Heaven’s Shadow

In this world, people often see only the surface of things and then make assumptions about how things will unfold; or they judge someone’s true nature based on their appearance, demeanor, and actions.

More often than not, they are wrong.

An ugly person isn’t necessarily evil, and beneath a beautiful appearance, purity isn’t always guaranteed. Righteousness doesn’t always come from the ordinary, and the most heartless individuals may often be scholars. In the mundane world, people are easily enchanted and infatuated with beautiful men and women, believing their loved ones are perfect and without fault.

Even in the realm of cultivation, this tendency persists. Many people revere and admire high-level cultivators, believing that legendary figures like Golden Core cultivators, Nascent Soul experts, and even Divine Transformation lords are all-powerful.

This isn’t about the path of cultivation but simply human nature.

We are so weak that we are accustomed to looking up at the tall and mighty. We misjudge the height of these figures, believing them to be as high as mountains or even reaching the heavens, forgetting that everything we see comes from our own perspective and limited vision.

When we can’t see far, we use imagination to fill our expectations.

Su Qingjun is a young prodigy. At her age, reaching the Golden Core stage is unprecedented in the long history of the Kunlun Sect. Because of this, almost everyone has high hopes for her, believing she will surely achieve great things in the future. She is a genuine prodigy, with extraordinary talent in cultivation.

Countless people, especially those of lower cultivation levels among her peers, view her as an idol, admire her, and take her as a role model, believing she is capable of anything.

※※※

No one understands Su Qingjun better than herself. Su Qingjun knows well that she is not the perfect, omnipotent person that others imagine. She is very aware of her own shortcomings and many things she cannot do.

However, no one deliberately exposes their weaknesses to the public, and she is no saint; she is merely an ordinary person who experiences joy, anger, sorrow, and all kinds of concerns and entanglements. In fact, she has more considerations than most because she has had to take care of many more people than the average person.

Like all talented individuals or those who are admired and adored, Su Qingjun instinctively hides all her flaws and often adopts a calm, indifferent, beautiful, and aloof demeanor to cover these traces.

This approach works repeatedly and is very effective. Those who admire her are kept at a distance by her actions, unable to truly approach her, much like gazing at her figure from afar. They see only a blurred shadow and cannot discern the true nature of the person.

Thus, people start to imagine, creating an idealized version of her, turning her into a legendary fairy with both unparalleled abilities and stunning beauty.

This is akin to countless similar situations in the mortal world.

It has nothing to do with cultivation, but with human nature.

However, the fake will never be real, and what cannot be will forever remain so, like a piece of paper soaked in water, which will tear when reality hits.

That day, Su Qingjun felt like she was that piece of paper soaked in water.

When she shocked the Su family and drove away everyone, including her mother, Bai Shi, and brought Lu Chen back to Kunlun Mountain’s Feiyan Terrace, her imposing aura, the awe-inspiring grandeur, the resolute words, and sharp remarks made her appear perfect. Even the heavily injured Lu Chen admired her.

Until… she returned to the mountain.

She helped Lu Chen back to the thatched hut and laid him down, looking at the blood-soaked man with countless injuries, Su Qingjun was at a loss.

Because she didn’t know how to treat wounds.

This was a skill that many cultivators, even those of lower levels or wandering practitioners, were familiar with, yet she did not know.

Su Qingjun hurriedly brought a pile of bottles and jars from her cave residence, filled with various precious herbs and elixirs. Then, looking at Lu Chen’s numerous bleeding wounds, she was stunned.

As a proud daughter of a prominent family, she had never truly needed to handle such matters herself. However, seeing the urgency of the situation, Su Qingjun had no choice but to dive in without much thought, just doing whatever she could.

So, the precious medicinal powders and elixirs were applied haphazardly to Lu Chen’s wounds. It was unclear if they had any effect, but the bleeding did stop quickly.

Su Qingjun was immediately delighted and then grabbed several bottles of famous Kunlun elixirs, shoving them into Lu Chen’s mouth.

“Cough, cough, cough…” Lu Chen, who had been pretending to be asleep, suddenly coughed violently, quickly reaching out to push away Su Qingjun’s bottles, and weakly said, “Don’t rush. I’m not going to die just yet. Whether these can actually heal me is one thing, but I have a feeling I might choke to death.”

