I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 87 Entering the Red Lantern Temple, Meeting the Goddess!!
This scene was too bizarre and abrupt.

Chen Mo didn't react for a moment... Instinctively, he turned around to look behind him, but didn't see the baby. He then looked down at his abdomen; there were no obvious wounds or lacerations. However... his belly had grown larger, bulging high, like that of a woman ten months pregnant.

I could clearly feel waves of movement coming from my abdomen, and I could also hear the baby's sinister laughter.

"Jie Jie Jie..."

Although Chen Mo didn't know how a physical fetus had gotten into her womb, she knew it was extremely dangerous. Allowing the fetus to stay inside her for even a fraction of a second could be life-threatening.

For a fleeting moment, Chen Mo panicked!

But he quickly suppressed his emotions, and even a thought instinctively surfaced in his mind: cut open his stomach with a knife and dig out the baby.

But this is the worst-case scenario.

Before that, Chen Mo felt there might be a better solution, so he immediately opened the control panel.

[Currently available original solution essence: 600]

[Current number of reads: 7]

[A readable item has been detected.]

[Read?]

At the same time, a square appeared in her abdomen, with eight black rods running horizontally inside. There were the same number of black rods as the one in the second mother's abdomen, but the rods were noticeably thicker.

This is the ghost with the most and thickest black poles that Chen Mo has seen since he transmigrated.

Without a second thought, he immediately decided: Read!
Although the reading process was quick, it caused Chen Mo considerable pain. In this emergency, Chen Mo couldn't afford to worry about the pain and gritted his teeth to endure it.

In the blink of an eye, the pain was over, and lines of subtitles appeared before my eyes.

【Name: The White-Robed Ghost Baby】

[Level: Transparent Life Aura]

[Type: Vaginal type, solid fetus]

[Characteristics: It develops by absorbing the essence, blood, and soul of its mother, eventually bursting forth. This particular fetus was not fully developed and prematurely broke free, but it transformed into a physical ghost fetus.]

[Description: Formed from the incantation of a spirit infant, which transforms ghostly energy into ghostly blood, this is a sixth-generation ghost infant. It possesses the dual destructive power of both a ghostly spirit and a physical form. It is impervious to blades, spears, water, and fire.]

[Note: This is a powerful, physical ghost infant, possessing pure ghost energy and blood. It is of the same lineage as the blood of the Ghost Curse. Your Ghost Curse blood can counteract this entity; you can refine it into pure ghost blood for your own use. After absorption, it will rapidly strengthen your Ghost Curse blood, granting you numerous abilities.]

really……

It was roughly the same as Chen Mo's estimate.

Then there's no need for a cesarean section.

Chen Mo threw his broadsword to the ground, immediately sat down cross-legged, and frantically activated the Bright Jade Skill, manipulating the blood within his body to accelerate its flow. At the same time, he frantically urged the Ghost Curse Blood to flow towards his abdomen.

In an instant, Chen Mo clearly felt the baby's movements in his abdomen becoming more and more intense, and the pain became stronger and stronger.

At first, the baby excitedly cried out, "Hehe, you're really something! You can actually hide your ghost blood aura. If I weren't also born from ghost energy, I really wouldn't have been able to sense it. You're great, much better than the red veil. By hiding in your belly, I can avoid being discovered by that dog queen. I'll run away once things calm down. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. You are the host of my master's ghost blood... Ah, what are you going to do?"

Suddenly, the baby let out a terrified cry.

"What are you trying to do? We're on the same side, we shouldn't fight each other... Ugh, you bastard, you want to melt me ​​with the blood of the demon curse?! You're so vicious."

"No, no! I'll get out, I'll get out..."

Upon hearing the ghost infant's terrified cries, Chen Mo knew that his ghost blood was gradually refining the ghost infant, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He ignored the ghost infant's pleas and instead intensified the activation of the ghost blood, continuing to melt the ghost infant.

Even if I have demon blood, it's absolutely impossible for us to be on the same side.

Having witnessed the ferocity of ghosts, how could Chen Mo believe their words?
If they get the chance, they'll definitely go all out to destroy you.

Any mercy shown to ghosts is cruelty to yourself and your family.

As the melting speed of the ghost blood increased, the baby's screams became noticeably weaker and more exhausted.

"Damn it, damn it... Logically speaking, you shouldn't be able to control the Blood of the Demon Curse. Such powerful Blood of the Demon Curse should be controlling you instead. How could you control Blood of the Demon Curse... Impossible, absolutely impossible!!"

"Hey, hey, hey! I have important information in my mind that I need to deliver to my master. You've melted me down, and my master won't let you get away with this!!!"

"Stop it, please..."

