I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 1 Madness

"Dingling bell~"

The hoarse, mournful sound of the bell woke Chen Mo from his sleep.

My mouth was dry and my whole body ached and numb. It took me a long time to adjust before I could open my eyes with difficulty and turn my head to look around.

"how come……"

I am now "squatting" in a wooden jar, with only my head sticking out. I can see an incense table in front of the jar, with an incense burner, several porcelain bowls, apples, bananas, sacrificial meat, and a half-cooked pig's head on it.

Several paper figures of women dressed in red skirts stood on either side of the incense table, their faces painted with red paint, their eyes painted red, and their large red lips curving upwards in a smile. Red and white talismans hung from the rafters, fluttering in the wind.

Chen Mo smelled the aroma of the sacrificial meat on the altar, as well as the scent of fruit.

"Gulu!"

I subconsciously moved my right hand, and immediately felt a piercing pain.

He nailed his hands and feet into the jar with four iron nails, each about a foot long.

Because of the slight movement just now, scarlet blood flowed down the wound on his right wrist, carrying a faint smell of blood.

"It's the third day... Every time I wake up, I'm nailed to a wooden jar."

Chen Mo cried out in despair, nearly collapsing.

Originally a college student, Chen Mo was hired as a Taoist priest at a Taoist temple. Later, a film crew came to shoot on location and needed a Taoist priest to appear on screen while suspended by wires. The temple abbot felt that Chen Mo was a cultured person and suitable for promoting the image of the Taoist temple.

Then Chen Mo went, the wire broke, and he really went...

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in this very place, nailed to a jar.

For the past three days, I have been awakened by a strange bell sound every day at sunset. Then an old man in a yellow Taoist robe comes in to perform a ritual, muttering things like "May the Red Lantern Goddess bless you."

Fortunately, the language, writing system, and accent here are largely the same as in my previous life. But the surrounding environment is terrifying.

"What kind of place is this? Why are they nailing me to this jar?"

The extreme fatigue and pain kept his mind in a state of overload and drowsiness, making the process extremely difficult. But Chen Mo knew very well that if he wanted to survive, he had to try his best to adapt to everything and figure out his current situation as soon as possible.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the door.

Chen Mo immediately tilted his head to the side, pretending to be asleep, only opening his eyes a crack.

Sure enough, the old Taoist priest in the yellow robe entered the room.

Unlike usual, when he only carried a whisk and a peach wood sword, today the old Taoist priest was also holding a statue in both hands, covered with a red veil, so it was impossible to tell what kind of statue it was.

The old Taoist priest placed the statue on the incense table, knelt down, and prayed sincerely.

"Believer Li Yuanlong kowtows to the Red Lantern Goddess, begging for her grace to bless Chen's second son's madness so that he may recover soon."

After saying this, the old Taoist priest bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, then got up and began to perform the ritual.

The so-called practice was similar to that of the sorcerers Chen Mo had seen in his previous life. He muttered incomprehensible jargon, brandishing a peach wood sword in his hand. Suddenly, he took out a talisman, burned it, and moved it around in front of Chen Mo. Finally, he sprayed a mouthful of wine onto the talisman, causing a large fire to rush towards Chen Mo's face.

Not only did they burn a few strands of Chen Mo's hair, they also spat in Chen Mo's face.

Chen Mo: "..."

That's too much.

But Chen Mo really didn't know where he was, so he didn't dare to move and forced himself to pretend to be asleep, enduring the discomfort.

Next, the old Taoist priest spat out a few more mouthfuls of wine and suddenly shouted, "I respectfully request Your Majesty's wondrous method, that Chen's second son wake up quickly, wake up quickly!"

?

I can wake up now, right?

You can't just pretend to be asleep and stay locked in the jar forever, can you?

Why not just back down?

With this in mind, Chen Mo hardened his heart, no longer hesitated, and pretended to open his eyes in pain.

hiss!
When the old Taoist priest in the yellow robe saw Chen Mo open his eyes, he was greatly surprised and stared at Chen Mo with wide eyes.

Chen Mo was genuinely flustered by the glare, wondering if it was perhaps not yet time for him to wake up?
But now that I'm awake... I can't go back to where I started.

He looked bewildered and asked, "Master, what's wrong with me?"

"Infinite Heavenly Lord!"

The old Taoist priest recited a phrase, then put away his peach wood sword and called out to the door, "Master Chen, Madam, after three days of rituals, your son has woken up. You may come in."

With a "twig snap," the hall door opened, and a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes entered, wearing a jade pendant around his waist, cloud-patterned boots, and his hair tied up with a hairpin.

He was dressed like a wealthy merchant from ancient times.

