134: Cao Mengxian adopted a daughter

Deep within the Pill Alliance.

Fang Ruodan held the swaddled baby in her arms, her gaze fixed on the tightly closed stone door ahead for a long time.

"Husband, I truly have no other choice. That bastard can manipulate my words and actions; even if I resisted to the death, I could not escape his control."

"We have been husband and wife for over a decade, and we finally looked forward to the birth of our child, yet I never expected such a turn of events to occur."

"This is all the fault of that bastard, tearing our beautiful family apart."

"This was not my wish, but the matter of betraying you has already been confirmed, and I do not wish to explain anything."

"I am leaving this letter here. If you find out the sequence of events after you come out of seclusion and still blame me, then just act as if we were never together."

"If you have the ability, come and take me away. If you do not, then do not take any risks."

She took a deep breath, her tone becoming increasingly heavy: "That bastard's status is terrifyingly high; he is not only the Adopted Son of Sword Immortal Gu, but also the elder brother of Heavenly Emperor Lu, and he even has an extraordinary relationship with the Empress."

"I do not know if you will still dare to come and take me away after hearing this, but no matter what decision you make, I will not blame you."

"After all, in the entire Spirit Realm, there is basically no one who dares to contend with him."

"By the way, I have taken the child with me. You need not worry; I will certainly raise her well."

A trace of tenderness flashed in her eyes: "Rest assured, I will tell the child that you are her biological father."

"I will also tell her everything about this."

"Perhaps in the future, when she becomes successful, she might be able to seek justice for you."

As her voice faded, Fang Ruodan stood in place for a long time, finally letting out a long, drawn-out sigh.

She gently placed down the envelope in her hand, held the baby, and resolutely turned to leave.

This departure might be for a lifetime.

...

Star Province, not far from Sword Province.

At the entrance of a hidden cave, Cao Bu stepped out, looking refreshed.

This time, the group had increased their speed slightly, but they still did not skip the places they were revisiting.

Inside the cave, Leng Yue and Yan Ruyu were still resting; the tossing and turning last night had clearly exhausted them.

Just as he walked out of the cave entrance, Cao Bu saw a familiar, graceful figure; it was none other than Fang Ruodan.

She was still holding a baby in her arms.

"I thought you wouldn't come," Cao Bu said, walking forward and reaching out to take the baby, his tone casual: "Come, let me take a look at my Adopted Daughter."

Fang Ruodan subconsciously took a step back, retorting with a cold face: "Who gave you permission to call her your Adopted Daughter?"

Cao Bu pointed to the child in her arms, a playful smile curling on the corners of his lips: "Why, Adopted Daughter doesn't work? Then calling me Father Cao is fine too."

"I'll take the loss and marry you, a Great Emperor, as a concubine. By that calculation, she counts as half my daughter; calling me Father Cao isn't too much to ask, right?"

"I never agreed to marry you," Fang Ruodan frowned, her tone firm.

"Oh?" Cao Bu sneered, slowly pacing around Fang Ruodan: "What, are you still hoping your husband will come to save you after he leaves seclusion?"

"Some things, you really shouldn't entertain delusions about."

He stopped his steps, his eyes carrying a hint of contempt: "What is my status, and what is your husband's status?"

"He isn't even a Great Emperor; what makes you think he can stand up for you?"

"Besides, you have already seen that my talent is far from as simple as it appears on the surface."

"I dare say, within a hundred years, I will definitely achieve Immortal Ascension."

"When that time comes, don't you have any idea who you should choose?"

"The reason I am willing to keep you by my side is nothing more than two points: first, your beauty, and second, your Alchemy."

Cao Bu's tone grew deeper, carrying an unquestionable authority: "If you are sensible, just stay obediently and assist me. In the future, I naturally will not mistreat you and your daughter."

After speaking, he extended his hands, his gaze fixed on the baby in Fang Ruodan's arms: "Give the child to me."

Fang Ruodan bit her lower lip tightly, her expression complex to the extreme.

She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately slowly handed the baby over.

Cao Bu smiled as he took the baby, his fingers nonchalantly lifting a corner of the swaddle, as if checking something.

"What are you doing?" Fang Ruodan became anxious, stepping forward to snatch the child back.

Cao Bu stepped back to avoid her, soothing her: "Don't be nervous, I just want to confirm whether or not you have lied to me."

As he spoke, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and he smiled: "It seems you are quite honest; it is indeed a girl."

On the surface, he appeared calm and indifferent, but in his heart, he had already summoned the System: "System, bring up the information for this baby."

[Ding, information has been retrieved, please view it, Host.]

Cao Bu immediately focused his attention to view it. When his gaze swept over the gender column and confirmed it was a girl, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In his world, there were only two types of people who could stay by his side.

Either they were his current women, or they were his future women.

As for men, not a single one could be left.

When his gaze continued to sweep downward and he clearly saw the other content in the information column, his pupils contracted slightly, and a strange light flashed rapidly across his eyes.

However, it passed in an instant, and his face returned to its previous composure, as if nothing had happened.

"This child, she hasn't been named yet, right?"

Cao Bu lowered his head to tease the baby in his arms, a dark, indiscernible light flashing in his eyes.

The baby did not seem to be shy; she giggled as he teased her, her little fists waving and reaching toward his hands.

Watching this scene, Fang Ruodan's tone carried a hint of melancholy: "Not yet; the child was just born when the Fist Emperor fell. He had no choice but to go into seclusion first to compete for that opportunity to break through to Great Emperor."

Upon hearing this, Cao Bu's tone carried a hint of deliberate provocation: "So that's how it is. In his heart, it seems the two of you, mother and daughter, are not as important as a Great Emperor Fruit Position."

Fang Ruodan pursed her lips tightly and did not reply.

She knew clearly in her heart that the Great Emperor Fruit Position was the ultimate goal pursued by all living beings in the entire Spirit Realm throughout their lives.

Especially for her husband, who had been stuck at the Quasi-Emperor Peak for thousands of years and had never been able to advance further.

Now that the Fist Emperor had fallen, this was his closest opportunity to become a Great Emperor. If he missed it, not only would the Fist Emperor Fruit Position fall into the hands of other Quasi-Emperors who cultivated the Fist Dao Law, but he would likely never have a chance to break through again in this lifetime.

Even though she understood the reasoning, hearing Cao Bu say this, she still couldn't help but feel a trace of resentment in her heart.

In the past, she feared the Fist Emperor because his cultivation was far higher than hers.

Now that the Fist Emperor was dead, the newly succeeded Fist Emperor was, in her eyes, nothing more than a weakling who had just ascended the position.

Unless this new Fist Emperor had a powerful backer, she was fully capable of exterminating him directly to clear the Fist Emperor position for her husband again.

But he had not let her do so. Did this mean that, in the end, he still had some distrust toward her?

In the past, she had not thought in this direction, only feeling that husband and wife should treat each other with sincerity and should not have such suspicions.

But now, being pointed out by Cao Bu, those hidden doubts instantly spread in her heart, making her thoughts chaotic and even her breathing became somewhat heavy.

Seeing Fang Ruodan like this, Cao Bu chuckled and shook his head; it was truly easy to sow discord.

He immediately proposed: "Since she doesn't have a name yet, why not call her Qianqian? Fang Qianqian, what do you think?"