Heaven’s Shadow

Days passed quietly, and many things unfolded naturally.

Su Qingjun returned to the Su family, and under her father Su Tianhe’s comforting and persuasive words, the family finally reconciled. After all, how could blood relatives of decades really sever their bond so easily? Moreover, Su Tianhe, respecting his talented daughter, gave the Su family’s three brothers a good reprimanding. Even Su Qingjun’s mother, Bai Shi, had tears in her eyes as she embraced Su Qingjun and cried.

Following this, everything seemed to return to harmony. The Su family was once again united, but after this turmoil, everyone in the Su family clearly saw Su Qingjun’s elevated position, which became unmatched in the household.

Upon returning to the mountain, Su Qingjun met with Lu Chen. She felt somewhat embarrassed but still shared the news with him. Lu Chen only smiled and congratulated her, not saying much more or complaining about the hardships he had endured.

Su Qingjun wanted to compensate him somehow but didn’t know how at the moment. She thought that since they had a long future ahead, she didn’t need to rush. Now that Lu Chen was officially her nominal disciple, she had a reason to care for him. In time, she planned to formally accept him as her personal disciple, providing him with various resources and elixirs, ensuring his cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment stage. It would make his life’s efforts worthwhile.

With eighteen days remaining until the full moon night, the moon appeared even thinner than the previous day. The moonlight was still bright, casting a frosty sheen on the windowsill of the Feiyan Pavilion’s wooden house.

Lu Chen lay on the bed, quietly gazing at the night scene outside the window. After a while, a soft rustle came from the darkness nearby. Ah Tu walked over, leaning against him and placing its front paws on the windowsill, also gazing at the moon.

The moonlight bathed both Lu Chen and the dog, soft and fluid like ripples.

Lu Chen reached out and patted Ah Tu’s body, noticing that the black dog was entranced by the moon in the sky. The light in its single eye shimmered with an inexplicable brilliance, like a black transparent gem.

Lu Chen watched Ah Tu quietly, not disturbing it. After a long while, Ah Tu turned its head and looked back at Lu Chen. 

The moonlight fell, and the light in Ah Tu’s eye gradually softened. It lay down beside Lu Chen, snuggling against him, and closed its eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

Lu Chen closed the window, and darkness enveloped the room. At that moment, he suddenly wished he had a mirror to see his own face and eyes. Because just now, he felt an inexplicable familiarity with the look in Ah Tu’s eyes.

It was as if he was looking at himself from ten years ago.

—

In recent days, when night fell, Lu Chen had been secretly going out, cautiously exploring the dark paths in the Kunlun Mountains. However, the peculiar three-eyed monster bug had not appeared again.

The terrifying and dangerous encounter that night seemed to have been merely an accident or perhaps just a strange coincidence.

If not for the hard, charred stone fragment still in his hand, the events of that night might have seemed like a dream, no longer real.

However, the rough texture of the black stone in his palm constantly reminded Lu Chen of the evil behind it.

In the deep silence of the night, when even Ah Tu was immersed in dreams, Lu Chen quietly left Feiyan Pavilion and entered the profound darkness.

Regarding the mysterious three-eyed monster bug, he had not revealed the full truth to Lao Ma, especially that he had killed such a creature. Revealing this would inevitably involve the greatest secret within him: the unprecedented black divine disk and its terrifying nature of stealing vitality for growth. He did not want others to know.

Perhaps having been a shadow for too long, he was no longer accustomed to trusting others, even someone like Lao Ma, whom he once trusted with his life. Instinctively, he kept the last secret hidden, like concealing his final trump card.

If the three-eyed monster bug did not reappear, this matter might end unresolved. Perhaps it was indeed just a strange beast that had emerged from nowhere. But could there really be such a coincidence in the vast Kunlun Mountains, where this monster bug, which sought no one else, just happened to encounter him?

Lu Chen, having been a shadow for many years, was no longer a believer in coincidences. This time was no different.

Thus, he kept pondering the matter, repeatedly thinking about what might be unusual or attracting about himself that could draw such a monster. After much contemplation, he realized he might have only one secret that could attract such a creature in a distinctive way.