As the swollen belly slowly flattens out, it is clear that the ghost infant is being melted and absorbed by the ghost blood, turning into a pool of pure ghost blood.

This made Chen Mo feel even more at ease, especially after hearing the ghost baby's pleas, Chen Mo even found it somewhat amusing.

So even ghosts are afraid of death...

wrong.

This ghost baby wasn't actually afraid of death, but rather afraid of failing to deliver a message.

It said it had important information in its head and needed to deliver it to its owner.

Under normal circumstances, Chen Mo would have asked what the news was. But this ghost was extraordinary, utterly devoid of humanity. Moreover, it had burrowed into his abdomen and become uncontrollable.

Compared to his curiosity about the news, Chen Mo was naturally more concerned about his own safety, and naturally he would not stop the smelting process to give it any chance to breathe.

"Ah..."

With a final, piercing scream, the ghostly infant slowly disappeared.

Before it died, it left only one last sentence:

"I've implanted this message into your mind. Please pass it on to the master for me. Trust me, we're on the same side, really. There's no place for you anywhere else. You absolutely, positively believe me. Please..."

Then, the ghost baby died.

It was completely melted into a drop of ghost blood by Chen Mo's cursed blood and merged into his own bloodline.

My abdomen has returned to normal, and there are no other abnormalities in my body.

It's just... even colder.

There was absolutely no body temperature left; even the blood was cold.

Fortunately, Chen Mo had already adapted to the situation and didn't find anything too terrifying. He let out a long sigh, sat cross-legged on the ground, and activated the Mingyu Gong to experience the changes in his body after refining the ghost blood.

In fact, Chen Mo did not have a specific method to activate and control the blood of the ghost curse.

It's simply a matter of modifying one's bloodline to make it compatible with the blood of the Ghost Curse. Then, by using the Bright Jade Technique to activate the circulation of one's own Qi and blood, one can indirectly mobilize the blood of the Ghost Curse.

Once the blood of the Ghost Curse was activated, Chen Mo clearly noticed...

My six senses and six perceptions have become more acute, my hands and feet have become more agile, and my strength has increased considerably.

It's like shifting gears while driving in a past life.

It's still pretty cool.

Apart from that, there were no other changes.

This made Chen Mo feel both expectant and apprehensive.

On the one hand, the enhancement effect brought by the Blood of the Ghost Curse is indeed exceptionally amazing. Although he is currently at the fifth level of the Inner Force realm, if he activates the Blood of the Ghost Curse to fight others, he can probably kill a martial artist at the sixth level of the Inner Force realm directly.

Chen Mo naturally hoped to receive even greater blessings from the Blood of the Ghost Curse, but he was also apprehensive... The more Blood of the Ghost Curse there was, the greater the influence on him would be, and he didn't know if other unexpected changes would occur...

Chen Mo had mixed feelings.

After a long while, Chen Mo finally suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and opened the panel to check his information about his Ghost Curse Blood.

Sure enough, although there were still five black bars in the box, the information changed again.

【Name: Three Drops of Demonic Blood】

[Type: Evil Infant Ghost Curse Blood]

[Characteristics: It will devour and absorb evil spirit energy to strengthen its cursed blood. However, it will also gradually devour your life force and soul until you become a dried-up corpse.]

[Description: This powerful cursed blood carries the power of demons and evil spirits. If used properly, it can have unexpected effects. However, with each use, the blood will devour you more quickly.]

[Note: Your bloodline has become compatible with the blood of the Ghost Curse, preventing the Ghost Blood from devouring your life force and soul, preventing you from being sucked dry, and allowing you to use the power of the Ghost Blood for your own purposes. You have obtained the power of three drops of Ghost Curse Blood. Your demonization is accelerating, but your mental state remains under control.]

"Three drops of the cursed blood..."

"If that's the case, then the spirit infant Dharma form, through its divine essence, possesses the fetus in another person's womb and becomes a ghost infant. And each ghost infant is probably just a drop of ghost blood."

"According to the ghost baby, the blood of the cursed ghost is different from the blood of the ghost? The blood of the cursed ghost is only possessed by the first and second generations? Then the question arises..."

"The first drop of ghost blood I obtained should have been generated by the spiritual infant's avatar using divine essence; it was indeed blood of a ghost curse. But the two drops of ghost blood I obtained later came from the fetuses of my second mother and Liu Cui, respectively. The ghost blood from these two fetuses should be relatively low-level, not considered blood of a ghost curse. The infant I just saw was only a sixth-generation ghost infant. So why did their ghost blood become blood of a ghost curse directly after I absorbed it?"

The information provided by the cheat code is accurate.

So……

As long as it's ghost blood, regardless of its level or grade, once it's absorbed and melted by oneself... it will become a very high-level ghost curse blood.

