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

"Near Qingshan Town in Wutan City, there is a small courtyard where a doctor surnamed Liu lives. Send someone to bring her over and take good care of her."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly: "She is my disciple's family member. Make sure her safety and comfort are ensured, understand?"

"Ya Xue understands!" Ya Xue replied without hesitation, "I will personally arrange to bring Doctor Liu here safely and take good care of him. I will not dare to neglect him in the slightest! Please rest assured, young master, Ya Xue will not fail you!"

Her words were firm and resolute, each syllable carrying weight. This was not a promise to a superior, but a guarantee to her benefactor—Ya Xue understood the difference.

Su Baichen looked at her intently, his gaze seemingly piercing her soul to confirm that every word she spoke came from the bottom of her heart. After a long while, he nodded gently.

"Okay, that's settled then. You may leave."

"Yes!"

Ya Xue bowed again, then took her daughter Ya Fei's hand, respectfully stepped back a few paces, and turned to leave the courtyard.

As she stepped out of the courtyard, she glanced back—Su Baichen had already sat back down at the stone table, picked up the slightly cooled tea, and gazed at the distant horizon, lost in thought.

The sunlight shone on him, giving him a golden halo.

In that instant, Ya Xue suddenly felt that this mysterious young master might not be as aloof and indifferent as he appeared on the surface.

In his heart, there are people he wants to protect, and things he can't let go of.

Just like how she protected Consort Ya.

Gripping the jade bottle tightly in her hand, Ya Xue took a deep breath, a determined light flashing in her eyes.

The road ahead may still be full of thorns, but at least now they have direction, strength, and people worth following.

This is enough.

Chapter 144 Build a hot spring!

A year later, the maple leaves on the back mountain of the Xiao family were turning red, and the pines were rustling in the wind.

Cao Ying, Xiao Yixian, Xun'er, and Xiao Yu stood beside the small lake surrounded by mountains.

"What do you think of this place?" Xiao Yu bent down, picked up a flat pebble, and tossed it to the side. The pebble bounced on the water's surface, creating seven or eight splashes, before finally sinking to the bottom of the lake.

"It's neither too far nor too close to the Xiao family mansion; it's both quiet and safe."

Upon hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor carefully surveyed her surroundings. The lake was not large, surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs, with only a small shallow area to the east that one could approach.

The lake water, likely formed by mountain springs, shimmers with a faint turquoise hue under the sunlight. Near the north rock face, several small waterfalls cascade from the crevices in the rocks, producing a clear and melodious sound.

“It’s really good.” Little Fairy Doctor nodded in agreement, scooping up a handful of lake water: “The water temperature is slightly cool, the water quality is pure, and most importantly—it’s very secluded here, no one will come to disturb us.”

Xun'er squatted by the lake, tentatively touching the water with her little hand. She withdrew her hand at the coolness, but then laughed happily, "I'm fine! The scenery here is so beautiful!"

Today she wore a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with delicate butterfly patterns embroidered on the hem. Her long, black hair was tied into two buns with matching ribbons, swaying gently with her movements. At this time, Xun'er was between childhood and adulthood, her features already showing signs of captivating beauty, yet she still retained a childlike innocence.

"Alright, since everyone thinks this place is suitable, let's get started!" Cao Ying, being the oldest and most skilled among the four, made the decision directly.

She was now a young woman, with a tall and straight figure, her curves beginning to emerge, and a long, purplish-black dress that accentuated her snow-white skin. At this moment, her eyes shone with excitement—she had heard about hot springs, and now she had a sudden inspiration to create one herself.

Over the next two hours, the four women each displayed their unique abilities and began to transform the small lake.

Cao Ying truly deserves to be called one of the best among the younger generation. She first used her fighting spirit to draw an arc on the lake surface, precisely delineating the hot spring area.

Then, she formed a hand seal and uttered a soft shout. Several huge rocks, moved from deep within the back mountain, rose up and landed steadily in the water. The smallest of these rocks was the size of a millstone, and the largest was comparable to a horse-drawn carriage.

"Senior sister, be careful to control your strength!" Little Fairy Doctor reminded her upon seeing this.

"Don't worry!" Cao Ying smiled and flicked a wisp of blue flame from her fingertip—her unique flame.

Flames danced across the surface of the boulders, the intense heat turning the stones slightly reddish. Cao Ying's other hand was also busy; she took out specially made clay from her storage ring and used her battle qi to knead and shape it, filling the gaps between the boulders.

