Chapter 3

Three cars did not go up the mountain. After stopping at the foot of the mountain, Xiang Que got out, and He Jinzhong was left behind again. Only Chen Sanjin followed him, walking towards the large courtyard at the mountaintop.

"This road has been here for a long time. When the people of Gujing Temple told Chen Liang that the house must have a direct road to the foot of the mountain after it was built, it was just a small path in the early years. During my father's time, it was replaced with an asphalt road, and a few years ago, I rebuilt it again," Chen Sanjin pointed to the trees by the road and said, "According to what the people of Gujing Temple told us, sixty years after the Chen family rose to prominence, ancient trees should be planted along the road. These trees were all collected from various places. There are a total of 810 trees from the foot of the mountain to the top, and they are usually tended to by specialists."

Xiang Que did not say anything but closed his eyes and drew a line from his forehead to his nose with his index finger. After moving his hands over his eyeballs for a moment, he opened his eyes. Chen Sanjin, who was standing beside him, was startled when he turned his head. Xiang Que's two pupils had turned one black and one white.

Xiang Que looked at the Chen family mansion at the mountaintop, his eyebrows twitching. A black aura that ordinary people could not see enveloped the entire mountaintop, undulating and increasing in density every moment.

Chen Sanjin, unaware of the situation, said, "The Chen family mansion has always been built according to what the ancestors of Gujing Temple told us. All the details are recorded, and I am certain that nothing has been changed from the foot of the mountain to the top."

"You haven't changed anything, but who knows if someone else has," Xiang Que stepped up the mountain.

Chen Sanjin asked, "Sir, are you saying... someone is playing tricks behind our backs?"

"Or what do you think? Did the feng shui of Gujing Temple break itself? Your Chen family can still be wealthy and powerful for a few more generations, right? You're only the fourth generation, it's still early," Xiang Que said seriously, patting Chen Sanjin's shoulder. "There are two possibilities: either you've offended someone, or someone doesn't want your Chen family to continue thriving. Think about it, and see which one fits."

"The latter," Chen Sanjin said without hesitation. "Someone doesn't want our Chen family to continue."

Although Chen Sanjin had adhered to a low-profile approach over the years, and the Chen family's name was unknown to ordinary people or businessmen, those at a certain level knew of the existence of this vast business empire. The saying "a tall tree attracts the wind" best explains this. Simply put, the Chen family had too much money, and someone wanted a piece of it.

Worse still, it could be that the other party wanted to take over the Chen family.

Xiang Que said, "The demons and spirits that have been set against you have cost a lot."

Chen Sanjin asked, "It took a lot of effort?"

"Of course, it did. Is tiling the Great Wall a small project? The effort put into messing with your family is about the same," Xiang Que rubbed his head, saying, "It's a bit tricky. Although it was my master's work from a few decades ago, it's not easy to break now. The person who has messed with your Chen family clearly has some skills and is not just a minor player in the underworld."

"Then, I'll leave it to you, sir," Chen Sanjin said sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. I'll treat it as a break. Don't worry, I won't hesitate. Whoever did this, I'll deal with them. We can't let them get away with it. The face of Gujing Temple is not so easily tarnished," Xiang Que said, walking quickly towards the mountaintop.

Chen Sanjin followed behind him and suddenly asked, "Sir, are you from Northeast China?"

"Sort of. For the first ten years, I was, but for the next twelve years, my master brought me from Northeast China to Zhongnan Mountain, and I never came down again," Xiang Que turned his head to the east, his lips twitching. "That old man is a real scoundrel. He said my destiny was bad and that I would harm my family if I stayed at home, so he took me to that mountain valley for over ten years. I almost forgot what my parents look like."

After finishing his rant, Xiang Que walked towards the Chen family mansion, not saying another word. His fingers were constantly calculating inside his sleeves, and his eyebrows were often furrowed.

When they reached the front of the Chen family mansion, Xiang Que suddenly stopped, looked up, and pointed at the octagonal mirror on top of the two red doors. "The mirror is broken."

"Broken?" Chen Sanjin's heart skipped a beat. He looked up and saw that the mirror was still hanging there, without a single crack.

This mirror had been there since the Chen family established their home here, hanging on the door. Before he died, Chen Sanjin's father had repeatedly instructed him that the mirror must not crack, break, or fall, and it must remain intact no matter what happened in the family.

To ensure this, Chen Sanjin had cameras installed on both sides after he took charge and assigned a dedicated person to watch over it.

The Chen family had many strange rules passed down orally from one generation to the next, not written down. Although Chen Sanjin found these rules confusing, no one took them lightly.

Because when the Chen family's patriarch stepped down, he would always tell the successor that the family's prosperity was closely tied to these rules.

But at this moment, the mirror looked fine to Chen Sanjin, still hanging intact on the door. He looked at Xiang Que suspiciously, who squinted and said, "Have someone take it down, and you'll see."

Chen Sanjin nodded and said to the servant who had come out to greet them, "Bring a ladder."

A moment later, two people brought a ladder to the door. One of them climbed up and touched the mirror, and unexpectedly, the mirror shattered and fell to the ground, startling the person, who fell off the ladder, his face pale. "Mr. Chen, this... I... I just..."

"It's not your fault, don't worry," Chen Sanjin waved his hand. He clearly saw that the mirror shattered the moment the person touched it. The person hadn't practiced iron palm, so how could he have such strength just by touching it?

Xiang Que didn't say anything and walked into the Chen family mansion. Chen Sanjin asked from behind, "The mirror is broken, sir. My father once told me that the mirror must not be damaged."

"Have someone buy an identical one and hang it up again."

"Huh?" Chen Sanjin was a bit confused.

Xiang Que said, "Buy one to put up for now. After we solve the problem, I'll fix it. Then, the mirror will be the same as before."

After entering the Chen family mansion, Xiang Que fell silent. For over two hours, he walked around the courtyard with his hands behind his back, almost covering the entire area. He walked from the main house in the front to the artificial hills, garden, pond, and pavilion in the back, covering every place he could walk.

"I'm exhausted," Xiang Que muttered. "Old Chen, why did you make your house so big? It's tiring. Are you just burning money? You're really overdoing it."

Chen Sanjin responded, "Yes, just burning money."

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