I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 77 Li Hongxi's Resurrection

When Li Qingniu entered the inner courtyard to find Chen Mo, Guo Ziyu and Guo Songyang were drinking tea in the living room of the inner courtyard, and naturally saw it.

Guo Songyang puffed on his pipe, "It seems Li Qingniu has already found out that the owner of that opera score is Li Bingxiu. Chen Mo must also know that it was Li Bingxiu who set up the scheme behind the scenes to lure him out."

Guo Ziyu said coldly, "Given Chen Mo's personality, I'm afraid he'll go to the Blood Ridge Black Market to find Li Bingxiu today."

Guo Songyang was somewhat dismissive. "He seems like a cautious person. He already knows that Granny Li is extraordinary. He wouldn't risk going to the Blood Ridge Black Market like that, would he?"

Guo Ziyu shook her head. "You still don't understand Chen Mo at all. He appears cautious on the surface, but he is actually ruthless and decisive inside. He will choose to develop in a low-key manner when the time is not right, but once the time is right... he will not let go of any of the things that need to be done or the people that need to be killed."

Guo Songyang was puzzled, "Has he reached the right point?"

Guo Ziyu nodded: "His internal martial arts have reached the fourth level of martial master. His spirit preservation technique is also quite proficient. He has also dabbled in talisman techniques. Even if Li Yuanlong were to defeat him, it wouldn't be easy."

hiss!
Guo Songyang gritted his teeth and took a deep drag on his pipe. "He's a ruthless man. But he doesn't know that Li Bingxiu has someone backing him."

Guo Ziyu frowned slightly. "Since he has decided to take action against Li Bingxiu, we might as well go with the flow and do him a favor."

Guo Songyang's hand holding the pipe trembled slightly as he said, "But that's my senior brother..."

Guo Ziyu said, "Your senior brother should have died long ago."

Guo Songyang seemed hesitant, and after a long silence, he said, "Since Miss has made her decision, I won't say anything more. I'll have someone call Chen Mo in and have a talk with him."

Guo Ziyu disagreed, saying, "There's no need to tell him beforehand. Just find an excuse to go to the Blood Ridge Black Market."

Guo Songyang was surprised. "I don't understand this. If you're going to use my senior brother to do Chen Mo a favor, why didn't you tell him beforehand? What kind of favor is this?"

Guo Ziyu carefully explained, "Chen Mo doesn't understand us now, nor does he trust us. If we say too much, it will only make him suspicious and wary, adding unnecessary complications."

Guo Songyang: "That makes sense, but it's a bit frustrating to do it this way."

Guo Ziyu was much calmer. "To catch a big fish, you have to cast a long line and be patient. Besides, he'll find out sooner or later. And he'll soon discover... that there's no way to go any further. In the end, he'll have no choice but to follow our path."

Guo Songyang twitched his lips. "Miss, you really have some skills. You got him on our ship without leaving a trace."

Guo Ziyu said, "It's not that I'm good at it, but he... only has this one path to take..."

……

Chen Mo carefully packed his luggage.

Inside were clothes, boots, and sachets sewn by her mother. There were also five thousand taels of silver notes given by her mother, and a hairpin given by her stepmother.

Looking at these items, Chen Mo felt a warmth in his heart.

In this world teeming with evil, everyone he met seemed strange and scheming. Only this family brought Chen Mo a little warmth.

Thinking about how Granny Li had caused so much trouble for the family, making her parents and siblings live in fear, Chen Mo felt ashamed...

You deserve to die!

After packing his luggage, Chen Mo took out the calming talisman he had drawn earlier and put it in his pocket. Only then did he push open the door and walk out.

Just then, Guo Ziyu and Guo Ziyang walked over.

Guo Ziyang approached enthusiastically and asked, "Young Master Mo, are you going home for the New Year?"

After spending half a month together, Chen Mo and the Guo family of three became much more familiar with each other. Guo Ziyang also accepted the cruel result of being marginalized and gradually became more enthusiastic towards Chen Mo.

Initially, Guo Ziyang was unconvinced by Chen Mode, but after Guo Ziyu spoke to him, his initial discontent turned into admiration.

