Heaven’s Shadow

The cool mountain breeze blew from afar, rustling people’s clothes and bringing a touch of chill. Two figures approached slowly from the distance, one old and one young—the elder was Yan Luo, and the young girl was Yi Xin.

They looked over from afar. Yan Luo frowned and gave Yi Xin an instruction. Yi Xin nodded and walked over.

In the midst of the crowd, under everyone’s gaze, Lu Chen had been silent for a while, while He Changsheng urged him, “Lu Chen, come on, you’ve seen my stone amaryllis many times before, haven’t you?”

At this moment, Su Qingjun suddenly stepped forward and looked at Lu Chen, saying, “Lu Chen, do you really know this person?”

Lu Chen was silent for a moment before nodding, “Yes, his name is He Changsheng. Like me, he is also a new disciple of the sect this year. I recognize him.”

Su Qingjun glanced at her brother Su Mo, who smiled back at her with a somewhat strained expression.

A glint flickered in Su Qingjun’s clear eyes, like a breeze stirring a calm lake, creating a slight ripple.

After a moment, she turned back to Lu Chen and said calmly, “We haven’t known each other for long, but since you’ve helped me cultivate the Red Amber Ginseng, you must be a trustworthy person. If you can prove this amaryllis is his, I will believe you.”

Lu Chen’s gaze lowered slightly, his lips forming a faint, ambiguous smile that seemed neither amused nor angry. It was unclear what he was truly feeling at that moment. Meanwhile, the crowd around them erupted into an uproar, and their gazes toward Lu Chen changed.

He Changsheng, on the other hand, was overjoyed, smiling broadly as he grabbed Lu Chen’s arm and exclaimed, “Quickly, tell us, tell us, that amaryllis is mine!”

Lu Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, he looked up and ignored He Changsheng, instead gazing calmly at Su Qingjun and her companions, as well as Lin Kuangyi and the others. “You can ask me whatever you want.”

Su Qingjun pondered for a moment and asked, “Among the miscellaneous disciples in the Liuxiangpu garden, is this person the best at cultivating stone amaryllis?”

“Yes,” Lu Chen answered directly.

He Changsheng laughed heartily, while Su Qingjun frowned slightly, then nodded. The expressions of the people from the Su and Lin families were mixed. Soon, Su Qian from the Su family stepped forward and asked, “May I ask you a few questions?”

Lu Chen replied, “Certainly, go ahead.”

Su Qian glanced at He Changsheng standing next to Lu Chen and asked, “Since you are familiar with He Changsheng, do you recognize this Zhang Zhi?” He pointed to the unconscious disciple still lying on the ground.

Lu Chen said, “I recognize him, but we don’t have much contact, so I’m not very familiar with him.”

Su Qian’s eyes lit up. “So you’re not familiar with Zhang Zhi?”

“Not familiar.”

“In that case, do you rarely visit Zhang Zhi’s field?”

“Almost never.”

Su Qian clapped his hands and said, “Then have you ever seen the stone amaryllis Zhang Zhi planted?”

Lu Chen remained silent for a moment and then said淡淡地：“I don’t recall. I probably never paid attention to it.”

Su Qian laughed and looked around, then with a slightly smug tone said, “Finally, I would like to ask you one last question. Are you absolutely certain that the stone amaryllis before us is not the one Zhang Zhi grew himself?”

Lu Chen fell silent again, and everyone around seemed to hold their breath. He Changsheng, in particular, became anxious, staring intently at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen lowered his eyes, as if carefully recalling and comparing internally. After a long while, he looked up at everyone and said expressionlessly, “No, I cannot be certain.”

“Boom!”

The crowd erupted like an explosion, with waves of voices and various expressions of surprise and disbelief. Lin Kuangyi and the others exchanged bitter smiles, as if they had anticipated this outcome. The three Su brothers were visibly delighted, while Su Qingjun’s face showed a subtle and unusual expression as she looked deeply at Lu Chen.

“You…you…”

A hoarse shout filled with disbelief and anger came from Lu Chen’s side. Suddenly, a pair of hands violently pushed Lu Chen, sending him stumbling backward and falling to the ground.

It was He Changsheng.

His face looked twisted, eyes bloodshot, and he glared at Lu Chen as if Lu Chen had shattered his last hope in life.

“You’re not human!” He screamed angrily at Lu Chen, “How dare you say that? You know in your heart that the stone amaryllis is mine, mine!”

Lu Chen stood up silently and looked at He Changsheng. His gaze was as calm and emotionless as the mountain breeze, showing no fear or sympathy. His eyes were as deep as the ocean, reflecting only silent darkness.

