Heaven’s Shadow

As Lu Chen sat in the straw hut, he remembered his earlier conversation with Su Qingjun and suddenly felt sorry for Ah Tu. He wondered if throwing out two thousand spirit stones might make someone want to play the role of a dog for a while.

Hmm, that’s a question best left unconsidered!

Lu Chen quickly pushed this thought aside and spent the rest of the time either tending to and cultivating the eagle fruit trees outside in the spiritual field or strolling around the area, enjoying the picturesque views of the Flying Goose Platform. He planned to wait until dusk and then look for an opportunity to see if there were any unexpected gains from the trap he had set.

However, contrary to expectations, the seemingly tranquil Flying Goose Platform had more visitors before dusk, and not just one group but two groups, totaling three people.

The first group consisted of people Lu Chen recognized—Su Mo and Su Qian, who had previously clashed with He Changsheng and others in the Liuxiang Garden.

Given their past encounter, even though Su Qingjun did not show any obvious dissatisfaction, Lu Chen still took the initiative to hide farther away in the straw hut. He couldn’t hear their conversation but could see a bit of what was happening through the window crack.

Similar to when Su Biao had come, Su Mo and Su Qian also waited at the door for quite a while. It was about half an hour before Su Qingjun came to open the door.

This delay made Lu Chen wonder if Su Qingjun’s hearing and vision at the Golden Core stage were not as sharp as expected or if she was perhaps deliberately trying to give her relatives a bit of a harsh welcome.

“This is a bit strange!”

Lu Chen, curious as he peered through the window, thought that even though they were family, the quiet and focused atmosphere of Su Qingjun’s place was quite different from what he had imagined.

When Su Qingjun appeared, she still had her cold and beautiful demeanor. Su Mo and Su Qian showed great respect towards their sister, hurriedly greeting her, and then the three began to talk at the entrance of the cave.

At this point, Lu Chen’s eyebrows furrowed, and he muttered, “Hmm, something doesn’t seem right…”

Considering Su Biao and now Su Mo and Su Qian, all these visitors were relatives. One would expect them to be invited into the cave to have tea, rest, and talk in private. But why did they all just stand outside the cave entrance?

From Su Mo and Su Qian’s expressions, it seemed like this was a normal occurrence, as if the rules at Su Qingjun’s place had always been this way. Lu Chen looked towards the cave behind Su Qingjun and saw that the stone door was deep and mysterious, with little visible inside.

The three of them talked for quite a while. Su Qian seemed okay, but Su Mo looked excited, talking a lot to Su Qingjun, gesticulating and pleading at times. Su Qingjun, with a furrowed brow, nodded or shook her head occasionally, showing a bit of helplessness on her face.

In the end, Su Qingjun waved her hand, said something to Su Qian, and then admonished Su Mo sternly. The two men, however, appeared delighted, laughing heartily and thanking Su Qingjun repeatedly before quickly leaving.

Su Qingjun turned back into the cave, but just as the stone door was closing, Lu Chen, lying comfortably in the straw hut, suddenly heard commotion from outside and was startled. He got up, looked out, and muttered, “No way, it’s so lively here?”

In no time, another person came up the mountain, running straight to the entrance of Su Qingjun’s cave. With a thud, this person knelt down and began pounding on the door, shouting desperately.

Even from a distance, Lu Chen could make out a few muffled words.

“Qingjun sister, Qingjun… sister, you have to… make a decision… ah…”

From the straw hut, Lu Chen could see that the third visitor was a young woman, younger than Su Qingjun by a year or two. She arrived with a calm demeanor but, as she approached the cave entrance, her expression turned pained, and she shed two lines of tears.

What was even more bizarre was that after knocking and pounding on the stone door for a while, the woman suddenly seemed to remember something. She reached for her shoulder and tore a tear in her clothing, then lay down at the entrance, crying even louder.

Since it wasn’t long after Su Mo and Su Qian had left, Su Qingjun came out much faster this time. A moment later, the sound of the stone door rumbling open could be heard.

When Su Qingjun saw the woman in front of her, disheveled and crying, she was taken aback. She hurried to support the woman, asking her concerned and anxious questions.

From a distance, Lu Chen couldn’t help but laugh, watching the scene with great interest. Shaking his head and smiling to himself, he said, “The people of the Su family… are quite interesting.”

