I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 59 Who's on my back?
The Pool of a Hundred Corpses!
Upon hearing this, Li Qingniu's face turned deathly pale, and his hands and feet began to tremble.

Always cautious, he couldn't help but ask, "The people who patrolled last night, including the village's official disciples, all died in the Hundred Corpse Pool. Are we still going to patrol the Hundred Corpse Pool?"

Yuanzhu snorted coldly, "Our Black Mountain Stronghold's business is exorcising evil spirits. It's precisely because the Hundred Corpse Pool is dangerous that we're needed. Didn't you know that before you came to the stronghold? You two prepare yourselves and meet at the stronghold gate in half an hour. If you're too scared to come, then pack your bags and go home."

After saying this, Yuanzhu turned and left with a righteous air.

Chen Mo was quick-witted and naturally realized that Yuanzhu's actions were probably intentionally aimed at him.

I knew Cylinder wasn't a good person, but I didn't expect him to stab me in the back so quickly.

But thinking about it, I feel relieved.

From the perspective of the cylinder, this is probably the best time to make a move. Once the assignment is over and he follows Li Yuanlong, it might not be so easy for him to make a move.

Chen Mo was not one to complain or blame others, so he didn't refute anything at the moment, but simply wrote Yuanzhu's name in his mental notebook.

Chen Mo returned to the dormitory, retrieved the broadsword, hid the dagger, and prepared to leave.

Chen Mo glanced at Li Qingniu, who was holding a hunting bow but hesitating, and said, "If you're afraid, you don't need to come along and take the risk."

Li Qingniu looked up at Chen Mo, "Aren't you afraid?"

After spending several days together, the two became much more familiar with each other. Li Qingniu also realized that Chen Mo truly had no intention of looking down on poor children, so he took the initiative to ask.

Chen Mo shrugged. "If I were afraid, I wouldn't have come here."

Li Qingniu was greatly surprised, thinking to himself: This rich young master really has guts, giving up a good life to come here and take such a risk. In comparison, I, who have lost my parents, am still hesitant and insignificant.

Thinking of this, Li Qingniu fiercely cut off his hand, "Since Young Master Mo has said so, I am no longer afraid. Fortune favors the bold, I will go with you. Don't worry, Young Master Mo, my parents died from an encounter with evil spirits, I know some ways to subdue evil spirits. I will definitely be able to protect you then."

Chen Mo was taken aback. "Protect me?"

Li Qingniu took out a peach wood sword and two broken Five Emperors Coins from the bundle on the bed, and handed one of them to Chen Mo, saying, "Keep these Five Emperors Coins safe, they can save your life in a critical moment."

Chen Mo reluctantly accepted the Five Emperor Coins, feeling speechless for a long time.

Back then, Li Wenqing's broadsword was inlaid with countless Five Emperors' coins, yet it couldn't even last a single round against Li Hongxi...

This thing is no wonder it can't save your life.

However, since it was Li Qingniu's good intention, Chen Mo accepted the Five Emperors Coins. "Thank you for your kindness, Qingniu."

Li Qingniu grinned and said, "We're on patrol tonight, and we're brothers in distress. We should help each other out. Let's head out early, lest Yuanzhu makes things difficult for us again."

Chen Mo nodded and left the west wing with Li Qingniu.

A dozen or so men outside cast surprised and worried glances at them. Several kind-hearted poor children came up to warn them to be careful. Meanwhile, the three rich boys gloated and uttered strange, mocking remarks.

“We told him to come and stay in the four-person room with us a long time ago, but he insisted on pretending. Now he knows the consequences.”

"The Hundred Corpse Pool is a dangerous place; even formal disciples have died there before. If these two go there, they won't survive."

"He must have offended the young Taoist priest Yuanzhu; he brought this upon himself."

"..."

Chen Mo was too lazy to argue with them, so he took Li Qingniu and left.

I've been unfairly treated by Yuanzhu. I'm living in a four-person room with you guys. Will smoothing things over be of any use?

However, Chen Mo was also curious: How dare Yuanzhu, as Li Yuanlong's top disciple, target him like this?

However, Chen Mo had his own plan: if he encountered a ghost at the Hundred Corpse Pool, he would first try to slash it. If the ghost was ferocious, he would simply run away. If he could kill the ghost, he could take the opportunity to collect some of the original essence. He would then use it to modify the ghost curse blood within his body and alleviate some of the ghost blood's side effects.

Not long after leaving the newlyweds' courtyard, Guo Ziyang approached. "Young Master Mo, someone wants to see you. Please come with me."

