Heaven’s Shadow

Chapter 169: Familial Affection

“I’m going out for a walk,” Su Qingjun said to Madam White and turned to leave. However, just as she had turned halfway, Madam White suddenly called out to her, “Qingjun, come here and sit down. I have some things I want to discuss with you.”

Su Qingjun’s body stiffened. After a moment of hesitation, she furrowed her brows and spoke softly to Madam White, “Mother, I’m a bit pressed for time right now. Can we talk after I take care of this matter?”

Madam White stared at her, her expression gradually darkening. She said flatly, “Is there truly anything in this world more important than your parents?”

Su Qingjun was taken aback and speechless. She turned to face Madam White and said, “Mother, how could you think that? I have never had any disrespectful thoughts toward you.”

Madam White looked at her for a moment, then sighed deeply. “Good daughter, of course, I believe you. Come here,” she said, gesturing for Su Qingjun to come closer.

Su Qingjun hesitated but eventually walked over slowly.

Madam White stood up and gently embraced her daughter, showing a touch of affection on her face as she murmured, “In this world, is there really any parent who doesn’t love their own child? Qingjun, I am truly thinking of you.”

Su Qingjun was silent for a moment before saying, “Mother, I… still don’t quite understand what you mean.”

Madam White shook her head. “Are you in such a hurry to leave because you want to go to your brother’s side?”

Su Qingjun’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Madam White. “Mother, how did you know?” She paused, then her expression grew colder. “So, you know what Su Mo did?”

Madam White waved her hand dismissively. “That child is just a bit unruly. He was beaten badly last time and had no way to vent his frustration. He didn’t dare to trouble you directly, so he vented his anger on a trivial servant. What’s the big deal?”

Su Qingjun’s eyes revealed a mix of shock and anger as she whispered, “That’s not right!”

Madam White snorted. “In Kunwu City, there are countless wealthy families and young people who take out their anger on servants. Beating and scolding is commonplace. It’s not as if you haven’t seen this before.”

Su Qingjun bit her lip and, after a long pause, said, “Mother, it’s different. He’s a Kunlun disciple…”

“A mere servant disciple,” Madam White raised her voice, “Without talent or background, how is he any different from our household servants?”

Su Qingjun’s hands clenched slowly inside her sleeves, her head hanging slightly.

Seeing her expression, Madam White seemed to soften a bit, lowering her tone as she said gently, “Qingjun, you are the most outstanding person in our Su family and the one your father and I cherish and have high hopes for the most. If nothing unexpected happens, the future of our family will undoubtedly be entrusted to you. Even if you are devoted to cultivation and uninterested in worldly matters, your younger brother, when he takes over the family business, will certainly be obligated to serve and honor you. Remember always that we are family, and blood is thicker than water. Nothing compares to this.”

Su Qingjun slowly lifted her head and suddenly asked, “Mother, did Su Mo say something to you?”

Madam White glared at her. “What Su Mo says or doesn’t say is irrelevant. He is your own brother.” She continued calmly, “You’re young and already have reached the Golden Core stage. Your future is limitless. Not to mention Nascent Soul, even a Soul Formation cultivator is within reach. With such a bright future ahead, how could a worthless servant disciple be worthy of you?”

Su Qingjun was stunned, then slowly shook her head in disbelief and said, “How can you think like this? How can you say such things…”

Madam White’s expression grew stern. “Am I wrong? Are you willing to swear on your life that you have no feelings whatsoever for that man named Lu Chen?”

Su Qingjun was about to speak but fell silent, eventually giving a bitter smile and saying, “Mother, you’re overthinking this. It’s really not like that. I…”

“Everyone has been young!” Madam White abruptly interrupted, coldly saying, “Which young person isn’t infatuated with the romantic ideals of youth? It’s natural. There’s nothing extraordinary about it. Even when I was young, before marrying your father, I was also moved by the charms of a roguish and carefree young man. But what happened in the end?”

She smiled faintly and didn’t continue, instead gently holding Su Qingjun’s hand and saying, “Qingjun, listen to your mother. I am doing this for your own good.”

Su Qingjun took a deep breath and shook her head. “Mother, I think you’ve really misunderstood. I swear on my life, from the moment I joined Kunlun for cultivation, I have never had any personal feelings. But this matter has nothing to do with Lu Chen. Su Mo has targeted the wrong person!”