This clay, known as "Crimson Fire Clay," was specially purchased from the holy city of Gama. It is heat-resistant and does not dissolve in water, making it an excellent material for building hot spring pools.

When the last boulder was in place, a semi-circular stone wall about three zhang in diameter was formed in the lake, separating a section of the lake from the main lake.

The stone wall rises more than a foot above the water, its inner side polished smooth and rounded, while its outer side retains its natural rough texture.

"It's up to you now, Fairy Doctor." Cao Ying wiped non-existent beads of sweat from her forehead and winked at Little Fairy Doctor.

Little Fairy Doctor understood and lightly leaped to the top of the stone wall. She was slightly slender, and her plain white dress accentuated her aloof and otherworldly temperament.

She placed her hands on the inside of the stone wall, and a faint purple light emanated from her palms—that was the unique fighting spirit she had cultivated using the "Calamity Poison Body" during this period. It was extremely powerful and easy to control, and she could already manipulate it with ease.

Purple battle aura spread out like a spiderweb, silently seeping into the lakebed beneath the stone wall. Little Fairy Doctor closed her eyes, concentrating intently on sensing the underground structure. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she opened her eyes, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.

"Found it! The best place to put a fire source is three zhang underground."

Before she finished speaking, Little Fairy Doctor flicked her fingers in quick succession, and strands of purple silk shot out from her fingertips, piercing precisely into the lake bottom. The sand and gravel churned, the water surged, and a channel about a foot in diameter extended downwards at a visible speed.

This process may seem simple, but it actually requires extremely high precision in controlling one's fighting spirit—it requires opening up a passage without damaging the structure of the stone wall, and also avoiding underground water veins.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu wasn't idle either. Despite her limited skills, she conscientiously took on logistical tasks.

She took out various ingredients from her storage bag: freshly picked wild mushrooms, fresh wild fruits, pastries specially made by the Xiao family kitchen, and even a small jar of fruit wine.

"This is a Hundred Flowers Wine that I 'borrowed' from my grandfather." Xiao Yu proudly shook the wine jar. "It's said to have been buried for ten years!"

Xun'er sat obediently on a large rock on the shore, her hands supporting her chin, watching intently.

She was still young, and her cultivation had only recently reached the eighth level of Dou Qi. This level of project was still too far away for her.

But those bright eyes were full of curiosity and longing, and she would occasionally exclaim in amazement:

"Wow, Sister Cao Ying is so amazing!"

"Little Fairy Doctor's control of her battle qi is so precise!"

An hour later, the project was basically completed. Cao Ying jumped into the newly opened pond to check it over, and only after confirming that the stone wall was well sealed did she climb ashore with satisfaction.

Little Fairy Doctor then took out several light red crystals from her storage ring and carefully embedded them into the bottom of the pool—these were "warm jades," which could slowly release heat and maintain a constant water temperature.

“The final step.” Cao Ying took a deep breath and formed a complex hand seal in front of her chest. Shadow Flames rose from her palms, but instead of falling directly into the water, they transformed into countless tiny fire threads that slowly traveled along the inner side of the stone wall.

This is the most crucial step: it is necessary to control the temperature of the flame to heat the pool water, but the temperature must not be too high and damage the pool walls.

Cao Ying summoned the strange fire directly, and the cyan flames, under her precise control, evenly warmed every inch of the underground pool wall.

Gradually, tiny bubbles began to rise to the surface of the water. At first, there were only a few scattered bubbles, but then more and more appeared, until finally the entire surface of the pool was covered with a misty white fog.

The steam rose upwards, condensing into a thin mist in the cool autumn breeze, enveloping this small world in a dreamlike state.

"It's done!" Cao Ying breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew the strange fire.

Little Fairy Doctor reached out to test the water temperature, her eyes lighting up: "Just right, not too hot, not too cold."

Xiao Yu had already laid out the food on the shore, four cushions arranged in a semicircle, with an embroidered cloth in the middle, covered with all sorts of delicacies. Xun'er couldn't wait any longer, and ran barefoot to the edge of the pool, carefully dipping her toes into the water.

"Wow, it's so warm!" she exclaimed in delight.

Chapter 145 Cao Ying's Other Master

Seeing that the water temperature was right, Cao Ying asked the remaining two women, "The water's warm enough, let's go in."

"Aren't we going to wait for Cousin Xiao Yu?" Xun'er looked around. Xiao Yu was still tidying up the food box and showed no sign of coming over.

"I'm not waiting any longer, I'm going to enjoy myself first." Cao Ying said, a sly smile playing on her lips.