Chen Mo stroked his chin. "This sounds pretty good. Besides, I feel like my ghost level is a bit high... Next time I go back to the village, I'll have to go to Qinghe Town to investigate. By the way, that baby said it left a message in my mind and told me to definitely deliver it to its master? What message?"

Chen Mo sensed his mind and, sure enough, saw a wisp of soul consciousness that did not belong to him.

He tried to activate the method of preserving the spirit to decipher this wisp of soul thought.

Unfortunately, this soul seemed to be protected by some secret key, and it couldn't be deciphered. Chen Mo then tried to use his cheat system to read it, but found that he couldn't either.

"It seems this sixth-generation ghost infant is quite something; it must have been imbued with some kind of mental key. Only its owner can read it, right?"

Chen Mo had no choice but to give up for the time being.

He slowly stood up and stretched his arms and legs.

Aside from the cold... everything else is great.

"I need to figure out a way to deal with the fact that my body isn't warm. After all, I still live with other people, and if someone with ulterior motives notices, it could cause trouble."

Clearing his mind of distractions, Chen Mo glanced around.

Night fell, and a cold wind brushed against my face.

The ancestral hall was a complete mess, riddled with holes and covered in sores. Bloody handprints and footprints of an infant remained on the floor. A wall of the main hall in front had collapsed, and dust floated in the moonlight.

Second Aunt Zhang Ru was still fast asleep, lying face down under the altar.

"Let's take Second Aunt back first, so she doesn't catch a cold."

Chen Mo picked Zhang Ru up in his arms and hurriedly went to the central courtyard.

When I arrived at the courtyard again, I found that everyone had already gotten up and were sitting around in the living room with solemn expressions.

Upon seeing Chen Mo return carrying Zhang Ru, Zhou Liang was the first to rush forward with his knife. "Young Master, there was a great commotion in the direction of the ancestral hall just now. What happened?"

Before Chen Mo could speak, Chen Wu stepped forward with tears in his eyes, "Brother, what happened to my mother? It's all my fault. I dozed off for a moment, and when I opened my eyes, she was gone. I wanted to go out and look for her, but Uncle Zhou and Father wouldn't let me..."

Chen Mo carried the sleeping Zhang Ru towards the bedroom, saying, "Father and Uncle Zhou were right to stop you. But don't worry, Second Aunt is fine. She just fell asleep and is a little weak."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wu breathed a sigh of relief and followed Chen Mo into the bedroom, where he put Zhang Ru in bed and covered her with the blankets.

Chen Mo took Zhang Ru's pulse and found that her body was much weaker than before. Feeling somewhat sorry for her, he transferred some of his inner energy to her to maintain her life force and heart.

Mingyu Gong truly lived up to its reputation as a top-notch method of internal energy cultivation. In just a short while, Zhang Ru's complexion had improved considerably, and her sleeping posture had become much more peaceful. However, she occasionally spoke in her sleep, murmuring about her child, and tears still streamed down her face.

Chen Mo felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this, so he instructed Chen Wu to take good care of his second aunt. He then went to the living room, glanced at his parents and Zhou Liang, whose faces were serious, and began to speak slowly and deliberately:
“The baby has been found, killed by me, and burned on the spot.”

Chen Yinfu breathed a sigh of relief, "Xiao Mo, you've really worked hard. Our family has suffered one misfortune after another, with two ghost babies appearing at once. Fortunately, they've all been dealt with. Now, our family can rest assured."

Lin Yulan was concerned about Chen Mo and hurriedly stepped forward to check his hands and feet, asking, "Erlang, are you hurt anywhere?"

Chen Mo instinctively took a step back. "Mother, I'm covered in blood. Please don't get yourselves stained. I'm not injured."

Lin Yulan instinctively felt that Chen Mo's evasion was not quite right, but after hearing Chen Mo's explanation, she felt it made sense, so she didn't think much of it. "Then you should go back and take a hot shower to wash away all this blood and filth."

Chen Mo gave Lin Yulan a reassuring look and said, "There's one more important matter. Uncle Zhou, have you heard what the guards were saying outside tonight?"

Zhou Liang looked frightened. "I heard about it. I was just discussing it with my master and mistress. The Red Lantern Temple has never had any problems since I was old enough to understand. But tonight, something dared to attack the Red Lantern Temple and damage the altar of the goddess. It caused the yamen and the guard post to be mobilized. It's really strange."

Lin Yulan clasped her hands in prayer towards the direction of the Red Lantern Temple, saying, "I hope nothing bad happens to the Red Lantern Temple. For many years, we have been blessed by the Red Lantern Goddess, which has kept this land peaceful and prosperous. If anything happens to the Red Lantern Goddess, Honghe County will probably be in chaos."

