Heaven’s Shadow

“Well, since I’m here already,” Su Wen said, pacing back and forth on the mountain path. After a moment’s hesitation, he shook his head and said, “I can’t just leave without accomplishing anything.”

Lu Chen frowned but before he could speak, he heard Su Wen continue, “Here’s the plan: step aside, and I’ll go see Sister Jun. As soon as she hears I’ve come, she will definitely see me.”

With that, Su Wen took a step towards the cave dwelling on Feiyan Terrace, completely disregarding Lu Chen’s attempt to stop him.

Lu Chen, standing aside, felt a bit speechless and wondered if these young masters from noble families truly had no awareness at all.

Although Su Wen could act on impulse, Lu Chen had to consider more. If they loudly knocked on the door and called out, it might expose that Su Qingjun was not there. Thus, after a brief hesitation, Lu Chen quickly caught up and stopped Su Wen just as he was about to knock on the stone door of the cave dwelling.

Su Wen’s face immediately showed displeasure. He glared at Lu Chen and said, “Do you have no self-awareness? Watch out or you might get hurt!”

Who was he referring to… Lu Chen gave Su Wen a faint look and calmly said, “Young Master Su, before you disturb Sister Su’s meditation, I have two things to say. If after hearing them, you still want to find her, I won’t stop you. How does that sound?”

Su Wen didn’t notice that Lu Chen had switched his address from “Brother Su” to “Young Master Su” in his speech. He showed an impatient expression but eventually waved his hand and said, “Speak quickly. People like you are the most troublesome.”

Lu Chen’s eyes lingered on Su Wen’s brazenly waggling fingers for a moment, a dark fire flickering in his gaze. Then he smiled, maintaining a gentle expression, and said, “Young Master Su, you have a great reputation. Once Sister Su hears that you are here, she should come out to see you…”

Lu Chen, uninterested in his reaction, continued, “However, as it stands, Sister Su is currently in meditation. If by chance she is at a critical point in her practice and you disturb her, causing her cultivation to suffer, wouldn’t that create some resentment in her heart?”

Su Wen’s expression changed. He said in a deep voice, “Are you trying to scare me? Such coincidences don’t happen. It’s early in the morning; Sister Jun might still be asleep!”

Lu Chen looked up at the sky, noting that the sun was almost at its zenith, and forced a laugh, “It’s unlikely she’d be sleeping at this hour… That’s one thing; the second thing is, even if Sister Su is very caring towards you and holds no grudge, think about it, Young Master Su. She is currently burdened with expectations from her family and her master. Even minor flaws in her Golden Core realm are addressed with Eagle Fruits. A person who works so diligently and earnestly—if you were to disturb her, given your sibling bond, how would that sit with you?”

By the end of his speech, Lu Chen was sincere and eloquent, his eyes shimmering with earnestness.

Su Wen seemed shaken by the words. He stopped in surprise, then frowned and pondered for a while, his face showing signs of hesitation, clearly moved by what Lu Chen had said.

“Uh… I suppose that makes sense,” Su Wen muttered to himself. “It’s not like I have anything urgent. Maybe… I’ll come back after some time?”

Lu Chen smiled and nodded.

After considering for a moment, Su Wen finally made up his mind and turned to leave. However, this time he didn’t even give Lu Chen a parting word, looking rather displeased with the roadblock created by this insignificant servant.

Lu Chen followed him to the edge of the mountain path, watched Su Wen depart, and then grinned to himself, thinking, “What I said almost made me believe it myself.”

With that, Lu Chen shook his head, found it amusing, and turned to head towards the thatched hut.

—

As he reached the area outside the thatched hut, Lu Chen suddenly stopped, frowning deeply as he looked at the spirit field beside the hut.

There, where nothing had been before, there was now a figure with his back to Lu Chen, wearing a gray robe with large sleeves, a jade belt at his waist, and gray-white hair, indicating considerable age.

At that moment, the old man was holding a large wine jar. While observing the flourishing Eagle Fruit trees in the spirit field, he occasionally took a swig from the jar, and the strong aroma of wine could be detected from afar.

Lu Chen looked at the old man’s back and slightly narrowed his eyes. Although his attention had been diverted by Su Wen earlier, he had failed to notice this old man’s silent and sudden appearance by the thatched hut. Clearly, this old man had an extraordinary cultivation level and was far from an ordinary person.