“I’m just telling the truth,” Lu Chen said calmly。

### Chapter 128: Like a Madman

“What truth are you talking about? What you’re saying is nonsense!” He Changsheng continued to scream angrily, seemingly losing control. His emotions were unraveling, and tears even streamed down his face as he pointed at Lu Chen and then at everyone around, shouting, “You’re all the same, none of you believe me! I’m clearly a good person!”

He wailed loudly, suddenly turning and running off, pushing through the crowd and disappearing in an instant.

As he ran off, the Su brothers seemed unwilling to let him go and showed signs of trying to block him. However, Su Qingjun cast a cold glance, and with He Changsheng’s current crazed demeanor, resembling a madman, the Su brothers decided to give up.

Nearby, Lin Kuangyi and a few others discussed quietly and then approached Su Qingjun with forced smiles, “Su Senior Sister, we were indeed at fault today. It’s our mistake for trusting that fellow and causing a misunderstanding with you. I’ll make amends later, just…”

“There’s no need,” Su Qingjun suddenly interrupted him, “Let this matter end here.”

Lin Kuangyi was slightly surprised but then appeared delighted, smiling, “That’s great. Thank you, Su Senior Sister.”

Su Qingjun looked at him and said淡淡地：“Lin Junior Brother, the Su family and the Lin family are not enemies; on the contrary, our families have been close for several generations. If this incident were to spread back to Kunwu City, you can be sure that even without my intervention, Uncle Lin wouldn’t be pleased. Have you considered this?”

Lin Kuangyi was startled and turned pale, hurriedly saying, “Yes, yes, Su Senior Sister is absolutely right. I was in the wrong. If you need any help in the future, just let me know. It would be an honor to assist you!”

Su Qingjun sighed and said, “Forget it, you can go now.”

Lin Kuangyi and the others quickly agreed and left in haste.

Su Qingjun glanced at Lu Chen, who was still standing there, hesitated as if wanting to say something but ultimately said nothing. She merely gave him a slight nod, then called out to Su Mo and the others, and left.

In the meadow, the onlookers began to disperse gradually. However, the image of He Changsheng’s mad behavior was deeply etched in everyone’s minds.

Soon, only Lu Chen was left in the crowd. He stood silently for a moment, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a girl standing not far away. It was Yi Xin.

She looked around to ensure no one was nearby and quickly ran over, gently tugging at Lu Chen’s sleeve, and whispered, “Brother Lu, don’t be upset. I saw everything that happened…”

“I’m fine,” Lu Chen interrupted her with a smile.

Yi Xin blinked and asked, “Really?”

Lu Chen smiled at the young girl, taking in her soft, graceful face and the hint of concern in her gentle eyes.

“It’s true. I’m really fine,” he said softly.

“Okay.” Yi Xin’s face lit up with a smile. She pointed ahead and said, “Master Yan is still waiting for me. I’ll go over now.”

Lu Chen smiled and nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”

Yi Xin smiled and turned to leave, her dress fluttering in the mountain breeze like a flower dancing in the air.

※※※

This scene and this incident soon passed. Some saw it as a thunderclap, as if the sky had split open, while others considered it a trivial matter.

From that day on, He Changsheng became enemies with Lu Chen.

Whenever they happened to cross paths, He Changsheng would glare at Lu Chen with extreme hatred, as if he wanted to kill him with his eyes.

Lu Chen was well aware of this blatant animosity. He found it somewhat amusing and tiresome, but he didn’t show it on the surface. Most of the time, he merely passed by He Changsheng with a calm, expressionless face.

A few days later, somehow, the matter was reported to the people at the Hundred Herbs Hall. It was said that a high-ranking official, displeased with the situation, informed the Hundred Herbs Hall. Consequently, the Hundred Herbs Hall took action. The Su brothers and Lin Kuangyi were unaffected, while the miscellaneous disciples were punished—He Changsheng, Zhang Zhi, and Lu Chen were summoned to the supervising cultivators and given a severe reprimand.

In the end, regardless of the twists and turns, Zhang Zhi and He Changsheng, as the instigators of the disturbance, were fined twenty spirit stones. Lu Chen, who was only called in as a witness and couldn’t be held accountable, was spared from fines but was scolded before being let go.

After that, He Changsheng seemed to become increasingly unstable, talking to himself and even carrying a sharp blade secretly, as if he were on the brink of madness.

Those living near him said that recently, He Changsheng’s most frequent words were, “I’ll kill you, I’m going to kill you…” (To be continued.)

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