Chapter 85: Chapter 85 - The Clear Cloud Lesson and the Bureau Elder’s Regret

Lu Canghai led the way as Su Bai stood behind him on a massive flying sword.

The difference between flying alone and riding with his master was enormous.

The old man stood with his hands behind his back. The flying sword beneath their feet was steady as a mountain, yet the clouds around them were being split apart like water.

In a few breaths, they had already crossed a distance Su Bai would have needed more time to cover alone.

Su Bai silently felt the wind around him.

This was not simply higher cultivation... This was skill.

Su Bai was genuinely amazed.

Even after falling to Golden Core, Lu Canghai was still terrifying.

Since there was nothing for him to do during the flight, Su Bai finally turned his attention inward.

His system inventory had become somewhat messy.

For the past few days, because he had not personally signed in, the system had automatically completed the sign-ins for him.

Most of them had been at Clear Cloud Peak.

Because of that, his inventory now contained several more familiar items.

Obscuring Mind-Fog Tea Leaves and Slumbering-Lotus Fog Talismans.

Su Bai immediately began reorganizing his system inventory.

Important items were placed at the front. Anything that might save his life or cause a useful disaster was moved into the first few spaces.

Then Su Bai noticed something.

He could place non-system items inside the system inventory.

He froze, then his eyes slowly brightened.

Storage rings were convenient, but they still needed Qi to open.

But the system inventory was different. It did not need Qi.

As long as Su Bai willed it, the item appeared.

Su Bai silently moved several life-saving items inside.

After reorganizing everything, Su Bai felt deeply satisfied.

The system was more mysterious than he had expected.

Was this really something given by the Heavenly Dao to transmigrators? Or was it something else?

Su Bai thought for a moment.

Then he stopped thinking.

There was no answer. And in the cultivation world, thinking too deeply about things without enough information was just asking for a heart demon to submit a job application.

So he let it go.

At that moment, Lu Canghai’s voice came from the front.

"We are here."

Su Bai looked down.

Blackwater City appeared beneath the clouds.

Compared to the last time Su Bai had seen it, the city had changed greatly.

The black miasma that once lingered over the streets had disappeared. The air was still somewhat heavy, but it no longer carried that rotten, suffocating chill.

The roads had people again. Mortals walked through the streets. Shops had opened.

The city still looked wounded, but at least it was breathing.

Su Bai’s gaze softened slightly.

Lu Canghai guided the flying sword down and landed a mile outside the city.

Then, the old master stepped off the sword.

"Come, disciple," he said calmly. "Let us see what that old man has to say for himself. Also, wear the Tang Clan token where others can see it."

Su Bai was confused, but he did it anyway. He took out the Tang Clan token and fastened it at his waist.

Then, Su Bai followed Lu Canghai.

"Master," Su Bai said after thinking for a moment, "do not make things too hard for him. It was a misunderstanding after all."

Lu Canghai glanced at him.

Then he laughed.

"Ha! If I do not make it hard for him, how will he remember?"

Su Bai blinked.

Lu Canghai continued, "Last time it was you. Tomorrow it might be another disciple. If an elder attacks first and asks questions later, then sooner or later, he will kill someone he should not have touched."

Su Bai nodded. That was reasonable.

Lu Canghai had not come merely to vent anger. He had come to teach a lesson.

The two walked toward the Righteous Inspection Bureau.

Along the way, Su Bai noticed that the people of Blackwater City no longer avoided this street as much as before.

Some mortals still lowered their heads when they saw the Bureau, but they did not scatter like frightened birds.

It seemed the cleanup after the Golden Toad matter had already begun showing results.

Soon, they arrived before the Bureau gates.

Two young Qi Refining guards stood outside.

When they saw Lu Canghai and Su Bai approaching, they straightened immediately, but there was still a trace of confusion in their eyes.

They clearly did not recognize any of them.

Lu Canghai did not waste words.

"Bring Elder Han out."

One of the guards frowned slightly.

"Senior, may I ask—"

Lu Canghai released a sliver of his aura.

The guard’s face turned pale.

The first guard immediately cupped his hands.

"Senior, please wait! I will report immediately!"

He turned and rushed inside.

The second guard lowered his gaze and did not dare speak again.

Su Bai looked at the young guard and silently sighed.

’These two were unlucky. They probably thought this was a normal day at work.’

A few moments later, the guard returned.

Behind him walked an old man in Bureau robes.

Elder Han.

His aura had already spread before he arrived.

Golden Core pressure filled the front courtyard.