Following closely behind the middle-aged man was a beautiful noblewoman dressed in a light blue silk skirt and adorned with gold and silver jewelry.

"My son, you're finally awake! You scared your mother to death."

The noblewoman suddenly rushed to the wooden jar, hugged Chen Mo's head and wailed, "Dalang has gone mad. If Erlang suffers any more mishaps, I, as his mother, will not live either."

Is this wealthy woman my mother?
I became the second son of the Chen family?
Seeing Chen Mo remain silent and dazed for a long time, the noblewoman burst into tears again: "Second Brother, don't you recognize your mother?"

Chen Mo stared blankly at the wealthy woman before him, thinking to himself: This is the first time I've seen you, how do I know you...?

Just as she was wondering whether to call out "Mother" to appease him, the old Taoist priest spoke up: "Madam, don't worry. Your son's madness was incurable, but he has pulled through this time thanks to the protection of the Red Lantern Goddess. It's normal for him to be a little disoriented after waking up from a serious illness. He'll be fine after a few more days of recuperation."

"Thank you, Taoist priest, thank you, Taoist priest." The noblewoman was finally relieved.

The middle-aged man beside him quickly took out a bag of silver and stuffed it into the old Taoist's hand: "My son was able to survive this great calamity thanks to the Taoist's magic. This is a small token of my appreciation from Chen Yinfu. Please accept it."

The old Taoist priest accepted the money with a smile before leaving happily.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to instruct: "Your son has just recovered from a serious illness and needs to rest for three days. If he doesn't show any signs of madness within three days, then you can have the nails removed from his body. Also, the red veil on the Red Lantern Goddess sculpture must not be removed or moved. It must remain in the Chen family ancestral hall to protect your son and ensure his safety. Remember this well."

"I will keep the Taoist priest's instructions in mind."

Chen Yinfu saw the old Taoist priest off to the door, and a moment later returned excitedly. He lit three incense sticks for the red-veiled statue, then knelt down at the incense table: "Our Chen family has been filial to Your Majesty for many years. This time, thanks to Your Majesty's protection, my son is safe and sound."

After saying this, Chen Yinfu gave the noblewoman a look, and she immediately understood. She then knelt down in front of the incense table and prayed, "My eldest son died young, leaving only my second son as my sole heir. It is all thanks to the Empress's protection."

Seeing the noblewoman crying her heart out, Chen Mo couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

Poor parents in the world.

It seems I've traveled through time.

It's a pity that it didn't inherit the original owner's memories.

And this couple must be his parents in this life. Judging from their expressions, they dote on him, Erlang.

After the prayer ended, the noblewoman refused to leave and was eventually forcibly dragged away by Chen Yinfu.

"The Taoist priest said that Erlang needs to rest quietly, so you should not disturb him here, lest you delay his recovery."

The noblewoman then wiped away her tears and left reluctantly.

With a "click," the door closed.

The large room immediately became dark, as the window frames were covered with talismans, preventing light from penetrating. Only two horn lamps provided illumination.

The flickering candlelight cast an eerie glow on the paper figure. Especially the red-veiled statue on the altar before him, which seemed to stare at him like a demon, sent a chill down Chen Mo's spine.

Fortunately, Chen Mo had spent three days in this kind of place and had become somewhat accustomed to it, so he wasn't too panicked.

After suppressing his shock, Chen Mo began to ponder. "This place must be an ancient society. Judging from this grandeur, I must have transmigrated into a wealthy family."

Moreover, they were not just ordinary wealthy families.

This is because the surrounding beams are made of Phoebe zhennan wood.

Even if golden nanmu wood isn't as precious as it was in his previous life, it's still extremely valuable. This shows that the Chen family's business is quite large, and as the only legitimate son, he won't have to worry about food and drink in the future.

In addition, it's true that my parents care about me.

All of this brought Chen Mo some comfort.

That leaves only one question.

Madness.

The original owner of this body must have died from madness.

Moreover, the noblewoman just said that "Dalang has gone mad."

It is evident that he had an older brother who also died from madness.

This madness must be quite terrifying.

What is madness?
Is madness a physical illness or a mental illness?

If it was a mental illness, now that I've taken over the original body, the madness should be gone. From now on, I can enjoy the life of a wealthy young master—wouldn't that be wonderful?
If madness is a physical illness, then it means that one's illness is not yet cured.

That would be very dangerous!
Thinking of this, Chen Mo felt a sense of unease.

The most urgent thing is to find someone to ask and clarify things before I can rest easy.

Chen Mo had wanted to ask about his parents in this life, but being a newcomer, he couldn't bring himself to say the words "father" and "mother," so he couldn't ask.

