Vermilion Binds Evil, Turbid Yang Breaks Sha!

Chen Mo answered, then looked up at the sky.

The sun was already high.

"Judging by that old woman's routine yesterday, we should have three hours."

"Go keep an eye on Redhead. Just make sure he keeps working. Collect his sweat afterward."

"Remember, don't wake him up. It's not time yet."

Hu Yaya nodded, then turned and walked toward Redhead.

Chen Mo turned and entered the woodshed.

Something that could make a deafening noise... and something red.

The woodshed wasn't particularly messy, nor was it spacious. Dry firewood occupied most of one side, while several bulging burlap sacks sat on the other.

Chen Mo opened one. Rice.

The others contained potatoes and flour.

Apparently, Grandma used these to cook.

As for the braised pork and steamed fish, Chen Mo had no time to think about those now...

There was nothing else.

Chen Mo scanned every corner of the woodshed, his mind working.

A whole shed full of dry firewood.

If he set a fire...

The building collapsing should be loud enough...

All he needed now was something red...

Unwilling to give up, Chen Mo searched every corner of the woodshed before finally walking out helplessly.

Redhead's little patch of hair probably wouldn't be much use.

After so long since the apocalypse, Redhead's hair had faded badly.

From what Chen Mo had observed over the past few days, it only made the old woman a little uncomfortable, nowhere near frightened.

He would have to find another way.

Chen Mo left the woodshed. In the courtyard, Hu Yaya was supervising Redhead as he chopped wood with all his might.

"Fourth Brother, hurry up and chop that wood, or I'll tell Big Brother and Grandma you went to the woodshed to slack off yesterday!"

"Pfft, I'm not scared of Big Brother. I just don't want to upset Grandma!"

Redhead swung his axe, sweat pouring off him.

Seeing the soaked T-shirt beneath Redhead's jacket, Chen Mo walked over and leaned close to Hu Yaya to speak quietly.

"There's nothing red."

Hu Yaya's expression froze briefly, and she glanced at Chen Mo.

"Keep Redhead busy. I'll figure something out."

Without waiting for Chen Mo's response, she ran off toward a nearby corner.

Chen Mo looked at the sweat streaming down Redhead's head and walked over with a smile.

"Fourth Brother, didn't you say you weren't scared of Big Brother? Dare to compete with me at push-ups? Whoever loses has to do a dare tonight. How about it?"

"You're on! What's there to be scared of?"

A few minutes later, Hu Yaya returned and gave Chen Mo an OK sign.

Chen Mo kept doing push-ups.

Ten minutes later.

Redhead lay utterly limp on the ground like a dying dog, cursing, "I'm done, I'm done! Big Brother, all you do is bully me!"

Watching from the side, Hu Yaya saw that Redhead's sweat had soaked both his T-shirt and jacket.

"Come on, take them off. I'll wash them for you. Did you forget Grandma told you to get clean?"

Chen Mo ignored Redhead, who lay on the ground like a dead dog.

He took both their clothes aside and wrung them out hard.

Splash...

The sweat filled a small bowl.

Hu Yaya walked over, looking somewhat embarrassed. She pulled something glaringly red from behind her back and handed it to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo took it and glanced down. It was a red undergarment, seemingly carrying a faint fragrance.

He had no time to dwell on that and tore it into strips.

Chen Mo handed her one of the strips.

"Tie it around your wrist."

"In a bit... I'll go chop through the support post..."

Click.

The door to the main house opened.

"Grandchildren, stop working and come inside. It's almost time to eat."

Hu Yaya's body trembled, and she forced an obedient smile onto her face.

"Coming, Grandma!"

Chen Mo followed close behind her.

Redhead also climbed up from the ground and followed them into the house.

The moment the two entered, Grandma's nose twitched, and disgust appeared on her face.

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you to get clean? Why do you stink even worse now?"

Here it comes!

Chen Mo's heart jolted, and he made a show of scratching his head.

"Grandma, Fourth Brother and I were competing at chopping wood, and I forgot."

As he spoke, he approached the stove and picked up a piece of wood that was still faintly burning.

"I'll go boil some water in the woodshed right now. It'll be ready soon!"

As Chen Mo approached, Grandma instinctively drew back and waved impatiently.

Chen Mo entered the woodshed and quickly shoved the burning stick into the pile of dry firewood he had prepared. The wood immediately caught fire.

Grandma busied herself at the stove...

Hu Yaya kept her head down, rubbing her fingers together.

Beside her, Redhead was still panting heavily, exhausted like a dead dog.

A few minutes later, the food was ready...

Chen Mo returned from the woodshed, dusting white powder off his hands.

"Grandma, the water's heating now. It'll be ready soon. I'll wash after we eat."

With that, he sat down at the table without waiting for a response.

No one spoke at the table. The silence was deathly.

With her back to them, Grandma held a bowl of plain congee and drank by herself. Anyone could tell she was in a bad mood.

Chen Mo drank his congee while signaling to Redhead with his eyes.

Redhead kept his head down, eating his steamed bun as though he hadn't noticed. He seemed to have forgotten that he had lost their bet today.

This idiot! Chen Mo glanced anxiously at Grandma, then signaled to Hu Yaya and nodded toward the door.

Hu Yaya gritted her teeth and stood.

"Grandma, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Grandma finally turned around. Her face had darkened, her aged features stern.

"Could you come outside with me? With Big Brother here, I don't dare say it..."

Grandma didn't move... She glanced back at Chen Mo, then looked at Hu Yaya as though trying to read something in her face.

"All right. As it happens, I have something to... discuss with you and Little Mo too."

Just as Chen Mo was about to flip the table outright, Grandma actually nodded. An eerie smile appeared on her face, her mouth stretching straight past the roots of her ears. The sight sent a chill through his entire body.

The instant Grandma followed Hu Yaya out into the courtyard!

Chen Mo rushed to the heated brick bed and pulled the Mountain-Cleaving Blade, which he had hidden long ago, from the bedding. He pressed the box on the blade's spine, and a pale blue film of water instantly covered the blade.

The next second, Hu Yaya's scream rang out in the courtyard.

"Ah! You..."

Boom!

A tremendous crash came from outside, making even the main house shudder!

The woodshed had burned down and collapsed!

Chen Mo rushed outside. Grandma was sprawled in the middle of the courtyard, her nails turning long and black as she clutched her head and howled in agony.

Not far away, Hu Yaya stood pale-faced with both hands raised high, exposing the red cloth strips inside her sleeves.

Seizing the moment, Chen Mo grabbed the small bowl of sweat from behind the door and flung it straight onto Grandma's head...

Sizzle!

A corrosive sizzling sounded, and Grandma's scream instantly rose in pitch.

"Run! She's not..."

Redhead charged out of the house, only getting halfway through his warning before his eyes slowly filled with horror!

A split had opened across "Grandma's" face, revealing glossy black fur beneath the human skin.

The human skin peeled away from its entire body, revealing its true form.

"Vermilion Binds Evil... Turbid Yang Breaks Sha... Thunderclap Suppresses Demons..."

"Where did you learn about these things?!"