Chapter 2: The Chen Family Descendants

Due to the locals in Chen Village knowing that the owner of the mortuary prefers peace and quiet, no one would come to disturb him unless there was something significant. Outsiders, due to the lack of guiding lights along the way, dared not venture into this remote area on their own. Therefore, Xu Changqing walked along the path in peace. When he reached the foot of Peach Blossom Mountain, he suddenly stopped. Dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the moonlight and starlight, making the surroundings pitch black. Despite this, Xu Changqing seemed to be able to see through the darkness. He turned his head and looked toward the peach orchard, a smile appearing on his face as he said, "Come out! Your heavy breathing can be heard even by the deaf!"

The surroundings were silent, with only the chirping of some southern insects in the cool air, as if telling Xu Changqing that only these small insects were present. Xu Changqing shook his head with a smile and said, "If you don't come out, I'll leave!"

As he said this, he prepared to walk up Peach Blossom Mountain. At this moment, a hurried voice came from where Xu Changqing had been looking, saying, "Big Brother Xu, wait! Wait! Don't go, we're coming out."

Only to see that as the voice sounded, five lanterns were lit under several peach trees, and three men and two women walked out from under the trees. Under the dim light, all five were dressed in the latest Western fashion, looking very vibrant. The two leading figures were the youngest children of Chen Deshang, the boy named Chen Tao and the girl named Chen Yu. They were sent to England by Chen Deshang when they were eleven or twelve years old to study Western culture at Oxford University, where Chen Deshang's eldest son, Chen Jingguo, had studied. They returned once or twice a year. When they were young, they had a very good relationship with Xu Changqing, always following him around, running through the mountains and fields, like siblings.

Among the three people behind the Chen siblings, Xu Changqing had only heard about the identity of the blue-eyed, blond foreigner from Chen Deshang. He was a British nobleman named Sean Wylde, currently a lecturer at Oxford University, teaching Eastern civilization. When Chen Jingguo was studying, he was his roommate and best friend. Once, Chen Jingguo saved his life during an assassination attempt, and they became sworn brothers according to Chinese customs. When the Chen family expanded their business abroad, he provided significant help. This time, he came to China with the Chen siblings to experience the Chinese culture he had long admired.

Although Xu Changqing was not clear about the identities of the other two people, from their demeanor, appearance, and attire, he was almost certain that they were the children of some merchants from Shanghai, who had received very high education by Chinese standards.

Xu Changqing looked at the people walking over, pointed at the two Chen siblings, and said, "You two just got back, and you're already causing trouble, running around here. If your father finds out, he'll definitely punish you!"

"Big Brother Xu, you're the one who loves Xiao Yu the most!" Chen Yu quickly pulled on Xu Changqing's sleeve, cooing, "You won't tell Father, will you? You won't let Xiao Yu get punished!"

"Alright! Stop pulling! I won't tell Mr. Chen!" Xu Changqing was covered in goosebumps from Chen Yu's cooing and quickly pulled his sleeve out of her hand, stepping back and tapping her forehead, saying, "You little girl, it's fine to pull and tug when you're young, but now you're a grown woman. If your future husband sees this, he might want to break the engagement!"

Chen Yu rubbed her forehead, wrinkled her nose at Xu Changqing, then turned and glared at the young man in a neatly pressed suit with neatly combed hair, waving her fist and saying haughtily, "He dare! If he dares to break the engagement, I'll beat him until he swallows his words."

The young man cooperatively shrank his neck, then walked up to Xu Changqing and bowed respectfully, saying, "Zhang Yuan greets Mr. Xu!"

Xu Changqing now knew Zhang Yuan's identity. He was the second son of the famous Zhang family in Suzhou, whose father was a well-known merchant in Shanghai with close ties to the French Concession's consul. The Zhang family and the Chen family had some business dealings, and their relationship was extraordinary. Zhang Yuan had lived in Chen Village for two years when he was young, and it was during that time that the two families arranged a marriage between him and Chen Yu. The Zhang family's business had once been suppressed by Hu Xueyan, but later, with the guidance of Xu Changqing's master, they managed to save their business and expand it. Therefore, the Zhang family was very aware of the abilities of the mortuary owner's lineage and treated Xu Changqing with the same respect as Chen Deshang.

