The darkness was as quiet as the surface of a sea under nightfall, with no sound but an undercurrent of unease. The outlines of the objects in the room were blurred and indistinct, yet no warmth was present.
Ah Tu was not in the room.
Lu Chen sat in silence for a while before slowly standing up.
Darkness enveloped him, silently swirling around.
Lu Chen looked around and saw everything that should have been in the room, except for the limping black dog. He remained silent, his eyes emitting a faint glow in the darkness. After a moment, he went to the back of the house, crouched down, and saw the small dog hole created by the earthquake was still there.
Everything was the same as usual, but Ah Tu, who always returned to sleep at night, was missing.
Lu Chen stared at the dog hole for a moment, then suddenly stood up and walked swiftly toward the door. With a creak, he yanked the door open. In an instant, the deep night darkness outside poured in like a flood, revealing a pitch-black night with no trace of light.
The vast land outside was unusually desolate that night, with no sign of life.
A cold wind swept across his face, carrying a chill that seemed to seep into his bones.
The night was bleak.※※※
When dawn arrived the next day and the first rays of morning light filtered through the window, Lu Chen, sitting on the edge of the bed, glanced up at the morning light.
The morning light was gentle but still carried a hint of cold, as if the chill from last night had not yet fully dissipated. However, once the sun rose, all the darkness and cold would vanish.
He had spent the night in the room, but Ah Tu still had not returned.
Lu Chen’s face showed no sign of excessive fatigue, only a coldness in his gaze.
As the sun rose, Kunlun Sect also seemed to awaken from its slumber. Many people opened their doors and went out, and Lu Chen, blending in with them, started a new day.
He walked with a calm demeanor, without anxiety or exhaustion, moving towards his own patch of spiritual field in the Liu Xiangpu garden as if it were any other ordinary day.
At the entrance to the garden, he encountered many other miscellaneous disciples like himself. They all exchanged greetings and smiles, as they were all familiar with each other.
Lu Chen responded in kind, smiling and nodding to those around him as if nothing had happened.
As he was about to enter the garden, He Changsheng walked past him. Lu Chen glanced at him, and their eyes met. He Changsheng smiled slightly and, with a somewhat aloof tone, said, “Good morning.”
Lu Chen nodded and replied, “Good morning.”
After the exchange, the two went their separate ways, heading to their respective spiritual fields. A few paces later, Lu Chen paused briefly, looked back, and stared intently at the receding figure of He Changsheng.
※※※
The day passed uneventfully and quietly. As the sun set and dusk approached, the miscellaneous disciples in Liu Xiangpu garden began to pack up and prepare to leave.
Lu Chen left his spiritual field and walked out. On his way home, he intentionally took a longer route, passing by the newly assigned spiritual field for He Changsheng.
The field was empty.
It seemed that the diligent He Changsheng had left earlier that day. Seeing the vacant field, Lu Chen frowned slightly and then silently departed.
On his way back, he lagged behind the crowd. As he saw his own house in the distance with the setting sun casting a long shadow, he suddenly stopped.
He looked at his shadow on the ground for a moment, then turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Unlike the residences of the miscellaneous disciples at Stone Plate Mountain, those at Liu Xiangpu were treated much better, likely because the disciples here were more capable. Most of them had their own separate rooms, not closely packed together.
Lu Chen quickly found He Changsheng’s residence. After walking around the house, he realized there was no one inside, and He Changsheng had not yet returned.
He looked at the setting sun and then walked to the side, sitting under a large tree.
He waited there for a long time as the sky gradually darkened. The shadow of the tree moved over, obscuring his figure and making it appear somewhat blurred.
Until the sky was completely dark and the moon began to rise, a figure finally approached from afar under the night sky.
The figure walked at a leisurely pace, humming a few indistinguishable tunes with a seemingly cheerful mood.
As the person came closer, the light revealed it was He Changsheng.
He did not seem to notice Lu Chen sitting in the shadow of the tree by the roadside. He continued to walk proudly, oblivious to Lu Chen’s presence. Lu Chen did not call out to him; he merely remained hidden in the darkness, watching He Changsheng’s retreating figure with a cold gaze.
