I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 147 Breaking Through to Nine-Striped Corpse Demon, Master Golden Light Arrives (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
My hair has grown back?
Chen Mo immediately took off his straw hat and reached out to rub his head.

really……

His once completely bald head suddenly sprouted a lot of prickly hair. The speed of hair growth was indeed very fast, as could be felt by touch.

He immediately found a mirror nearby and looked at himself.

The hair is growing at a rate visible to the naked eye.

If he had learned at any other time that his hair had grown back... Chen Mo would naturally have been overjoyed.

But Chen Mo couldn't feel happy at this moment; his mind instinctively conjured up Zhong Lihong's thick, long hair...

Chen Mo knew that this wasn't his own hair at all...

A long-haired ghost!?

No wonder I haven't been able to find the long-haired ghost these past few days. It ate my ghostly shadow... and then followed my ghostly shadow to my body?
brush!
Chen Mo reached out and tugged at it, only to find that his hair was quite long and he couldn't pull it out!

If you try to pull it by force, you'll tear your head off.

Chen Mo realized that this was unreasonable.

You have to understand, you're not a person anymore.

It's a ghoul, a combination of ghosts and zombies. Its body is deathly still, yet incredibly powerful. Ordinary ghosts... are all afraid of zombies. How can a long-haired ghost grow on top of a zombie's head?
Is it because of... the Shikon Jewel?

Just as Chen Mo was pondering this, his hair grew to shoulder length and then temporarily stopped growing.

Her long, black, and glossy hair was truly a sight to behold.

Since Chen Mo himself was a corpse demon, he wasn't too alarmed by the long-haired ghost. He sat at the table, staring at himself in the mirror, gently stroking his jet-black hair.

Open the panel.

After some deconstruction, the information obtained completely matched the information obtained from the previous deconstruction of the long-haired ghost.

It is indeed the Shikon Jewel.

Chen Mo activated the power of eight ghostly incantations, attempting to impact the long hair. However, he found it had no effect. The hair was just like ordinary hair. He even used the power of a zombie to examine the scalp, but the hair showed no abnormalities.

Chen Mo took the scissors next to him and cut off a lock of hair.

With a "crack" sound, it hurt a lot, like a piece of flesh was cut off.

A tuft of hair fell, and immediately withered and burned itself.

The situation is similar to the two clumps of burning humanoid hair from before.

Just then——

hiss!
Chen Mo suddenly felt a stinging pain on his scalp. It turned out that the roots of his hair continued to grow downwards, breaking through the skin and entering Chen Mo's flesh, where they began to absorb his blood.

Before long, his hair had grown quite a bit longer. It looked almost exactly the same as before Chen Mo's hair loss. It was even blacker and shinier.

Almost simultaneously, the panel displayed information.

[The Shikon Jewel shard has absorbed your blood and merged into your body. This is not the original form of the Shikon Jewel. After merging with your body, it will enhance your cultivation and possess various unique properties. However, there will be significant side effects, causing you to lose your mind. You need a sufficiently strong mind to control it.]

[The Shikon Jewel is increasing your companion blood purity.]

How to improve the purity of associated blood?

He has such abilities?

Chen Mo remembered that he absorbed Guo Ziyu's symbiotic blood at Qingfu Residence. At that time, his cheat system had warned him that Guo Ziyu's symbiotic blood was of low quality. However, Chen Mo was in Honghe County at the time, and Guo Ziyu's aristocratic bloodline was the best option, which was unavoidable.

In Chen Mo's mind, the bloodline of a scion of a noble family is inherited from his parents, and the purity of that bloodline is determined at birth.

Can it be changed the day after tomorrow?
This Shikon Jewel... is truly wondrous.

Chen Mo simply sat down cross-legged, controlling the energy of his bloodline to prevent any unforeseen events. At the same time, he sensed the subtle changes in his bloodline.

Before long, another surge of blood energy appeared within his bloodline.

This blood energy is different from the blood energy of the Tangjiabao bloodline, but it is purer.

"My bloodline originates from the Tang Family Fortress's symbiotic blood. Now that I've obtained the Zhong Family's Four Soul Jade, this newly appeared symbiotic bloodline... could it be from the Zhong Family?"

"The purity of this bloodline is quite high, and it's still increasing..."

Chen Mo quietly felt the increase in the purity of his bloodline.

Before long, the purity of the bloodline stopped increasing.

