"The demons were ruthless. Their so-called revenge was aimed at Chen Guangrui, but he lived in hiding, so the Qiao Household bore the brunt of it. They suffered a calamity: several young adults died, and the clan was struck by a curse. It nearly laid them low for good, and they struggled for years!"
In the teahouse, Old Qian sighed as he reached this point. He made no secret of it, pointing to two people inside. "Those two were born into the Qiao Household. They were frail and sickly from birth. Only martial training, medicinal meals, and careful nursing brought them back to health."
Chen Cuo looked over. The two appeared clear-eyed and full of vigor, but he could see the weakness at their roots. Their present health had been built up afterward, and he nodded.
Their lineage's blood had been tainted, leaving later generations born with defects. Any household would have gone mad over it. Blaming someone else was only natural.
Sure enough, Old Qian said, "The demons came and went as they pleased. Even the authorities kept the matter quiet and steered clear of them. With the realm in turmoil, the government was no help. Though the Qiao Household was a great local clan, it could neither resist nor seek revenge, and it did not dare try. It could only turn its anger on Chen Guangrui! Some of the more extreme clansmen even wanted to seize him and sacrifice him alive!"
As he spoke, the old man watched Chen Cuo's expression.
Chen Cuo raised an eyebrow. "Sacrifice him alive?"
Elder Qian nodded. "Yes. But thanks to Qiao Shen's Legacy, and because Chen Guangrui was no easy mark himself, he escaped in the end. After that, he and his grandparent moved away, and no one knew where they went.