Chapter 57: The Main Bloodline of the Chen Family

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Since Chen Dongfang had spoken as he did, I couldn’t very well tell him, “You can’t just wash your hands of this, you must intervene.” All I could do was nod and say, “Uncle Dongfang, I’m sure you have your own plans.”

I’m not a fool. I understood that when Chen Dongfang claimed he hadn’t interfered, he actually already had. I could sense that he was an exceptionally steady person, and everything he said and did to Tang Renjie held a deeper meaning. From what I could gather, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement, or perhaps a rule, underlying all the complicated affairs in Fudi Valley. This rule was adhered to by both Elder Liu and the person behind Chen Dongfang. Most likely, the rule was that no killing was allowed, and now that Tang Renjie had broken it, Chen Dongfang had spoken as he had.

Chen Dongfang nodded. He didn’t waste words, nor did he seem eager to spend time on pleasantries. He spoke directly and with a certain abruptness, so much so that it almost felt as if his next sentence was unrelated to the last. He continued, “I, Brother Tianhua, and Tang Renjie were comrades back in the day. We were the closest of friends—outsiders called us the Iron Triangle. I’m sure Tang Renjie told you as much; on this, he wasn’t lying. Brother Tianhua was older than the two of us and took great care of us. But I think you can see for yourself—Tang Renjie is not a man who values friendship.”

“I agree. I don’t have a great impression of him,” I replied. I didn’t say it outright, but my meaning was clear: my impression of you is much better.

Chen Dongfang smiled at me, patted my shoulder, and said, “There’s something Tang Renjie definitely won’t tell you. Back when your father knew he was dying, he entrusted Tang Renjie with the secret of the Twelve Ghost Caverns, hoping he would keep investigating. But Tang Renjie quickly handed over your father’s notes to Elder Liu as a pledge of loyalty.”

“The secret of the Twelve Ghost Caverns?” I was instantly excited, feeling as though the truth was right before me. I nearly stared at Chen Dongfang’s mouth, desperate for his next words.

But the next thing he said was, “I know your eldest brother is very capable, but compared to Brother Tianhua in his prime, he’s still too inexperienced—and so are you. That’s why I can’t tell you too much; it’s for your safety. You must also know not to get too deeply involved. You can sense how complicated all this is, but it’s even more tangled than you imagine.”

My mouth felt dry with disappointment. I wanted to say, “This isn’t the answer I want! Stop telling me it’s for my own good and refusing to explain everything. If this keeps up, I’ll die from frustration.” But that was something I could say to my brother, because I knew he’d never be upset with me. With Chen Dongfang, this unfamiliar “uncle,” I couldn’t bring myself to say it. Put simply, my brother would always indulge me; Chen Dongfang would not.

“Let’s leave that aside. I’ll tell you about the Chen family of Fudi Valley, including the secret of the Feng Shui Eye and the Dragon Head Stele,” Chen Dongfang said.

Though I was curious about this too, it felt like a consolation prize compared to the secret of the Twelve Ghost Caverns. Still, I nodded and replied, “All right.”

Chen Dongfang said, “Society has changed—there are no more clan leaders. But you know, in the old days, your third great-uncle would have been the clan leader of the Chen family in Fudi Valley. The secret of the Dragon Head Stele was passed down only through the direct line of clan leaders, told by word of mouth from the old leader to the new one at the moment of succession. According to tradition, the clan leader was not allowed to leave Fudi Valley; he had to stay there to guard the Dragon Head Stele. So, by rights, my grandfather should have passed the secret of the Stele to my father—your third great-uncle—who would then have passed it on to me.”

At this point, Chen Dongfang paused. I was used to such twists and turns from those in the know. In fact, when I heard him say “should have,” I already sensed this so-called consolation prize wouldn’t come easily either. Sure enough, he continued, “The direct line of clan leaders, in the old days, was the family of landlords. During my grandfather’s time, the family suffered a great calamity. To protect your third great-uncle, my grandfather arranged for him to leave, while he stayed on alone in Fudi Valley. It isn’t hard to imagine how much he suffered in those years. The result was that, when my grandfather was dying, my father—your third great-uncle—wasn’t by his side. The secret of the Dragon Head Stele was never written down; it was only passed on by word of mouth. Forced by circumstances, my grandfather had to reveal the secret to other members of the Chen family. Can you guess who?”

“Who? Uncle Zhuzi?” I asked.

“You’re half right,” Chen Dongfang replied.

“Half? How can there be a half?” I asked, puzzled.

Chen Dongfang smiled and said, “My grandfather was a cautious man. If he hadn’t been, he couldn’t have arranged for my father to escape that disaster. So, he actually split the secret and entrusted it to the two people he trusted most, giving each half. The two would keep each other in check, and before my grandfather died, they swore a solemn oath to reveal the secret to my father upon his return, and then to forget it themselves. Chen Zhuzi was one of them, so you’re half right. The other was Chen Shitou.”

Hearing this, I wasn’t surprised—not exactly. I’d already been suspicious of Chen Shitou, so this answer, while unexpected, made sense in hindsight.

Chen Dongfang went on, “No one can truly see into another’s heart, not even someone as cautious as my grandfather. You can probably guess what happened next. Chen Zhuzi honored his promise and, when my father returned, told him his half of the secret. But Chen Shitou broke his oath—and unfortunately, the half he knew was the most crucial part. Chen Shitou did everything he could to acquire the other half, so you should realize that the deaths of both of Chen Zhuzi’s wives were no accident.”

“Chen Shitou was a feng shui master, at the very least an expert in Yin-Yang and the occult. Didn’t your grandfather know?” I asked.

Chen Dongfang replied, “That half of the secret was enough for Chen Shitou to trade for many things, you see? In the end, he and Tang Renjie were birds of a feather. But even with the vital half, he couldn’t do much without the other. Later, my father, Chen Zhuzi, and Chen Shitou reached a balance, an agreement: no one was to meddle with anything from the Twelve Ghost Caverns. In exchange, Chen Shitou could place his own child at the Feng Shui Eye, hoping for his family’s rise.”

I nodded, “But the Chen Shitou family didn’t seem to benefit from any feng shui protection, and that child might not even be his.”

Chen Dongfang nodded as well. “It’s already impressive that you noticed that. My father and Chen Zhuzi both knew that someone as ambitious as Chen Shitou would never be content with the feng shui blessings of a mere valley. He also knew that breaking his oath would, in itself, destroy his fortune. So, the child buried under the Dragon Head Stele was actually the offspring of the corpse king from the Twelve Ghost Caverns. My father and Chen Zhuzi both knew this.”

“And they still agreed to Chen Shitou’s plan?” I blurted out in shock.

“Chen Shitou knew half, and they knew the other half. He thought the Dragon Head Stele was just an ordinary stone, but my father and Chen Zhuzi knew it was far more. So even if it was the corpse king’s child, as long as it was buried under the Stele, it would be suppressed forever,” Chen Dongfang explained.

The secrets Chen Dongfang told me were exhilarating, but just then, he handed me another cigarette and said, “I don’t know much. The secret of the Dragon Head Stele is bound by the Chen family’s ancestral rules—I can’t tell you. All I know is that it was Chen Shitou who killed my father, and he’s now working with Tang Renjie. I can’t stay here much longer. The reason I’m telling you all this is to ask you to look after the young lady.”

“The young lady? Who?” I was stunned.

“A troublesome girl, currently living in Chen Shitou’s house,” Chen Dongfang replied.

I felt my heart sink to my feet.

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