Chen Mo sensed it for a moment and was quite surprised.

It was four or five times purer than the original in the body.

Although the bloodlines of different families may differ, the underlying principles are similar. It's like banyan trees and camphor trees; although they are different species, they can both be used for firewood, furniture making, and so on.

As a master of the Blood Mist level, even with his second bloodline, Chen Mo could easily use blood energy.

It runs for a short while.

boom!
Another surge of blood energy erupted within his body.

It is five times stronger than before.

It's really addictive.

"This is the difference caused by the purity of the accompanying blood."

Soon, Chen Mo refined the Zhong family bloodline into blood fire, true fire, blood mist... The whole process didn't take much effort, but the effect was amazing.

The power amplification of the Zhong family bloodline far exceeded that of the Tang family bloodline within Chen Mo.

Their combat power increased several times over.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Mo's body underwent another change.

The eight sticks of natal incense in the natal incense burner began to transform, and slowly a ninth stick of natal incense grew.

Chen Mo had long known that the Four Souls Orb could accelerate the evolution of life forms (including corpse demons) to a higher level.

But I never expected... the blessing would come so directly.

Without a a moment's hesitation, Chen Mo immediately maintained his natal incense burner, quietly "watching" the ninth natal incense stick sprout. Although it had only just emerged as a tiny tip, it was indeed the ninth natal incense stick.

boom!
Chen Mo's entire body trembled violently, his muscles and bones creaked, and waves of ghostly energy erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire room. Juan'er, standing to the side, was dumbfounded.

Although Juan'er was not afraid of Chen Mo, she was terrified of the extraordinary ghostly aura emanating from him, so she instinctively took a few steps back.

At this moment, Chen Mo was completely focused on his natal incense, so he naturally couldn't care about anything else, not even bothering to cover up the soaring ghostly energy emanating from his body.

He clearly felt that with the appearance of the ninth stick of his natal incense, his ghostly cultivation had greatly improved. His six senses and six consciousnesses had all undergone a transformation.

After a while, the ninth stick of natal incense stopped growing, with the progress at about one-tenth.

The progress may not seem like much, but it's actually quite remarkable.

Chen Mo didn't even have time to rejoice—

boom!
His body trembled violently once more. The ninth stiffness mark had appeared.

Chen Mo's immortality was enhanced, and the zombie's strength and perception also increased by a significant level. Consequently, the corpse energy also intensified considerably, to the point that even the previous incense powder could barely suppress this powerful corpse energy.

"grass!"

Chen Mo felt like he had become a small iron man about to explode, unable to sit still any longer, lest he burst at any moment. So he rushed out of the room and into the yard to stretch his legs and release the power accumulated within his body.

Boom boom boom!

After a frenzied release that left the entire courtyard riddled with holes, I finally felt my body temperature drop considerably.

Huhuhu~
Chen Mo paused briefly, and his mind gradually returned to normal.

"Juan'er, go and keep watch around. If anyone gets close, let me know."

Chen Mo gave a word of advice, then sat down cross-legged again.

The Shikon Jewel hasn't been fully digested yet, causing Chen Mo's mind and body to be in turmoil. He needs to find a new balance; otherwise, it will become a major hidden danger.

They adapted to the strength of the Nine-Chocolate Yellow Page Ghost and also to the body of the Nine-Patterned Zombie.

But it's not over yet...

What surprised Chen Mo even more was that his bloodline and spirit both had a tendency to dissipate outwards.

It is extremely mysterious.

"Back then, the four great families relied on the Four Souls Jade to create the Divine Lord. In the end, they became the Demon-Suppressing Families. However, how to use this step... I haven't figured it out yet. But I vaguely feel that I possess the ability to become a Divine Lord?"

Upon careful consideration, Chen Mo felt there was a high probability of this.

"Go back and ask Tang Xianhe how the Tang family's deity came to be. If I can become the deity myself, I won't be afraid of the Shen family's Blood Illumination Divine Power."

After a period of adjustment, Chen Mo felt that his body and mind had temporarily stabilized, so he stood up and let out a long sigh of relief.

"The Shikon Jewel is truly a wonderful thing, but one needs a sufficiently strong mind to control it. Otherwise, one will suffer a mental breakdown..."

"Could it be that the Zhong family's downfall was related to mental instability?"

