Heaven’s Shadow

Lu Chen smiled and said, “Senior Sister, you have a good memory.”

Su Qingjun glanced at him, not exactly embarrassed but somewhat apologetic for forgetting his name. Meanwhile, from behind the crowd came a cacophony of loud cries and wails. Lu Chen coughed, thinking of He Changsheng’s humiliating appearance earlier. Though he had intended to step aside, he stopped and smiled at Su Qingjun, saying, “By the way, I forgot to congratulate you, Senior Sister, on advancing your cultivation and achieving the Golden Core Dao.”

Su Qingjun nodded, her expression indifferent, as if she had become numb to similar congratulations over time. However, the commotion ahead piqued her interest, and she glanced in that direction.

At this moment, Lu Chen continued, “I’m ashamed to say, the Red Amber Ginseng you mentioned was indeed crucial for breaking through the realm. I took great care in cultivating it, but unfortunately, an unexpected incident occurred. I’m truly sorry.”

Su Qingjun was momentarily stunned, then shook her head, saying, “It’s not your fault. An earthquake is a natural disaster, and the theft by wild beasts was unavoidable—it’s all just fate.”

Lu Chen thought to himself that the black dog was far from being fate, but he had a mind to stall for time, allowing the young men of the Su family to get a bit more punishment. He then showed a look of guilt and sighed, “Even so… let’s not dwell on it. Luckily, Senior Sister, you’re exceptionally talented. Even without the Red Amber Ginseng, you managed to achieve the Golden Core. Congratulations.”

Su Qingjun said, “Actually, I did use the Red Amber Ginseng.”

Lu Chen was taken aback, “What? But the Red Amber Ginseng is gone, you…”

Su Qingjun explained, “Oh, that was a minor issue. Although the Red Amber Ginseng is precious and rare, it’s not irreplaceable. Before my breakthrough, I had someone go to Kunwu City’s largest shop and buy two more. Their age and potency were even better than the previous one.”

“Twenty-two thousand spirit stones.”

Lu Chen stared at Su Qingjun, seeing her calm and matter-of-fact expression. After a moment, he bitterly smiled and nodded, “Congratulations, congratulations.”

Su Qingjun politely nodded back, “Thank you.”

Lu Chen stepped aside, allowing Su Qingjun to pass. He looked into the distance, seeing only the rolling green mountains and the vast sky. After a while, he suddenly cursed under his breath:

“Damn it…”

※※※

As Su Qingjun walked into the crowd, those nearest to her immediately fell silent and stepped aside, looking at her with peculiar expressions.

Soon, more people noticed her presence. The previously raucous crowd quieted down quickly, and a path opened up for Su Qingjun to walk through.

With a thud, Su Mo stumbled backward and fell to the ground, rolling over to land at her feet. One of his eyes was blackened, and one side of his face was swollen, clearly having just been beaten up.

Su Mo, seemingly dazed, shook his head and looked up. After a moment, he recognized the beautiful face in front of him and yelled, “Sister, sister, help me!”

A murmur spread through the crowd, with someone whispering, “She actually came…”

Su Qingjun frowned as she looked at Su Mo’s face, her expression darkening. The others who had been fighting also stopped and quickly separated.

During the fight, although both sides were at the Qi Refining stage and their cultivation levels were similar, Lin Kuangyi’s group had five people while the Su family’s side had only three. As a result, the Su family trio had taken a beating. Su Qian and Su Wen were also sporting bruises, making the famed Su family trio look more like the Su family bears.

Lin Kuangyi’s group, upon seeing Su Qingjun suddenly appear, felt a bit guilty and stood there quietly, no longer acting arrogant. As for Zhang Zhi, who lay on the ground, and He Changsheng, who was still kneeling, no one paid them any attention.

“What happened?” Su Qingjun asked Su Mo.

Among the Su family trio, Su Mo was her full-blood brother, while Su Qian and Su Wen were her cousins, very close in blood relation. Seeing the three of them in such a state displeased Su Qingjun, but she maintained her composure and asked for the details first.

“Sister, it was Lin Kuangyi and his gang bullying us!” Su Mo cried, spitting out accusations at Lin Kuangyi and his group.

Su Qian and Su Wen quickly chimed in, recounting the incident from beginning to end. Lin Kuangyi and his companions, becoming increasingly angry as they listened, couldn’t help but argue back. The two sides quarreled again, with tempers flaring.

After a while, Su Qingjun suddenly gave a soft command, “Enough!”

The Su family trio immediately fell silent, and Lin Kuangyi’s group exchanged glances, also quieting down.

