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

Xiao Yu finally moved. A faint smile curved her lips, and her voice was as calm as a still lake: "What do you think?"

Three words.

Three light and airy words.

To Xiao Ning, it sounded like three thunderbolts exploding.

"What do you think! What do you think! What do you think..." This phrase echoed wildly in his mind, layer upon layer, making him dizzy.

He knew his sister too well; that tone, that expression, those three simple words—"It's over, it's all over."

The last glimmer of hope was extinguished, and Xiao Ning felt as if all his strength had been drained away, his shoulders slumping. But he was, after all, the young master of the Xiao family, and the pride in his bones made him want to retain the last bit of dignity.

He swallowed hard, his voice lowering, filled with a resigned sorrow: "Then... can we play somewhere else? There are too many people here."

As he spoke, his gaze swept around. Cao Ying, Little Fairy Doctor, and Xun'er were watching with great interest. Although Xiao Yan also wore a "take care" expression, his eyes clearly gleamed with schadenfreude.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu tilted her head slightly, seemingly genuinely considering the suggestion.

She didn't really care where she disciplined her younger brother, but he was, after all, her own brother, and she had to give him some face. Her gaze shifted to Cao Ying, and their eyes met, exchanging a silent exchange.

Cao Ying nodded slightly, a hint of understanding and mischief flashing in her eyes. She had originally intended to settle scores with Xiao Yan, and Xiao Ning was just a side issue. Since Xiao Yu wanted to "teach" her younger brother privately, she naturally wouldn't stop her.

With Cao Ying's tacit approval, the smile that terrified Xiao Ning reappeared on Xiao Yu's face.

She stepped forward, her movements as swift as lightning, and with a swift right hand, she precisely grabbed Xiao Ning by the back of his neck and collar. Before Xiao Ning could even react, he was lifted up by an irresistible force.

"Let's go." Xiao Yu's voice remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority: "I haven't had a chance to train you properly these past few days, so I don't know how much progress you've made. Today, your older sister will give you a thorough check-up."

As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed Xiao Ning, like carrying a disobedient kitten, and turned to walk towards the woods at the other end of the training field.

Xiao Ning's feet left the ground. She struggled for a moment, but to no avail. She had no choice but to resign herself to being dragged away by her sister, leaving behind only a desolate figure and a shallow skid mark on the ground.

Xiao Yu and her brother left, leaving four people at the scene.

Xiao Yan watched Xiao Ning disappear at the edge of the woods, silently lighting an incense stick for him in his heart.

He knew that, given Xiao Yu's temperament, Xiao Ning wouldn't get out of here without suffering a severe beating. However, he didn't have time to worry about others right now.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the panic and guilt surging within him, straightened his slightly disheveled collar, and tried to appear more composed. He turned around to face Cao Ying and the other two, forcing what he considered a polite and appropriate smile onto his face.

"I've met Cao Yingxiao—"

Before the word "sister" could even be uttered, a sudden change occurred.

Cao Ying's figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

No, it wasn't disappearance, it was extreme speed. With one step, as if shrinking the distance to an inch, she appeared in front of Xiao Yan in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Yan didn't even see her movements clearly; he only felt a blur before his eyes and a sharp gust of wind rushing towards him.

"boom!"

A solid punch landed squarely on Xiao Yan's face.

Xiao Yan felt a lump in his throat, his vision blurred, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. He traced an arc through the air, his mind filled with only one thought: "Why wasn't he even allowed to finish his sentence?!"

However, this is just the beginning.

Just as he was about to land face-first on the ground, a white figure nimbly swept to his side.

She is Little Fairy Doctor.

She touched the ground with her toes, spun around, her skirt blooming like a white lotus, and her right leg drew a beautiful arc in the air, accurately kicking Xiao Yan's side waist.

"Ow—!"

Xiao Yan let out a scream, his flying direction was abruptly changed, and he flew back towards Cao Ying.

"Wait, wait! I haven't—" Xiao Yan tried to beg for mercy, but before he could finish speaking, Cao Ying's second punch landed.

This time it's the abdomen.

"Uh!"

Xiao Yan curled up like a shrimp and took off again.

And so began a one-sided "aerial relay." Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor worked in perfect harmony, taking turns punching and kicking Xiao Yan like a ball, tossing him around in the air.

At first, Xiao Yan could still scream a few times, but later he didn't even have the strength to scream anymore, and could only wail wildly in his heart.

"Spare me, ladies! I'll never do it again!"

"Please, just let me go this time!"

"I was wrong! I was so wrong! I shouldn't have peeked at you guys soaking in the hot spring!"

Unfortunately, no one heard these thoughts. Even if they had, Cao Ying and Little Fairy Doctor showed no sign of slowing down their actions.

Xun'er stood on the sidelines, her hands clasped in front of her, watching quietly. Her expression was calm, even serene, but a closer look revealed a faint smile at the corners of her lips. Occasionally, she would offer a soft comment:

"Sister Cao Ying's punch was well-angled and the force was just right. It wouldn't break any bones, but it would still hurt him for several days."

"Little Fairy Doctor's kick was beautiful; the spin and timing were perfect."

Chapter 150 The Broken Sheath

Half an hour later, Xiao Yan finally landed.

He wasn't caught, nor did he regain his footing on his own; instead, he fell to the ground with a "plop" like a lump of mud, raising a small cloud of dust. He lay there, motionless, only the slight rise and fall of his back proving that he was still alive.

Cao Ying shook her wrist and twisted it a few times, her brows furrowing slightly: "Sigh, my hand is a little sore from typing."

Little Fairy Doctor stood still, stretched her ankles, and muttered with some dissatisfaction, "Yeah, my feet are a bit sore too. This guy doesn't look fat, but it's quite a struggle to kick him."

