The situation was dire. When Ye Tiancheng first arrived, a large crowd had gathered around the bonfire, shouting.
"If you can't catch the young one, burn the old one first. We absolutely cannot tolerate such people living in this world. Burn her, burn her!"
Someone had already started the fire. Because the wood spread quickly, Ye Tiancheng had to use his true qi to extinguish the flames at this critical moment. However, as he put out the fire, Ye Tiancheng also lost some of his strength and felt very weak.
The fire was out, but the crowd could light it again. At this crucial juncture, Ye Tiancheng had no choice but to rush out. He wanted to stop time, but his true qi energy was insufficient. He couldn't just watch Granny Jiang die, so he had to charge forward.
"What are you trying to do? Murder? Even if the Jiang family did something wrong, it's not your place to lay hands on an elderly person. Furthermore, there's law in this world. What era are we in? You're still setting people on fire. This is illegal. You can't administer vigilante justice like this."
"Hmph, I thought something serious had happened. The wind isn't strong today, so how did the fire go out so quickly? So it was your doing, you truly are disgusting. You helped the Jiang family last time, and now you're causing trouble again. You're truly shameless."
"Now is not the time to discuss who is more shameless. I hope you can show some mercy and stop harming a poor old woman. Please let her go."
Ye Tiancheng knew that he was not in a condition to fight. If he were to stir up trouble at this moment, it would simply mean he was too foolish. It didn't matter if he lost face; the best course of action now was to de-escalate the situation.
"Who do you think you are, telling me what to do? Believe it or not, if you dare to meddle any further, I'll roast you along with her."
What they said was true. These people had no bottom line. Killing someone was just entertainment for them.
"Don't kill me. Let's talk things through. Murder is against the law. You don't need to ruin your lives because of your hatred for me."
In the past, even if Ye Tiancheng were beaten to death, he would never have bowed his head even slightly. But now, things were different. The reality was laid out before him. No matter how much backbone Ye Tiancheng had, he knew that the situation couldn't be changed. As the saying goes, "He who adapts to the times is a wise man."
"I see this person talks too much. He's clearly looking for death. In this situation, there's no need to be polite. Just grab him. I want to see how much backbone this fellow has. Can he be burned to death by fire?"
Amidst the chaos, Ye Tiancheng was actually tied up as well. If the fierce flames were to ignite, Ye Tiancheng was just flesh and blood and couldn't withstand it. Therefore, the problem he faced was extremely tricky, and his life was also in danger.
He was quickly bound. Even with all his strength, Ye Tiancheng couldn't break free because it was too difficult. He felt as though his hands were already bleeding from the ropes. At this moment, it was clearly impossible to escape.
"You are disregarding human life! How dare you mete out private punishment on us? We are human lives, after all. You have no right to violate us like this."
Perhaps it was when facing death that more potential could be unleashed. Ye Tiancheng shouted loudly, but to others, his struggles were merely for their amusement. The more intensely he struggled, the happier they became.
"Isn't dying like this too easy for them? We should starve them for three days and three nights until they have only one breath left, and then give them release. A single fire to burn everything clean."
"I think your suggestion is good. Let them endure the torment here for a while, and then when they can't take it anymore, we'll burn them to death with a fire. That's us showing mercy. People like these tomb raiders dug up our ancestors' tombs, disturbing the peace of the dead and ruining our family's feng shui. Such people deserve to die."
After the crowd conferred, they gradually retreated. Ye Tiancheng still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that if he could buy some time, Fatty would surely come looking for him. It was much better than being burned to ashes by a fire.
After everyone left, Ye Tiancheng called out to Granny Jiang. Granny Jiang had been silent the whole time, appearing to be in a semi-conscious state, which was quite worrying.
"Granny Jiang, how are you?"
"You shouldn't have come to save me. I'm already in a dead end, with no possibility of survival. Since you're here, I have only one request: I hope you will take good care of my grandson. He is the last descendant of our Jiang family. I've always told everyone that his parents went out of town, but in reality, his parents are also dead. Now, only that child is left. After I die, I entrust him to your care."
"I won't let you die. If I had chosen not to save you, I wouldn't have come. Since I am here, Granny Jiang, please rest assured. I will definitely bring you safely back to your grandson. Jiang Yunsheng can only grow up healthily by your side. No one else can replace your role."
What Ye Tiancheng said was from the heart. They were grandfather and grandson with blood ties. If Jiang Yunsheng lost his last relative, it would be the most tragic thing. No matter what was done, it couldn't make up for the debt, or the fact that he left the person who needed him most.
