Chapter 72: Chapter 72 - The Purple Calamity and the Cost of Pride

The flight back to Clear Cloud Peak was surprisingly peaceful.

When Sect Master Li Xuanzong had asked Su Bai how he wanted to plan the raid on the Golden Toad Underground Exchange, Su Bai had simply bowed, and deferred the honor of planning the raid to the Sect Master and the Peak Masters.

They had centuries of combined experience in sectarian warfare. Even though Su Bai was a prestigious Core Disciple, he had absolutely no desire to micromanage a high-risk combat operation when he could just pass it up the chain of command.

His master, Lu Canghai, however, was not nearly as willing to let things go.

"Once the Sect Master roots out the conspirators in the Righteous Bureau, we are taking a trip to Blackwater City," Lu Canghai grumbled. His robes fluttered in the wind, and his face was set in a stubborn scowl. "A Golden Core Elder dared to use Dan Fire against a junior? I don’t care if it was a misunderstanding. I will make Elder Han stand in the public square and formally apologize to you, even if I have to beat it out of him."

Su Bai blinked.

In truth, he had already written the incident off. If Elder Han hadn’t chased him, he never would have met Ning Shuang and uncovered the massive conspiracy.

But looking at Lu Canghai’s fiercely protective expression, Su Bai didn’t point out the logic. Instead, a rare, genuine warmth spread through his chest.

"I will follow your lead, Master," Su Bai smiled faintly.

Soon, the familiar courtyard of Clear Cloud Peak came into view. As soon as they landed and stored their swords, Su Bai immediately pivoted. There was an unresolved issue he needed to address.

"Master," Su Bai said as he blocked Lu Canghai’s path to his tea table. "What exactly is the situation with the Tang Clan?"

Lu Canghai instantly stiffened.

"Ah, well, the Tang Clan is a highly secretive faction—"

"I mentioned before that I met Senior Tang Yuyan," Su Bai cut in smoothly. "And I also met a girl named Ziyan. Senior Tang called her her niece, and they departed for the Tang Clan’s ancestral estate."

Lu Canghai froze completely. He slowly turned his head to look at his disciple. His brows were knitted in profound confusion.

"Niece? What are you talking about?" Lu Canghai asked, genuinely baffled. "The Tang Clan has no heir named Ziyan."

Su Bai blinked, realizing the massive information gap. He quickly relayed the events at the dilapidated village.

He detailed finding the twenty-year-old girl, the tragic story of her mother dying in childbirth two decades ago, her father succumbing to her toxins shortly after, and the terrifying, uncontrollable poison that leaked from the girl’s very pores.

As Lu Canghai listened, the color completely drained from his face. He staggered back slightly, then he sat down on his wooden stool as the puzzle pieces horrifyingly clicked together.

"Heavens..." Lu Canghai muttered. His voice trembled as the realization hit him. "Wanyue... Wanyue had a child? She died giving birth?"

Lu Canghai took a ragged breath, trying to steady his racing heart. "A poison that acts as a passive aura without cultivation... Could it be... The Purple Calamity Venom-Body?"

"Is that constitution strong?" Su Bai asked.

Lu Canghai stroked his beard. "Not merely strong. It is frightening. In the annals of the cultivation world, the Tang Clan was once pushed to the brink of destruction. It was a Matriarch possessing the Purple Calamity Venom-Body who single-handedly slaughtered three rival clans and elevated the clan to its current terrifying heights. If Wanyue’s daughter truly has this constitution, her standing in the Tang Clan will be second only to the heavens."

Su Bai froze.

"Master, Why did her mother run away from the clan?"

Lu Canghai closed his eyes. A heavy, suffocating melancholy descended over the courtyard.

"The Tang Clan is a strict matriarchy," Lu Canghai began softly. "Their foundational cultivation manuals require Yin-dominant meridians to properly assimilate their lethal poisons. Because of this, the women of the Tang Clan are their absolute strongest assets, and they hold all the authority."

Lu Canghai let out a bitter sigh. "Twenty years ago, Tang Yuyan had a younger sister. Her name was Tang Wanyue. She was a once-in-a-generation genius, possessing a heart as gentle as her poisons were deadly. She was the chosen heir, the next Matriarch."

"But Wanyue fell in love," Lu Canghai continued. His voice was thick with regret. "She met a brilliant young swordsman. But he wasn’t a rogue cultivator. He was the sole heir to a prestigious, orthodox sword pavilion. And that... was the tragedy."

Su Bai’s analytical mind instantly saw the political deadlock.

"To marry a Tang Clan woman, the man must sever ties with his past and marry into their family," Lu Canghai explained. "But the sword pavilion demanded Wanyue marry out to them. Neither side would yield a single inch. It became a war of pride and reputation. The current Tang Matriarch grew furious, threatening to cripple the young swordsman if he didn’t submit. The sword pavilion threatened war in return."

Lu Canghai looked at the falling pine needles.

"They loved each other too much to let their families destroy one another. So, one night, Wanyue gave it all up. She abandoned her staggering wealth, and fled with the man she loved."

The courtyard fell dead silent. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Su Bai felt a heavy weight settle in his stomach. With the backstory finally revealed, the realization of what actually happened in that village was utterly heartbreaking.

The tragedy also served as a grim reminder of just how devastating the Purple Calamity Venom-Body truly was.

"The families were not entirely devoid of emotion," Lu Canghai whispered. "Especially Yuyan. Yuyan loves her younger sister. When Wanyue vanished, Yuyan tore the mortal kingdoms apart looking for her. For years, she never stopped. Only to find out today that she was decades too late..."

Lu Canghai’s voice cracked slightly. "Yuyan used to be different. When my foundation was shattered in my youth, she was the one who stood by me. She had a venomous mouth, constantly cursing me for being weak, but she spent her own fortune buying me pills to keep my spirits up. But when Wanyue disappeared... Yuyan blamed herself. She locked her heart away, becoming the cold, ruthless woman you met today."

It was a tragedy of pride, paid for in the blood of a gentle woman and the twenty years of suffering endured by her child.

"But things will be different now," Lu Canghai said. "Losing Wanyue before forced the Tang Clan to change its laws. It is a tragedy that they had to lose their greatest genius to learn their lesson, but they are not the type to repeat the same mistake twice. Now that they have found her daughter, she will be treated like a goddess."

Su Bai stood in the quiet courtyard, letting out a long, slow sigh.

Listening to this story, he realized that human emotions (love, pride, regret, and grief) were forces that defied all logic. They could build empires, and they could destroy families.

It was a chaotic, beautiful, and terrifying complexity.