Heaven’s Shadow

Time flies, the stars shift, the moon sets, and the sun rises. Days passed quietly, and now there were twenty-one days left until the next full moon.

※※※

One morning, Lu Chen opened his door and stepped out of his wooden hut, only to see a completely unexpected figure standing outside. He was taken aback and exclaimed, “What are you doing here?”

Bai Lian was standing on the flat ground of Feiyan Platform, gazing at the beautiful scenery around her. She said, “I didn’t expect there to be such a view on Feiyan Platform. It’s truly enviable. I wonder when I can have a place like this.”

Lu Chen snorted, stretched, and said, “Stop pretending. The place where you are now, on the miraculous peaks between the sky and clouds, is the true paradise, a celestial secret realm. Only those at the Nascent Soul stage in the entire Kunlun Sect are qualified to set foot there. A mere Feiyan Platform wouldn’t catch your eye.”

Bai Lian smiled slightly and then noticed a black dog’s head peeking out cautiously from behind Lu Chen, looking at her. Bai Lian suddenly laughed, as if delighted, and waved at Ah Tu, saying, “Ah Tu, come here.”

Ah Tu looked at Bai Lian, then shrank back without a sound, tucking its tail and retreating into the house without any hesitation.

Bai Lian paused, looking slightly awkward. After a moment, she slowly put down her hand and laughed dryly, saying to Lu Chen, “It seems this black dog doesn’t like me much.”

Lu Chen laughed too and said, “Ah Tu may be dumb, but sometimes it has moments of brilliance.”

Lu Chen didn’t respond directly, just shrugged and said, “Miss Bai, considering your current status, it’s probably not appropriate for you to come to Feiyan Platform so rashly, is it?”

Bai Lian replied calmly, “What’s inappropriate about it? I don’t think there’s any problem. Besides, although this place is designated as Su Qingjun’s residence, as long as I don’t enter her abode, there’s no restriction against me walking around Feiyan Platform, right?”

Of course, there was no such restriction. While Feiyan Platform offered a nice view, it wasn’t considered a crucial or restricted area. It was just that most people in the sect respected Su Qingjun and naturally refrained from coming here, effectively making it her private area.

Lu Chen wasn’t going to argue with Bai Lian about this, so he just waved his hand and said, “Alright, don’t waste my time. Since you’re here, you must be looking for Su Qingjun, right? I’ll call her for you.”

As he turned around, a faint smile crossed his face, thinking that since it was still early, Su Qingjun would probably be in a bad mood if woken up, and there might be an interesting scene to watch.

However, Bai Lian called out to stop him, “No need. I’m not here to see her; I’m here to see you.”

Lu Chen stopped, sighed lightly, then turned around and looked at Bai Lian.

Bai Lian’s expression was playful, with a hint of cunning in her eyes.

Lu Chen shook his head, walked over, and lowered his voice, smiling wryly, “Didn’t we agree before to keep to ourselves? With your noble status as the disciple of a True Monarch and possessing the rare Five Pillars constitution, the entire Kunlun Sect is treating you like a precious jewel. Suddenly coming to see a useless servant disciple like me, what am I supposed to do? If people get wind of this, I might have countless people investigating me tomorrow.”

Bai Lian chuckled, “What, are you afraid of being investigated?”

Lu Chen retorted, “Are you afraid?”

Bai Lian fell silent.

After a while, Lu Chen asked, “So, what is it you want to ask me about?”

Bai Lian stared into his eyes and asked, “Do you know the ‘Blood Food Technique’ passed down among the shamans of the southern tribes?”

Lu Chen was momentarily stunned, then his brows relaxed. It seemed he had quickly figured out many things, including why Bai Lian had suddenly come. However, he shook his head and firmly replied, “No.”

Bai Lian pointed towards the wooden hut, “But I sensed traces of the Blood Food Technique from that dog.”

Without hesitation, Lu Chen replied, “You’re mistaken.”

Bai Lian stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled slightly, “I find you increasingly interesting. It seems you have more secrets hidden than I do.”

Lu Chen’s eyes flickered, and he smiled, “Well then… how about we make a deal?”

“How so?” Bai Lian’s face, which should have looked pure and innocent, now resembled the most cunning fox in the world.

