By the time Lin Chuyue reached the main gate, Lin Aoshan had already been forced to his knees before two coffins.
Han Jianye struck him across the face. "You shameless old bastard! Tonight, I'll see the Lin Family bathed in blood."
"Stop! If you have a problem, take it out on me! Let my grandfather go!"
Lin Chuyue rushed over, glaring at Han Jianye. "Tell me. What will it take for you to give the Lin Family a chance to live?"
"You bitch, you're finally out!"
Han Jianye's eyes blazed with fury. "If you willingly get into that coffin and join my son in a posthumous marriage, I'll consider sparing the Lin Family."
"Chuyue, don't listen to him! The Han Family is vicious and cruel; they'll never let us go. Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well die with some dignity."
Before Lin Aoshan could finish, Han Jianye kicked him to the ground. "Shut up! You old fossil! I'll deal with you later!"
"Don't touch my grandfather!"
Lin Chuyue roared, "You just want me to marry into the Han Family, don't you? Fine."
"I'll agree to it now, but you have to keep your promise. Don't hurt my grandfather."
"Otherwise, even as a ghost, I will never let you go!"
With that, Lin Chuyue walked resolutely toward the coffin, gritted her teeth, and climbed in.
The smell inside was overpowering, thick with the scent of paint.
Han Fei lay inside, his face a ghastly gray-blue, his eyes staring wide in a terrifying gaze.
Lin Chuyue dug her nails into her palm, barely managing to suppress the churning in her stomach and keep from vomiting.
She wasn't afraid to die, but she was terrified of dragging her elderly grandfather down with her.
'Since this all started with me, it should end with me too.'
'If the Han Family breaks their word, I swear I'll become a vengeful spirit and haunt them for the rest of their days!'
Unwilling to look at Han Fei's nauseating corpse any longer, Lin Chuyue squeezed her eyes shut.
But she couldn't ignore the cold body pressing against her shoulder.
It made her think of Xiao Ye's strong, warm chest, and a single, glistening tear escaped the corner of her eye.
'Xiao Ye, you have to run as far away as possible. Never, ever come back!'
Just then, a furious roar suddenly thundered, "You all have a death wish, don't you?"
"Who gave you the nerve to touch my woman!"
Lin Chuyue's eyes flew open, unable to believe what she was hearing.
'I already sent Xiao Ye away. How could he possibly be back?'
The next second, she felt her body go light as a pair of strong arms lifted her out of the coffin.
Xiao Ye was furious. "You foolish woman! Pushing me away the second trouble starts!"
"If I can't even protect you, what kind of man am I?!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lifted his leg and kicked the coffin!
BOOM—
The heavy wooden coffin flew through the air.
One of the Eight Vajras standing behind Han Jianye shot forward, striking the coffin with his palm.
The coffin shot back toward Xiao Ye, who stopped it with a raised foot.
With his foot on one side and the man's palm on the other, they were locked in an unseen struggle through the coffin.
Finally, with a loud BANG, it exploded into splinters.
Through the choking mist of blood, Xiao Ye retreated several steps with Lin Chuyue in his arms before steadying himself.
The man he had clashed with, however, remained as still as a mountain.
"Brat! You left my son without even a complete corpse! You're dead tonight!"
Han Jianye looked as if he wanted to tear Xiao Ye limb from limb. "The one who just sent that coffin flying was Liu Xiang of the Great Vajra Palm! He could smash you to pieces all by himself!"
Lin Chuyue's face went pale with fright. She immediately looked at Xiao Ye. "Are you hurt?"
"How could I be?"
Xiao Ye grinned, but a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
'Shit, I was careless!'
"Still say you're not hurt? You arrogant fool! You have no idea how powerful the Chen Family's Eight Vajras are. They've been famous for years and have never known defeat!"
Lin Chuyue was frantic and angry. "Stop trying to act tough and just go! I'll handle this."
"How are you going to handle it? By getting back in that coffin and letting the Han Family have their way with you?"
Xiao Ye wiped the blood from his lips. "Don't be naive, darling. Mad dogs like the Han Family only quiet down when they're dead."
"I was just careless and took a small hit. Just wait. I'll show you how to properly thrash them."
"Kid, you're arrogant. I like that."
Liu Xiang looked at Xiao Ye and gave him a wicked grin. "How about this: kneel before me and become my disciple. I'll take you under my wing and guarantee you survive the night."
Xiao Ye laughed along. "Become your disciple? Then what about my girl?"
Liu Xiang shook his head. "No can do. Young Master Han Fei died a tragic death. He'll be lonely on the road to the Underworld and needs her to keep him company."
"Oh—"
Xiao Ye drew out the sound, sneering. "Too bad I already have a master. As for your so-called Great Vajra Palm... you're not even fit to carry my shoes."
"Bastard!"
Liu Xiang flew into a rage, striking down at Xiao Ye's head with his palm.
"Ignorant whelp! You'll pay the price for your foolishness!"
A fierce and tyrannical wave of Gang Qi surged forward.
Lin Chuyue's face drained of color, but Xiao Ye quickly pulled her behind him.
Then, Xiao Ye extended one hand and met the attack with a seemingly light palm strike of his own.
"He dares to trade palms with Liu Xiang? He's asking to die!"
Han Jiancheng sneered, but before the sound faded, Liu Xiang cried out anxiously, "This kid's got some real strength! Third, Fourth, help me!"
The two men immediately stepped forward, joining forces against Xiao Ye.
They practiced a hard, overpowering style of martial arts. Xiao Ye, shedding his earlier disdain, now used both hands to fight back.
Han Jiancheng sneered. "Kid, it's impressive you can survive a Vajra Palm, but you'll never escape their combined attack."
But Song Mingqiao, leader of the Eight Vajras, shook his head and said quietly, "Young Master, you're mistaken. This kid hasn't even shown his true strength yet."
"To be safe, I must act."
Before he finished speaking, Song Mingqiao flicked his right hand, and three cold glints of light shot toward Xiao Ye.
What a feat! While still engaged with the three men, Xiao Ye leaped into the air, dodging two of the throwing knives.
But the last one whistled through the air, aimed straight for his philtrum!
Xiao Ye tilted his head slightly and caught the blade between his teeth. He then spat it out with force. "Returning this to you!"
The knife whizzed back, but Song Mingqiao dodged it with a laugh. "Kid, the blade was poisoned! You're a dead man!"
"You overestimated yourself, you weakling! Picking a fight with us? Hmph! Tonight, your corpse will lie right here!"
Startled, Xiao Ye pulled back from his clash with the three men and struck himself hard on the chest.
BLECH! He spat out a mouthful of black blood.
Lin Chuyue's face went white as a sheet. The Eight Vajras had certainly earned their reputation. Tonight, it seemed the Lin Family was doomed.
She glared at Xiao Ye resentfully. "I told you to go! You just had to come back and get yourself killed!"
"Well, this is just great. When you get to the Underworld, don't you dare say the Lin Family was the death of you!"
"Alright, alright. Whatever you say."
Xiao Ye kept Lin Chuyue behind him as he reached out and smoothly pulled off her decorative sash.
"You bastard... what are you doing?!"
Lin Chuyue's brows knitted together. "You're poisoned! Can you be serious for one second?"
Xiao Ye stood firmly under the moonlight, his back as straight as a spear.
His defiant eyes shone like stars in the night.
He casually wiped the foul blood from his lips and gave Lin Chuyue a reckless grin. "Just borrowing this for a second. Don't be so stingy."
"Wifey, open your eyes and watch closely. You're about to see who the real weakling is!"
"You want my life? Let's see who's left standing!"