Chen Mo hadn't expected Guo Ziyang to come looking for him.

This fellow is Guo Songyang's son, and his status is even higher than Yuanzhu's.

I had no dealings with Guo Ziyang before, but I knew that his father, Guo Songyang, had killed more than 30 people in the Lei family, which showed that his father was a ruthless character.

Out of caution, Chen Mo asked, "Who wants to see me?"

Guo Ziyang said, "It's my elder sister, who's connected to the Hundred Corpse Pool. I won't let Young Master Mo make a wasted trip."

Upon hearing that it was related to the Hundred Corpse Pool, Chen Mo agreed and said to Li Qingniu, "Go wait at the entrance of the village, I'll be there in a moment."

Li Qingniu nodded in agreement and then left alone. In his heart, however, he wondered: Could it be that Young Master Mo has some connection with Guo Songyang, the sect leader?

Chen Mo followed Guo Ziyang for a while, passing through rows of houses, and finally arrived at the gate of a particularly grand mansion.

A wooden plaque hangs above the gate of the mansion, bearing the three large characters "Fu Huo Zhuang" (福祸庄).

Guo Ziyang seemed to see Chen Mo's confusion and led the way inside while explaining, "Our village worships the Red Lantern Goddess and burns incense. According to the Twenty-Four Incense Chart, it is divided into four major villages: Longevity and Prosperity, Fortune and Misfortune, Merit and Virtue, and Red Lantern. Each village is presided over by an incense master who oversees six types of incense. My father is the incense master of Fortune and Misfortune Village, in charge of six types of incense: gossip, disaster relief, illness, evil deeds, increased blessings, and theft. Although my elder sister is young, she is a manager comparable to the incense master."

Chen Mo listened attentively, his curiosity about Black Mountain Village growing stronger.

Upon entering the estate, a large front courtyard came into view, with martial arts equipment, paper figures, talismans, peach wood, and other items displayed in the center. Several men were cleaning, none of them daring to speak loudly.

Cross the front yard and come to the back yard.

It was rather quiet inside. A stone table stood in the courtyard, and a disheveled woman in white sat on a stone bench, whittling a peach wood sword with a dagger. The main room inside was lit, and one could vaguely see an old Taoist priest in a yellow robe smoking a pipe.

Chen Mo knew without asking that the old Taoist priest inside was Guo Songyang. And the woman sitting in the courtyard whittling a peach wood sword must be Guo Ziyang's elder sister.

Guo Ziyang walked up to the woman in white, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Sister, he's here."

The woman in white waved her hand, signaling Guo Ziyang to leave.

Chen Mo stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting: "May I ask your name, young lady?"

The white-clad woman's voice was hoarse and low, with a sinister undertone, "Guo Ziyu, just call me Ziyu."

Chen Mo sat down next to the woman in white. "Miss Ziyu wanted to talk to me about the Hundred Corpse Pool?" The woman in white was whittling a peach wood sword in her hand. She casually said, "That place is dangerous. You shouldn't have gone. But Yuanzhu used the village rules against you, so there was nothing we could do."

A while ago, a disciple of mine named Zhou Min, who had awakened the Six Roots of Yang, went on night patrol to the Hundred Corpse Pool with two new recruits, and they both died. I went to investigate later…”

She paused slightly as she whittled the wood before continuing, "The Hundred Corpse Pool is located on the edge of Wuqiao Town, near Qinghe Town. There used to be a village woman named Li Binghui who was hanged alive from a crooked tree by her husband. After her death, Li Binghui harbored immense resentment and seized control of the pool. She strangled many passing villagers with ropes and then soaked their bodies in the water. Over time, that place became known as the Hundred Corpse Pool. Outsiders avoid it. A while ago, a boy named Erhu from Wuqiao Town was passing by when Li Binghui dragged him into the water and drowned him."

After saying this, Guo Ziyu, the woman in white, finished carving the wooden sword and handed it to Chen Mo. "The village has its own rules, which I cannot break. This peach wood sword is made from blood peach wood that has been nourished by black dog blood for many years. You only need to take out the wooden sword and point it at Li Binghui, and he will not be able to get close. However, ghosts are cunning and will always try to trick you in various ways. Whether you can come back alive depends on how you deal with it."

Seeing that the woman didn't seem to be lying, Chen Mo accepted the peach wood sword. "Thank you for your kindness, young lady, but... why did Miss Ziyu help me?"

Guo Ziyu had already prepared her answer, saying, "I received a favor from your father in my early years, and I cannot bear to see you die in the Hundred Corpse Pool."

my dad?

