This Vicious Woman Must Die!

"It's all that Chen family boy's fault, making you suffer. Don't worry, I'll take the Chen family boy home and let you beat and scold him to vent your anger. Then I'll hand him over to the Old Woman."

The key was those last three words: Old Woman!

Since his transmigration, Chen Mo had completely changed his predecessor's arrogant and domineering ways, always sticking to a cautious and low-key principle. He hadn't offended anyone. If he had to name an Old Woman he'd offended... there was only one.

That Granny Li from the Blood Ridge Black Market's Li family.

Last time, he'd been set up at the Lei Family Martial Arts School, hit with the Nightmare Suppression Technique, and nearly kidnapped.

This time, Liu Mazi had come to his door for a massacre in a way that defied logic—besides rescuing Lu Wei, he'd specifically demanded to take Chen Mo away.

That fit Granny Li's style perfectly.

From this, it was highly likely Liu Mazi was acting on Granny Li's orders.

As Chen Mo recalled Granny Li's wrinkled face and her sinister gaze, a chill ran through him for no reason.

Though Chen Mo had now trained his martial arts to the Blood Rush Realm and wasn't afraid of thugs like Liu Mazi, he was genuinely terrified of Granny Li, who dabbled in dark arts.

"This is already the second time Granny Li has made a move on me. What a vicious old hag!"

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

So the question was—

What method had Granny Li used to control the dead Liu Mazi?

The Paper Figure Nightmare Suppression Technique?

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

On the paper figure were written Liu Mazi's name, his Eight Characters of Birth, and a circle drawn around them.

The difference was that this tiny paper figure had already seeped into the skin on Liu Mazi's back, fused with it. There were even traces of needle and thread stitching.

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

They'd struck a deal.

Liu Mazi wanted to rescue Lu Wei, and Granny Li wanted Liu Mazi to kidnap Chen Mo.

A perfect match, birds of a feather flocking together.

"Liu Mazi lost his head, yet he could still launch precise attacks on me, and with more strength than before... This dark art of controlling people with paper figures is truly unfathomable."

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

Liu Mazi had gone to the Lei Family Martial Arts School a month ago but hadn't come looking for him since. That meant Lei Peng probably hadn't revealed that Lu Wei was at the Chen Mansion.

Lei Peng had a reason to keep it secret: he'd entrusted Chen Mo with his prized Blazing Palm and his pregnant wife. Naturally, he wouldn't spill that Lu Wei was at the Chen Mansion—otherwise, wouldn't he be endangering his own wife and child?

It must have been that Liu Mazi couldn't find Lu Wei afterward, so he went to Granny Li for help.

That raised a new question.

How did Granny Li know Lu Wei was at the Chen Mansion?

Chen Mo was baffled.

'This probably isn't that simple. There must be details I don't know. And whether Lei Peng said anything or not is just my speculation... I need to verify it.'

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

"Xiao Mo, how badly are you hurt!?" Chen Yin Fu was deeply worried.

Chen Mo snapped back to reality. "I'm fine, just some minor flesh wounds."

With that, Chen Mo immediately had Qiulan bring a torch and dry firewood, and burned Liu Mazi's body on the spot.

The Blazing Palm had left black handprints on Liu Mazi's body—if anyone found out, it would be trouble in the long run.

Watching Liu Mazi's body burn to a crisp, Chen Mo explained to Zhou Liang and the other guards, "Liu Mazi's corpse is strange. To avoid any accidents, it has to be burned here. Pile up the other bodies; we'll hand them over to the Guard Station tomorrow so we have proof."

Zhou Liang had seen Chen Mo's martial prowess and already regarded him as the backbone. Without a second thought, he agreed. "Alright, leave these chores to me. Young master, go tend to your wounds."

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

Given the Chen Family's status in Honghe County, killing a few servants wouldn't draw official scrutiny. But wiping out a band of thugs still needed to be reported to be safe. Besides, it was a major achievement—he could also owe Hundred Household Officer Liu a huge favor and maybe squeeze out some benefits?

Chen Yin Fu said, "Go and tend to your wounds in peace. I'll handle the rest."

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

Chen Mo had Qiulan boil hot water and bring towels, saline, liquor, gauze, and so on. He also had her burn mugwort and atractylodes in the room, then told Ma Tie and Qiulan to wait outside.

Chen Mo moved close to the Horn Lantern, using its light to strip off his clothes, revealing the stark wound.

"Good thing it's a soft sword—the cut isn't deep, no need for stitches."

In his past life, a wound like this would have sent him straight to the hospital. But now, having trained in martial arts, he had a more intuitive understanding of the human body and a much harder heart. Gritting his teeth, he cleaned the wound with saline, then rinsed it several times with liquor.

He endured all the pain.

A martial artist lives by killing; injuries are common.

If he couldn't bear even this much pain, what was the point of training?

After cleaning the wound, Chen Mo wrapped it in gauze and bandaged it. He leaned back in his chair for a long while, waiting for the pain to subside before finally letting out a deep breath.

During the break, Chen Mo glanced at the baby face on his abdomen.

It had faded considerably, leaving only eight or nine scars that barely sketched the outline of a face.

Though not completely gone, it did seem to be improving.

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

"Coming, Young Master."

