The Legend

13. Poison Soul

The Samsara Branch was a place few in this region dared to provoke — protected by the immense might of the main Samsara Clan. Yet now, its great gate lay shattered, splinters scattered across the courtyard.

 

Patriarch Lao Kun stormed out, trembling with rage. Before him stood a figure entirely cloaked in black. As the crowd gathered, the man offered a sinister smile. Unnoticed, a small scorpion-like insect crawled from his hand and scuttled toward the central pond. He chuckled softly, showing no fear despite being surrounded.

 

Lao Kun stepped forward, studying his mysterious intruder. The man appeared to be only at the early Awakening Realm, yet the aura about him — and that strange, acrid scent — sent a warning chill down Lao Kun's spine.

 

"Friend, explain yourself," Lao Kun commanded, keeping his voice steady. "You've broken through my gate. Has our family offended you?"

 

The man simply dusted his sleeves, his exposed hands looking shockingly old and trembling slightly. "Patriarch... have you truly forgotten me? I've come bearing gifts for you and your precious branch family. And here I thought we were old friends." His voice scraped like gravel from a deep, dark place.

 

Lao Kun's heart sank. This was no mere intruder — this was a vendetta. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

 

"The Samsara Clan — so grand," the man sneered. "A tiny branch family strutting about as if you matter. If a main clan elder stood before me, I'd bow. But you? I have nothing but contempt."

 

"Arrogant fool!" Lao Kun's aura flared — the full power of a peak Awakening Realm cultivator. "You insult us at your peril!"

 

Just then, Lao Yun, Yun Yao, Lin Fen, and Lao Chen arrived. Seeing the tension, they all halted. The moment the man in black laid eyes on Lao Yun, his entire body shuddered — agitation rippling through him.

 

"Y-you used death poison?!" Lao Kun recoiled in horror as a thick, black mist began to rise around the intruder. "That's dishonorable!"

 

"Dishonorable?!" the man roared, his voice cracking with fury. "What's honorable about abandoning your own son and casting him into the abyss for power and status?! You have no right to speak of honor!"

 

Lao Kun paled visibly. His face drained of color, fear flashing in his eyes. "H-how do you—"

 

Lao Yun looked between them, bewildered. A brother? A secret buried deep within her family's history?

 

Lin Fen watched from the shadows, keeping Lao Chen close. He felt no sympathy for Lao Kun — but the hatred pouring from this stranger was undeniable. Even Yun Yao stood back, arms folded, wearing a cruel smile as if watching a play unfold.

 

"Silence!" Lao Kun roared, panic turning to desperation. Pale white psychic energy swirled around him. He lunged forward, palm blazing with light, striking toward the man's head.

 

The intruder didn't flinch. He shifted effortlessly aside, his speed belying his lower cultivation level. Lao Kun struck again, unleashing his most powerful skill — Tiger's Roar Shakes the Mountains and Forests. A deafening roar exploded through the courtyard, shaking the very air itself.

 

But the black mist swelled, absorbing the shockwave. Everyone gasped — the mist was poison. They scrambled back, coughing, eyes watering. The guards hesitated, unwilling to step into the toxic cloud.

 

Lao Kun pressed forward, slowly gaining ground. Yet the man in black smiled — a smile that made Lao Kun's blood run cold. Something was wrong. The poison mist was thinning, yet the air felt heavier.

 

Suddenly, the man retreated — not fleeing, but pulling back — then turned and charged straight at Lao Yun.

 

"No!" Lao Kun screamed, but he was too far away. Yun Yao subtly shifted aside, putting distance between himself and danger. Lin Fen sprinted forward, but he was still too weak, too far behind.

 

The mist wrapped around Lao Yun in an instant. She gasped, her face flushing a violent, feverish red, and collapsed, unconscious.

 

The man paused for just a heartbeat, a flicker of regret crossing his shadowed face — then he laughed, a bitter, broken sound.

 

"Remember me now, Father? I am the son you threw off the cliff sixteen years ago. I am Poison Soul — and I have come home. This is only the beginning. Next time... I come for your life."

 

With those words, he vanished into the shadows, gone as quickly as he had arrived.

 

Lao Kun fell to his knees, staring at his daughter's still form. "My son..." he whispered, tears spilling over. "My son is alive... and I have made him my enemy."

 

A heavy silence hung over the courtyard. Poison Soul — a master poisoner. One of the most feared professions on the continent. And he had sworn vengeance on the Samsara Branch. The trouble they faced had only just begun.