Possessed by Evil and Dead

He sat cross-legged on the ground, motionless as a mountain. His posture was straight and tall, like a century-old pine or crane.

His entire presence had undergone a fundamental transformation.

"People say it takes a year or more of taking Tiger Qi Pills to cultivate True Qi. I used my Golden Finger to see the key, and broke through this barrier in just eight days. I guess I'm one lucky fellow."

Chen Mo stood up and stretched. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly noticed...

He could see the faint grain in the wooden boards on the windowsill, and an ant crawling across it. He could even see its legs moving. He could also hear the faint sound of its tiny feet crawling.

His eyesight and hearing had never been this keen before.

"Looks like breaking through to the Inner Family realm has greatly improved my hearing and eyesight! They say the human body has the Six Roots and Six Senses. I wonder if the other four have changed too..."

Chen Mo put them to the test.

His nose could pick out the faintest scents in the air; his sense of smell had grown much sharper.

His tongue had become much more sensitive, too.

As for his sense of touch, when Chen Mo placed his hand on the table, he could feel its fine grain, as well as the other objects resting on it.

The last was the mind: sharp thoughts and a clear, unhindered train of thought.

Eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind... all had undergone a fundamental transformation.

Even his strength was several times greater than before, not to mention the surging True Qi coursing through his body.

If he ran into Liu Mazi again, could he pin him down with one finger and kill him?

It took Chen Mo quite a while to adjust and master his new body. He could constantly feel a stream of warmth coursing through him, and he could control its speed and direction.

But he couldn't send this warmth outside his body, and its range of movement seemed quite limited... It could only travel along a certain, fixed meridian.

"This Black Tiger True Qi only teaches the Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation method. There's nothing beyond it for after the transformation succeeds..."

"Now that I've cultivated True Qi, I still don't know how to keep training it."

That left Chen Mo feeling a little unsettled, but he understood perfectly well that the method for Blood Infusion to Qi Transformation was already an extraordinary find. If he hadn't given Liu Mazi's credit to Liu Hao, and if Liu Hao hadn't been on good terms with his father, he would never have obtained such a method.

As for the even rarer techniques for cultivating True Qi... those should be part of the Inner Family True Skill.

Liu Hao had mentioned before that even he wasn't qualified to learn the Inner Family True Skill at the Guard Station. That showed just how rare it was. For Chen Mo, getting access to it would be even harder.

Inner Family True Qi represented a level, a realm. Without the support of the Inner Family True Skill, one couldn't unleash its full power.

If the Five Passes of foundational training were a three-year-old child, then the Inner Family realm was a hulking man two meters tall. The brute could kill the child with a casual blow. But if he wanted to go further, he would need to cultivate the Inner Family True Skill to fully unleash his potential and power.

Only after a long while did Chen Mo clear his mind and begin practicing the Blood Fire Seal.

"Once I've mastered the Blood Fire Seal, I shouldn't have to fear Granny Li..."

At noon two days later, Chen Mo pushed open the door and stepped outside.

The snow had stopped. Looking up, he saw the sun for the first time in ages. The winter sun offered no warmth, but its light still felt pleasant on his skin.

Qiulan was sweeping the snow from the courtyard with a broom. When she saw Chen Mo come out, she turned and greeted him with a smile out of habit. "Young Master..."

She had barely gotten halfway through when she jumped in fright, unable to finish.

She could clearly see that Chen Mo was half a head taller than before. The youthful innocence he'd once carried had vanished, replaced by a virile yet reserved air, a quiet dignity and refined elegance. He was strikingly handsome.

Chen Mo had already looked in the mirror while changing clothes and had gotten used to his appearance.

They said that entering the Inner Family transformed one's constitution.

This must have been the change brought by becoming an Internal Martial Master.

Perhaps because he was in a good mood, Chen Mo teased her. "Qiulan, why are you staring? Is there something on my face?"

Qiulan finally came to her senses and bashfully lowered her head. "I just think you've grown so much taller, Young Master, and you're handsome, too."

Chen Mo smiled. "Has anything happened at the manor these past few days?"

Qiulan told him, "They say that under Master Zhou's direction, the west courtyard was cleared out and turned into a medicine workshop and a Library Tower. They hired an apothecary surnamed Li, and he's already started making Martial Cultivation Elixir. The Library Tower has also acquired quite a few manuals and handwritten notes. The guards around the manor have been talking about it nonstop, praising the Second Young Master."

Chen Mo nodded. "Go get ready. Take me around in a little while."

After leaving her with those words, Chen Mo went to the rear courtyard's servants' quarters to visit The Woman.

Ma Tie was still stationed there. The white fur on The Woman's body had grown thicker, and she was stronger. Chen Mo looked at the baby face on her abdomen. The third Black Rod in the identification box had become even more distinct.

At this rate, the third Black Rod would grow out in less than half a month.

By that logic, the Ghost Curse's resentful energy inside The Woman was still growing stronger.

Although Chen Mo had broken through to the Internal Martial Master realm, he knew this wasn't a good sign.

He told Ma Tie to keep a close eye on The Woman, then followed Qiulan to the west courtyard. There he saw the newly cleared-out Library Tower and medicine workshop. Many of the guards had come to the workshop to collect their Martial Cultivation Elixir, while others were heading to the Library Tower to browse the manuals.

Everything was proceeding step by step.

Feeling reassured, Chen Mo went to the central courtyard. His parents weren't there; only Haitang remained, sweeping the grounds.

"Haitang, where are my parents?"

Haitang noticed the change in Chen Mo, too. After a brief look of surprise, she curtsied. "I heard Master say this morning that today is Daoist Priest Li Yuanlong's birthday. He left early with Madam and took a generous gift to offer his congratulations."

Only then did Chen Mo remember.

By his reckoning, it was indeed Daoist Priest Li Yuanlong's birthday.

His father's visit with a gift to wish him well was a minor matter. The main reason was to ask him for a chance to study at Black Mountain Stronghold.

As long as Daoist Priest Li had no ill intentions, then given Chen Mo's current Inner Family realm, he could think of no reason the Daoist wouldn't agree.

At that thought, Chen Mo felt a little more hopeful.

After lunch, Chen Mo counted the days and realized Dongzi's house arrest was over. He planned to visit Xie Manor. He wanted to see Dongzi and ask Xie Lianghong for more details about the Li family.

For a long time, having been targeted by Granny Li had made Chen Mo reluctant to leave the house.

Before, he'd stayed in because the guards at the manor could protect him.

But now Chen Mo had entered the Inner Family realm, and the manor's guards could no longer help him. There was little point in continuing to hide at home.

He took Qiulan out of Chen Mansion and headed straight for Xie Manor.

Xie Manor was in the eastern part of the city, a long way off.

More than half an hour later, the carriage finally reached the gates of Xie Manor.

After the gatekeeper announced them, an elderly man with a head of white hair came out a short while later. He gave Chen Mo a cold, indifferent look. "What do you want with Xiao Dong?"

He didn't sound particularly welcoming.

Thanks to what Qiulan had told him in private, Chen Mo knew the old man was Xie Dong's Third Uncle, Xie Lianghong. He cupped his hands. "I heard Dongzi fell out with Master Xie over a young woman and was put under house arrest, so I thought I'd come see him. I want to encourage him and help him get back on his feet. I hope Third Master Xie will allow it."

Xie Lianghong said coldly, "You're too late."

Chen Mo didn't understand. "What do you mean, Third Master Xie?"

Xie Lianghong said, "He was Possessed by Evil last night. He died."