The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

Zhu Chen's expression was serious. "I just performed a divination and discovered a major change in the hexagrams."

"So, I need to go back first. After I retrieve something, we can perform a divination together!"

"That won't be necessary. Just tell me what you need, and I'll have someone fetch it. I might even have it here."

Zhu Chen nodded. "I need a tortoise shell and ancient coins. However, my tortoise shell is rather special. It would be best if I went back to get it."

Xiao Ye sent someone to the Zhu family.

Almost two hours later, the tortoise shell finally arrived.

The two of them began the divination together.

Xiao Ling stood to the side, watching quietly, with no intention of interrupting.

After a long while.

The hexagrams finally manifested.

Zhu Chen's expression changed slightly. "I just did a reading for the Xiao Family recently. Their fate was excellent, but now... it's actually changed!"

"Beneath the vibrant life force, there is an aura of death, and it's spreading rapidly."

"Xiao Ye, we have to find a way to stop it, or... the Xiao Family's destiny will likely be exhausted!"

This was also the first time Zhu Chen had seen a hexagram like this. All he could do was state what he saw; he had no solution to offer.

"This aura of death is just too strange. It's impossible to trace its roots, so I have no idea where it's coming from!"

One or two hundred years ago was arguably the last golden age for the Taoist School.

Afterward, it gradually fell into decline. With no one to carry on the traditions, a new generation hadn't risen to take the place of the old.

As a result, many of the Taoist School's teachings and artifacts have now been all but lost. Only a tiny fraction remains, preserved within family lineages.

Xiao Ye nodded. He didn't believe Xiao Ling's words, but he trusted Zhu Chen.

Among all the disciples of the great families, he was the only one without ulterior motives, a person solely dedicated to his cultivation.

People like him had a sincere heart and a transparent mind, making them more trustworthy than anyone else.

"Zhu Chen, what do you think we should do now?"

Zhu Chen shook his head. "This is a matter for your Xiao Family. It's not my place to say much. Besides, I don't fully understand the situation. I think you should be the one to decide."

'Rashly interfering in another's karma could bring trouble to the Zhu family.'

'No matter how good his friendship with Xiao Ye was, there were some things he just couldn't do.'

"I understand." Xiao Ye looked at Xiao Ling. "Go and write down the contents of the Xiao Family's archives from memory."

Xiao Ling had taken the archives with him back then. When he awoke in the darkness, they were long gone. For the past twenty-plus years, he had spent every day surviving on his memories of their contents.

It was safe to say he knew them by heart.

Without a word, Xiao Ling immediately did as he was told.

He wrote quickly, but his handwriting was excellent.

After looking it over, Xiao Ye handed it to Zhu Chen.

"What are your thoughts?" Xiao Ye intended to cultivate Zhu Chen's potential, wanting first to confirm if his mind was as pure as he suspected.

If so, he would definitely support Zhu Chen in the future.

He would not only help him become the Patriarch of the Zhu family but also help him take the throne as the foremost figure in the Taoist School.

As for Xiao Ye himself, his mastery of Daoist arts was on a higher level, but he had no interest in such empty titles.

Just managing the Xiao Family was busy enough. If he had to deal with the people of Daoism as well, it would be even more trouble.

Zhu Chen nodded and took the papers. "There's a lot of information recorded in these archives. Based on what you two said earlier, the location of the ancestral grave is indeed different from what's written here."

"The archives are the foundation of a family's legacy. They are unlikely to be wrong. Besides, they aren't recorded by a single person; others would have transcribed and checked them."

"Therefore, this location should be the correct one."

Xiao Ye stood up. "Your thoughts are the same as mine."

He looked at Xiao Ling. "Since you were the one who said there was a problem with the ancestral grave, you'll come with me."

He didn't trust Xiao Ling's identity, but some of the things he'd said had indeed come true.

Continuing the investigation based on Xiao Ling's claims was the safest course of action.

If this was just a smokescreen the other party had deliberately set up, he was confident he could uncover the truth.

Zhu Chen prepared to take his leave. "Then I'll be going."

"You're coming with me."

Zhu Chen was taken aback. "To the Xiao Family's ancestral grave? That's not appropriate. I'm an outsider."

"You may be an outsider, but you're also a member of the Zhu family. Other people have hired you to inspect their ancestral graves. What, is the Xiao Family's off-limits?"

"Of course it isn't." At this point, Zhu Chen had no way to refuse and could only agree to go along.

Throughout the entire exchange, Xiao Ling didn't interject, nor did he show any intention of participating. He just followed behind them obediently.

Zhu Chen couldn't help but keep looking back at him. "Xiao Ye, do you have any idea how famous Xiao Ling used to be in the Imperial City?"

Although Xiao Ye had heard the stories, hearing it from an outsider would be more convincing.

"I only know he was the Xiao Family's once-in-a-century genius."

"It was more than that!" Zhu Chen lowered his voice. "I heard that not only was Xiao Ling a genius in academics, but he was also second to none in business. And that's not all..."

"He was a genius in practically every field. There was almost nothing he couldn't learn. He even had a photographic memory, and on top of that, he was a very upright person."

"I heard the Xiao Family suffered a disaster back then and started going downhill. It was he who single-handedly pulled the family back from the brink."

"At that time, many said that with him, the Xiao Family might be able to reach even greater heights. All of our families saw the Xiao Family as a major rival."

"But then, unexpectedly, something happened to Xiao Ling. Only a body was left behind. We all said at the time that someone must have acted out of jealousy."

The Xiao Family was in even more chaos back then. Xiao Ling took control of the family at a young age and naturally encountered a great deal of trouble.

"And now, to think I'm seeing him again... It's true, life is full of twists and turns."

"However, looking at his facial features, palm lines, and especially his eyes... he doesn't seem like a clone."

Zhu Chen also shared his own thoughts. "If he is a clone, then the person who raised him must know Xiao Ling extremely well. It's highly likely someone who was always with Xiao Ling back then."

"If you're going to keep investigating, that would be the best direction to take."

Xiao Ye nodded. He had thought of that as well.

It would be impossible to imitate someone so perfectly based on video recordings and observation alone.

"Let's check the ancestral grave first. We can deal with the rest later."

About half an hour later, they finally arrived at the location of the ancestral grave.

Judging by the poplar trees, it did look similar to the description in the archives, but the key difference was the location.

Zhu Chen walked a full circle around the area. "From a feng shui perspective, I don't see anything bad. On the contrary, this place is excellent."

"It's a place that nurtures outstanding individuals and blesses future generations. It also promotes a prosperous lineage and a peaceful household."

"This kind of feng shui arrangement is more than sufficient for the Xiao Family and also meets the requirements they would have had when originally searching for a grave site."

This was also why the Xiao Family had never once doubted their ancestral grave in all these years.