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Where did all the deep-sea pearls and star gems go?"

"I...I don't know..." Su Ling'er's voice was barely audible.

She dared not tell the truth—some of those round pearls she played with like marbles, bouncing them around in the yard all afternoon; some she crushed into pearl powder and smeared on her face; a few smaller gemstones she ground into powder and mixed into colored paint to draw on the walls; the most precious star gemstones, she took to the lake behind the mountain to skip stones, watching the brilliance of the gemstones jumping on the water's surface with great delight...

Looking at the almost solidified black aura surrounding her mother, Su Ling'er was quite certain that as long as she dared to confess, her mother would seriously consider the option of putting righteousness before family.

Looking at her daughter's shifty eyes, Cai Lin knew perfectly well that she was lying.

And can't she wipe off the pearl powder on her face? She's not blind!

Chapter 218 Su Baichen Saves the Emperor; A Touch of Warmth!

The pearl powder on Su Ling'er's face shimmered with a delicate luster in the sunlight. Cai Lin immediately recognized it as the powder made from the deep-sea pearls that were inlaid in her phoenix feather headdress.

Her chest heaved violently, and the knuckles of her fingers gripping the wooden stick turned white.

"Can't see it? Can't see it my ass!"

Her phoenix eyes were practically spitting fire as a scene from many years ago flashed through her mind—Su Baichen personally placed that headdress on her head and whispered in her ear, "Only this brightest pearl is worthy of your eyes."

That was a token of love that Bai Chen gave me!

Cai Lin's gaze was fixed on her daughter's face, and the raging anger in her heart almost burned away her reason.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but seeing the shimmering pearl powder made her blood rush to her head again.

[You unfilial daughter! Did I give birth to you just to torment me?!]

If only I had...

The moment the thought crossed Cai Lin's mind, she felt a sharp pain in her heart.

She looked at her daughter's features, which were seven-tenths similar to her own. Her daughter's big eyes, inherited from her father, were now looking at her timidly, and her little hands were nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Cai Lin closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to silently recite in her mind: