I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 95 Kill Zhu Qingfeng, meet Shen Yujun!!!

Chen Mo had anticipated this, but Zhu Qingfeng acted much faster than Chen Mo expected.

It's estimated that Zhu Qingfeng investigated for several days but ultimately failed to find any results. Coupled with Liu Wu and Liu Junxi discovering his keeping of an infant, he couldn't sit still any longer and decided to take immediate action.

The reason for targeting those at the managerial level or above is twofold: firstly, the reasoning is sound. After all, everyone knows Qinghe Town is dangerous, and if the workers were also brought in, the purpose would be quite obvious.

What about the guys?
This is also simple.

The steward and the head of the incense shop have both left.

A group of poorly trained men could withstand a few bites from a powerful ghost infant.
I reckon the entire village will be devoured by the ghost baby.

What's more, there's also Zhu Qingfeng's father in the Martial Arts Pavilion...

After some thought, Chen Mo figured out Zhu Qingfeng's general plan.

However, Zhu Qingfeng's arrangements were meticulous; he didn't even allow anyone to return to the manor to give an explanation, showing his intention to minimize any potential problems. Besides, he was the chieftain, and he was using the pretext of searching for Shao Siming, so they couldn't openly contradict him. Even if they were to take action, they would have to find a secluded place.

With this in mind, Chen Mo quietly followed the others to choose weapons and items. In the end, he chose a sturdy broadsword.

After everyone received their weapons and supplies, Zhu Qingfeng waved his hand and said, "The matter is urgent, let's go."

Chen Mo was walking at the back of the group when he happened to see Guo Ziyang standing by the roadside as he passed a corner.

Chen Mo, quick-witted, leaned close to Guo Ziyang and whispered seriously, "Tell the men of Fu Huo and Shou Lu Zhuang, especially you and Li Qingniu, that once we leave the village, you must find an excuse to leave. Do not return to the village before we come back; go as far away as possible. Remember!"

Guo Ziyu, who was standing to the side, didn't say much, but nodded seriously: "I will listen to what Master Chen says."

Guo Ziyang finally realized the seriousness of the matter, nodded in agreement, and then turned and left.

Zhu Qingfeng, who was leading the group, turned around and saw Guo Ziyang and Chen Mo talking, his face showing displeasure. But he didn't think much of it and just urged, "Hurry up."

……

The group followed Zhu Qingfeng to the stone gate of Qinghe Town.

Although it was daytime, the surroundings were shrouded in deep mist, almost as dark as night, with faint sounds of ghostly wails and howls. The eight incense masters in charge couldn't help but shrink back, feeling a chill run down their spines.

Seeing the fear in everyone's hearts, Zhu Qingfeng encouraged them, "Don't panic, everyone. Wang Hansheng, light the red lantern to light the way."

Wang Hansheng was the head of the Red Lantern Manor and was most familiar with lighting red lanterns. He quickly lit a large red lantern and handed it to Zhu Qingfeng.

Zhu Qingfeng took the big red lantern and led the way, saying, "This is a big red lantern. With the goddess's protection, everyone has nothing to be afraid of. Follow me into the town to find the person."

Just then, a steward named Sun Mu timidly said, "Chief Zhu, I know that finding Shao Siming is important, but this time all the stewards and incense masters of our village have been mobilized. If something happens to the village, we will not be able to explain ourselves. Should we send two stewards to stay and guard the village?"

Sun Mu had wanted to make the suggestion for a long time, but he dared not provoke Zhu Qingfeng because of his previous anger. Now that they were standing under the stone gate, he was so afraid that he couldn't care less about anything else and spoke up.

Li Qiuhan, the deputy hall master, spoke up: "Now that everyone is here, it's not appropriate to go back and stay behind to guard the village. But this Qinghe Town is really strange. I suggest that two stewards stay outside the stone gate so that if something happens, at least there will be someone to help them."

Zhu Qingfeng gave Li Qiuhan a deep look, then glanced at the stewards around him. Seeing that everyone agreed with Li Qiuhan's opinion, he said calmly, "Then let Stewards Sun Mu and He Xiao stay at the stone gate."

Everyone thought it was quite reasonable, so they didn't think much of it.

