I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 42 The Li Family's Twisted Fate!

Not only was Xie Lianghong frightened, but even Chen Mo was startled.

Li Hongxi is out!?
Chen Mo immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and, without thinking twice, asked, "Third Master Xie, are you saying... Li Hongxi climbed out of the ancient well?"

Xie Lianghong seemed not to hear, sitting blankly on the ground, muttering repeatedly, "She crawled out, she came to the Xie family to silence them..."

Seeing Xie Lianghong's almost insane state, Chen Mo was truly alarmed.

It wouldn't be surprising if an ordinary old man were terrified after hearing about ghosts and evil spirits. But Xie Lianghong was a renowned coroner in Honghe County. He had dissected countless corpses, especially those of patients suffering from madness.

In the county government's archives, Xie Lianghong's name can be seen everywhere.

How could such a tough guy, who deals with the dead all the time, be so scared?

Fortunately, Chen Mo had broken through the inner martial arts realm, so he wasn't flustered. He squatted down and helped Xie Lianghong up, saying, "Thank you, Third Master!"

Perhaps it was because Chen Mo's hands were broad and strong, or perhaps it was because of Chen Mo's deep voice. Xie Lianghong finally came to his senses after hearing this. He glanced at Chen Mo, then sighed, "Second Young Master Chen, thank you for telling me this frankly today. You should go back soon."

Chen Mo had finally managed to get some information about Li Hongxi, so how could he bear to leave?

“Third Master Xie, our two families have always been on good terms. Now that the Xie family is in trouble, how can I sit idly by and do nothing? Third Master Xie, please tell me the reason. If I can help, I will do so without hesitation.”

Xie Lianghong felt greatly relieved, thinking to himself: "My Xie family and the Chen family don't actually have much of a relationship, but I didn't expect the Second Young Master Chen to be so righteous. Now that my Xie family is being targeted, it would be good if we could get help from the Chen family."

Thinking of this, Xie Lianghong said, "Young Master Chen is a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Now that things have come to this, there's nothing he can't say."

He then recounted the reasons behind his actions.

It turned out that Old Master Li had a young son who died before reaching 100 days old. The son's death was mysterious, and Old Master Li strongly suspected that Li Hongxi had killed him, but Old Master Li's wife disagreed. An argument ensued between the two.

Old Master Li was furious, and his preference for sons over daughters led him to push Li Hongxi into the well while Old Lady Li was away...

Granny Li blamed Old Master Li for killing Li Hongxi in a fit of rage, and the conflict between the two grew increasingly intense.

In order to find evidence, Old Master Li secretly took his young son's body to Xie Lianghong, hoping that Xie Lianghong would perform an autopsy.

Unable to dissuade him, Xie Lianghong dissected the body of Old Master Li's youngest son. The result was... that the youngest son's body contained the face of an infant, which had devoured all of the youngest son's internal organs.

It is clear that her youngest son died of madness, and it had nothing to do with Li Hongxi.

When Old Master Li found out, he was filled with remorse and kept repeating "Give me back my daughter." From then on, he went mad and died less than two years later.

Hearing this, Chen Mo understood.

No wonder the previous letter contained such detailed information about the Li family; it turns out Xie Lianghong had dissected their infant son, which makes perfect sense.

However, a crucial piece of information caught Chen Mo's attention—could a baby's face appear inside the womb?
That sounds scary.

Chen Mo felt the story wasn't over yet. "Third Master Xie did a good deed and helped the Li family a lot. Why would the Li family want to come to the Xie family to silence them?"

Master Xie shook his head and sighed, "Granny Li came to me later and said that I shouldn't have dissected the infant's body. She even said she would kill my entire Xie family. If it weren't for Steward Zhou from the Blood Ridge Black Market intervening, I'm afraid I would have died long ago."

Chen Mo continued, "Why is that?"

Hiding his mental illness?
But her youngest son is dead, so what's the point of hiding it?

"I was puzzled at the time. Later, I dissected the corpses of patients with madness and gained a detailed understanding of them. Only then did I understand the reason. Usually, patients who are infected with madness by evil spirits will grow a baby face on their abdomen. But there is a special case, which is the patients who are born with madness."

Chen Mo immediately realized something: "Old Master Li's youngest son is a born madman?"

Xie Lianghong said, "Yes. Based on my years of research, this situation requires one condition—one of the parents must be a patient with madness. Moreover, they must be a patient who can live a long life. Only patients who have produced defensive qi in their bodies can live a long life."

Hearing this, Chen Mo's horizons broadened, and he finally understood the reason:
From the moment Xie Lianghong dissected the young boy's corpse, he learned that one of Old Master Li and Granny Li was a long-term sufferer of madness.

The government was searching everywhere for people suffering from madness, and anyone found with this condition would be beaten, killed, or imprisoned.

How could the Li family allow this hidden danger to be known by outsiders? Just like Chen Mo at this moment.

Then the problem is coming...

Between Grandpa Li and Grandma Li, who is the one suffering from madness?
After a moment's thought, Chen Mo wrote down the answer: Granny Li.

