I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 84 I became a cold corpse!?
hum!
The moment Chen Mo activated the Ghost Curse Blood, the ghost fetus spirit became extremely terrified.

"How could someone possess the blood of the Demon Curse? This thing has been missing for many years. Only the first and second generations had the blood of the Demon Curse... No, no, don't suck me."

The demon fetus roared and resisted frantically.

However, the fetus's resistance was futile against the blood of the cursed demon. It was like a drowning child trying to fight the ocean.

Within a few breaths, the baby had been sucked dry, and its voice had become weak.

"No, no, I went through so much to bring this child to life. I don't want to die..."

"Do not!!"

With a final, unwilling roar, the ghost fetus was completely drained by the blood of the ghost curse and vanished into nothingness.

Along with this, the Ghost Curse Blood within Chen Mo's body began to grow vigorously.

That drop of blood was clearly compatible with his own blood and originally had no side effects. But at this moment, that drop of cursed blood began to grow larger, rapidly traveling through his limbs and bones.

With each circle it travels, the drop of ghost blood grows a little stronger.

Not long after, the drop of ghost blood finally stopped, but it had also grown larger.

Chen Mo felt as cold as ice all over his body, without a trace of warmth.

I've never felt this way before.

It’s so cold!

Chen Mo hurriedly circulated the Bright Jade Technique, attempting to restore his body's temperature using his intense internal energy. This was how he usually did it. However, this time it didn't work.

No matter how Chen Mo tried to circulate his internal energy, his body just wouldn't get warm.

Cold.

Like a corpse.

This made Chen Mo a little uneasy, but fortunately, he didn't have any mental problems. He just felt like he had become a cold corpse...

Chen Mo immediately opened the panel to check the information about Ghost Blood.

Sure enough, the panel changed; the original four black bars became five black bars.

【Name: Two Drops of Cursed Blood】

[Type: Evil Infant Ghost Curse Blood]

[Characteristics: It will devour and absorb evil spirit energy to strengthen its demonic blood. However, it will also gradually devour your life force and soul until you become a dried-up corpse.]

[Description: This powerful ghost blood carries the power of demons and evil spirits. If used properly, it can have unexpected effects. However, with each use, the ghost blood will devour you more quickly.]

[Note: Your bloodline has become compatible with the blood of the cursed ghost, preventing it from devouring your life force and soul, preventing you from being sucked dry, and allowing you to use the power of the ghost's blood for your own benefit. You have obtained the power of two drops of the cursed ghost's blood. Your demonization is accelerating, but your mental state remains under control.]

After seeing the information in the last line of the remarks column, Chen Mo felt uneasy.

One drop of cursed blood turned into two drops?

Moreover, the demonization is accelerating...

Fortunately, his mental state remains under control.

That's fine...

Chen Mo felt very uncomfortable because his body temperature hadn't returned to normal. However, considering that his demonization was accelerating, whether he had body temperature or not... didn't seem to matter that much?

As long as your mental state is under control, there's no problem, right?

After a while, Chen Mo clearly felt that his six senses and six perceptions had improved further, and that everything else in his body was normal. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and slowly open his eyes.

The eerie winds that had raged in the room had vanished, and the howling cries had ceased; all was quiet now. But… Guo Ziyu had somehow gotten very close and was staring at him with wide eyes.

She was standing way too close.

So much so that Chen Mo could see her long, narrow eyelashes. If he were a little bolder, he could have kissed her with just a few words.

But this woman is not simple. Chen Mo still prefers the submissive type, who is more reassuring and less troublesome.

Chen Mo instinctively moved his head back, "Miss Ziyu, you..."

Guo Ziyu then came to her senses and realized that she had been somewhat out of line, so she straightened up and said, "I originally wanted to help you get rid of the ghostly energy that possessed you, but you took care of it yourself. That saved me a lot of trouble."

Guo Ziyu used the word "process," but Chen Mo felt that she originally wanted to express "absorb," but she was just hiding something.

Chen Mo tentatively asked, "Did you hear what the baby said just now?"

Guo Ziyu tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head: "No."

Chen Mo: "..."

You shouldn't be thinking that...

It seems the other party knew that he had absorbed the ghost energy.