Sun Mu and He Xiao, the two managers whose names were called, breathed a sigh of relief and said they would stay at the stone gate.

As they watched everyone cross the stone gate and enter the town, Sun Mu and He Xiao both broke into bright smiles.

Sun Mu was a refined middle-aged man in his forties, with a scholarly air about him. He Xiao, on the other hand, looked older and was a rugged martial artist, much bolder and with an extraordinary demeanor.

Sun Mu looked at the eight characters written on both sides of the stone gate: "No living people allowed to enter, no living people allowed to leave," and said, "We're lucky today that we didn't go into the town. This town is really eerie. It's said that no one who goes in ever comes out."

He Xiao glanced at the scarlet stone gate: "Yes. The previous chieftains all died because of this. The chieftain's decision to let us stay today is a great favor to us. We must remember the chieftain's kindness from now on."

Sun Mu said, "Of course, of course. Hey, why is it getting dark?"

He Xiao looked up and was surprised to find that the previously gloomy sky had suddenly darkened. "That's really strange."

Da da da.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached.

The two immediately looked on alert and saw an old woman carrying a paper figure walking towards the town from outside. The old woman walked very slowly, her steps were unsteady and trembling, she was very old, and her face was full of deep wrinkles.

Seeing that she was an unfamiliar face, Sun Mu said, "Grandma, we are the managers of Black Mountain Stronghold, guarding this place. This town is very eerie, you mustn't go there. You should leave quickly."

The old woman spoke in a hoarse voice, "Two people died here today, and they need to hold a funeral. I delivered paper effigies to them. I can't break my promise after taking on the job."

He Xiao hesitated for a moment, then reached out to stop the old woman: "Grandma, what a coincidence! My Black Mountain Village has something to take care of today. If you insist on going in, please wait until our village's business is settled before you go in, okay?"

The old woman was reasonable and said, "Alright. Your business is important, but I'm not feeling well. Could you please help me remove the paper figure?"

"it is good."

Seeing that the old woman was so understanding, He Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to take the paper figure, only to find that it was quite heavy. "What did the old woman put in the paper figure? It's so heavy..."

Before she could finish speaking, He Xiao was speechless...

Because the moment his hand touched the paper figure, He Xiao had already turned into a paper figure...

Seeing this, Sun Mu felt a chill run down his spine. "He Xiao..."

He shouted as he retreated.

Just then, He Xiao, who had turned into a paper figure, suddenly ran towards Sun Mu like a madman, shouting, "Sun Mu, save me!"

pat.

Sun Mu was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud, shouting, "No, don't come any closer!!"

Before long, the old woman, carrying a paper figure, stepped through the stone gate. Behind her followed two walking paper figures—Sun Mu and He Xiao, who had transformed into paper figures…

Eh.

The old woman sighed and chuckled sinisterly, "This stone gate clearly says, 'No living people allowed in, no living people allowed out'... Why did you have to come? Even Shao Siming wouldn't dare come alone, and you... hehe."

……

Meanwhile, Chen Mo and the others followed Zhu Qingfeng through the stone gate and into the town.

Keep going.

This was Chen Mo's first time entering Qinghe Town. The town was shrouded in mist, dark and gloomy. After a cursory look, Chen Mo noticed that this town was much larger than Wuqiao Town. Rows of white-walled, black-tiled houses stood side by side on both sides of the street.

The streets were empty and quiet, with wine flags fluttering and paper money scattered all over the ground, flying everywhere when the wind blew.

Some of the houses still had lights on, indicating that people were still living there.

Occasionally you can see peddlers setting up stalls, but they all keep their heads down, don't talk much, and don't shout out their wares, which is quite strange.

Zhu Qingfeng said, "This place doesn't welcome outsiders, so everyone should refrain from speaking carelessly to avoid offending the people of the town."

Everyone nodded in agreement, not daring to say anything more, and simply followed Zhu Qingfeng all the way.

After an unknown amount of time and distance, Zhu Qingfeng finally stopped. "The Li residence is just ahead."

Chen Mo looked in the direction of the sound and saw a huge mansion standing at the three-way intersection ahead. Its red walls and green tiles were quite striking. A row of white lanterns hung above the gate. The horizontal plaque bore the two scarlet characters "Li Residence".

