This Wicked Old Woman Had to Die!

"Those Chen family brats were so thoughtless, making you suffer like that. Don't worry, I'll take the Chen boy home and let you beat and curse him to vent your anger. Then I'll hand him over to the Old Woman."

The key was those final three words: the Old Woman!

Ever since Chen Mo had transmigrated, he had changed the original owner's arrogant, overbearing ways and always stuck to the principles of caution and keeping a low profile. He had never offended anyone. If he had to name the old woman he'd offended... there was only one.

Granny Li of the Li family at the Blood Ridge Black Market.

Last time, he had been tricked at the Lei Family Martial Arts School and fallen victim to the Nightmare Suppression Technique. He had nearly been kidnapped.

This time, Liu Mazi had come to wipe out the household in a way that made no sense. He had not only come to rescue Lu Wei, but had specifically named Chen Mo as someone he wanted to take away.

That was very much Granny Li's style.

From this, Liu Mazi had most likely been acting on Granny Li's orders.

As Chen Mo recalled Granny Li's deeply wrinkled face and her sinister gaze, he couldn't help feeling a chill run through him.

Although Chen Mo had now cultivated to the Blood Rush Realm and feared neither Liu Mazi nor his bandits, he still felt a deep-seated dread of Granny Li, that old woman who knew sorcery.

"Granny Li has made a move against me for the second time now. What a vicious old woman!"

Chen Mo cursed her fiercely in his heart, then forced himself to stay calm.

That raised the question.

How had Granny Li managed to control Liu Mazi's corpse?

The Paper Figure Nightmare Suppression Technique?

Curious, Chen Mo crouched down and searched Liu Mazi's headless body. At last, he found a yellowed paper figure on his back.

Liu Mazi's name and Eight Characters of Birth were written on it, along with a circle.

The difference was that the tiny paper figure had already sunk into the skin on Liu Mazi's back and stuck fast to it. There were even traces of needlework where it had been sewn in.

Clearly, the paper figure hadn't suddenly appeared on Liu Mazi's back. He must have gone to Granny Li before coming here and agreed to let her sew it onto him.

They had struck a deal.

Liu Mazi wanted to save Lu Wei, while Granny Li wanted Liu Mazi to kidnap Chen Mo.

They had hit it off at once, a pair of treacherous conspirators.

"Liu Mazi had lost his head, yet he could still attack me with pinpoint accuracy—and he was stronger than before... This sorcery that lets a paper figure control a person is truly beyond the reach of gods and ghosts."

Before Chen Mo could breathe a sigh of relief, he realized there was another problem:

Liu Mazi had gone to the Lei Family Martial Arts School a month ago, but hadn't come looking for him afterward. That suggested Lei Peng hadn't told him Lu Wei was at Chen Mansion.

Lei Peng had good reason to keep quiet: he had entrusted his signature Blazing Palm and his pregnant wife to Chen Mo's protection. Naturally, he wouldn't reveal that Lu Wei was at Chen Mansion. Wouldn't that put his wife and child in danger?

Liu Mazi must have been unable to find Lu Wei later, and only then sought Granny Li's help.

That brought up a new question.

How had Granny Li learned that Lu Wei was at Chen Mansion?

Chen Mo couldn't make heads or tails of it.

There's more to this than meets the eye. There must be details I don't know about. And whether Lei Peng said anything is only my guess... I'll have to verify it.

While Chen Mo was lost in thought, Zhou Liang hurried over with Chen Yin Fu.

"Xiao Mo, how badly are you hurt?" Chen Yin Fu asked anxiously.

Only then did Chen Mo come to his senses. "I'm fine. Just a few flesh wounds."

With that, Chen Mo immediately had Qiulan fetch torches and firewood, then burned Liu Mazi's corpse on the spot.

Blazing Palm had left black handprints on Liu Mazi's body. If word got out, it would only cause trouble.

