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

"And I heard that after she was captured, she seemed to have gone mad and refused to eat or drink in the dungeon."

"She won't even write a letter, as if she's very resistant to it."

Su Baichen was also somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

"Go and check on Yun Yun. I need all her information, including what happened to her now," Su Baichen instructed, lightly tapping the name "Yun Yun" on the list.

"Yes, Mr. Su."

During this period, Su Baichen used his abilities to solve many thorny problems for the snake people, earning the respect of both superiors and subordinates.

Therefore, the maid was extremely efficient in fulfilling his requests.

Not long after, detailed information about how Yun Yun became a prisoner was compiled and presented to Su Baichen.

Su Baichen unfolded the file and read it carefully. The expression on his face gradually changed from doubt to surprise, and finally to a complex understanding. So, Yun Yun had been abandoned.

Moreover, she was personally abandoned by her teacher, Yun Shan, the current sect leader of the Yunlan Sect!

According to intelligence, the incident stemmed from a tacitly agreed-upon exploration operation in the Tagor Desert by various factions.

The initial agreement stipulated that each party would only send a Dou Wang-level expert to participate, in order to ensure fairness and avoid escalating the conflict.

Who knew that Yunshan was extremely unscrupulous, and actually secretly took action himself, intending to seize the initiative by virtue of his Douhuang cultivation.

However, things didn't go as planned. Yunshan's whereabouts were discovered by the third elder of the snake-people clan, which immediately attracted the combined attack of the second and third elders of the snake-people clan.

Although with Yunshan's peak Douhuang strength, even if he were to be attacked by two Snake-Man Douhuangs, it wouldn't be impossible for him to protect his disciple Yunyun and escape if he was determined to leave.

But fate is fickle; to use a slightly sarcastic phrase from the intelligence report, it was simply a case of "misfortune opening the door for misfortune itself—misfortune has reached its peak."

Just as Yunshan was locked in battle with the two snake-man elders, he keenly sensed an incomparably powerful, cold and murderous aura rapidly approaching—it was Queen Medusa, who was passing through this place in pursuit of Hai Bodong!

Yunshan mistakenly believed that Queen Medusa was coming for him. Seeing that the two snake-man fighting emperors were tightly entangled with him, and sensing that Queen Medusa's chilling aura was getting closer and closer, he was filled with fear and made the decision to sacrifice his pawn to save his king.

In order to escape, he did not hesitate to abandon his disciple Yun Yun, who was only at the Dou Wang level at the time, and used his movement technique to flee far away in a panic.

(One can imagine that afterwards, Jia Xingtian might have quipped, "Old Yun, where is your precious disciple?")

(Yunshan could only force a smile, his face ashen, and say, "Don't even mention it. I was incredibly unlucky; I ran into Queen Medusa and had no choice but to return alone.")

(And when Jia Xingtian "unintentionally" revealed: "Oh? I heard that Queen Medusa was chasing an old ice man, not you.")

(Yunshan would probably be so enraged that he would lose control and yell, "Aaaaaah!")

(Meanwhile, in a small town on the edge of the Tagor Desert, an elderly man with white hair, whose presence is concealed, might suddenly shudder and shiver for no apparent reason.)

"Wow, this plot is really dramatic." Su Baichen closed the file and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "That old guy Yunshan is really unlucky. He just happened to run into Cai Lin (Queen Medusa) who was in a bad mood."

"If he had known the truth earlier, he would probably have regretted it to the core. He probably wouldn't have been able to resist rushing out of Yunlan Sect and personally killing the 'culprit' Hai Bodong."

After learning the whole story, Su Baichen felt a genuine curiosity and pity for the young master of the Yunlan Sect, whom he had never met but whose fate was full of misfortune.

He turned to the maidservants waiting below and asked, "Where is this Yun Yun being held now?"

After a moment's thought, the maid respectfully replied, "Reporting to Mr. Su, she is currently being held in the depths of the Snake-People's dungeon."

"Take me there." Su Baichen stood up, his tone calm but unquestionable.

