Heaven’s Shadow

Lu Chen glanced at the furious old man, then at the wine jar shattered into countless pieces on the ground. He sighed and said, “Senior, you’re being unreasonable here.”

The old man, still fuming, retorted, “Say what you have to say, quickly!”

Lu Chen quickly continued, “First, you told me earlier that as long as I drove away that Su Tong, I would be rewarded, not punished. You can’t just go back on your word. Second, all those insults just now were from that brainless Su family kid, not from me. You can’t take your anger out on me, can you?”

He looked at the old man and smiled, “Senior, am I right?”

The old man stared at him for a moment, and his previously angry expression suddenly softened, showing a hint of appreciation. He smiled and said, “You, boy, are quite interesting. It seems like you’ve already guessed my identity?”

Lu Chen replied, “Yes, I had some suspicions earlier, but I wasn’t sure. But now, I think I’ve got it.” Saying this, he bowed deeply and said seriously, “Greetings, Mugen Shinjin.”

Mugen Shinjin was the master of Su Qingjun, and one of the highly accomplished Yuanying masters of the Kunlun Sect. Moreover, he held another sensitive position as the leader of the Iron Faction within the Kunlun Sect, holding a very high status.

The old man clapped his hands and said, “Interesting! Tell me, how did you figure out my identity?”

Lu Chen respectfully replied, “I’ve heard that you have a fondness for good wine, and I’ve heard rumors about it before.”

The old man nodded, then said, “But just that alone wouldn’t be enough, would it?”

Lu Chen continued, “Another clue was the timing and location. Su Qingjun, Senior Sister Su, is currently one of the most outstanding talents in our sect, and everyone knows how much you value her. At such a crucial time in her cultivation, it stands to reason that other masters would avoid being here, to avoid any suspicion. Only you, Senior, could be here without arousing suspicion. Comparing these clues, I concluded that you were most likely Mugen Shinjin.”

The old man stared at Lu Chen for a moment and finally nodded slowly, saying, “Well said. Such quick wit and sharpness, it’s a pity you weren’t born with good cultivation roots and are only a servant disciple. What a waste.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “That’s just how it is, some things can’t be changed.”

***

The legendary Yuanying master known for single-handedly holding up the Iron Faction and his eccentric personality didn’t seem to act too erratically. He flicked his sleeves, and the fragments of the wine jar on the ground flew to one side, gathering into a pile. He sat down again on the ridge and gestured for Lu Chen to sit beside him, “Come sit.”

Lu Chen walked over and sat down beside him.

Mugen Shinjin glanced at him, the appreciation in his eyes deepened, though it was mostly tinged with regret. Of course, this expression and emotion flashed by quickly. He smiled and asked, “Earlier, when I was angry, why didn’t you show any fear? How did you figure out I wasn’t really angry?”

Lu Chen paused, then pointed to the pile of fragments, “The wine jar shattered, but none of the wine spilled out. You must have finished drinking it before crushing the jar, right?”

Mugen Shinjin laughed heartily and nodded repeatedly.

“That girl Jun really has an eye for people, choosing someone as sharp as you.”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “You flatter me, Senior.”

“You should stay here from now on. Whether there’s anything or not, help block those Su family people, so that Jun can have some peace. Otherwise, if she’s constantly troubled by these matters, it’s too much for her.”

Lu Chen hesitated, then said, “Thank you for your kind offer, Senior, but this is probably something that Senior Sister Su should decide. After all, Feiyan Platform is her place of quiet cultivation. If she doesn’t like having outsiders here, there’s nothing anyone can do.”

Mugen Shinjin nodded slowly. It seemed that although he was her master, he was very indulgent towards Su Qingjun, the genius disciple, and wouldn’t interfere in these matters arbitrarily.

Lu Chen suddenly smiled and said, “Actually, with your status as a master, it wouldn’t take much effort to drive away those troublesome Su family juniors. Why bother with all this?”

Mugen Shinjin rolled his eyes and snorted, “Nonsense! Don’t you think I know that? But I have my concerns. Jun has a kind heart and always feels that since she comes from the Su family and has received their full support, she should look after them. So, over the years, she’s been dealing with countless trivial matters, constantly pestered by those ungrateful fellows.”

Lu Chen pondered for a moment and said, “While it’s understandable to show respect and filial piety to important family elders, as for those troublesome younger family members, if it’s an emergency, it’s fine to help. But if they ask for too much in daily life, it’s perfectly reasonable to decline.”