For some reason, Chen Mo felt a strange sensation when he saw the house. It was as if something in the house was resonating with him.

Putting that aside, the eerie atmosphere of this village far exceeded Chen Mo's expectations.

Zhu Qingfeng said, "This house is where Shen Yujun and Li Qing live, and it is also the place where the spirit infant was born. Everyone should stay away and not look too closely, lest you unknowingly become possessed by evil spirits."

Han Fei then asked, "Chief, where are we going to find the two elders sent by Shao Siming?"

Zhu Qingfeng glanced around, finally fixing his gaze on the entrance of an inn on the left. "According to the information I received, the two elders sent by Shao Siming are Feizhan and Yanqing. They didn't enter the Li residence either, but instead stayed at this Chunfeng Inn, keeping a close watch on the Li residence. Let's go inside and ask them."

Everyone nodded in agreement and then went into the Spring Breeze Inn.

Chen Mo walked at the back, looking around. He found the inn to be quite dilapidated and desolate. Even the wine flags hanging on the walls were missing a corner. However, there were people inside. A waiter was wiping tables in the lobby, and an old man with white hair was sitting behind the counter, his head down, using an abacus. His appearance was unclear, but he was making a "clattering" sound.

"Waiter, bring a jar of hot wine to warm us up, and also bring out all the good meat." Zhu Qingfeng called out, then led everyone to sit down in a corner.

Chen Mo took the opportunity to glance around and found that in the large living room, besides himself and his group of people, there was also a guest.

It was an old woman, and five paper figures were sitting next to her.

The wife was eating noodles with her head down, making slurping sounds, while the five paper figures sitting next to her also picked up their bowls and chopsticks, but instead of eating the noodles, they tapped the rim of their bowls with their chopsticks, making a "ding-ding-dang-dang" sound.

Soon, the waiter brought over the food and drinks from the kitchen, and without saying a word, he put them down and continued wiping the table.

Zhu Qingfeng waved his hand and said, "Let's eat first. We need to be full to have the strength. We'll ask the manager later if he has seen Elders Feizhan and Yanqing."

Everyone nodded in agreement and were about to lower their heads to eat meat and drink wine.

Chen Mo suddenly said, "Everyone, wait a moment, I have something to say."

Everyone looked up at Chen Mo, full of curiosity.

Sitting next to Chen Mo, Zhu Qingfeng also looked at Chen Mo and smiled kindly, "What does Master Chen have to say?"

Chen Mo picked up the wine jar, poured himself a large bowl, and then went over with a smile to pour wine for Zhu Qingfeng, his face beaming. "This is my first time working with Chief Zhu, and I know this is an opportunity to make a contribution. This first bowl of wine is to thank Chief Zhu for giving us this opportunity."

Zhu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, looking at Chen Mo with a smile on his face. He said things like, "Master Chen is truly sensible," but in his heart he was sneering: You're about to die, and you don't even know it. You're still full of gratitude towards me, what a fool.

Wow~
Chen Mo continued to carefully pour the wine, expressing his gratitude to the chieftain.

Just then——

Clang!

The wine jar in Chen Mo's hand shattered with a crash, and he grabbed a shard of porcelain from each hand. The shard in his left hand pierced Zhu Qingfeng's forehead with a loud "crack," and his brains splattered out.

Zhu Qingfeng didn't even have time to scream before his head was smashed open, and he died on the spot.

In truth, Zhu Qingfeng was a master, possessing considerable strength. Moreover, he was a spirit infant attendant, wielding formidable ghostly power. However, Chen Mo was simply too close to him, and Chen Mo's constant smiling demeanor greatly lowered Zhu Qingfeng's guard.

He never expected this to happen.

That was so abrupt!
Chen Mo's attack was truly ruthless!

Everyone around was stunned, their eyes wide open, before they could even utter a sound of alarm... when they saw Chen Mo suddenly leap up and rush madly toward the old woman eating noodles ten meters away.

In an instant, a shard of porcelain pierced the old woman's forehead with a deafening crash.

Chen Mo had already realized that this old woman was the same old woman from before!
That is... Zhu Qingfeng's mother.

Just as the porcelain shard in Chen Mo's hand was about to pierce Granny Gu, a paper figure sitting next to her suddenly stood up and bravely blocked the attack for Granny Gu.

