I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 71 Evil Spirits of Qinghe Town

As soon as Chen Mo spoke, everyone in the room was shocked and looked on incredulously.

Everyone felt that Chen Mo's public refusal of the request from a major leader of the Black Mountain stronghold meant that he had offended Li Yuanlong, which was undoubtedly a very unwise choice.

Han Po and Wang Ziwen were about to kindly remind Chen Mo of something, but after seeing Guo Ziyu's cold eyes, they both shut their mouths, seemingly very afraid of Guo Ziyu.

Even Li Yuanlong, who was visibly angry, was taken aback when he saw Guo Ziyu and had to suppress the anger in his eyes.

Chen Mo was not surprised by these people's reactions; on the contrary, he had expected them.

He had already found out.

Although Guo Ziyu is not the head of the incense hall, she is a manager of equal rank, just without real power. In addition, given Guo Ziyu's cold and taciturn personality, her personal presence here today is not only out of fear of unforeseen circumstances, but also to show support for herself.

It's no wonder others aren't afraid.

As expected, Guo Ziyu, with her hair disheveled, didn't even look at anyone, nor did she care whether she would offend Li Yuanlong. She simply nodded and agreed, "Okay."

Just then, Li Qingniu gritted his teeth and stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Guo Ziyu, "I am Li Qingniu, may I also join you..."

Before Li Qingniu could finish speaking, Guo Ziyu readily nodded, "Okay."

Li Qingniu: "..."

Chen Mo was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself: This woman is so efficient.

"You all go and pack your things, I'll wait here." After saying that, Guo Ziyu walked to sit under the ancient locust tree and waited, completely ignoring the disciples from the other manor, and even Li Yuanlong's attitude... she didn't care much.

Li Yuanlong snorted heavily, "Manager Guo has quite the airs."

After saying that, Li Yuanlong glared at the cylinder and said, "What are you looking at? Let's go."

Li Yuanlong stormed off in a huff...

The cylinder felt humiliated after being publicly reprimanded and was puzzled, but it didn't say much. It simply lowered its head and hurriedly left.

Han Po and Wang Ziwen, realizing they had made a fool of themselves, quickly left the courtyard.

After walking quite a distance, Han Po finally spoke, "Why is this woman trying to snatch someone? That's rare. We can't afford to mess with her..."

Wang Ziwen muttered listlessly, "Other villages only have one manager, the incense master, and even my Red Lantern Village is no exception. But Fortune and Misfortune Village actually has two managers. It is said that the chieftain specially granted Guo Ziyu the position of manager. Isn't Fortune and Misfortune Village just abusing its power?"

Han Po lowered his voice, sounding quite frightened, "Keep your voice down. It's said that Guo Ziyu has quite a background; even Li Yuanlong, the sect leader, has suffered at her hands. Let alone you and me, even if our master came, we wouldn't dare to compete with her for her. We'd just have to swallow our pride and suffer in silence."

"Yes, yes, let's go quickly."

……

Chen Mo and Li Qingniu returned to the dormitory to pack their luggage.

Chen Mo didn't actually have much luggage, just a bundle containing clothes and shoes newly sewn by his mother. There were also five thousand taels of silver notes. After a little packing, he was all set.

Li Qingniu, on the other hand, had more items: a hunting bow, a wood-chopping knife, some Five Emperors coins, a peach wood sword, and other bottles and jars.

As he tidied up, he said excitedly, "I owe a great debt to Young Master Mo. I was able to benefit from the Hundred Corpse Pool incident. If Young Master Mo needs anything in the future, just give the order. I, Li Qingniu, will do my best to fulfill it."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of sincerity.

If he hadn't benefited from Chen Mo's presence at the Hundred Corpse Pool, he wouldn't have been valued. Although he would likely be working as a menial laborer at Fortune Manor, with Chen Mo around, as long as he was diligent and ambitious, his future advancement was only a matter of time.

Chen Mo was also pleased. Having just arrived in this place, he did need a gofer to run errands, which would make many things much easier.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo smiled and said, "No need to be so polite. Let's go once we're ready."

Li Qingniu quickly got ready and went out with Chen Mo, following Guo Ziyu and Guo Ziyang to Fu Huo Manor.

