Heaven’s Shadow

As the warm blood trickled down her cheek, Su Qingjun seemed to suddenly lose her strength, her body going limp. Lu Chen’s brow furrowed deeply. He called out to Su Qingjun, but she did not respond. Her face appeared exceptionally pale in the dim light. Without hesitation, he slipped one arm under her neck to support her shoulders and the other under her knees, lifting her up.

He quickly made his way back to the Feiyan Platform. After taking a few steps towards the cave, he looked down and saw that Su Qingjun’s eyes were tightly closed, and she appeared unconscious. He immediately turned and ran to his thatched hut, kicked the door open, and placed Su Qingjun on a cot.

A flickering candle illuminated the small room in the dead of night.

The hut brightened up, and Lu Chen’s face grew serious. He glanced at the unconscious Su Qingjun, first checking her pulse. His expression suddenly changed.

Under the dim light, his face showed a flicker of anxiety, but he remained calm. He examined Su Qingjun’s limbs and body, but everything seemed normal at first glance.

After a moment, his gaze fixed on Su Qingjun’s left shoulder, where her clothing appeared to be sagging more than elsewhere, with an unusual discoloration, resembling a small shadow in the candlelight.

Without hesitation, Lu Chen tore the fabric, revealing the delicate, white skin underneath. To his alarm, there was a dark purple handprint on her shoulder. Amid the creamy white skin, the black mark looked particularly eerie and emitted a faint, unpleasant odor.

Lu Chen snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with urgency. He quickly drew a black dagger from his hand, its blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

He raised the dagger and thrust it downwards.

The sharp sound of the blade cutting through the air was sudden, and the chill of the blade made the candlelight flicker with a hint of coldness. The next moment, the icy blade was embedded directly into Su Qingjun’s shoulder.

Su Qingjun’s body shuddered violently.

Lu Chen seemed even colder and more detached now, not even glancing at Su Qingjun’s beautiful face contorted with pain. He pressed down on the hilt, and the cold blade cut through her flesh, causing dark blood to gush out and leaving a deep, horrifying wound.

“Ah!”

Su Qingjun screamed, curling up instantly, her body shaking violently. Her face turned ashen, and her eyes, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened in shock. In the midst of sweat and a pale complexion, she saw the man standing in front of her, his face solemn and impassive.

“Stop talking, listen to me.” The first words she heard upon waking were devoid of comfort or sympathy, even lacking inquiry, only cold indifference.

“The wound is poisoned. I’m drawing out the poisoned blood.”

Su Qingjun looked at her left shoulder, breathing heavily.

“You need to take medicine. There’s none here.”

“Two choices: First, I immediately go down the mountain for help. Second, you open your cave and get your own medicine. Do you have any?”

Lu Chen spoke sternly, his movements deliberate yet unceasing.

As the blade continued its work, Su Qingjun trembled uncontrollably, her teeth clenched as she suppressed her painful groans, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

Before Lu Chen finished speaking, he immediately sheathed his knife and, after a final glance at Su Qingjun, turned to leave.

Just then, Su Qingjun, somehow finding the strength, grasped his hand tightly, gasping in pain and with a hoarse voice, said, “Don’t go down the mountain, go… to my place…”

Lu Chen immediately turned back, intending to pick her up again. However, upon seeing her shoulder, the black blood had dried up, revealing red blood underneath. Her severely wounded, pale skin seemed almost translucent and quivered in the cold air.

He removed his outer jacket and draped it over Su Qingjun before picking her up and rushing out of the hut.

Cradled in his arms, Su Qingjun experienced a strange dizziness, as if her mind was being bombarded by waves. In her daze, she saw the vast, mysterious night sky, with clouds and starlight far on the horizon. Everything swayed as his movements made her feel the vibrations of his running, each step pushing forward…

A cold wind brushed her face.

For some reason, it didn’t seem too cold.

The world spun around her, and although the journey seemed short in her memory, it felt like an eternity that night.

Nestled in his arms, close to his chest.

The night was cold and lonely, and who turned restlessly, waking from dreams only to sink back into sleep?

Before dawn, as the sky began to lighten on the Feiyan Platform, and the distant red sun was about to break through the heavy clouds, the Feiyan Platform remained quiet.