When one person looks up to another, they won't feel any discomfort; on the contrary, they'll feel a strong urge to get closer to that person.

Chen Mo said, "Yes. I've been here for half a month, and now that it's New Year's Eve, it's time to go home and visit my parents."

Guo Ziyu said, "Young Master Mo is indeed a filial son. We also need to go into the city. We'll visit Hall Master Chen Qingyan at the Blood Ridge Black Market while we're there, so we can go together. I'll also take you to meet Hall Master Chen."

Chen Mo was taken aback.

What a coincidence.

He agreed and followed Guo Ziyu and her brother out of the village.

A carriage was parked outside the manor early in the morning. Guo Ziyang, ever the friendly type, jumped onto the carriage and drove off, while Chen Mo and Guo Ziyu went inside. Guo Songyang was already sitting inside.

Fortunately, the carriage was spacious enough that the three of them didn't feel crowded.

As the carriage left the village, the three chatted idly, and Chen Mo roughly understood the purpose of their trip.

Chen Qingyan was Guo Songyang's senior brother, so it was only right for the junior brother to visit him on New Year's Eve.

As for entering the city, it's because every year during the Lunar New Year, the heads of the various Red Lantern Temples would go to the Red Lantern Temple to offer incense and worship the Red Lantern Goddess. At that time, the county government would also hold a grand Red Lantern Festival.

This is truly a grand annual event in Honghe County.

When Chen Mo heard the words "Red Lantern Festival", his heart was shaken.

The heads of the various Red Lantern Temples all have to go to the temple to worship; it must be a grand affair. Who knows, maybe they'll even see the Red Lantern Goddess? At the very least, they might see the Grand Master of Fate.

Unfortunately... Chen Mo wasn't in charge of the incense department, so he couldn't witness the grand annual festival.

Guo Ziyu seemed to see the expectation in Chen Mo's eyes, so she said, "If Young Master Mo wants to see the grand occasion of the Red Lantern Festival, I will take you there."

Chen Mo was overjoyed and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Miss Ziyu."

Guo Ziyu said calmly, "With your current level of mastery of the Divine Preservation Technique and internal martial arts, it's only a matter of time before you become the head of the Red Lanterns. Once the annual festival is over and the Red Lanterns have some free time, I will report your situation to Chief Zhu and also make a copy of your file for the Red Lanterns' examination hall."

The Red Lantern Sect had a large base in Honghe County, with numerous branches. In order to promote talent, they established an Examination Hall based on the Imperial Examination Department to examine and record the achievements and abilities of each core disciple and manager, which would serve as the basis for future promotions and transfers.

After agreeing on the time when Chen Mo would be in charge, Guo Ziyu changed the subject, "Is there any progress on the matter of the opera score?"

Chen Mo felt that this matter could not be hidden sooner or later, and there was no need to hide it, so he told the whole story.

Guo Ziyu listened carefully, "Li Binghui's older sister, Li Bingxiu?"

Chen Mo was taken aback. "The Li family's mother-in-law is called Li Bingxiu?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Hmm. Are you planning to go look for her today?"

Guo Ziyu didn't ask Li Bingxiu if there was any conflict between him and Chen Mo, so Chen Mo didn't say much, only saying, "Yes. I want to buy that opera score."

Guo Ziyu and Guo Songyang exchanged a glance, and then Guo Ziyu said, "Li Bingxiu went to such lengths to lure you to see her. You'd better be careful."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement, "Thank you for your concern, Miss Ziyu. I understand."

“Young Master Mo has now mastered both the internal martial arts and the Spirit Preservation Technique, so I have no worries about that…” Guo Ziyu suddenly changed the subject, “Do you know that Li Bingxiu is acquainted with Manager Zhou of the Blood Ridge Black Market?”

Ok?
Chen Mo was taken aback, suddenly remembering what Qiu Lan had told him before: when he had mistakenly entered the Ghost Land, Granny Li wanted to light red candles, so she asked Xie Dong to inform Steward Zhou. She said that lighting red candles in the Blood Ridge Black Market required Steward Zhou's permission.

The information provided by Qiulan alone is insufficient to prove that Li Bingxiu and Steward Zhou were acquainted.