Mugen Shinjin slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Exactly! I’ve told Jun this many times, and she agrees verbally. But when faced with the tears and pleas of those useless family members, she always softens. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Lu Chen smiled but didn’t respond. It wasn’t his place to continue the conversation, even if Mugen Shinjin could say such things. Besides, although Mugen Shinjin genuinely seemed to care for Su Qingjun, his reluctance to confront the Su family’s younger generation might not be entirely due to her. Given the current awkward and declining state of the Iron Faction and the fact that the Su family is one of the wealthiest clans in Kunwu City, naturally aligning with the Iron Faction because of Su Qingjun, it would be unwise to offend them too much. Even if Mugen Shinjin’s cultivation far surpassed that of the Su family’s lesser disciples, it wasn’t a simple matter to go against them.

People often say that cultivation leads to an immortal life, as if achieving enlightenment brings one into a divine existence. But is it really that simple and beautiful? There are always countless complications and entanglements that one cannot easily escape, no matter where you are in the world.

***

For a moment, Mugen Shinjin and Lu Chen both remained silent, and the area around the spirit field became quiet. A gentle mountain breeze blew by, and from behind, the two—one old and one young—sat side by side on the ridge, appearing quite harmonious. There was no hint of the vast difference in their statuses.

After a while, Mugen Shinjin suddenly shook his head, sighed softly, stood up, patted his clothes, and said, “Enough, let’s not bother with these trivial matters. Go call Qingjun out; I’ll give her a few instructions and be on my way.”

Lu Chen was shocked and looked at Mugen Shinjin in disbelief.

Mugen Shinjin waited for a moment, then noticed that Lu Chen hadn’t moved and frowned, “Why aren’t you going?”

Lu Chen felt his head spinning. He could use the authority of others to block the troublesome Su family members who wanted to see Su Qingjun, but this person was Su Qingjun’s master and a renowned Yuanying master. How could he possibly block him?

After standing there for a while, Lu Chen smiled wryly and said, “Well… Senior, Senior Sister Qingjun is… currently in seclusion…”

“Nonsense!” Mugen Shinjin immediately retorted without hesitation, looking disdainful. “I’m her master; how could I not know her situation? That excuse might fool those ignorant Su family fools, but not me. She’s just eating some hawk fruit; there’s no need for seclusion. She eats, sleeps, and just swallows the fruit whole when the time comes. There’s no big deal. Go call her out!”

Lu Chen forced an awkward smile, feeling helpless. In that moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but none could solve the current predicament of dealing with Mugen Shinjin.

With no other choice, he turned and slowly walked towards the stone door of the cave dwelling, shaking his head and smiling bitterly to himself: Su Qingjun, you’re unlucky today; who knew even your master would come looking for you?

Behind him, Mugen Shinjin seemed to grow impatient, frowning, “Hey, you kid, weren’t you acting all sharp and capable earlier? Why are you walking so slowly now? Is something wrong?”

Startled, Lu Chen thought these Yuanying masters were as cunning as foxes, sensing something was off immediately. He didn’t dare delay any further and walked up to the stone door. Yet, despite this, he still couldn’t think of a way to deal with the situation.

Standing before the stone door, he instinctively reached into his robe and felt for the yellow stone talisman, which was still there. But he quickly withdrew his hand, then coughed and began banging on the stone door, just like the Su family disciples had done, calling out loudly, “Senior Sister Su, Senior Sister Su, open the door! Your master is here!”

Unsurprisingly, the stone door stood firm without any response.

Lu Chen turned to look at Mugen Shinjin, who was also frowning and walking over.

He coughed, gave Mugen Shinjin an awkward smile, and then knocked on the stone door again with increasing intensity, making quite a noise, but the door remained closed.

After a while, Lu Chen helplessly turned to Mugen Shinjin and said, “Senior, it seems that Senior Sister Su really is in seclusion. Perhaps we shouldn’t disturb her.”

“Seclusion, my foot!” Mugen Shinjin seemed very casual in front of Lu Chen, this small servant disciple, even swearing freely. But then his face showed a doubtful expression as he looked at the stone door and muttered, “But… could this girl be having one of her old lazy spells, sleeping in?”

“Sleeping?” Lu Chen asked, not catching the last part. “What did you say? Who likes to sleep?”

“Nothing,” Mugen Shinjin replied flatly, then his eyes flickered, and he waved his hand, “Move aside, I’ll go in and see for myself.”

“Ah? Senior, that might not be appropriate…” (To be continued.)