Chapter 48: Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Chen Xian’s series of unusual actions had left Su Cheng and Chen Xiulan especially puzzled. Once on the bus, they couldn’t help but ask Su Chunfeng, “What did your Third Maternal Grandfather say to you?”

Su Chunfeng answered happily, “Third Maternal Grandfather told me I must study hard. If I can get into university and graduate smoothly in the future, he’ll help me get a job in the city.”

“Oh…”

The couple nodded with mild skepticism, yet felt extremely pleased as they thought to themselves: Chunfeng has been clever since he was little, he’s really cut out for studying. Look now, even his Third Maternal Grandfather Chen Xian—that incorruptible, impartial, and fiercely upright official who recognized neither friends nor family—liked and took special care of him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruying, who had also returned home, asked with a face full of confusion, “Old Chen, why were you suddenly so warm to Xiulan’s family today? And that child named Chunfeng… you seemed very focused on him.”

“Mhm, that child is unusual.” Chen Xian nodded, not saying much more. He took off his thick coat, hung it on the coat rack, and turned to go into his study.

Jiang Ruying sat in the living room, baffled: Su Chunfeng is unusual? So what? There are plenty of smart kids in this world. He’s just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy. Why would her husband pay him such attention, and because of this child, suddenly act like a different person today, showing such extraordinary care for this family?

In the study.

Chen Xian sat quietly at the small circular table on the balcony. He lit a cigarette, leaned back against the very comfortable, springy rattan chair, slightly closed his eyes, and brooded with a sigh. “It’s been an unlucky year…”

He had faced enough troubles over the past six months.

His daughter got divorced. What was once a strong political alliance and in-law relationship had now turned into opposition. Coinciding with this were the rapid changes in the nation’s political and economic climate. From the targeted reform plans of the central government to the shifts at the provincial and city levels, all greatly impacted the power struggles between local factions. As the saying goes, fortunes change over time. Chen Xian, whose political career had once been smooth, now found himself in unprecedented difficulty.

Some minor issues that were once insignificant, or that his strategies and power could easily suppress, were gradually surfacing under deliberate manipulation.

Chen Xian could even imagine that he might soon suffer a disgraceful fall from power.

Moreover, he would inevitably become a pitiful pawn thrown out as the final compromise between factions!

Tension, fear, helplessness, despair… all these negative emotions tangled together, making it nearly impossible for him to sleep peacefully for over half a year. Thus, he often found himself reminiscing about that fiery red era of his youth, a period filled with passion, fervor, and chaos, which allowed his naturally strong political instincts to propel him upward.

He remembered that year of the mass rallies. When Chen Xian traveled to another province and, together with local revolutionary comrades, denounced an old man he had never met, he merely exchanged a few glances with the elder. For some inexplicable reason, he began to pity and sympathize with the old man. He then secretly released the old man that very night.

Grateful, the old man performed a Divination for him and gifted him an obscure, difficult-to-understand verse. It subtly pointed out his future life path: “When demons dance, humanity fades; in a world ablaze, do not raise your head in pride. One day when dark clouds scatter, protect yourself with armor and spear. Thirty years vast and bleak, righteous iron drives tigers and leopards away. Do not soil your heart with selfish desires, and your political journey may be long.”

That night, Chen Xian, as if bewitched, wanted to take the old man as his master, but the old man refused.

The old man told him, “You are not suited for this path. In your future, you must avoid contact with people from the Esoteric Arts. Do not harbor thoughts of relying on secret arts to act. There are three thousand great paths; only through one’s own strength can one prevail.”

“Why?” Chen Xian asked unwillingly.

“With righteousness vast and mighty, why fear the shadowy and sinister?”

The old man, who had endured humiliation and suffering, gave a carefree smile and hobbled away, disappearing into the deep darkness of the night.

The next morning, however, Chen Xian was utterly perplexed by his own actions of saving the old man the previous night. This made the old man seem even more mysterious and unfathomable. Later, he inquired about the old man’s background. The locals weren’t very familiar with him either, saying only that he was a wanderer who had ended up there during the war years, eking out a living by fortune-telling and divination. Coinciding with that special era, when all “ox-ghosts and snake-spirits” were being swept away, this mysterious old man suffered unjust calamity…

To this day, Chen Xian didn’t know the old man’s name, nor had he ever seen him again.

Two years later, Chen Xian, with his extremely high political aptitude, keenly sensed the great changes about to sweep the land. He immediately withdrew from the turbulent currents and chose to enlist in the military.

It must be said that in the turning points and choices of his life, he was influenced by that Divination the mysterious old man performed for him.

Later, after military service and transitioning into politics, over thirty years had passed. Because of the old man’s influence and his profound memory of the old man’s mystery, Chen Xian often paid attention to rural rumors about Esoteric Techniques. He had also encountered some so-called “reclusive masters,” but they mostly disappointed him…

Because he never again experienced that mysterious, eerie feeling he had when he was with that old man.

Only now, with his political fate in jeopardy, did Chen Xian recall the old man’s admonition and that verse. He vaguely began to feel some regret.

The prophetic words had long ago sounded in his ear, yet he never took them as a constant warning bell!

Thus, filled with regret, Chen Xian now desperately hoped that through mysterious Esoteric Techniques, he could escape the dire situation and hopelessness he currently faced. For this, he had even devoted himself to studying and researching I Ching knowledge for over six months. He arranged Feng Shui setups in his home and office, hoping to quickly find a way out and be reborn from desperate straits…

Today, by chance, he saw Su Chunfeng’s unusual hand gesture. Chen Xian immediately felt inexplicably excited, as if he had found a lifeline, and was immensely agitated.

