Transaction

Entering Li Manor, he found a very large courtyard inside. Because it had been neglected for many years, the courtyard was overgrown with weeds and vines, and a gazebo had been completely taken over by weeds, exuding an air of desolation everywhere.

Perhaps because he had been to the Ghost Land, Chen Mo even faintly smelled a lingering, foul stench.

This foul stench was also very familiar, and it was extremely similar to the smell on that girl's body.

Chen Mo tugged at Qiulan, making her walk behind him.

Qiulan was very puzzled. "Young Master, what's wrong?"

Chen Mo asked in a low voice, "Did you smell anything?"

Women were always more sensitive to scents than men, which was why Chen Mo did not ask Ma Tie, but specifically asked Qiulan.

Qiulan sniffed carefully and shook her head. "No. It's just that the courtyard is desolate, overgrown with weeds and vines, and has a faint, unusual fragrance of grass. What did Young Master smell?"

Chen Mo shook his head. "Nothing, let's go."

Following Granny Li into the living room, he found the furniture quite complete, except that it had not been cleaned for years, causing a thick layer of dust to accumulate on it.

Granny Li did not mind this dust at all, directly telling everyone to sit down and wait, and then went into the backyard herself.

Ma Tie used his sleeve to brush the dust off two stools, invited Chen Mo and Xie Dong to sit down, and muttered, "This Granny Li is really something. We are guests, after all. There isn't even a cup of water to treat us."

Cough, cough, cough.

Xie Dong gave two coughs. "Although Granny Li has a quirky personality, she's not a bad person, and she occasionally comes to my family's shop to do some business. Let's not mind these little details."

"Young Master Xie is right." Ma Tie immediately realized he had said the wrong thing, so he stood behind Chen Mo with his head lowered and said no more.

Chen Mo did not care about these details, and instead asked Xie Dong, "Dongzi, how much do you know about Granny Li?"

Xie Dong recalled for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "Granny Li has stayed in Blood Ridge for many years, making a living by secretly selling medicine supplements like Qi and Blood Pills and Tiger Bone Essence Soup. My family's shop has business dealings with Granny Li, and the number of times I've seen her is not small, but... Granny Li has a reclusive temperament and rarely talks about her own matters. I only know she is Old Master Li's wife."

Chen Mo was not surprised by this and continued to ask, "Then what's the deal with Old Master Li?"

Xie Dong shook his head instead. "I don't know the specifics either. But I did hear Steward Zhou mention it a while ago, saying that after Old Master Li's daughter had an incident, the old master went mad."

"Do you know what happened to Old Master Li's daughter?"

"I asked Granny Li, but she refused to say."

Hearing Xie Dong's words, Chen Mo fell into deep thought.

He always felt that Old Master Li was not just simply mad. The incident with his daughter was probably even more unusual.

Seeing Chen Mo not speaking, Xie Dong reached out and waved in front of Chen Mo's eyes. "What was that deal with you getting possessed by evil earlier? I've been here many times before and never ran into any accidents, so how come you got possessed as soon as you came?"

Chen Mo glared at Xie Dong and spread his hands. "How would I know. It's all because you led the way. The problem definitely lies with you."

Hearing this, Xie Dong immediately flared up and was about to argue, but thinking of how Chen Mo had suffered after being possessed by evil just now, he finally couldn't bear it. "Fine, fine, it's all my problem, alright? The worst that can happen is I treat you to drinks at the Spring Breeze Tower later. Isn't this what you're after?"

Chen Mo: "..."

The original owner had this style, and he couldn't be bothered to argue, so he immediately asked about the price of the Qi and Blood Pills.

Xie Dong was a businessman through and through, and when it came to money, he became very spirited. "Qi and Blood Pills are extremely rare, so the price naturally isn't cheap. Ordinarily, they cost one hundred and twenty taels each. I've already negotiated with Granny Li to sell them to you for one hundred and ten taels. This is because Granny Li is considering my favor, so you mustn't forget my contribution."

One hundred and ten taels each... not considered expensive.

Chen Mo had let Qiulan bring all the pocket money the original owner had accumulated over the years, a full five hundred taels.

It should be enough to buy four.