Lu Chen said, “A secret for a secret. You tell me a secret, and I’ll tell you one. This way, we can both feel at ease. How about it?”

Bai Lian thought for a moment and replied, “It doesn’t seem like a good deal. You look honest and straightforward, but you’re actually full of tricks. I don’t trust you.”

Lu Chen scoffed, “Hey, we’re not that familiar, so don’t pin any labels on me.”

Bai Lian smiled and said, “Others might not see it, but I know. You tricked that little girl Yi Xin before, and now you’re planning to deceive Su Qingjun, aren’t you?”

Lu Chen laughed, “You’re pretty good at making baseless accusations. Could it be that True Monarch Bai Chen taught you these cunning techniques?”

Bai Lian pointed at Lu Chen’s chest and smiled, “You know in your heart that what I’m saying is true. Otherwise, do you dare to swear that you’ve never lied to either of those women?”

After a pause, she continued, “You’re too cunning. Doing business with you feels too risky. I can’t do it.”

Lu Chen laughed heartily, but his eyes showed a trace of coldness.

Bai Lian left after chatting with Lu Chen for a while, just as she said she would. She showed no interest in Su Qingjun. However, even after she left, the seemingly young girl left Lu Chen frowning in thought for a long time.

To be honest, Lu Chen had met many people in Kunlun, but the one who gave him the most pressure wasn’t the powerful True Immortals; it was this young girl lurking in the shadows. She seemed to carry countless secrets, hidden in darkness.

※※※

Could Bai Lian be a spy from the demonic cult? The thought suddenly crossed Lu Chen’s mind as he watched Bai Lian’s departing figure, startling him. Reflecting on what he knew about Bai Lian, he thought that while she might be rebellious and harbor many secrets, it seemed implausible that a young girl could bear the heavy responsibility of infiltrating a strictly disciplined sect like Kunlun without making any major mistakes.

Even if she appeared mature beyond her years and possessed extraordinary talent, such a task seemed too much for someone so young.

If possible, Lu Chen didn’t want to get involved with Bai Lian at all. He was just a common servant disciple, a world apart from Bai Lian. On the contrary, if it became known that Bai Lian was interested in him, it would be like having the entire Kunlun Sect’s attention on him.

This would be a deadly situation for someone who lived in the shadows.

But if she wasn’t a spy from the demonic cult, how could the secrets she hid be explained? How could a young girl know the mysterious shamanistic techniques from the southern barbarians, which were closely guarded secrets?

Everything seemed increasingly complex and confusing.

Ah Tu, having seen Bai Lian at Feiyan Platform, had obediently stayed inside the wooden hut, showing no intention of going out, as if deeply wary of the girl. Only after Bai Lian had left did Ah Tu seem to relax, visibly easing up.

Lu Chen walked back into the hut, looking at Ah Tu. His eyes flickered as he seemed lost in thought.

※※※

The rest of the day returned to its usual calm. Lu Chen did his chores, and in the evening, Su Qingjun came out for a walk, neatly dressed. They stood by the cliff for a while, chatting, before parting ways and returning to their respective rooms and residences before dark.

That night, the sky was pitch black, with no stars or moon, and only the cold wind blew, fitting the description of a “dark and windy night.”

Lu Chen sat quietly by the window, watching the dark sky through the pine trees, waiting until midnight.

It was late at night, and everything seemed to be asleep, even the mountains had fallen into slumber. Inside the wooden hut, Ah Tu curled up at Lu Chen’s feet, sleeping peacefully and looking particularly at ease.

Lu Chen quietly stood up, tilted his body, and without opening the door, slipped out through the window, closing it behind him. Blending into the darkness, he drifted away into the night.

There was a mysterious symbol left by the demonic spy on a tree in the nearby grove. Although Lu Chen could understand part of it and guessed it indicated a meeting on the next full moon, he wouldn’t overlook any suspicious clues before then.

What if the symbol was just a malicious trap?

In his years of shadowy existence, Lu Chen had learned the instinct of not fully trusting anyone. So when there were other suspicions, he wouldn’t easily let them go.

For instance, the dark and mysterious Yizhong Cemetery. (To be continued.)