It's just a notification, nothing more.

But after hearing what Guo Ziyu said, Chen Mo realized that Steward Zhou and Granny Li had a very good relationship.

Could it be that Manager Zhou is actually Granny Li's backer?

Chen Mo found this conjecture quite reasonable: since the Blood Ridge Black Market was managed by the Blood Ridge Hall, a branch of the Red Lanterns, how could the manager of the Blood Ridge Hall not know that Granny Li was a symbiotic being with madness? No wonder Granny Li was able to survive in the Blood Ridge Black Market for so many years; it turned out she had someone within the Red Lanterns…

Moreover... Guo Ziyu's words seemed to be a deliberate reminder to herself.

She knew she had to deal with Granny Li.
It seems Guo Ziyu investigated me privately and knows about my conflict with Granny Li. While it wouldn't be difficult to uncover these things, it's surprising that Guo Ziyu, as the village leader, would actually go out of her way to investigate me.

Am I focusing too much on myself?

Fortunately, it seems that Guo Ziyu has no ill intentions towards me. At least when it comes to teaching me her special skills, she hasn't held anything back.

"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Ziyu."

Chen Mo thanked him, but his emotions didn't fluctuate much.

There are many ways to kill someone. There are also many ways to kill someone without anyone noticing.

Let's buy the opera score from Granny Li first.

When Guo Ziyu saw that Chen Mo didn't ask any more questions about Granny Li and Steward Zhou, she knew that Chen Mo was determined to kill Li Bingxiu today, so she didn't say anything more.

After traveling for more than two hours, the carriage arrived at the Blood Ridge Black Market.

This was Chen Mo's second time visiting the Blood Ridge Black Market, and it was quite different from his first visit.

As soon as the carriage entered the canyon, it received a grand welcome from the black market workers, who addressed it as Manager Guo.

Although it was New Year's Eve, the Blood Ridge Black Market was still bustling with activity. Groups of peddlers set up stalls, and customers came and went in an endless stream to buy New Year's goods. The entire black market was vibrant and full of the aroma of everyday life.

The carriage traveled through the bustling black market until it reached its southeastern end.

Ahead stood a very imposing building, with a red lantern hanging above the entrance and a horizontal plaque bearing three large characters: Blood Ridge Hall. As soon as the carriage arrived at the gate, a gatekeeper came to lead the horses.

After the group disembarked from the carriage, Chen Mo couldn't help but take another look at the entrance.

The entrance to this place is not as grand as that of Black Mountain Stronghold, and the red lanterns hanging above it are also smaller. It seems that the Blood Ridge Hall is not as prestigious as Black Mountain Stronghold.

Black Mountain Stronghold is a secret branch, and it also has the task of sealing off a dangerous place like Qinghe Town. Naturally, it would be heavily guarded, which is far superior to that of an ordinary branch.
Not long after, a middle-aged man in black with a wrinkled face came out and bowed to Guo Songyang from a distance: "I did not know that Master Guo and Second Steward Guo would be here. I am sorry for not welcoming you sooner."

Guo Songyang smiled and said, "Manager Zhou Kuan is too kind. I am just visiting Hall Master Chen as is customary."

Zhou Kuan bowed and said, "Master Guo is so kind. Please come in quickly."

While welcoming everyone inside, Zhou Kuan did not forget to praise Chen Mo: "This must be the young master Guo's son. It's only been a few years since I last saw him, and he has become so handsome and dignified. He is truly a prodigy."

Guo Songyang: "..."

Guo Ziyang: "..."

Chen Mo: "..."

It was Guo Ziyu who stepped in to smooth things over, "Manager Zhou made a mistake. This is Chen Mo, a new employee at Fu Huo Manor. My brother-in-law, Guo Ziyang, is next to me."

Zhou Kuan's face turned bright red with embarrassment. He regretted his careless words and forced himself to look Guo Ziyang up and down. "Young Master Guo is also a handsome young man, a true prodigy. Congratulations to Master Guo on the birth of two heroic young men."

Guo Ziyang didn't say it aloud, but he was thinking to himself: How fake.

After a brief interlude, everyone entered the house.