As soon as they entered the outer courtyard, they saw more than a dozen men doing odd jobs standing there, all looking at Chen Mo and Li Qingniu with burning eyes.

Perhaps the workers of Fu Huo Village all knew that a newcomer was coming today, and that the newcomer was none other than the fierce warrior from the Hundred Corpse Pool who had been the talk of the village recently, so they finished their work early and went to the courtyard to welcome the newcomer.

Guo Ziyu glanced at everyone, briefly introduced Chen Mo and Li Qingniu, and then said, "Li Qingniu, you will work as a handyman in the outer courtyard for the time being. When you have enough experience, I will teach you martial arts."

Li Qingniu was a sensible person, so he quickly clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Steward Guo. I will work hard and make progress."

Guo Ziyu nodded and said to Chen Mo, "Chen Mo, come with me to the inner courtyard."

Li Qingniu watched Chen Mo enter the inner courtyard with envy, but he was somewhat prepared for this outcome and felt no displeasure. He quickly became acquainted with several enthusiastic fellows.

"Brother Qingniu, tell us about the glorious deeds of the Hundred Corpse Pool."

"That's right, that's right. Zhou Min and the newcomers went to patrol the Hundred Corpse Pool the other day and they got into trouble. You guys are really something, you actually wiped out all the ghosts in the Hundred Corpse Pool. Everyone in the village is talking about you."

"That's right. Now that Steward Guo has brought you to our Fortune and Misfortune Village, it's a blessing for us."

"..."

Seeing the expectant and eager looks in everyone's eyes, Li Qingniu felt extremely ashamed, but still excitedly continued, "I really didn't do anything, it was Young Master Mo who was amazing. He single-handedly wiped out all the evil spirits. If you want to know, I'll tell you the story again..."

Li Qingniu didn't know what the Fiery Palm was, and only thought that Chen Mo was using internal energy... but he spoke in an extremely exaggerated way, which left the other men stunned and made them admire Chen Mo even more.

……

The outer courtyard still requires dormitory-style sleeping, but it's not as crowded as the newlyweds' residence. Each room houses six people, for a total of three rooms.

The conditions in the inner courtyard are much better.

Guo Ziyang lived in the east wing, while the west wing was empty. There was also a backyard, which was where Guo Songyang and Guo Ziyu lived.

Guo Ziyu led Chen Mo to the west wing of the inner courtyard. "You'll stay here for now. There are no maids to serve you; you'll have to take care of everything yourself."

Chen Mo glanced around the residence. There was a living room and a bedroom, complete with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. The bedding and other furnishings, while not expensive, were sufficient.

Chen Mo put down his bundle, cupped his hands in thanks to Guo Ziyu, and said, "Thank you, Miss Ziyu."

Guo Ziyu said, "Our Fu Huo Manor has very few people, only a dozen or so employees. The incense master has not taken any disciples, only one son, Guo Ziyang. The four of us living in the inner courtyard are the incense master, Guo Ziyang, you, and me."

Since he had come to Fu Huo Manor, he would be living here for a considerable period of time. Chen Mo felt it necessary to understand the situation here, so he asked, "Why doesn't Master Guo take on disciples? Other masters of the manor do."

Guo Ziyu explained in detail: "Those who can become incense masters are the managers of the village. They all have a secret skill that they hold dear. They are afraid that the master will starve to death if they teach their apprentices, so they will select a few talented ones to take as their apprentices and train them for ten or twenty years. Only when the incense master gets old will they consider passing on their secret skill to the apprentice who will succeed him as incense master."

Those talented young people, in order to learn the incense master's unique skills, are willing to serve him for ten or twenty years. That's all consensual. But our Incense Master Guo is different.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo immediately became interested. "How are they different?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Master Guo doesn't hold back. Once you enter Fu Huo Manor, you're considered a disciple of Master Guo without official title. Moreover, Master Guo always selects some talented and virtuous people from the outer courtyard's staff and teaches them martial arts from time to time. This is a privilege that other villages don't offer. Zhou Min, who died in the Hundred Corpse Pool, was one of the outer staff. It's just a pity that he didn't master the skills and was careless, which is why he suffered such a fate."

