Heaven’s Shadow

Ah Tu stayed in the woods, a dozen or so zhang away from the Qingniu(Green Ox), watching the giant beast from a distance. Naturally, he also noticed the strange actions and expressions of the Qingniu, feeling puzzled himself. He even couldn’t resist raising his head to sniff the air a few times.

Dogs have a keen sense of smell, so Ah Tu easily caught the scent of spiritual herbs wafting over from the medicine garden. The aroma was pleasant and somewhat different from usual fragrances, but no matter how much he sniffed, Ah Tu felt that while the scent was nice, it wasn’t enchanting enough to captivate him.

Growing increasingly curious, Ah Tu stayed put, hiding in the woods and observing the Qingniu. 

The Qingniu stood in the forest for a long while, occasionally showing a look of intoxication. It often glanced towards the Flowing Fragrance Garden, a hint of desire in its eyes, yet Ah Tu never saw it take a single step in that direction.

About half an hour later, the Qingniu seemed satisfied, suddenly turned, and walked away.

Ah Tu was startled. After hesitating, he decided to follow, trailing the Qingniu from a distance.

Throughout the journey, the Qingniu never looked back. Whether it hadn’t noticed Ah Tu following or simply didn’t care about the insignificant black dog was unknown.

Ah Tu didn’t think much about it, just continued following the Qingniu. He wasn’t sure how long they wandered through the wilderness when suddenly the view ahead opened up, revealing a uniquely shaped peak.

The peak looked somewhat like a dog’s head.

The Qingniu leisurely ascended the mountain, ignoring all the celestial birds and fierce beasts at the foot and waist of the mountain. Upon seeing the Qingniu, all the animals immediately displayed respect and deference, as if the Qingniu was the king of Kunlun Mountains.

Ah Tu didn’t approach Doghead Mountain. He hid in a dense thicket, watching the Qingniu climb to the peak and lie down, just like before. Staring at the mountain and the countless animals on it, Ah Tu’s eyes gradually showed intense longing, but there was also fear in them.

After a while, Ah Tu looked up at the sky. Seeing that it was getting late, he hesitated for a moment, then silently retreated, leaving the area in the darkening shadows and running towards the distance.

From behind, his figure appeared lonely, like a black shadow running into the impending darkness of night.

The next day, Lu Chen finished his work with the Red Amber Ginseng early, left Kunlun, and went down to Kunwu City.

Standing on the bustling street of this grand and lively city, Lu Chen felt a moment of confusion amid the noisy crowd.

Thousands of people on the street, each with their own joys, sorrows, and stories, each with their own destination, and everyone should have a home, right?

But he never had one. On this day, standing on the street of Kunwu City, twenty-eight-year-old Lu Chen inexplicably thought of the word “home.”

Since childhood, he never remembered having a home. He couldn’t even recall a single relative’s face. As he stood there in a daze, past events and people flashed through his mind like pictures.

What is a home? What does it look like? What does it feel like to have a home?

A man and a woman together? Maybe that’s a home?

He thought for a moment, a glimpse of Ding Dang’s face crossed his mind, and then he shook his head lightly. He thought again, of an even more distant and deeply buried memory, the face that was once sweet and gentle, the woman who smiled in the chaotic wilderness, the one who gave him the only warmth during those dangerous and dark years.

He lowered his head slightly and silently walked forward, pressing that memory down once more in his heart.

This city is so big, but he only had one place to go.

In a quiet alley at Hei Qiu Pavilion, the chubby Lao Ma had a strange expression on his face as he looked at Lu Chen sitting opposite him. Seeing Lu Chen slowly sipping his drink, lost in thought, Lao Ma frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Lu Chen, seemingly startled out of his thoughts, replied, “Hmm?”

Lao Ma said, “You seem a bit off today. Did something happen at Kunlun Sect?”

“Oh, no,” Lu Chen casually replied, pouring himself another drink. After a while, he suddenly looked at Lao Ma and asked, “Lao Ma, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you have any family?”

“Hmm?” Lao Ma was taken aback. “Why do you ask?”

Lu Chen smiled. “No reason, just curious.”

Lao Ma hesitated for a moment before saying, “No one, just me.”

Lu Chen looked at him, a flicker in his eyes, then suddenly said, “You’re lying.”

Lao Ma nodded, “You’re right, I am.”

Lu Chen snorted and said, “Why is that? Don’t you trust me?”

Lao Ma replied, “We’ve known each other for ten years now. In times of crisis, I’d trust you with my life. Do you think I don’t trust you?”