"Yes, Mr. Su, please follow me." The maid bowed and led the way, guiding Su Baichen through the winding corridor towards the gloomy dungeon.

Meanwhile, deep within the Serpent People's dungeon.

The dark, damp cell was almost completely dark, with only a few scattered torches casting flickering, dim light on the walls, barely dispelling the darkness. The air was thick with the smell of rotting straw and a faint stench of blood.

A slender figure, with his back to the cell door, huddled on a pile of hay in the corner.

Her clothes were tattered; her once pristine white dress was now covered in stains and dust, with several tears revealing traces of a past battle.

Her long, dark hair was disheveled, obscuring most of her face. Despite her disheveled state, her straight back and the elegant silhouette that was still faintly discernible even when she was slumped over still hinted at her former status and splendor.

However, at this moment, her eyes were empty and blank, staring blankly at the cold stone wall, as if her soul had already left.

She sat there motionless, like a jade sculpture that had lost all its life.

Her master's ruthless abandonment in the face of danger was like the coldest blade, shattering not only her trust and dependence on the sect, but also her long-held beliefs and pride.

Every time Yunyun recalls that time, she feels cold.

"Yun'er, help your master hold them off for a moment. Your master needs this little bit of time!"

At that time, Yun Yun trusted Yun Shan completely. Even if it was something like asking her to use her Dou Wang strength to hold off a Dou Huang for a moment, he didn't hesitate at all.

But a moment later, she saw her master fleeing without looking back, and no matter how she called out to him, he did not respond.

She was abandoned, cruelly abandoned here.

She, Yun Yun, is a woman who has fallen from the clouds into the mire, experiencing an unprecedented mental shock, and whose inner world has almost completely collapsed.

Chapter 51 Recapturing Yunyun (1)

"Master...why...why..."

Curled up in the corner, Yun Yun's consciousness was already fading. Her chapped lips moved silently, repeatedly murmuring those three heart-wrenching words.

Every time she closed her eyes, the relentless yellow sand would sweep over her, and the resolute figure of her master, Yunshan, along with the cold killing intent of the snake-man powerhouses around him, would intertwine to form a nightmare from which she could not escape.

The temple of trust collapsed in an instant, shattering all her reliance and faith. The world seemed to lose its color, leaving only boundless grayness.

Physical wounds can heal, but the cracks in the heart torn open by the most respected person gush forth the venom of "betrayal."

Days of not eating or drinking, coupled with mental and physical exhaustion, brought her body to its limit.

Her once beautiful face was now as pale as paper, her eyes sunken, and only the faint fighting spirit within her body, like a candle flickering in the wind, sustained her last glimmer of life.

She had practically become a living dead, still breathing.

Outside the prison gate, Su Baichen stood silently for a long time, his deep gaze piercing through the bars, taking in Yun Yun's miserable state. A complex emotion welled up in his heart, and he sighed softly:

"Alas, the trajectory of fate has been brought forward by so many years... At this moment, she is far from the Yunlan Sect Master who will become a decade or so later, a woman who has weathered many storms and possesses a resilient mind. The sudden betrayal by her closest teacher is a blow that is enough to completely destroy her."

However, in this sigh, pity only accounted for three-tenths; the other seven-tenths was a cold-blooded calculation.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes.

He knew better than anyone that when a person falls into the abyss of despair and loses all hope, if someone can reach out a hand to her and give her a ray of light, then that light will become the only pillar in her entire world.

“Desperate people are the easiest to control,” Su Baichen thought to himself. “Yun Yun is exactly like that right now. If I can take this opportunity to pull her back from the brink of self-exile, and give her a little persuasion… no, a little ‘admonishment’ and ‘help’.”

"Perhaps this will rekindle her hope. And this favor will be enough to make her see me as her only support for a considerable period of time. With her talent, if she is properly nurtured, she will surely become a great help to me in the future."

To him, this investment in a loyal person who considers him his only support is a sure-fire way to make a profit.

After all, a talented person isn't necessarily good. Look at your old friend; he was stabbed in the back by the apprentice he treated like his own son.

