Blazing Palm

Though Qiulan made it sound simple, Chen Mo's heart tightened at the words.

Anyone who could open a martial arts school in the county naturally had decent martial skill and a solid family fortune.

Over thirty people dead just like that?

And they couldn't even make ends meet anymore?

That was truly shocking.

As for what happened to the Lei Family's eldest young master, Chen Mo felt it was most likely related to being possessed by evil.

The carriage passed through Changle Ward, turned into Flower Willow Alley, and soon arrived at the entrance of the Lei Family Martial Arts School.

The gates were tall and the walls sturdy, yet they couldn't hide the desolate decay.

The two large stone lions that once stood at the entrance were gone. A line of clerks from various shops and brokerages was carrying furniture, porcelain vases, and other items out of the school in an orderly fashion.

Clearly, the Lei Family Martial Arts School had fallen to the point of selling off its assets just to get by.

Chen Mo took the letter of recommendation and stepped down from the carriage, leading Qiulan through the school's main gate.

The scene inside was even worse than outside.

The vast training ground had been stripped of all its practice equipment. Even some of the potted plants in the courtyard had been sold off.

Many of the workers were sighing.

"A few months ago, the Lei family was the rising star among the county's martial arts schools. People said that in a few more years, they'd be able to go toe-to-toe with the Three Great Martial Arts Schools. Who'd have thought... one misstep and they'd end up like this."

"I heard the Lei family's eldest young master, Lei Ming, came down with a strange illness that needs a ton of silver to treat. Master Lei Peng had no choice but to sell off the family property to pay for his son's treatment."

"Ah, what a shame. Most outsiders who open martial arts schools in the county fold in the early stages. Lei Peng managed to hold his ground in just over a decade and even threatened the established Three Great Martial Arts Schools—that shows real skill. How did his son end up with some strange illness?"

"Once you fall, it's hard to climb back up."

"..."

Listening to the chatter, Chen Mo quickly made his way to the inner courtyard, where he saw a man with a full head of white hair leaning against a doorframe. He watched the workers hauling furniture with a weary, heartbroken expression.

A shopkeeper from some brokerage held a ledger, tallying the items. He handed the white-haired man a stack of banknotes, then took his leave.

Chen Mo could tell the white-haired man was only in his forties, with abundant blood and qi—clearly a skilled martial artist. For a martial artist, that age was still prime. Yet his hair had turned white overnight.

"Are you Master Lei Peng?" Chen Mo approached the white-haired man and cupped his hands in greeting.

The white-haired man glanced at Chen Mo and said listlessly, "So it's the Second Young Master of the Chen Family. What business do you have with me?"

Chen Mo didn't beat around the bush. He took out the letter of recommendation from Zhou Liang and handed it over.

After reading the letter, the white-haired man's expression softened slightly. He glanced at Chen Mo again. "You want to learn my Lei family's secret techniques?"

Chen Mo cupped his hands. "My elder brother recently passed away from the Mad Demon Disease. I wanted to learn some methods to suppress ghosts and evil spirits. Uncle Zhou told me that Master Lei has a treasured text that can counter such things."

The white-haired man, Lei Peng, folded the letter and gave a light snort. "My Lei family does have a martial art that can suppress ghosts and evil spirits. But why should I give it to you..."

Before he could finish, Chen Mo handed over a stack of banknotes. "I ask only that Master Lei grant this request."

Lei Peng's pupils contracted.

With his experience, he could tell at a glance that the stack was likely five hundred taels.

At the Lei family's peak, Lei Peng wouldn't have thought twice about five hundred taels. But now, with the family in decline and barely scraping by, five hundred taels was a fortune.

Seeing that Lei Peng was tempted, Chen Mo pressed on. "I only ask to take a look at the secret technique. If Master Lei is still uneasy, I can flip through it right in front of you."

Lei Peng said, "Not enough."

Chen Mo added two more hundred-tael notes.

Lei Peng's heart gave a violent thump.

Seven hundred taels!

Truly extravagant!

He was offering far too much...

Lei Peng didn't agree immediately. "There are too many eyes and ears here. Come inside and talk."

Chen Mo followed Lei Peng into the main hall of the inner courtyard, where a woman in a simple long dress poured tea for him.

Through brief conversation, Chen Mo learned that this woman was Lei Peng's lawful wife. She wasn't actually that old—around her thirties. But the family's misfortune and the immense psychological pressure had aged her considerably.

After some polite small talk, Chen Mo asked casually, "Master Lei, are you selling off the family property to pay for your son's treatment?"

