Chapter 3: Opening the Yin and Yang (1/2)

The three cars didn’t go up the mountain. They stopped at the foot, and Xiang Que got out. He Jinzhong was left behind, and only Chen Sanjin followed him as they walked toward the mansion at the top of the mountain.

“This road has existed for a long time. When the people from Gujing Temple told Chen Liang, they said after the house was built on the mountain, a road directly leading down the mountain had to be built. Years ago, it was just a small path. By the time my father’s generation, it was paved with asphalt, and then a few years ago, I rebuilt it.” Chen Sanjin pointed to the trees by the road and said, “According to what the people from Gujing Temple told us, after the Chen family had been successful for sixty years, ancient trees had to be planted by the road. These trees were collected from all over the place. There are 810 trees in total from the foot of the mountain to the top, and they are all carefully managed.”

Xiang Que didn’t respond. Instead, he closed his eyes and used his finger to trace a line from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. After pressing on his eyeballs for a moment, he opened his eyes. When Chen Sanjin turned his head, he was shocked. Xiang Que’s pupils had changed—one was black, and the other was white.

Xiang Que looked up at the Chen family’s mansion at the top of the mountain. His eyebrows twitched, and a dark, unseen force seemed to be enveloping the entire mountaintop, rising and falling, with the intensity of the black energy slowly increasing with each passing moment.

Chen Sanjin, unaware, said, “The Chen family mansion has always been built according to the instructions from the ancestors of Gujing Temple. All the details are recorded, and I’m sure nothing has changed in the layout from the foot of the mountain to the top.”

“You may not have changed it, but you don’t know if someone else has.” Xiang Que began walking up the mountain.

Chen Sanjin asked, “Sir, you mean… someone’s been messing with us from behind?”

“Otherwise, what do you think? Did the feng shui of Gujing Temple just break on its own? Your Chen family could have remained prosperous for at least a few more generations. You’re only on the fourth generation, right? There’s still time.” Xiang Que said, seriously patting Chen Sanjin on the shoulder, “So, there are two possibilities. Either you offended someone, or someone doesn’t want the Chen family to continue thriving. You figure it out, and then check these two directions. Whichever one fits, that’s your answer.”

“The latter,” Chen Sanjin said without hesitation, confidently making a judgment. “Someone doesn’t want the Chen family to keep going.”

Although Chen Sanjin had followed the principle of low profile for many years, and the Chen family’s reputation hadn’t been known to ordinary people or business folks, people at a certain level knew of the massive Chen family business empire. The phrase “the bigger the tree, the more it catches the wind” was the best explanation. In simple terms, the Chen family had too much money, and someone wanted to take a piece of it.

Even worse, it might be that someone wanted to take over the entire Chen family.

Xiang Que said, “Those ghosts and monsters dealing with you have spent a lot of effort.”

Chen Sanjin asked, “They’ve put in a lot of work?”

“Oh, definitely. You think installing tiles on the Great Wall is a big project? The effort they’ve put into messing with your family is about the same.” Xiang Que said, massaging his forehead, “It’s a bit tricky. Even though it’s something my master started decades ago, breaking it now isn’t easy. Whoever’s been messing with your family and causing all this trouble clearly knows what they’re doing. This isn’t some small-time character from the streets.”

“Well, thank you for your trouble, sir,” Chen Sanjin said sincerely.

“Trouble? Nah, I’m just out for some fresh air. Don’t worry, I won’t hesitate. Whoever did this, I’ll take care of them. No mercy. Gujing Temple’s face isn’t something anyone can slap.” Xiang Que grumbled as he quickly walked up the mountain.

Chen Sanjin followed him, suddenly asking, “Sir, are you from the Northeast?”

“Sort of. Ten years ago, I was in the Northeast. Then my master took me from there to Zhongnan Mountain, and I’ve never left since,” Xiang Que turned his head toward the east, his mouth twitching as he said, “That old bastard’s really something. He insisted that my fate was bad and that I’d be a bad influence on my family, so he dragged me from my hometown to that mountain hollow for more than ten years. Damn, I’m almost forgetting what my parents even look like.”