The Lei Family is Gone

"Master, Lei Peng is here to see you again." Qiulan hurried in to report.

A timely rain indeed.

Chen Mo's heart lifted. "Let Master Lei Peng in at once."

When he saw Lei Peng again, the man's spirits were much improved. Most of his former haggardness had faded. With two prior transactions under their belts, their conversation was less awkward too.

After some pleasantries, Chen Mo said, "Has your son's condition improved greatly?"

Lei Peng smiled, producing a food box and handing it to Chen Mo. "Thanks to Young Master Mo's Detox Pill, my son is much better. My wife Liu Cui made these pastries herself—nothing rare, but they carry our gratitude. Please don't refuse them."

Chen Mo thanked him and accepted. "Lei Guan Zhu is thoughtful. I'm relieved to hear your son is improving."

Lei Peng looked a bit embarrassed. "There's... one more thing I need to trouble Young Master Mo about."

Chen Mo had a guess but feigned ignorance. "Lei Guan Zhu, speak freely."

Lei suddenly stood and bowed deeply with clasped hands. "Though my son has improved, once the medicine ran out, his condition worsened again. I beg Young Master Mo to show mercy and grant another dose of the precious medicine."

Just as I thought...

I knew it.

Wei Qi Skin Paste worked well, but its effects were short-lived. It needed continuous use. Stop the medicine, and the illness rebounds.

Time for another trade.

Chen Mo put on a troubled face. "Lei Guan Zhu, this is difficult."

Lei Peng quickly pulled out a thick stack of Silver Notes and placed them on the table beside Chen Mo. "I know this medicine is precious. This is all I have left—fifteen hundred taels of Silver Notes—for two Detox Pills. I beg Young Master Mo to grant this."

Chen Mo looked at the thick stack on the table, each note worth a hundred taels, fifteen in total.

This must be all Lei Peng had.

All for two Detox Pills...

Chen Mo was somewhat moved and spoke honestly. "Lei Guan Zhu, I know you love your son. But I must be clear first. My medicine can cure a hundred poisons. If the illness rebounds after stopping, I'm afraid... these pills can only prolong your son's life, not cure him."

He said this not only out of sympathy but also to cover the worst case—so Lei Peng wouldn't come after him if his son died after spending so much.

After all, Lei Peng wasn't ordinary; he was a powerful martial artist.

A conflict would be hard to resolve.

He expected Lei Peng to hesitate at these words.

But Lei Peng said, "Thank you for telling me, Young Master Mo. I understand. But my wife and I only have this one son. We've discussed it—even if he can't be cured, just having more time with him is worth it."

Chen Mo studied Lei Peng, seeing the love in his eyes, and felt a pang in his heart.

When he was sick himself, his parents in this life must have felt the same.

Parents would rather suffer everything themselves than see their child in pain.

Seeing Chen Mo silent, Lei Peng said, "As a father, I can't bear to watch my son die from his illness. Neither can my wife Liu Cui. As long as I can do something, I will. Please, Young Master Mo, grant this."

Sigh.

Chen Mo let out a breath. "May I ask, Lei Guan Zhu, did your son start martial arts as a child?"

Lei Peng's eyes glistened. "He's trained with me since he was young. He's an obedient boy, never caused me or his mother any worry. He said he wanted to become a martial artist like me one day."

Chen Mo asked, "Before he fell ill, what realm had he reached?"

"His talent is average, but through hard work, he reached the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm."

Chen Mo made up his mind and pushed the Silver Notes back to Lei Peng. "I don't need money. Take this back for your household. I can give you two Detox Pills. But I have one condition."

Lei Peng immediately replied, "Young Master Mo, name it. If I can do it, I won't hesitate."

Chen Mo said, "I need you to secretly capture a villain at the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm and bring him to me."

Lei Peng couldn't believe it.

That was too easy.

"Young Master Mo has no other conditions?"

"No. You bring me the thug, I give you the medicine. Make sure it's a lone one—I don't want unnecessary trouble. That's best for both of us." Chen Mo added the reminder.

These days, thugs ran in gangs. Catch a small one, and a big one might come after you. Not worth it.

He'd thought of having Zhou Liang and the others do it, but Uncle Zhou would inevitably ask why, and that would be more trouble.

"I understand. Wait for me to bring him." Lei Peng pocketed the Silver Notes and left in a hurry.

He walked fast, as if afraid Chen Mo might change his mind.

Chen Mo let out a big sigh. "Qiulan, take these pastries and share them with Ma Tie."

Qiulan was startled. "Ah!" She opened the food box and saw it was filled with exquisite pastries, finely crafted and fragrant. Usually, maids only got such treats during festivals at the Chen Mansion.

Chen Mo smiled. "A reward for you. You've worked hard lately."

Qiulan, rarely praised by Chen Mo, blushed and quickly curtsied. "Thank you, Second Young Master."

Chen Mo dismissed Qiulan and continued practicing his Blazing Palm.

By the late hour of Hai, Lei Peng dragged a vicious, tightly bound bandit into the East Courtyard and tossed him at Chen Mo's feet. "This man's called Lu Wei. He's been raiding villagers and has a bounty on his head from the authorities. I caught him."

