Chapter 34

“How dare you!” Xie Yunyan advanced fiercely. “Today is the day the souls of the Xiao family return home and the day His Majesty personally approved the Xiao family to assist in bearing the coffin. You claim you have orders to search—on whose orders are you acting? And who exactly are you here to arrest?”

Luo Yu’s expression changed slightly, but since he had already brought his men, he was committed. “I am here under His Majesty’s orders to rigorously investigate the Xiao family’s treason. I am here to arrest the traitors hidden within the household.”

“You, with all your obstructions, must be colluding with someone. Arrest every single one of the Xiao family members; scour the premises, and do not let the traitors escape!”

He wanted a swift victory, unwilling to waste any more time with the Xiao family. As long as he could uncover evidence of collusion and seize the Xiao family’s secret seal, what was there to fear?

The garrison soldiers stepped forward briskly, surrounding all the members of the Xiao family. Meanwhile, the citizens who had originally gathered by the side to see Xiao Jin off were terrified beyond measure.

No one had expected that the soldiers would choose today to come to the Xiao household to arrest people nor that His Majesty would act in such a way.

Seeing the garrison soldiers surging into the mansion, the Xiao family guards brandished their swords and moved to block them.

“Who dares to lay a hand on my son’s coffin!!” Old Madam Xiao, watching as one of the garrison men reached out and pressed his hand onto Xiao Jin’s coffin, immediately grabbed her whip and lashed at him. At the same time, Xie Yunyan stood at the doorway, snatching a long sword from one of the soldiers and slicing at the man before him.

“Our Xiao family has never engaged in any collusion with the enemy, nor have we ever plotted rebellion. I dare say, who among you dares take even half a step into the Xiao household!”

Wei Wanyun, standing before the coffin, declared sternly, “Don’t be too excessive! My father and husband have fought for the nation for many years—fighting selflessly to protect our homeland. Today is the day their remains return home, yet you deny them even a shred of dignity!”

Huo Rou also positioned herself in front of the coffin. “I dare say if any of you dare touch my husband’s coffin, I’ll fight him to the death!!”

“Sir, they refuse to let us search inside—the mansion surely harbors some secrets!”

Luo Yu’s face darkened as he ordered, “Charge in! Search and seize the evidence of the Xiao family’s crimes!!”

Old Madam Xiao, seeing the garrison soldiers rushing forward, bellowed, “I dare say, who dares!!”

With that, she cracked her whip, forcefully sending the garrison soldiers who had rushed to the doorway tumbling back. And as the Xiao family guards clashed, the two sides quickly became entangled.

Madness!

They’ve all lost their minds!

Luo Yu never intended to tamper with the coffins of Xiao Jin and the others—he merely wanted to seize the opportunity to enter the Xiao household. However, he did not expect that the Xiao family would rather stand their ground stubbornly than retreat. When he saw both sides begin to exchange blows, and within moments, blood began to spill, he suddenly felt an urge to back off. But before he could order his men to stop, the man who had earlier persuaded him to come to the Xiao household suddenly shouted out.

“Xiao family conspirators have rebelled! His Majesty has ordered a search! If the Xiao family resists, execute without mercy!!”

“And as for these coffins, there may well be traitors or items used in collusion hidden inside—remove them and search thoroughly!!”

“Cai Chuan?” Luo Yu turned around sharply in disbelief, his eyes widening as he saw Cai Chuan charging directly toward the opposite side. The garrison soldiers had no idea what was going on—they simply assumed he was indeed under orders to arrest members of the Xie family.

Once they saw blood, their eyes were set on slaughter, and as soon as someone took the lead, they all joined in and surrounded the group.

Before Luo Yu could even comprehend what was happening, Cai Chuan—the man who had always been on friendly terms with him—swung his sword and slashed Su Jinyuan’s arm.

Amidst the splattering of blood, the Xie family members also became furiously incensed. Old Madam Xiao lashed one of the men with her whip, and when Xie Yunyan swung his sword, he also wounded someone.

