I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 29 The Only Survivor
The Chen family has five guards in total.

Two of them went out to patrol the shops, leaving three.

One person was left to guard the mansion, while the other two were summoned away by Chen Mo.

One of them was a strong and tall man named Wei Heng, who wielded a broadsword and exuded an aura so powerful that it was difficult to look him in the eye. The other was named Liu Jiang, who, although lean, used a soft sword, emphasizing agility. His gloomy eyes gave off a sinister feeling, and a single glare from him could send chills down one's spine.

In Honghe County, martial artists at the Five Viscera Realm are already quite powerful. They represent the highest level that ordinary wealthy families can afford to hire. Martial artists at the Blood Rush Realm, who are above that level, mostly hold important positions in government offices or military garrisons. Or they work as instructors in various martial arts schools, but they are very difficult to hire with money.

After all, martial artists who reach the Blood Cultivation Realm have the potential to break through their limits and become internal martial arts masters. They don't lack money; they seek a better future. They generally wouldn't work as bodyguards for others.

People like Zhou Liang did so entirely because of their good relationship with Chen Yinfu.

Wei Heng and Liu Jiang sat on the carriage floor and drove the carriage straight to Lei's Martial Arts School.

Qiu Lan and Chen Mo sat together in the carriage.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Lei's Martial Arts School, they were surprised to see several constables in black uniforms gathered together, blocking the onlookers. The leader was none other than Constable Wang He.

Chen Mo got off the carriage with his knife and greeted Wang He.

Thanks to Chen Yinfu's connections with the government every year, Wang He also benefited and naturally recognized Chen Mo, so he would not stop Chen Mo from entering.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Mo got straight to the point: "Officer Wang, could you take me inside to see the scene?"

Wang He said, "Of course. Young Master Mo, please come with me."

The group entered the Lei Family Martial Arts School and arrived at a secret room in the backyard.

This room was quite different from the others; the walls were reinforced with stone, and the doors and windows were made of iron, as if it were used to imprison some terrifying being.

As soon as I arrived at the door, a strong smell of blood hit me.

Once inside the iron gate, Chen Mo could clearly see what was happening inside.

Lei Peng lay lifeless on the ground, his flesh torn open, his chest cavity ripped open, his internal organs ripped out and scattered everywhere. He looked as if he had been devoured by a wild beast. Not far from Lei Peng's corpse lay a boy without hands or feet, bound by iron chains, his body covered in white hair. A broadsword was stuck in his skull.

Chen Mo was shocked by what he saw.

Eh.

Wang He sighed and began to recount the events, “Master Lei Peng was foolish. His son had gone mad, but he didn’t report it to the authorities. He insisted on keeping him at home, and in the end, his own son bit him to death. Before he died, Lei Peng couldn’t bear to see his son turn into a monster, so he stabbed Lei Ming in the head with a knife. A perfectly good family, gone just like that. How pitiful and lamentable. Strangely, Lei Ming actually grew white hair. I’ve never seen such a symptom before. How strange…”

Wang He didn't know the reason, but Chen Mo did: he had taken Wei Qi Pi Gao (a traditional Chinese medicine ointment).

The symptoms were similar to those of the woman imprisoned at home, except that the woman endured it, while Lei Ming was stabbed in the head by Lei Peng.

Chen Mo stood quietly at the door, looking at the two incomplete corpses, feeling a deep sense of sorrow.

Lei Peng was perfectly fine a while ago, and then suddenly he was gone.

Chen Mo shook his head and sighed, then, regaining his composure, said, "Officer Wang, may I go and examine Lei Peng's body?"

Wang He was slightly surprised, finding it hard to believe that the second young master of the Chen family would go to examine the body. He himself felt like vomiting at the sight…

But Wang He couldn't refuse, "If Young Master Mo isn't afraid of vomiting, then of course it's fine."

Chen Mo said, "I have had several interactions with Master Lei. Now that Master Lei has met with misfortune, I am filled with grief and would like to see more of him."

After saying that, Chen Mo endured his breathing and walked to Lei Peng's body, squatted down and began to examine it carefully.

