Black Mountain Stronghold

The sudden turn of events was truly shocking.

It had all happened too fast, and the Chen Family had yet to recover. Every face was ashen with terror.

"Ah! Brother Mo killed someone!" Five-year-old Chen Yu'er screamed in fright. The Candied Hawthorn slipped from her hand and hit the ground, but she didn't even think to pick it up. She hurried behind Chen Wu and hid there, peeking out with just her little head, staring fearfully at Chen Mo.

Chen Wu, however, didn't scream or back away.

Though he was only thirteen, Zhang Ru had raised him strictly from childhood, shaping him into a steadfast boy.

Still, it was the first time he'd ever seen someone killed, and he was terrified.

Zhang Ru was only a woman, and instinctively took several steps back. The way she looked at Chen Mo had changed; there was now a touch of fear in her eyes. She truly felt that the Second Young Master had a more imposing presence than the master of the house.

Lin Yu Lan, however, spoke up in surprise. "Why did you kill Steward Liu?"

Chen Mo was about to answer when Chen Yin Fu asked, "Was Steward Liu behind the danger you encountered?"

Chen Mo's heart stirred. Father is sharp-eyed.

"Nothing gets past you, Father. Take a look." Chen Mo took out the booklet and handed it to Chen Yin Fu, then gave him a detailed account of what had happened, including how he had escaped.

Of course, Chen Mo kept the mastermind, the old woman from the Li Family, to himself.

He didn't tell them because he didn't want his family to worry too much. His mother in particular—if she knew another threat was still out there, she would probably lose sleep over it.

The whole family gathered around, listening in stunned silence, their hearts full of fearful relief.

Chen Yin Fu let out a long sigh. "That was a close call. Thank goodness you were clever and quick-witted, or you'd have lost your life. Steward Liu deserved this fate. He could have been cut into a thousand pieces and it still wouldn't have been enough. Good riddance."

Zhang Ru, too, saw Chen Mo in a new light.

Though she was only a woman and had seldom seen bloodshed, hearing Chen Mo describe the details filled her with admiration. Anyone else would likely have fallen to the bandits long ago.

Still, Zhang Ru could hardly believe it. How had the wastrel he used to be suddenly become so formidable?

Chen Yin Fu told Qiulan to summon a few servants. They wrapped Steward Liu's body in a straw mat and carried it out to bury it. He also had someone clean up the blood.

Once it was all done, Chen Yin Fu gave Chen Mo's shoulder a hearty slap. "Go take a bath and wash the blood off. Then come back. We'll have a family reunion dinner."

Lin Yu Lan readily agreed. "Go wash all that blood off you."

Chen Mo nodded and headed to the East Courtyard for a bath. Afterward, he returned to the central courtyard to have dinner with his family.

During the meal, everyone regarded Chen Mo with newfound respect. There was more deference in their words, and they no longer treated him like a child.

Chen Mo liked the atmosphere, too.

Before this, he hadn't felt much of a connection to his family in this world, let alone any sense of belonging. But after being in danger, he had felt it deeply... In these chaotic times, if he ever found himself in danger, only his family would go all out to help him.

Outsiders couldn't be relied on.

He was especially moved when he learned that Chen Yin Fu had taken five thousand taels of silver to ask the Red Lantern Society for help.

Family...

He turned to look at Chen Yu'er. She was too short to reach the dishes farther away, so she had taken off her shoes and climbed onto her chair to pick them up. She ate big mouthfuls of braised pork, grease all over her mouth, her eyes narrowed into slits with satisfaction.

Suddenly, Chen Yu'er grabbed a piece of braised pork and put it in Chen Mo's bowl. "Brother Mo, have some."

Chen Mo was delighted. "I just killed someone. Aren't you afraid of me now?"

Chen Yu'er tilted her head. "I'd be a little scared if you killed people for no reason. But you killed him to protect our family, so I'm not afraid."

Chen Mo burst out laughing and couldn't resist pinching Chen Yu'er's pretty cheek.

The rest of the family laughed along.

Only Chen Wu kept his head down and ate, observing the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping.

Chen Mo could tell that Chen Wu was a natural martial arts talent. But years of strict upbringing under Second Mother had made him restrained. He was afraid of offending Lin Yu Lan or Chen Mo, so he gave way to them at every turn. It wasn't fair to him.

As for Zhang Ru, she was a cautious sort who always kept to her place as a concubine and never dared overstep.

All at once, Chen Mo felt that having a family like this... was actually quite nice.

After they had eaten their fill, the maids brought out lotus seed soup, pastries, and fruit.

Zhang Ru had only taken a couple of bites when she hurriedly pulled Chen Wu up to leave. "We'll eat back at our place. Don't disturb Madam's family while they catch up."

Chen Wu clearly didn't want to go, but he couldn't withstand his mother's scolding. He took a piece of fruit and followed her.

Before leaving, Chen Wu politely bowed to Chen Yin Fu and Lin Yu Lan. "Father, First Madam, I'll take my leave."