It was clearly a paper doll, yet the porcelain shard pierced its chest with a solid impact, causing blood to gush out.

Paper figures also have blood on them?
The other paper figure immediately stood up and lunged at Chen Mo from the side.

Clang!

Chen Mo immediately withdrew the porcelain shard, drew his sword, and fiercely blocked the attack. Suddenly, a loud "boom" resounded, and Chen Mo clearly felt the sword strike steel, his body involuntarily staggering back a few steps.

what?
How can a paper figure have such great strength?

Just then, Li Qiuhan saw the appearance of the two paper figures and was shocked: "These two paper figures are Sun Mu and He Xiao, who are guarding outside the stone gate. Everyone draw your swords, something is wrong here."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and turned to look. Sure enough, they saw that the two paper figures blocking Chen Mo were Sun Mu and He Xiao.

hiss!
Everyone gasped in shock, and without further hesitation, they all drew their swords.

Clang!

Clang! Clang!

All the blades were aimed at the old woman.

Li Qiuhan rushed to Chen Mo's side, "Master Chen, what's going on?"

Chen Mo stared intently at the old woman before saying, "I've known for a long time that Chief Zhu is a spirit infant servant; he raises ghost infants. Li Yuanlong and his apprentice, Liu Junxi and Liu Wu were all killed by him using the ghost infants he raised. He brought us here today to kill us and silence us."

Seeing the fates of Sun Mu and He Xiao, no one doubted Chen Mo's words too much.

After all, it was Zhu Qingfeng who personally instructed He Xiao and Sun Mu to guard outside the stone gate. This shows that Zhu Qingfeng is highly suspicious.

Suddenly, one of the stewards spoke up, "This wine is poisoned!"

When everyone turned around, they saw that the spilled liquor had melted the wood and was emitting thick, hot smoke.

From then on, no one doubted Chen Mo's words anymore.

Gollum~
Granny Gu continued eating her noodles with her head down. Only after finishing the last bite did she raise her head, looking at Chen Mo and the others with a sinister gaze, and said with a smile, "Are you here to see Elders Feizhan and Yanqing? Come out. Let them see you."

The moment the words were spoken, the other two paper figures that had been sitting still slowly stood up, turned around and sneered at everyone.

Upon seeing the two paper figures, Li Qiuhan exclaimed, "Elders Yanqing and Feizhan have actually been turned into paper figures by this old woman!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt an indescribable chill.

A cold wind blew, making people shiver.

Guo Ziyu walked up to Chen Mo at this moment, seemingly guessing something, "Young Master Mo, is this old woman Zhu Qingfeng's mother?"

Chen Mo replied, "Yes."

"whee."

Just then, a sinister laugh came from behind.

Ok?
Chen Mo immediately recognized the voice and turned around to look. He saw the white-haired old man who had been looking down at the abacus slowly stand up and walk over, trembling. It was the same old man from the Black Mountain Stronghold Martial Arts Pavilion.

Zhu Qingfeng's father, Zhu Yutong!
The whole family arrived, all together.

Zhu Yutong walked over slowly, a smile on his face, and said, "Young Master Mo, it's been a long time."

Chen Mo remained calm, instead narrowing his eyes. "Good, good, the whole family is here. The grudges of my Chen family, the suffering of my second mother, can finally be settled today!"

Zhu Yutong chuckled and said, "Don't make it sound so perfect. No outsider who enters this town ever leaves alive. I've seen too many guys like you who start out full of confidence but quickly fall flat on their faces. It's no big deal to ask you to say a few more words."

Just then——

Squeak.

A heavy wooden door opened in the distance.

Chen Mo turned around and saw the Li residence across the street, its heavy red gate slowly opening.

A woman dressed in a bright red Xiuhe dress, adorned with gold and silver, and holding a baby-shaped rag doll in her hand, slowly walked out.

Then, the woman in the Xiuhe dress slowly walked towards them.

The woman was wearing a red veil, so her face was not visible.

Da da da.

Footsteps approached, and then a pair of red embroidered shoes stepped across the threshold of the inn.

The woman in red walked in.

pat.

Upon seeing the woman, Zhu Yutong and Granny Gu knelt down and respectfully said, "Madam Shen, why have you come in person?"