Chapter 1: The Ancient Well at the Foot of Mount Zhongnan
A moment later, a young man approached the boss, who without hesitation said: "Descendants of Chen Liang, your ancestors have advised that if the Chen family encounters misfortune, you may seek refuge at the ancient well in the Zhongnan Mountains."
At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, in a secluded valley, there lies a small village that is destined never to appear on the map of China
The three did not return to their respective places this time, but sat cross-legged under the old locust tree
Two days later, the sky will turn dark. Jin Zhong and the boss have already reached the top of a mountain. Both of them are holding binoculars, gazing towards the northwest. In the lens, the outline of a small village is faintly visible. The boss lets out a long breath, and the tension in his expression completely relaxes. He sits down on the ground, panting heavily.
Half of the energy minerals and real estate in Hebei are influenced by the Baoxin Group, and the name of Baoxin Group consistently ranks at the forefront of the commercial landscape in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei triangle area. Over the past few decades, its reach has extended beyond these regions, yet Baoxin remains a latent presence
Conversely, among those villagers who moved out of Gujing Village, although no family faced great misfortune, the number of long-lived individuals is not as high as in the village itself
In the country, there are some individuals whom you can pay to get on the list, yet they may still kick you out. Clearly, the Chen family belongs to those who do not make it onto the list
Because of the ancient well view, there are only three and a half people
The middle-aged man holding the iron sword stood up, lifted the wooden bucket, and placed it in front of the outer gate. He then turned and returned to the Sanqing Hall. After a moment, a crisp sound came from within the hall. When the middle-aged man returned again, he handed a rusty iron piece, measuring twenty centimeters in length, to the young man
Three off-road vehicles with the license plate Ji B arrived at the foot of the Zhongnan Mountain in a hurry. Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they could no longer drive in; to enter the mountain, they had to proceed on foot. After the vehicles came to a stop, several individuals from the first two cars got out and stood beside the vehicles with their bodies slightly bent. From the last off-road vehicle emerged a middle-aged man in his fifties, dressed in a tight-fitting black wool coat, his brow furrowed and his expression extremely haggard.
These three village rules have never been violated. Although hundreds of years have passed, the current villagers no longer know where the rules originated, yet they all understand one principle: the villagers in this village rarely fall ill and seldom encounter disasters. Essentially, every household lives a peaceful life. Among the eighty-one households, there are three hundred and twelve people, with as many as one hundred and nine individuals living past the age of one hundred. Those who reach the age of ninety can still work in the fields during busy farming seasons, rising with the sun and resting at sunset. In a radius of over two hundred miles, this village alone boasts such a high number of centenarians, which is truly astonishing. Essentially, every household lives a peaceful life. Among the eighty-one households, there are three hundred and twelve people, with as many as one hundred and nine individuals living past the age of one hundred. Those who reach the age of ninety can still work in the fields during busy farming seasons, rising with the sun and resting at sunset. In a radius of over two hundred miles, this village alone boasts such a high number of centenarians, which is truly astonishing.
Under the old locust tree, the disheveled old Taoist opened his murky eyes, slowly stood up, walked to the door, picked up a wooden bucket, and then returned to sit under the locust tree. At this moment, a middle-aged man holding an iron sword also walked over slowly, followed by a young man from the scripture pavilion who came last. The three of them sat cross-legged under the tree and opened the wooden bucket, which contained freshly cooked rice and three home-cooked dishes. The old Taoist, the middle-aged man, and the young man each picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.
The Baoxin Group is a synonym for a conglomerate that controls dozens of companies. What fewer people know is that the helmsman of Baoxin is surnamed Chen. Each time the domestic rich list is released and the gossip news follows, the direct descendants of the Chen family see the names at the top of the list and merely smile faintly, accompanied by a hint of disdain.
In fact, this Taoist temple has indeed seen little activity; for several hundred years, very few people have entered the Ancient Well Temple. Even local villagers do not casually step inside. Only during significant events do the clan leader or village head enter the temple, and on ordinary days, there are rarely any signs of people within the temple.
