Chapter 9: The Bloodsucking Parents

She was about to catch up, growing more anxious by the second, still unsure how to approach the situation. Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared before her eyes, startling her so much she didn't have time to brake.

Her flying artifact collided with a loud thud. She almost toppled off, but managed to steady herself just in time, the artifact hovering in midair against its will. Frowning, she looked ahead to see the barrier had vanished as mysteriously as it appeared. From the woods stepped a middle-aged man and woman.

As she recognized their faces, her expression instantly frosted over—it was the original body's blood-sucking parents.

"My poor child, Yao'er! Your father and mother have finally found you. We heard you... Oh, how could you be so foolish, my poor girl!" Chen Xiuhe wailed, her features delicate yet marred by vulgar taste—garish, with bright red lips opening and closing like a giant toad. But not a single tear accompanied her dramatic sobs; it was obviously fake.

Beside her stood a tall, thin man in an ordinary daoist robe. He was actually rather handsome, but his eyes clung greedily to the storage ring on Chu Yuyao’s left hand, his gaze nauseating. This was Lin Songyun, the original body's own father.

Lin Songyun reluctantly tore his eyes from the ring and looked up at Chu Yuyao's face, immediately adopting a benevolent paternal expression. "Yao’er, we heard you divorced those five golden sons-in-law—not those beasts! Such a big matter, how could you not tell us? If they wronged you, we may be powerless, but we’d give our lives to seek justice for you."

The flying artifact wasn't very high, just above the treetops. Chu Yuyao stood with her head lowered, looking at the pair below, lips curled in a faint, mocking smile.

News certainly traveled fast—they had found her in no time. From the original’s memories, she knew these parents were relentless, always pestering her.

Whether it was Chu Ruoyan, who was raised by them, or when they later discovered the original was their true daughter, both were treated as money trees by these itinerant cultivators. Only the fear of the Celestial Dao Sect kept their behavior somewhat in check.

"What business is this of yours?" Her tone was cold; she was anxious to catch up to Guan Yuheng and had no patience for their theatrics.

Chen Xiuhe choked on her words, forgetting to even fake her crying as rage surged in her heart. This wretched girl! When she was the Celestial Dao Sect's young mistress, she ignored them. Now, exposed as a fake and abandoned by her five illustrious dao partners, she still dared be so arrogant?

Though furious, Chen Xiuhe struggled to maintain the facade of a loving mother. "Yao’er, we’re your real parents. Flesh and blood can’t be denied. We may not have raised you, but we did give you life. How can you speak to us this way?" Her expression turned mournful, as if Chu Yuyao were some ungrateful wolf. Yet her eyes kept darting to the storage ring on Chu Yuyao’s hand, unable to hide her greed.

The ring itself was valuable enough, not to mention the treasures it likely contained. This wretched girl was just flaunting it, as if she didn’t fear being robbed.

But soon, it would be theirs.

Lin Songyun’s expression was equally aggrieved, as if she were some heartless daughter. "Yao’er, I know you feel nothing for us, but even so, you can't deny we are your birth parents. Whether you acknowledge it or not, the fact remains." He squeezed out two tears, gazing up at Chu Yuyao hovering in midair. Finding it exhausting to plead from below, he continued, "You are our flesh and blood; of course we care for you. Come down and let your father have a good look at you."

The more Chu Yuyao listened, the more impatient she became. Scanning the system’s route, she realized Shangguan Yuheng and Ye Cangming had already gone far ahead and were about to enter the Medicine King Valley. Her anxiety grew.

She cut them off bluntly, "Are you finished? If you’re done, step aside—I have no time for your nonsense." With that, she prepared to activate her artifact and leave.

Lin Songyun and Chen Xiuhe’s facades nearly cracked with fury, inwardly cursing her a thousand times. Seeing she was about to depart, their expressions shifted instantly as they both shot forward on flying swords, blocking her path.

Lin Songyun was at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, Chen Xiuhe at the early stage—neither particularly strong, but more than enough to handle Chu Yuyao at the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

Chen Xiuhe, her face flushed with anger and no longer bothering to pretend, snapped, "Chu Yuyao, what kind of attitude is this? We are your birth parents!"

Chu Yuyao swept them with a cold, disdainful glance. "Birth parents? You think you’re worthy? Don’t act coy—I know exactly what you’re after. If you want something, just say it. Stop beating around the bush."

Their embarrassment flickered across their faces at being called out.

Annoyed, Lin Songyun dropped the pretense, his gaze once again lingering on the storage ring, though he still tried to sound tactful. "Yao’er, your cultivation is too low. Flaunting a storage ring everywhere is dangerous; you could be robbed. Why not let your father and mother keep it safe for you?"

Chen Xiuhe’s eyes brightened, quickly chiming in, "That’s right, Yao’er; your father is right. Your cultivation is low and it’s unsafe to keep valuable things on you. Let us look after it. If you need anything, just ask your father."

She couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. Truly, the world was full of shameless people, but she’d never seen any as brazen as these two.

They wanted her storage ring but came up with such high-sounding excuses. Did they really take her for a fool?

"My things don’t need anyone else’s safekeeping."

She had no patience left for them and no time to spare. She directly urged her flying artifact to bypass them.

The kindly fatherly look on Lin Songyun’s face vanished completely, replaced by a dark and sinister scowl.

He attacked without warning, a burst of spiritual energy flipping her flying artifact.

Chu Yuyao never expected these shameless two to act so suddenly. Caught off guard, she fell from midair along with her artifact.

Startled, she quickly channeled her spiritual energy to control her body, adjusting her posture for the safest landing possible.

Even so, the abrupt fall from such a height packed quite an impact.

With a heavy crash, she hit the ground hard and rolled several times. Fortunately, the forest floor was soft with fallen leaves; had it been stone, she might have lost half her life.

Coughing, she lay on the ground, feeling as if her organs had shifted places. A sweet taste rose in her throat and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

But cultivators’ bodies far surpassed those of ordinary people; she was not seriously harmed.

After resting a moment and feeling somewhat better, she wiped the blood from her lips and slowly got to her feet.

Raising her head, she saw that Lin Songyun and Chen Xiuhe had also descended without her noticing, now standing before her, looking down with faces full of greed and contempt.

Now that they’d made their move, they had no need to pretend any longer. Their true natures were laid bare.