"Stand up! We're all young people, no need for such formalities!" Xu Changqing helped Zhang Yuan up, then turned to look at Chen Tao, who was standing next to the Western-dressed woman, and asked, "Xiao Tao, aren't you going to introduce this young lady?"

"No, no!" Chen Tao quickly shook his head, his face turning slightly red. He moved aside and introduced the woman, "This is Miss Xie Ling, the daughter of the famous Shanghai textile magnate Mr. Xie Zhengjun. She once attended the Chinese-Western Girls' School and is a rare Western-educated woman in China."

"I'm not as good as you say!" Xie Ling smiled at Chen Tao, then turned and gave Xu Changqing a graceful Western bow, saying, "Miss Xie Ling greets Mr. Xu!"

Xu Changqing nodded slightly. At this moment, Chen Tao was about to introduce Sean, but Xu Changqing raised his hand to stop him. He stepped forward, raised his hand to Sean, and spoke in very fluent English, "I have long heard of Mr. Sean's reputation, and it is a great honor to finally meet you!"

Xu Changqing's spontaneous English not only stunned the young Chinese people but also made Sean momentarily speechless. However, he quickly recovered and immediately shook Xu Changqing's hand firmly, saying with surprise in his not-so-fluent Chinese, "I have also heard much about Mr. Xu from Jingguo. Although I have not met you in person, your fluent English today has already made me feel that this trip was unnecessary!"

Xu Changqing, who was clearly used to such flattery, remained calm, smiled faintly, and then turned to Chen Tao and asked, "It's time to release the lanterns by the river. Why are you all here?"

Chen Tao seemed embarrassed to say, lowering his head and saying, "Big Brother Sean wants to experience the mysterious ancient Chinese culture, and you are... so..."

Xu Changqing seemed to sense Chen Tao's thoughts, his brows slightly furrowed. Chen Yu, seeing the situation, quickly interjected, "Big Brother Xu, you are the most learned person in Chen Village, so we..."

"Tell the truth!" Xu Changqing looked at the Chen siblings coldly.

The Chen siblings felt that Xu Changqing was getting angry, as if facing their father, and lowered their heads, not daring to speak. Sean also sensed their difficulty and quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation, saying, "Mr. Xu, please don't blame them! This was mainly my idea. I have long heard that Mr. Xu is proficient in Chinese magic, so I encouraged Xiao Tao and the others to come and see."

"We are also responsible! Please don't blame us!" Zhang Yuan and Xie Ling also stepped forward to share the blame for the Chen siblings.

"You are really causing trouble!" Xu Changqing frowned, his face turning dark, and angrily said to the Chen siblings, "Have you forgotten when you were young, you secretly went to the mortuary to watch the master perform magic, and then fell seriously ill, almost losing your lives? Now, after recovering, you have forgotten the pain. It's one thing for you to be mischievous, but now you're bringing others here. This time, I will definitely tell your father to teach you a lesson!"

"Don't! Don't!" The Chen siblings, hearing that Xu Changqing would tell Chen Deshang about today's events, immediately panicked, signaling to Sean and the others and quickly admitting their mistake, "We were wrong! Big Brother Xu, we were wrong, okay? Please don't tell our father, I beg you!"

Seeing the Chen siblings so anxious, Sean and the others also realized that the matter might be serious and quickly stepped forward to plead on their behalf. However, Xu Changqing seemed to ignore them, instead looking toward the dark fork in the southeast, his face turning from dark to surprised, and he muttered to himself, "Damn, why did he come at this hour? Is that old man crazy?"

The others looked at Xu Changqing in confusion, then turned to follow his gaze toward the fork, but saw only darkness, nothing else.