Not expensive...

With a firm grasp in his mind, Chen Mo's expression improved a lot. "I'll remember your kindness. That should do it, right?"

Xie Dong smiled all over. "That's more like it."

Before long, Granny Li returned from the backyard, holding a black wooden box the size of an infant's fist. Without even looking, she shoved the wooden box to Chen Mo.

"There are only three Qi and Blood Pills in total, you must buy all of them."

Chen Mo took the wooden box, opened it, and saw three dark red pills resting inside. Each pill was about the size of a thumb, round and plump, with translucent colors and a refreshing, unusual fragrance emanating from them.

Chen Mo was no longer the novice he used to be; his internal qi and blood had already reached the final barrier for breaking through the Skin Refining Realm, and with just a slight sniff, he felt extremely strong qi and blood fluctuations surging within the pills.

With the principle of caution, Chen Mo still handed the box to Xie Dong and Ma Tie to inspect. After getting their unanimous confirmation, Chen Mo accepted the box. "Three hundred and thirty taels in total?"

Granny Li said, "Yes."

"Qiulan, give me all the silver banknotes." Chen Mo took all the silver banknotes from Qiulan, counted them carefully, and handed them to Granny Li. "Five hundred and fifty taels in total."

Granny Li was stunned, not understanding his meaning. "It's too much."

Chen Mo said, "For the extra two hundred and twenty taels, I'd like to buy the red candle in Granny's hand. I wonder if that's possible?"

Granny Li immediately showed a look of disgust and was about to refuse when Chen Mo hurriedly increased the price. "I'll add another hundred taels."

Granny Li was still unmoved. "What do you want a red candle for?"

Chen Mo said, "I was possessed by evil just now and almost died inside. With the red candle, I won't be afraid of being possessed by evil in the future."

Granny Li took out the red candle, examined it for a bit, and said, "I can cut this red candle in half for you. But adding one hundred taels isn't enough."

Hearing that Granny Li was willing to sell, Chen Mo was overjoyed. "Please name your price, Granny Li."

Granny Li named a price. "You must add another three hundred taels."

"Deal!" Chen Mo agreed immediately, fearing Granny Li would go back on her word, and then turned to look at Xie Dong. Xie Dong stingily dug out the silver banknotes he had on him, which amounted to only a few dozen taels.

He awkwardly stated, "I went to the Spring Breeze Tower frequently these past few days and spent a lot..."

Chen Mo no longer counted on Xie Dong and asked Granny Li, "May I write an IOU? I will definitely have someone deliver it within a month."

"Others certainly wouldn't be allowed, but since you're the Second Young Master of the Chen Family, it's acceptable." Granny Li was quite straightforward, immediately fetching brush and paper for Chen Mo to write the IOU. Then she cut the red candle in half and handed it to Chen Mo.

"To light the red candle, you cannot use fire; you must use your own fresh blood. In addition, you must devoutly worship Goddess Hong Deng. If your heart is not sincere, it won't light."

"I'll remember that." Chen Mo carefully put away the red candle, hiding it securely in the money pouch at his sleeve.

This was a good treasure.

From now on, he wouldn't be afraid of evil possessions.

Before he could even finish rejoicing, Granny Li spoke up. "Although this red candle can ward off ghosts and suppress evil, it burns your vital blood and primordial energy. It shouldn't be used frequently, or it will severely harm your body. Use it excessively, and you're as good as crippled."

Hearing this, Chen Mo felt quite alarmed, but he truly had no better method at the moment, so he agreed to it.

He originally wanted to ask about Old Master Li and his daughter, but Granny Li directly issued an eviction notice. "I still have matters to attend to, so I won't host you any longer. You should head back. Also, remember to send the money early."

With that, Granny Li left everyone behind and walked into the backyard with unsteady steps.

Xie Dong stood up awkwardly. "Granny Li has always been like this. It's getting late, we'd better head back earlier."

Walking at the very back, Chen Mo couldn't help but look toward the backyard, only to see dense fog inside and faint sounds of a girl crying.

This cry... was extremely similar to the voice of the girl in red inside the ancient well.

Hiss!

Chen Mo shrank his neck, not daring to linger, and hurried away.