Lu Chen stared into his eyes and said, “Then why won’t you tell me the truth?”

“You know the reason, so why ask?”

“I don’t know. You tell me!”

Lao Ma suddenly laughed, but there wasn’t much joy in his smile. After a moment, he said faintly, “You’re a jinx. Anyone who gets involved with you often ends up suffering. Isn’t that right?”

Lu Chen suddenly fell silent.

He looked at Lao Ma with deep, distant eyes, like a dark sea.

The room fell silent, with not a sound to be heard.

A cold wind blew through the alley outside, stirring the grass on the walls, trembling in the wind, bringing a touch of desolation.

It was unclear how much time had passed before Lu Chen slowly set down his wine cup and looked at Lao Ma, calmly saying, “Did you have to be so blunt?”

Lao Ma shrugged, his expression also calm and indifferent. “You asked me. I didn’t want to lie to you.”

Lu Chen hummed in response, lowered his head, and no longer looked at him, seeming somewhat disinterested.

After Lu Chen’s gaze shifted away, Lao Ma seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He picked up the wine pot and poured himself a drink, but suddenly, he felt a chill on his back.

A slight, needle-like chill, like the sensation of cold sweat seeping out.

Lao Ma stared into his cup, then downed the drink in one gulp.

“I met Su Qingjun and even spoke with her a bit,” Lu Chen’s voice came from the front.

Lao Ma’s spirits lifted as he looked over and said, “How was it? You didn’t actually go looking for trouble with her, did you? I’m telling you, from what I’ve heard, Su Qingjun is a true genius. With your current strength, even ten of you wouldn’t be her match.”

Lu Chen glanced at Lao Ma, smiled faintly, and a slight glimmer flashed in his eyes. He then said, “You’re right, so I didn’t make a move.”

Lao Ma’s face darkened. “Didn’t make a move? So you really were thinking about it? Come on, focus on our task of finding the traitor. Don’t go stirring up trouble.”

Lu Chen looked at Lao Ma with interest and said, “It’s strange. Why are you so sure that approaching Su Qingjun is stirring up trouble? Why couldn’t she be the traitor?”

“Uh…” Lao Ma was taken aback, his face suddenly changing, and he became serious, lowering his voice. “You suspect her?”

“Everyone in Kunlun Sect is a suspect to me, except for two people.”

“Who?”

Lu Chen pointed at him and said, “You and that bald guy.”

Lao Ma smiled wryly, then after a moment of contemplation, frowned and said, “There are tens of thousands of people in Kunlun Sect, including the miscellaneous disciples. If you suspect everyone, we’ll never get anything else done. So, as you said before, the traitor should be someone with some skills and status. However, as for Su Qingjun…”

Lao Ma paused and said seriously, “I don’t think it’s her.”

“Why?”

Lao Ma spread his hands. “Because her family background is too good and completely clean. Combined with her exceptional talent, can you give me a reason why someone like her would choose the dark path?”

Lu Chen smiled, slowly picked up his wine cup, but instead of drinking, he played with it for a while. Then he suddenly said, “Someone once said something similar to you back then.”

“What?”

“Yun Shouyang, the elder of the Demonic Sect, my master.” For some reason, Lu Chen’s voice seemed to become somewhat ethereal as he spoke faintly, “When I first came under his tutelage as a youth, there were doubts about me. After investigating without finding anything, they were still uneasy. Yun Shouyang then laughed and told them: ‘How could there be anyone in the world who would waste a once-in-a-lifetime genius as a traitor instead of a successor!'”

The muscles on Lao Ma’s chubby face suddenly twitched.

Lu Chen didn’t look at him, only stared at his wine cup in a daze. After a while, he smiled, drank the wine, and then said to Lao Ma, “You see, nothing is impossible in this world. In Kunlun Mountain, until the truth is revealed, I trust no one.”

“Snap.” A light sound was heard as he gently placed the cup on the table. He then stood up and walked towards the door, saying, “Investigate the Su family, especially Su Qingjun’s childhood. Tell me everything, no matter how small.”

Lao Ma hesitated for a moment, then said, “Alright.”

Lu Chen reached the door, one foot already outside, but suddenly paused as if he remembered something. After a moment of hesitation, he turned to Lao Ma and said, “There’s one more person you need to check.” To be continued.

“Qingniu” can be translated as “Green Ox.” It refers to a mythical or spiritual ox, often depicted as green in Chinese literature and mythology.

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