Only after Liu Mazi's corpse had burned to a crisp did Chen Mo explain to Zhou Liang and the other guards, "There was something strange about Liu Mazi's corpse. To prevent any mishaps, we had to burn it here. Pile the other bodies up. Tomorrow, we'll hand them over to the Guard Station so we'll have a proper record."

Zhou Liang had witnessed Chen Mo's astonishing courage and valor. He already regarded him as the one to look to, and agreed without hesitation. "All right, leave these chores to me. Young Master, hurry and go treat your injuries."

Chen Mo cupped his hands to Chen Yin Fu. "Father, I'm going to the East Courtyard to bandage my wounds. Also, we'll need to send someone to notify Hundred Household Officer Liu at the Guard Station tonight."

Given Chen Mansion's standing in Honghe County, the authorities wouldn't concern themselves if they killed a few servants. But a whole band of bandits had been wiped out, so it would be safer to report it. What's more, it was a great deed. He could even do Hundred Household Officer Liu a huge favor—and ask for a little something in return.

Chen Yin Fu said, "Go and tend to your injuries without worry. I'll handle the rest."

Chen Mo said no more and headed straight for the East Courtyard with Qiulan.

Chen Mo had Qiulan heat water and bring towels, salt water, liquor, gauze, and the like. He also had her burn mugwort and atractylodes in the room, then sent Ma Tie and Qiulan to wait outside.

Chen Mo leaned close to the Horn Lantern and, by its light, took off his clothes, revealing a conspicuous wound.

"Good thing it was a flexible sword. The cut isn't deep, so there's no need for stitches."

In his previous life, Chen Mo would have gone straight to the hospital with a wound like this. But now that he had practiced martial arts and gained a more direct understanding of the human body, he had also grown much more ruthless. Gritting his teeth, he washed the wound with salt water, then flushed it several times with liquor.

No matter how much it hurt, he endured it.

Martial artists lived by the blade. Getting hurt was commonplace.

If he couldn't even endure this little pain, what was the point of practicing martial arts?

After cleaning the wound, Chen Mo wrapped it in gauze and bandaged it. He leaned back in a chair for a good while, until the pain subsided, then finally let out a long breath.

While resting, Chen Mo also glanced at the baby face on his abdomen.

It had faded considerably. Only eight or nine scars remained, sketching the outline of a face.

It hadn't disappeared completely, but it certainly seemed to be getting better.

Chen Mo changed into fresh clothes and called toward the door, "Qiulan, come in."

"Coming, Young Master."

Qiulan pushed the door open. Chen Mo had changed into a blue brocade robe, tied on his belt, and hung a jade pendant from it. His hair was already gathered up and secured with a hairpin. He looked vigorous and spirited—not the least bit like someone who had been injured.

Perhaps because he had practiced martial arts for so long, Chen Mo had grown much taller. He was nearly as tall as an adult now.

As Qiulan tidied the clothes and washbasin, she said, "Young Master showed such amazing might tonight. You scared everyone in the whole manor! Lots of people have been saying behind your back that Second Young Master has become a different person. You're a little hero now!"

Chen Mo smiled faintly. "It was just luck. Go and get yourself cleaned up."

After instructing Qiulan, Chen Mo stepped outside and asked Ma Tie, "Have they taken Lu Wei back into custody?"

When Ma Tie saw Chen Mo again, he was full of awe and much more respectful than before. "Replying to Second Young Master, he's been locked up. It's just that the medicine you gave Lu Wei earlier was too strong. It may take him quite a while to regain his senses."

Chen Mo nodded. "Keep an eye on the back courtyard. I'm going out for a while."

When he left the room, the night outside was deep and dark, and snow drifted through the air. A few inches had already piled up on the ground. Each time Chen Mo stepped down, the snow crunched beneath his feet.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Chen Mo walked slowly onward, gazing into the distance at the sweeping snow and vast sky. He couldn't put a name to what he was feeling.

He had killed three Blood Rush Realm experts in a single night. He should have felt proud of himself, happy even.

Yet Chen Mo didn't feel happy at all.

Granny Li's face kept appearing in his mind.