Qiulan pushed the door open and saw Chen Mo dressed in a cyan brocade robe, belt fastened, jade pendant hanging. His hair was coiled up with a hairpin inserted, his whole demeanor radiant—where was the slightest trace of injury?

Perhaps due to long hours of martial training, Chen Mo had grown quite a bit taller, now indistinguishable from an adult.

As Qiulan gathered the clothes and wooden basin, she said, "Young Master put on quite a show tonight, scaring everyone in the mansion. Many are whispering that the Second Young Master has become a different person. Already a little hero."

Chen Mo smiled faintly. "All luck. Go tidy up."

After instructing Qiulan, Chen Mo went outside and said to Ma Tie, "Has Lu Wei been locked up?"

When Ma Tie saw Chen Mo again, his face was full of awe, and his attitude had grown much more respectful. "To answer the Second Young Master, he's been locked up. But the medicine you gave Lu Wei earlier was too strong—it'll take a good while for him to regain his senses."

Chen Mo nodded. "Keep an eye on the backyard. I'm going out."

Leaving the room, the night was deep, snow fluttering down, with an inch of accumulation on the ground. Each step Chen Mo took produced a crunching sound as the snow particles were crushed.

Chen Mo walked slowly with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance at the swirling snow and vast sky. He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.

Killing three Blood Rush Realm experts in one night with a flick of his finger should have brought a sense of accomplishment, even joy.

But Chen Mo couldn't muster any happiness at all.

The image of Granny Li kept surfacing in his mind.

That vicious woman was like a dark cloud pressing down over Chen Mo's head, impossible to shake off, making him feel a prickling unease on his back.

As long as that hag lived, there would be no peace.

That hag had to die!

Chen Mo went to the gatekeeper's room and found Liu Cui.

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

Though she didn't know what had happened outside, she had heard the roaring shouts of battle. Knowing the Chen Mansion was under siege by enemies, she was extremely tense.

Chen Mo pulled up a stool and sat down, saying to Liu Cui, "Madam, don't panic. The ones who came were Liu Mazi and his band of thugs. I've killed them all. Consider your husband avenged."

Hearing this, Liu Cui rushed off the bed in excitement and hurriedly knelt to thank him. But Chen Mo reached out and helped her up. "You're pregnant, no need for formalities."

Liu Cui said tearfully, "Thank you, Young Master Mo, thank you."

Once Liu Cui had calmed down, Chen Mo asked the doubt in his mind: "Liu Mazi coming to the Chen Mansion to cause trouble today was extremely strange. Did Lei Peng reveal your whereabouts before he died?"

This was just Chen Mo's speculation—he didn't know Lei Peng's character well and needed to verify it with Liu Cui.

Liu Cui was so frightened she knelt again, shaking her head with tears. "Absolutely not. My husband gave me the Blazing Palm, which he valued more than his own life, and told me to bring the manual to you for protection. He would never cause extra trouble. If he had spoken, wouldn't that have thrown me into danger? Then his death would have been in vain."

She was, after all, the wife of a wealthy household, and her mind was clear at this moment.

Chen Mo added, "What if fear made him blurt things out?"

Liu Cui cried out, "Impossible! I know my husband's character. He cared most about his family. For his family, he would do anything—he would never betray a secret out of fear."

Chen Mo nodded and helped Liu Cui up. "I have nothing else. Rest well and take care of the pregnancy. Today is the Laba Festival—I'll have someone send you some Laba porridge later."

Walking out of the East Courtyard, Chen Mo was basically certain: it probably wasn't Lei Peng who talked.

Then the one who discovered Lu Wei's whereabouts must have been Granny Li.

But how did Granny Li know?

If he couldn't figure out the reason, Chen Mo would have no peace of mind.

Before he knew it, he had reached the central courtyard. Chen Mo reported his safety to his parents, telling them his injuries were fine, which put Lin Yu Lan much more at ease.

After what had just happened, the family not only held Master Chen Yin Fu in awe but also dared not underestimate the Second Young Master, Chen Mo.

Chen Mo naturally noticed the change but said nothing. After eating and drinking his fill, he said, "Father, after this ordeal, I suggest we spend more silver to open a medicine workshop, producing the medicinal supplements needed for martial training. Also, gather some martial techniques and set up a library. Train as many guards and family members as possible. That way, we'll have more means to protect ourselves. Also, I think Chen Wu has potential in martial arts—he should be properly nurtured."

This was a considerable expense, and Chen Mo wasn't the head of the family yet—he needed his father's approval.

Chen Yin Fu, a patriarch with vision, immediately made the decision. "Do as Xiao Mo says."

"Father is wise."

By the time he returned to the East Courtyard, it was already the dead of night.

Chen Mo didn't rush to bathe. Instead, he sat on a bench, reflecting on the night's events.

"This Honghe County is getting more and more unstable. Especially that Granny Li—if that hag isn't dealt with, I'll never have peace. I need to break through to Internal Martial Master as soon as possible to be safe, but I'm lacking a method to rush blood and transform qi."

Suddenly, Chen Mo thought of something.

"I sent that bastard Xie Dong to investigate Old Master Li's family nearly three months ago, and there's still no word. Is this guy reliable or not? Tomorrow, I'll have someone go to Xie Manor and ask."