I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 25 The Cure for Madness

Seeing that Chen Mo was so polite, Chen Yinfu felt relieved and repeatedly waved his hand, saying, "There's no need to be so polite. As your father, I naturally expect you to be successful. Sit down and let's talk."

Chen Mo then sat down. "Father, do you know the origin of Black Mountain Stronghold? And how powerful are the ghosts and evil spells that its methods can suppress?"

Chen Yinfu shook his head. "Black Mountain Village has always been mysterious, and I don't know much about it. However, when Master Li performed the ritual for you last time, he mentioned it to me briefly."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo immediately became expectant, "Please explain in detail, Father."

Chen Yinfu said, "I didn't know that the Black Mountain Stronghold outside the city had such a method, let alone the existence of Master Li. It was Master Xie who told me about it. It was also thanks to Master Xie's guarantee that I was able to invite Master Li."

During that time, I did ask Master Li a few questions and vaguely learned that Black Mountain Village and the Red Lantern Gang were related. Their methods also originated from the Red Lantern Gang. But what exactly was the relationship between the two, I didn't know.

The Third Master of the Xie Family... isn't that Xie Dong's third uncle, Xie Lianghong, the coroner of the county government?

Black Mountain Village...Red Lanterns Shining.

No wonder when Li Yuanlong performed the ritual for himself earlier, he kept chanting for the protection of the Red Lantern Goddess and even brought over a statue of the Red Lantern Goddess.

In Honghe County, the Red Lantern Goddess is the only deity in the area, revered by everyone and worshipped with incense.

Only the Red Lantern Goddess's methods are truly feared by evil spirits and demons.

However, the Red Lanterns have extremely high standards and look down on the Chen family. It's obviously unrealistic to want to learn skills from the Red Lanterns, but it would be excellent if he could learn some skills from the Black Mountain Stronghold.

……

Chen Mo returned to the east courtyard and immediately instructed Qiu Lan to go to the pharmacy to buy Cold Night Grass. Only then did he return to the main room and close the door.

Take out the paper figure and examine it carefully.

From the outside, this paper figure is nothing special. It simply has Chen Mo's name and birth date written on it.

But this very thing almost killed him.

It should be noted that Chen Mo is now a martial artist at the second stage of the Body Refining Realm. Among the many guards of the Chen family, his strength is considered to be above average. Yet, when facing this paper figure, he was completely powerless to resist.

Even now, Chen Mo still feels a lingering fear when he thinks about it.

I feel so insecure.

Nightmare Suppression Technique...

The old woman from the Li family failed to abduct me this time. She will definitely try again.

Then the problem is coming...

Grandma Li clearly used a red candle to guide her last time, so why is she suddenly targeting her?

What does she want to do with me by kidnapping me?
Could it be because of her youngest daughter?
But even if Granny Li kidnapped her, what could she possibly do for her daughter?

Chen Mo couldn't find an answer, but he felt increasingly uneasy.

The greatest fear is the fear of the unknown.

Being targeted by this old woman made Chen Mo feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

"In the end, I'm just too weak! That's why I'm always entangled in trouble. As the saying goes, misfortune always finds its weakest point, and bad luck always finds those who are unfortunate."

"I need to train hard in martial arts to be able to protect myself. There's still some time before Li Yuanlong's birthday, so let's master the Fiery Palm first."

With this in mind, Chen Mo lost all interest in resting and began practicing the Xuan Yin Hand and Fu Yang Blade Technique in his room.

At three quarters past 5 PM, Qiulan brought back the Cold Night Grass as expected.

The appearance of the night-blooming jasmine is similar to that of the red spider lily, but it is shorter and thicker, and its leaves are also much thicker.

A wonderfully delicate fragrance wafted over.

Just one sniff made me feel refreshed and invigorated.

Qiulan added a reminder, "The pharmacy owner repeatedly warned me that *Hedyotis diffusa* has a cold toxicity. It needs to be taken with caution. If taken in excess, it can easily cause poisoning and lead to many unpleasant symptoms, such as vomiting, diarrhea, chills, etc..."

Chen Mo disagreed, saying, "It's fine, just boil it."

By the time Qiulan finished brewing the medicine, night had fallen. Chen Mo picked it up and drank it.

With each bite, my body grew colder, causing my muscles and bones to contract. A chilling cold accumulated in my stomach, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar.

Chen Mo, despite having a cheat-like advantage, remained calm and began practicing the Fiery Palm technique.

Before long, the cold poison began to spread through the energy channeled by the Fiery Palm. Finally, it was added to the power of the Fiery Palm, greatly accelerating its progress.

"It really works wonders..."

"At this rate, I feel like I'll be able to master the first level of inch power in just a few days."

……

Lei's Martial Arts School.

Lei Peng's wife, Liu Cui, stayed at home, waiting for Lei Peng to return.

Finally, at dawn the next day, Lei Peng arrived. Liu Cui hurriedly went to greet him, "Have you managed to invite the Taoist priest?"

Lei Peng shook his head, his face full of disappointment: "No. How's Xiao Ming?"

Liu Cui looked around and finally leaned closer to Lei Peng: "When you weren't here, Xiao Ming's madness flared up again. I was very panicked and helpless, so I gave Xiao Ming the pills that the second young master of the Chen family had given him. As a result, Xiao Ming's condition really improved."

Lei Peng was shocked: "This is impossible! Madness is incurable. No one in the county has ever found a cure for it. How could that spendthrift Chen family member have an antidote?"

Liu Cui said, "Why would I lie to you? Come and see for yourself."

