The Only Survivor

There were five Five Viscera Realm guards at Chen Mansion.

Two had gone out to patrol the shops, leaving three behind.

One stayed to guard the mansion, while Chen Mo called the other two away.

One was a tall, muscular man named Wei Heng, who wielded a broad saber and radiated such formidable strength that people hardly dared look at him. The other was Liu Jiang. Though lean and wiry, he wielded a flexible sword, relying on agility. His gloomy eyes gave him a sinister air; a single glare from him was enough to make your blood run cold.

Five Viscera Realm warriors were no weaklings in Honghe County. They were the highest caliber of guards that an ordinary wealthy household could hire. Blood Rush Realm warriors of a higher level mostly held important positions at the county office or the Guard Station. Others served as instructors at martial arts schools, but they were difficult to hire with money.

After all, warriors who reached the Blood Rush Realm had a chance of breaking through their limits and entering the ranks of Internal Martial Masters. They had no shortage of money; what they sought was a brighter future. They generally wouldn't serve as guards for someone else.

Someone like Zhou Liang was an exception, entirely because he was close friends with Chen Yin Fu.

Wei Heng and Liu Jiang sat on the carriage bench and drove straight to Lei Family Martial Arts School.

Qiulan rode inside the carriage with Chen Mo.

When they arrived at Lei Family Martial Arts School, they saw several constables in black uniforms gathered at the entrance, holding back the onlookers. Their leader was Captain Wang He.

Chen Mo climbed down from the carriage with his saber in hand and greeted Wang He.

Thanks to Chen Yin Fu's annual efforts to cultivate connections at the county office, Wang He had benefited as well. He naturally recognized Chen Mo and didn't stop him from entering.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Mo got straight to the point. "Captain Wang, could you take me inside to see the scene?"

"Of course. This way, Young Master Mo."

The group entered Lei Family Martial Arts School and went to a secret room in the rear courtyard.

The room was quite different from the others. Its walls had been reinforced with stone, and its doors and windows were made of iron. It seemed designed to imprison some terrifying creature.

As soon as they reached the entrance, a thick stench of blood washed over them.

Once inside the iron door, Chen Mo saw what lay within.

Lei Peng lay lifeless on the floor. His flesh had been torn open all over, and his chest had been ripped apart, his organs pulled out and scattered across the ground. He looked as though a wild beast had gnawed on him. Not far from Lei Peng's corpse lay a boy with his hands and feet missing, still shackled in iron chains. White hair covered his body, and a broad saber had been driven into his skull.

The sight made Chen Mo's heart lurch.

"Ah."

Wang He sighed beside him and began explaining what had happened. "Master Lei Peng was a fool. His son contracted Mad Demon Disease, but he didn't report it to the authorities. He insisted on keeping him at home, and in the end, his own son bit him to death. I suppose that, before the end, Lei Peng couldn't bear to see his son turn into a monster, so he drove a blade through Lei Ming's head. Such a fine family, gone just like that. A terrible pity. The strange thing is, Lei Ming grew white hair. I've never seen symptoms like that before. Bizarre..."

Wang He didn't know the reason, but Chen Mo did: Lei Ming had taken Wei Qi Skin Paste.

The symptoms were similar to those of the woman imprisoned at home. She had endured them, but Lei Peng had stabbed Lei Ming in the head.

Chen Mo stood quietly in the doorway, gazing at the two mangled corpses, his heart heavy with sorrow.

Not long ago, Lei Peng had been perfectly well. Then, all of a sudden, he was gone.

Chen Mo shook his head with a sigh. When he had collected himself, he said, "Captain Wang, may I examine Lei Peng's body?"

Wang He looked surprised. He couldn't believe the Second Young Master Chen would inspect a corpse. He himself had nearly thrown up at the sight...

But Wang He couldn't very well refuse. "If Young Master Mo doesn't mind feeling sick, by all means."

"I've had dealings with Master Lei a few times. Now that he's met with misfortune, I'm heartbroken. I'd like to take a closer look."

With that, Chen Mo held his breath against the stench, walked over to Lei Peng's corpse, and crouched down to examine it carefully.