Chen Mo crouched down, feeling Lu Wei's arm bones. They were lean and tough—definitely a master of the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm. But Lei Peng had beaten him black and blue, and though he wore a defiant look, he couldn't fight back.

"Much obliged, Lei Guan Zhu."

Chen Mo thanked him, then fetched two kneaded Wei Qi Skin Paste pills from his room and handed them over. "The potency of these Detox Pills is much fiercer than the last batch. Be cautious when giving them to your son."

Lei Peng was too eager to cure his son to care about that. He took the pills, thanked Chen Mo, and hurried off.

The bandit glared viciously. "I'm a horse bandit from outside the city. My big brother, Liu Mazi, is a master of the Blood Rush Realm. If you dare treat me like this, he won't let you off... Ah!"

Before he could finish, Chen Mo kicked him hard twice. His mind churned: This Lu Wei isn't alone. He's got a Blood Rush Realm big brother behind him?

Lei Peng seems steady, but how could he be so careless?

From now on, when I deal with him, I'll focus on squeezing out benefits and keep other dealings to a minimum. Especially secret matters—I can't let him handle those.

Now that Lu Wei was caught, there was no sending him back. After a thorough beating, Chen Mo called Ma Tie to lock Lu Wei in the room next to The Woman's in the back courtyard, then forced a Wei Qi Skin Paste pill down his throat.

Lu Wei writhed on the ground, shouting about the heat and cursing Chen Mo for what he'd fed him. Chen Mo ignored him, watching quietly for a long time. He saw the heat fade from Lu Wei, and the man held on.

Chen Mo told Ma Tie to keep watch and went back to the main room to train.

Another day passed, and Lu Wei's condition only improved, with no signs of trouble.

Only after confirming Lu Wei hadn't worsened did Chen Mo return to his room, take out the Wei Qi Skin Paste, and pinch off a small pill.

I'm also at the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm, but my qi and blood are clearly thicker than Lu Wei's. It should be fine.

Chen Mo swallowed the pill. Instantly, a scalding hot current surged through his body. It took a full quarter-hour before the heat inside him dissipated.

Having a test subject to pave the way is good, but it's too slow and troublesome. In the end, my qi and blood are still too weak.

Chen Mo's resolve to train relentlessly hardened. The stronger his qi and blood grew, the greater his chance of fully curing the Mad Demon Disease.

A month flew by in a flash.

By November, the weather was freezing, and heavy snowflakes drifted down like goose feathers, painting all of Honghe County silver-white. The snow on the ground was already an inch thick.

One morning, just as the sky was barely light, Chen Mo, wearing only a thin undershirt, practiced the Fuyang Saber Technique in the courtyard.

Snowflakes landed on him, but he felt no cold. Instead, sweat poured off him, and his face was flushed red.

Perhaps from long hours of training, Chen Mo had grown noticeably taller, with bulging muscles. Every swing of his arm burst with power, the saber whistling through the air.

Suddenly, Chen Mo stepped forward and slashed his blade into the snow-covered ground. It exploded into a spray of white, shattering over a dozen blue bricks and leaving a ten-foot-long gash in the earth.

Spring Breaker!

The Fuyang Saber Technique, all four forms mastered.

He pressed a palm onto a blue stone brick. With a sharp crack, the brick sank deeply, leaving a scorching black handprint. As he pushed harder, the black print shattered along with the brick, vanishing without a trace.

Palm Heart Fire, complete.

"Since stepping into the Four Gates Five Viscera Realm a few days ago, Palm Heart Fire and Spring Breaker came naturally."

All his effort had finally turned into martial progress.

His heart was not betrayed.

Gripping such formidable power bolstered his courage, finally lifting much of the gloom from Chen Mo's mind.

He calculated the time in his head.

Lei Peng's son, Lei Ming, is also at the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm. Taking the third batch of Wei Qi Skin Paste should be fine.

One pill lasts about half a month.

At that pace, Lei Peng should have come begging for more pills a few days ago.

Why hasn't he shown up?

Even though Chen Mo thought Lei Peng was careless, it was still fine to squeeze some manuals or other benefits out of him. He'd finally built a good trade channel—he couldn't let it break.

"Qiulan, have you seen Lei Guan Zhu these past few days?"

Qiulan shook her head. "No."

Given how eager Lei Peng had been to catch the bandit, Chen Mo felt uneasy. "Take a reliable guard and quietly check on the Lei Family Martial Arts School. Come back and tell me what you find."

"Understood, young master." Qiulan hurried off.

Chen Mo didn't leave the house, using the time to train instead.

By noon, Qiulan rushed in frantically. "Young master, something terrible has happened. The Lei Family Martial Arts School has been hit. Lei Ming and Lei Peng are both dead. The authorities are already there."

Just as I thought...

Chen Mo was shocked. After a moment's thought, he grabbed his saber and headed out. "Is Uncle Zhou at the estate?"

Qiulan said, "No."

Chen Mo said, "Call two guards at the Five Viscera Realm. They're coming with me."