Lei Peng was skeptical, but he followed Liu Cui to a secret room in the backyard. The walls of the room had clearly been reinforced, resulting in excellent soundproofing. The door was made of iron and secured with a sturdy iron lock, a key that only the couple possessed. No outsider could possibly enter.

The secret room was not large, only a dozen square meters, with a ram's horn lamp lit inside and palace lanterns hanging from the beams.

In the center of the secret chamber, a strong young man lay prone on the ground, his hands and feet bound by thick iron chains, rendering him unable to move. At this moment, the young man lay quietly on the ground, emitting a beast-like howl.

This is Lei Peng's son, Lei Ming.

Several months ago, Lei Peng went to the Chunfeng Tower with his cronies for a good time. Two days after returning, he fell ill and bit several maids at the martial arts school to death. To cover up the news, Lei Peng claimed that the maids had been killed by bandits and their bodies were never found. He also locked his own son in a secret room.

Lei Peng tried every possible method to cure his son's illness. However, the Fiery Palm technique brought trouble to the martial arts school, causing the once-thriving Lei Family Martial Arts School to fall into ruin overnight.

Even so, Lei Peng still did not give up on his only son.

Normally, if Lei Ming saw someone coming, he would definitely struggle wildly as if he wanted to devour them.

Lei Peng had never seen him so quiet before, and he couldn't help but wonder, "It really is. He's been so quiet ever since you gave him his medicine?"

Liu Cui said, "Xiao Ming was very irritable before, but he calmed down after taking the medicine. The medicine must have worked."

After saying that, Liu Cui suddenly said, "Master, perhaps the second young master of the Chen family has hired a master to find the antidote. Why don't you go to his door and ask him for some more medicine? Isn't he coveting our family's Fiery Palm? This martial art is difficult to master. If you teach him yourself, he will surely be grateful."

Lei Peng nodded repeatedly, "That's a good idea. But I need to observe for a few more days. If Xiao Ming's condition remains stable, then we can know that the medicine is indeed effective."

Liu Cui was somewhat anxious, but she knew her husband was the owner of a martial arts school, and quite famous. Now, to have to condescend to ask the second young master of the Chen family for help was something she couldn't bring herself to do. But Lei Peng's attitude was resolute, so she didn't say much, only muttering:

"We only have one son, so you have to take good care of him."

Lei Peng said, "I know what I'm doing. I'm also worried about whether the second young master of the Chen family knows that Xiao Ming has madness. If he finds out and tells others, then we'll be in trouble."

……

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

As winter sets in, the weather grows colder day by day. Although it hasn't snowed yet, a thick layer of frost has condensed on the ground and roof tiles of Honghe County, emanating a chilling aura.

Chen Mo did not go out during this period, and spent all his time practicing martial arts and taking medicine.

That morning, Chen Mo got up early and went to the courtyard to practice his martial arts.

【Fiery Palm: Inch Punch (Beginner)】

Looking at the last message, Chen Mo smiled sincerely.

"After seven days of intense training, and with the help of three Cold Night Grasses, I have finally mastered the basics of Inch Punch."

"I'll test its power."

Chen Mo walked to the table, slowly raised his right hand, and when it was only an inch away from the tabletop, he suddenly exerted force and pressed it down hard.

Click!

The sturdy mahogany table cracked at one corner instantly, demonstrating extremely powerful palm strike.

This excited Chen Mo.

It's important to understand that before mastering the inch punch, even a long-range palm strike from Chen Mo wouldn't have this level of lethality. Being able to generate inch punches allows for surprise attacks in combat, often producing remarkable results.

However, it is quite different from Lei Peng's move back then.

Lei Peng exerted his power at point-blank range, even burning a black handprint into the table. His skill is truly remarkable.

"I reckon Lei Peng is at least a fifth-stage Blood Refinement Realm expert. I'm still far from that level. If Lei Peng could give me some pointers, it would undoubtedly greatly accelerate my progress. What a pity."

While it's important to have a golden touch to identify the key, receiving guidance from a master can naturally accelerate the process considerably.

Chen Mo is currently suffering from madness, so we need to race against time.

Chen Mo has already finished his Qi and Blood Pills and cannot see the threshold of the Three-Stage Iron Bone Realm yet.

"It's easy to buy tiger bone soup with money, but qi and blood pills are hard to come by... I need to think of a way."

Should I go find Granny Li again to buy Qi and Blood Pills?
That's tantamount to going to your death.

Absolutely not...

Just then, a servant came in from outside the door. "Second Young Master, Lei Peng from the Lei Family Martial Arts School requests an audience. He says it's something urgent."

Chen Mo immediately became interested, "Quickly let Lei Peng in."

As for Lei Peng's purpose, Chen Mo had already guessed it pretty much.

The Lei family martial arts school was quite famous before, so naturally they had the recipe for Tiger Bone Essence Soup. They might also have connections to purchase Qi and Blood Pills.

Honghe County is so big, there are many other people besides Grandma Li who have Qi and Blood Pills.

It arrived at the right time.

Not long after, Lei Peng, dressed in a close-fitting outfit, strode in. He was no longer as indifferent as before, but instead very enthusiastic, even lowering his tone: "It's been a few days since I last saw you, Young Master Mo, and you look even better."

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Master Lei seems to be in a good mood. Please have a seat."

Qiulan, serve the tea.

Qiulan served the tea and then stood upright behind Chen Mo.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Mo opened the door and went straight into the mountain. "Is your son's condition any better?"

Lei Peng cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, "Thanks to the pills given by Young Master Mo, my son's condition has improved. I wonder if Young Master Mo could provide some more pills?"

(End of this chapter)