Chen Mo walked at the back, glancing at Zhou Kuan every now and then. This must be Li Bingxiu's backer.

Judging from the sheer volume of his breath, he's roughly at the level of a third-level martial artist. His Spirit Preservation Technique is probably just a minor one… not very impressive. He could kill the opponent with a single punch.

Zhou Kuan led everyone into the living room of the house, where they were served tea and snacks. After exchanging pleasantries, Guo Songyang asked, "Where is Master Chen?"

Zhou Kuan dismissed those around him before saying, "Master Chen remarried yesterday, and he's probably at home enjoying time with his wife. He hasn't come over yet today."

Guo Songyang was taken aback: "Master Chen is already fifty-three, and he's remarrying?"

Zhou Kuan said, "Yes. Moreover, the matter of remarrying was kept very secret, and no wedding banquet was held. In fact, only a few people knew about it."

Guo Ziyu asked, "Do you know which wealthy family's daughter Master Chen remarried to?"

Chen Qingyan was the head of a branch of the Red Lantern Gang, considered a low-ranking Red Lantern attendant. Those who caught Chen Qingyan's eye were most likely daughters of wealthy families.

Zhou Kuan shook his head. "I don't know about that. It's said to be a girl from the Blood Ridge Black Market. If you're curious, you can go to Master Chen's house to find out. That house is on the edge of the black market, not far from here."

A local girl from the black market?
Chen Mo was also curious.

"Very well, since Master Chen is home, I will go and bother him." Guo Songyang got up to take his leave.

"I'll see Master Guo off." Zhou Kuan warmly saw everyone out the door.

After the group had gone some distance, Zhou Kuan's gaze darkened, revealing a hint of malice. He muttered, "As expected, they came today. It was easy for them to come, but difficult for them to leave."

……

When the carriage reached an intersection, Chen Mo jumped off.

"Thank you very much, Master Guo. Miss Ziyu has seen me off all the way. I'm going to the Li residence to buy shadow puppets from Granny Li. When you arrive in the city, please remember to visit the Chen residence. I'll be happy to welcome you."

Guo Ziyu lifted the curtain, accepted Chen Mo's invitation, and reminded him, "Be careful. We'll visit Chen Qingyan first, then come to the Li residence to find you."

"understood."

Chen Mo cupped his hands in greeting and then quickly headed towards the Li residence.

Guo Ziyu watched Chen Mo's figure disappear at the intersection before turning her gaze back to Guo Ziyang and saying, "Ziyang, hurry up and catch the carriage. We're going to Chen Qingyan's house."

drive!
Guo Ziyang shouted and lashed the horse's rump with his whip. The carriage sped away.

Guo Ziyu then lowered the curtain and sat back in the carriage. "Uncle Guo, don't you think this remarriage is very strange?"

Guo Songyang puffed on his pipe in frustration, his face grim. "It's very strange. Chen Qingyan and Li Yuanlong's disciple, Yuanzhu, are both born with the six yin roots. They were born at an inauspicious time. Such a constitution makes them prone to seeing ghosts and encountering evil spirits. It was only after joining the Red Lantern Sect that they were able to unleash their abilities. But I know he can't marry. His previous wives all died shortly after marrying him because of his constitution. Later, Chen Qingyan lost all hope and gave up the idea of ​​remarrying. He hasn't mentioned remarrying for over ten years. This time, there must be something fishy about it."

Guo Ziyu said, "Unless..."

Guo Songyang suddenly looked up and stared at Guo Ziyu. "Chen Qing has been exposed to the red light police, but he wouldn't have the audacity to do this, would he?"

Guo Ziyu said, "We'll know once we go to the Chen residence. If so, this person has committed a grave offense and cannot be allowed to live."

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of a courtyard house on the edge of the black market.

The Blood Ridge Black Market is located in a canyon, where the lighting is poor. This courtyard, being close to the mountain wall, is perpetually shrouded in shadow, adding to its eerie atmosphere.

Two festive lanterns hung above the entrance, along with a horizontal plaque bearing the two large characters: Chen Residence.

Two stone lions stood at the entrance, but they were covered with moss because they were not cleaned properly.

There is no gatekeeper.