Just then——

hum!
Suddenly, countless scattered, bloody images flashed through Chen Mo's mind: mountains of corpses, seas of blood, and piles of bones. These images flashed by without any rhyme or reason, making Chen Mo wonder if he had lost his mind.

"Am I going insane?"

Chen Mo knew he couldn't panic at this moment, so he immediately sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the calming mantra of the Taiping Sutra given to him by Xiao Ye.

As the Tranquility Mantra continued to circulate, Chen Mo's mind and emotions gradually stabilized. The scattered images in his mind began to piece together, eventually forming a complete chain of memories:

This memory belongs to Zhong Xu, the first generation of companions in the Zhong family...

Initially, there were four people from Nanyang Prefecture who went to welcome Jiang Hongyue south.

Tang Xianhe's father, Tang Junxi.

Shen Zishan's father, Shen Wuhua.

The head of the Zhou family at the time was Zhou Ru.

The head of the Zhong family at the time was Zhong Xu.

All four were top-tier martial arts masters in Nanyang Prefecture at the time. They accompanied the prefect to welcome Jiang Hongyue. Through the visuals, Chen Mo saw Jiang Hongyue, but her features were not clearly visible.

Perhaps because Zhong Xu only glanced at Jiang Hongyue from a distance at the time, he couldn't see her very clearly. In addition, because so much time had passed, many details of this memory had become blurred.

But it is vaguely apparent that Jiang Hongyue is a woman of unparalleled beauty.

Afterwards, Jiang Hongyue asked a maid to find the four people. She cut a ring-shaped jade pendant into four pieces and gave each piece to one of them. Each piece also contained a letter explaining how to use it.

After obtaining the jade pendant fragments, the four individuals used them in different ways.

Zhong Xu and Zhou Ru were the first to use jade pendants.

The two had a good relationship, so they sat down together to discuss it in secret.

Both of them realized the jade pendant's extraordinary nature; it could allow life to evolve again, even undergo some kind of special mutation, and could also stimulate a special symbiotic bloodline.

Zhou Ru was more cautious, believing that the power of the Shikon Jewel was too great for humans to withstand. He suggested finding a powerful demon to wield the Shikon Jewel's power. If the demon could control it after using it, then so be it. If it became too powerful and uncontrollable after using the Shikon Jewel, then it should be worshipped as a deity.

But Zhong Xu thought: since it was a gift from the goddess, it shouldn't be too cruel. Rather than profiting from the ghost, he should use it himself.

In the end, Zhou Ru and Zhong Xu had different choices and agreed to take different paths.

Zhou Ru found a powerful ghost with strength similar to his own and gave it the Shikon Jewel... As a result, the ghost immediately became more than ten times stronger.

The effects of the Shikon Jewel are truly astonishing!

Zhou Ru was greatly surprised and had no choice but to worship the ghost. Initially, the ghost and Zhou Ru got along quite well. It also kept its promise, granting each member of the Zhou family a unique and pure form of symbiotic blood. From then on, each had its own role. The Zhou family quickly rose to prominence, becoming the leading demon-suppressing family in Nanyang Prefecture at the time.

Zhou Ru was also riding high.

But an unexpected event soon occurred. The ghost's mind went haywire, and its ambition grew, so it broke its agreement with Zhou Ru and devoured the entire Zhou family alive.

The once-powerful Zhou family was wiped out overnight.

A family renowned for suppressing demons perished.

Zhong Xu took a different, even more ruthless path: he directly used the Shikon Jewel for himself.

The results were equally astonishing.

Zhong Xu instantly became an unimaginably powerful being, whether human or ghost was unknown. From then on, he led the Zhong family to rapid rise, becoming the successor to the Zhou family.

Zhong Xu was also riding high.

But this good fortune didn't last long, and something terrible happened soon after:

Zhong Xu lost control.

Although his cultivation level continued to increase, his physical body and essence were constantly being devoured by the Shikon Jewel. In the end, he was almost reduced to just his hair by the Shikon Jewel.

On the verge of death, Zhong Xu went mad.

He killed everyone in the Zhong family and lived in his own world, completely insane. He frequently experienced hallucinations and visual hallucinations.

However, Zhong Xu also has moments of lucidity.

He discovered a secret: the ability of the Shikon Jewel to stimulate special symbiotic bloodlines is only a facade; the true purpose of the Shikon Jewel is to stimulate symbiotic entities.