Then he bowed to Chen Mo as well. "Brother Mo, I'll be going."

Chen Yu'er had lost her own mother and was still thinking about the braised pork, so she refused to leave. In the end, Zhang Ru had to drag her away. Ever since Chen Yu'er's mother had died, she had been raised by Zhang Ru.

The spacious room was now left with only the three members of Lin Yu Lan's family.

Chen Yin Fu said, "Yu Lan, go to the wine cellar and bring out a jar of aged Peach Blossom Brew. I'll have a few drinks with our son tonight."

Lin Yu Lan was in high spirits and smiled. "Shall I make you two some fried peanuts and cooked beef, too?"

Chen Yin Fu laughed. "That would be perfect."

Before long, the food and wine were served.

Father and son drank while Lin Yu Lan sat beside them, listening and occasionally joining in. The whole family was enjoying each other's company.

Chen Yin Fu personally poured Chen Mo a bowl of wine. "What happened today scared the living daylights out of me. You escaped because you were quick-witted. I understand now that you were right to choose martial arts. In these chaotic times, you need to know martial arts to protect yourself. Come, I'll drink to you. My son has grown up and can stand on his own."

Chen Yin Fu wasn't the only one who'd been scared out of his wits. Chen Mo had been just as terrified.

Chen Mo raised his bowl and drank with Chen Yin Fu.

After drinking, Chen Yin Fu grew bolder. "I may not practice martial arts, but I know a thing or two about the martial arts scene in the county. Our family has no shortage of silver, and you want to practice martial arts, so we should find you a good teacher."

Chen Mo agreed wholeheartedly. He leaned forward and listened attentively.

He didn't have the original owner's memories, so he really didn't know much about martial arts in Honghe County.

Chen Yin Fu said, "The strongest force in Honghe County is naturally the Red Lantern Society. Even the county magistrate goes every year to pay his respects and make offerings. But the Red Lantern Society has always been mysterious and aloof. They look down on the Chen Family, and they wouldn't even accept the little silver I offered. Even someone like your Uncle Zhou, a Blood Rush Realm expert, doesn't meet their standards. So there's no chance of you going there to learn martial arts.

"Beyond the Red Lantern Society, there are the Martial Arts Hall and the Three Great Martial Arts Schools in the county. You can get in as long as you have the money. But it's unlikely they'll teach you their Inner Family secrets."

Chen Mo silently committed that to memory. "Are there martial artists at these three schools and the Martial Arts Hall who are stronger than Uncle Zhou?"

"Of course. The Three Great Martial Arts Schools and the Martial Arts Hall all have Internal Martial Masters in residence. Your Uncle Zhou is just one step away from becoming an Internal Martial Master. That step is a chasm. If you cross it, you cross it in a single bound. If you don't, you may never cross it in your whole life."

Chen Mo listened, his heart full of both excitement and wistfulness.

An Internal Martial Master was an expert who had tempered Internal True Qi.

It was said that martial masters with True Qi could manifest their vitality outward and wield all kinds of unfathomable power. That was naturally a realm Chen Mo yearned for.

Chen Mo began considering which place would suit him best.

Chen Yin Fu continued, "These Internal Martial Masters may be powerful, but they still can't stand up to Evil Spirits and ghosts. You've been plagued by ghosts and Evil Spirits several times, so ordinary martial arts probably won't be enough for you."

Chen Yin Fu had hit the nail on the head. "Father, do you have a solution?"

"Besides the Three Great Martial Arts Schools and the Martial Arts Hall inside the city, there's another power outside it—Black Mountain Stronghold. They say its origins are mysterious, and even the Three Great Martial Arts Schools and the Martial Arts Hall can't afford to offend it. It has methods for resisting ghosts and Evil Spirits. If you can learn a few skills from Black Mountain Stronghold, that could be an option."

Chen Mo was overjoyed. "How can I go to Black Mountain Stronghold and learn from them?"

Chen Yin Fu seemed hesitant. After a moment, he said, "Daoist Priest Li Yuanlong, who performed the ritual for you before, is from Black Mountain Stronghold. But the stronghold is extremely insular, so don't approach it lightly. When Daoist Priest Li's birthday comes, I'll bring a generous gift and visit him again. I'll ask him about teaching you."

Chen Mo recalled the scene of the yellow-robed Daoist Priest performing the ritual. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Black Mountain Stronghold was extraordinary.

Perhaps he really could learn a way to suppress Mad Demon Disease from Black Mountain Stronghold.

Blazing Palm was only a rudimentary method. Lei Peng had said as much: it could handle ordinary ghosts, but it was useless against the powerful ones.

The Nightmare Suppression Technique Chen Mo had encountered today, for instance, had been completely unaffected by Blazing Palm.

That left Chen Mo feeling deeply insecure.

And Black Mountain Stronghold, where Li Yuanlong was from, might truly have powerful methods.

With that in mind, Chen Mo stood and cupped his hands. "Please make the arrangements for me, Father."