Chen Mo couldn't help but look at Guo Songyang with new respect, feeling that Guo Songyang was a man of vision and character.

"Master Guo doesn't even keep his most secret and best-kept skills to himself?"

Guo Ziyu said, "Master Guo's special skills are something that ordinary people can't learn, and there's no way to teach them."

Chen Mo had a feeling that Guo Ziyu was intentionally trying to pique his curiosity about Guo Songyang's special skills.

In fact... the other party achieved the desired effect. Chen Mo did indeed become interested in this unique skill.

Since he was new to the place, Chen Mo didn't want to ask too many questions directly.

After all, he had just asked Guo Ziyu for the Mingyu Skill not long ago.

Next, Chen Mo asked about her daily duties. Guo Ziyu's answer was very simple: patrolling and exorcising evil spirits.

The so-called patrols include both night patrols and daytime patrols. If any incidents of evil spirits harming people occur in the vicinity, they must also step in to deal with them.

In short, it can be summarized in eight words: practice martial arts to exorcise evil spirits and protect the territory and its people.

After listening to what he heard, Chen Mo felt that Black Mountain Village was actually quite good... Wasn't this something the imperial court was doing?
Did the red light dry everything off?
Guo Ziyu explained the rules and details of Fortune and Misfortune Manor in detail, and finally said, "You are new here, so rest for the night. I will teach you the Bright Jade Skill tomorrow."

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Ziyu."

Chen Mo thanked her and saw Guo Ziyu off.

Soon after, Guo Ziyang brought dinner, a balanced meal with meat and vegetables, providing comprehensive nutrition.

During the meal, Chen Mo noticed a detail: after Guo Ziyang delivered the food, he went to the main living room in the inner courtyard and ate with Guo Ziyu and Guo Songyang.

Clearly, Guo Songyang's family still treated Chen Mo as an outsider and didn't invite him to eat with them.

Moreover, Chen Mo always felt that something was off about this family.

Chen Mo couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Chen Mo had no choice but to suppress his doubts. After dinner, he sat down cross-legged to practice the Mingyu Skill...

As night fell, they vaguely heard Guo Ziyang leading a few men out on night patrol.

……

Nothing happened all night.

The next morning, Chen Mo got up early, washed up quickly, and went to the yard to stretch his limbs. He happened to see Guo Ziyu coming out of the backyard.

She still had disheveled hair, and her clothes were old but clean and tidy. Her face was always hidden by her hair, so you couldn't see her whole face.

"You are quite diligent." Guo Ziyu greeted Chen Mo and after a few pleasantries, she said, "The purple aura rises in the east early in the morning, which is a good time to practice internal martial arts. Please sit down and I will explain the essence of Mingyu Gong to you."

Chen Mo sat cross-legged on the steps next to Guo Ziyu, and then followed Guo Ziyu in performing the breathing exercises.

The body's vital energy begins to circulate along the twelve meridians.

As Guo Ziyu taught, she explained, "The Mingyu Gong (明玉功) is based on the twenty-four solar terms and emphasizes the harmony of Yin and Yang. It is crucial to avoid imbalance, otherwise it is extremely easy to suffer from qi deviation and harm oneself. Therefore, practicing this skill requires a gradual and progressive approach. Without three to five years of accumulation, it is impossible to even begin to grasp the basics..."

As she was talking, Guo Ziyu realized that no one was listening, so she curiously turned her head to look.

Then I was completely stunned.

Chen Mo had already spontaneously entered a meditative state, his internal energy flowing smoothly through the twelve meridians, his breath deep, steady, and profound.

Where is it that a novice needs three to five years to get started?
He's clearly a seasoned pro who has honed his skills over the years and mastered the basics!
How is this possible?
He had only possessed the Mingyu Skill for three days...

How could such a monster exist in the world?

Even if he is a symbiotic entity of madness, it's definitely not this exaggerated.

After all, symbiotes don't have any obvious enhancement effect on cultivating true qi.

Guo Ziyu suddenly recalled the scene of her practicing Mingyu Gong when she was a child. She was already hailed as a genius among geniuses.

But compared to Chen Mo at this moment, Guo Ziyu felt ashamed...

