Cao Yun found Hongyu who had been waiting for him. Even now, she was still processing what she had absorbed from the Nine-Headed Bird of Chu. Day after day, she was forming her eighth demonic core, but it would still take her some time. Right now, there was absolutely nothing Cao Yun could do to help her as her body was literally forming her core as fast as it metabolically could. Apart from a few techniques to push a demonic beast's body further than it could bear, Cao Yun couldn't make things faster. Besides, such techniques were so taxing that they limited the future growth of the demonic beast while also reducing their lifespan. Obviously, Cao Yun wouldn't do such a thing to Hongyu.
All that being said, Cao Yun did help her a little simply by being by her side. His presence soothed her. The more relaxed her mind and body were, the faster and smoother everything would be. Unfortunately, there would be some stress...
Before entering Baziyun City again, Cao Yun sent a letter to Huang Liyue so she could get everything ready for his arrival. In particular, Cao Yun hoped Huang Liyue could smooth things over with Huang Cixi. In her reply, she assured that Cao Yun and Hongyu had nothing to fear, the Huang family would ensure their safety. In other words, Huang Cixi wouldn't just attack them out of the blue. After all, she was still under the authority of Matriarch Huang Yufeng, Huang Liyue's mother.
Finally, Cao Yun and Hongyu walked through the main gate and were escorted by a few Huang soldiers all the way to their residence. Since Hongyu could not enter the buildings, the Huang soldiers led Cao Yun and her toward a large courtyard. There, Elder Ying was waiting for her. As soon as she saw him, she got excited. After all, he had raised her when she was young. On his body, one could see signs of battles. He had mostly been healed, but clearly some faint marks remained on his flesh. To Cao Yun's eyes and to Hongyu's senses, those were vivid scars. Elder Ying was a powerful 9-core Blue Mane Falcon. One could imagine how far he had been pushed to be so severely injured that scars remained.
Hongyu completely disregarded that. She was simply too happy to see him again. Obviously, she didn't want to focus on the sad things. Instead, she flew straight toward him. Elder Ying also flew. Before Cao Yun could say anything, the two of them rose in the air. They literally flew into the distance. For several days, they would simply fly all over the place, playing. Elder Ying was like an old man playing with his granddaughter. Even the Huang family thought he was kind of cute. Even though they had seen him on the battlefield, his current demeanor was completely different.
While Hongyu was enjoying life, Cao Yun was at ease and he followed the guards. They brought him to the Phoenix Hall where acting Matriarch Huang Cixi was waiting for him.
Since he was a guest, he didn't use his spiritual senses. Thus, he only relied on his eyes to see Huang Cixi. Immediately, a name surged in his mind, Mei Yuzhi. Indeed, the young woman in front of him was not the white haired matriarch of the Huang family. On the seat of the matriarch was a young woman with light brown hair. Contrary to Cao Yun's expectations, she didn't look like a powerful leader, but like a nice servant, his servant. She was the young girl who had served him in the Wubei Sect. For her, he had petitioned Spirit Master Xiao to refine the Life Boiling Cradle pill in order to heal her injured Lower Dantian. Even without spiritual senses, he could still feel a powerful vitality emanating from her Lower Dantian. However, her cultivation had soared. She was very close to reaching the Spirit Warrior realm. That being said, Cao Yun could sense immense strength hidden in her.
Satisfied by her theatrics, Huang Cixi released the seal she had put on her bloodline. In an instant, her hair turned pure white. The temperature in the room increased tremendously, to the point that mere mortals would have died from the shock. In her pupils, Cao Yun could see nine flames. There was no doubt, this was the Perfection achievement of the 'Nine Chambers of Life Fire' blood cultivation method used by the Huang family. In other words, her blood cultivation had reached the absolute peak of the Huang family. Not even Matriarch Huang Yufeng had achieved such a success. Right now, her blood was no different from the blood of the actual True Fiery Fenghuang. With her blood cultivation, she could slaughter any Mortal Warrior and a few early Spirit Warriors as well. Once she went through the Lesser Tribulation, she would probably be able to kill even some middle Spirit Warriors and fight on equal footing with even the most powerful early Spirit Warriors.
