Heaven’s Shadow

The blood-red setting sun illuminated the evening horizon. Beneath the setting sun, the tea mountain towered solemnly at the convergence between shadow and light. Even the tranquil Dragon Lake reflected the color of dusk.

Bloodstains could still be seen on the ground, and a freshly constructed grave accompanied the lake in solitude. Everything seemed as though it had been tidied before, and all that awaited were the harsh weathers ahead. By the time the darkness had quietly descended, there wasn't any sign of anyone left on the tea mountain, just a figure in the distance slowly moving further and further, slowly treading into the darkness.

The sky had turned dark by the time he caught sight of the straw cottage at the foot of the mountain once more. The bizarre and mournful wind blew through the tea mountain once more, and sounds reminiscent of the crying of ghosts and the howling of wolves echoed by the foot of the mountain.

The night was like water while the darkness was like waves, fully submerging the foot of the tea mountain. This made the straw cottage appear exceptionally forlorn.

As Lu Chen was walking down the mountainous paths, other than still having the bloodstains on him, he had already completely restored his usual, peaceful expression. The bizarre black flames had disappeared at some point in time, seeming as though it had never appeared on his body in the first place, leaving not a single trace behind.

He walked down toward the straw cottage, taking a glance at the village below before entering his cottage. Under the night sky, the village, shrouded in total darkness, was silent. Not the slightest ray of light could be seen, as though the entire village had fallen into a deep sleep.

Lu Chen stood by the entrance of the straw cottage and stretched out to push his door. Jiya, the wooden door creaked open. Gusts of cold wind blew behind him, leaving eerie crying sounds in its wake

On taking the first step into his house, his body paused at the entrance for a moment. Despite being cloaked the darkness, the straw cottage was how he remembered it.

Things were where they should be, and there was no unfamiliar scent. Even the blankets on top of the bed, located in the depths of the cottage in the shadows, were exactly how they looked when he left this morning.

Lu Chen stood quietly for a brief moment. Then, he lifted his head and glanced upward.

Complete silence.

Not even a single speck of dirt could be seen floating in the air, needless to say, any withered grass blades or leaves.

In the darkness, Lu Chen's pupils narrowed abruptly.

※※※

"Wu..."

A surge of cold, bewailing wind blew across, carrying bone-chilling sounds that resembled the eerie wails of ghosts at night... it was another ordinary night in summer.

Still standing at the door, Lu Chen seemed to have thought of something all of a sudden. He stretched his back lazily, gave his neck a few shakes, then glanced at the village beneath the mountain once more. Inconspicuously, he withdrew the foot that had stepped over the entrance of the straw cottage. Then, rubbing his stomach, along with a somewhat anxious look, he scanned the environment before turning to head toward the gloomy forest.

Resembling undulating waves, darkness permeated the surroundings of the straw cottage at the foot of the mountain. The wretched mountainous forest seemed to be looking coldly upon Lu Chen's lonesome figure.

A breath of haze expanded with the waves of darkness and permeated the surroundings of the straw cottage. It was like a small, quiet stream, adorned with tiny ripples, that flowed continuously. The black haze engulfed the small cottage from all directions.

Lu Chen walked to the edge of the jungle, even opening his mouth to yawn. He seemed to be completely oblivious to the ink-like dense congregation of darkness that was slowly approaching him.

The wind whistled lightly, contributing to the sinister atmosphere of the night.

Suddenly, the darkness billowed, as though giant waves had formed in the quiet but massive river, the waves rough and imposing, baring its fangs savagely and frenziedly as it surged over. Almost the same moment, perhaps even a split instant before the darkness raged, Lu Chen who had been standing so peacefully by the side of the jungle, even to the extent of lazily, turned around suddenly and jumped into the jungle.

In an instant, furious curses echoed in the air. In the previously silent and empty night sky, more than a dozen of blurred shadows appeared instantaneously out of nowhere and pounced forward in all directions.

A bright gleam severed the darkness, reflecting sharpness that commanded fear. Cutting through the empty air, it flew straight toward Lu Chen's figure. However, in that precarious split moment, Lu Chen had already dived into the jungle one step earlier.

Curses rang from the jungle as well, as the human silhouettes began to move in the darkness once more. It seemed that there were people in the jungle as well, but there weren't as many as there were outside. Perhaps, no one thought it possible for him to dash in, so they were unprepared, resulting in a chaotic situation within the forest.

Clashes between swords could be heard here and there. Soon, amidst the sorrowful wind, a person moaned in a deep and melancholic voice. Blood had been drawn in the darkness.

Outside the forest, the "shadows" rushed into the forest without hesitation, carrying a killing intent so stifling that it felt like a heavy mountain; it was as if the entire forest was stained with the stench of foul blood.

The mountainous wind blew across and the forest shook violently, as though a small boat in the middle of a raging ocean. Yet, it was impossible to see what was happening inside.

※※※

Whenever it came to night in Clear Stream Village, the entire village would turn completely silent and all lights would be extinguished. However, this particular night seemed exceptionally silent, as well as exceptionally dark.

The only light in the village came from a small tavern.

On top of the table, a flask of wine and a cup was placed beside a candle, and a young gongzi was drinking on his own, without company.

He poured himself a cup of wine and sipped on it, only to shake his head in disappointment. Smiling gently, he glanced at the floor beside his foot and said, "The wine isn't good."

The small tavern was very quiet. Other than the young gongzi, only Old Ma was present. He was still dressed as how he was in the morning, just a pair of giant pants due to the sweltering heat. However, at that moment, he appeared to be in a mess and he seemed to be in excruciating pain. His limbs were bound together tightly by a thick rope. As though a swine awaiting to be slaughtered, he was thrown to the floor, by the side of the young gongzi.

The words that the young gongzi had spoken were directed at Old Ma.

Old Ma didn't seem to be in good shape at the moment. His face was much larger than how it usually was due to swelling, and there were blue and purple patches all over, as though he had been beaten up mercilessly. The edges of his mouth were torn and bleeding. However, compared to the current state of his body, these all seemed to be entirely negligible.

On Old Ma's white and plump body, there were at least seven to eight strokes of deep cuts, the cuts meeting each other at his chest. At the same time, his back was a bloodied mess and it was almost impossible to find an area of unhurt skin on his body.

Beneath him, fresh blood had already accumulated into a puddle, seeming to slowly seep into the ground.

At that moment, Old Ma was already gasping weakly for breath as he slumped exhaustedly on the ice-cold ground. Other than the barely noticeable movements at his chest as he breathed and his eyes that were opened with difficulty, he looked as though he would die at any moment.

Hearing those words, Old Ma's stupefied eyes stirred briefly. Lifting his head, he laughed, even though this caused the flesh on his face to convulse.

He said, "It's just a rural village, there is nothing that can be done about it."

The young gongzi smiled tenderly and a trace of admiration appeared in his gaze directed toward Old Ma, "Have you thought it through yet?"

...