Chen Mo looked at his mother praying and at first felt that his mother's ideas were a bit old-fashioned and conservative, but then he thought about it again and felt that his mother's words contained profound truths.

Even if the Red Lantern Goddess is an evil deity, she has indeed received offerings from hundreds of thousands of people in Honghe County, and has maintained peace in this land. If the Red Lantern Goddess were to fall, all sorts of demons and monsters would likely emerge to tyrannize and rule the land. In that case... Honghe County would truly descend into chaos.

Regardless of good or evil, maintaining order in any region always requires the existence of a powerful authority.

After regaining his composure, Chen Mo continued, "I just met Lord Li Wenqing outside, and he told me the inside story. The group besieging the Red Lantern Temple was a group of ghost infants and a large number of madmen. The ghost infant I just killed participated in the siege of the Red Lantern Temple. When it came back, it was covered in blood, leaving bloody footprints all the way. Judging from the current situation, the siege has probably failed."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and they felt a chill run down their spines.

They knew very well that a failed siege meant facing retribution from the Red Lantern Temple.

If the Red Lantern Police find out that a ghost baby came from the Chen family, the Chen family will be in big trouble; they might even face annihilation.

Zhou Liang stood up, knife in hand. "I'll immediately lead the guards to clean up the bloodstains left when the baby entered the Chen residence. As long as no one knows that the ghost baby entered the Chen mansion, there will be no hidden dangers."

Chen Yinfu nodded in agreement.

Chen Mo stopped him, saying, "No. Now that the Red Lanterns have won, they will definitely send people everywhere to hunt down the escaped ghost infants. The ghost infants escaped into our Chen residence, and the bloodstains they left behind are probably very long. The more we clean up, the more it will seem that we have something to hide. If we don't clean it up properly, then we won't be able to explain ourselves."

Zhou Liang paused for a moment, then said, "Young Master is so thoughtful. But what should we do now?"

Chen Mo said, "Everyone, just keep Second Madam's pregnancy a secret. If the Red Lantern Gang comes looking for us, I'll just say I killed the baby. They might come knocking soon, so I won't have to wash off the blood. It'll be good to have evidence. I'll go back to the East Courtyard. If anyone comes, don't try to explain. Just pin it all on me."

Chen Mo gave some more instructions and went over the details with everyone before leaving the central courtyard and returning to the east courtyard.

Without taking a shower, he entered the main room, closed the door, and sat down to review what had happened that night.

The ghost infant said it was almost killed by Shao Siming with a single palm strike, which shows that Shao Siming's strength is extremely formidable.

As for cleaning up the bloodstains, Chen Mo felt that his arrangements were fine.

The ghostly infant escaped from the Red Lantern Temple into the Chen residence, indicating that bloodstains likely followed its path. Even if Zhou Liang cleaned up the bloodstains inside the residence, what about outside?
It was clearly impossible to destroy the evidence.

People from the Red Light District should come knocking on our door. If we don't even have that much skill... then we couldn't have survived in Honghe County for so many years.

He modified his bloodline aura, concealing his ghostly blood. He figured the people at the Red Lantern Censor wouldn't be able to detect his ghostly aura…

He considered all possibilities and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

But I still felt a vague unease in my heart.

The reason is that red lights are extremely eerie; they might use some illogical methods that are impossible to guard against.

Just then, Qiulan's voice came from outside the door.

"Young master, someone has arrived outside. He says he's from the Red Light District and has something to ask."

That arrives so fast?

Chen Mo was slightly surprised, but quickly composed himself. Without changing his clothes, he went out in his blood-stained robe. "Where is that person?"

Qiulan said, "I invited him in for tea, but he refused to come in, saying he had important business to attend to. He's standing at the main gate of the mansion right now, waiting."

They won't even let me come in for a cup of tea?
Chen Mo vaguely sensed that something serious was going on, and while hurrying away, he asked, "What did that person look like?"

Qiulan tried hard to recall and said, "He looked like a middle-aged Taoist priest, wearing a red robe and holding a black cane. He was hunched over and carrying a red lantern, so he must have been a Red Lantern Attendant."

Chen Mo had a general idea in mind and hurried to the door. Sure enough, he saw a hunched old Taoist priest in red robes, leaning on a cane in one hand and carrying a red lantern in the other. His hair was disheveled, and his face was not clearly visible. But Chen Mo's intuition told him that this old Taoist priest was extremely sinister and ruthless, and his martial arts skills were unfathomable.

A dozen meters away on the street, a red carriage was parked, with two red lanterns hanging on both sides of the carriage, which looked particularly eye-catching in the night.