He suspected he had become a symbiotic entity!

He carved his own tombstone.

He named his three descendants: Zili, Sunhuan, and Great-great-grandson Li.

Zhong Xu believed that his symbiotic entity would not die and would continue to appear as a descendant. He even said that if future generations saw his descendants appear, it would mean that his speculation was true.

Then, Zhong Xu committed suicide.

The scene ends here.

call!
Chen Mo breathed a long sigh of relief.

Even though Chen Mo had entered the Nine Incense Sticks and Nine Patterns stage, he still felt a chill run down his spine after seeing Zhong Xu's memories.

"So... Zhong Li, Zhong Huan, Zhong Lihong... are all Zhong Xu himself? No wonder they used the character 'kao' when carving the tombstone. Because at that time, Zhong Xu was carving his own tombstone, so naturally it was a man. But how did he later appear as a woman? Could he have been assimilated by something?"

“Zhong Xu, Zhong Li… these two names should be men’s. It’s clear that Zhong Li is a man. Zhong Lihong’s account also corroborates this. But Zhong Huan and Zhong Lihong… are clearly women’s names. In other words… Zhong Xu realized before he committed suicide that he would be assimilated into a woman by something?”

Chen Mo followed this logic and continued to think:
What kind of power can assimilate a person into a woman?

The power of the Shikon Jewel is certainly undeniable.

But the bigger problem probably lies with the owner behind the Shikon Jewel: Jiang Hongyue.

Thoughtful...

Chen Mo continued to ponder deeper and immediately deduced a somewhat immature conclusion: this Shikon Jewel possesses the ability to continuously evolve life forms and ghouls. Is it possible that the ultimate stage of this evolution... is Jiang Hongyue herself?

Although this idea lacks empirical support.

But Chen Mo already felt a chill run down his spine.

Jiang Hongyue wasn't a good person even before she went to visit her relatives. She had some kind of plan in mind. It's clear that Jiang Hongyue had a general idea of ​​what would happen before she went to Dayin Mountain to visit her relatives. Is that why she left herself a backup plan?

Chen Mo rubbed his forehead, his heart pounding: This Jiang Hongyue is truly terrifying. As the top demon-suppressing leader in the world, she was no ordinary person. I'm so unlucky; I've actually been targeted by this powerful figure.

Chen Mo composed himself, finally dispelling the lingering shadow cast by Jiang Hongyue. He then returned to the matter of the Four Souls Orb.

“Zhong Xu’s death was not without value; at least it led to the discovery of a higher form of associated blood: the associated organism.”

"A companion entity... whose body does it accompany? It's self-evident. And the evolutionary path of the companion entity is to gradually become a woman. And finally, to become Jiang Hongyue herself?"

"Since that's the case, now that I've obtained a Shikon Jewel... doesn't that mean that as the evolution continues, I will become a companion, then gradually transform into a woman, and finally completely become Jiang Hongyue herself?"

Chen Mo placed his hands on his forehead and rubbed his temples.

"This damn Shikon Jewel... how come it's so weird?"

"So be it. I started as a human, then became a ghost, and now I've become a zombie. Becoming a woman again... isn't such a big deal."

Soon, certain things about men and women flashed through Chen Mo's mind.

unbearable.

Final decision:
"If I were a woman, I could just never date or do *that* in my life."

Having made up his mind, Chen Mo stopped thinking about it. Worrying too much about the future wasn't in Chen Mo's nature.

"Currently, the Shikon Jewel's enhancement effect on me is abnormal. The only thing I need to be careful about is... I must have a strong enough mind to control the Shikon Jewel. As long as my mind doesn't get out of control, everything will be fine."

Chen Mo put on a bamboo hat and applied a layer of fragrant powder to his body to suppress the even stronger smell of corpses. Then he slung a mirror over his shoulder and walked out of the courtyard.

The image of the long-haired ghost hanging upside down from the roof beam and talking to Zhong Lihong came to mind.

The identities of Zhong Lihong, Xiao Huan, and Zhong Li have all been clarified.

Who is that long-haired ghost?

Zhong Xu?

Or is it the consciousness of the Shikon Jewel?

Chen Mo couldn't figure it out no matter how much he thought about it, so he simply stopped thinking about it. He strode to the gate of the old house and saw Juan'er standing behind the door. He asked, "Juan'er, I accidentally released a lot of ghostly energy just now. Did you notice anyone noticing this place?"