Most of the households in Gujing Village have begun to light fires for cooking. Moments later, a middle-aged woman from the thirty-ninth household stepped out, briskly carrying a wooden bucket as she walked towards the Taoist temple on the hill behind her home. Upon reaching the entrance of the temple, the woman placed the wooden bucket in the middle of the dilapidated gate, then respectfully bowed towards the interior of the temple without glancing inside, before turning around and leaving.
The average citizen is unaware of the existence of the Baoxin system and has never heard of it, and even the vast majority of merchants in the market are oblivious to it
In the Sanqing Hall, a middle-aged man sits silently in front of the Three Pure Ones statue, holding a rusted iron sword.
The village is called Gujing Village, and the temple that is maintained is called Gujing Temple
Regulation II of the village states that the ancestral houses of the eighty-one households may only be repaired and not dismantled or relocated. This means that the houses in the village must maintain their original appearance from the time they were built and cannot be moved in any way. Even if a house collapses and becomes uninhabitable, a new house identical to the original must be rebuilt on the same site.
For several hundred years, the number of households in the village has consistently remained at eighty-one, never exceeding or falling short of this number. This is one of the three village regulations.
The Gujing Temple is situated on a small hill in the center of Gujing Village, with eighty-one ancestral houses of the Gu family arranged in a scattered yet orderly manner around Gujing Village
Zhengduan stands at the foot of Mount Zhongnan, in front of the ancient well and the gate of Gu Guan
Zhongnan Mountain... People only know that Zhongnan Mountain has recluses and is home to the founder of Taoism, the Quanzhen School, haha, but few are aware that there is also an ancient well temple on Zhongnan Mountain. The boss stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked towards the foot of the mountain, saying: "From now on, everything you see and hear must be kept to yourself, not a word should be spoken out."
Loyalty and astonishment struck him, and even though his relationship with the boss had become closer, his expression turned serious at that moment. He could not recall the last time his boss had issued a warning to anyone.
The disheveled old Taoist and the young man simultaneously gazed at the copper coins on the ground. The young man's expression was one of astonishment, his demeanor peculiar, while the old Taoist looked up towards the northwest direction of the Taoist temple, remaining silent.
In the village, there are eighty-one households of villagers who must provide for the Taoist priest in the local temple for all eternity, and they must not go against this obligation; otherwise, they will be expelled from their ancestral clan.
The loyal man hesitated and asked, "Boss... we should bring a few more people for convenience in taking care of things, this mountain..."
There is also a young man in his twenties who spends all day in the scripture hall of the temple and rarely steps outside
Boss, it should be just ahead where we are going.
The rise of the Chen family of the Baoxin clan is little known, but those who are aware seem to have heard a rumor that the ancestors of the Chen family had some entanglement with a Taoist during the tumultuous years of war, and it seems that from that point on, the Chen family began to show signs of prosperity
The first two village regulations, while seemingly lacking in compassion, are still acceptable; however, the third village regulation appears to be somewhat outrageous
The middle-aged man said lightly: "You are leaving, and I have nothing to give you. Besides, whether my sword is sharp or not is of no importance."
Gujing Village is small, and Gujing Temple is even smaller; not only is it small, but it is also dilapidated
In Tangshan, Hebei, there exists a vast commercial empire known as the Baoxin Group
If someone were to gaze from a high vantage point, they would discover an astonishing scene: the arrangement of the eighty-one houses aligns perfectly with the positions of the Bagua, and the Taoist temple is situated precisely at the center of the hexagram.
The village is very small, only the size of a palm, with a mere eighty-one households, neither more nor less than one household.
Two days ago, in the northwest direction of Zhongnan Mountain
As for that half, it is the senior brother who stepped out of the ancient well eight years ago and has never returned
This is a custom that has been followed in Gujing Village for hundreds of years, where every day, three meals are delivered by a household to the front of the Gujing Temple.