With that, she turned and quickly walked towards the door of the hall. Madam White suddenly shouted, “Stop!”

Su Qingjun paused and turned back to look at her. “Mother, I’ve already told you…”

Madam White coldly said, “Look at yourself now. You’re so anxious and flustered over an outsider with no connection to us, rushing to trouble your own brother?”

Su Qingjun raised her voice, “I’m not going to trouble him. He made a mistake. If he has the ability, let him come find me. It was I who injured him. How can he vent his anger on someone else…?”

“Slap!” Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed from the hall. Madam White, with a stern face, had given Su Qingjun a heavy slap.

Su Qingjun covered her cheek with her hand, her eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at Madam White, her voice trembling, “Mother, you… you…”

“I’m trying to wake you up!” Madam White said coldly. “What? Now that you’re a Golden Core cultivator, do you think you’re so impressive? You can crush me with a single finger, so why not come over and kill me with a sword?”

Su Qingjun took a step back, her face showing pain as she shook her head. “Mother, I… how could I…”

Madam White took a deep breath, calming her own agitation, and then fixed her gaze on Su Qingjun. “Qingjun, listen. Your father and I are not young anymore. In this world, who truly lives forever? Our only wish is for you and Mo’er to support each other throughout your lives. There is no bond stronger than blood. If you don’t trust your own brother, who will you trust?” Seeing Su Qingjun, she raised her voice with unusual anger and said, “But now you’re going to trouble your brother over an outsider. How can I ever rest easy in my hundred years of afterlife?”

“Are you trying to make me die from anger?!”

She scolded Su Qingjun as if she were a child she was disappointed in, her eyes even glistening with unshed tears.

Su Qingjun retreated in confusion. The figures of her parents and mentors had always been figures she respected and was taught to honor. She had always followed these teachings, and no one had ever said she was wrong. Everyone praised her as a model daughter.

But everything seemed to change suddenly today.

“Are you trying to make me die from anger?” Her mother’s angry voice thundered again in her ears, leaving her dizzy and her mind blank. She stumbled back a few steps, almost instinctively trying to leave.

“Listen, I’ve already chosen not to hold the incident where you injured Mo’er against you, considering we’re family,” Madam White’s cold voice came from behind her. “But if you dare to trouble him again, I will headbutt the wall in this hall and die right in front of you!”

Su Qingjun’s body shook violently, her face turning pale. She turned to look at Madam White, as if seeing a stranger she had never known. Two lines of tears flowed down her cheeks, and she trembled, “Mother, how could it come to this, how could it come to this…”

Madam White, with a stern face, turned away and no longer looked at her. “If you really dare to defy me, then try it for yourself. Otherwise, get out of here immediately and go back to Kunlun Mountain. Leave right now!”

Her final words were harsh and urgent.

Su Qingjun stared at her, then slowly walked out of the hall. Under the strange gazes of the servants, she wiped away the tears from her face with her hand.

Could she pretend to still be perfect…

She walked slowly, step by step, forward.

The sounds of cruel laughter and cries of pain from deeper in the mansion continued intermittently, mixed with the gleeful, malicious laughter of those who delighted in the suffering. But her steps continued to lead her towards the gate of the Su residence.

Sky and earth, parents.

High as a peak, heavy as a mountain.

She looked up at the sky, which seemed boundless and vast, stretching infinitely.

Her face was ashen, devoid of any color.

Unknowingly, she had reached the gate of the Su residence. The guards hurriedly came forward to meet her, with Lao Li at the forefront. Seeing Su Qingjun’s expression, he asked with concern, “Miss, are you alright?”

Su Qingjun didn’t respond to him. She simply stared blankly at the stone steps in front of the Su residence, never having imagined that these steps could be so difficult to walk.

Isn’t the hardest thing in the world the intricacies of human relationships?

With a pale face, she stood in front of the grand family gate, under the plaque bearing the Su family name. The people around her exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak.

She stood there, not knowing for how long. The wind brushed against her body, her hair and clothes fluttering gently, and gradually, a sense of coldness emanated from her.

Clear as water.

Cold as ice!

She suddenly turned around and looked at Lao Li. Her voice, like a clear bell in the wind, untainted and calm, asked quietly, “Lao Li?”

“Ah?”

“Is there a table in your house?”