Juan'er said, "Nobody comes near this house."

Chen Mo nodded. "Let's go."

Seeing that the terrifying aura around Chen Mo had disappeared, Juan'er came over and took Chen Mo's hand, "Young Master, are you alright?"

Chen Mo shook his head: "It's nothing... Hey... Your cultivation has increased again?"

"Hee hee~"

Juan'er smiled and said, "Just now, the eighth stick of my natal incense appeared in my sea of ​​consciousness. I suppose it was due to your blessing, young master."

Chen Mo: "..."

Speechless.

Juan'er entered the Eight-Stem Daoist Realm just like that... without doing anything.

Looking back at myself, I have gone through wind and rain, risking my life to finally reach the level of Nine Sticks of Daoist Cultivation.

Juan'er is so lucky.

Chen Mo was envious.

"Don't be envious, I'm a young master too. Let's go." Juan'er took Chen Mo's hand, opened the gate of the old house, and walked out.

It was already afternoon, and the sky was dark. However, there were still many pedestrians on the street, especially after entering the main street of Liyuan Town, where the opera troupes on both sides were overflowing with people. The streets were bustling with people, and the cries of various peddlers rose and fell, creating a lively atmosphere.

Juan'er asked, "Young master, where shall we go next?"

Chen Mo glanced at Juan'er's baggage, "Take out the signboard and continue exorcising ghosts and suppressing evil spirits, wandering the world. Earn a few coins along the way."

Juan'er was clearly unhappy. "You're trying to attract business again."

Although she said that, Juan'er's hands moved quickly. She took out the signboard, raised it above her head, and started shouting.

Having spent so much time in Liyuan Town and only managed to secure one client, Chen Mo didn't expect anyone else to come looking for him to exorcise evil spirits. He peered through his straw hat at the crowds passing by on both sides.

Before I knew it, I had reached the end of the bustling city. As I passed a tofu pudding stall, I overheard two江湖豪客 (jianghu heroes) sitting together discussing something.

"Ugh, the Shen family is so rude. I, Awei, am a ninth-level martial artist, and when I suggested joining their team, I was rejected. They didn't even give me a friendly look. Damn it, I want to do odd jobs for the Shen family, and they won't even give me a chance. It's just too much."

"Brother Wei, don't be angry. I've long heard that Shen Baishan is arrogant and domineering, and it's normal for him to look down on us ordinary martial artists. The Shen family is currently at the height of its power in Nanyang Prefecture. Even Tangjiabao is being suppressed by the Shen family. Let's not go looking for trouble."

"Monkey, you don't understand. I don't want to be a guest of honor in the Shen family. I'm just a pawn. We've already been driven away. They really don't take us seriously. What's so arrogant about the Shen family? Shen Qianshui was killed by that Master Jin Guang a while ago. I wish that Master Jin Guang would slaughter the entire Shen family so I could vent my anger."

"Brother Wei, watch your mouth. If someone hears this, we might not survive... Hey, who are you?" Monkey was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly saw a man wearing a straw hat appear in front of him. He smelled strongly of perfume and didn't look very friendly.

The man in the straw hat said, "Please, gentlemen, have a word with me."

Bang!
The man called Wei Ge immediately exploded with anger, slamming his fist on the table and yelling at the man in the straw hat, "Damn it, I can tolerate being humiliated by Shen Baishan, but you, you bastard, dare to come and give me attitude... Ah!!"

Before Wei could finish speaking, the man in the straw hat grabbed his neck and lifted him up like a chick.

Wei immediately changed his tune: "Hero, please don't be like that. I was being rude and ignorant just now. Could you please speak to me privately? Please, please..."

The man in the straw hat then released his grip: "You two come with me. Don't even think about running away, or I'll punch you to death."

After saying that, the man in the straw hat left with Juan'er.

Wei and Monkey exchanged a glance. Monkey said, "Wei, this guy looks very vicious. If we disobey his orders, he might really kill us. We should follow him. He probably just wants to ask us some questions."

Gulu.

Wei swallowed hard: "The monkey is right."

The two men dropped a piece of silver, picked up their broadswords, and followed Chen Mo out of the town with trepidation. They reached a deserted intersection, where the man in the straw hat stopped.

This sudden stop startled Wei Ge so much that he plopped down on the ground.

