Heaven’s Shadow

“Tomorrow, I’ll be heading down the mountain,” Lu Chen said, leaning against a large tree and sitting on the edge of a field, speaking to Su Qingjun who stood not far away.

It was already dusk. Su Qingjun had spent the day in her cave residence and had developed a habit of coming out to walk around in the evening. Lu Chen didn’t know if she had this habit when she lived alone at Feiyan Terrace, but generally, dusk was the time they chatted casually. It had become a regular and relaxed moment for them.

It seemed that since the recent commotion at the Su family’s home, which had scared the family, Feiyan Terrace had been unusually quiet. Often, several days would pass without anyone visiting. Occasionally, friends from Kunlun Sect who had some acquaintance with Su Qingjun would come, but no one from the Su family appeared.

Su Qingjun didn’t react much, at least in Lu Chen’s presence. She appeared calm, but no one knew what her true feelings were deep down.

Lu Chen didn’t press the issue. Since Su Qingjun had caused a ruckus at the Su family and returned to the mountain, they had quickly stopped mentioning it. But their relationship had undoubtedly grown closer, and Su Qingjun even started to joke around with Lu Chen more casually.

At this moment, Su Qingjun smiled and asked Lu Chen, “What are you going down the mountain for? You seem pretty idle lately. How about planting some more spiritual herbs in the field?”

Lu Chen laughed, “I’m just going to take a casual stroll. Also, I know of some small things that you might not have seen before. I’ll bring some back for you to see.”

“Oh?” Su Qingjun, initially just joking, became genuinely curious, “What kind of things? They sound interesting.”

Lu Chen smiled, “You’ll find out when I bring them back. I’ll come by tomorrow night.”

—

The next morning, Lu Chen set out to descend the mountain, taking A-Tu, the black dog, with him. With his new status as a named disciple of a Golden Core cultivator, his status had changed, and he no longer felt as awkward as before.

A-Tu, now able to accompany Lu Chen openly, ignored the previous Kunlun Sect rules about not keeping dogs. After all, a dog belonging to a promising Golden Core disciple couldn’t be an ordinary mutt!

They walked into Kunwu City. Instead of immediately finding Lao Ma in a secluded alley, Lu Chen and A-Tu strolled around the city streets. Lu Chen bought a lot of meat and bones, packed them in a bag, and planned to feed A-Tu at Heiqiu Pavilion.

A-Tu, drooling all the way, focused solely on the bag of food in Lu Chen’s hand, ignoring everything else. After a bit more wandering and buying a few other things, Lu Chen took A-Tu back to Heiqiu Pavilion.

Once inside, Lu Chen threw the meat and bones into the corner of the small courtyard. A-Tu immediately growled and rushed over, devouring the food greedily.

Lao Ma, watching the scene with amusement, said, “Looks like this fellow was really starving on the mountain. He’s eating as if he’s never had food before.”

Lu Chen chuckled, “He’s living comfortably. Don’t worry about him. If you want, I can leave him here for you to take care of.”

Lao Ma immediately waved his hand, “Forget it. I can’t afford to take care of this distinguished dog.”

The two sat across from each other. Lao Ma glanced at Lu Chen and asked, “You were just down the mountain not long ago. Why come again? There are still quite a few people from the Su family in the city. Aren’t you worried about another incident?”

Lu Chen smiled and said, “The Su family won’t dare to make trouble again. It’s fine.”

Lao Ma laughed, “You sound confident. Seems like you’re well-prepared.”

Lu Chen snorted, “The Su family has been entrenched in Kunwu City for years. They surely have a few sensible people. Given the current situation, anyone with a bit of insight knows that the Su family’s biggest support is Su Qingjun. Not everyone is as foolish as those wastrels and that White Lady.”

Lao Ma nodded, “You’re right. If I were a Su family member, the most urgent thing would be to reconcile with Miss Su and avoid making any more mistakes.”

Lu Chen looked a bit regretful and said, “Yes, I originally hoped that more wastrels would come out today so I could take the opportunity to cause some trouble and further sever the relationship between Su Qingjun and her family. Unfortunately, there were indeed some clear-eyed people. It was a waste of time for me to walk around the city.”

Lao Ma sneered, “You’re so devious. Trying to destroy the Su family from the root.”

Lu Chen sneered and didn’t reply.

