Made a Killing

After hearing Lei Peng's words, Chen Mo began to form a plan.

Lei Ming's illness... It was undoubtedly Mad Demon Disease.

Just thinking about it made him sigh.

The once-mighty Lei Family Martial Arts School had fallen into such dire straits just because Lei Ming had contracted Mad Demon Disease. Only the Chen Family's wealth had kept Chen Mo from meeting the same fate.

Chen Mo collected his thoughts, held his teacup without speaking, and put on a troubled expression.

He and Lei Peng were neither relatives nor friends, so he had no intention of playing the philanthropist. This was the perfect time to name his price, and Chen Mo naturally had to put on a show.

Noticing the troubled look in Chen Mo's eyes, Lei Peng grew terribly anxious. "Young Master Mo, could there be some difficulty?"

Chen Mo sighed. "To be honest, Lei Guan Zhu, I had to spend a great deal of money just to get a few precious medicines from a Wandering Taoist that can cure a hundred poisons. When I first heard about your son's illness, I couldn't bear to stand by, so I gave him one. But I don't have many left now."

Lei Peng wasn't a child. How could he not know Chen Mo was raising the price while he had the chance?

But he needed Chen Mo's help, and there was nothing he could do. He could only lower his stance and say, "Young Master Mo, tell me what you want. If it's something I, Lei Peng, can do, I won't hesitate."

Chen Mo said, "Lei Guan Zhu, you're certainly straightforward. In that case, I, Chen, won't beat around the bush either. I need Qi and Blood Pills. Also, I'd like to watch you perform Blazing Palm a few times."

Lei Peng was straightforward as well. "Performing Blazing Palm is no problem. But Qi and Blood Pills... They're expensive. I know where to buy them, but... I really don't have much money left at home."

By the end, Lei Peng looked rather embarrassed.

How could the master of a renowned martial arts school be short of money? There was a time when he'd been a distinguished guest at Spring Breeze Tower.

Chen Mo restrained his delight. "I'm not short of money. Lei Guan Zhu, just buy them for me."

Lei Peng breathed a sigh of relief. "How many does Young Master Mo want?"

Chen Mo said, "How much can you get them for?"

"One hundred taels of silver each."

Chen Mo considered it briefly:

Qi and Blood Pills were precious medicines that could sustain someone all the way from Skin Refining Realm to Blood Rush Realm. They were priceless, even when available.

Naturally, the more, the better.

After all, the one thing the Chen Family had no shortage of was money.

Once he'd made up his mind, Chen Mo asked, "How much money can Lei Guan Zhu put together?"

Lei Peng said shamefacedly, "To be honest, Young Master Mo, I can come up with at most fifteen hundred taels."

Chen Mo said, "How about this: I'll give you fifteen hundred taels first. Once you've bought thirty Qi and Blood Pills for me, I'll repay the fifteen hundred taels you put up yourself. How does that sound?"

This was only their second transaction. They weren't close, and there was no foundation of trust between them. Chen Mo naturally wasn't going to hand Lei Peng three thousand taels all at once. What if the man ran off with the money? That would be troublesome.

It wasn't that Chen Mo couldn't afford the loss. He just didn't like being treated like a fool.

He could afford to lose it, but there was no need.

Lei Peng hesitated a little, since the fifteen hundred taels were his entire fortune.

Chen Mo added, "Lei Guan Zhu, I won't hide it from you. Those pills that can cure a hundred poisons really weren't easy for me to obtain. I hope you'll understand."

Lei Peng clenched his teeth. "All right. Let's do it."

Chen Mo was overjoyed. He turned to Qiulan and said, "Qiulan, go to the treasury and get fifteen hundred taels in silver notes. Tell them I need it."

Qiulan nodded and hurried off with quick, light steps. She soon returned with fifteen hundred taels in silver notes. Chen Mo took them, counted them, then handed them to Lei Peng. "Once you've bought the thirty Qi and Blood Pills, I'll give you the Detox Pill."

Lei Peng didn't waste words. He took the silver notes and left.

As he walked out of Chen Mansion, Lei Peng couldn't help turning back to look at the imposing, high-walled estate, his heart full of envy.

"The Chen Family really is rich..."

After seeing Lei Peng off, Chen Mo leisurely took a few sips of tea, a rare pleasure for him.

He usually had no time for such leisure, but today he'd discovered an enormous business opportunity:

Outsiders all said that Qi and Blood Pills were expensive, costing a hundred taels each.

But compared to the Wei Qi Skin Paste Chen Mo had extracted, they were worlds apart.