※※※
The night passed quietly.
Lu Chen lay in his bed, quietly observing the darkness of the room until the light returned in the morning.
That night, Ah Tu still did not come back.
In the morning, Lu Chen, like the other miscellaneous disciples, got up, washed, and went out. The cold expression he wore when he opened the door vanished, replaced by a warm demeanor as he greeted familiar faces and joked, heading toward Liu Xiangpu’s garden.
At the entrance to the garden, he saw a few people ahead, with one of them slowing down and turning to greet Lu Chen and his companions with a friendly smile.
It was He Changsheng.
As the sunlight touched He Changsheng’s face, he smiled at Lu Chen and then, with a concerned expression, said, “Good morning… Hmm, you look a bit haggard. Did you not sleep well last night?”
Lu Chen was taken aback and glanced at the people around him, saying, “Really? Do I look like I didn’t wake up?”
The others shook their heads with smiles, saying, “No, you look fine.”
Lu Chen relaxed, smiling at He Changsheng and saying, “You startled me. Actually, I slept quite well last night.”
He Changsheng’s smile seemed to falter slightly, but he nodded and said, “That’s good then.” He then turned and walked into the garden.
Lu Chen continued joking with his friends, his eyes following He Changsheng’s retreating figure. In the depths of his gaze, a flicker of dark fire briefly appeared.
Another ordinary and peaceful day passed. At noon, Lu Chen left his spiritual field and took a leisurely walk around the garden. When he passed by He Changsheng’s spiritual field, he found it was empty again.
The spiritual herbs in the field looked a bit droopy, and the surrounding weeds were overgrown, as if neglected for a long time. Lu Chen glanced at the scene, stood by the field for a moment, and then turned to leave.
It was as if the previous day was repeating itself. At dusk, Lu Chen again arrived outside He Changsheng’s house. After confirming that there was still no one inside, he sat down in the same spot as yesterday and began his patient wait.
As night fell, the sky was starless and moonless, making it seem darker than usual.
A cold wind blew through the mountains, bringing a hint of chill.
The branches and leaves of the large tree rustled, casting shifting shadows. Lu Chen sat in the darkness, blending with the shadows.
He waited longer this night than the previous one. Even as the curfew hour approached, he finally saw He Changsheng’s figure returning from the distant road.
But tonight, He Changsheng seemed different from yesterday. He no longer had a light step or a cheerful demeanor. Instead, he walked with a frustrated expression, muttering curses and seeming quite agitated.
As he got closer, Lu Chen could see several tears and faint dark stains on He Changsheng’s clothes, which looked like… bloodstains.
“Damned… son of a bitch… fucking bastards…” He repeatedly muttered curses, his face showing a grimace of deep hatred, as if he wanted to exact severe retribution on someone.
He entered his house amidst the curses.
The night wind blew cold.
The leaves rustled.
In the shadow, Lu Chen’s gaze seemed to ignite with a silent, dark flame! He stared coldly at He Changsheng’s back but remained unmoved until he entered his house.
After a while, Lu Chen stood up and walked into the deeper darkness, disappearing from sight.
※※※
That night was windy and cold.
Lu Chen lay in his bed, surrounded by darkness, and despite the late hour, he couldn’t sleep. He stared at the seemingly boundless shadows, where the darkness seemed especially dense, as if something unusual was taking shape, silently twisting and turning. Occasionally, a fleeting glimmer of light appeared, only to vanish like a shooting star.
In the silent, deep night, it felt as if the world was left in solitude.
At that moment, Lu Chen seemed to hear his own heartbeat.
The surrounding silence was terrifying.
Until… a faint sound suddenly drifted in from somewhere in the night.
It came with the wind.
Delicate, gentle, like a breath or a soft murmur, approaching bit by bit, struggling.
In the darkness, Lu Chen suddenly sat up, his eyes wide open, turning to the direction of the door.
The cold night wind blew.
Outside, from somewhere in the dark, a faint sound emerged, like a sigh or a call, a ghostly murmur in the deep night that sent chills down the spine.
Lu Chen got out of bed, strode to the door, and yanked it open.
The darkness surged in like a tidal wave, overwhelming him entirely.
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