I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 47 She is here!
That night.

The snow fell heavily, and the cold wind howled like a knife.

At this time, when every household should be sound asleep, the entire silent Chen mansion suddenly came into operation, with the corridor lights, wall lamps, and palace lanterns all lit up.

The maids and servants in the various storage rooms and side rooms got up, dressed, and rushed towards the central courtyard from all directions.

"Why are they going to the courtyard in the middle of the night and not letting people sleep?"

"I just emptied the chamber pot and barely slept a few minutes before I had to get up... Living under someone else's roof is never very comfortable."

"Let's all keep quiet. It was the second young master who gave the order suddenly..."

"What? It's the Second Young Master's order? Oh, then it's alright."

Upon hearing that it was Chen Mo who gave the order, the servants and maids dared not complain and hurried on their way with their heads down.

Without him.

This is because they had all witnessed Chen Mo single-handedly killing Liu Mazi and three other experts at the Blood Crush Realm in the martial arts arena.

Who dares to complain about the second young master's decision?
Haitang, the head maid of the household, dared not refute anything and opened the gate to the central courtyard to let everyone in.

There were over eighty people in the Chen household. Fortunately, the courtyard was large enough that it didn't feel crowded after everyone entered, although it was noisy and chaotic at times.

The noisy scene immediately subsided when Chen Yinfu and Lin Yulan came out of the bedroom.

Chen Yinfu glanced at everyone and called Zhou Liang over, "Brother Zhou, do you know what happened?"

Zhou Liang shook his head, "I was just woken up by Qiu Lan, who said that the Second Young Master urgently wanted everyone to gather in the central courtyard."

Chen Yinfu then called Qiulan over, "You serve Xiaomo at all times, you should know what happened?"

Qiulan leaned closer, gave a curtsy, and then whispered what she knew.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yinfu was greatly surprised and turned pale.

The Xie family mansion, so large, just vanished like that?
No wonder Xiao Mo gave the order so urgently; it seems that Xiao Mo felt that the Chen family was also in danger.

Thinking of this, Chen Yinfu felt increasingly terrified.

Fortunately, Chen Yinfu was the head of the family, and he quickly composed himself. He said to everyone outside the door, "My son's arrangement must have a profound meaning, so there's no need to panic. Once my son arrives, you'll understand the reason."

"Haitang, take a few quick-witted people to the kitchen next door and fetch some firewood. We'll make a few fires in the snow to keep warm, so everyone stays warm."

Afterwards, Chen Yinfu asked several elderly and frail servants to come to the living room to warm up. Everyone's emotions quickly calmed down.

Six bonfires were lit in the courtyard, and everyone huddled around them for warmth, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the second young master.

With the second young master gone, they were still uneasy.

squeak~
As the courtyard gate was pushed open, everyone turned to look.

Chen Mo led Ma Tie in. Ma Tie was carrying a heavy burlap sack, and it was unclear what was inside.

Everyone felt much more at ease when they saw Chen Mo arrive.

Wearing a blue brocade robe and a broadsword at his waist, Chen Mo quickly crossed the courtyard and rushed into the living room. He bowed to Chen Yinfu and the others, but without explaining why, he instructed Haitang, "Haitang, go and count the number of people. See if anyone is missing."

As the head maid of the mansion, Haitang naturally knew the servants and guards in the mansion, and quickly took out a list to count the number of people.

Before long, Haitang returned to the living room with the booklet and respectfully replied to Chen Mo, "Replying to Second Young Master, only the guard Ma San and the two stablemen from the stables have not yet arrived. One is named Li Erniu, and the other is named Li Tiezhu; they are both from the same village."

Knowing that Ma San had gone out to deliver the message, Chen Mo glared at Qiu Lan and asked, "Did you go to the stables to inform them beforehand?"

Qiu Lan nodded: "I did notify him, and Li Tiezhu even promised me he would come right away."

Chen Mo nodded, then looked at Haitang again: "Do you know anything about these two people?"