A single jar of Wei Qi Skin Paste could fetch an astronomical price.

The Woman really was a treasure.

Following this train of thought, Chen Mo became more and more aware of how precious the Wei Qi Skin Paste was. Lately, more and more people in the county had contracted Mad Demon Disease, and Wei Qi Skin Paste seemed to be the only cure besides the Red Lantern Society's method.

Its value was simply unimaginable.

Even if he took all fifteen hundred taels from Lei Peng, Chen Mo reckoned Lei Peng still wouldn't refuse. After all, his son's life was at stake.

It was truly a business that yielded ten thousand times its cost.

Qiulan, one of the few people in the know, realized this too. "Young Master really is impressive. You spent a hundred taels to buy that woman, and who would've guessed she was such a treasure trove?"

Chen Mo smiled. "That's right..."

Halfway through his reply, Chen Mo suddenly found himself unable to continue. A chill ran through him.

Everything had two sides.

A common man was innocent, but the possession of a precious treasure brought guilt.

If outsiders learned that he had Wei Qi Skin Paste, it might bring disaster upon the Chen Family.

He would have to be more careful from now on.

As for Lei Peng, Chen Mo wasn't worried that he would reveal the secret.

After all, his son's Mad Demon Disease was a secret, and Lei Peng wanted less than anyone for outsiders to learn the truth. Naturally, he wouldn't tell anyone that Chen Mo had a Detox Pill.

Still, it never hurt to keep a backup plan.

While waiting for Lei Peng, Chen Mo practiced in his room again.

At the start of Shen Shi Chu in the afternoon, Lei Peng hurried back to the East Courtyard with a wooden box.

Chen Mo took the box and looked inside. It held exactly thirty Qi and Blood Pills. Their quality was excellent, no worse than those he'd bought from Granny Li last time.

"Thanks for your effort, Lei Guan Zhu."

Chen Mo smiled as he accepted the box, then asked Qiulan to fetch another fifteen hundred taels in silver notes from the treasury and handed them to Lei Peng.

Lei Peng took the money and felt much more at ease.

Chen Mo then sent Qiulan away and asked Lei Peng to perform Blazing Palm once in the reception hall.

Lei Peng demonstrated the technique in great detail, starting with the first layer, Inch Force, then the second layer, Subduing Pressure, the third layer, Palm Heart Fire, and finally the fourth layer, Blazing Sun Toxin.

Chen Mo watched closely. Whenever something puzzled him, he asked for guidance, and Lei Peng patiently answered without putting on airs.

After learning and discussing the technique, Chen Mo finally gained a thorough and profound understanding of Blazing Palm.

Chen Mo had already learned Inch Force. Subduing Pressure built on Inch Force, adding more power and allowing the user to strike at point-blank range. It could even press a palm print into a thick, sturdy table. Palm Heart Fire was just like the display Lei Peng had given earlier: it could leave a charred black palm print on a table, but could only be used after reaching the Five Viscera Realm.

Blazing Sun Toxin was even more formidable. It released fire poison on top of the black palm print, dealing a second blow. If it struck someone, it would not only burn their skin but also poison them. They would have to cut away the charred skin and flesh immediately to be safe. Otherwise, the fire poison would spread throughout their body, and they would eventually die from the poison.

"Blazing Palm really is a remarkable technique. Thank you for your instruction, Lei Guan Zhu."

But Lei Peng was thinking about the medicine. "And the Detox Pill?"

Chen Mo took the Detox Pill he'd prepared earlier from a drawer. It was simply a small lump kneaded from the paste the woman had made in her second batch. It had cost practically nothing.

But Chen Mo said, "Take good care of this, Lei Guan Zhu. This pill is extremely precious, and I truly don't have many left. Also, I don't know what kind of unusual illness your son has, but this medicine is precious. Please don't tell anyone about it, lest you draw unnecessary trouble. It'll be hard to clean up the mess when that happens."

Lei Peng's heart skipped a beat. He had a vague feeling that Chen Mo knew something, yet at the same time, it seemed he didn't...

"Rest assured, Young Master Mo. I know what I'm doing. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Lei Peng cupped one hand in salute, then hurried away.

After seeing Lei Peng off, Chen Mo couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. This deal with Lei Guan Zhu had been a truly spectacular windfall!

A moment later, Chen Mo asked Qiulan to have the Pharmacy Manager buy ten stalks of Cold Night Grass. With all the medicinal ingredients prepared, he planned to seclude himself for several days.

Thirty Qi and Blood Pills—this was enough to make his cultivation take off...

He might as well break through to the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm while he was at it!