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

Just then—

"Xiao Yan! You stop right there!" Xiao Ning finally realized something was wrong and turned around abruptly to grab him.

But his hand had only extended halfway when his movement suddenly froze, and at the same time, Xiao Yan also suddenly stood frozen in place.

The reason was simple: a chilling voice came from behind them that sent shivers down their spines.

What are you two doing here?!

—Let's go back a few minutes.

Cao Ying, who was splashing water, suddenly stopped. The water droplets she created paused in the air for a moment before splashing back onto the surface.

She turned her head sharply, her gaze sweeping warily over the dense woods and the quiet shore of the pool, and frowned as she asked, "Hey, did you hear anything?"

Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Yu and Xun'er stopped playing at the same time, turned to look at Cao Ying, and their expressions became serious.

Cao Ying is the strongest of the four, and also an alchemist with keen soul perception. She said that the noise she heard was definitely not unfounded.

The two exchanged a glance and listened intently, holding their breath.

"Senior sister, are you sure?" Little Fairy Doctor brushed aside the wet strands of hair clinging to her cheeks, her tone tinged with hesitation.

It wasn't that she didn't believe there were strange noises, but this senior sister had a long history of misdeeds—who knew if she was plotting something again to drench them when they were off guard?

Seeing Little Fairy Doctor's reaction, Xiao Yu and Xun'er's hearts, which had been pounding, fluttered again.

Indeed, Cao Ying's "glorious deeds" came to mind one by one: the time she pretended to drown to scare people, the time before that she lied that there were fish biting people in the pool... Her credibility in the eyes of these two people had already plummeted to rock bottom.

Feeling the undisguised disbelief in the three men's eyes, Cao Ying puffed out her cheeks in anger: "What kind of expressions are those? Do you think I would lie to you?"

The three women rolled their eyes at her in unison, their expressions conveying a clear message: Haven't you tricked us enough times already?

Cao Ying opened her mouth to refute, but the words caught in her throat. She frowned and tried hard to recall, only to find that she really couldn't come up with a single example of being "innocent and blameless."

He's either trying to scam someone, or on his way to do so. Thinking this, her ears burned, but she stubbornly held her chin up: "I really didn't mean to scam anyone this time! There really is a sound, listen carefully!"

Xiao Yu and Xun'er exchanged a glance, then looked at Cao Ying's unusually anxious and sincere face. Their hearts wavered slightly, but they still did not let down their guard.

Seeing that they still didn't move, Cao Ying was so anxious that she almost stomped her feet, feeling extremely frustrated.

She rarely spoke the truth, so why did no one believe her? A bitter feeling of grievance welled up in her eyes, and she almost wanted to look up to the sky and sigh—"Oh! It's so hard to be a person!"

Just then, the Little Fairy Doctor who had spoken out in doubt suddenly became serious. She closed her eyes, and an invisible wisp of soul power spread out silently like ripples on water, passing through layers of branches and leaves, and reaching deep into the mountains and forests.

A few breaths later, she opened her eyes, her voice now solemn: "Senior sister, you heard me right. I used my soul power to investigate, and there is indeed movement in the forest to the northeast, not too far from us."

As she spoke, she quickly got out of the water: "Let's get dressed first, in case someone comes, we can't look like this."

Before she finished speaking, Little Fairy Doctor had already scooped up the dress from the shore and nimbly wrapped it around her body.

Cao Ying was stunned for a moment, then her eyes almost burst with emotion.

As expected, my junior sister is the most considerate! While she was hurriedly putting on her clothes, she secretly vowed in her heart: Good junior sister, I will definitely not trick you as much in the future... at least not today!

Seeing that Little Fairy Doctor also said so, Xiao Yu and Xun'er no longer hesitated.

In their minds, Little Fairy Doctor's words were much more reliable than Cao Ying's.

The three of them quickly got to work. The sound of water flowing gently by the pool, mixed with the rustling of clothes being put on, had completely vanished from their earlier playful and carefree state, replaced by a subtle sense of vigilance and quiet.

Chapter 148 The Harmonious Relationship Between the Siblings

Once the four women were dressed, Cao Ying made a "follow" gesture, took the lead in calming her mind, and slowly moved towards the direction from which the sound had come.