The lights were on in the carriage, and I could vaguely see someone sitting inside.

This was the first time Chen Mo had ever seen such a grand procession of carriages. Even Guo Songyang and Li Yuanlong were not allowed to light red lanterns in front of their carriages.

The one who comes is not kind.

Chen Mo cleared his mind of distractions, stepped forward, and bowed to the old Taoist priest. "I am Chen Mo, the second young master of the Chen family. Greetings, Your Excellency."

The old Taoist priest didn't even glance at Chen Mo, his eyes fixed on the wall to the side of the main entrance.

Chen Mo looked over out of curiosity and saw a baby's bloody handprint on the wall... His heart sank.

After a long while, the old Taoist priest withdrew his gaze and looked Chen Mo up and down. "Young Master Mo, how are you? Did you see an injured infant enter the manor just now?" Chen Mo felt uncomfortable under the other party's cold gaze, but said aloud, "Yes, I saw it. It was an injured ghost infant, which I killed."

Ok?
Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest was astonished. "You killed that ghost baby?"

Chen Mo cupped his hands and said, "To be honest, sir, I am a servant of the Fortune and Misfortune Manor of Black Mountain Village. I received instruction from Master Guo Songyang and Manager Guo Ziyu, and learned the Bright Jade Skill and the Red Lantern Spirit Preservation Method. When I saw that ghost infant enter the gate, I knew that the wicked creature had participated in the siege of our Red Lantern Temple. I worship the Red Lantern Goddess, how can I let such a ghost live?"

The old Taoist chuckled. "Guo Songyang is truly skilled; even his young disciple can kill a ghost infant. Well, if he's dead, he's dead. What about the ghost infant's corpse?"

Chen Mo said, "When that ghost baby died, it was filled with eerie ghost energy that lingered and did not dissipate. I was afraid that this ghost energy would escape and harm people, so I burned the ghost baby's body directly. When the ghost baby was burning in the fire, it made a series of ghostly howls, which was very frightening."

The old Taoist priest was taken aback. His pupils contracted, and his gaze became exceptionally sharp, as if he wanted to see right through Chen Mo.

After a long silence, the old Taoist priest finally spoke, "Where did you kill that ghost baby?"

Chen Mo said, "Ancestral hall."

The old Taoist priest said, "Take me to your ancestral hall."

Chen Mo said, "Please come with me, sir."

Dengdengdeng.

The old Taoist priest didn't hesitate and entered the gate, leaning on his cane.

As Chen Mo entered, he glanced back at the red carriage on the street, finding the red lanterns in the night particularly scarlet, mysterious and terrifying.

I wonder who's sitting inside. They look so important.

……

Chen Mo led the old Taoist through the screen wall, the martial arts arena, and the various corridors, finally arriving at the main entrance of the ancestral hall.

Perhaps sensing that the old Taoist priest was a man of few words, Chen Mo remained silent.

The old Taoist priest stopped at the entrance of the ancestral hall, looked around, and saw bloody footprints leading into the hall.

The old Taoist priest nodded: "Lead the way."

"My lord please."

Chen Mo led the way into the courtyard of the ancestral hall.

Traces of the battle still lingered inside, riddled with holes and crumbling walls. However, the strong winds of the night had long since dispersed the lingering ghostly aura.

No matter how you look at it, it looks like it's been through a major battle.

The bloody handprints of the baby all over the ground corroborated this.

However, Chen Mo was still quite surprised after entering the ancestral hall.

The reason was that the red carriage had come to a steady stop in the very center of the courtyard. The two red lanterns hanging on the carriage were even more eye-catching.

How did this carriage get in?
Except for the path leading from the stables to the back gate, which has no threshold, all other areas of the Chen residence have thresholds. Carriages simply can't get in...

The old Taoist priest seemed to sense Chen Mo's confusion and explained, "Young Master Mo, don't be alarmed. We have many capable people in the Red Lantern Gang. Take me to the main hall of the ancestral hall."

Chen Mo felt an inexplicable pressure, nodded in agreement, and led the old Taoist priest into the living room.

In the living room, there were still broken altars, fragments of red veils, collapsed walls, raw pork, and bloody handprints everywhere.

The old Taoist priest said, "There are indeed traces of the ghost infant left here, which shows that Young Master Mo did indeed fight the ghost infant here. Then, please tell us in detail about the battle."

The old man's level of caution had already exceeded Chen Mo's expectations.

But Chen Mo also realized something: if it were an ordinary ghost infant, it wouldn't be worth the old Taoist's concern. The reason for this was simple—the old Taoist and the people in the carriage knew that the ghost infant carried important information.

The soul's intent, carrying important information, resided in Chen Mo's mind.

