I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 36 This wicked woman must die!

"It's all because that Chen boy was so ignorant, causing you so much suffering. Don't worry, I'll take him home so you can vent your anger on him. Then I'll hand him over to the old woman."

The key is those last three words: old woman!
Since transmigrating, Chen Mo has completely changed his original arrogant and domineering ways, always adhering to the principle of caution and humility. He has never offended anyone. If he had to say which old woman he offended... there was only one.

Granny Li from the Li family in the Blood Ridge Black Market.

Last time, I was tricked at the Lei Clan Martial Arts School and fell under the spell of the Nightmare Spell. I was almost kidnapped.

This time, Liu Mazi's unusual visit to wipe out the family was not only to rescue Lu Wei, but also to specifically request that he be taken away.

That's very much in line with Granny Li's style.

Therefore, it is likely that Liu Mazi was acting under the instructions of Granny Li.

As Chen Mo recalled Granny Li's wrinkled face and sinister eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Although Chen Mo's martial arts skills had reached the Blood Rush Realm, making him unafraid of bandits like Liu Mazi, he was genuinely terrified of Granny Li, who possessed evil magic.

"This is the second time Granny Li has hit me. What a vicious old woman!"

Chen Mo mentally recited a phrase, then forced himself to remain calm.

Then the problem is coming.

How did Granny Li manage to rouse the dead Liu Mazi?
Paper Doll Nightmare Spell?
Curious, Chen Mo crouched down and searched Liu Mazi's headless body. He finally found a yellowed paper figure on Liu's back.

The paper figure had Liu Mazi's name, birth date and time written on it, and a circle drawn on it.

The difference was that this tiny paper figure had seeped into Liu Mazi's skin and stuck to it. There were even traces of needle and thread sewing it in.

It is clear that the paper figure did not suddenly appear on Liu Mazi's back. Liu Mazi must have found Granny Li before he arrived and agreed to let Granny Li sew the paper figure onto his back.

They reached a deal.

Liu Mazi wants to save Lu Wei, while Granny Li wants Liu Mazi to kidnap her.

They hit it off immediately and became accomplices in each other's evil deeds.

"Even though Liu Mazi's head is gone, he can still launch precise attacks on me, and with greater strength than before... This evil magic of the paper doll controlling people is truly unpredictable."

Before Chen Mo could even breathe a sigh of relief, he realized another problem:
Liu Mazi went to Lei's Martial Arts School a month ago, but hasn't come looking for him since. This suggests that Lei Peng probably didn't mention Lu Wei's presence at the Chen residence.

Lei Peng had his reasons for keeping it a secret: he had entrusted his most treasured Fiery Palm technique and his pregnant wife to his protection, so naturally he wouldn't reveal Lu Wei's presence at the Chen residence. Otherwise, wouldn't he be endangering his own wife and child?

It's likely that Liu Mazi couldn't find Lu Wei afterward, which is why he sought help from Granny Li.

Then a new problem arises.

How did Granny Li know that Lu Wei was at the Chen residence?

Chen Mo was completely baffled.

'This matter is probably not that simple; there must be details I'm unaware of. And whether Lei Peng mentioned it or not is just my speculation… it needs further verification.'

Just as Chen Mo was in a daze, Zhou Liang hurriedly walked over with Chen Yinfu.

"Xiao Mo, how badly are you injured?!" Chen Yinfu asked with great concern.

Chen Mo then came to his senses: "I'm fine, just some minor cuts and bruises."

After saying that, Chen Mo immediately asked Qiu Lan to bring torches and firewood, and burned Liu Mazi's body on the spot.

The Fiery Palm left a black handprint on Liu Mazi's body, which would ultimately cause trouble if people found out.

Seeing that Liu Mazi's body was charred, Chen Mo explained to Zhou Liang and the other guards, "Liu Mazi's body is strange. To avoid any accidents, it must be burned on the spot. The other bodies should be piled up and handed over to the garrison tomorrow so we can have a record."

