Heaven’s Shadow

When Lu Chen walked out of the room, his expression showed no signs of anger, frustration, or dejection, as if the reprimand from the Golden Core cultivator Lin Sheng had no impact on him at all.

He simply looked up at the sky. The sun was high, and the sky was clear with blue and white clouds—a bright, sunny day.

He observed for a moment before heading towards the garden.

Along the way, there were people coming and going, including familiar faces who greeted him or nodded in acknowledgment. However, Lu Chen appeared preoccupied, remaining silent and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, until he reached the entrance of the garden.

The mountain breeze carried the unique aroma of medicinal herbs from the garden. Lu Chen looked at the neatly arranged spirit fields before him with a blank expression, then walked in a direction that was not towards his own fields.

At that moment, a slightly surprised voice came from behind, “Brother Lu, you… huh, why do you look so pale?”

Lu Chen stopped and turned around to see Yi Xin running towards him from behind, looking concerned. She whispered, “Brother Lu, are you alright?”

Lu Chen lowered his gaze slightly and after a moment shook his head, saying, “I’m fine.”

Yi Xin still looked worried. “Brother Lu, maybe you should rest for a while? I can go help you ask for leave.”

Lu Chen remained silent for a moment, then said, “Don’t go to Master Lin yet; he won’t listen to you.”

“Ah?” Yi Xin was taken aback, then said, “Forget it, I’ll just accompany you. It’s not good to discuss things here.”

Lu Chen hesitated for a moment, glanced at the people around, then looked off into the distance before nodding. “Alright.”

※※※

“Really?” By Lu Chen’s spirit field, the two sat side by side on the field ridge. Yi Xin looked somewhat annoyed and indignantly said, “Master Lin shouldn’t treat you this way. Even though he knows you’ve injured yourself during cultivation, he still punishes you. Isn’t this bullying?”

Compared to when he had just arrived at the garden, Lu Chen’s expression seemed much more relaxed. Seeing Yi Xin’s angry demeanor, he even smiled and reassured her, “It’s alright; after all, I am at fault.”

Yi Xin bit her lip and said, “But this isn’t right. Brother Lu, as a labor disciple, you don’t earn much on Kunlun Mountain. The only thing you rely on is the reward from the spirit herb harvest. Why should Master Lin be able to decide everything like this?”

“Just because he is a Golden Core cultivator,” Lu Chen said with a smile.

Yi Xin was momentarily speechless, unsure of what to say. After a while, she said with a hint of frustration, “Anyway, I just feel it’s unfair.” She then suddenly brightened and said to Lu Chen, “Brother Lu, how about I secretly ask Master Yan for help? She’s always been kind to me, and if I ask her, she’ll surely agree.”

Lu Chen gazed at her, his eyes flashing slightly, then smiled and said gently, “There’s no need. Master Yan is a renowned old Golden Core cultivator, and such favors are not light. It’s not worth wasting on this small matter.”

“But you…”

“I already said it’s fine,” Lu Chen said with a smile, patting the girl’s head. “Why do you always forget what I say?”

“Hey, I’ve told you not to pat my head,” Yi Xin said, rubbing her forehead in annoyance. However, Lu Chen’s words reassured her somewhat. She then took out a small bag from her pocket and handed it to Lu Chen. “Here, Brother Lu.”

Lu Chen took it and looked inside. “What’s this?”

“It’s tea from my family,” Yi Xin said with a smile. “I mentioned it before, didn’t I? Although it’s not our family’s most famous tea ‘Little Crane,’ it’s still high-quality and better than most teas in Kunwu City shops.”

Lu Chen nodded, holding the tea bag slightly tighter. When he looked up, the sunlight was shining down, and the girl sitting on the field ridge next to him had a charming smile, as beautiful as a flower and as warm as sunshine.

Even though there was a faint red scar on her lovely face, beside her, in that warm smile, all darkness and sadness seemed to quietly dissipate.

“Brother Lu, are you really alright? You look a bit dazed. Are you feeling uncomfortable?” Yi Xin asked.

Lu Chen smiled and said, “I’m fine.”

“Mm.” Yi Xin said, “By the way, I haven’t seen Ah Tu for several days. Is it alright?”

Lu Chen glanced at her and said, “It’s fine, as usual, always running off and disappearing.”

