Chapter 94: Going Home, the Little One Is Born!

After completing his breakthrough, Cao Chengyu made a trip to the Scripture Vault of the Five Elements Sect. After spending all his contribution points and ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, he read a vast number of minor and intermediate arts.

He was like the legendary taotie, devouring without discrimination, so ravenous he would have eaten even himself.

Only what he consumed was knowledge.

That knowledge would settle deep in his heart, and as time passed, slowly become the foundation for deducing divine powers, helping him advance his own arts to a supreme tier.

For now, however, a little more time was still needed.

With a great bellyful of arcane learning, Cao Chengyu hurried without pause toward the border of the Martial Kingdom, taking the opportunity along the way to contemplate the Wandering Survey Method.

Before returning to Great Yue, he intended to visit Qingniu City to see his kin and Sister Yun, and at the same time have them move to the outer city of Widower Mountain, which was closer to the Five Elements Sect and safer besides.

A few days later.

Qingniu City, a border town of the Martial Kingdom adjoining Li Prefecture of Great Yue.

Speaking of it, after all this time in the Martial Kingdom, this was still his first time back.

A year had passed since their parting; he wondered how his father, mother, and Sister Yun were faring.

Qingniu City was a typical frontier town.

Its walls were only five meters high and just over three feet thick, enough to keep out common folk and little else.

Along the road, people came and went in haste.

By the roadside there were far more refugees now, all of them gaunt and sallow, displaced and homeless.

Cao Chengyu casually stopped a passerby and asked, "Friend, what is the story with those refugees?"

Seeing Cao Chengyu dressed in fine clothes, the man instantly fawned and said, "Young Master must be from out of town. These past six months, people from Li Prefecture have often sneaked over from Great Yue. I hear some great demon has appeared there, slaughtering commoners without restraint. These people are all refugees who fled here."

"So that is how it is."

Cao Chengyu tossed him a small nugget of gold and asked further, "Does Qingniu City have a prominent Cao clan household?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Right beside Prosperity Avenue. Young Master just go straight from here, cross the Twin Immortals Bridge, and you'll be there. That residence is built most grandly."

"Very well, off with you."

"Many thanks for the reward, Young Master."

The passerby took the little nugget of gold, wiped it on his clothes, bit it once, and left in satisfaction.

"Ah..."

What an age of trouble.

There were only a little over a hundred refugees in all. Of an entire prefecture, this few had escaped. The Emperor of Great Yue's brutality would one day meet its reckoning.

Cao Chengyu's mood grew heavy as well.

He quickly arrived before the new Cao residence.

The guards at the gate were all retainers of the Cao family, household retainers who had signed indentures and been trained from childhood.

They had all followed the Cao clan in their relocation and still recognized him.

As though a scene from the past had been replayed, they were overjoyed and shouted loudly, "The young master is back! The young master is back!"

Cao Chengyu smiled and went in after them.

The new Cao residence had only undergone a few changes; overall it differed little from the old estate.

His father, Cao Di, and his mother, Tang Shiwan, also ran out from the inner rooms. The difference was that his mother was holding a baby only a few months old.

"Well, I'll be damned, a little one has arrived."

Cao Chengyu hurried to greet them, his eyes fixed on the baby without blinking.

"Mom, is it a boy or a girl? What is the name?"

"Humph."

His father snorted unhappily. His wife was like this, and now his son was too. What use was he? Did I not exist?!

Tang Shiwan did not care about that at all and said happily, "Chengyu, this is your little sister, Cao Yan. Come, give her a hug."

"Ah, let your big brother hold you."

Taking the infant into his arms, Cao Chengyu carefully lifted her up and teased her with a finger, delighted beyond measure.

"Haha, she bit my finger. She seems quite fond of me."

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Tang Shiwan smacked Cao Chengyu's big hand away in annoyance. "Don't tease your sister with your hands. They're filthy."

"......"

Cao Di watched from the side. Though his heart was sour, he could not help feeling happy.

Such was family reunion.

After teasing his little sister for a while, Cao Chengyu subconsciously probed her and was pleasantly surprised to discover that his younger sister had inherited his excellent talent as well, and her aptitude did not seem low.

This...

Cao Chengyu was tempted to guide Cao Yan onto the path of cultivation in the future, but if he did, would the Cao family once again be left without an heir?

Make another one?

He looked at his mother, rosy and glowing, her face full of youthful fullness, then at his father, sallow and weathered, streaks of white already in his hair, who had to rest a hand against his back every so often when walking.

Well, this matter would require further consideration...

It was all his father's fault for being too wanton in his youth. A moment's pleasure for the talented scholar and beautiful lady, and now in middle age he could only sigh at the folly.

At dusk, around the dinner table.

Besides Cao Chengyu's family, Lin Yunjiao had also come, looking at him with an inscrutable expression.

The Cao family had three branches in all: the first branch, his own family; the second branch, his aunt's family; and the third branch, which had two sons and three daughters, the line of the third brother.

The old patriarch had died early, and Cao Di had taken over the family at a very young age. Then his second uncle died unexpectedly. In theory, the third branch should have had a chance to seize the family fortune.

In the past, his third uncle had not lacked ambition either, but unfortunately he was repeatedly defeated by the child-aged Cao Chengyu and eventually gave up.

That was also why, before, when Cao Chengyu won Yang Jiuxuan's esteem, his father recognized him as the sole heir. Talent, after all; a prodigy, after all...

At the dinner table, there were mountains of delicacies and fine wine.

They exchanged old stories at length.

Cao Di sighed, saying, "You had the most foresight, Chengyu. Our family left early. I only wonder how the Ning family and the Huang family are doing."

"......"

Cao Chengyu's movements paused as well. He had even taught the two childhood friends the Breath-Absorbing Technique.

In merely a year, with them already grown older, they likely had not cultivated many layers in the Nourishing Breath realm; their ability to protect themselves was worrying.

"Father, Mother, this time I came back to ask you to move to the outer city of Widower Mountain. It is closer to the Five Elements Sect and safer, with better protection. I fear the upheaval in Great Yue may spread to the Martial Kingdom."

"This..."

The third uncle seemed about to speak, but held back.

Instead, Lin Yunjiao said, "What Chengyu says makes sense. At worst, we move once more. Better that than losing our lives."

"Then we move!"

Seeing everyone nod in agreement, Cao Di stroked his goatee and gave a firm nod.

The evening banquet ended.

Cao Chengyu followed Lin Yunjiao to her small side courtyard. His parents knew she was a cultivator, and only thought the two of them might have matters to discuss; they did not think much of it.

Little did they know, the two had long since been entangled with one another.

Once there were no outsiders, Cao Chengyu pulled Lin Yunjiao into his arms and pressed his face close to hers, whispering, "Sister Yun, I've missed you to death this whole year."

Lin Yunjiao's slender hand moved to his back and gently soothed him.

"Chengyu, I..."

"What is it?"

Cao Chengyu felt moisture on his cheek. He turned his head in surprise.

"Why are you crying? Has someone bullied you?"

Lin Yunjiao bit her red lip with her white teeth, as if the words were hard to say. In the end, she still asked, "Chengyu, are you investigating the royal house of Great Yue?"

"?!"

Cao Chengyu was shocked to the extreme and instinctively took two steps back, as though seeing Lin Yunjiao for the first time.

"Sister Yun, what exactly is your identity? The Lin immortal clan in the capital is only a minor clan. How could you know such a thing?!"