Having witnessed Chen Mo's extraordinary martial prowess and strategic acumen, Zhou Liang already regarded Chen Mo as his pillar of support. Without a second thought, he agreed, "Alright, I'll take care of these chores. Young Master, please go and heal your injuries."

Chen Mo bowed to Chen Yinfu, "Father, I'm going to the East Courtyard to bandage my wound. Also, I need to send someone to inform Liu, the garrison commander, tonight."

Given the Chen family's status in Honghe County, the government wouldn't interfere with the killing of a few servants. However, wiping out a gang of bandits required reporting. Moreover, this was a major achievement. Could they really do Liu Baihu a huge favor? And then demand some more benefits?

Chen Yinfu said, "Go and focus on healing your wounds. I will take care of everything else."

Chen Mo said no more and led Qiu Lan straight to the east courtyard.

Chen Mo asked Qiu Lan to boil hot water, towels, salt water, strong liquor, gauze, and so on. He also asked Qiu Lan to burn mugwort and atractylodes in the room, and then told Ma Tie and Qiu Lan to wait outside.

Chen Mo moved closer to the horn-shaped lamp and, using its light, removed his clothes, revealing a conspicuous wound.

"Fortunately, it's a soft sword, so the cut isn't big and there's no need to stitch it up."

In his past life, Chen Mo would have gone to the hospital immediately upon seeing such a wound. But now, having practiced martial arts, he had a more direct understanding of human anatomy and was much more ruthless. With a determined clench of his teeth, he cleaned the wound with salt water and then rinsed it several times with strong liquor.

I endured the pain no matter how much it hurt.

Warriors are primarily engaged in killing and fighting, so injuries are a common occurrence.

If you can't even bear this little bit of pain, then what's the point of practicing martial arts?

After cleaning the wound, Chen Mo wrapped it with gauze and bandaged it. He leaned back in the chair for a while until the pain subsided, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

During his rest, Chen Mo glanced at the baby's face on his abdomen.

The scars have faded considerably, leaving only eight or nine marks that roughly outline the contours of my face. Although they haven't completely disappeared, they certainly look better.

Chen Mo changed his clothes and called out to the door, "Qiu Lan, come in."

"Young master, you've arrived."

Qiu Lan pushed open the door and entered, seeing that Chen Mo had changed into a light blue brocade robe, with a belt and a jade pendant hanging from it. His hair was also neatly styled and adorned with hairpins. He looked radiant, showing no trace of his previous injury.

Perhaps due to his long-term martial arts training, Chen Mo has grown quite a bit taller and is now almost the same height as an adult.

As Qiulan tidied up the clothes and wooden basin, she said, "Young Master displayed his might tonight, frightening everyone in the manor. Many people are saying in private that the Second Young Master has become a different person. He's already a little hero."

Chen Mo smiled faintly and said, "It was all just luck. Go and tidy up."

After instructing Qiulan, Chen Mo went outside and asked Ma Tie, "Has Lu Wei been imprisoned and sent back?"

When Ma Tie saw Chen Mo again, he was filled with awe and his attitude became much more respectful. "Reporting to the Second Young Master, they have all been imprisoned. It's just that the young master gave Lu Wei an overdose of medicine earlier, and it will probably take him a while to regain his senses."

Chen Mo nodded: "Keep an eye on the backyard, I'm going out for a bit."

Stepping out of the room, the night was deep, snow was falling, and the ground was already covered with an inch of snow. Every step Chen Mo took made a "crunch" sound as the snowflakes were crushed.

Chen Mo walked slowly forward with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. He saw snow falling all around him and the vast sky. He couldn't describe the feeling in his heart.

Killing three experts at the Blood Rush Realm in one night should have been quite an achievement, and one should be happy.

But Chen Mo was not happy at all.

The image of Granny Li kept appearing in my mind.