“By the way, there’s another thing. If you have time, please keep an eye on He Yi’s recent activities on the mountain and see if anything seems suspicious,” Lu Chen said to Lao Ma.

“He Yi?” Lao Ma frowned, his eyes suddenly taking on a peculiar look. He asked Lu Chen, “Why are you suddenly interested in him?”

Lu Chen didn’t hide anything and recounted what Yi Xin had told him, concluding with, “I find He Yi a bit strange. Last time, he was forced into seclusion, but after some time, he was suddenly released for no apparent reason and now seems to be moving around Kunlun Sect with a lot of connections.”

Lao Ma’s eyes flickered as he pondered silently. Lu Chen noticed his expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lao Ma gave him a meaningful look and said, “You’re right. He Yi is indeed strange.”

“Hm?”

“Do you remember I told you someone was investigating the matter of cinnabar?”

“I remember. Have there been any developments?” Lu Chen asked.

Lao Ma sneered and said, “The person investigating is He Gang.”

Lu Chen’s expression changed slightly, and he straightened up a bit. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly said, “But you mentioned before that the person investigating showed Kunlun Sect’s insignia to some major merchants?”

“Yes.”

Lu Chen’s eyes gradually brightened, and he said softly, “But He Gang was expelled from the Kunlun Sect, wasn’t he?”

“Exactly,” Lao Ma said with a wry smile, “In other words, he shouldn’t have such insignia.”

Lu Chen looked at Lao Ma and slowly said, “But he had it, and showed it to others. The only one who could provide him with such insignia…”

“Is He Yi.”

Lu Chen fell silent, his face reflecting deep contemplation as if he had realized something more. After a while, he said in a deep voice, “In other words, the person behind the investigation into cinnabar is He Yi himself. He must have had He Gang do it because it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to appear directly.”

Lao Ma nodded, “Yes, He Gang was very secretive about this, and it took me some effort to confirm it was him.”

Lu Chen’s eyes grew even sharper. He said in a low voice, “Cinnabar usually doesn’t matter, but recently it’s related to a case of massacre involving a demonic sect on Kunlun Mountain. With He Yi suddenly emerging and getting involved both overtly and covertly, the reason for his sudden release…”

A cold smile appeared on Lu Chen’s lips, and after a brief glance at Lao Ma, Lao Ma’s face turned expressionless as he extended a finger and pointed at Lu Chen.

“Seems like it’s all directed at you.”

—

“I didn’t expect that, during this time, someone on Kunlun Mountain has been secretly tracking me. It feels…” Lu Chen said, clicking his tongue.

Lao Ma glanced at him sideways and said, “What’s so surprising about that? You’ve been living like this for years. You should be used to it by now.”

“Hmm, you’re right.” Lu Chen nodded and said, “But now that I know the purpose of this person, I should investigate him thoroughly.”

He looked at Lao Ma, who nodded in agreement, “Don’t worry, leave it to me.”

“Great!”

After these words, both men simultaneously sighed in relief, and a hint of excitement appeared on their faces. For those hidden in the shadows, discovering such a secret likely felt uniquely thrilling.

“Hey, you seem to be in good spirits lately,” Lao Ma said with a smile.

Lu Chen replied, “Yeah, I’m busy with revenge. With so many debts to collect, I need to stay energetic.”

Lao Ma looked at him and said, “No, I feel like you’re different from before. When you were a shadow, you always seemed bitter and vengeful, like you were ready to kill anyone who crossed you. But now, you’re different.”

Lu Chen was taken aback and asked, “What do you mean?”

Lao Ma scrutinized him and said, “Lately, you seem much more cheerful than before. Have you changed your nature, or is there someone on Kunlun Mountain making you happier?”

Lu Chen was silent for a moment. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes, and then he suddenly burst into hearty laughter. He said to Lao Ma, “You’re talking nonsense! As a shadow, I have countless disguises. How could you see through me? How do you know that what you saw before wasn’t a façade, and what you see now isn’t the real me?”

Lao Ma nodded and said, “Hmm, you do have a point. Sometimes, I really can’t see through you. But you should consider this: doesn’t it get tiring living like this? It’s just the two of us here, so you might as well relax. Otherwise, if you keep up the act, you might go mad on your own.”

“Go to hell. Even if you go mad, I won’t!” Lu Chen retorted.

Lao Ma laughed heartily, then walked over to tease the still-devouring A-Tu. Lu Chen watched his back, and his smile gradually faded. (To be continued.)