Just then, the old man took a sip of wine and suddenly said, “Did you plant these seven Eagle Fruit trees?”

Lu Chen looked around, confirming that only he and the old man were left on Feiyan Terrace. He then slowly approached and replied, “Yes.”

The old man patted the wine jar with what seemed like a hint of admiration and said, “Well done.”

As Lu Chen moved to the side of the old man, he saw his face. The old man was wrinkled, with slightly cloudy eyes, and a very noticeable red nose, likely due to excessive drinking.

“Senior, may I ask who you are…” Lu Chen inquired cautiously.

The old man turned to look at him, suddenly grinning and revealing a few white teeth, and said, “Just a passerby, here to have a look.”

Lu Chen hesitated and then spoke, “Senior, forgive my directness, but this place is the meditation dwelling of our sect’s Golden Core practitioner, Su Qingjun. Generally, only she is allowed to meditate here. Given your status, you might not be appropriate to visit here casually.”

The old man’s expression darkened slightly, exuding a pressure that was markedly different from Su Wen’s earlier demeanor. Lu Chen felt a sudden pounding in his chest and became alert.

“Do you dare speak to me like that? Do you really know who I am?”

—

Lu Chen was silent for a moment before saying, “It was this disciple’s rudeness. However, Sister Su is currently at a critical point in her meditation and requires peace. My actions are also based on Sister Su’s prior instructions.” He slightly raised his head, speaking calmly, “We are all from the same sect and share a mutual bond. Given your high cultivation level, you should consider yourself as mentoring the juniors. When Sister Su exits her meditation in the future, it will be another opportunity for good fortune. She will surely remember your kindness, and everyone will be pleased. Why not?”

Lu Chen smiled, showing a respectful demeanor, and said, “This is just my humble opinion. Please give guidance, Senior.”

The old man grunted and glanced at Lu Chen again. He then smiled, and his gaze softened considerably, “You’re quite eloquent for a young fellow.”

“Senior flatters me. I am just performing my duties,” Lu Chen replied.

“But if I decided not to leave today, what would you do?” The old man suddenly smiled again, seeming to test Lu Chen, holding the wine jar with a curious look.

Lu Chen was momentarily taken aback but then gave a wry smile and said, “Then I would have no solution.”

“Oh, you’re clever. Why don’t you come up with a way to drive me away or deceive me?” The old man chuckled, appearing to be in a good mood.

Lu Chen answered honestly, “You are of a higher rank and much stronger than me. How could I use force against you? With such a vast difference in strength, minor tricks would be useless. It would only make a fool of me to try.”

The old man burst into hearty laughter, clearly amused, took a big gulp of wine, and then said with a smile, “Let me tell you, actually…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly frowned, interrupting himself. At the same moment, Lu Chen also sensed something and turned to look.

After a moment, both their gazes fixed on a new figure appearing on the mountain path, hurrying towards Feiyan Terrace.

The old man’s expression darkened, and he suddenly cursed, “Damn it! What a mess with so many troublemakers from the Su family, always causing endless problems!”

Lu Chen was taken aback, surprised that someone of the old man’s status would use such crude language. He couldn’t help but glance at him.

The old man seemed to notice Lu Chen’s look, and with a shift of his eyes, said, “Young fellow, if you can drive this person away, it would be very beneficial for the master of this place.”

Lu Chen looked at him curiously and asked, “Senior, if you really dislike this person, just curse them directly. It would surely scare them away. Why make it so complicated? Besides, I may not be able to drive them away.”

The gray-haired old man glared and said irritably, “If I could handle it myself, I would have already beaten those useless ones so badly that even their parents wouldn’t recognize them. It’s only because Jun girl is soft-hearted and reluctant to part with these wasteful things… Forget it, enough talk. Even if I didn’t come, you’d still have to stop them, right?”

Lu Chen thought for a moment and replied, “Stopping them is necessary, but whether I can actually stop them is another matter.”

“Stop them, stop them!” The old man laughed and said, “These useless people are nothing but parasites clinging to Jun girl, draining her. It makes me sick. If you can drive them away and give Jun girl a bit of peace, I’ll be grateful.”

“Grateful?” Lu Chen’s eyes brightened, and he became serious, “Senior, you flatter me. I am not that kind of person!”

With that, he turned and strode towards the mountain path.

(To be continued.)

—