Heaven’s Shadow

As the night wind blew, on the cliff, Su Qingjun’s gaze was clear and bright, like the full moon hanging high in the sky—cool but not glaring. She seemed curious, looking at Lu Chen, and asked, “Why do you say that?”

“There’s a curfew,” Lu Chen replied. “If someone discovers you, your good reputation will be ruined.”

Su Qingjun looked at him for a moment and then suddenly smiled. “No, that’s not what you meant earlier,” she said, pausing briefly before adding, “Could it be that you’ve already guessed why they came to see me today?”

“Except for Su Biao, I don’t know about the others,” Lu Chen clarified. “But I think most of their matters might not be urgent. At least for you, it may not be worth breaking the sect rules to go down the mountain.”

Su Qingjun was silent for a while, then retorted, “Have you ever considered that what might be a small matter for me could be a critical issue for others?”

“So you’re going down the mountain?” Lu Chen asked.

Su Qingjun nodded. “They asked me to help them.”

“They asked you, and you agreed?”

“After all, we’re family.”

Lu Chen frowned, staring at Su Qingjun without speaking for a moment.

Su Qingjun was also silent for a while before explaining, “When Su Biao was here, you probably heard him say that the family relies too much on me alone. If I don’t take care of the younger siblings, who will?”

Lu Chen blinked and looked around, then glanced at the dark abyss below the cliff, seeming a bit uneasy.

Su Qingjun was surprised. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m checking if there’s any escape route,” Lu Chen said. “Maybe you’re planning to kill me and cover it up later.”

Su Qingjun was initially stunned but then burst into laughter. “Nonsense, why would I do that?”

Lu Chen laughed too and then said, “In fact, with your status, you don’t need to explain so much to a mere handyman like me.”

Su Qingjun’s eyes shimmered like moonlight on the sky, clear and gentle. She smiled and said, “I think you’re different from the usual handymen; you’re especially smart.” After a pause, she added, “In fact, you’re smarter than many of the Qi Refining and even Foundation Establishment disciples I know!”

Lu Chen immediately took a step back, scrutinizing Su Qingjun, and said seriously, “When someone is overly flattering, they usually want something. What is it that you need?”

Su Qingjun sighed. “You are indeed smart, much better than my family’s other brothers. If only they could be more like you, I wouldn’t be so troubled.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “If word of this got out, I wouldn’t be able to stay on Kunlun Mountain. What exactly do you want to say?”

Su Qingjun said calmly, “After I go down the mountain, I might not be able to return by morning. If someone comes looking for me and finds that I’m missing, while I was supposed to be guarding the Flying Goose Platform because of the Eagle Fruit, it would be very troublesome.”

Lu Chen was silent for a moment and then suddenly gave a wry smile. “So, you want me to help keep people away?”

Su Qingjun replied straightforwardly, “Yes. There are only the two of us here on the Flying Goose Platform, and the Eagle Fruit tree is there. Since I can’t hide my departure from you, I have to ask you to cover for me.”

Lu Chen nodded. “No wonder you were talking about all that family stuff earlier.”

Su Qingjun asked, “So, will you help me?”

Lu Chen shook his head. “I’m just a handyman; I don’t have the capability…”

Before he could finish, Su Qingjun interrupted him. “You’re a better handyman than the others. I believe you can do it.”

Lu Chen looked distressed and gritted his teeth. “The Flying Goose Platform is usually quiet. It’s possible no one will come for half a day… uh?” He suddenly looked at Su Qingjun and frowned. “Do many people come here regularly?”

“Not really. Sometimes there are many people, and other times there are days without anyone.”

Lu Chen scoffed. “So, there are quite a few people.”

“It’s a big family.”

“Alright.” Lu Chen shook his head in resignation, then straightened his expression. “There’s one last thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“What if the Eagle Fruit matures suddenly tomorrow morning?”

Su Qingjun fell silent, not speaking for a long time.

Lu Chen didn’t urge her, just watching quietly. After a while, Su Qingjun furrowed her elegant brows and said, “Maybe you should eat it?”

Lu Chen rolled his eyes and replied, “Hey, if someone sees me eating it, I might really be thrown off this cliff, don’t you think?”

Su Qingjun looked a bit troubled, rubbing her forehead as if she found the situation tricky. Then, with a hint of complaint in her tone, she said to Lu Chen, “Didn’t you say during the day that the Eagle Fruit wouldn’t mature so soon?”

