Seeing the slight sympathy on Bai Ying's face, Zhou Ying quickly pressed her advantage, her voice trembling with tears, becoming even more earnest:

"Ying'er, you are my own flesh and blood, the one I carried for ten months and gave birth to with great difficulty. I have always loved you, and that love has never changed. In my heart, you will always be my most beloved child."

You have no idea how terrified and heartbroken your father and I were when you were kidnapped. During those days, we couldn't eat or sleep, we searched every possible place, every street and alley, every deep mountain forest—we wouldn't let go of any clue to your whereabouts.”

As Zhou Ying spoke, she kept wiping the tears from her face with her sleeve, looking extremely haggard.

Bai Ying looked at Zhou Ying quietly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

From Zhou Ying's words, it's clear she truly loves herself, and perhaps she really has. But how could Bai Ying not know the purpose behind Zhou Ying's words?

It was merely to make himself spare Bai Di's life.

They did look for him, but after confirming they couldn't find him, they quickly adopted Bai Di and poured all their love and care into him, while he was forgotten.

For them, all their pain and guilt disappeared because of the white flute.

After that, they never contacted him again...

As expected, Zhou Ying then added:

“We had no other choice. The pain of losing a child is unimaginable. In extreme despair and pain, we adopted Di’er. Di’er has been a well-behaved and sensible child since she was little. With her, we slowly emerged from the shadow of losing you.”

For us, Dier is also an indispensable child.

"She really was wrong about this; she was too willful and immature. When we get back, we'll definitely punish her severely to get revenge for you, okay? No matter what she did wrong, she's still your sister. She doesn't deserve to die; please forgive her this time."

As Zhou Ying spoke, she crawled forward two more steps, her knees scraping against the rough ground, tearing her clothes at the knees and causing faint traces of blood to seep out. Then, she slammed her head against the ground with a dull thud, again and again; her resolute posture made those around her gasp. In moments, her forehead was swollen and red, with several scrapes drawing blood.

The voices around Bai Ying, speaking up for Zhou Ying, grew louder and louder, surging towards her like a tide. "Bai Ying, just listen to your mother, stop making things difficult for your sister!" "Yes, we're all family, why make things so tense!" These voices buzzed in Bai Ying's ears.

Bai Ying watched her mother quietly, watching this woman who should have loved her the most kneel down and even kowtow to her for someone who had tried to kill her time and time again.

Her eyes were filled with only disappointment.

Bai Yanfeng and Bai Ying were absolutely furious; their faces were flushed red, and veins bulged on their foreheads. They rushed forward to stop Zhou Ying. Bai Yanfeng reached out to help her up, shouting, "Mother, what are you doing? Get up!" But Zhou Ying seemed possessed, refusing to stop. Her eyes were filled with madness and pleading: "Ying'er, please let Di'er go. If you really resent me, you can take my life, okay?"

Bai Ying looked at the absurd and pathetic scene before her, feeling a strong sense of irony. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions, disappointment and sorrow surging like a tidal wave, completely filling her heart.

She slowly released Bai Di's grip on her hand, and finally threw her to the ground. Bai Di collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, her eyes still filled with fear.

An indescribable disappointment filled Bai Ying's heart.

Fortunately, she cultivated the Path of Ruthlessness, making her exceptionally insensitive to emotions. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how miserable she would be right now.

Bai Ying was truly grateful more than once that she had cultivated this technique.

When Bai Ying finally let go of Bai Di, the Bai family members rushed towards Bai Di like madmen.

Zhou Ying ran the fastest. She rushed to Bai Di's side and hugged her tightly in her arms without hesitation, her movements careful, as if she were holding the most precious treasure in the world.

"Di'er, are you alright? Are you in pain?" Zhou Ying's voice trembled slightly, choked with sobs. She gently cupped Bai Di's face in her hands, examining her closely with eyes full of heartache and concern. Her fingers lightly traced the shocking strangulation marks on Bai Di's neck, each touch feeling like a knife cutting into her own heart.

Looking at the anxious Zhou Ying in front of her, Bai Di's feigned weakness was instantly shattered by tears. She threw herself onto Zhou Ying, crying uncontrollably, her shoulders trembling violently. Her cries were filled with endless grievances, and an uninformed person would have thought that she was the victim who had suffered a great injustice.

"Mother!" she cried out, her voice filled with helplessness and pain, which tugged at Zhou Ying's heart.

Bai Yanfeng and Bai Ying quickly came over. They half-squatted beside Bai Di, one gently patting Bai Di's back, while the other softly comforted him with gentle words.

After a long while, as if suddenly awakened from a dream, they who were immersed in caring for Bai Di remembered Bai Ying standing beside them. They slowly turned their heads to look at her.

Zhou Ying's eyes showed obvious hesitation, her gaze shifting back and forth between Bai Ying and Bai Di, her eyes full of entanglement.

She knew in her heart that, according to her previous promise, she should punish Bai Di at this time. However, when her gaze fell on Bai Di's body and she thought of her usual liveliness and fragility, how could she bear to punish her severely?

She bit her lip, torn between her inner turmoil and her own conscience. After much internal struggle, she finally mustered the courage to speak: "Ying'er, Di'er's cultivation isn't as high as yours, and her body is weaker. She really can't withstand any other severe punishments. How about we punish her by confining her to her room to reflect on her mistakes?"

When she said those words, Zhou Ying's voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of pleading that was barely perceptible.

In her heart, even this lightest punishment of all was an unbearable burden for her precious daughter. She knew Bai Di too well; her Di'er loved freedom the most, and now to suddenly imprison her freedom was nothing short of torture. But there was no other way now; the most urgent thing was to appease Bai Ying.

Bai Ying found her words utterly ridiculous.

"Do whatever you want."

Zhou Ying's face lit up with joy, and the rest of the Bai family breathed a sigh of relief.

In particular, the eldest elder of the Bai family valued Bai Ying the most.

Now that Bai Ying is so capable, he has to tie Bai Ying to the Bai family no matter what.

But the next moment, they heard Bai Ying say:

"From now on, none of you should ever appear in front of me again. I don't want you anymore."

I have no father, no mother, and no brothers or sisters. From now on, we have no relation whatsoever!

After saying this, Bai Ying flew away on her sword.