"But we can't leave now."
"That's because I had some issues with my body. I encountered many obstacles on my way to find something, and I was even severely injured. Otherwise, these people would be no match for me. I could easily fight dozens of them alone. Granny Jiang, don't worry. Give me some time, and I will surely rise again!"
Even now, as long as he wasn't burned to death by a fire, Ye Tiancheng would never give up hope, because for him, he had overcome even more difficult situations!
"I believe you. Then I won't disturb you. Benefactor, please recover quickly. I also don't want to die at the hands of these despicable people. If the day of my death comes, I hope to dedicate my life to something worthwhile."
Granny Jiang closed her eyes and remained silent, perhaps to conserve her strength. Ye Tiancheng tried his best to gather the true qi in his body, but after several hours of effort, he couldn't do it. Instead, he exhausted himself.
Suddenly, he felt a cold wind brush past his ear, and the surrounding dust began to swirl and rise slowly. In an instant, Ye Tiancheng sensed a great abnormality.
Something was about to happen, otherwise, it wouldn't be like this. He felt a pang of dread. Could it be that he really couldn't escape this time?
"It's enough that I let you live a few more hours. Now you can be on your way."
These people, perhaps fearing that the night might bring further complications, rushed back before dawn and lit the torches.
In the raging inferno, Ye Tiancheng seemed to see his past life. His life was like this fire. If it continued, he would be burned to death and cease to exist in this world. There would no longer be anyone named Ye Tiancheng.
This time, Ye Tiancheng did not beg for mercy. It was his own lack of strength. What was the point of begging now? It would likely only invite ridicule.
"Let the old lady go. She's so old. Even if you have grudges against the Jiang family, directing all your hatred at an old woman is not the act of a gentleman. As for me, you can kill me if you must."
"You're quite optimistic, but you're thinking too wishfully. Why should that be? We all listen to you, so who are you to give orders?"
No one agreed with Ye Tiancheng's point of view. Instead, they berated him, which filled Ye Tiancheng with wave after wave of despair. Was this truly a dead end, with no room for struggle?
The people lit the firewood with their torches, and the flames spread. Ye Tiancheng could feel the scorching heat. Perhaps out of self-preservation, some energy suddenly surged within his body.
Ye Tiancheng thought it was the true qi he had been trying to accumulate finally taking effect. However, he saw the terrified expressions of the people around him. Even Granny Jiang looked at Ye Tiancheng with fear.
"A ghost! This person is a ghost! How terrifying!"
When Ye Tiancheng realized it, he felt as though he didn't recognize himself. He saw Ye Tiancheng suddenly break free from the ropes, the surrounding bonfires extinguishing instantly. Then, Ye Tiancheng soared into the air, his hair disheveled.
"Why are you all saying this about me?"
When Ye Tiancheng spoke, he discovered that his voice was like a ghost's. He looked down at his hands, and a layer of black energy surrounded them.
As if out of control, when Ye Tiancheng unleashed his true qi, he found that only masses of black energy emerged. Those who were trying to burn him were all struck down, lying on the ground and groaning in pain.
"Spare us! We know we were wrong. Forgive us this time! Please don't kill us, we truly know our mistakes!"
At this moment, it was like a scene from a war. Ordinary people were desperately pleading, but Ye Tiancheng couldn't control himself. He madly beat them. Those people were like fish on a chopping block, tossed around by Ye Tiancheng's black energy. If this continued, Ye Tiancheng knew very well that all of them would die. However, a voice in his heart kept telling him:
"Do not show mercy to these demons. They all wanted to kill you. Such people are not worthy of sympathy. The fewer of them there are, the better. Kill them all cleanly!"
"Fine. The world disapproves of me, so I'll eradicate everyone who disapproves of me."
At that moment, it felt as though he had been brainwashed. Nothing anyone said mattered anymore. Only his own thoughts occupied his mind. Ye Tiancheng was almost losing control. After a long while, a familiar figure finally brought Ye Tiancheng back some semblance of reason.
Fatty arrived at the critical moment. Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was already controlled by the black energy, he quickly shouted Ye Tiancheng's name, hoping to help his good brother regain some sanity.
"Ye Tiancheng, don't make any more mistakes. Wake up quickly. You absolutely cannot be controlled by the black energy, or you'll end up like Ouyang Xuxu."
Ye Tiancheng felt that what Fatty said made sense, but even so, he couldn't control his thoughts. At that moment, the demon in his heart occupied the dominant position.