At the Lin family gates.
A carriage came racing up.
Ye Lin stared at the towering Lin estate right in front of her. She glanced back into the carriage at Ye Chen and murmured, "Hang on just a little longer, Brother. I'm going to get Sister Lin Xian'er to save you right now!"
With that, she jumped down without wasting a second and hurried toward the main gate.
"Big brothers, my name is Ye Lin. I have an urgent matter and need to see Sister Lin Xian'er. Please, help me pass on the message!"
In front of the Lin family gates, Ye Lin looked up at the two guards with a face full of pleading.
After all, she was the one asking for a favor. She had to bow her head.
Especially since she was counting on Lin Xian'er to save her brother.
If she offended these guards and they refused to help, wouldn't Ye Chen really be doomed?
"Ye Lin? You're Ye Chen's little sister?"
The guards didn't answer her request directly.
Ye Lin nodded quickly. "Yes, that's right. My brother is Ye Chen. I came here because there's something very important I need to discuss with Sister Lin Xian'er. Please, just let her know I'm here!"
She had assumed that mentioning Ye Chen's name would be enough to get them moving.
But the moment the words left her mouth, the two guards didn't budge. Instead, they exchanged amused glances toward the carriage in the distance and sneered.
"Who in Qingcheng Mountain doesn't know by now that Ye Chen has become a useless cripple?"
"You come looking for our young miss at a time like this… don't tell me you're hoping she'll save your brother?"
Seeing that her intention had been seen through, Ye Lin stopped pretending. "Yes… that's exactly it. I really am hoping Sister Lin Xian'er can help heal my brother. Please, just pass the message!"
One of the guards looked down at her with open contempt. "Pass the message? On what grounds? Because of your crippled brother?"
Behind the scenes, Lin Xian'er had already anticipated that Ye Lin might show up with Ye Chen in tow. She had given strict orders to the gate guards: if Ye Lin came, send her away immediately.
Otherwise, how could a couple of ordinary guards dare to humiliate her like this?
In the past, Ye Chen had been Lin Xian'er's fiancé. These men wouldn't have dreamed of treating Ye Lin this way.
But now? Things were different.
Ye Chen was a废人—a cripple—and Lin Xian'er had already spread word that the engagement was to be canceled.
Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't have dared block Ye Chen's sister like this… unless they had backing.
Faced with their mockery, Ye Lin's small face flushed with anger. "My brother is not a cripple! He's the number-one genius of Qingcheng Mountain! I won't let you talk about him like that!"
Seeing the girl still daring to talk back, the guards' expressions darkened.
"Little girl, who gave you the guts to speak to us like that? You think you're still the same person you used to be?"
"Back then your brother was around, so we gave him face. Now that he's a useless waste, what right do you have to yell at us?"
Ye Lin's chest heaved with fury. "How can you say that? My brother was still Sister Lin Xian'er's fiancé! Aren't you afraid she'll punish you for this?"
One guard curled his lip in disdain. "Punish us? You think you're worthy? Or that your brother is?"
"If this was before, sure, we wouldn't have dared. But now? Things have changed."
"Besides, do you really think your brother in his current state is still good enough for our young miss?"
"Get lost while you still can."
"Otherwise, don't blame us for getting rough."
Ye Lin trembled with rage. "You… you're going too far…"
The guard grew impatient. "Yeah, we're bullying you. What are you gonna do about it? If you've got the ability, tell your crippled brother to stand up and do something!"
With that, he raised his hand and slapped Ye Lin across the face, sending her flying backward.
"Get the hell out of here. Don't bring your bad luck to our Lin family."
…
Inside the carriage.
Ye Chen, who had been cultivating inside the Eternal Heavenly Tomb to restore his cultivation, suddenly heard the commotion outside. His eyes snapped open. His consciousness withdrew from the tomb, and he woke up.
"Martial Disciple, First Layer!"
Feeling the steady surge of power flowing through his body once more, Ye Chen couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
"As expected of the place that seals the heavens, suppresses the earth, and buries immortals… In just a short time, it's already made up for years of my hard training…"
…
On the ground outside.