No one had anticipated a fight to break out right before the Xiao household. Amid the cries and screams of the surrounding citizens, many got caught in the melee, while members of the Xiao family, as they fought, also tried to protect the onlookers.

As the clash intensified under the roll of thunder—with both sides growing increasingly ruthless—Old Madam Xiao sustained injuries, and Xie Yunyan was cut by a knife. Even Wei Wanyun and Huo Rou, while guarding the coffins, were injured and blood spattered all over them.

Seeing that the situation was spiraling out of control—even noticing that someone was about to lay a hand on the coffins—Luo Yu suddenly shouted, “Stop! Don’t touch the coffins…”

Ah!

Before he could finish speaking, a whip lashed across his face. He found that Old Madam Xiao had, somehow, gotten to him in an instant. The whip in her hand struck like a swift, slithering snake, hissing through the air as it came down upon him.

Overcome by pain, Luo Yu scrambled to dodge, only to tumble into a puddle. But before he could rise, someone blocked his retreat—it turned out to be Su Jinyuan, who, before anyone could react, produced a short dagger and thrust it straight into his shoulder blade.

“Ah—!” Luo Yu cried out miserably from the pain and, with a swift reverse palm, struck the attacker away.

Old Madam Xiao’s whip was already at his side. She grabbed Luo Yu, yanked him over, and mercilessly stomped on his leg. After eliciting a long, agonized scream from him, she delivered another kick that broke his other leg. “Who dares to hurt my grandson! You’re asking for death!!”

Amid the uproar of fighting, no one even heard Old Madam Xiao’s furious exclamation.

Luo Yu suddenly widened his eyes, and in a flash, he realized something was deeply wrong with today’s events.

“You’ve been plotting against me…” he murmured.

Swish!

Old Madam Xiao’s two lashes struck Luo Yu’s wrist, instantly snapping his tendons. Then, with another flick of her whip, she sent the agony-wracked, grimacing Luo Yu hurtling toward the coffin displayed at the door.

Boom!!

A tremendous crash resounded as Luo Yu collided with the coffins—smashing through two of the adjacent ones—while almost simultaneously, someone shattered three other coffins, causing the corpses that had been inside to tumble out.

In that instant, the entire world fell silent; everyone turned to stare at the bodies that had been flung into the mud. Some corpses were missing arms, and others were missing legs. When they hit the ground, hardly a single one remained intact from head to toe.

The scattered, broken limbs left everyone dumbfounded, and Xiao Jin’s battered, blood-soaked neck and his head, nearly detached, with eyes wide open in terror, forced even the garrison soldiers—whose eyes were already bloodshot—to take several steps back involuntarily.

“Brother Jin!!” cried one of them. Eldest Madam Xiao rushed forward and clutched Xiao Jin’s mangled, bloodied corpse, breaking into heart-wrenching sobs.

Wei Wanyun, upon seeing Xiao Yunquan’s severed limbs scattered on the ground, the usually gentle woman now with reddened eyes, immediately lunged toward the garrison soldier closest to the coffins and exclaimed, “How dare you injure my husband’s remains! How dare you smash his coffin!”

“Does His Majesty not allow even a shred of dignity for my Xiao family? The Xiao family hasn’t even been convicted yet, yet he won’t leave my husband even a modicum of decency behind. You leave me restless even after my husband is dead—I’ll fight you all!”

As she reached out to grab and scratch, the garrison soldier scrambled in panic, protesting, “It wasn’t me; I didn’t smash the coffin…”

Respect for the dead is paramount—even if ordered to arrest, he wouldn’t dare touch Xiao Jin’s coffin—and in his fluster, he clumsily pushed Wei Wanyun away.

Wei Wanyun collapsed in the rain, clutching the severed limb of Xiao Yunquan and crying hoarsely. At the same time, Huo Rou, Eldest Madam, and Second Madam held onto the remains and wailed uncontrollably.

In the downpour, the innocent commoners under the Xiao family’s protection, witnessing this horror, were moved to tears.