Heaven’s Shadow

That morning, as Lu Chen yawned and stepped out of the wooden house, he saw a man standing quietly on the Feiyan Terrace not far from his hut. The man, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, had an elegant demeanor and a calm expression. Perhaps due to his age, his temples were flecked with gray, but it was clear that he was still in his prime.

The man stood there, gazing at the sea of clouds beyond the cliff. Hearing Lu Chen’s footsteps, he turned around, smiled warmly, and nodded in greeting. “Hello.”

“Hello, sir. May I ask who you are?” Lu Chen responded politely, realizing he didn’t recognize the man.

The man approached, stopping a few feet away—close enough to be courteous, but not so close as to be intrusive. He looked Lu Chen up and down, then smiled and said, “You must be Lu Chen?”

“Yes, that’s me. Do you know me, sir?” Lu Chen asked, a bit surprised.

The man smiled and said, “Ah, we haven’t met before. My name is Su Tianhe.”

“Su Tianhe…” Lu Chen repeated the name to himself, then suddenly realized who the man resembled. “Are you from the Su family?”

Su Tianhe nodded with a smile, “I’m the head of the Su family and Su Qingjun’s father.”

Lu Chen was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the head of the Su family to visit Feiyan Terrace alone this early in the morning. Su Tianhe’s demeanor was refined and distinguished, quite different from the younger members of his family.

Su Tianhe glanced at Lu Chen’s face, sighed after a moment, and said, “Brother Lu, I have failed in raising my children and managing my household, causing you suffering. This is all the fault of the Su family, and I apologize to you.”

With that, he respectfully bowed to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes. He quickly stepped aside, saying, “Please, sir, you don’t need to do this. I can’t accept it.”

Su Tianhe smiled and said, “Brother Lu, you are reasonable and a true gentleman. I’m sure you’re also broad-minded.” As he spoke, he pulled out a cloth bag and placed it in Lu Chen’s hand. “Inside are some rare spiritual materials, worth a few thousand spirit stones. It’s a small token of my apology; please accept it and don’t hold any grudge against the Su family.”

He looked at Lu Chen earnestly. Lu Chen showed some discomfort, nodding, “Sir, you’re too kind. I don’t know if I can accept this.”

As they exchanged polite refusals, Lu Chen’s fingers tightened around the bag. Su Tianhe noticed this, a faint smile playing on his lips, and insisted Lu Chen accept the gift.

After some back-and-forth, Lu Chen finally accepted the bag, thanking Su Tianhe with a smile.

After chatting for a while, Su Tianhe glanced at the cave residence and then turned to Lu Chen, saying, “Brother Lu, it’s getting late. Could you please go and call Qingjun to come out and meet me?”

Lu Chen was a bit surprised. “Sir, you are her father. Wouldn’t it be better for you to go directly and call her?”

Su Tianhe sighed, “Brother Lu, you don’t know. While I was away, Qingjun had a big argument with my wife and some brothers. They haven’t spoken since. I scolded them when I returned and came up the mountain immediately.”

He paused and then sincerely added, “What you said makes sense. As her father, I should be able to talk to her. But I’m afraid she’s still upset and won’t want to see me. So, I’m asking you to help.”

Lu Chen nodded, “I see. Alright, I’ll call her, but I can’t guarantee she’ll come out.”

Su Tianhe laughed heartily, looking relaxed, though a faint glint flickered in his eyes. “Haha, Brother Lu, it seems you know Qingjun well enough to know it’s hard to wake her in the morning.”

Lu Chen was taken aback but quickly shook his head, smiling. “No, no, sir, you misunderstand. I don’t know her that well; I was just worried that, as a lowly servant disciple, she might not even acknowledge me. Alright, I’ll go and call her.”

With that, he turned and walked towards the stone gate of the cave residence.

As the morning sunlight fell on the two men, it became clear that the moment Lu Chen turned away from Su Tianhe, both their smiles vanished.