Ye Lin climbed back to her feet, covered in dust, her face filled with unwillingness. She started walking toward the Lin family gates again.
Right now, the only person she could think of who might save Ye Chen was Lin Xian'er.
If she left now, her brother would truly have no hope left.
Not far away, one of the guards saw her coming back. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
"Stubborn little brat. Since you're so determined, I'll just send you to accompany your brother in death early!"
With those words, one of the guards flashed forward, raising his palm straight toward Ye Lin's face.
Seeing the attack coming, Ye Lin froze in terror, completely at a loss.
At that critical moment—
"How dare you touch my sister… you're courting death!"
A furious roar exploded.
Ye Chen shot out of the carriage like an arrow loosed from a bow. Without holding anything back, he met the guard head-on.
"This… this is impossible…"
The guard's face twisted in shock as he saw Ye Chen charging at him. He looked like he had seen a ghost.
BOOM!
The next instant, a deafening crash rang out.
The Lin family guard was blasted backward by Ye Chen's strike. He dropped to one knee on the ground, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.
"How… how is this possible?"
"Weren't you crippled by the Wang family's Great Elder?"
Ye Chen completely ignored the man's words.
Instead, he walked straight to Ye Lin, scooped her trembling form into his arms, and spoke softly, "Lin'er, you've suffered so much these past days."
"Leave the rest to your brother."
"With me here, no one will ever bully you again…"
Held tightly in his arms and hearing that familiar voice, Ye Lin's body shook. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"As long as Brother can be saved… no matter how much I suffer, it's worth it…"
Suddenly remembering something, she pushed Ye Chen back in panic. "Brother, your injury…"
Ye Chen patted himself lightly and smiled. "It's already healed."
Ye Lin stared in disbelief. "That's impossible… I went to so many clinics… they all said you…"
She had been about to say "didn't have much time left," but the words felt too ominous. She faltered, unsure how to continue.
Ye Chen chuckled softly. "Maybe the heavens took pity on you, Lin'er. They didn't want you to be left all alone if I died, so they healed me."
It wasn't that Ye Chen didn't want to tell her the truth. But after learning about the Eternal Heavenly Tomb, he realized how monumental it was. Telling a girl with no cultivation about it might not be a good thing.
So he made up a casual excuse.
Ye Lin knew he was lying, of course. But to her, as long as her brother was back to normal, nothing else mattered.
Seeing how obedient and sensible she was being, Ye Chen felt a pang in his heart. He gently ruffled her hair, then turned around. His gaze turned icy as it locked onto the guard who had attacked her.
"You dared to raise a hand against my sister… you don't know the meaning of death."
In a blur, Ye Chen moved again—like an arrow shot from a bow. Before the guard could even react, another palm strike came whistling down.
BANG!
The guard—who had already been injured once—took the full force of the blow head-on.
His body flew backward again.
"Ye Chen! Think carefully! I'm from the Lin family! If you kill me, the Lin family won't let you off!"
Ye Chen didn't bother responding to the threat.
Instead, he stepped forward and planted his foot squarely on the guard's face. His voice was cold.
"You dared to touch my sister. I don't care if you're from the Lin family—or if you were the King of Heaven himself. I fear no one."
With a slight press of his foot—
CRACK!
The guard's head burst open like a watermelon. Blood sprayed everywhere.
After it was done, Ye Chen calmly brushed the blood off his clothes. The murderous aura vanished in an instant.
He turned back to Ye Lin with a doting smile, helped her into the carriage, took the reins, and drove away from the Lin estate.
Not far away.
It took a long while before the other guard snapped out of his daze.
Looking down at his dead companion, whose corpse was already cooling, he finally turned and ran back into the Lin family compound to report to the family head.
…
Meanwhile, at the Ye family estate.
Inside the main discussion hall.
The Ye family's Great Elder looked up at the family head seated at the head of the table and said gravely,
"Family Head, what should we do now?"
"With Ye Chen around before, our marriage alliance with the Lin family gave us enough strength to stand against the Wang family. But now that Ye Chen is crippled, the Lin family has already announced they're canceling the engagement. If the Wang family decides to make a move against us at this time… what can we possibly do?"