Chen Mo turned around and said in a sinister tone, "You just said you were going to be Shen Baishan's henchmen. What exactly happened? Tell me everything. If you dare to lie to me, you'll die!"

Faced with the fierce-looking man in the straw hat, Brother Wei was too frightened to speak. Monkey, on the other hand, was more eloquent and spoke up, "We are instructors from the Da Lei Martial Arts School in Nanyang Prefecture. We have long harbored the idea of ​​becoming disciples of the Shen family. However, we have been unable to enter the school despite many attempts. Today, we came to Liyuan Town to watch a play, and when we passed by the ancient village in the countryside, we unexpectedly saw Shen Baishan."

This Shen Baishan is a very important figure; we'd never met him before. We'd come with the intention of currying favor and offering our services, but instead, we were reprimanded by Shen Baishan.

Chen Mo asked, "What is Shen Baishan doing in the ancient village?"

The monkey said, "I don't know either. Shen Baishan brought a huge group of people, all disguised as villagers from the ancient village. It seems they were secretly monitoring an old house. Perhaps our appearance disrupted Shen Baishan's plans, which is why we were reprimanded."

Wei added, "I heard the Shen family is hunting down that Master Jin Guang with all their might. Who knows, Master Jin Guang might be hiding in that old mansion."

Chen Mo found it amusing.

Lord Jin Guang is here.

How did they end up in that old house?

However, this matter also aroused Chen Mo's curiosity.

Now I've fallen to the point of being a lonely ghost, unable to return home, unable to enter my sect... It's all thanks to the Shen family.

Chen Mo said, "Please lead the way."

Wei was terrified: "Shen Baishan said... if we dare to go back, he'll kill us."

Chen Mo said in a sinister tone, "If you don't lead the way, I'll kill you right now."

Wei shrank back, lamenting his bad luck, and dared not resist any longer. He immediately led the way with Monkey.

About half an hour later, we arrived at the ancient village that Brother Wei had mentioned.

This is a very simple and honest village. Most of the villagers make a living by farming, and even in the afternoon, you can see farmers working everywhere. Some farmers, perhaps influenced by the local culture of Liyuan Town, will hum a few folk songs or operas during their breaks from work.

Most of them are unpleasant to listen to, but there are a few that are pleasant to listen to.

The tranquility of the countryside calmed Chen Mo's heart considerably.

Wei Ge pointed to an abandoned old house in front of him and said timidly, "That's the old house. Shen Baishan's men disguised themselves as villagers and were active around there. They were there to monitor that old house."

Chen Mo looked in the direction Wei Ge was pointing and indeed saw a very old house, half of which had collapsed. Several pomelo trees in the yard were extremely tall and lush, adding to the eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

The old house was surrounded by fertile fields and vegetable gardens, where many farmers were working, occasionally glancing back at the house. It was clear they were monitoring it. Therefore, Brother Wei the Monkey wasn't lying.

For some reason, Chen Mo felt a sense of familiarity when he saw the house.

After regaining his composure, he asked, "Which house does Shen Baishan live in?"

The monkey pointed to a red-tiled house north of the old house, "That's the one."

Chen Mo nodded: "You can leave now."

After leaving a message, Chen Mo walked towards the red-tiled house.

Whoohoo!
Watching the man in the straw hat leave, Wei Ge took several deep breaths before he could barely recover: "The oppressive feeling that man in the straw hat gave me was too strong. Monkey, let's go quickly."

The monkey followed for a while, then suddenly pulled Wei Ge behind the wall of a house. "Wei Ge, I feel that this man has a grudge against Shen Baishan. Why don't we stay and take a look?"

Wei said, "What's so interesting about this... This man in the straw hat is not someone to mess with."

The monkey said, "Didn't you want Shen Baishan to die? What if this man in the straw hat really kills him?"

Wei Ge was taken aback, then perked up, but immediately realized he was overthinking it. "That's unlikely. Shen Baishan is, after all, one of the top masters in the Shen family. After Shen Qianshui's death, Shen Baishan was ranked among the top three in the Shen family. How could he be killed?"

The monkey laughed and said, "Looking around doesn't cost anything. You should still have dreams; what if they come true?"

Wei nodded: "Let's take a look."

So the two hid behind the courtyard wall, peeking out half their heads, and stared intently at the man in the straw hat.

……

Inside the abandoned old house.