After a while, Chen Mo's true energy completed a small cycle through the twelve meridians in his body before he opened his eyes and saw Guo Ziyu staring at him with wide eyes.

Chen Mo was taken aback. "Miss Ziyu, what did you just say?"

Guo Ziyu gritted her teeth: "Just pretend I didn't say anything. You've already learned the first level of Mingyu Gong, the twelve meridians circulation. Then I'll teach you the second level, the Chongmai circulation."

Chen Mo said humbly, "Please enlighten me."

Guo Ziyu glared at Chen Mo before beginning to teach.

She clasped her hands together in the air, circulating her qi as she spoke: "The Chong meridian originates in the lower abdomen, descends to the perineum, ascends along the spine; its external path intersects with the Foot Shaoyin meridian at Qichong, runs along both sides of the abdomen; reaches the throat; encircles the lips... This process is extremely complex, and the slightest carelessness can lead to an imbalance of yin and yang, so don't rush..."

As she spoke, Guo Ziyu couldn't continue, because she realized that Chen Mo wasn't in a hurry, but his progress was astonishing. In just an hour or two, he had already grasped the basics.

Based on this rate of progress, Guo Ziyu believed that Chen Mo would be able to master the circulation of the Chong Meridian in just a few months...

It's too exaggerated!

It should be noted that for ordinary internal martial arts masters, it usually takes two to three years of accumulation to break through from the first level to the second level.

For the next few days, Chen Mo stayed in the inner courtyard, learning the Mingyu Kung Fu from Guo Ziyu.

Guo Ziyu never felt good after teaching Chen Mo, and she felt quite discouraged.

This is because this guy's progress is too exaggerated.

Seven days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Under Guo Ziyu's guidance, Chen Mo has already completed the initial circulation of Qi through the meridians. Guo Ziyu clearly sensed that the strength of Chen Mo's true Qi had increased by more than 30% compared to seven days ago.

It’s simply outrageous…

All of this was observed by Guo Songyang, the wife of the first wife.

Although Guo Songyang had never met or spoken to Chen Mo during this period, he was quite surprised by Chen Mo's progress.

That evening, instead of bringing Chen Mo extra food, Guo Songyang took the initiative to call Chen Mo to the main room.

When Chen Mo first met Guo Songyang, he was a little nervous and gave Guo Songyang a thorough once-over. Compared to Li Yuanlong's smooth-talking nature, Guo Songyang was a man of few words and liked to smoke a pipe.

Guo Songyang lit the tobacco in the copper pot, took a puff of his pipe, and said to Chen Mo, "Don't just stand there, sit down and eat with us."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement before sitting down to eat.

After this period of adjustment, Chen Mo is no longer so averse to cooked food; he can at least force himself to eat it. It's just that the taste isn't great…

During mealtimes, everyone adhered to the principle of not speaking while eating or sleeping.

After the meal, Guo Songyang said, "Just now, the son of Chen Rong'an, an elder from Wuqiao Town, came looking for us, saying that Chen Rong'an has been possessed by an evil spirit..."

Before Guo Songyang could finish speaking, Guo Ziyang took the initiative to show off and offered to handle the matter: "This is a small matter, I will take care of it. There is no need for Father and Sister to trouble themselves."

Guo Songyang took a puff of his pipe and sneered, "Although you've joined the inner sect, you still can't handle this matter. Chen Rong'an has madness, and the infection site is a house near Qinghe Town. Going there would be tantamount to suicide."

Upon hearing the words "Qinghe Town," Guo Ziyang's face showed fear, and he unconsciously lowered his head.

Guo Songyang then said to Guo Ziyu, "Ziyu, you need to go there in person to handle this matter. Also, Chen Mo's Mingyu Kung Fu has reached a preliminary level. Take him with you to broaden his horizons."

Qinghe Town!
Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat when he heard those three words.

He also remembered seeing countless patients with madness in the county government's office, all from Li Village in Qinghe Town. Moreover, Master Xie had deduced in the records that the source of the madness was in Qinghe Town.

Could that spirit infant... be in Qinghe Town?

Now we're finally going to make contact with Qinghe Town.

I was both nervous and excited.

(End of this chapter)