Chen Mo had a reason for inspecting the body:

Lei Ming had only been at the Three Gates Iron Bone Realm. Even if the resentment of the Ghost Curse had made him stronger, he still couldn't possibly have gnawed on Lei Peng, who was at the Five Passes: Blood Infusion Realm.

Besides, according to Wang He, Lei Peng had killed Lei Ming himself. Even if Lei Ming had suffered an episode, Lei Peng would surely have come to ask for medicine at the first opportunity.

As someone who knew the truth, Chen Mo sensed keenly that... something was amiss.

A closer look soon revealed the answer.

Lei Peng was covered in scratches and bite marks. Judging by Captain Wang's account, he had died sometime last night.

But Chen Mo noticed two faint, yet fatal, sword wounds on his back. The cuts were thin and sharp, likely made by a flexible sword. Judging by their position, they had pierced his abdomen and damaged his organs.

It was clear that Lei Peng had already been gravely wounded before he killed his own son. That was why he'd been devoured by him.

That made sense...

Seeing Chen Mo crouching beside Lei Peng's corpse for so long, Wang He asked, "Have you finished examining him, Young Master Mo? If you're done, I'll have my men take the body back for an examination."

Chen Mo came back to himself and stood. "Go ahead, Captain Wang. By the way, where is Master Lei's wife, Liu Cui?"

Wang He shook his head. "We haven't found Liu Cui."

Chen Mo asked no more. He turned and took Qiulan and the two guards around Lei Family Martial Arts School, but they couldn't find Liu Cui.

At last, Chen Mo stopped in the Central Courtyard. "Wei Heng, Liu Jiang, go look around. See if you can find any woman's footprints or anything like that."

The two nodded and immediately began searching.

Chen Mo didn't waste time either. He took Qiulan into the main bedroom in the Central Courtyard to look around.

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Lei Peng's death.

If Liu Cui was alive, perhaps they could learn what had really happened by asking her.

Just then, Qiulan cried out beside him. "Young Master, look at this wardrobe."

Chen Mo stepped over to look. The dark red wooden wardrobe was in disarray. Some outfits had been partially taken, and many of the clothes were stained with blood. A faint stench of blood still lingered.

"Perhaps Liu Cui ran into an emergency and fled after hurriedly packing some clothes?" Qiulan said.

Chen Mo felt relieved when he heard that.

It seemed Liu Cui really had run away!

If they could find her, they could at least bring some comfort to Lei Peng's spirit in the afterlife. They might also be able to ask whether the Lei Family had any other hidden martial arts techniques for suppressing ghosts.

Before long, Wei Heng and Liu Jiang returned. Both shook their heads, reporting that they'd found nothing.

Chen Mo glanced at the sky outside. The sun hung low, and dusk was fast approaching.

"Night's coming. Let's head back to the mansion."

Perhaps because he had encountered a little girl here earlier and fallen under the Nightmare Suppression Technique, Chen Mo didn't want to linger. He wanted to get home before nightfall. All the way back, he kept the two guards close by to prevent any strangers from approaching.

By the time they reached the back gate of Chen Mansion, night had completely fallen. The fiery clouds at the edge of the sky had been swallowed by dark clouds, leaving everything gloomy and dim.

Chen Mo stepped down from the carriage at the back gate and had Wei Heng and Liu Jiang lead the horse to the stables.

He was about to enter when a disheveled woman, her hair in a tangled mess, suddenly rushed out of the nearby alley and charged at him in a panic.

Clang!

Sensing danger, Chen Mo swiftly drew his saber and thrust it forward.

The woman stopped short in fright and dropped to her knees. "Young Master Mo, it's me, Liu Cui. I brought you pastries just a month ago, remember?"

Master Lei Peng's wife?

Chen Mo remained on guard. "Push back your hair and show me your face."

Feeling the oppressive force of Chen Mo's powerful qi and blood, the woman didn't dare argue. She hurriedly swept back her tangled hair, revealing a pale, frightened face.

It really was Liu Cui.

Chen Mo felt relieved and lowered his saber. "Qiulan, take her to wash up and change into clean clothes. If she's hungry, give her a proper meal. Then bring her to the East Courtyard to see me."