The mysterious black divine disk in his sea of energy…

That night, Lu Chen spent a long time pondering in the dark mountain path, then closed his eyes slightly, facing the night. Darkness surged around him like a rising tide of waves.

When he opened his eyes again, dark flames had already ignited in his pupils. The silent black flames slowly burned on his body, and at this moment, there was no longer any trace of the pain and despair from years ago. The black flames seemed to have become a part of Lu Chen’s body, flickering on his flesh and blood.

The night was as black as ink, and the darkness rolled like tides. The man stood in the dark night, seemingly roaring or calling out into the boundless darkness ahead.

Yet, the cold night remained unresponsive, the darkness as deep as a chasm, with no reply. Everything seemed dim and ordinary, with only a feeling of solitude lingering nearby. Lu Chen felt some disappointment, letting the black fire quietly retract and extinguish. However, at that moment, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart and looked towards the depths of the Kunlun Mountains.

There, in the far reaches of Kunlun, the most mysterious forbidden zone was shrouded in perpetual mist. In the sky above, there were four strange floating peaks. 

Through the darkness and mountains, a strange tremor surged from the void, as if someone from afar had glanced in his direction, or perhaps nothing had truly happened.

Lu Chen sensed something unusual. But the sensation was fleeting, disappearing almost immediately, leaving him with little time to fully comprehend it. Yet, in that brief moment, Lu Chen felt a difference.

Something truly existed over there, in that forbidden zone, resonating with the dark energy within him.

What secrets lie hidden in the vast and tranquil Kunlun Mountains? And could this secret be related to the traitor from the demonic sect?

—

During the day, someone arrived at Feiyan Pavilion, ignoring Lu Chen’s objections and insisting on summoning Su Qingjun from her cave residence.

Su Qingjun was somewhat displeased, which was understandable. However, the news brought by this person left both Lu Chen and Su Qingjun stunned. The once sensational yet quickly quieted case of He Changsheng’s murder had suddenly resurfaced. After a prolonged period, the investigation had stirred once again. Under immense pressure, He Yi, who was entrusted with the investigation, had finally made some discoveries and started taking action.

But the first target he seized surprised most people. He Yi had taken the Su family’s three brothers—Su Mo, Su Qian, and Su Wen—into custody. 

Using the pretext of investigating the demonic sect’s assassination to detain them implied that the Su family brothers were suspected not only of being involved in He Changsheng’s death but also of potentially colluding with the demonic sect.

This accusation was so grave that even the Su family could hardly bear it. Consequently, the Su family quickly took action, mobilizing their spies within the Kunlun Sect and other friendly cultivators to gather information, and did their best to help the Su brothers. Among them, Su Qingjun’s role was crucial, so the message brought today was a plea for her urgent assistance.

After hearing the news, Su Qingjun’s expression turned serious. Without much discussion with Lu Chen, she sealed her cave residence and directly went down the mountain with the messenger.

After Su Qingjun left, Lu Chen looked down the mountain with a complex gaze. Unlike Su Qingjun, who knew little about the situation, Lu Chen was almost entirely aware of the details surrounding He Changsheng’s murder case.

Who knows the details of a murder case the best? It would certainly be the murderer.

Lu Chen waited on Feiyan Pavilion for a while before also heading down the mountain.

Once Feiyan Pavilion became quiet and only he and Ah Tu were left, Ah Tu appeared anxious and restless. It repeatedly glanced towards the rear mountain forest, then slowly got up and walked into the woods.

In the forest, there was a faint light. Ah Tu clearly saw the surroundings and heard familiar birdcalls. However, that day, Ah Tu did not encounter Bai Lian again.

In fact, after the day it met Bai Lian, Ah Tu had not seen her again. The little girl, barely over ten years old, seemed busier than most adults.

Ah Tu did not seem surprised or even particularly bothered by Bai Lian’s absence; it appeared more at ease. However, soon, its demeanor tensed again upon spotting a small bird suddenly landing on the ground, pecking through the thick layer of fallen leaves in search of food.

Without hesitation, Ah Tu slowly approached. Its movements were almost silent, like a natural-born hunter closing in on its prey. 

Suddenly, the black dog leapt forward, biting the bird’s wing before it could take flight.