Xu Lianxin sat in front of the screen, sipping tea. The carved window faced a pond of clear water, where several cranes were playing. Ayao entered from outside, stopped in front of Xu Lianxin, and called out, "Mother!"
Ayao's voice was completely flat, just like her mood at that moment. She had tried countless times to get her mother to acknowledge her, but in the end, she realized that no matter what she did, she could never compare to Lu Xuening, her adopted daughter.
The maternal love she longed for had already been obtained from her master.
Now, when she is alone with her biological mother, she feels no emotional turmoil.
"Sit down!" Xu Lianxin said calmly.
Ayao sat down opposite her, and Xu Lianxin used magic to pour her a cup of tea. A cup of clear tea was placed in front of Ayao, and Xu Lianxin said, "Try it!"
If Xu Lianxin had poured her such a cup of tea in her past life, Ayao would have been overjoyed. Now, Ayao simply picked up the cup, took a sip with a cold expression, and then put it down without saying a word.
Xu Lianxin frowned at this, feeling that her biological daughter was still not likable.
If it were Xiao Ba here, he would surely be praising the tea with a string of witty remarks.
"When you fought Lu Yin, you didn't use the Lu family's movement techniques. Could it be that Senior Feng taught you those techniques?" Xu Lianxin asked.
Xu Lianxin witnessed the commotion caused by A Yao's fight with Lu Yin. A Yao's movement technique wasn't from the Kunshan Lu Clan; how could she, a cultivator in the early stages of the Void Refinement realm, not see that?
"Yes," Ayao readily admitted.
"For someone your age to be able to comprehend such profound meaning is quite remarkable," Xu Lianxin said. It was more than just remarkable; she feared that the Canglan Realm had never seen such a dazzling genius in its entire history. However, she still felt that she shouldn't praise A Yao too much, lest A Yao become complacent and arrogant.
She felt that Ayao's talent was mainly due to the bloodline she inherited from her and her husband, so it was thanks to her as a mother.
"It's truly remarkable that you have such cultivation at such a young age, but you shouldn't be too arrogant or complacent."
Ayao nodded perfunctorily: "Yes."
This attitude made Xu Lianxin even more dissatisfied.
"Xiao Ba asked you to guide her, so why did you embarrass her in public? What happened three years ago is in the past. You two sisters should get along well. As the older sister, why can't you be more sensible?" Xu Lianxin scolded.
Ayao thought to herself: So it turns out it was Lu Xuening who complained!
“Of course I can’t compare to Eighth Sister. I’m clumsy and careless, and I don’t know my own strength. If I accidentally hurt Eighth Sister, wouldn’t I get whipped by Mother again?” Ayao said with a sneer.
"presumptuous!"
Xu Lianxin's eyes turned cold, and with a burst of power, the teapot and cups on the table shattered instantly. Ayao stood up and retreated several steps away, her spiritual energy surrounding her, blocking Xu Lianxin's oppressive aura.
Seeing A Yao's alarmed expression, Xu Lianxin felt a pang in her heart. Looking at A Yao's face, which resembled her own, she angrily said:
"Why are you so vengeful, child? Your mother is disciplining you for your own good. If you hadn't been targeting Xiao Ba at every turn, how could I have been so heartless?"
Upon hearing this, Ayao said with a half-smile, "If Mother thinks I'm targeting Lu Xuening, then I'll just avoid appearing within ten feet of her from now on, how about that?"
"you……"
Xu Lianxin was angered by A Yao's words. Looking at A Yao, she felt that her daughter was more and more rebellious.
“You all say I’m targeting her, but how am I targeting her? I gave her my Ziji Peak, and I didn’t make a fuss about getting it back. I gave her the gold lock my grandfather gave me, the Tufu Jade Pendant my father gave me, and all the full-moon gifts everyone gave me, and I didn’t ask for any of them back. She wanted my fiancé, and I gave him up too.”
"I'm already like this, how can you still say I'm targeting her?" Ayao stared straight at her biological mother.
Xu Lianxin's face turned ugly. She suddenly felt that A Yao's gaze was too sharp. She turned around, then turned back again: "You really have been holding a grudge all along, blaming Xiao Ba for taking yours."
Ayao snorted coldly: "No, anything that can be taken away proves that it doesn't belong to me. Whether it's my parents' love, my brothers' care, or anything else, anything that can be taken away proves that it doesn't belong to me."
Xu Lianxin's heart clenched, a dull pain shooting through her chest. But then she was overcome by anger and shouted, "You wretched thing, spouting such hurtful words!"
Seeing A Yao looking at her calmly, she felt even angrier. She said angrily, "Do you think you have a powerful backer, that the young master of the Divine Dream Sect is infatuated with you, and that you think you're all grown up just because you can marry into the Divine Dream Sect? You even dare to disobey your own mother?"
"Without the identity of the seventh young lady of the Lu family, do you think Xu Fengzhi will still be infatuated with you?"
Upon hearing this, Ayao asked her, "Does Mother want me to get out of the Lu family?"
"you……"
Xu Lianxin's chest heaved with anger; she had been angered like this for many years. Looking at A Yao in front of her, she found Lu Xuening even more endearing. Her little Ba wouldn't disobey her, wouldn't speak to her in such a tone; this... this wretched creature was here to collect its debt.
She genuinely wanted to drive Ayao out of the Lu family, to expose her to the world and see if she would dare to speak like that again. However, several elders of the Lu family had previously come to her specifically to tell her to nurture Ayao properly, and even the Supreme Elder had high hopes for Ayao.
She called Ayao over, intending to cultivate a mother-daughter relationship, but who knew it would turn out like this?
If she were to ask A Yao to leave the Lu family, the elders would surely say she was foolish, the Supreme Elder would definitely blame her, and even her husband, once he emerged from seclusion and learned of this, would likely blame her.
The current Ayao is no longer the unimportant seventh young lady of the Lu family. She is the second genius in the Lu family to comprehend the essence of the art, and she is the future of the Lu family.
Xu Lianxin was so angry that her face turned pale, but she couldn't bring herself to say "get out".
She was afraid that Ayao would really get angry with her and leave.
Knowing when to stop, Ayao calmly said, "If Mother has nothing else to say, I will take my leave now."
After saying that, Ayao walked out.
She had just stepped out of the main hall when she heard a loud crash coming from inside. Ayao paused for a moment, then nonchalantly flew away on her sword.
Xu Lianxin slammed her hand on the jade table, shattering it to pieces. She exclaimed angrily, "She really did come to collect a debt! She really did come to collect a debt! That wretched child!"
Lu Xuening quickly learned from Xu Lianxin's maid that Ayao had upset her. She immediately made some pastries herself and tried to please Xu Lianxin. As a result, Xu Lianxin felt that Lu Xuening was her sweetheart, and all her guilt towards Ayao disappeared.
————
Yingxiu Peak.
As Ayao walked through the herb garden, several pretty young girls were watering the medicinal herbs. These girls were the alchemical puppets that Xu Fengzhi had given to Ayao.
Xu Fengzhi followed A Yao and praised her, saying, "I didn't expect you to be so skilled at cultivating spiritual herbs, A Yao. The growth of these herbs is truly delightful. A Yao, who did you learn all this from?"
Ayao said, "I figured it out myself."
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