With a slight lift of her wrist, the ribbon around her waist came undone, and her purplish-black long skirt slid to the ground, revealing a purple bodice embroidered with dark patterns underneath.

The girl's figure was beginning to show its slenderness, and her fair shoulders and long legs gleamed like ivory in the sunlight.

Cao Ying seemed completely unconcerned about the gazes of Little Fairy Doctor and Xun'er. She walked confidently to the edge of the pool, lightly touched the water with her jade-like feet to test the temperature, and then slowly sank into the water.

The moment the warm spring water enveloped her body, she couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh: "Mmm—so comfortable!"

Seeing that her senior sister had already gone into the water, Little Fairy Doctor looked at Xun'er and said hesitantly, "Um, well... let's go down too."

Unlike Cao Ying, she was not bold enough, and a faint blush rose to her face.

Upon hearing this, Xun'er nodded in agreement: "Yes, I think that's fine too. Then we won't wait for Cousin Xiao Yu."

The two women reached an agreement and turned their backs to begin undressing. Little Fairy Doctor's white dress and Xun'er's yellow shirt fell to the ground one after the other, revealing the girls' youthful and beautiful bodies. Little Fairy Doctor was wearing a moon-white tube top underneath, while Xun'er was still wearing a child's bib.

Hand in hand, they carefully stepped into the pool. The warm water flowed over their ankles, calves, waist, and finally up to their necks.

In that instant, the fatigue from days of cultivation and the tension of the Rainbow Scales assessment seemed to be washed away by the warm spring water.

"Ah! That feels so good!" Little Fairy Doctor and Xun'er couldn't help but groan softly at the same time, exchanging a smile.

However, just as the two women relaxed their guard due to comfort, Cao Ying, who had entered the water earlier, suddenly moved. Like a nimble fish, she swam silently over, and before Xun'er could react, she was already behind her, her hands unexpectedly—

"Wow, you guys are so subtle!" Cao Ying exclaimed dramatically, her hands still in the same position as before.

Little Fairy Doctor's face flushed red instantly. She instinctively covered her chest, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed: "Senior Sister! What are you doing!"

Xun'er looked completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened.

Cao Ying swam over to Little Fairy Doctor and continued with a grin, "Especially you, Xun'er, you little one, it's not just that it's not obvious, nor that it's that it's small, it's that it's practically nonexistent!"

At this point, Cao Ying, who was already "precocious," puffed out her small chest, showing off her already somewhat prominent "little mound." Ripples spread across the water's surface from her movement, and the rising steam gave her skin a faint pink hue.

Upon hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor subconsciously looked down.

[Yes, the water is very clear; you can see your feet right away!]

This realization made her ears turn bright red, but she forced herself to remain calm and turned her head away: "I'm still young, I can still develop. Give me a few more years, and I'll definitely be much bigger and have my own peak."

She spoke with pride, but her shifty eyes and flushed cheeks betrayed her.

Listening to the conversation between the two older sisters, Xun'er blinked her big eyes, completely bewildered: "Um, Sister Cao Ying, Sister Little Fairy Doctor, what are you two saying? I don't understand a word!"

Upon hearing this, Little Fairy Doctor swam over and gently touched Xun'er's wet little head, saying softly, "It's alright. Xiao Xun'er is still young, it's normal that she doesn't know. You'll know when you grow up."

She spoke with a straight face, but her flushed ears betrayed her inner embarrassment.

Cao Ying, who was standing nearby, suddenly interjected, "Of course, if you want to know now, there is a way."

"Senior sister, what are you saying? Xun'er is still a child. You'll corrupt her." Little Fairy Doctor glared at Cao Ying reproachfully, then turned to Xun'er and advised, "Don't listen to your sister Cao Ying. She's not a good person and will corrupt you."

Xun'er tilted her head, her clear eyes full of curiosity. She looked at the seemingly serious Little Fairy Doctor, then at Cao Ying who was smiling like a little fox. In the end, her curiosity overcame her shyness, and she asked softly, "What method?"

Seeing this, Cao Ying immediately gave Little Fairy Doctor a victory sign, then leaned close to Xun'er's ear and whispered in a voice that Little Fairy Doctor could just hear: "I have a master, 'she' knows these things. And you even saw this 'master' a few days ago."

"Huh? Is that Sister Cailin?" Xun'er's eyes widened. "But she looks so serious..."

“It’s not my master’s wife,” Cao Ying shook her head mysteriously, a mischievous glint in her eyes, “It’s another, more ‘special’ master…”

"This woman, although she has no experience whatsoever, knows everything about this..."