Guo Ziyang went up and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He then turned to Guo Ziyu and asked, "Sister, no one is responding."

Guo Ziyu gritted her teeth: "We can't wait any longer. Break down the door!"

Bang!
Guo Ziyang kicked the door open.

Three people entered one after another.

Compared to the deserted scene outside, the interior was decorated in a very festive manner.

The corridors on both sides were adorned with red lanterns and filled with banquet tables laden with food and wine, including fragrant fish and meat, but no one was sitting on the benches. A red carpet stretched from the entrance to the living room.

A bridal sedan chair was parked at the entrance of the living room, carried by four paper figures.

You can vaguely see that the lights in the living room are on, swaying in the wind.

Guo Ziyang shrank back. "Sister, what kind of wedding banquet is this? It's such a waste of all the delicious food on these tables."

As he spoke, Guo Ziyang walked to a table, picked up a duck leg, and was about to put it in his mouth.

"can not eat!"

Guo Ziyu suddenly shouted, "This is not for the living!"

hiss!
Guo Ziyang gasped in shock and quickly put down the duck leg. "Sister, aren't these dishes for a living person? Isn't Chen Qingyan getting married...?"

Before Guo Ziyu could answer, Guo Songyang puffed on his pipe and glared at Guo Ziyang, "Who says that getting married necessarily means marrying a living person?"

Guo Ziyang stared at the red bridal sedan chair, speechless with shock, a chill running from head to toe. He dared not wander off again and followed closely behind Guo Ziyu.

Guo Ziyu glanced at the bridal sedan chair, "It may not be for a wedding."

Guo Ziyang asked curiously, "Isn't this red sedan chair for welcoming the bride?"

Guo Ziyu did not answer, and walked into the living room step by step.

The small living room was carpeted with red carpet, and paper figures lined both sides, each with drawn eyes and lips and painted with red oil paint. A paper couple sat at the head of the table at the front.

In the center of the hall stood paper figures of the bride and groom.

The groom was tall and resembled Chen Qingyan, wearing a red gauze robe, while the bride wore a red Xiuhe dress and a red veil. The bride was very short, appearing to be only thirteen years old.

The bride and groom each held one end of a red embroidered ball; the groom beamed with joy, while the bride shyly lowered her head.

Guo Ziyu stepped forward and lifted the woman's red veil, revealing the bride's true face.

Guo Songyang leaned closer for a look and exclaimed, "Isn't this girl Li Bingxiu's daughter, Li Hongxi? Wasn't she killed by Chen Mo back when she was at the Chen residence?"

Guo Ziyu's pupils dilated, her face pale. "I underestimated that scoundrel Li Bingxiu. The terrifying nature of this family far exceeded my expectations. Li Hongxi is not dead."

Guo Songyang gasped: "How did they do that?"

Guo Ziyu said, "That Li Hongxi is no longer the original Li Hongxi. Instead, she has become a concrete manifestation of the ghost curse. As for Li Bingxiu... she has become a spirit infant attendant. As long as the spirit infant does not die, the ghost curse will not dissipate."

Guo Songyang said, "But ever since the Red Lantern Goddess personally came to Qinghe Town to exorcise the evil spirits, the infant spirit was beaten down to nothing but resentment. The infant spirit's attendants were also wiped out by the Grand Master of Fate and the Junior Master of Fate long ago..."

In the end, Guo Songyang chose to believe Guo Ziyu, "So what is Li Hongxi trying to do by getting married to Chen Qingyan?"

Guo Ziyu stared intently at the paper figure of Li Hongxi: "This isn't a marriage, but rather Chen Qingyan being forced to marry into the Li family. Li Bingxiu wants his daughter to return to life through a ghost marriage... Once Li Hongxi is returned to life, the spirit infant can escape... Oh no! Chen Mo is in danger! Quick, to the Li residence! Chen Mo absolutely cannot be harmed!"

After saying that, Guo Ziyu disregarded her image and ran out of the living room like a madwoman...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: First update. Next chapter at noon. I originally wanted to post them together, but I wrote this chapter five times before I was barely satisfied. The next chapter isn't finished yet. First day of August, please support me with monthly tickets!
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