Having made up his mind, Chen Mo began to feign compliance, "Today is New Year's Day. At dusk, I came here to worship my ancestors. I noticed a red veil on the offering table, which piqued my curiosity. Then I heard footsteps outside the door, so I hid. I then saw a blood-stained baby walk in... The baby climbed onto the offering table and hid under the red veil. I took the opportunity to strike..."

Chen Mo didn't hide any of the subsequent details. Except for the fact that the ghost baby ran into his stomach and was melted and absorbed by the blood of the ghost curse…

The old Taoist listened attentively and eventually discovered that all the details of the fight matched the traces left around them, with no flaws.

Where did you burn that baby?

Chen Mo said, "I originally intended to burn it here. But I was worried about offending the spirits of my ancestors, so I took it to the central courtyard to burn it."

The old Taoist priest nodded. "You're quite capable. Wait here for a moment."

After saying this, the old Taoist priest went out of the ancestral hall and walked to the red-lanterned carriage. He was extremely respectful, bowing very low as he spoke in a low voice.

……

“Young Master Ming, what Chen Mo said doesn’t seem to be a lie. The ghost infant who received the information did come here, and the details of the fight match up. He must have been killed by Chen Mo.”

The old Taoist priest respectfully reported to the carriage.

A sinister woman's voice came from inside the carriage, "He lied. He couldn't kill that ghost baby."

The old Taoist priest respectfully said, "That ghost infant was injured by Shao Siming before, so it's possible that this person killed it."

There was a moment of silence inside the carriage before a voice came out, "Even if I injure him, he can't kill me."

The old Taoist priest raised another question: "That ghost infant was only a sixth-generation being, and it was injured..."

The voice inside the carriage said, "Although it's a sixth-generation ghost infant, it has the soul of a second-generation being within it. Tonight's operation was orchestrated by the second-generation ghost infant through that soul. As long as that second-generation soul remains, the ghost infant can be revived immediately even after death. If it were so easy to kill, I would have killed it back at the Red Lantern Temple."

The old Taoist priest said thoughtfully, "If we use a large fire to burn it... we cannot rule out that possibility."

The voice from the carriage said, "Ask him whether he killed the ghost baby or burned it to death."

The old Taoist priest left the carriage and went to the main hall of the ancestral hall to ask Chen Mo. He then returned to answer, "He said he killed it first, but he could feel that the ghost energy in the infant's body had not dissipated. Fearing that the ghost energy would come out and harm people, he burned it. The details are correct."

There was a long silence in the carriage before someone said, "Bring him to the Red Lantern Temple. Also, find Guo Songyang and Guo Ziyu; I want to question them one by one."

"Yes."

The old Taoist priest left the carriage and returned to the ancestral hall's reception room. He said to Chen Mo, "Young Master Mo, please come with me to the Red Lantern Temple."

Chen Mo's heart sank, and his gaze swept toward the red carriage.

He could tell that after the explanation, the old Taoist's attitude towards him had improved significantly. It was clear that the old Taoist's doubts had been dispelled and he no longer suspected him. The old Taoist then exchanged a few words with the person in the carriage and changed his tune.

It seems... the person in the carriage is the most troublesome.

Sending me to the Red Lantern Temple was probably the idea of ​​the person in the carriage.

Chen Mo didn't want to go to the red-light district temple at all, but now he had no choice but to go. He couldn't even show any reluctance, otherwise people would become suspicious.

Chen Mo nodded. "Yes. I just had a big fight with the baby and I'm covered in blood. May I take a shower before going out with the adults?"

The old Taoist priest dared not make the decision on his own and looked at the carriage with a questioning gaze.

A cold, aloof woman's voice came from inside the carriage, "Yes. I'll wait for you at the door."

With that, the old Taoist hurriedly climbed onto the carriage's deck and urged it to leave. As it approached the threshold, the wheels miraculously floated up and "jumped" over it—a truly astonishing feat…

Chen Mo stared blankly as the carriage drove away, thinking to himself: "I wonder who was in that carriage? They seemed to be someone important. This trip to the Red Lantern Temple is fraught with danger. But thankfully, I've gotten past my family; at least they haven't suspected my second aunt and Liu Cui. Otherwise, things would have been really bad."

Banishing his distracting thoughts, Chen Mo hurriedly left the ancestral hall and went to the central courtyard to explain the situation to his parents. However, Chen Mo did not tell them the truth, only saying that the Red Lantern Temple had been vandalized and that as a member of the Red Lantern Gang, it was his duty to go and help.

Therefore, the parents didn't think much of it.

Back in the East Courtyard, Chen Mo took a comfortable hot bath, changed into a clean robe, and then took his broadsword and went out.