Tang Feifei had been staying with Tang Xianhe here for almost half a month, searching for things every day. She had no idea what her father was looking for. Besides, the conditions here were simple and frugal.

At most, he could take a few coins to buy a chicken or duck from a nearby villager and cook it. But eating, sleeping, bathing, and using the toilet were all very inconvenient.

Tang Feifei cooked a simple home-style dinner for her father and brought it to the living room.

"Father, dinner is ready."

Tang Xianhe remained seated in his study, flipping through the moldy pages of books, and casually remarked, "Why is dinner so early tonight?"

Tang Feifei said in the living room, "I see it looks like it's going to rain. There are a few tiles in the kitchen that haven't been repaired yet. If it rains, it might leak. Then it won't be convenient to cook."

Tang Xianhe nodded, put down the book, went to the living room, sat down next to the rotten wooden table, and picked up his bowl and chopsticks to eat.

Tang Feifei had little appetite and put down her chopsticks after eating a few bites of rice: "Father, how long are we going to stay here?"

Tang Xianhe ate his meal calmly. "There are quite a few books in the study, many of which are stained and moldy, making them very troublesome to look through and categorize. Once we've read through all the contents, that should be enough. Have you found anything unusual these past few days? Like bones, boxes, jade pendants, or anything like that?"

Tang Feifei shook her head: "No."

Tang Xianhe looked slightly disappointed and took a few more bites of rice.

Tang Feifei suddenly said, "Father, we've been being watched lately. The villagers who farm nearby often look in our direction. I even went to investigate secretly and found out it's the Shen family."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xianhe wasn't surprised at all. "Who's the leader?"

“Shen Baishan has been disguised and staying in that red-tiled house not far away for many days. I suspect they are watching us because they suspect we are meeting with Master Jin Guang here. They want to catch us in the act and then go to the Prefectural Magistrate to put pressure on us so that we will hand over Master Jin Guang.”

Tang Xianhe said, "If Master Jin Guang kills Shen Qianshui and Shen Baishan catches him red-handed, and the Prefectural Magistrate puts pressure on us, we'll really have to hand him over. We might even get implicated."

Tang Feifei asked, "We're not really here to meet with Master Jin Guang, are we?"

Tang Xianhe laughed and said, "I've never seen any Master Jin Guang before, so what's the point of getting involved?"

"The Shen family all say that Master Jin Guang is Chen Mo."

"That's just them using a pretext to target our Tang family. Don't worry about it. Just keep an eye on that red-tiled house after dinner." After finishing his meal, Tang Xianhe returned to his study to organize the moldy pages of his books.

The study has many books and volumes, most of which are damp and moldy. They need to be taken out and dried, and then each character needs to be carefully examined. Only by guessing and considering the context can one occasionally deduce the general meaning.

The whole process was very mentally taxing.

Tang Xianhe was already old and not very nimble. It was extremely difficult for him to operate. But he still endured it, after all, it concerned the Zhong family's Shikon Jewel.

Moreover, the words spoken by the shadow in the ancestral hall must have carried great weight.

Tang Xianhe thought that if he could find this Shikon Jewel in his lifetime, it would be of great help to the Tang family. Its value would far exceed that of a promising talent like Chen Mo.

No matter how bitter or tiring it was, Tang Xianhe endured it all.

Not long after——

Boom!

Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and torrential rain poured down.

Sure enough, it rained, and the rain was heavy.

Tang Fei rushed to the study door. "Father, a man wearing a straw hat went to that red-tiled house. He killed two men on guard duty as soon as he entered."

Ok?
Tang Xianhe frowned immediately, put down the book in his hand, and walked out of the study: "Take me to see it."

Tang Feifei led Tang Xianhe up to the second floor. Through the half-open window, they saw two corpses lying at the entrance of the red-tiled house courtyard not far away. Then a man in a straw hat went inside.

Tang Feifei asked, "Who is this man in the straw hat? How dare he kill someone from the Shen family?"

Tang Xianhe's pupils contracted: "No rush, let's take a look first."

……

Meanwhile, Shen Baishan lived in the north-facing room of the red-tiled house.

The room, after some furnishing and decoration, was much cleaner and tidier. He was lying on the bed, with a sexy and alluring woman on each side of him.

The woman on the left is wearing a semi-transparent silk skirt with a silk bodice at the chest, revealing her fair skin. She has excellent proportions, is slightly delicate, young, and very pure and lovely, the kind of woman who is petite and charming.