At this point, Chen Mo didn't think much about it.

Based on his experience in Black Mountain Village, getting a mental illness is nothing. Absorbing ghost energy... is also nothing, as long as it's not brought up in public.

Exorcising evil spirits... Didn't Guo Ziyu also use two evil spells?

It's unclear who the evil spirit is and who is trying to eliminate it.

Guo Ziyu changed the subject, "The evil fetus in your second aunt's womb has been dealt with; it's a stillborn baby now. You can find a doctor later to use some labor-inducing drugs to get the stillborn out."

After saying that, Guo Ziyu packed her belongings, looking quite ready to leave.

Chen Mo also went to the bedside and glanced at his second aunt, who was fast asleep. But for some reason, two lines of clear tears slid down his cheeks.

Perhaps, even though the stepmother was still asleep, she subconsciously knew that she had lost a child, which is why she was heartbroken.

It is said that mothers and children are connected at heart, and it is reasonable that some inexplicable feelings exist between them.

Chen Mo felt a pang of pity. "If we call a doctor again, Second Madam will have to endure the pain of losing her child once more. It would be better to strike while the iron is hot and remove the stillborn fetus while Second Madam is unconscious. It's good that Miss Ziyu is here too, so I can feel more at ease."

Guo Ziyu gave Chen Mo a serious look. "You are a filial son. However, I'm not good at handling stillborn fetuses. It's New Year's Eve today, and I'm afraid all the doctors have taken leave to go home..."

Chen Mo said, "That's alright. My Chen family runs a pharmacy and clinic business, and we have our own doctors. I'll have someone invite them."

Guo Ziyu was taken aback. "I forgot about that. Your Chen family is a prominent family. But..."

Chen Mo then went outside and saw Chen Wu outside, looking as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He rushed over and asked, "Brother, my mother..."

Chen Mo said, "Second Mother is alright. Go quickly and tell Father to find a doctor as soon as possible to remove the stillborn fetus from Second Mother's womb."

"Thank you, brother. Thank you, Manager Guo."

Chen Wu knelt in front of the door, thanked the two men, and then ran out.

……

With the help of the old doctor, they were given labor-inducing drugs.

Finally, they removed the stillborn fetus from Zhang Ru's abdomen.

It was a stillborn fetus that was completely black. Zhang Ru didn't even glance at it before Chen Mo took it away and handed it over to Guo Ziyu to deal with.

When Chen Mo returned to the entrance of the villa, he heard his second aunt's desperate screams coming from inside.

"My lord, my child!"

"Our children!"

Chen Mo wanted to go in and offer some words of comfort, but he didn't. Chen Yinfu and Chen Wu were inside with his second aunt. But hearing his second aunt's shrill screams, he felt a pang of sorrow and heartache.

Having lived two lives, he had seen much. He naturally knew what it was like for a mother to lose a child.

Although he hadn't spent much time with his stepmother during the three months he had been transported through time, Chen Mo still considered her his stepmother.

A gentle breeze stirred Chen Mo's long hair.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky and the dazzling fireworks in the distance. The fireworks here contrasted sharply with the tragic fate of the Chen family.

What a damn world!
Chen Mo clenched his fists, silently reminding himself: I must strive to become stronger. Only when I have the ability to protect myself can I take care of this family.

Without sufficient strength, one is ultimately just a drifting ant on the vast ocean, a mere ant beneath an evil god.

"what are you thinking?"

Guo Ziyu walked over at this moment and stood next to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo turned around: "I just feel sorry for Second Aunt. By the way, have you disposed of the stillborn baby?"

Guo Ziyu said, "I put up exorcism talismans and then burned them. I won't cause trouble at the Chen residence anymore."

Chen Mo cupped his hands in thanks and said sincerely, "Thank you for your help tonight, Miss Ziyu."

Guo Ziyu said indifferently, "It was nothing."

Chen Mo asked, "Does Miss Ziyu know how that ghost fetus came about?"

Guo Ziyu didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked up at the sky above the Chen residence and said after a moment, "Has your home been harboring some kind of evil spirit for a long time?"

"Evil thing?"

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment, then thought of the red-veiled statue in the ancestral hall.