Qiulan asked curiously, "Young Master, why are you going out in the middle of the night?"

"I have to go to the Red Lantern Temple. You stay home and keep watch."

Leaving behind a message, Chen Mo left the East Courtyard and walked into the night, his mind racing.

My only concern is that I don't have a body temperature.

This symptom must not be noticeable to others.

Therefore, when you arrive at the Red Lantern Temple... you must not let anyone touch you.

By maintaining this bottom line, Chen Mo did not believe there was any possibility of a leak.

Before they knew it, they had already left the Chen residence. There, a red carriage stood quietly in the middle of the street. The old Taoist priest sat on the carriage floor and said to Chen Mo, "Get in quickly. We're going to the Red Lantern Temple."

Chen Mo, having lost his body temperature, dared not approach the old Taoist priest. He made an excuse, "I am merely a lowly servant of the Red Lantern Police. How could I dare to sit with you, sir? I will simply follow behind the carriage."

The old Taoist priest didn't think much of it. Instead, he thought Chen Mo was sensible and nodded, saying, "You do know the rules. In that case, follow along."

Having said that, the old Taoist priest called out, but without cracking the whip, the horse started running on its own. Chen Mo trotted after it, hurrying towards the Red Lantern Temple.

After traversing most of the county, we finally arrived at the Red Lantern Temple.

This was Chen Mo's first visit to the Red Lantern Temple. While marveling at its grandeur, he was also saddened by the immense damage it had suffered. Even the main gate was half collapsed, and the interior was littered with corpses and blood.

Many soldiers and yamen runners in the garrisons were collecting the corpses of ghost infants and patients suffering from madness, piling them up, burning them on the spot, or keeping them for other uses.

After passing through layers of courtyards, we finally entered a grand courtyard.

At the end of the courtyard stands a magnificent nine-story ancient pagoda. In front of the pagoda is a large square, where a towering statue of the Red Lantern Goddess stands, measuring ten zhang (approximately 33 meters) in height. Standing on the ground, one cannot help but feel a sense of insignificance.

On the first floor of the ancient pagoda, there was a large red door, from which red light emanated from the cracks. Above the door hung six large red lanterns, each larger than an ox, making them exceptionally eye-catching.

Inside the courtyard stood more than ninety people, each staring solemnly at the red gate.

Judging from their attire, Chen Mo deduced that they were neither yamen runners nor soldiers, but rather the leaders and managers of the Red Lantern Clan. Among them stood Li Yuanlong and Fang Tian, ​​along with Guo Songyang, Guo Ziyu, and Guo Ziyang.

Clearly... such a serious incident occurred at the Red Lantern Temple, and the officials in charge of incense offerings are all guilty. They have gathered here to await the goddess's punishment and accountability. Hence, they are all filled with unease.

As soon as the red carriage entered, everyone turned to look, bowed, and began to speak in unison:
"Welcome, Young Master Ming!"

Chen Mo was slightly surprised upon hearing this, thinking to himself: So the person sitting in the carriage is Shao Siming of the Red Lantern Gang. Guo Ziyu had told me before that besides the Empress, the most powerful person in the Red Lantern Gang is Da Siming, a top-tier expert at the Second Stage of Divine Realm. Below Da Siming should be Shao Siming. I wonder if there are any other people in the Red Lantern Gang who are at the same level as Shao Siming.

As the ghost baby mentioned before, it was almost killed by Shao Siming with a single palm strike.

This shows that Shao Siming is highly accomplished in her cultivation.

It's no wonder that Shao Siming became suspicious of her. This is because Shao Siming had fought with the ghost infant.

Tonight, Shao Siming brought me to the Red Lantern Temple. I don't know what she wants to do.

Chen Mo suppressed his unease and looked up, only to see pairs of burning gazes. Some were envious, some were jealous... Perhaps they saw him by Shao Siming's side and assumed he had gained Shao Siming's favor, hence their envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Who would have thought... I really don't want to stay by Shao Siming's side.

Despite feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention, Chen Mo kept his head down and followed behind the carriage, slowly making his way towards the red gate of the ancient pagoda.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped at the red gate of the ancient pagoda and turned around to face the more than ninety stewards, incense masters, and servants present.

The entire venue was completely silent.

Guo Ziyu and Guo Songyang, who were in the crowd, saw Chen Mo. Guo Songyang whispered, "Miss, why is Shao Siming with Chen Mo by her side? Could it be that Shao Siming admires Chen Mo and wants to poach him?"

At this point, Guo Songyang became somewhat displeased.

They finally found a gem, and Chen Mo even agreed to join the organization behind him, but then Shao Siming interfered. It's just so frustrating.