Yi Xin pouted and complained, “Yes, that’s right. I went looking for it several times during the day, but never found it. Brother Lu, I’m worried it might get into trouble wandering around in the mountains.”

Lu Chen was silent for a moment and said, “You have a point.”

“Ah?” Yi Xin suddenly brightened, saying, “Really? You used to never listen to me, but today you actually did.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ve been busy lately, but once this period is over, I’ll keep a closer watch on it and not let it run around. You can come to visit it more often.”

Yi Xin grinned, “Great!”

※※※

In the mountains, time seemed to stand still; the tree hollow was unaware of day and night.

In the ancient, weathered tree hollow, a gentle light seemed to perpetually illuminate the space. The puddle on the ground was slightly murkier than before, but it was still clear enough to see the bottom. The strange bloodline patterns on the ground had long since vanished, leaving only a few small traces of blood.

There was no one in the tree hollow, but there was a dog.

The black dog, Ah Tu, was wrapped tightly in white cloth, making it look like a white dog. It lay by the puddle, having slept for a long time, before finally opening its remaining eye.

The gentle light fell on Ah Tu’s eye. Initially surprised, Ah Tu quickly seemed to recognize the familiar place and calmed down. It looked around and realized Lu Chen was not there.

This discovery made Ah Tu a bit anxious, but soon it noticed it was the only one there and regained its composure. Its gaze occasionally swept over the water’s surface, and it suddenly froze.

Reflected in the water was a strange figure—wrapped tightly in white cloth, with only its mouth, nose, and one eye exposed.

Ah Tu instinctively recoiled, then seemed to sense something and tilted its head toward the “monster” in the water.

The monster in the water tilted its head as well.

Ah Tu appeared pleased, as if finding something amusing. It began to shake its head and waggle about, and after a while, it settled down.

Feeling thirsty, Ah Tu moved closer to the puddle and bent down to drink.

The water rippled, and the sweet water slid down its throat, making Ah Tu feel much better. However, just at that moment, it noticed a shadow beneath the water.

In its eye, a ball of black flame began to glow faintly, burning silently.

“Boom!”

A sound echoed as Lu Chen appeared in the tree hollow. He patted his clothes, stood up, walked to Ah Tu’s side, and looked at it with a hint of surprise. “Ah, you’re awake?”

Ah Tu, lying by the water’s edge, slowly turned its head to look at Lu Chen with its one remaining eye.

Deep in its pupil, a hidden black flame burned quietly.

※※※

That night, as darkness fell over Kunlun Mountain, the moonless, wind-swept night grew desolate, and soon no one was left outside.

Lu Chen carried Ah Tu through the pitch-black night, blending seamlessly with the surrounding shadows, undetectable to anyone.

After walking for a long time, Lu Chen stopped under a large tree. He looked around, then, holding the completely wrapped Ah Tu with one arm and using the other arm and his feet to help, he easily climbed high up the tree trunk and concealed himself in the dark tree canopy.

Ah Tu, curious, looked around, seemingly unsure why Lu Chen brought it here. Lu Chen did not make further moves, merely sitting on a branch with Ah Tu in his arms, whispering gently in its ear, “Don’t make a sound. Wait here for a while.”

Ah Tu looked at Lu Chen with some confusion but followed his instructions, quietly resting against his chest.

In the chilly night, one person and one dog sat quietly among the dense foliage, waiting.

As the night deepened, the mountain wind grew colder.

The night on Kunlun Mountain seemed emotionless, coldly observing the changes in the human world.

Lu Chen kept his eyes half-closed, waiting in silence. From his vantage point, through the gaps in the branches, he could see the distant house.

Eventually, as the night approached midnight, a figure returned from afar, moving swiftly through the darkness. It quickly reached the house but stopped halfway, as if sensing something. After looking around and finding nothing, he frowned and eventually returned to his house.

In the deep shade of the tree, in the darkness, Lu Chen leaned down and whispered in Ah Tu’s ear, “Don’t make a sound.”

Ah Tu looked at him and nodded.

Lu Chen then slowly released his grip on Ah Tu, observing it as it emitted a harsh, menacing growl from its throat. Beneath the eerie scar, it bared its white, sharp fangs.

“I understand,” Lu Chen said, looking at it calmly.