Oh right, that thing hasn't been dealt with yet.

If this evil deity is not eliminated, trouble will inevitably befall the Chen family sooner or later.

"Miss Ziyu, please come with me."

Soon, the two arrived at the main entrance of the ancestral hall.

Upon seeing the plaque above the ancestral hall, Guo Ziyu was stunned and said, "Isn't this your Chen family's ancestral hall? Shouldn't it be enshrining the spirit tablets of our ancestors? Is the evil spirit you're talking about inside?"

Chen Mo said, "Miss Ziyu, come in with me and you'll see for yourself."

Squeak!

Chen Mo pushed open the ancestral hall door and led Guo Ziyu to the main hall.

Although it was late at night and no one was around, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall still looked quite grand, with various candles and horn lamps lit inside, providing excellent illumination.

The altar was filled with offerings, including fruit and sacrificial meat.

In the center of the altar stood the outline of a two-foot-tall statue, covered by a red veil, obscuring the view inside. But judging from the outline revealed by the red veil, it was undoubtedly a sculpture.

For some reason, Chen Mo still felt a strange unease when he saw the red veil again after half a month. Guo Ziyu also noticed the red veil, "Where did this come from?"

This was, of course, something Li Yuanlong acquired when he was trying to "cure" his madness.

The fact that I had suffered from madness should not have been known to others.

But now that things have come to this, Chen Mo feels that there's no harm in speaking out.

"To be honest, I used to suffer from madness..." Chen Mo explained the origin of the sculpture in detail.

Seeing Chen Mo's honesty, Guo Ziyu nodded slightly. "Later, did Li Yuanlong come to test you?"

Chen Mo didn't hide anything, "Yes."

"Did Li Yuanlong make you bow with blood and incense in front of this red veil back then?"

Chen Mo was secretly surprised. This Guo Ziyu was no ordinary person. Although she hadn't come, she had guessed the details of what happened back then with great accuracy.

"Yes."

Guo Ziyu breathed a sigh of relief, "That makes sense now."

Chen Mo was completely bewildered. "Please explain, Miss Ziyu."

Guo Ziyu explained in detail, “Although my proportion of spiritual energy is similar to yours, I mastered inner illumination in my early years. I also practiced the Soul Burial Scripture, which allows me to sense the Dharma form of the Red Lantern Goddess. The Dharma form before me is clearly not the Red Lantern Goddess. Back then, when Li Yuanlong made you worship the blood incense… you weren’t worshipping the Red Lantern Goddess.”

Chen Mo thought to himself: This woman is really something.

But he tentatively asked, "Then who did Li Yuanlong make me worship?"

“In Honghe County, there are only two evil gods known to the public: the Red Lantern Goddess and the Child-Giving Spirit. Li Yuanlong didn't ask you to worship the Red Lantern Goddess, so it must be the Child-Giving Spirit,” Guo Ziyu said calmly. “Your second aunt was indeed pregnant before, and it was a normal fetus. But because she came here to chant scriptures and pray for a long time, the spirit in this infant's image developed evil thoughts. These evil thoughts slowly eroded the fetus in your second aunt's womb. The fetus was already weak and underdeveloped, so it was possessed by the spirit in the infant’s image.”

Chen Mo understood immediately. "So it really is. The divine essence within the Dharma Image can possess another body?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Under normal circumstances, the divine aura is extremely small, making it very difficult to possess a healthy adult. Only when someone is sick, physically weak, and mentally frail, and has been staying here for a long time, will they be eroded by the divine aura and eventually possessed."

Now that the demonic fetus has been dealt with, and the ghostly energy within it is gone. The divine aura of this statue has also vanished. It's just an ordinary wooden carving. You can just burn it later.”

After saying that, Guo Ziyu turned and walked outside. "I'm tired from casting spells today. If there's nothing else, I'll go back to the inn. After the Red Lantern Festival tomorrow, I'll take you to meet a few people to finalize the matter of you joining the organization behind me."

Hearing Guo Ziyu say that the statue had lost its spirit, Chen Mo felt relieved. "I'll see Miss Ziyu out."