The silence of the night lingered, like a lingering dream not yet fully awake. The morning breeze, carrying moist clouds, blew over the cliff. A beautiful wildflower swayed in the wind on the precipice, displaying its most beautiful姿态.

Lu Chen stood facing the wind, looking at the wildflower.

Then he gazed into the distance, watching the horizon where the morning sun finally leaped from the vast sea of clouds, rising into the sky.

Golden rays poured down, turning the endless cloud sea into a golden expanse, dazzling and brilliant, almost unbearable to look at. The mountain wind rustled, and his clothes fluttered. It was unclear how long he stood there, but after a while, a distant rumbling sound came from the stone door.

Light footsteps approached.

Lu Chen turned to see Su Qingjun walking toward him, wrapped in a white fox fur cloak, her body tightly bundled. Her face was still pale, but she looked much better. In the morning light, it was clear she hadn’t made any effort to dress up, so her hair was somewhat disheveled, and her eyes showed traces of fatigue.

She stood beside Lu Chen, also gazing at the rising sun, but she said nothing.

“You should rest more in the cave,” Lu Chen said, glancing at her.

Su Qingjun smiled and reached out from under the cloak, handing him a piece of clothing—his own from last night.

Lu Chen took it, and Su Qingjun gently said, “The clothes are stained with blood.”

“It’s okay. I’ll wash it later,” Lu Chen replied.

“Mm,” Su Qingjun responded softly, appearing somewhat embarrassed. After a moment of hesitation, her cheeks slightly reddened as she said in a low voice, “I… I’m not very good at washing clothes.”

Lu Chen chuckled and nodded, “It’s fine. I can handle it.”

Su Qingjun smiled, relieved. She took a few steps toward the cliff, and Lu Chen watched her back, frowning slightly, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Su Qingjun shook her head, smiling, “It’s nothing serious. Thanks to your timely treatment and draining the poisoned blood last night, and after taking the medicine I brought, the injury is nearly healed.” She then seemed to recall something, a mischievous look crossing her face. “Don’t underestimate the recovery power of a Golden Core cultivator.”

Lu Chen smiled and nodded, “That’s good to hear.”

A cold wind blew, and Su Qingjun coughed a few times before speaking to Lu Chen, “Can you keep what happened last night a secret?”

“Sure, I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything,” Lu Chen said.

Su Qingjun looked at him intently and added, “Not just about my injury.”

Lu Chen responded, “Yes, not just your injury.”

Su Qingjun hesitated, feeling she needed to be clearer, and softly said, “Also about my cave…”

“And also, I never actually entered that cave,” Lu Chen interrupted.

Su Qingjun smiled briefly and then sighed, “I owe you a big favor.”

“No rush, we have plenty of time to settle it later,” Lu Chen said.

Su Qingjun laughed, “You’re quite interesting.”

Lu Chen smiled and then said, “Even though you’re a powerful Golden Core cultivator, standing in the wind like this must be uncomfortable. How about we head to the spiritual field?”

“… Okay,” Su Qingjun agreed.

They walked to the spiritual field. Throughout the journey, Su Qingjun kept a step behind Lu Chen. Several times, she seemed to want to say something but held back.

When they reached the spiritual field, Lu Chen pointed to the eagle fruit trees below and asked, “With your condition, if any eagle fruits mature today, will you be able to eat them?”

Su Qingjun was taken aback, as if she hadn’t considered this question. After a moment of hesitation, she replied uncertainly, “I should… be able to?”

Lu Chen looked at her, slightly speechless. Su Qingjun seemed embarrassed and admitted, “I’m not very knowledgeable about spiritual medicines.”

Lu Chen shrugged, “Then just eat them. After all, they’re spiritual fruits. Even if they don’t have much effect, they shouldn’t do any harm.”

“Mm,” Su Qingjun nodded. After a while, she suddenly asked Lu Chen, “Lu Chen, I want to ask you something.”

“Oh, go ahead.”

Su Qingjun looked at him quietly, brushing a strand of hair from her face, and asked, “You’re just a disciple, but last night, your courage, quick thinking, and even the skillful way you performed the bloodletting were all quite remarkable.”

She smiled, though her eyes lacked much mirth, and softly asked, “Who exactly are you, Lu Chen?”