Lu Chen coughed and replied, “What if it does?”

Su Qingjun thought for a while and then waved her hand, sighing, “If we’re that unlucky, just bury it in the soil and use it as fertilizer. Just make sure no one sees it.”

“Alright then…”

※※※

Su Qingjun turned to leave, seemingly ready to set off, but at that moment, Lu Chen suddenly called out to her. Su Qingjun turned and asked, “Is there anything else?”

Lu Chen said, “You forgot to mention the reward.”

Su Qingjun was taken aback. “What reward?”

Lu Chen looked at her with a strange expression and said, “If I help you with this, the risk is quite high. Aren’t you going to give me some compensation?”

“Oh, I see…” Su Qingjun seemed to understand suddenly. “So that’s what you meant. That’s fine then.”

“Hey, this is just common sense, you know?” Lu Chen said seriously to Su Qingjun.

Su Qingjun shrugged nonchalantly. “Hmm… maybe. But in the past, whether it was someone from my Su family or others, when they helped me, they never asked for any reward. At most, I’d thank them, and they were quite happy with that.”

“…I’m not like them.” Lu Chen snorted, showing a hint of disdain and contempt for those past people, then said seriously, “Actually, think about it. They said they didn’t need a reward, but in reality, they made you owe them a favor. A favor is the hardest to repay. If they come asking for help in the future, will you help them? Isn’t it much more tiring than just giving some spirit stones or money directly?”

Su Qingjun thought carefully for a moment, and then surprisingly showed a hint of agreement on her face, nodding, “You make a very good point.”

“Of course!” Lu Chen smiled and said, “I’m also thinking of you, to spare you the trouble of owing me a favor and feeling uneasy about it.”

Su Qingjun asked, “So, how much compensation do you want?”

Lu Chen thought for a moment, secretly hoping to make a substantial profit, then gritted his teeth and boldly said, “Two… thousand spirit stones?”

“Alright!” Su Qingjun nodded and looked at Lu Chen with appreciation. “I didn’t expect you to be so straightforward and principled!”

※※※

The night was dark and deep. The beautiful woman left quietly, disappearing into the boundless darkness, while Lu Chen stood on the edge of the cliff, facing the wind.

The mountain wind caused his clothes to flutter unpredictably, and the biting cold wind brushed against his face, giving him a sensation as if he were being slapped repeatedly. Looking at the dark night sky and the moon on the horizon, he felt an inexplicable sense of loss and confusion.

Lu Chen sighed deeply, looking regretful, and muttered to himself, “Should have asked for twenty thousand… These rich young masters are truly infuriating!”

Shaking his head, he turned and walked down the cliff, back to his hut, and closed the door.

As the night grew deeper, after about an hour, a small movement was noticed in the dark emptiness of the Flying Goose Platform. The door of the hut was silently pushed open, and Lu Chen stepped out.

Under the moonlight, his figure remained hidden in the shadows, moving in and out of sight, and headed toward the mountain path below the Flying Goose Platform.

Soon, his figure disappeared into the darkness.

※※※

That night, Kunlun Mountain remained quiet and desolate. The long-standing curfew had made most Kunlun disciples accustomed to such routines. Outside the house where a horrifying incident had recently occurred, there were still some guards, but they were noticeably more relaxed than before.

Even cultivators feel uneasy facing death or dead bodies, though those who practice demonic arts might be exceptions.

Lu Chen’s figure silently approached the house that originally belonged to He Changsheng. He lurked in the nearby woods, observing quietly from a distance.

From the outside, the house showed no signs of change, as if the disgruntled handyman still lived there, disgruntled and dissatisfied with many things in the world. The eerie and ominous aura of the strange formations inside the house seemed to be blocked by the walls, not revealing any secrets to the outside.

Lu Chen remained hidden in the woods for a long time, showing no intention of sneaking into the house. He just watched from afar, his eyes flickering with a complex and contemplative light.

The person hidden in the deepest darkness—did they already know what had happened here?

If they were a deep-seated spy from a demonic sect, what would they do?

What would they think if they saw such a pure reincarnation formation?

Lu Chen’s gaze slowly shifted, suddenly moving away from the house and looking toward the eastern side, where there seemed to be a dense forest in the dark night, coldly staring back at the house.