Seeing this sudden transformation, Cao Yun obviously understood everything. His young servant had never existed. There was no Mei Yuzhi. There was only Huang Cixi. And he could also guess why she had hidden by his side.
"Young Master Chen, it seems that you've gone a long way from our time together in your Wubei Sect."
"Indeed, acting Matriarch. But clearly, not as much as you have. Perfection in the 'Nine Chambers of Life Fire' is truly formidable."
"Thank you. The Pure Golden Dantian you've gifted me helped me a lot."
"Surely you jest. A Pure Golden Dantian would have very little to do with your blood cultivation."
Huang Cixi could feel the tension between them. Although she had wanted to shock and surprise Cao Yun, now she didn't know how to steer the conversation in a more amiable direction. Before she could think of something, Cao Yun decided to be very straightforward.
"Matriarch, when you joined my Wubei Sect under the name of Mei Yuzhi, you were coming after me, were you not?"
"I was."
"But you never killed me or harmed me."
"I did not."
"On the other hand, I did harm you. Although it was not my intention, I took a lot from you."
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"You did..."
Cao Yun kowtowed before Huang Cixi and bowed three times.
"Matriarch Huang, I won't lie. I do not regret killing your brothers."
Huang Cixi's heart froze while her blood turned into pure flames in her veins.
"Huang Longwei tried to take my life and I had every right to claim his in return. I have no remorse about his death. When it comes to Huang Lixin, I do regret his death but I won't regret my actions. Without my intervention, he would have slain an innocent girl and you know it. I do apologize for the pain you've suffered as you were not to blame in the matter. However, I do believe my actions were justified. And I do believe you agree with me, or you would have acted against me already."
Suddenly, the doors of the Phoenix Hall closed. Many array formations got triggered in an instant. With his knowledge, Cao Yun knew he couldn't leave this place easily. But he also knew that those array formations were blocking everything both from within and from outside. By Huang Cixi's side, he saw Huang Liyue. Although she was using her 'Ashen Feather Seal', he could still discern her presence. Thus, he was not worried for his life.
Then, Huang Cixi's voice thundered.
"But you didn't kill my brother Lixin just to protect your Dao partner. You killed him to hide your secret, didn't you?"
Hearing her, Cao Yun quickly turned his head toward Huang Liyue, but he could tell she had not revealed his secret. Maybe it was Matriarch Huang Yufeng. Or maybe, Huang Cixi had figured it out by herself. Looking at her, Cao Yun was indeed convinced that she had found out herself.
"Cao Yun, if I wanted to harm you in any way, your uncle would already have paid the price. I know all about what happened, both to the Cao family and the Shui family. I know all the crimes of Emperor Weide, even some that you yourself are ignorant of. And I also know that you come here before me in hope that my Huang family will assist you. Cao Yun, I did not attack you in the Wubei Sect because you reminded me of the brother you took from me. Huang Longwei made his choices and had to live and die through them. However, Huang Lixin was close to my heart. He didn't deserve such an end... He made mistakes and he would have committed murder indeed... But, no matter what, I can't bring myself to blame him.
"I do know that your acts were justified. You're not some insane murderer. And I won't pursue vengeance against you. However, each time I see you, I am reminded of my stupid older brother. I am also reminded of my failures. I tried to dissuade him, I tried to stop him, but I failed. He wanted to make our father proud and he agreed to become a common murderer for that. Cao Yun, as you can tell, my thoughts are many and chaotic on the matter. But you can probably imagine them to some extent.