He's still in his bone inflammation retreat, reflecting on his mistakes and contemplating life.

What a tragic ending! And the worst part is that I warned him beforehand, yet I still got ambushed.

(Yao Chen: "Can you stop using my story as an example all the time? It's getting annoying.")

(Su Baichen: "Why? Isn't this example good? People can't teach each other well, but they can learn something in no time. Isn't that great!")

(Yao Chen: "Get lost!")

Having made up his mind, Su Baichen waved his hand, signaling the maid beside him to leave. The maid bowed and disappeared silently at the end of the dark corridor.

"Squeak-"

The heavy cell door was pushed open, the jarring sound particularly clear in the silent dungeon.

Yun Yun numbly raised her head, her unfocused gaze following the sound. Against the dim light from the doorway, she saw a tall, handsome young man slowly walk in. He was strikingly handsome, with an extraordinary air about him, completely out of place in this filthy and gloomy dungeon.

Yun Yun glanced at it indifferently, then lowered her head again, burying her face in her knees. No matter how beautiful her appearance, it meant nothing to her already dead heart.

Su Baichen walked up to her and stopped. He first glanced at the untouched, now cold food beside him, deliberately keeping his tone even, with a hint of feigned ignorance and concern:

"What? The food here doesn't suit the taste of the young sect leader of Yunlan Sect?"

Yun Yun showed no reaction whatsoever, not even the slightest tremor, as if his words were merely a gentle breeze blowing across the stone wall.

Su Baichen was not discouraged. He casually tried to find topics to talk about, as if it were just everyday conversation.

Sometimes he would comment on the dungeon's environment, and sometimes he would casually ask if she needed water or medicine. His voice was gentle, even carrying a strange, soothing quality.

However, the only response he received was the faint monosyllable that Yun Yun occasionally squeezed out from deep in her throat: "Yes...", "Hmm...", "I don't know...".

Her soul seemed to have been ripped away, leaving only a shell of a body with all her senses shut down.

Su Baichen's gentle expression gradually faded. He realized that Yun Yun's inner isolation was more severe than he had anticipated.

Conventional attempts at reassurance and comfort have no effect whatsoever, like a stone sinking into the ocean, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.

'If the soft approach doesn't work, then we'll have to resort to the hard one.' Su Baichen's eyes narrowed slightly.

He fell silent. The air in the dungeon seemed to freeze and cool down with his silence.

An invisible, icy aura emanated from him; it was not the pressure of battle aura, but a kind of calm that originated from the spiritual level and was extremely oppressive.

The chill was so clear that it even penetrated Yun Yun's numb defenses, causing her to feel a chill involuntarily.

She looked up at Su Baichen again. The young man who had just tried to comfort her with a gentle tone now had eyes as calm as a bottomless, cold pool, without the slightest ripple, yet inspiring fear in those who looked upon him.

"What's wrong with you?" The question blurted out unconsciously.

Even Yunyun herself was stunned. Perhaps it was because, in the extreme cold and despair, that brief, even superficial, warmth had become the last illusory warmth she subconsciously wanted to grasp, and she couldn't bear to see it disappear.

Su Baichen didn't answer her question. Instead, he met her gaze and calmly asked in return, his voice low but each word clear and distinct, striking the silent cell:

Do you know who I am?

Yun Yun paused, her chaotic thoughts racing, but she ultimately shook her head blankly: "...I don't know."

Upon hearing this answer, Su Baichen's lips slowly curled upwards, forming a meaningful, even slightly wicked, smile.

This smile was a stark contrast to his previous gentle demeanor, causing Yun Yun's heart to tighten for no apparent reason.

"So, you must know that the Snake-People allow you to write letters to your sect or family to pay a ransom for your departure, right?" Su Baichen asked slowly, his gaze fixed on Yun Yun.

Yun Yun nodded. This was no secret among all the prisoners, so she naturally knew about it.

However, heartbroken and disillusioned, she had no intention of writing. She didn't want to have anything to do with the person who abandoned her, not even to ask for help.

Chapter 52 Recapturing Yunyun (2)