Haitang said, "They are the old stablemen of the manor, and their skills in feeding the horses are excellent. It's just that they caught a cold a few days ago. I even took their leave and found a doctor to examine them and prescribe medicine. Perhaps they are not feeling well and can't get up?"

Chen Mo shook his head, feeling a strong sense of crisis.

Soon, Chen Mo called out to the door, "Wei Heng and Liu Jiang, you two take torches and knives and go to the stables to check on Er Niu and Tie Zhu. Remember, do not split up. If you find anything amiss, retreat immediately and shout loudly. I will intervene if necessary."

Even if Wei Heng and Liu Jiang were foolish, they knew something was wrong at home. But hearing that Chen Mo would take action, they felt much more at ease and each took a torch to go out and look for people.

After the two left, the remaining people felt increasingly uneasy.

A short while later, two hurried footsteps came from outside the door. It was Wei Heng and Liu Jiang rushing into the central courtyard.

Chen Mo stood up abruptly. "How about Erniu Tiezhu?"

Liu Jiang was so frightened he could hardly breathe. "They... they were hanged from the roof beams. Their bodies were covered in weeds and mud, and there were no signs of struggle. Moreover, their deaths were extremely gruesome... it looked like they had encountered an evil spirit."

Chen Mo's heart sank.

Li Hongxi... really did come!
And it came faster than expected.

……

Evil!

Upon hearing this, everyone in the mansion immediately became terrified and began to discuss the matter in a flurry of voices.

"An evil spirit has entered the manor again?"

"Last time, even without his head, Liu Mazi could still chop people up. Now he's back again... We can't stay here anymore."

"Li Erniu was as strong as an ox, and even a slight cold wouldn't have bothered him, yet he died. I don't want to die here."

"I don't want to die!"

Most of the servants and maids were quite young, only teenagers. Upon hearing these words, they panicked and became extremely agitated, all clamoring to leave the Chen residence.

The courtyard was already crowded, and now everyone stood up, causing a brief chaos. A burly servant, acting as a ringleader, deliberately stirred up trouble, leading the way towards the gate while shouting, "The Chen family has offended evil spirits! Now the evil spirits are seeking revenge! Anyone who stays will die! Run with me!" The people present were already frightened and panicked, and with someone taking the lead, the rest followed suit in a chaotic rush, and the situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Chen Mo rushed into the courtyard and slashed at the neck of the burly man in the lead. With a "thud," the man's head flew up more than ten feet, and blood gushed from the severed neck.

"Anyone who dares to run away will be like this!"

Chen Mo shouted loudly, which finally frightened the others. They all retreated to their original positions, lowered their heads, and dared not utter a sound.

Chen Mo said coldly, "I gathered you all here with the intention of protecting you. If any of you dare to cause trouble, I will smash you to pieces, leaving not even ashes!"

Having witnessed Chen Mo's ruthless methods, everyone lowered their heads in fear and dared not utter a word.

Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Wei Heng, Liu Jiang, and the other guards in the house, maintain order. If anyone dares to cause trouble or run around, just chop them down!"

The Chen family was powerful, and the government wouldn't interfere if they killed a few servants or maids.

After Liu Jiang and Wei Heng agreed, Chen Mo returned to the living room and had Haitang bring several elderly and frail servants to the eaves to warm themselves by the fire.

Now, only the family and Zhou Liang remained in the living room.

Chen Mo then explained the whole story, "Father, Mother, this is what happened..."

He recounted in detail how he went to the Blood Ridge black market to buy Qi and Blood Pills, how he was possessed by evil spirits and entered the Ghost Land, and the feud between the Li family and Master Xie.

Now that things have come to this, there's nothing left to hide.

I didn't tell them before because I was afraid my parents would worry.

Now that Li Hongxi has come knocking on our door... we must eventually let our parents know the reason.

After hearing Chen Mo's account, everyone was horrified.

Even Chen Yinfu, the head of the family, turned pale.

Chen Mo placed the red candles he had bought from Granny Li on the table, saying, "These are the red candles I bought from Granny Li. They can ward off evil spirits. There's no need for everyone to panic."