Su Qingjun glanced at the amaryllis in the spiritual field. The plants were indeed growing well and looked beautiful. After a moment’s thought, she looked at Lin Kuangyi and simply asked, “Do you have any proof?”

Lin Kuangyi and his four companions looked at each other, unable to respond.

In the midst of the commotion, everyone took advantage of the chaos to brawl, the young men fooling around without anyone intervening. Whoever had the stronger fist was deemed right. But if it came to reasoning, these scions of noble families weren’t foolish; they knew some parts of this story didn’t add up.

“That, that amaryllis is the one I planted, I know it, I recognize it!” Suddenly, a voice shouted, startling everyone. They looked to see He Changsheng, still kneeling, shouting loudly with his neck craned.

Su Mo and the others turned black with rage, glaring at He Changsheng, while Lin Kuangyi and his group were overjoyed. They began to cause a ruckus, “That’s right, that’s right, he was the original planter of the amaryllis. No one else could recognize that spiritual plant.”

“Exactly, he planted the best amaryllis in the whole herb garden. If he says there’s an issue, then there must be an issue!”

Amidst the clamor, Su Qingjun frowned slightly and glanced at He Changsheng.

In the background, Lu Chen also looked over from a distance, remaining silent but shaking his head slightly.

※※※

“You’re saying that this amaryllis is the one you originally planted?” Su Qingjun’s words brought silence to the surrounding crowd, including Lin Kuangyi and his group.

This quiet atmosphere made He Changsheng nervous. Looking at Su Qingjun’s exceptionally beautiful face, he seemed to breathe a bit faster. After a long while, he finally said, “Yes, yes, I planted it.”

“Do you have any proof?” Su Qingjun asked.

He Changsheng was momentarily stunned and then loudly proclaimed, “It’s the one I planted; I recognize it, I can tell!”

The crowd remained silent, many seemingly having thought of something but saying nothing.

Su Qingjun shook her head. Her tone was still calm, but her meaning was clear: “That’s not enough. You need proof. You can’t just claim something and have everyone take your word for it.”

She paused, then continued, “Physical evidence or witnesses will do. Just produce one, and I’ll have my second brother return the amaryllis to you.” She turned to Lin Kuangyi and asked, “Junior Brother Lin, do you find this handling acceptable?”

Lin Kuangyi gave a wry smile, “Alright.”

With a Golden Core cultivator standing there, especially one with a promising future, how could he dare disagree? Besides, Su Qingjun’s reasoning was sound, leaving him little room to argue.

“Proof?” As all eyes focused on He Changsheng, he looked bewildered and muttered, “Physical evidence? Witnesses? But it’s really the one I planted…”

The crowd remained silent.

The Su family members looked at him, the Lin family members looked at him, everyone was looking at him, as if the heavens and earth were watching him.

He knelt among the crowd, yet it felt like he was isolated in a cold, indifferent world.

After a long time, without Su Qingjun speaking, Su Mo sneered and said, “Hey, do you have any proof or not? Hurry up and tell us.”

He Changsheng’s face turned red, and he stammered, “Physical evidence, I don’t have any physical evidence. You don’t believe what I say anyway… Witnesses… Yes, witnesses!”

Suddenly, he leapt up, looking overjoyed, and shouted, “When I was planting the amaryllis, many people saw it. You, you, you all saw me plant it, right? Didn’t I plant the best amaryllis in this herb garden? Tell them!”

There was a slight stir among the crowd, but it quickly fell silent again. No one spoke up, and no one even whispered. When he pointed at others, especially those of the same lowly status as him, they either avoided his gaze or remained silent.

He Changsheng was stunned, his face turning ashen as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. But just then, his eyes lit up as if he had seen something. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly shouted and rushed forward.

The crowd parted, watching his movements. Su Qingjun and the others also watched as He Changsheng ran to the front and stopped in front of Lu Chen, whose expression had changed slightly. He Changsheng laughed wildly, grabbed Lu Chen’s hand, dragged him into the crowd, and then tightly held onto Lu Chen’s hand. With eyes full of hope and a trembling voice, he seemed to pin all his hopes on Lu Chen, saying, “Lu Chen, you… you’re my best friend. You know me best. Tell them, tell them, speak for me. Is that amaryllis mine or not?”

In that moment, all eyes fell on Lu Chen. Even Su Qingjun looked at him with a slightly surprised expression. The three Su brothers and the five Lin family members also looked at this lowly servant disciple with complicated expressions.

Lu Chen glanced around expressionlessly, then turned back to look at He Changsheng.

The man looked at him with eyes full of hope, like a drowning man clutching at straws. He tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace, and he softly said, “Lu Chen, help me, say something, say something…”

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