Chen Mo entered the central courtyard and saw Liu Hao in the living room.
He was a middle-aged man in military attire, broad-backed and burly, with an Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist. He sat ramrod straight.
Chen Yin Fu greeted him and made the introductions. "Xiao Mo, come pay your respects to Hundred Household Officer Liu."
Chen Mo clasped his hands. "This junior, Chen Mo, pays his respects to Hundred Household Officer Liu."
Liu Hao smiled. "No need to stand on ceremony. Just call me Uncle Liu."
"Hello, Uncle Liu."
Liu Hao beamed. "You stand tall as a pine, with the bearing of a gentleman. You truly are an outstanding young man. No wonder you killed Liu Mazi and his band of bandits. Brother Chen, with a son like this, your family's future glory is assured."
Chen Yin Fu was naturally very pleased with Chen Mo's performance. He smiled modestly. "Brother Liu, you flatter him. My son is still young. Though he's made some progress in martial arts, he still needs experience. I'll be counting on you to guide and look after him in the future."
Though it was a humble remark, for Chen Yin Fu's nature, it was already the highest praise he could give Chen Mo.
Liu Hao said, "Of course, of course."
After some polite pleasantries, Liu Hao got down to business. "Liu Mazi was a hardened bandit who held sway around Dayin Mountain, outside the city. I sent troops to suppress him several times, but never succeeded. Now he's dead at your nephew's hands. You've truly helped me settle a long-standing worry."
Chen Mo said, "My Chen Family is just a bunch of merchants. How could we have killed such hardened bandits? It was all thanks to Uncle Liu's careful planning that the Chen Family was able to wipe them out."
Liu Hao's gaze sharpened. The way he looked at Chen Mo changed.
This kid was no ordinary person.
Soon, Liu Hao narrowed his eyes and smiled. "You're joking, nephew. Wiping out hardened bandits is a great achievement. How could I possibly..."
Chen Mo said, "No outsiders know what happened yesterday. I've ordered everyone to stick to the same story. Even if some foolhardy servant starts blabbing, I can just say I was following Uncle Liu's orders when I dared to suppress the bandits."
Wonderful. Wonderful.
He truly was a brilliant young man.
Liu Hao's heart pounded.
If he claimed the credit for wiping out Liu Mazi's bandits, his standing at the Guard Station would rise even higher. When the Deputy Thousand Household Officer was promoted, taking his place wouldn't be out of the question.
At the Guard Station, connections mattered, but military achievements mattered even more.
Chen Yin Fu understood Chen Mo's intentions now, and admired him. He backed him up, saying, "Brother Liu, you and I are as close as brothers. There's no need to fuss over such formalities. Everyone knows I'm a merchant, and the business world is full of trouble. If I suddenly wiped out a band of bandits, I'd only invite more headaches. If you claim the credit, you'll be helping my Chen Family too."
Liu Hao was still a little embarrassed. "Brother Chen, since you put it that way... I'll accept."
The three of them then discussed the finer details of transferring the military credit. Once everything was settled, Liu Hao was grinning from ear to ear. "I can't just take your nephew's credit for nothing. If you need anything, nephew, just ask. If it's something I can do, I won't hesitate."
That was exactly what Chen Mo had been waiting to hear.
He picked up the teapot and poured Liu Hao a cup of hot tea himself, then said slowly, "To be honest, Uncle Liu, I'm a martial arts fanatic. I especially love studying martial arts. Unfortunately, I've been stuck in the Blood Rush Realm for a long time and haven't been able to get my hands on a manual for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation."
Chen Yin Fu's heart gave a thump. This son of mine really is something. He lies without even blushing.
Liu Hao took him at his word. "No wonder you reached the Blood Rush Realm at only fifteen. But this won't be easy. Though I'm not qualified to access the Guard Station's Internal True Skill, they do have a manual for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation. Those secret methods, however, are only passed down to military officers at the rank of Hundred Household Officer or above. Passing one on privately would violate military law. The punishment could be anything from demotion to dismissal."
Chen Mo added at just the right moment, "What if it were accidentally lost?"
Liu Hao drew in a sharp breath and looked Chen Mo up and down.
A talent!
This was a real talent!
Someone else might not have fully understood what Chen Mo meant.
But Liu Hao knew: secretly copy a manual for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation, then accidentally lose it. Who could say who had lost it? There'd be no way to punish anyone.
After receiving Chen Yin Fu's kindness, and now accepting Chen Mo's great military achievement, Liu Hao felt that refusing Chen Mo would make him less than human.
