Chapter 2: The Chen Family’s Ancestral Teachings (1/2)

At sunrise, Mount Zhongnan, Gujing Temple!

At dawn, a young man wearing cloth shoes with many layers of soles and a faded, coarse cloth robe walked out of Gujing Temple, carrying a yellowed shoulder bag. Chen Sanjin, who had been waiting at the temple gate since last night, rubbed his swollen face with both hands and forced a stiff smile, “Sir, good morning.”

“You’re not curious why it’s just me following you down the mountain?”

Chen Sanjin replied, “The family teachings say that anyone who comes from Gujing Temple, no matter who they are, must be treated with respect. Even if a sparrow flies out of the temple, the Chen family must bow in greeting.”

Chen Sanjin paused and repeated emphatically, “This is the ancestral teaching.”

It wasn’t flattery from Chen Sanjin. The Chen family’s teachings have been passed down for nearly a century. The first rule is to prevent internal conflict within the family. The next two are: if the Chen family faces great misfortune, they must seek refuge at Gujing Temple; and the final rule is that anyone from Gujing Temple must be treated respectfully, without defiance.

Every generation of the family head has remembered this well. Even though most people don’t understand what the last two rules truly mean, anyone who becomes the family head is not a fool. The rise of the Chen family has always been closely tied to the name of Gujing Temple.

“Giving this much face?” The young man smiled, a little dazed, scratching his head and muttering, “Didn’t expect the ancestor to be so serious.”

“May I ask your name, sir?”

“Xiang, the name is Que,” the young man said wistfully. “Let’s go, we’re heading down the mountain.”

The two of them descended the hill. Jin Zhong, who hadn’t slept all night, suddenly sprang up from the ground. Seeing the two coming down, one after the other, he was stunned for a moment but quickly regained his usual composure and greeted them.

In all the years Jin Zhong had been assisting Chen Sanjin, he had never seen Chen Sanjin willingly walk behind anyone.

The three of them headed toward the mountain’s exit, not retracing their steps. Xiang Que, a native of Mount Zhongnan, knew of a shortcut that would take them to the foot of the mountain in a day.

“What’s going on with the Chen family?” Xiang Que asked.

Chen Sanjin furrowed his brows. His expression, which had been calm since entering Mount Zhongnan, now showed a trace of grimness, and his words carried an indescribable sense of helplessness.

“Three months ago, right after the Spring Festival, the sixteen business operations the Chen family was handling started running into problems. It wasn’t due to a broken cash flow, but for all kinds of inexplicable reasons. Within two months, these businesses all came to a standstill.” Business troubles didn’t hit Chen Sanjin too hard—Baoxin’s funds were so strong they could easily hold the company together. But the next part of the story truly unsettled him: “A month ago, the direct relatives of the Chen family began to show strange symptoms. My son and daughter—one was in a car accident and fell into a coma, the other fell ill with no diagnosis. Of my three siblings, two had issues, and my wife went mad, acting insane. The Chen family has almost all been cursed this past month.”

Chen Sanjin said, his voice cold, “Competing with people is always fun; the Chen family isn’t afraid of that. But when it comes to fighting against fate… there’s nothing we can do.”

Chen Sanjin’s words sounded somewhat bizarre, and Jin Zhong, who knew the story behind the Chen family’s troubles, didn’t understand where these strange words were coming from.

Xiang Que turned around and glanced at Chen Sanjin, saying, “Since the day your family was founded, has Gujing Temple ever told you anything you’ve forgotten?”

“Always remembered.”

Xiang Que continued, “If you hadn’t come to Gujing Temple this time, in half a month, you’d be facing the same situation yourself.”