Upon hearing that it was the red candle of the Red Lantern Goddess, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, the people of Honghe County have been worshipping the Red Lantern Goddess since they were young.

Chen Yinfu was not at ease. He glanced around, then got up and walked towards the bedroom. "Xiao Mo, Yu Lan, come in with me."

Chen Mo, unaware of his father's plans, followed him inside.

Chen Yinfu closed the bedroom door behind him, then took out a small wooden box from under the bed and solemnly placed it in Chen Mo's hand.

When Lin Yulan saw the wooden box, she seemed to know something, but she didn't say anything; instead, her eyes were red.

Chen Mo sensed something was wrong. "Father, what's this?"

Chen Yinfu sat wearily on the edge of the bed, his previous vigor gone, and he seemed to have aged considerably. "Don't let my status as a businessman fool you. I know quite a bit about encountering evil spirits. Especially after meeting Master Li, I've learned many secrets. That vicious evil spirit was able to wipe out the entire Xie family, and now it has come to our Chen residence. Even if you've mastered martial arts, I'm afraid you're no match for it... But you are the one in our family with the best chance of escaping."

This box contains the silver notes I've accumulated over the years. Among them are several unique 10,000-tael denomination notes from Tongbao Money Shop. There are also other valuable collectibles. If things don't go well later, take this box and leave.”

Chen Mo's heart clenched painfully.

He never expected Chen Yinfu to make such a decision.

Before Chen Mo could reply, Lin Yulan came up to him, stroking his face with tears in her eyes, "When you get out there, be careful with your money. Also, I'm always nagging you to get married, and I know you find it annoying. But when you get out there, you must find a good girl, so as not to break the Chen family bloodline... If you have a daughter, you can name her with the character 'Yu' (玉). If you have a big, healthy boy, that would be even better, you can name him with the character 'Yin' (寅)..."

As Chen Mo listened to his mother's nagging, his fingers trembled as he gripped the brocade box, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

He raised his head and looked deeply into the eyes of his parents, whose temples were now gray.

For some reason, my nose started to sting and my eyes felt hot.

Having lived two lives, Chen Mo has a clear understanding of many things and is not someone who is easily moved by emotions. However, after hearing his parents' words, he was indeed somewhat vulnerable.

After a long silence, Chen Mo finally spoke, "Father, Mother..."

Chen Yinfu waved his hand to interrupt, "Alright, a real man shouldn't act like a timid girl. This matter is settled! People outside are watching us, so let's not stay here too long, lest they start to overthink things."

He had considered entrusting Xiaoyuer and Chen Wu to Chen Mo.

But Xiaoyuer and Chen Wu are too weak and would inevitably become a burden to Chen Mo. So let's just leave it at that and let Chen Yinfu take the blame for the villains and the dirty work.

Chen Yinfu didn't give Chen Mo a chance to refute, and opened the door and went out first.

Lin Yulan was reluctant to part with Chen Mo, so she lingered with him for a few moments before pulling him out of the bedroom.

The atmosphere in the living room remained heavy. Everyone stared at Chen Mo, then at the red candles on the table, filled with unease.

Chen Mo sat on the side seat, sipping his tea in silence, the words his parents had just spoken echoing in his mind.

Compared to what his parents had done, Chen Mo felt a little ashamed...

He had a sudden urge to say something like, "I'd rather die than leave." But the words stuck in his throat.

Having only been in the time traveler for three months, he wasn't sure if he could do it...

Fortunately, Chen Mo was by no means indecisive. He quickly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and told himself: Why think so much? Just go all out and make a few cuts and see what happens!
Having made up his mind, Chen Mo no longer hesitated. He circulated his qi and blood, regulated his true energy, gripped the broadsword in his hand, and activated all six senses, vigilantly observing his surroundings.

Time passed slowly, and the atmosphere became deathly still.

Just then, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Boom boom boom!
The crisp sound seemed particularly clear and jarring in the deathly silent courtyard.

A timid servant suddenly cried out in terror, "An evil spirit is coming! An evil spirit is coming..."

(End of this chapter)