Guo Ziyu shook her head and whispered, "I'm afraid that's not the case. The ghost infant that was manipulating things escaped from Shao Siming's hands. The accountability process hasn't even started tonight, so how could Shao Siming be in the mood to appreciate newcomers? It's most likely that something went wrong with Chen Mo, making Shao Siming suspicious."

Guo Songyang was taken aback: "How do you know?"

Guo Ziyu said, "It's an intuition."

She said it was intuition, but in her heart she reviewed what had happened, but she couldn't figure out why Shao Siming would suspect Chen Mo.

Just then, the old Taoist spoke up: "Guo Songyang, Guo Ziyu, you two come forward. Shao Siming has some questions to ask."

The two people whose names were called were startled and exchanged a glance. However, being old foxes, they knew they couldn't reveal any flaws at this moment. So they immediately suppressed their shock, quickly walked out of the crowd, came to the front of the carriage, and bowed to the carriage.

"Young Master of Fate."

The person in the carriage simply grunted in response, then said, "Tell me about how you imparted the magic to Chen Mo."

Guo Ziyu stepped forward calmly, "Young Master Mo is a martial arts prodigy. I discovered him earlier in the newlyweds' courtyard in the village..."

Guo Ziyu recounted everything in detail.

Every detail was explained perfectly, without any flaws.

After speaking, Guo Ziyu bowed respectfully with her hands clasped in front of her.

Inside the carriage, Chen Mo, the Lesser Master of Fate, paused for a moment and said, "That is truly a prodigy. He has cultivated to the fourth level of Martial Master in just half a month. And he has even preserved his spirit. He does indeed have the potential to defeat the ghost infant. I understand, you may leave."

"Yes."

Guo Ziyu cupped her hands in greeting and retreated with Guo Songyang.

After a short while, Shao Siming spoke again, "Old Cao, you may also step down."

"Yes!" The old Taoist bowed and left.

Thus, in front of the three-zhang-tall red gate, only the red carriage and Chen Mo remained.

Chen Mo stood alone beside the carriage, looking at the towering scarlet gate, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

This place is very strange, and Shao Siming in the carriage is also acting very strangely.

Chen Mo bowed to the carriage, "I wonder what purpose Shao Siming has in bringing me here?"

The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the cold wind rustling the curtains.

Suddenly, Shao Siming spoke from inside the carriage.

"There is no one else around here, so I will ask you one more time. Did you kill the baby and burn it?"

For some reason, in this environment, Shao Siming's sudden question brought Chen Mo an unimaginable sense of pressure.

Chen Mo had explained this matter many times before.

The other party clearly did not believe it.

Applying maximum pressure?

Chen Mo felt a little uneasy.

This all exceeded his initial expectations. He had initially thought he only needed to deal with the inquiries from the people approaching with the red light, but he hadn't anticipated such a large-scale incident. The more this happened, the more important the last message left behind by the ghost baby became.

If I don't hand over this information, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape.

The problem was that Chen Mo really didn't know how to hand over this information. The soul's essence had already merged into his mind.

Chen Mo knew very well that he had to stick to his previous statement and not give in.

Once they change their tune, they may have no way out at all.

Just then, Shao Siming spoke again, "You hesitated."

Chen Mo immediately replied, "I did not hesitate; I was simply recalling what happened. The fact that the Lesser Master of Fate came to my Chen residence in person shows that the ghost infant was extraordinary, and I was afraid of missing important information. Now that I think back, I did indeed kill the ghost infant. However, the ghost infant was very strange; its ghostly aura did not dissipate after death. It seemed that a wisp of ghostly aura was trying to enter my mind, so I had to burn it."

Eh.

Shao Siming sighed: "You really insist on your own opinion?"

Chen Mo said, "Everything I said is true."

Shao Siming remained silent for a long time inside the carriage, then suddenly spoke:
"Come in with me, the Empress wants to see you."

The next moment, the towering scarlet gate slowly opened.

Rumble~
A crimson light, as red as blood, surged out from inside the door, illuminating the entire Red Lantern Temple in a bright crimson glow, like a red moon rising slowly in the pitch-black Honghe County.

The carriage slowly entered the red light.

As Chen Mo watched the carriage gradually disappear into the red light, a chill ran down his spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

This Shao Siming is so ruthless... Did she bring me to the Red Lantern Temple to see the Red Lantern Goddess?
Is the Red Lantern Goddess inside this ancient pagoda?
Just then, a familiar voice echoed in Chen Mo's mind.

"Run! Run!! Don't go in!!!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: This is a combined 10,000-word chapter. Posting it in two separate chapters wouldn't be very engaging, so I'll just read it all at once!
(End of this chapter)