Su Qingjun glared at him and said, “I’m giving you these elixirs out of goodwill, and you’re complaining? Do you want them or not?”

Lu Chen nodded repeatedly, saying, “Yes, yes, but can you slow down a bit? Besides, you can’t take all these elixirs at once. Otherwise, the medicinal effects might backfire and become as harmful as poison.”

Su Qingjun snorted, seemingly realizing she had been a bit too hasty. She set the jade bottles on the side table and said, “Ungrateful! The elixirs are here; you can take them as you see fit. You’re so mysterious and know so much, I’m sure you understand these things.”

Lu Chen weakly shook his head and said, “Not really.”

Su Qingjun sighed, holding down his hand, and said, “Fine, I was just speaking out of frustration. You should rest now.” She paused, her voice growing somber and her head drooping as she continued, “You’ve really suffered this time. I never expected my brothers to be so ruthless.”

A faint glimmer appeared in Lu Chen’s eyes, and then he said, “It has nothing to do with you, don’t overthink it.”

Su Qingjun was about to say more when suddenly, a voice came from outside the hut, calling out, “Qingjun, come out.”

Su Qingjun was startled and stood up, looking surprised, “My master is here. What could he possibly want now?”

Lu Chen, lying on the bed, smiled and said, “Probably here to plead on someone’s behalf?”

Su Qingjun considered this and said, “That’s unlikely. My master is very protective of me but not particularly friendly towards the Su family. He used to tell me how troublesome my siblings were and advised me to avoid them…”

Before she could finish, Su Qingjun suddenly stopped. Lu Chen smiled and said, “Did he hit the nail on the head?”

Su Qingjun smiled wryly and sighed, “You rest here for now. I’ll be back shortly.”

※※※

Stepping out of the hut, Su Qingjun indeed saw Master Mu Yuan standing on the Feiyan Terrace, about fifty paces away from the hut.

Upon seeing her come out, Master Mu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment.

Su Qingjun quickly walked up to him and asked, “Master, why are you here?”

Master Mu Yuan chuckled and said, “I heard you made quite a scene in Kunwu City and caused a commotion at the Su family. It’s all the talk on Kunlun Mountain. I hurried over to check it out.”

Su Qingjun’s cheeks flushed slightly as she shook her head, saying, “It’s not as exaggerated as you say!”

Master Mu Yuan laughed but didn’t tease his disciple further. Instead, he glanced towards the hut and asked, “I heard the person you saved is Lu Chen, the lowly servant who helped you plant the hawthorn tree?”

Su Qingjun nodded, “Yes.”

Master Mu Yuan looked at her with a half-smile and said, “I’ve advised you many times to distance yourself from your family. It would be greatly beneficial to your cultivation. Yet, now you’ve turned against the Su family for an ordinary servant. Is there any personal sentiment involved?”

As he spoke the last part, the sharpness in Master Mu Yuan’s eyes became evident, though he merely stared at Su Qingjun.

Su Qingjun seemed unaware of this and only replied with a wry smile, “Master, when I first became your disciple, I told you I was only interested in cultivation and didn’t want to think about other matters.”

“Then why did you save him?”

Su Qingjun’s expression grew somber, and she said, “The way my Su family brothers treated him was truly excessive. Even if he weren’t Lu Chen but just a beggar on the street, I don’t think I could ignore it.”

Master Mu Yuan stared at her for a moment before nodding slowly. “I’m surprised by your thinking. However, don’t forget, you can save him for a moment, but how can you save him for a lifetime? Lu Chen is of low cultivation and will likely face more setbacks from the Su family in Kunlun Mountain.”

Su Qingjun’s expression grew colder.

Master Mu Yuan, seemingly indifferent, continued smiling and said, “In the end, he’s just an ordinary servant. He can’t follow you forever. He’s from a completely different world than you. He will have to do menial tasks, while you are destined to be someone of great stature. What will happen when that time comes?”

Su Qingjun gritted her teeth and said, “I’ve considered this. He’s not someone entirely unrelated to me.”

Master Mu Yuan raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh? Then I’m curious. He’s just an ordinary servant with no family ties to you. What connection does he have to you?”

Su Qingjun took a deep breath and said loudly, “Lu Chen is my newly accepted disciple!”

“What?” Master Mu Yuan was instantly shocked.

“Hmm… Congratulations, Master. You’ve now been promoted to the status of grandmaster!”