I'm modifying myself into the ultimate demon.

Chapter 55 The True Face Under the Red Veil

Chen Mo vaguely remembered the scene when he first transmigrated and saw the image of the Red Lantern Goddess in the ancestral hall.

The statue was covered by a red veil, and no one knew what it looked like. All that was known was that the statue could absorb incense offerings and was extremely mystical. Later, Chen Mo did consider secretly going to the ancestral hall to lift the veil and see what the Red Lantern Goddess's image looked like.

However, she was constantly plagued by madness and lived in constant fear. In addition, the Red Lantern Goddess was so eerie that her parents revered her as a deity and strictly forbade outsiders from approaching, so they did not dare to provoke her.

Now, as Chen Mo revisits the ancestral hall, a sense of inexplicable dread creeps into his heart as he reflects on the past.

Before long, Chen Mo followed Li Yuanlong and Yuanzhu to the courtyard of the ancestral hall.

Li Yuanlong introduced the cylinder to Chen Mo, and Chen Mo, adhering to the principle of being kind to others, took the initiative to greet the cylinder.

The cylinder simply gave a faint "hmm" and then fell silent.

That's a bit pretentious...

"Snapped!"

But Li Yuanlong flicked Yuanzhu on the forehead, saying, "How dare you be so rude!"

Yuanzhu was in great pain and inwardly cursed his master for going too far. However, he dared not refute it aloud and instead put on a smile for Chen Mo, "I am not usually good with words, so please do not take offense if I expressed myself inappropriately just now, Second Young Master Chen."

Chen Mo thought to himself: "Your words are quite impressive..."

But he said, "It's alright."

Li Yuanlong led the two to the ancestral hall, and the first thing he did was to examine the statue of the Red Lantern Goddess closely. He found that the red veil on it had indeed not been lifted, and nodded repeatedly, "The Chen family is indeed trustworthy."

After saying this, Li Yuanlong instructed Yuanzhu to wait outside the door, and then led Chen Mo to the incense table.

Li Yuanlong knelt down and bowed three times to the statue of the Red Lantern Goddess. Then he stood up, his expression becoming much more serious. He stopped calling him Second Young Master Chen and addressed Chen Mo by his given name.

"Chen Mo, I have been entrusted by your father to come here to invite you to Black Mountain Stronghold to learn martial arts. But the skills of Black Mountain Stronghold are not something that just anyone can learn. Many wealthy families in the county have spent a fortune but still cannot gain entry into Black Mountain Stronghold. And once you enter Black Mountain Stronghold, it is not easy to leave. Are you aware of this?"

Chen Mo said, "I met Lei Peng before. It is said that Lei Peng once learned the skill of exorcising evil spirits in Black Mountain Village. Later, he committed a crime and was expelled from the village. He also passed on the Fiery Palm technique that Black Mountain Village strictly forbade to be passed on to his son, which eventually led to the retaliation of Black Mountain Village. More than thirty people died in the martial arts school overnight. Black Mountain Village thought that Lei Ming had gone mad, so they let Lei Peng's family go."

Li Yuanlong nodded slightly. "You seem to know quite a lot. The person who executed more than thirty members of the Lei family was another leader of the Black Mountain Stronghold, named Guo Songyang."

Having obtained important information, Chen Mo naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to continue questioning, "Chief of the Incense Sect?"

Li Yuanlong explained in detail, “Now that things have come to this, I will not hide anything from you. Our Black Mountain Stronghold is a secret branch under the Red Lanterns. There is a powerful Red Lantern Attendant in charge, who is also the leader of Black Mountain Stronghold, or Hall Master. Below the Hall Master are two Deputy Hall Masters, and below that are the Four Incense Masters. Guo Songyang and I are Incense Masters. Incense Masters can independently take on disciples and each manages a manor.”

Chen Mo secretly made a note of it, finally gaining a general understanding of Black Mountain Village.

"Only the chieftain is a red-light attendant?"

“That’s right. The Red Lantern Attendants are all servants of the Red Lantern Goddess, and their status is extremely noble. If they go out carrying a red lantern, their every word and action represents the will of the Red Lantern Goddess, and even the county magistrate will have to kneel down to greet them.”

Chen Mo was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

Even the county magistrate had to kneel down to greet him?

This……

It should be noted that, according to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, officials were only allowed to kneel before the emperor and members of the imperial family.

It's strange now... people have to kneel down when they see the Red Lantern Attendant, who represents the Red Lantern Goddess?

Isn't this Red Lantern Lady so domineering that she'll be targeted by the imperial court?
Even though the imperial power of the Great Qian Dynasty has waned, there is still an emperor...

Suddenly, Chen Mo remembered when he went to the Blood Ridge Black Market, everyone knelt down as soon as the old Taoist priest in red carrying a red lantern arrived, their faces filled with extreme terror.

At the time, Chen Mo thought that everyone was just afraid.

Unbeknownst to them, this was an unwritten rule, and even the county magistrate was no exception.

"Master Li, I have a question for you. I once went to the Blood Ridge Black Market and saw an old Taoist priest in red carrying a red lantern, ringing a bell to clear the way, and four female paper figures carrying a red sedan chair. Passersby all knelt and bowed in respect. Who was this old Taoist priest in red, and who was he, the Red Lantern Attendant?"

Li Yuanlong laughed and said, "That's a Red Lantern Attendant from another branch, named Chen Qingyan. Don't underestimate that old Taoist priest; he's very capable. It's thanks to him that the Blood Ridge Black Market is safe and sound, free from evil spirits. Those who can become Red Lantern Attendants have all received the blessing of the Red Lantern Goddess and are quite skilled."