This wicked woman was like a dark cloud hanging over Chen Mo's head, impossible to shake off, making Chen Mo feel like he was being pricked by thorns.

There will never be peace if the wicked woman is not killed.

That wicked woman must die!

Chen Mo went to the back room and found Liu Cui.

Liu Cui was curled up at the head of the bed, trembling.

Although she didn't know what was happening outside, she still heard the deafening shouts of battle. Knowing that the Chen family was under attack by enemies, she became extremely nervous.

Chen Mo pulled up a stool and sat down, then said to Liu Cui, "Madam, don't panic. It was Liu Mazi and his gang of bandits. I've already killed them all. That's avenging your husband."

Upon hearing this, Liu Cui excitedly jumped out of bed and hurriedly tried to kneel down to express her gratitude. Chen Mo, however, reached out and helped her up, saying, "You're pregnant, so there's no need for such formalities."

With tears in her eyes, Liu Cui said, "Thank you, Young Master Mo, thank you."

Once Liu Cui had calmed down, Chen Mo asked the question that had been bothering him: "It's very strange that Liu Mazi came to my Chen family's door to cause trouble today. Did Lei Peng reveal your whereabouts before he died?"

Previously, it was just Chen Mo's speculation. After all, he didn't know Lei Peng's true character and needed to verify it with Liu Cui.

Liu Cui was so frightened that she knelt down again, shaking her head with tears in her eyes, "Absolutely not. My husband gave me the Fiery Palm technique, which he valued more than his own life, and told me to take the manual to Young Master Mo for protection. There will be no trouble. If my husband were to say that, wouldn't that be pushing me into danger? Then my husband would have died in vain."

As expected of a lady from a wealthy family, her mind was quite clear at this moment.

Chen Mo added, "What if someone is afraid of dying and blurts out something they shouldn't?"

Liu Cui exclaimed, "Impossible! I know my husband's character. He cares most about his family. He would do anything for his family and would never be afraid of leaking secrets."

Chen Mo nodded and helped Liu Cui up: "I have nothing else to do. You should take good care of yourself during your pregnancy. Today is Laba Festival. I'll have someone bring you some Laba porridge later."

As Chen Mo walked out of the East Courtyard, he was basically certain that it wasn't what Lei Peng had said.

So the person who discovered Lu Wei's whereabouts should be Granny Li.

But how did Granny Li find out?
Chen Mo couldn't eat or sleep until he figured out the reason.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the central courtyard. Chen Mo let his parents know that he was safe and sound and that his injuries were not serious, which put Lin Yulan at ease.

After what had just happened, the family not only respected Master Chen Yinfu, but also dared not underestimate Chen Mo, the second young master.

Chen Mo naturally noticed the change, but didn't say much. After eating and drinking his fill, he said, "Father, after what the Chen family has gone through, I suggest we spend more money to open a medicine shop to produce the medicines needed for martial arts training. Also, we should collect martial arts techniques and establish a library. We should train as many guards and disciples as possible. This way, we will have more power to protect ourselves. In addition, I think Chen Wu is a promising martial arts student and we should nurture him well."

This is a considerable expense, and Chen Mo is not yet the head of the family; his father's approval is required.

Chen Yinfu was a magnanimous family head, and immediately made the decision: "We will do as Xiao Mo says."

"Father made a wise decision."

……

It was already past midnight when I got back to the East Courtyard.

Chen Mo didn't rush to take a shower, but instead sat on the bench and reflected on what had happened that night.

“This Honghe County is becoming increasingly unsettled. Especially that Granny Li, I will never feel at ease until that wicked woman is eliminated. I need to break through to the level of an internal martial arts master as soon as possible so that I can be at peace. It’s a pity that I lack a method to transform blood into qi.”

Chen Mo suddenly thought of something.

"I sent Xie Dong to investigate Old Master Li's family, and it's been almost three months now, with no news at all. Is he even reliable? I need to send someone to the Xie residence tomorrow to inquire about the situation."

(End of this chapter)