Little Fairy Doctor followed closely behind, while Xiao Yu and Xun'er walked on either side of her. The four of them stepped on the soft fallen leaves, making almost no sound.

Pushing aside the last clump of dense bushes, the scene in the clearing ahead came into view—Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning were squatting behind an old tree with their backs to them, their heads close together, whispering something.

Xiao Yu's pupils suddenly contracted. She knew that figure all too well; who else could it be but her younger brother, Xiao Ning? She instinctively held her breath and listened intently.

"...Xiao Yan, I think I just heard my sister's voice." This was Xiao Ning's voice, which was very low and hesitant.

Xiao Yan's voice, however, carried a hint of feigned anxiety: "You misheard..."

Xiao Yu felt a surge of anger rush to the top of her head. Her right hand instantly pressed down on the hilt of the sword at her waist. The sword even hummed slightly due to her anger and flicked out a half-inch of cold light.

Just as she was about to draw her sword and rush out, a cool hand pressed down hard on her wrist.

Cao Ying turned her head and shook her head quickly, her eyes stern: Don't rush, listen first.

Xiao Yu's chest heaved violently; she bit her lower lip hard to barely contain herself. In her heart, she gritted her teeth: [Xiao Ning! You little brat, if you really dare… I'll skin you alive when we get back!]

The two people ahead were still talking.

Xiao Ning, trembling all over, said, "Xiao Yan, let go..."

Xiao Ning's voice grew increasingly uneasy: "Xiao Yan, if my sister finds out... she'll kill me! No, she'll kill you first, and then bury me with you!"

"You, you're trying to scare me!" Xiao Yan's voice trembled slightly, but he still held on, pulling Xiao Ning to stop him from leaving.

Xiao Ning continued to struggle, saying frantically, "Xiao Yan, let go..."

Hearing this from behind the bushes, Cao Ying raised an eyebrow, turned her head to look at Xiao Yu, whose face was still ashen, and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "Hey, your brother's alright, he pulled back from the brink and admitted his mistake."

Little Fairy Doctor nodded slightly and said softly, "Being able to turn back at the last minute shows that one's character isn't too bad."

Xiao Yu's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and her hand on the sword hilt loosened a bit.

She let out a long sigh of relief, and the raging anger in her heart was gradually replaced by a complex emotion—thankfully, this brat hadn't completely lost his mind.

"At least you still have some conscience." She added bitterly to herself.

However, Xun'er, who had been observing silently, suddenly blinked and whispered in confusion, "Cousin Xiao Yu, why do I feel like... when Cousin Xiao Ning was talking about you just now, he was trembling all over?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor immediately focused their attention. Sure enough, even from a distance, they could see that Xiao Ning's shoulders and back were trembling slightly and uncontrollably. It was not simply nervousness or shame, but more like a deep-seated...fear?

The three women turned their gazes to Xiao Yu, their eyes filled with inquiry and a hint of disbelief—what had the older sister done to her younger brother to make him so afraid?

Xiao Yu received their gazes, but instead of feeling guilty, she proudly raised her delicate chin, her expression like that of a peacock showing off its feathers.

"Xiao Ning and I are blood-related siblings."

She lowered her voice confidently and said, "As the eldest sister, it is my responsibility to discipline him. I've always thought that he might start his own household when he was little, so his personality must not be allowed to go astray."

So, I gave him some 'special attention' so that he would learn to respect his elder sister from a young age.

She paused, as if recalling some "pleasant" memory, and a "gentle" smile that sent chills down the spines of Cao Ying and the other two appeared on her lips: "As the saying goes, 'A beating is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love, and when the affection runs deep, you kick someone' (and if that's not enough, you kick them)."

"That's because I love my brother! You wouldn't believe it, every time I 'express my love,' he's so 'well-behaved,' he never runs away, and he's so touched he has tears in his eyes!"

Cao Ying, Little Fairy Doctor, and Xun'er were stunned, and strikingly similar images simultaneously flashed through their minds:

Young Xiao Ning lay pitifully on the bench, while Xiao Yu, holding the "family discipline," waved it with "affection" and softly said, "Sister, this is all for your own good." Xiao Ning, meanwhile, bit a towel and shed tears of "happiness" and "gratitude"...