**Chapter 148: The Su Family Members**

Since Lu Chen went to the Flying Goose Platform to plant eagle fruit trees for Su Qingjun, and this would take at least twenty days, the black dog Ah Tu became a problem.

Lu Chen had originally asked if it was possible to bring Ah Tu to the Flying Goose Platform, but everyone who was asked looked at him as if he were crazy.

A celestial-like figure such as Su Qingjun wouldn’t be associated with a dog!

Lu Chen was at a loss. After some more inquiry, he discovered that this was likely the case. Noble ladies like Su Qingjun and Yi Xin had little to no experience with pets growing up, making it hard to say if she would genuinely like Ah Tu as Yi Xin did.

To avoid unnecessary complications, and given that he would be away for just over twenty days, Lu Chen decided that Ah Tu would begin a solitary life as a dog.

During the day, Ah Tu would run wild and free, taking care of its own needs. At dusk, it would return to the small doghouse and sleep. Yi Xin thought of Ah Tu and came to visit, but upon seeing the dog’s pitiful state, she was shocked and started crying.

Despite Yi Xin’s sadness, Ah Tu seemed much stronger. It continued to appear indifferent all day long, despite having only one eye, half a tail, and many terrible scars. These injuries didn’t deter Ah Tu’s longing for the mountains and forests, and it wouldn’t even heed Yi Xin’s pleas.

For a long time, apart from Lu Chen, Ah Tu had hardly shown any affection for humans. Yi Xin was an exception, being able to get a little closer and talk to it. However, whenever Yi Xin tried to take Ah Tu away, it resolutely refused.

It seemed that Ah Tu preferred to return to the desolate and lonely hut every night, waiting patiently for Lu Chen’s return.

Unconsciously, Ah Tu’s life seemed to be entwined with Lu Chen’s, unwilling to part.

—

At dusk, in the setting sun of Kunwu City.

The remnants of the setting sun fell on a secluded courtyard. This was an inconspicuous place in Kunwu City that had been purchased long ago and left in solitude for a long time until recently, when someone suddenly moved in.

Since moving in, the new occupant had been reclusive, hardly ever going out. The neighbors had never seen this person, nor did anyone visit.

The courtyard and its walls were so lonely and quiet, it seemed like it housed not a person, but a formless spirit.

One day, a man suddenly arrived, entering the secluded courtyard and dragging the person hiding in the dark house out into the sunlight.

In the glow of the setting sun, the man emitted strange howls of rage. His face was twisted and ugly, like torn flesh, resembling more of a ghost than a human.

He Yi forcefully threw his brother He Gang onto the ground. There was a trace of sorrow and pain in his eyes, but his face was filled with extreme anger. He even lifted his foot and kicked He Gang several times.

He Gang rolled on the ground, screaming in agony but not daring to resist. Perhaps he had already lost hope in himself. In front of his only brother in this world, he was like a howling wild dog, shedding tears of pain.

“Why are you crying?”

He Yi suddenly growled, grabbing He Gang by the collar and lifting him up, slapping him hard across the face.

He Gang’s mouth bled from the blow, but he remained silent, his gaze toward He Yi now numb.

“Just kill me, big brother.” He looked at his handsome, perfect brother, who was also his only close relative in this world, and said hoarsely, “I… I only embarrassed you and even brought shame and punishment upon you, ultimately even being driven out of the Kunlun Sect like a dog. Big brother, just leave me to die.”

He Yi’s face turned iron-gray. He slapped He Gang again, making him roll on the ground, and then yanked him back up. His eyes seemed ready to burst with fury as he glared at He Gang and shouted, “Look at yourself now! If you weren’t my brother, I’d have killed you with a single slap!”

He Gang forced a miserable smile and said, “If my death could set you free, could help you regain the sect’s favor and support, then what’s wrong with me dying?” Tears streamed down his face as he choked up, “My worthless life has led to this, but big brother, you clearly have a bright future, and it’s all my fault. I…”

He Yi snorted coldly, but his gaze softened. He sat down on the stone steps nearby and sneered, “Do you think I came out of seclusion and came down the mountain to find you just for nothing?”

He Gang was stunned, and slowly, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.