When they escorted Guo Ziyu to the gate of the Chen residence and were about to part ways, Guo Ziyu suddenly said, "You did a good job killing Granny Li's family."

Since things had come to this point, Chen Mo didn't hide anything, "Thank you, Miss Ziyu, for finding a suitable explanation for me."

Chen Mo had his reasons for accepting it.

On one hand, he owed Guo Ziyu a favor, and it would be inappropriate to hesitate. On the other hand, since he was about to join Guo Ziyu's organization, there was no need to hide anything. More importantly, Chen Mo needed to acknowledge this before he could inquire about the shadow puppet story.

Guo Ziyu said, "Their whole family deserved to die. You just did what I've always wanted to do."

Chen Mo seized the opportunity and continued, "By the way, Miss Ziyu, I have another question to ask you."

"You said."

“I already know the story of the shadow puppet show…” Chen Mo recounted the story of Shen Yujun and Li Qing in detail, and then said, “Just now, Miss Ziyu mentioned the spirit child who brings children, so she must know about this matter.”

Guo Ziyu nodded. "Yes. What do you want to ask?"

Chen Mo explained in detail, "According to Li Bingxiu, two infants appeared in the Li family. One was a stillborn infant cut from the belly of a woman in a mass grave and enshrined in a shrine. The other came out of Shen Yujun's womb. How can these two spirit infants be distinguished? What is the connection between them?"

Guo Ziyu didn't hide anything. "Although you haven't been in the village for long, you know quite a lot. I won't hide it from you either. The original purpose of our Black Mountain Village was to find out about this matter. But after so many years, there has been no progress. Nobody dares to go to Qinghe Town. The previous village chief was ambitious and led his men there once, but they all died. Now Zhu Qingfeng is in charge of the village, and even after so many years, he doesn't dare to easily enter Qinghe Town."

Chen Mo was taken aback and said, "Then last time you... chased that ghost baby into the town?"

Guo Ziyu smiled. "I also want to know the connection between the two spirit infants. I've practiced other spirit preservation techniques, so I'm not too afraid. But I can't go to the core area of ​​Qinghe Town. I don't know much. Li Yuanlong worshipped the spirit infant, so he might know more. However, I found a notebook left by other villagers in Qinghe Town, which recorded something. The female corpse was wearing a yellow robe. As for the rest, we'll talk about it after the New Year when we go back to the village."

After seeing Guo Ziyu off, Chen Mo returned to the mansion alone and headed towards the north courtyard.

But in his mind, he kept thinking about Guo Ziyu's last words—that the female corpse was wearing a yellow robe.

Doesn't that mean... the yellow-robed baby I saw in my vision before was the dead infant inside the woman's belly?
The cursed blood within him came from this dead infant?
What about the female corpse?

Chen Mo still felt as cold as a corpse.

"It's been so long, and his body temperature still hasn't returned to normal... It's worrying."

"It seems that after the New Year, I'll have to learn my skills properly and then go to Qinghe Town to find out the truth. I need to figure out where my ghost blood comes from."

"Let's go check on Second Aunt first."

Chen Mo cleared his mind and went to the north courtyard. As soon as he entered, he heard his second aunt's heart-wrenching screams. When he got to the bedroom, he found Chen Yinfu still holding Zhang Ru tightly and comforting her, "Ru'er, don't ruin your health. If we lose a baby, we can have another one. It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of Ru'er."

Chen Wu knelt before the bed, tears streaming down his face, "Mother, Father is right. Please don't ruin your health. I will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die."

Chen Mo leaned over, took Zhang Ru's hand, and channeled some of his inner energy into her to calm her mind and stabilize her pulse. Then he gently patted the back of Zhang Ru's neck, causing her to fall into a deep sleep.

Chen Wu was extremely anxious, "Brother, my mother..."

Chen Mo sighed, "It's alright. I used my inner energy to make Second Aunt fall into a deep sleep and stabilize her heart. Second Aunt might be emotionally unstable for a while, so I'll trouble Father and Chen Wu to take good care of her."

Chen Yinfu sighed deeply, "It's all my fault. I insisted that Ru'er go to the ancestral hall to worship the goddess. It's all a karmic entanglement."