After a long pause, Liu Hao's expression gradually turned serious. "You're certainly perceptive, nephew. I'm not afraid of this matter. But if you practice the military's Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation method and use it someday, someone might recognize it. Then it could be hard to smooth things over."
Chen Mo said, "I'll handle that, Uncle Liu. I absolutely won't implicate you."
He wasn't calling himself "this junior" anymore. Now he was "your nephew."
Liu Hao turned to Chen Yin Fu, but Chen Yin Fu lowered his head to drink his tea, pretending not to notice.
That old fox... He really does dote on his son.
Liu Hao understood Chen Yin Fu's meaning and said, "Since you're so devoted to martial arts, how could I, your uncle, deny you this chance? I'll have my soldiers take the bandits' bodies back to the Guard Station, then copy out a manual for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation. I'll have it delivered to you later... No, I'll have it accidentally lost."
Chen Mo let out a breath of relief. Suppressing his excitement, he clasped his hands toward Liu Hao. "Uncle Liu, I hope you lose it well."
Liu Hao reached out and helped Chen Mo to his feet. "Hahaha, nephew, you truly are a talent. I'll go to the Guard Station first. I'll come by again later."
As he was leaving, Liu Hao didn't forget to turn back and say to Chen Yin Fu, "Brother Chen, congratulations. The Chen Family has produced a brilliant young man. His future is limitless."
After bidding farewell to Chen Yin Fu, Chen Mo hurried back to the eastern courtyard.
Near noon, Qiulan hurried back.
Chen Mo quickly stopped practicing. "Did you see that fellow Xie Dong?"
"Ah."
Qiulan sighed. "The gates to Xie Manor were closed, and they were refusing visitors. I waited outside for a long time, until one of Young Master Xie Dong's maids went out to buy supplies. I secretly asked her, and only then did I find out... The day after Young Master Xie Dong last parted ways with us, Master Xie grounded him for three months. He still isn't allowed out."
Chen Mo was shocked. "Why?"
Qiulan said, "That night, Young Master Xie Dong found out Ruhua had spent the night with Third Young Master Wei of the Wei Family. He was so furious that he went straight to Spring Breeze Tower and beat up Third Young Master Wei. Master Xie gave him a sound spanking and locked him up."
Chen Mo listened, full of emotion.
Xie Dong always seemed so worldly, but in the end, he'd still fallen into a woman's hands.
He just hadn't gotten out enough.
He'd warned that fellow ages ago.
It wasn't worth it.
While Chen Mo was distracted, Qiulan took two crumpled sheets of Xuan Paper from the pouch in her sleeve and handed them to him. "Still, Young Master Xie Dong is loyal. He's kept Second Young Master's request in mind the whole time. This is the information he sent."
"Dongzi is dependable." Chen Mo praised him, then took the papers and looked them over.
He would have been better off not looking. The contents gave him a huge fright.
They described in detail the origins of Old Master Li's family.
Old Master Li's daughter was originally named Li Hongxi. She'd been a freak from birth, born with Yin Six Roots. She could see Evil Spirits and possessed unfathomable abilities.
She could often glare at someone once and glare them to death.
Several relatives and neighbors had been glared to death by Li Hongxi.
Old Master Li feared the authorities would blame him and bring disaster upon his family. So he took Granny Li and Li Hongxi to live at the Blood Ridge Black Market, hoping to keep away from crowded places.
But Li Hongxi still wouldn't settle down. More and more people were glared or cursed to death by her. Even Old Master Li's newborn son died before he was a hundred days old.
Old Master Li blamed Li Hongxi for the baby's death, but Granny Li didn't agree and continued to protect her. The couple began to quarrel.
Then, on a dark and stormy night, while Granny Li was away, Old Master Li suddenly shoved Li Hongxi into a well and drowned her. To stop Li Hongxi's vengeful spirit from continuing to wreak havoc, Old Master Li had also obtained a Red Candle from the Red Lantern Society, lit it at the mouth of the well, and used it to seal her spirit.
Later, the Red Candle burned out, leaving a lump of hardened red wax oil at the mouth of the well, but it continued to seal Li Hongxi inside.
After that, Old Master Li never had another child. Perhaps something happened to him; Old Master Li went mad and regretted what he'd done. Even as he lay dying, he begged people to give him back his daughter.
Reading this, Chen Mo couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Old Master Li was a ruthless man, willing to lay hands even on his own daughter. But why had such a ruthless man regretted it in the end?
Also, although the information didn't explain why Old Master Li had regretted it, it was still remarkably detailed. Most people probably wouldn't have been able to find out so much.
Curious, Chen Mo continued reading.
When he reached the final sentence, Chen Mo suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
—Li Hongxi died twenty years ago! Old Master Li died eighteen years ago!
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