[Um...the way these siblings get along is really...unique.] The three onlookers felt their understanding had been slightly shaken.

Just then, Xiao Ning, who was in the open space, seemed to have finally convinced herself (or perhaps was terrified by the image of her sister in her mind), stood up, dusted off her pants, and was about to leave.

Xiao Yan, however, seemed determined to continue his journey.

Seeing this, Xiao Ning tried to reach out and stop him.

Cao Ying knew she couldn't hide any longer. She cleared her throat and gave the other three women a look.

Just as Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning were about to make a move, four graceful figures emerged from behind the bushes, blocking their path.

Cao Ying crossed her arms and smiled as she spoke, though the smile didn't reach her eyes: "What are you two doing here!"

Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning were frozen in place, their bodies stiffening abruptly.

The two men's necks seemed to be rusted, and they turned their heads with extreme slowness and difficulty. When they saw the four women who had appeared behind them at some unknown time, Xiao Yan's face turned pale.

Xiao Ning, on the other hand, was as if he had seen a ghost, his gaze fixed on his older sister Xiao Yu—especially her hand that was already on the hilt of her sword, and the "brother-slaying sword," which was now three inches out of its sheath, its cold light gleaming.

Xiao Yu also had a smile on her face, even more "warm" than Cao Ying's smile.

She slowly stroked the cool scabbard, her gaze gently sweeping over Xiao Ning, her tone so tender it could melt water: "My dear brother, instead of cultivating in your room, you've come to this forest... Is there something 'important' you want to share with your sister?"

Xiao Ning's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. He could almost see his great-grandmother, whom he had never met, waving to him affectionately from the clouds, and he could even hear a distant call in his ears.

Alas, my life... is over!

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He opened his mouth, but found his throat too dry to make a sound. He could only look at Xiao Yan in vain, his eyes filled with desperate cries for help.

Xiao Yan was also in a precarious situation. Faced with Little Fairy Doctor's calm gaze and Xun'er's thoughtful look, he felt his scalp tingle and wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it immediately.

He subconsciously took a small step back, trying to distance himself from Xiao Ning, only to be met with an even more indignant and accusing look from Xiao Ning.

Chapter 149 The Tragic Xiao Yan

Seeing Xiao Yan's "I don't know you" expression, Xiao Ning's last shred of hope vanished. He swallowed hard, making a gulping sound that was particularly clear in the silent arena.

The next second, he did something that surprised everyone.

Xiao Ning suddenly pushed off with his left foot, as if his bones had been removed, and with an incredibly smooth sliding tackle, his knee left a shallow mark on the ground as he precisely slid to his older sister Xiao Yu's side.

A murmur rippled through the crowd.

Cao Ying's phoenix eyes widened slightly. She had originally thought that Xiao Ning would at least put up a token resistance, or at the very least, adopt a defensive stance.

Little Fairy Doctor tilted her head, a hint of curiosity flashing in her clear eyes. She had grown up in a small mountain village and had never seen this kind of "sliding knee" begging for mercy before.

Xun'er pursed her lips, her long eyelashes trembled, and she suppressed a smile, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Xiao Yan, who should have been Xiao Ning's only "backer," was grinning with one side of his face twitching, his expression so complex it was hard to describe.

His mind was in turmoil: "Damn! He knelt down way too fast! Aren't brothers supposed to be loyal and share life and death? You didn't even put up a fight?"

Xiao Yu stood still, motionless.

She was dressed in a simple and neat outfit, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, with a few strands of hair falling down her forehead, which made her already beautiful face look even more sharp.

She lowered her head slightly, looking down at her younger brother kneeling at her feet. Her expression remained unchanged; there was neither surprise nor anger, and she didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Xiao Ning raised her head and forced a smile that could only be described as "bright," but the smile looked more like a cry.

His voice trembled, but he tried to sound relaxed: "Sis, could you... not slap me in the face?"

Cao Ying finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, then immediately covered her mouth with her sleeve, but her crescent-shaped eyes betrayed her feelings.

Little Fairy Doctor blinked and whispered to Xun'er, "He's quite smart."

Xun'er nodded, but her gaze remained fixed on Xiao Yu, wanting to see how this strict older sister would react.