Xu Changqing ignored the puzzled looks of the five people, withdrew his gaze, and calculated something with his fingers, frowning in thought for a moment. Then he said to Chen Tao and the others, "You all follow me up the mountain immediately. Whatever happens, do not make a sound or ask questions, understand?"

Hearing that there was a chance for a turn of events, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, their faces showing surprise and joy. Chen Tao was still a bit worried and timidly asked, "Big Brother Xu, will you still tell Father about tonight's events?"

Xu Changqing's expression softened, and he tapped Chen Tao's head, then turned and walked up the mountain. His tall, slender figure quickly disappeared into the darkness, and a voice came from the darkness, saying, "This time, I'll let it go. If there's a next time, even if Mr. Chen spares you, I won't!"

Hearing Xu Changqing's words, everyone finally relaxed and, led by the Chen siblings, quickly followed with their lanterns up the mountain to the mortuary.

Although Peach Blossom Mountain is called a mountain, it is actually just a small hill. When the Chen family first bought it, it was just a barren hill. Later, the first mortuary owner planted peach trees all over the hill. Strangely, after planting the peach trees, no wild grass grew on the hill, and the peach trees matured and bore fruit within a year. The peaches were large and red but tasted very bitter. However, a type of white-headed crow loved to eat these peaches. Whenever the peaches ripened, these white-headed crows would fly over to eat them, and once they finished, they would immediately fly away.

At first, some villagers in Chen Village found Peach Blossom Mountain very strange and wanted to investigate. However, because the entrance to the hill was guarded by people sent by the Chen family, they could only pass through the peach orchard to reach the hill. No matter how they walked, they would always end up back at the entrance. Only then did the villagers of Chen Village respect and fear the mortuary owner, and the place became a forbidden area due to the strict orders of the Chen family.

Since the hill was not high, they soon arrived at the mortuary. On the main gate, besides the signboard, there was a couplet on the two large pillars: "I walk alone in the world, and I am the only one who roams freely outside it!" The signature was "Nine Stream Idle Man," and the words exuded a sense of solitary pride in the midst of a corrupt world.

The mortuary was built very simply, just a regular quadrangle. Standing at the entrance, one could see everything inside clearly. The inner courtyard, paved with blue stone bricks, had only a few simple stone tables and benches, and a few bamboo plants in the southeast corner. This simple scene made Sean, who had high hopes, feel a bit disappointed. In his imagination, it should have been like a water and land ceremony in the mountain city, with a high platform, strange symbols drawn in cinnabar on yellow cloth hanging around the courtyard. The reality was a stark contrast.

At this moment, Xu Changqing came out of the main hall in the back courtyard, carrying two bags of glutinous rice. Seeing the five people had arrived, he invited them to sit on the stone benches in the courtyard, then carried the rice to a room on the left that looked like a bathhouse, pouring the rice into a large wooden tub filled with water. After everything was prepared, he tested the water temperature, nodded, and returned to the main hall, where he took out two packs of incense, combined them, and walked to the room on the right. As he entered the room, the hand holding the incense trembled slightly, and the incense seemed to be ignited by an invisible flame, with sparks appearing at the top, and a strange fragrance instantly filled the entire courtyard.

Xu Changqing's expression was solemn, and his movements were respectful. He walked to the character "Dao" written on the front wall, held the incense with both hands above his head, bowed slightly, and performed a bow. After three bows, he inserted the incense into a bronze incense burner in front of the character "Dao" and said mysteriously, "Please take your time, don't rush. In a few days, I will send you on your way. I hope everything goes smoothly then!"

By the faint light of the incense, the room's interior could be vaguely seen. On the ceiling, over two thousand peaches were hung with thin threads. If one looked closely, each peach had a faint human face, male and female, old and young. As Xu Changqing spoke, the incense smoke slowly rose, then condensed in the air, forming a very peculiar sphere, which gradually took the shape of a Taiji diagram. When the Taiji diagram was fixed, the smoke seemed to come alive, extending over two thousand tendrils, each connecting to one of the two thousand peaches, forming over two thousand conduits. The expressions on the peaches became very pleased as the smoke flowed into them.

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