This seems to be a Taoist temple without any incense offerings
The young man nodded and said, "Feel free to find a place to rest; I will accompany you down the mountain after dawn"
As the setting sun descends in the west, night falls upon the Zhongnan Mountains
An unkempt old man, dressed in a Daoist robe, who has been dozing off year-round under the old locust tree in the courtyard of the temple
In this generation, the head of the Chen family is named Chen Sanjin
Two individuals accustomed to a life of luxury in the city found themselves in a situation akin to the Long March after entering Zhongnan Mountain. What should have been a day’s journey on the mountain took them two days, leaving their bones feeling as if they were falling apart, suffering immensely, yet neither of them uttered a word.
The boss waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "It's just you and me; having more people would only complicate things."
Arriving at the foot of the hill, the boss instructed Jin Chong to wait below while he alone made his way to the temple on the hill. The dilapidated temple caused the boss to hesitate for a moment, but he soon regained his composure and stood in front of the door, tapping his fingers on the crooked temple gate that leaned to one side
The first rule of the village regulations is that the number of households in the village must be maintained at eighty-one. If there is one more household, they will be expelled; if there is one less, a new household must be established.
According to the family genealogy recorded on a piece of parchment in the village, the history of the village can be traced back nearly several hundred years. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the ancestors of the village had already settled in this hollow at the foot of the Zhongnan Mountains, and they have remained here ever since
The first two village regulations, violators will be dealt with in the same manner!
Since he began following his boss, no one in their territory can afford to receive a warning from his boss anymore
The dining scene was quite eerie, as the three individuals did not exchange a single word from beginning to end. The only sound was the faint noise of them chewing their food. These three people ate remarkably slowly, chewing each bite of food exactly thirty-six times, and at an excruciatingly slow pace. As a result, what would typically be an ordinary dinner took them nearly an hour to finish.
After the meal, the three of them simultaneously set down their bowls and chopsticks. The disheveled old Taoist suddenly felt his right hand's index and middle fingers tremble inexplicably for two moments. He furrowed his brow, then casually took out three copper coins from his robe, weighed them in his hand for a moment, and then tossed them onto the empty ground in front of him
Three and a half hours later, the sky had turned completely dark. Fortunately, the two of them quickened their pace and finally arrived at Gujing Village. By this time, almost all the lights in the village had been extinguished, and most families had already gone to rest. Jinchong and the boss did not linger and headed straight for the ancient well temple located on the hill in the center of the village
The middle-aged man gazed at the Zhongnan Mountain and seemed to let out a long sigh, then turned to the thirty-something man beside him and said, "Jin Zhong, you come with me up the mountain while the others wait here."
Loyal and deeply aware that his boss's decisions are unlikely to change once made, he immediately refrained from further discussion, took a large travel bag from the car, and followed the middle-aged man into the mountains
It is a pity that, from ancient times to the present, no one has come to the high altitudes of Zhongnan Mountain to witness this scene. In fact, even if someone were to fly in an airplane and look down, they would only find that the area above Gujing Village and Gujing Temple is perpetually shrouded in a layer of white mist, rendering the village invisible, and the temple equally unseen.
The Taoist temple dates back a long time, built concurrently with the ancient well village. Several hundred years have passed, and the temple has not undergone any repairs. The vermilion courtyard walls have long since collapsed, the two large doors are leaning to one side, and the floor tiles in the courtyard have all cracked. The main hall of the temple is even more dilapidated.
Regarding this matter, the Chen family never offers any explanations, nor do they deny or acknowledge it, as most members of the Chen family are also unaware of how this business empire was built. Only those at the helm of the Chen family truly know the secrets.
The old Taoist, who had been gazing towards the northwest, picked up the three copper coins in front of him and handed them to the young man, still not uttering a single word. This time, the young man did not stand on ceremony and directly accepted them into his hand, then sat down again beside the old Taoist under the locust tree.
The young man stared at the half of the iron sword left in his arms and said, "Master Uncle, what is the need for this?"
The more the middle-aged man walked towards his destination, the more his haggard expression seemed to ease, while the boss remained silent, and naturally, those who were loyal had no way to speak up.
The villagers primarily bear the ancient surname, and the clan leaders throughout history, as well as the current village head, are all individuals with the ancient surname