Rich Young Master

Chen Mo stared intently at Qiulan, his heart full of unease.

Though Chen Mo had long known that in some feudal societies, cannibalism existed—especially among backward barbarian tribes who took pleasure in eating people for sport—

He had still been shaped by the enlightenment of his past life, and could never accept such a thing. If he had truly eaten Chun Lan's heart... the thought was unbearable.

Thankfully...

"Thankfully, Master Zhou Wu, the head of the guards, arrived in time and subdued the Second Young Master. He stopped the young master from eating Chun Lan's heart."

Phew!

Chen Mo finally let out a huge sigh of relief, the churning in his stomach easing somewhat.

Even so, a lingering dread coiled in Chen Mo's heart.

This Mad Demon Disease was terrifying.

Too terrifying!

It took a while before Chen Mo recovered. "What is the Mad Demon Disease? How does one catch it?"

Qiulan stared blankly at Chen Mo, utterly incredulous.

Chen Mo then realized something and said, "I was unconscious here for three days. It took Daoist Priest Li performing rituals day and night to wake me. My mind can't recall what happened before."

Qiulan relaxed, apparently accepting the explanation. "I don't know how the Second Young Master caught the disease either. Perhaps you went somewhere you shouldn't have, or ate something you shouldn't have. Lately, a few people in the county have come down with the Mad Demon Disease, but none survived. The Second Young Master is lucky to be alive. The First Young Master before you..."

Her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head, afraid to continue.

Chen Mo noticed that as she spoke, her face was filled with terror. He realized the Mad Demon Disease was even more horrifying than he had guessed.

This terrified Chen Mo deeply.

In his past life, he was just a menial Daoist in a temple, living in a peaceful world—a flower raised in a greenhouse, a child of a prosperous nation. He had never faced life-and-death matters.

Now, encountering such a upheaval for the first time, he was truly panicked.

He did not want to turn into that kind of monster.

"Young Master, I'll take the dishes to the kitchen. Shall I come back to keep you company later?"

Faced with Qiulan's question, Chen Mo directly exercised his authority as the young master. "No. Stay here with me."

Though frightened, Qiulan dared not refuse. "Yes."

As a maidservant sold to the Chen Mansion, angering the master could get her beaten to death on the spot, and the authorities wouldn't bother with the death of a slave.

Chen Mo, his heart fluttering with anxiety and a jumble of emotions, had no mind for bantering with Qiulan. He simply sat quietly, watching the incense smoke flow into the red-veiled statue.

When the incense sticks burned out, Chen Mo said, "Qiulan, the incense is done. Light three more sticks for Goddess Hong Deng."

Though Qiulan dared not move the statue of Goddess Hong Deng, she still dared to light three sticks of incense.

Trembling, she walked to the incense table, knelt prostrate, and prayed devoutly: "Your servant Qiulan pays respects to Goddess Hong Deng."

After the prayer, Qiulan lit three incense sticks and inserted them into the burner.

Chen Mo stared fixedly at the three sticks.

Sure enough, the incense smoke still flowed into the red veil.

Chen Mo's heart sank.

This world really had ghosts!

I hope I don't fall ill...

Three days passed in a flash.

During that time, the noblewoman and Chen Yin Fu came to visit several times. Seeing Chen Mo's complexion gradually improve, their faces bloomed with smiles. But the couple always followed the Old Daoist's instructions, not daring to stay long, lest they hinder Chen Mo's recovery.

Qiulan, however, under Chen Mo's orders, stayed by his side the whole time.

And through Qiulan's narration, Chen Mo gained a general understanding of this world.

This place belonged to Honghe County, nestled against Dayin Mountain.

Don't underestimate this county. Because of a force called the Red Lantern Society, tens of thousands of villagers had gathered in Qinghe County, all followers of Goddess Hong Deng. On the first and fifteenth of every month, or during festivals, they would go to the Red Lantern Temple to offer grand worship.

The Chen family was one of the top households in the county.

They owned over a thousand acres of fertile land and managed several large pharmacies, shops, and other businesses. Truly a prominent local clan.

As the master of a great household, Chen Yin Fu naturally had wives and concubines. Fortunately, Chen Mo's mother, Madam Chen, was the legal wife, making Chen Mo the legitimate son. With his elder brother dead from the Mad Demon Disease half a month ago, Chen Mo had become the sole legitimate heir of the Chen Mansion.

This vast estate now belonged to Chen Mo.

After learning this information, Chen Mo felt quite satisfied with this reincarnation.

Even if this world had some ghosts and monsters, with the Chen family's influence, protecting himself shouldn't be too hard.

He could settle down and enjoy life as a wealthy young master.

The only thing he needed to understand clearly was whether the Mad Demon Disease was a mental illness or a physical one.

This was crucial, as it would determine his life going forward.

Fortunately, Chen Mo had been completely normal over these three days, showing no signs of an episode and feeling nothing unusual in his body.

On the evening of the fourth day, a groggy Chen Mo was roused by Qiulan.

"Second Young Master, wake up. The Master has sent someone to let you out."

Chen Mo lay on a warm bed.

A thick quilt covered him, snug and draft-free.

He glanced around: blue-brick walls, a ceiling beam of golden-thread nanmu, furniture painted red lacquer—tables, chairs, and wardrobes. An exquisite palace lantern hung from the beam. At the head of the bed sat a graceful woman in a silk dress.

It was the maidservant Qiulan.

Attending to him personally.

Though his hands and feet still bore wounds from the extracted nails, wrapped in gauze, leaving him temporarily immobile and bedridden for recovery, this treatment was far better than being stuck in that wooden vat a few days ago.

Before long, the Chen Couple came in to visit.

Madam Chen saw the gauze wrapped around Chen Mo's limbs and the bloodstains seeping through, and her tears fell in heartache. "My son, you can't come to harm. If anything happens to you, how could your mother go on?"

Chen Yin Fu, seeing Chen Mo unharmed, let out a huge sigh of relief and called out toward the door, "Steward Liu, has the doctor arrived yet?"

Steward Liu, a forty-year-old man, slightly plump but sharp-eyed, answered from the doorway, "Someone's been sent to fetch him. He'll be here soon."

Shortly after, an old doctor carrying a medicine box hurried in.

After carefully examining Chen Mo's wounds, the Old Doctor said, "The Second Young Master is not seriously injured—mainly just weak from exhaustion. I'll prescribe a few doses of tonic to replenish his qi and blood. He'll recover in half a month."

In this world, there was no anesthetic, and the wounds on his hands and feet throbbed fiercely. Chen Mo figured the pharmacy would be closed by now, so he'd have to wait until tomorrow to get the medicine.

But Chen Yin Fu handed the prescription to Steward Liu. "Go to our family's pharmacy and fetch the medicine. Be quick."

Watching Steward Liu dash off, Chen Mo felt a flicker of delight: being the young master of a wealthy family had its perks—they even had their own pharmacy.

Madam Chen sat at the bedside, sniffling and wiping tears. "Husband, go rest. I'll watch over Second Son tonight."

Chen Yin Fu said, "I'll go check the Ancestral Hall. Also, since Second Son has just recovered from his illness, just in case... I'll call Master Zhou Wu over to keep watch tonight."

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

It seemed his father still wasn't entirely at ease with him.

But that made sense—after all, he'd bitten someone to death during his last episode.

Chen Mo didn't dwell on it, instead focusing on Master Zhou Wu.

Master Zhou Wu?

Wasn't that the head of the guards Qiulan had mentioned? Likely the strongest protector of the Chen Mansion, a formidable expert who might know a lot about the Mad Demon Disease.

He could ask him about it.