Chen Mo noted it down and asked, "What will be tested today?" Li Yuanlong smiled and said, "There are two kinds of people in my Black Mountain Stronghold. One kind is the menial laborers. These people don't have many requirements. They are simply sincere to the Red Lantern Goddess, wanting to serve her, make a living, and incidentally gain an opportunity to learn skills. The other kind is the disciples. The requirements for this group are much higher. At least they need to open the six senses of Yin and Yang."

"Yin Yang and the Six Roots?" Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

In the letter Xie Dong left for himself, he recorded that Li Hongxi was born with a different kind of spirit, and that she had opened her six yin senses right after birth.

Chen Mo guessed that Yin Liugen was probably related to ghosts and spirits, which was not a good omen.

However, the six senses... sound relatively normal.

Li Yuanlong explained, "Those who have opened the Yin Six Senses can see ghosts and evil spirits, smell their aura, and even talk to them. However, they are more easily assimilated by these ghosts and eventually become evil spirits themselves. Such people are extremely rare; usually, it's because their parents had problems. What's worth mentioning are the Yang Six Senses."

Chen Mo agreed wholeheartedly, "Please explain in detail, Daoist Master."

Li Yuanlong said, "The Yang Six Roots is a folk term, and it's quite simple to explain. It means that after breaking through to the level of an internal martial arts master through the proper path, the six senses and six consciousnesses are transformed, and that's when the Yang Six Roots are opened. You can then see and hear ghosts. However, with the internal energy protecting your body, it's not easy to be assimilated by evil spirits. This is also the proper way for our Black Mountain Stronghold to recruit apprentices."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo instinctively looked out towards the pillar.

Could it be that this guy has also awakened the Six Roots of Yin and Yang?
No wonder he was a bit pretentious... he certainly has some substance.

Li Yuanlong seemed to know Chen Mo's thoughts, and said with a smile, "Yuanzhu was born with the Yin Six Roots, and later, with the help of the methods of my Black Mountain Stronghold, he also became an internal martial arts master. Now that the Yin and Yang Six Roots are fully opened, he is a good seedling."

Chen Mo was slightly surprised.

Judging from Li Yuanlong's tone, it seems that internal martial arts masters are nothing in his eyes... which is a bit of a blow.

It's important to know that in Honghe County, internal martial arts masters are extremely rare...

Fortunately, Chen Mo recovered quickly.

Black Mountain Stronghold is, after all, a branch of the Red Lantern Gang. If it's too ordinary... then Chen Mo will be disappointed.

The stronger Black Mountain Stronghold was, the more interested Chen Mo would be in learning skills there.

Once Chen Mo obtains the skills and secret techniques of Black Mountain Stronghold, his cheat-like reading ability will allow him to be much faster than others. Let that guy Yuanzhu pretend for a while; he'll find the world has changed.

After Li Yuanlong finished his introduction, he got down to business, "When I entered the manor, I saw the traces of the battle. I could tell long ago that you had become an internal martial arts master and must have opened your six yang roots. You passed the test."

Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and thanked him, "Thank you, Daoist Master!"

Li Yuanlong waved his whisk and said, "It's all fate, no need to thank me."

After saying that, Li Yuanlong took out three special red incense sticks from his sleeve and handed them to Chen Mo: "Bite your finger, drip your blood onto the incense sticks, and light three sticks of blood incense. Worship the image of the Red Lantern Goddess, and once you have the Goddess's approval, you will be considered a member of my Black Mountain Stronghold."

Chen Mo had been waiting for this moment for a long time, so he didn't hesitate at all. He bit his finger and dripped blood onto the tips of the incense sticks. Suddenly, with a "sizzle," the three incense sticks lit up instantly, bursting into red flames.

Chen Mo then knelt before the image of the Red Lantern Goddess, saying, "Chen Mo, the second son of the Chen family of Honghe County, today I offer my blood incense to the Red Lantern Goddess, begging for her permission to enter the Black Mountain Village."

After saying this, Chen Mo respectfully inserted three sticks of blood incense into the incense burner in front of the red-veiled Buddha statue.

The swaying incense smoke slowly flowed into the red veil and was absorbed by the Buddha image.

Li Yuanlong said, "The ceremony is complete, please rise."

Chen Mo then stood up, but before he could say anything, Li Yuanlong said solemnly, "From now on, you are one of my Black Mountain Stronghold people. Go outside and wait. I still need to pay my respects to the Red Lantern Goddess separately."

Chen Mo cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and then left the ancestral hall.

Li Yuanlong solemnly closed the ancestral hall door and then the windows. He then slowly walked to the incense table, muttering some incomprehensible jargon before finally saying, "Today, the Chen family has lit blood incense for you, which means they have paid homage to you and are now your people. Please take a look at that young man. So that you may recognize him and avoid mistaking him for someone else later."

After saying this, Li Yuanlong knelt on the ground with utmost piety, bowed three times and kowtowed nine times, and then got up and lifted the red veil.

The statue under the red veil is only two feet tall and made entirely of golden material. However, it is not a statue of a woman, but... a baby in a yellow robe!
Suddenly, the sculpture slowly opened its eyes and looked at Chen Mo outside...

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.: The pacing of the main storyline in Volume 1 was indeed a bit slow; the second volume is where the real story begins, and it will get increasingly exciting from here on out. Next update at noon~
(End of this chapter)