"So, once again, I won't pursue the matter. After all, you did save my life. Even though my inner demons are not completely gone, I learned to silence them. Unlike you, I can't take revenge upon the man who took my family from me, because the man in question is not a vile traitor. He's a man who did the right thing to protect others. So, please, do not bring this subject before me again. I will deal with my loss by myself, I don't need words from you. Your words will only make my pain that much more unbearable. Thanks to you, I'll always remember my brother as a virtuous man, not as a murderer, but I can't thank you for that..."
In her tone, Cao Yun could hear many emotions indeed. Usually, she concealed most of them or only showed those that benefited her. But right now, she was extremely genuine. She was all over the place. Obviously, she reminded him of himself. If Cao Yun had learned that his family had been plotting against the Hongchen Kingdom and mankind, and that had been the reason of Emperor Weide's extermination, Cao Yun had no idea how he would have reacted. Huang Cixi was in a very similar situation. Thus, he agreed never to speak of the matter again. Honestly, he didn't think it was the best course of action to deal with her inner demons. But, in the end, he wasn't the one to make that decision.
"Matriarch Huang, this humble one hears you. I won't bring up this matter anymore. Let me simply say that I am sorry for your pain and I hope it won't hinder your cultivation. You shouldn't be punished for it. And you shouldn't punish yourself either."
There was very deep meaning hidden in Cao Yun's words. Huang Liyue wasn't too sure about them, but Huang Cixi caught them clearly. Indeed, she sincerely liked Cao Yun and it was eating away at her. She would have rather Cao Yun was some cruel monster, but he wasn't. She took his words to heart but immediately changed her attitude. It was as though this expansive Huang Cixi had never existed.
Acting Matriarch Huang Cixi sat on her seat. The air around her stayed incredibly hot, but it was also calm. Nothing could disturb her emotions. Her voice resounded in the closed Phoenix Hall.
"Cao Yun, I know that you plan on killing Emperor Weide. However, despite his crimes, my family cannot risk itself in such a dangerous endeavor. As your uncle probably told you, I will soon control the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. From there, I will be more powerful and influential than Emperor Weide himself. Only then will I be able to pressure him into stepping down. Once he's not emperor, you may get your revenge. Besides, you're still too weak to face him directly. Do not be foolish."
At that moment, Cao Yun realized that Huang Cixi knew a lot, but not all as she had assumed. He hesitated for an instant, but decided to trust her. After all, she had already found out so much about him and had not harmed him in any way.
"Matriarch, I simply cannot wait. Indeed, you are mistaken on my Cao family. Not all of my family was slaughtered that night. My younger sister Cao Huiying was taken alive. As we speak, she is within Emperor Weide's grasp, as his daughter. He plans to sacrifice her as soon as her Soul Embryo is formed and stable enough. The reason behind those attacks against my mother then and my sister now is the same. The traitor discovered that the souls of the women from the Shui family could produce a Soul Embryo that would allow him to become a Sage. I have no idea how long I have, but I must save my sister before he sacrifices her. I simply cannot wait. However, I don't want to implicate your Huang family.
"I already have many plans in place. Although I'm not entirely sure I can slay Emperor Weide, I am certain that I can win a fight against him if I go all-out. However, I do not want the Hongchen Kingdom to fall into chaos. If I save my sister from this madman only to let the demons slaughter us all, it would not be funny at all. With that in mind, I do wish for the Huang family to be ready to assume control of the Hongchen Kingdom. The Wubei Sect would support you. And I do think that the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute would back you up as well. I'm going to visit Spirit Master Xiao next. Considering that you more or less control the Cherry Blossom Hall already, you could take over the entire Hongchen Kingdom with those backers."
Huang Cixi and Huang Liyue were both shocked when they heard Cao Yun's revelations. Honestly, his plans about the Huang family taking over had already been deduced by Huang Cixi. But she had completely missed any information about his sister. This was new to her. And it did change a lot of things. Cogs were turning in her mind as she examined all the possibilities. In the end, she had to come to a decision that favored the Huang family above all else. And she just had.
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