Truly, desperate times call for desperate measures…

And the facts turned out just as Chen Xian judged and hoped: Su Chunfeng truly was someone who possessed Esoteric Techniques!

But he absolutely never expected that he would be harshly insulted by this half-grown child, who then delivered a forceful counterattack and threat with clear words and a fierce attitude!

Moreover, after the conflict arose, that kid could quickly switch to acting as if nothing had happened. In front of the elders, he put on a show, flaunting the simple, honest, somewhat shy, and shameless demeanor typical of his age! The speed of his changing expressions, the depth of his scheming mind, the ruthlessness and decisiveness of his nature—how could he be like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child?

Thinking of Su Chunfeng’s parting words, “As long as you maintain an upright and honorable character, naturally evil cannot invade you, and you will turn misfortune into blessing,” Chen Xian couldn’t help but heave a long sigh.

These words perfectly matched what that mysterious old man said over twenty years ago.

But the person he was now…

It was too late for regrets!

Suddenly remembering his earlier conversation with Su Chunfeng in the study, Chen Xian abruptly stood up and strode out. With a stern face, he sharply instructed his wife, “Where’s Yufang?”

“She went out after eating half her meal,” Jiang Ruying replied, somewhat puzzled by her husband’s serious, angry expression. “Old Chen, what’s wrong?”

“Call the pager service immediately and tell her to come back!”

“Old Chen,” Jiang Ruying frowned slightly. “She’s an adult now. Don’t be so strict with her all the time. Besides, she just got divorced not long ago, she’s in a bad mood. It’s good for her to go out often to relax and have fun.”

“You don’t understand a thing!” Chen Xian rarely lost his temper and swore. He paced back and forth angrily in the living room, gesturing towards the window as he scolded, “If she were out meeting friends, singing and dancing, or even traveling, I wouldn’t care! But she’s out there messing around with some shady, unorthodox people, dabbling in weird, mystical stuff! It disturbs the peace at home, and she herself will suffer deeply from it! It’s simply unreasonable! If we don’t discipline her now, she’ll go crazy sooner or later!”

Seeing her husband so furious, Jiang Ruying, though full of confusion—not understanding what he was talking about or how he knew their daughter was involved with unorthodox people and that “weird, mystical” stuff—didn’t dare argue. She hurried to the sofa, picked up the phone, and paged her daughter, telling her to come home immediately.

Chen Xian sat on the sofa, tiredly raising a hand to massage his temples.

He was now like a startled bird, seeing enemies everywhere!

…

After returning from Pingyang City, because of this conflict with Chen Xian, Su Chunfeng became even more determined in his resolve. Even if he never became an Occultist or entered the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts in this life, he absolutely must cultivate Esoteric Techniques.

Now, the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts was reviving. Within ten years, it would fully integrate into society.

Therefore, wanting to safely stay out of the Jianghu, ensure a peaceful life for himself, and prevent friends and family from being implicated… simply adopting an escapist attitude was definitely not feasible.

Among the five arts of metaphysics—Mountain, Medicine, Fate, Divination, and Physiognomy—the reason the “Mountain” school could transcend the mundane world and remain unaffected by outside influences wasn’t just because its practitioners sought a different path from the other four arts. The “Mountain” school’s transcendence and rarity of conflict over interests with those in the Jianghu of Esoteric Arts was certainly an important factor. But there was another extremely important and more practical point: within the “Mountain” art, there were many practitioners with extremely high cultivation realms. Among those practicing the other four arts who had entered the Jianghu, who would dare easily provoke or drag someone from the “Mountain” school into trouble?

As for Chen Xian knowing his identity, Su Chunfeng didn’t care.

In his memories from his past life, there was no news of Chen Xian falling from power or other negative information. The two families had little contact, and later, Su Chunfeng only knew that Chen Xian had retired.

But seeing how much Chen Xian cared about the Esoteric Art of Qimen today, Su Chunfeng could be sure: Chen Xian’s political career was finished!

This wasn’t because Su Chunfeng was particularly clever, prescient, or knew much about officialdom.

It was because he clearly understood: those in high office do not enter the mystical world; those hidden in the Jianghu do not enter high office—this was an ironclad rule passed down for thousands of years, a warning bell left for later generations at great cost by countless people!

As for the threatening and intimidating words Su Chunfeng left for Chen Xian, they were even less significant.

Because, he hadn’t done anything at all in Chen Xian’s home.

First, with his current cultivation level, he absolutely dared not perform any Art Casting in the home of a high official like Chen Xian. The powerful Backlash would directly kill him. Even someone who had reached the Awakening Spirit Realm would never do such a foolish thing over a trivial matter, harming the enemy a thousand while damaging themselves eight hundred. Second, with Su Chunfeng’s current cultivation, without proper preparation of ritual tools, and without choosing the right time and place in advance, it was simply impossible to perform a long-lasting Esoteric Technique that could cause real harm to someone.

However, Su Chunfeng dared to be sure that even if Chen Xian fell from power, he wouldn’t dare spread the news of his possessing secret arts, for fear of provoking his anger.

The reason was simple—Chen Xian had a guilty conscience. In his desperate state, trying anything, he was probably already seeing enemies everywhere now.

And because he believed in Esoteric Techniques and understood something about them, it made Chen Xian even more afraid of these mysterious, arcane things—the Esoteric Art of Qimen could kill without a trace, bring calamity upon generations… this was no joking matter.