The woman on the right wore a black, semi-sheer strapless top, exuding charm and allure. She was the mature, sophisticated type, skilled in bed, and knew how to please. Sometimes, Shen Baishan didn't even need to say anything; a single glance was enough for her to know what he was thinking and fulfill his every wish.

Shen Baishan, attacking from both sides, derives immense satisfaction and feels extremely pleased.

"Good, good. Xiaoyu and Alian are both my darlings." Shen Baishan sat up and said with a smile, "It's just that the conditions here are simple and the tools are limited. Otherwise, we could have more fun and more ways to play."

The petite woman, named Xiaoyu, was blushing and remained silent in a delicate voice.

However, the mature and sophisticated A-Lian glared at Shen Baishan and said with seductive eyes, "Second Master only knows how to play with those tools and bully me."

Shen Baishan said, "Doesn't A-Lian want to be bullied by me?"

"I think so. The more the Second Master bullies her, the happier A-Lian will be."

"Hahaha, Ah Lian really knows how to serve people. Bringing you out this time was the right choice." Shen Baishan laughed heartily, then pinched Ah Lian, making her make a sound that made one's bones melt.

Shen Baishan was even more satisfied. He lay on the bed in a starfish position, receiving massages from the two men, while muttering, "This godforsaken place is no place for a human to stay. That bastard Shen Wudao is deliberately bullying people, insisting on making me do these arduous tasks."

After grumbling for a while, Shen Baishan felt a little better. "But my brother died a tragic death, and that Master Jin Guang really deserved to die. If Tang Xianhe really meets with Chen Mo here, I can catch him red-handed, which would be a great service to the family. At that time, my status will also rise. Without my brother, I can easily become the second-in-command of the Shen family."

At this point, Shen Baishan's face turned cold. He thought to himself, "That Shen Wudao is ultimately an outsider; he can't be relied upon. My father may be confused, but I cannot be. Once I've used Shen Wudao to destroy the Tang family and placed my Shen family at the top of Nanyang Prefecture, I'll have my father dismiss Shen Wudao. If my father refuses, I'll have someone poison that scoundrel Shen Wudao. With him dead, this vast Shen family… who else but me can claim it?"
I brought too many people this time, and they were only concerned with their own comfort and enjoyment. I don't know if Tang Xianhe has discovered me. Tomorrow I'll dismiss a group of people, leaving only a few capable subordinates, and A-Lian and Xiao-Yu. Since I've come out to do something, I can't return empty-handed and let Shen Wudao look down on me.

Just then, A-Lian touched a certain part of Shen Baishan's body. Shen Baishan gasped and looked at A-Lian's seductive eyes. He was immediately aroused and called out to the outside, "Dashan, go and get a whip and two candles."

It was quiet outside; there was no response.

Shen Baishan was displeased. His enthusiasm was not being satisfied, so he raised his voice: "Dashan, are you deaf? I told you to go and get the whip and candles."

It was still quiet.

Sudden--

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door.

Shen Baishan breathed a sigh of relief and said to Alian with a smile, "Perhaps Dashan has come with a whip and candles. Go open the door."

Ah Lian's eyes sparkled, "Second Master, you're so naughty. I'll go right away."

As she spoke, A-Lian wrapped herself in a semi-transparent robe, then got up, put on embroidered shoes, and tiptoed to open the door.

As soon as she opened the door, a huge figure fell down on her, pinning her to the ground and making her scream in panic.

"what!!"

Ok?
Shen Baishan, who had just been envisioning a beautiful scene, suddenly turned around and saw that what was pressing down on A-Lian was a blood-soaked corpse.

It was his right-hand man, Dashan.

Da Shan was a master of Blood Rift, yet he died silently?

Even for himself, killing Dashan silently would not be an easy task.

Clang!

Shen Baishan immediately drew the broadsword from the bedside, jumped off the bed, and stared intently into the darkness outside the door. "Who's playing tricks outside?"

Da da da.

A footstep sounded, and then a tall, strong young man wearing a straw hat slowly walked towards the gate.

One second the young man in the straw hat was in the living room more than ten meters away, and the next second... he suddenly appeared in front of Shen Baishan.

"Jie Jie Jie~"

"Weren't you looking for Master Jin Guang? I'm here..."

(End of this chapter)