That wicked old woman was like a dark cloud hanging over Chen Mo's head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dispel it. She made him feel as if thorns were pricking his back.

As long as that wicked old woman lived, he would never know peace.

This wicked old woman had to die!

Chen Mo went to the servants' quarters to find Liu Cui.

Liu Cui was curled up by the head of the bed, trembling.

She didn't know what had happened outside, but she had heard the shouts of battle reaching the sky. Knowing that Chen Mansion was under attack by enemies, she was terribly anxious.

Chen Mo pulled over a stool and sat down. "Madam, don't be alarmed. It was Liu Mazi and his band of bandits. I've killed them all. You could say I've avenged your husband, too."

Hearing this, Liu Cui leaped excitedly off the bed and hurried to kneel and thank him. Chen Mo reached out and helped her up. "You're pregnant. There's no need for formalities."

With tears in her eyes, Liu Cui said, "Thank you, Young Master Mo. Thank you."

Once Liu Cui had calmed down, Chen Mo asked the question that had been bothering him. "Liu Mazi came to cause trouble for my Chen family today. It was very strange. Did Lei Peng reveal where you were before he died?"

Until now, Chen Mo had only been guessing. He didn't know what Lei Peng was really like, so he needed to verify it with Liu Cui.

Liu Cui was so frightened that she fell to her knees again. Tears in her eyes, she shook her head. "Absolutely not. My husband gave me the Blazing Palm, which he valued more than his own life, and told me to take the manual to Young Master Mo and ask you for protection. He would never have stirred up trouble. If my husband had said anything, wouldn't that have put me in danger? Then he would have died for nothing."

Though she was the wife of a wealthy household, her mind was clear at a moment like this.

Chen Mo added, "It's possible that someone panicked at the thought of dying and blurted something out."

Liu Cui cried, "Impossible! I know what my husband is like. He cares most about his family. He would do anything for us. He would never let fear make him give away our secret."

Chen Mo nodded and helped Liu Cui to her feet. "I've nothing else to ask. Just take good care of your pregnancy. Today is the Laba Festival. I'll have someone bring you Laba porridge later."

After leaving the East Courtyard, Chen Mo could be fairly sure that Lei Peng hadn't been the one to tell.

That meant the person who had discovered Lu Wei's whereabouts was probably Granny Li.

But how had Granny Li found out?

Unless Chen Mo figured out the reason, he wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace.

Before he knew it, he had reached the central courtyard. Chen Mo assured his parents that he was safe and told them his injuries were nothing serious. Only then did Lin Yu Lan feel somewhat relieved.

After what had just happened, the whole family not only respected Old Master Chen Yin Fu, but also no longer dared look down on Chen Mo, the Second Young Master.

Chen Mo naturally noticed the change, but didn't say anything. After eating his fill, he said, "Father, after what Chen Mansion has just been through, I suggest we spend more silver to open a medicine workshop and make the medicinal supplements needed for martial arts training. We should also gather martial arts manuals and set up a Library Tower. We need to train as many guards and family members as possible. That's the only way we'll have more strength to protect ourselves. Also, I think Chen Wu has a talent for martial arts. We should cultivate him properly."

This would be a considerable expense, and Chen Mo wasn't the head of the family. He needed his father's approval.

Chen Yin Fu was a far-sighted family head. He immediately made the decision. "We'll do as Xiao Mo suggests."

"Father, you've judged wisely."

By the time Chen Mo returned to the East Courtyard, it was already the middle of the night.

He didn't hurry to bathe. Instead, he sat on a long chair and thought back over what had happened that evening.

"Honghe County is getting more and more unsettled. Especially that Granny Li. As long as that wicked old woman isn't dead, I'll never feel at ease. I have to break through to Internal Martial Master as soon as possible to be safe, but I'm missing a method for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation."

Chen Mo suddenly remembered something.

"I had that guy Xie Dong investigate Old Master Li's family, and it's been nearly three months without a word. Can I even count on him? Tomorrow, I'll have someone go to Xie Manor and ask what's going on."