Perhaps due to exhaustion, Chen Mo drifted off to sleep. When he woke up again, it was completely dark outside.

The red-veiled statue on the incense table in front of him appeared even more crimson under the light of the ram's horn lamp.

At first, Chen Mo thought it was just a statue of the Red Lantern Goddess and that it shouldn't be anything special.

But soon, Chen Mo realized something was wrong.

Before the three incense sticks that Chen Yinfu had lit had finished burning, the incense smoke flowed into the red veil and never came out again.

"This statue...is absorbing incense offerings!?"

Chen Mo was startled and quickly blinked. Looking again, he saw that it was indeed true.

Chen Mo stared intently at the incense for a long, long time.

My back was already cold.

He knew that in his past life, temples set up statues of Bodhisattvas and offered incense, which was a kind of superstition, done to seek peace of mind.

And this statue of the Red Lantern Goddess is indeed absorbing incense offerings.

Could it be that this Red Lantern Goddess... really exists?
This is not a simple ancient society; there are also demons and monsters?
Just as Chen Mo was in a daze and feeling uneasy, there was a series of knocks on the door.

Chen Mo was already somewhat frightened, and upon hearing this voice, he felt as if he had seen a savior. He quickly asked, "Who is it?"

A pleasant female voice came from outside the door.

"Second Young Master, it's me, Qiulan. Master sent me to deliver the meal."

"Come in quickly." Chen Mo couldn't wait for someone to come in.

With the creak of the door opening, a graceful young woman in a pink silk dress entered, carrying a food box in her hand.

Although she wasn't wearing much makeup, it couldn't hide her delicate and pretty face. However, the girl's eyes were filled with fear when she looked at Chen Mo. She mustered up her courage before walking up to Chen Mo and opening the food box.

There was fragrant white rice, braised pork, braised duck, roast beef, braised prawns, and lotus seed soup... a truly sumptuous feast.

As expected of a rich young master, he receives very high-level treatment.

Chen Mo was already starving. He ordered the dishes he wanted, and Qiu Lan used her delicate hands to feed him the food. She also took the time to wipe the grease from the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief.

Chen Mo wanted to eat shrimp, so Qiu Lan peeled the shrimp shells herself.

They were served very well.

After eating and drinking her fill, Qiulan cleared the dishes and prepared to leave.

Chen Mo quickly called out to her, "Wait a minute."

Qiu Lan turned around warily, "Is there anything else you need, Second Young Master?"

Chen Mo figured it was unrealistic to expect Qiu Lan to let him go, so he said, "Could you take this red veiled statue with you?"

Qiulan seemed to have heard something terrifying and quickly shook her head: "This is the image of the Red Lantern Goddess, this servant dares not touch it. Master has repeatedly instructed me to do so."

Are all the people here so afraid of the Red Lantern Goddess?

Chen Mo lowered his demands again, "Then...can you stay and keep me company?"

Qiulan pouted, clearly unwilling, but dared not object: "Yes, sir."

Thus, Qiulan sat beside the wooden jar, but still watched Chen Mo warily, very cautiously.

Chen Mo looked at the red-veiled statue and said, "Qiu Lan, do you see that red-veiled statue? It's absorbing incense offerings."

I thought Qiulan would be very surprised.

Qiulan, however, seemed used to it: "I saw it. The image of the Red Lantern Goddess can absorb incense offerings."

really……

Something's wrong with this world.

Chen Mo changed the subject again: "Qiu Lan, are you afraid of me?"

Qiulan lowered her head: "Everyone in the manor is afraid of the second young master. Except... the master and madam."

Chen Mo asked, "Because of madness?"

Qiu Lan didn't dare look Chen Mo in the eye: "Mm."

Chen Mo asked, "Why?"

"Because the second young master's illness is very frightening."

Chen Mo was no longer calm. "How scary is it?"

Qiu Lan looked up at Chen Mo, then lowered her head again: "Master forbids me to say it."

"Now that the master is not here, I'm in charge. Speak quickly."

Qiulan dared not disobey, and shrank back, stammering, "I still remember how the Second Young Master looked when he fell ill three days ago. It was dusk, and Chunlan and I were serving him dinner when he suddenly had a seizure, jumped up, bit off Chunlan's neck, and even cut open his abdomen to eat her heart..."

hiss!
Chen Mo gasped, feeling a chill run from head to toe.

He knew that madness was not a good word, but he never expected it to be so terrifying.

No wonder the Chen couple wanted to nail themselves to the wooden jar.

Soon, Chen Mo felt a wave of nausea and vomiting. "So, in the end, I ate Chunlan's heart?"

(End of this chapter)