Xun'er walked over gracefully and suggested in a soft voice, "How about I apply some medicine for you? I have a special soothing ointment here; you'll recover quickly after applying it. You can rest for a while and then continue fighting?"

Her tone was sincere, and her eyes were clear, as if she genuinely cared about her two older sisters' health.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

[Holy crap! Xun'er, you little brat, how could you hide such a terrifying mind beneath your innocent exterior!]

Heavens above! Earth below! This script is wrong!

[Shouldn't my transmigration have been a whirlwind of power, with underlings flocking to me, beauties falling for me, and me marrying a rich and beautiful woman, ultimately leading me to the pinnacle of life?]

Why have I been used as a punching bag for half an hour? What was I even doing here?

[Am I going to get hit?! Waaaaah!]

Xiao Yan felt like he wanted to die. He felt every bone in his body groaning, every muscle protesting, his face burning with pain, and his side feeling like it had been hit by a hammer.

What made him even more desperate was that, judging from Xun'er's words, this "torture" might continue?

Cao Ying tilted her head and thought about Xun'er's suggestion. She glanced at Xiao Yan, who was lying on the ground like a corpse, then looked at her own slightly reddened hands, and finally shook her head.

"No, I'm too lazy to call." Her tone was somewhat listless. "I'll have someone notify Xiao Zhan to come here and pick him up later."

The little fairy doctor who came over nodded. She tidied her slightly disheveled hair and added, "Sister Xiao Yu went to 'instruct' Xiao Ning, so we've lost our enthusiasm for going to the hot springs."

"How about we go shopping together later and Xiao Zhan reimburses us? Consider it Xiao Yan's apology for this."

This suggestion made Cao Ying's eyes light up, and she gave Little Fairy Doctor an approving look: "Good idea."

Xun'er smiled and nodded, saying softly, "I heard that a new silk shop has opened in the south of the city. The brocade there is imported from the capital and is very beautiful. We can go and have a look."

The three girls happily decided on their next itinerary, completely ignoring the "culprit" still lying on the ground.

Xiao Yan lay on the ground, eyes tightly closed, continuing to feign death. Hearing their conversation, he felt a slight sense of relief—at least he wouldn't be beaten for the time being.

But when he thought of his father Xiao Zhan's expression after learning about this, he felt that his future was bleak.

An apology? Shopping expenses reimbursed? Given how much his father dotes on Xun'er and values ​​Cao Ying and Xiao Yixian's background, I'm afraid his allowance for this month, no, all his allowance for this year, will be gone.

At the same time, Xiao Yu was grabbing Xiao Ning by the back of his collar, half-dragging and half-carrying him back to Xiao Ning's courtyard.

Xiao Ning was limp, his feet dragging two shallow marks on the ground, looking like a stray dog ​​whose bones had been removed.

Once inside the courtyard, Xiao Yu loosened her grip, and Xiao Ning fell face-first onto the cold ground with a "thud," without uttering a sound.

Xiao Yu patted non-existent dust off her hands, looked down at him with a blank expression, and a breeze blew across her cheek, giving her a slightly cold look.

She sighed, took the slender "brother-slaying sword" from her waist, and then took out the scabbard, which was broken in two and still had some wooden splinters at the crack, and weighed it in her hand.

"Sigh, the scabbard is broken. Where am I supposed to put this sword now?" His voice was filled with genuine regret.

After all, they were blood relatives, and she couldn't bear to actually use a sword on her own brother.

Moreover, compared to his own dim-witted younger brother who often short-circuited his brain, Xiao Yan, who stirred up trouble and was full of evil intentions, deserved more special attention.

After much deliberation, she decisively changed the "instrument of torture." While Xiao Yan's guilt was undoubtedly greater, her foolish younger brother, being used as a pawn, deserved punishment as well!

So, for half an hour, only rhythmic "pat-pat" sounds echoed in the bushes, along with Xiao Ning's howls that gradually turned into weak groans.

The result was significant: Xiao Ning's buttocks were so swollen that she probably wouldn't be able to sit properly for several days.

The scabbard that had accompanied Xiao Yu for many years also completed its final mission and broke into two pieces after being subjected to repeated "punishments".

Thinking of this, Xiao Yu felt another pang of pain in her heart—not for Xiao Ning, but for the innocent scabbard that had "died in the line of duty."

"Hey."

She gently kicked the "thing" on the ground with her toe: "Is it dead? If it's not dead, make a sound and get up."

Xiao Ning remained motionless, even deliberately softening his breathing.

Xiao Yu frowned slightly, and without wasting words, raised her palm and decisively slapped down on the gruesome wound.

"Snap!" A crisp, loud sound.

"Aww—!!" Xiao Ning jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his eyes brimming with tears as he accused, "Sis! Am I really your biological brother? Could it be that Mom and Dad picked me up from some remote mountain village?!"

Xiao Yu crossed her arms and let out a cold laugh through her nose: "Heh, what do you think?"

"I...I'm innocent!" Xiao Ning clutched his buttocks, grimacing. "I was tricked by that bastard Xiao Yan! I'm the biggest victim! How could you be so cruel to me?"

“Victim?” Xiao Yu stepped forward, her eyes sharp as knives: “If it weren’t for the fact that you’re my own brother, guess how my sisters would ‘treat’ you?”

“They’re not as ‘merciful’ as I am. You’re neither a top genius of the Xiao family nor the son of the clan leader. Know your place before you start complaining to me.”

Xiao Ning was speechless, his eyes darted around a few times, and the ruthless methods his senior sisters used to deal with people flashed through his mind. He immediately shivered and his imposing manner vanished.

"Uh..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said sheepishly, "Okay... thank you, sis... for going easy on me."

"Good to know." Xiao Yu withdrew her gaze, her tone still indifferent, but she added a sentence.