He still has dealings with this woman?

But this woman didn't look very old, only about fifteen or sixteen. Although her hair was disheveled and her face was covered in dirt, Chen Mo, having lived two lives, had seen many women before and after makeup.

Some women look completely different before and after makeup.

But Chen Mo could tell that this woman wasn't actually ugly. She just made herself look ugly.

Chen Mo wanted to ask more questions, but Guo Ziyu had already stood up and walked towards the main room. "Go early. If you're late, Yuanzhu will cause you trouble again."

"Thank you, Miss Ziyu!"

Chen Mo wasn't one to mince words; he bowed and thanked him before leaving.

He kept fiddling with the peach wood sword in his hand. With his six senses transformed, he could feel that the peach wood sword contained an extremely strong aura of the red sun.

It might actually work.

He put away his peach wood sword and arrived at the entrance of the village at 9 PM. The sky was dark and gloomy, and he could still hear the howls of wild beasts coming from the forest.

Li Qingniu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Chen Mo arrive. "The time is almost here. You've finally come."

Li Qingniu was a sensible person and didn't ask why.

Before long, Yuanzhu arrived carrying a revolving lantern.

A red candle was lit inside the lampshade of the kerosene lamp.

Cylinder wasn't in a good mood. "Come with me on night patrol."

And so, Chen Mo and Li Qingniu followed Yuanzhu away from the village and went to Wuqiao Town. Chen Mo saw Erhu's mother again, still kneeling at the door of her house, calling for her soul.

Perhaps because they had been mourning for too long, their voices were hoarse, making them look extremely pitiful and moving.

Chen Mo remembered what Guo Ziyu had mentioned about Erhu, and on a sudden inspiration, he leaned closer and asked, "Is she Erhu's mother?"

The woman initially didn't want to pay attention, but when she saw the red candle lantern in Yuanzhu's hand, she knew that Chen Mo was from the village, and replied, "What is it, young master?"

Chen Mo said, "I know that Erhu suffered a disaster at the Hundred Corpse Pool, and I will be patrolling the Hundred Corpse Pool tonight. Could you give me a token? If I see Erhu, I will show him the token and ask him to come back."

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately knelt on the ground, saying, "Thank you, young man."

Then he took out a blue jade pendant with engraved characters and respectfully handed it to Chen Mo. "This is a jade pendant passed down from Erhu's grandfather. Erhu wore it when he was born. He had a fight with me a while ago, so he took off the jade pendant and threw it away before going into the mountains... If Erhu sees this jade pendant, he will definitely recognize it."

Chen Mo accepted the jade pendant, offered a few words of comfort, and then left.

Yuanzhu remained silent the whole way, feigning aloofness, and led the two through a series of paths. They walked several miles westward and came to a dense forest. In the forest, a mountain spring cascaded down from a stone wall, forming a pool about forty or fifty meters square.

The cylindrical figure pointed to the pool in the distance. "That's the Pool of a Hundred Corpses. We need to wait here until dawn before we can go back, otherwise we won't be able to patrol through the night. I'm going to relieve myself; you all wait here for me."

After saying that, Yuanzhu picked up the lantern and hurriedly left.

A chilling mountain wind howled through the forest. The surrounding area was also filled with eerie wails and howls, which were quite frightening.

Li Qingniu held a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, ready to nock and fire at any moment.

Chen Mo found a rock to sit down and rest.

A long time passed, but the column did not return.

Li Qingniu asked somewhat nervously, "Young Master Mo, could it be that something happened to the pillar? Should we go and find it?"

Chen Mo knew that the cylinder had done it on purpose and had probably already run away, or was hiding in the distance watching.

You bastard!

"No need to search anymore, let's just wait here until dawn."

Chen Mo did not approach the pool easily. Instead, he held his broadsword and activated his six senses, becoming alert and aware of his surroundings.

Li Qingniu sat down beside him and gripped his bow and arrows tightly.

A chilling wind howled from both sides, biting to the bone. Occasionally, dark shadows would flash through the woods, whether animals or ghosts, it was impossible to tell.

After a long while, Yuanzhu still hadn't returned, and Li Qingniu realized something. "Perhaps that scoundrel Yuanzhu is deliberately making things difficult for us. What a despicable act, that dog..."

Chen Mo frowned: "Just talk, why are you climbing onto my back..."

As Chen Mo spoke, he turned his head and saw that Li Qingniu was still gripping the bow and arrow tightly with both hands.

It's not Li Qingniu...

That thing that climbed onto my back was...

Chen Mo suddenly turned around to look...

(End of this chapter)