Because Granny Li was an insider, she insisted that Li Hongxi did not kill the infant. Furthermore, Granny Li did not tell Old Master Li that she had a long history of mental illness. This led Old Master Li to kill Li Hongxi and secretly bring the infant's body to Xie Lianghong for an autopsy.

Thinking about it this way, Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

The woman he imprisoned in his home was also a long-lived madwoman.

But people have changed... they're no longer human.

It's quite remarkable that Granny Li has lived for so many years as if nothing had happened.

After mentally sorting through these clues, Chen Mo finally spoke, "Didn't Granny Li come looking for you again?"

Xie Lianghong looked terrified. "With Steward Zhou vouching for me, and Granny Li still wanting to treat her daughter, she hasn't come looking for me. But I know Granny Li is wicked, and she'll come after the Xie family one day. I've suggested to my elder brother many times that we shut down the Blood Ridge Black Market business. But he looks down on my lowly profession and says I'm talking nonsense. In the end, he can't bear to give up the black market business and won't believe me... Now that Xiao Dong has suffered, it must be because Granny Li's daughter has been released. She feels she has a future and no longer cares about Steward Zhou..."

After hearing these words, Chen Mo felt conflicted.

Although there was no evidence to prove that Xie Lianghong's claims were true, Chen Mo had a strong intuition that it was the truth.

It's pitiful for Xie Lianghong. He spent his entire life as a coroner, which in his previous life would have been a virtuous and meritorious profession. But in this world, values ​​are different, and people consider coroners to be a lowly and dirty profession. As a result, his elder brother didn't believe what Xie Lianghong said.

“Third Master Xie, there are still two things I don’t understand. You said before that Old Master Li died eighteen years ago. But when I went to the black market a few months ago, I clearly saw Old Master Li on the street. Why is that?”

Eh.

Xie Lianghong sighed: "I've been a coroner for many years and have seen many dead people. I've gradually developed a skill: I can tell from my intuition whether someone is dead or not, but I can't provide any evidence, so no one believes me. I know... that Old Master Li did indeed die eighteen years ago, and the person you're seeing now is not alive."

Not a living person?

Chen Mo sighed for a moment before saying, "Besides, how did Third Master Xie know that Li Hongxi had climbed out of the well? Didn't Old Master Li seal the well opening with red candles back then? The Li family tried various methods for twenty years without success, so how come she's out now?"

Xie Lianghong shook his head. "I don't have concrete evidence, but I've dealt with the dead for many years, and I have a strong intuition that Li Hongxi has come out. Granny Li loved her daughter the most. Her daughter has been trapped in the well for years, and Granny Li has lost all hope and doesn't want to live anymore. Now that she's attacked my Xie family, it's because her daughter is alright, and Granny Li wants to live again..."

Chen Mo felt increasingly uneasy and seized the opportunity to ask, "Is there any way to deal with the Li family?"

Xie Lianghong shook his head: "Besides the Red Lantern Gang and Black Mountain Village, only internal martial arts masters in the county have some methods. Others... are helpless against such evil spirits as the Li family."

Suppressing his relief, Chen Mo asked, "Can an internal martial arts master deal with evil spirits like the Li family?"

Xie Lianghong nodded: "The six senses of an internal martial artist have undergone a transformation, becoming more acute and able to detect the approach and tactics of such evil spirits. If one can learn the true skills of internal martial arts, dealing with evil spirits like those of the Li family should not be a problem. However, I am not an internal martial artist, so I can only make a rough guess."

Having gained a better understanding and feeling that he had asked enough questions, Chen Mo cupped his hands and said, "I am willing to do anything for Third Master Xie. Please give me your instructions."

Although Chen Mo and Xie Dong didn't have a deep relationship, Xie Dong had helped him before. He should still help him if he could.

Xie Lianghong said, "Our Xie family has already been targeted. If we want to survive, we have no choice but to move overnight and leave Honghe County... If Young Master Chen could lend me some horses and carts, that would be the best."

Seeing that Xie Lianghong had made his decision, Chen Mo didn't say anything more.

Even Master Xie was looked down upon by the Xie family patriarch, so what weight did his words carry as an outsider? Besides, Chen Mo had never actually killed any evil spirits before, and he had no idea how he was doing.

Clearing his mind of distractions, Chen Mo agreed, "I'll have someone bring the cart and horses as soon as I get back. If Third Master Xie has no further instructions, I won't bother you any longer."

Just as Chen Mo was about to leave, Xie Lianghong suddenly called out to him, took out a booklet from his pocket, and stuffed it into Chen Mo's hand. "I think the Second Young Master Chen has been possessed by evil spirits and has a keen sense of smell. Moreover, he trusts what I say, so I'm giving you the booklet of my years of research on madness through autopsies. In this world, there aren't many people who can believe what I say, so I've found someone who is destined to be with me."

"Thank you very much, Third Master. I will go back and have someone send a horse." Chen Mo bowed deeply to Third Master Xie before leaving.

In the vast room, Xie Lianghong was left all alone. He muttered to himself, his voice filled with sorrow and despair, "What a tragic fate! I, Xie Lianghong, have spent my life doing good for the dead, yet I never imagined I would be entangled with such an evil family. It is I who have harmed Xiao Dong, and I have harmed the Xie family..."

(End of this chapter)