Lei Peng didn't hide it. "Yes. My son came down with a strange illness, and the costs are steep. On top of that, the school suffered a disaster a while back—over thirty apprentices died, ruining our reputation. No one dares to sign up for training anymore. So we've ended up like this."

Chen Mo followed up. "May I ask what illness your son has?"

Lei Peng's face grew heavy. He exchanged a glance with his wife, and both remained silent.

Chen Mo already had a guess.

Lei Ming was probably suffering from the Mad Demon Disease.

The authorities and the public were all terrified of Mad Demon Disease patients. Lei Peng, out of love for his son, had kept the news under wraps.

This made it clear—the Lei family's downfall was caused by the Mad Demon Disease.

How lamentable.

If not for the Chen family's deep foundations, plus Chen Mo's transmigration... they too would have been dragged down into decline.

A parent's love knows no bounds.

Seeing that Lei Peng wouldn't relent, Chen Mo had no choice but to address the root cause. "I do know of some medicinal herbs that could treat illnesses. They might be able to slow your son's condition."

"Really?" The woman who had been silent suddenly spoke up, her face full of earnest hope.

Chen Mo took out a small Wei Qi Skin Paste pill and handed it to Lei Peng. "I bought this divine medicine from a Taoist priest—it can cure a hundred ailments. If Lei Guan Zhu trusts me, why not give it to your son?"

This was the second batch of Wei Qi Skin Paste Chen Mo had made. He'd brought a single pill out today.

And since Lei Ming was Lei Peng's son, he'd naturally trained in martial arts from a young age, so he should be able to take it.

Lei Peng still hesitated, but the woman couldn't help taking it, tears streaming as she thanked him. "If this can really ease my son's illness, I'd give up not just the Lei family's secret arts, but even my own life."

With that, she kept signaling Lei Peng with her eyes. "Master, our Lei family has fallen this far. It's rare for the Second Young Master of the Chen Family to show such kindness, giving us both silver and medicine. What are you hesitating for? Can that broken manual fill our bellies or cure our son?"

Lei Peng finally relented. He took out a booklet from his inner pocket and handed it to Chen Mo. "This is my Lei family's ancestral martial art, Blazing Palm. It requires a warrior at the second gate of the Muscle Refining Realm to practice."

Chen Mo happily handed over the banknotes, accepted the booklet, but didn't open it right away. Instead, he asked, "How does Blazing Palm counter ghosts and evil spirits?"

Lei Peng said, "Ghosts and evil spirits are mostly yin-type beings, most afraid of the body's yang heat. In the outside world, that means they fear fire. Blazing Palm takes an unorthodox path, focusing on refining one's own hot blood into fire poison. Once mastered, your blood and qi burn like fire, carrying that fire poison, and you can suppress ordinary ghosts and evil spirits."

With that, Lei Peng raised his hand and pressed a palm onto the table.

When he withdrew, a scorching black palm print remained on the table, even emitting green smoke, charring part of the surface.

Truly extraordinary.

Chen Mo was overjoyed, thinking to himself: Lei Peng's words don't seem false—fire can indeed suppress ghosts and evil spirits. I didn't come to the wrong place today.

Just then, Lei Peng added, "But this martial art is extremely difficult to train. It took me years just to get started. And the side effects are severe—it can easily burn through your own bones and tendons. Without a teacher, you'll most likely fail. I'm preoccupied with my son and have no time to teach you. If you cripple yourself, don't blame me."

Chen Mo put away the booklet. "Naturally. If I train it wrong, I'll take full responsibility. I won't blame Lei Guan Zhu."

Lei Peng waved his hand. "Good. This booklet is just a copy anyway—take it. Also, if you encounter a powerful evil spirit or ghost, Blazing Palm won't work."

"Thank you, Lei Guan Zhu. If there's nothing else, I won't disturb you further."

Chen Mo took the booklet and left quickly with Qiulan.

He had his Golden Finger, so he wasn't worried about failing to master it.

Watching Chen Mo leave, Lei Peng shook his head repeatedly. "The Chen family really has a martial arts fanatic. Does he really think having a manual means he can train it? Too naive."

The woman said, "Master, why didn't you tell him? That our Lei family's misfortune came from this very secret art?"

Lei Peng picked up the seven hundred taels of banknotes. "If I'd said that, and the kid backed out, we wouldn't have this silver. You stay home and look after Xiaoming. I'll take the money to find a Taoist priest and give it a try."

ps: No more drafts—next chapter at noon~