Chen Mo had his reasons for checking:
Lei Ming was only at the third level of the Iron Bone Realm, and even though the Ghost Curse's resentment had enhanced his power, it was still far from enough to devour Lei Peng, who was at the fifth level of the Blood Rush Realm.

Moreover, according to Wang He, Lei Peng killed Lei Ming with his own hands. Even if Lei Ming had a relapse, Lei Peng would definitely have come to him for medicine immediately.

As someone in the know, Chen Mo keenly realized that... there must be something fishy going on.

Upon closer inspection, a discovery was indeed made. Although Lei Peng's body was covered in scratches and bite marks, combined with Officer Wang's account, the time of death was likely last night.

But Chen Mo noticed two faint but deadly sword wounds on his back. The wounds were thin and sharp, likely caused by the soft sword thrown from the room, and judging from the location, they had pierced through his internal organs.

This shows that Lei Peng was already seriously injured before killing his own son, which is why his son ate him.

That makes sense...

Seeing Chen Mo squatting beside Lei Peng's body for a long time, Wang He asked, "Young Master Mo, have you finished examining it? If you have, I'll have someone take the body back for further examination."

Chen Mo regained his composure and stood up. "Officer Wang, please go ahead. By the way, where is Master Lei's wife, Liu Cui?"

Wang He shook his head: "We have not been able to find Liu Cui's whereabouts."

Chen Mo stopped asking questions and turned around to take Qiu Lan and the two guards for a stroll around the entire Lei Clan Martial Arts School, but they did not find Liu Cui.

Finally, Chen Mo stopped in the central courtyard. "Wei Heng and Liu Jiang, go and look around. See if you can find any women's footprints or anything like that."

The two nodded in agreement and immediately began searching around.

Without wasting any time, Chen Mo led Qiu Lan into the master bedroom in the central courtyard to check.

He always felt that Lei Peng's death was not so simple.

If Liu Cui hadn't died, and we could have found her and asked her, we might have been able to find out the reason behind it all.

Just then, Qiulan exclaimed, "Young Master, look at this wardrobe."

Chen Mo leaned closer to look and saw that the clothes inside the dark red wooden wardrobe were in disarray. Some sets of clothes had been partially removed, and many garments were stained with blood, with a faint smell of blood still lingering.

Qiulan said, "Perhaps Liu Cui encountered an emergency and hurriedly packed her clothes and fled?"

Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

It seems Liu Cui really has run away!

If we can find her, it will not only comfort Lei Peng's spirit in heaven, but we can also ask the Lei family if they have any other secret martial arts techniques to subdue ghosts.

Before long, Wei Heng and Liu Jiang returned, shaking their heads to indicate that they had found nothing.

Chen Mo glanced at the sky outside; the setting sun hung low, and dusk was approaching.

"It's getting dark, let's go back to the manor."

Perhaps because he had encountered a little girl here earlier who had been affected by a nightmare spell, Chen Mo didn't want to linger and wanted to go home before dark. He had two guards accompany him the whole way to prevent strangers from approaching.

By the time we arrived at the gate of the Chen residence, it was completely dark. The fiery sunset clouds on the horizon were obscured by dark clouds, making the sky gloomy.

Chen Mo got off the carriage at the back door and had Wei Heng and Liu Jiang lead the carriage to the stable.

Just as he was about to enter, a disheveled woman with dirty hair suddenly rushed out from the alley next door and pounced on Chen Mo in a panic.

Bang!
Chen Mo sensed danger approaching and suddenly drew his sword and charged forward.

The woman stopped abruptly in fright and knelt on the ground. "Young Master Mo, it's me, Liu Cui. I sent you some pastries a month ago, have you forgotten?"

Lei Peng's wife?
Chen Mo remained vigilant. "Pull your hair back and show me your face."

The woman sensed the intense pressure from Chen Mo's aura and dared not argue. She quickly brushed aside her disheveled long hair, revealing a pale and panicked face.

It really was Liu Cui.

Chen Mo felt relieved and sheathed his knife. "Qiu Lan, take her to take a bath and change her into clean clothes. If she's hungry, give her a good meal. Then bring her to see me in the east courtyard."

(End of this chapter)