Compared to Zhang Ru's grief over losing her child, Chen Yinfu was also suffering. He, too, had lost a child.

"Father, don't blame yourself. It's all Li Yuanlong's fault that ruined our family. I won't let that scoundrel get away with it. You stay here and watch over Second Mother. I'm going to the ancestral hall to burn that statue."

After leaving a message, Chen Mo got up and left, heading to the ancestral hall.

He walked up to the red veil, his eyes flashing with malice. "You're no better. You're clearly an evil spirit, pretending to be a god. Get down here."

After saying that, Chen Mo yanked off the red veil.

Then, Chen Mo's pupils contracted.

Underneath the red veil, there was nothing.

There are no sculptures.

But the red veil clearly outlined the shape of a sculpture.

what happened?

Guo Ziyu just said that the thing under the red veil has lost its charm.

Could Guo Ziyu possibly be mistaken?
"Even if the sculpture's spirit possessed the second aunt's unborn child, the sculpture itself should still be there, right?"

Chen Mo thought about it again and again but still couldn't figure out the reason.

"What exactly did that scoundrel Li Yuanlong send to the Chen family?"

"Alright, I'll stay home for the next few days. I'll continue to ask for leave and consider returning to the village after the Lantern Festival. Just in case something else happens at home."

Chen Mo burned the red veil and the offering table together before leaving the ancestral hall and returning to the east courtyard.

It was already past midnight, and after what happened in the North Courtyard, everyone stopped staying up to welcome the New Year. Qiulan and Ma Tie both returned to the East Courtyard.

Upon seeing Chen Mo return, Qiu Lan stepped forward and said, "Young Master, that female knight-errant who was with you just now was so beautiful. Why didn't you invite her to stay the night?"

Chen Mo laughed and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little brat? Hurry up and boil some water for me. I want to take a bath."

Qiulan chuckled, "I'll go right now."

Qiu Lan boiled water and filled a large wooden bucket halfway. After dismissing Qiu Lan, Chen Mo jumped directly into the bucket of boiling water.

There was nothing I could do; my body was as cold as a corpse.

He wanted to take a bath, hoping that the hot water would help his body regain its temperature.

Even if boiling water scalds the skin, one can circulate internal energy to resist it, which is fine. The Mingyu Gong inherently contains both hot and cold internal energy.

However, Chen Mo soaked in the wooden tub for quite a while and didn't feel hot at all. Instead, he asked for boiling water to cool it down quickly, and the water almost froze in no time.

"I……"

Chen Mo felt even worse.

He asked Qiulan to boil water several more times, but without exception, the result was the same.

The body has no body temperature, and the boiling water it was soaked in quickly turns ice cold.

"Am I really a corpse? Can't I be human anymore?"

"what……"

Chen Mo cried out, having mentally prepared himself before accepting the fact, but he was still unwilling to give up: Should he go see Guo Ziyu again in a few days? Ask her for a solution?

I really don't want to be a corpse.

After adjusting his mindset, Chen Mo finally went to sleep.

In a daze, Chen Mo felt something moving at the head of the bed, and a baby's small hand supporting his face.

hiss!
Chen Mo suddenly opened his eyes and was shocked to see an infant standing on his chest.

He wiped his eyes; the baby was still there!
Moreover, he was giving himself a sinister smile.

"Your mother..."

Chen Mo immediately channeled all his strength and slapped out hard. But the baby quickly dodged and pushed open the window to leave.

Chen Mo was no longer sleepy. He immediately jumped up, ran to the window, and looked at the still swaying window.

All of this told Chen Mo that this was not a hallucination.

it is true.

"Didn't I drain that ghost fetus? Could it be that this dharma body possessed more than one fetus? But where would other pregnant women in the house come from? The maids couldn't possibly have gotten pregnant through illicit affairs..."

Suddenly, Chen Mo thought of someone.

Wow!

Chen Mo immediately put on his coat, grabbed his broadsword, and rushed out the door.

Liu Cui!

Lei Peng's wife, Liu Cui!
She had previously sought help when she was pregnant and was taken in by Chen Mo in the back room of the East Courtyard.

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.: Two chapters totaling 11,000 words, more to come!
(End of this chapter)