Their expressions were calm, with a hint of coldness, and their eyes deep as the ocean.

※※※

Lu Chen stood before the stone door of the cave dwelling, loudly knocking and calling out. Occasionally, he would turn back, exchanging polite smiles and nods with Su Tianhe. However, despite his efforts, the door remained firmly shut, with no sign of Su Qingjun coming out.

Lu Chen touched his chest, where he kept a yellow talisman stone—the “Flame Heart Talisman” Su Qingjun had given him when they planted the Eagle Fruit tree. She hadn’t taken it back, so he could have used it to call her. But he chose not to, and after a while, he turned back to Su Tianhe, looking a bit helpless. “Sir, it seems…”

Su Tianhe nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, “Since that’s the case, I shouldn’t stay long. There are matters to attend to in the city below. Brother Lu, please tell Qingjun when you see her that I came to visit. We’re all family; there’s nothing we can’t talk about. Ask her to come down and see me when she has time.”

Lu Chen nodded, “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll be sure to pass on the message.”

Su Tianhe smiled and clasped his hands in a polite gesture before turning to leave. Throughout the encounter, he maintained an air of elegance and approachability, vastly different from the other members of the Su family Lu Chen had met, making it hard not to like him.

As Lu Chen watched him walk away, his brow furrowed slightly.

…

As usual, Su Qingjun did not emerge from the cave dwelling until dusk. She strolled leisurely around the Feiyan Terrace. When Lu Chen saw her, he told her about Su Tianhe’s visit earlier that day.

Su Qingjun listened silently, her expression complex. There was a hint of anger mixed with guilt on her face.

Lu Chen observed her changing expressions but said nothing more, merely relaying Su Tianhe’s words before leaving.

That evening, Su Qingjun stood at the cliff’s edge, gazing at the sea of clouds for a long time, exactly where Su Tianhe had stood earlier.

※※※

“It’s said that the hardest bond to sever is the one between parents and children,” Lu Chen remarked to Lao Ma. “Unfortunately, I never experienced that feeling growing up, so I don’t know if it’s truly as deep and unbreakable as they say.”

Lao Ma chuckled, “Who wouldn’t agree? But I didn’t expect you’d honestly relay that old Su’s message. I thought you might at least twist it a bit.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not that kind of person,” Lu Chen replied.

“Believe me, you are,” Lao Ma said, ducking to avoid a cup Lu Chen threw at him. He grinned, “So, as a result of your message, Su Qingjun went down the mountain to visit her family today?”

Lu Chen nodded, “She’s been a dutiful daughter for twenty years, with both parents alive. It’s not so easy to cut ties. And don’t underestimate Su Tianhe; he’s shrewd and far from easy to deal with, much better than his useless nephews.”

Lao Ma agreed, “Indeed. The Su family has thrived these past years, largely thanks to Su Tianhe.”

Lu Chen changed the subject, asking, “How many days until the next full moon?”

Lao Ma hesitated, then frowned in thought. “Why are you asking? Let’s see… It’s about nineteen days away.”

Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then asked, “Will Dead Baldy be back by then?”

Lao Ma’s expression grew serious as he fixed his gaze on Lu Chen. “What’s going on? Is there news about the traitor?”

Lu Chen hesitated briefly before explaining the mysterious symbol he had found in the forest and what he understood from it. “I can’t say for sure if the traitor will show up or if we’ll meet, but it’s possible.”

Lao Ma thought for a moment before saying, “I’ll report this immediately. Come back in three days, alright?”

Lu Chen nodded, “Alright.”

A trace of hope appeared on Lao Ma’s face. “If we can catch the traitor this easily, it’ll be a relief.”

Lu Chen smiled, “What, did you expect to be searching for ten years or something?”

Lao Ma chuckled, “Not ten years, but I did think it might take at least a few.”

They shared a laugh, then Lu Chen casually asked, “By the way, have you ever heard of a creature with three green eyes, resembling a small snake, that devours flesh?”

(Continued…)