His expression was dark, and his brows were furrowed as if someone had disturbed his cultivation at the worst possible moment.

He swept his gaze across Lu Canghai and Su Bai.

Then he spoke coldly.

"Speak your purpose. For what reason did you pressure the disciples into calling me out?"

Su Bai froze.

It’s not because he was afraid. It’s because Su Bai immediately understood.

This conversation was doomed.

Lu Canghai’s expression did not change.

"A junior dares to flare his aura before me?"

His voice was soft.

Elder Han’s eyes narrowed.

But before he could answer, Lu Canghai raised one hand.

The clouds above the Bureau shifted.

A pale palm formed in the sky.

It looked soft, almost harmless.

Then it descended.

Boom.

The entire courtyard trembled.

Elder Han’s Golden Core aura shattered like smoke before a storm. The cloud palm pressed down with terrifying steadiness.

Elder Han’s face changed.

He tried to circulate his Qi, but the cloud palm absorbed it.

He tried to move, but his body froze.

The next moment, his knees struck the marble steps.

Crack.

Elder Han knelt.

The two Qi Refining guards had already fled to the side, their faces pale.

Su Bai watched quietly, then sighed.

Clouds looked soft, but when they gathered enough weight, even mountains had to bow.

Elder Han coughed, and a trace of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His mind raced.

At first, he had thought this old man was merely another Golden Core cultivator.

But this power...

This method...

This cloud technique that absorbed Qi and suppressed without killing...

Elder Han’s pupils suddenly shrank.

A name buried deep in old memories surfaced.

When he was young, his elders had spoken of a peerless figure from Radiant Sky Sect with a mutated Formless-Cloud Root. A man whose cloud techniques were said to be soft enough to cradle a child, yet heavy enough to bury a battlefield.

Lu Canghai.

Elder Han’s expression changed completely.

The irritation vanished. The arrogance vanished. What replaced them was shock, fear, and a trace of genuine admiration.

Even after the cloud palm disappeared, Elder Han did not dare stand.

He remained kneeling and cupped his hands.

"This junior failed to recognize Senior Lu Canghai. Senior, may I ask how this junior has offended you?"

Lu Canghai looked down at him.

His expression eased by a tiny amount. At least this Elder Han still knew how to recognize people.

He was not completely hopeless. But easing did not mean forgiveness.

Lu Canghai stroked his beard.

"I heard you injured my disciple."

Elder Han froze.

Lu Canghai continued calmly, "Injuring my disciple is the same as striking my face."

He gestured lightly.

Then, Su Bai stepped forward.

Elder Han looked at him.

At first, confusion filled his eyes. Clearly, he did not recognize Su Bai.

Then Su Bai raised his hand.

A dark needle formed silently in his palm.

Elder Han’s body stiffened.

His memory snapped back.

Elder Han’s face instantly lost color.

"I... I..." His mouth opened and closed twice before he forced the words out. "Senior Lu, please be merciful. This junior truly did not know. At the time, I thought he was a demonic cultivator. I did not know he was your disciple."

Lu Canghai snorted coldly.

"You judged him by the weapon he used?"

Elder Han lowered his head.

Lu Canghai’s voice became sharper.

"Are all needle users demonic cultivators?"

Elder Han’s back went cold.

Lu Canghai continued, "The Tang Clan uses needles. Are they demonic cultivators too?"

The moment those words came out, Su Bai’s eyes moved slightly.

He understood at once.

His master had not mentioned the Tang Clan casually.

The cultivation world knew Lu Canghai had some vague old connection with the Tang Clan.

By linking Su Bai’s needle technique to the Tang Clan in front of Elder Han, Lu Canghai was giving outsiders a believable explanation.

Why did Lu Canghai’s disciple use needles? Because he had a connection to the Tang Clan.

Why was his technique strange? Because the Tang Clan’s hidden arts were already mysterious.

Why did Lu Canghai protect him so fiercely? Because he was both Lu Canghai’s disciple and possibly connected to old Tang Clan matters.

Su Bai silently admired him.

’As expected of old management. No, old master.’ Only now did he fully understand why Lu Canghai had asked him to wear the Tang Clan token openly.

Meanwhile, Elder Han nearly broke. He saw the token hanging on Su Bai’s waist.

Lu Canghai alone was already terrifying. If the Tang Clan was also involved, then this was no longer a misunderstanding.

This was a pit... and he had jumped into it face-first.

Elder Han hurriedly clasped his hands even tighter.

"Senior, this junior spoke wrongly! This junior was blinded by urgency and made a grave error in judgment. I beg Senior to punish me!"