"Lin Fan, don't worry. We will help you bury your parents properly. When the time comes, I'll have them laid to rest on the hill behind the northern part of Goudan Village. Come back and pay your respects whenever you have free time!"
"Alright, Village Chief, thank you. I'll leave my parents in your hands then! Father, Mother, your son is unfilial; I cannot bury you with my own hands. I'm sorry. Lin Fan thanks you for raising me, and I hope your souls can rest in peace. I will come back to visit your graves when I have time! Sob, sob... Father, Mother, I'm sorry!"
With that, Lin Fan kowtowed three more times toward Lin Tian and Yang Liu. His forehead struck the ground hard, producing a loud thud that made it painful just to listen.
At this sight, Village Chief Lin Yecheng and the others felt their eyes sting with tears, aching for Lin Fan. After all, they were all fellow villagers and close neighbors—closer than actual kin.
"Alright, Village Chief, I'm ready. Go ahead and cut!"
Having finished paying his respects to his parents, Lin Fan knelt on the ground with his arms outstretched. Not knowing which arm Village Chief Lin Yecheng intended to sever, he simply held out both.
"Good, Lin Fan. You'd better bite down on your right arm. I'm about to start. Don't worry, I'll be as quick as I can to keep the pain to a minimum!"
As the name implied, Village Chief Lin Yecheng wanted to preserve Lin Fan's right arm since it was more dexterous, allowing him to manage his life a bit more easily in the future with at least one good hand.
Following the Village Chief's instructions, Lin Fan immediately bit down hard on his right forearm and stretched his left arm out straight.
"Yuanqi, transform into a sword!"
In an instant, Village Chief Lin Yecheng channeled his yuanqi cultivation into a sharp blade and, catching Lin Fan off guard, swiftly sliced off his left arm in a single stroke.
"Ah?!"
Suddenly, Lin Fan felt as though his entire body had been hollowed out. Trembling violently, he let out a scream of agony, biting down even harder on his right forearm until deep tooth marks sank into the flesh.
With Lin Fan's left arm severed, bones and flesh were exposed and blood spurted everywhere in a gruesome sight. The surrounding villagers froze in shock. Some parents immediately turned and covered their children's eyes, while others couldn't bear to watch themselves, leaving the scene in a dead silence.
Drenched in sweat, Lin Fan grew dizzy and drowsy, nearly collapsing to the ground from sheer exhaustion.
Fortunately, Village Chief Lin Yecheng moved quickly, using his yuanqi to support Lin Fan's body.
"Pyromancy!"
Next, Village Chief Lin Yecheng cast a fire spell to cauterize Lin Fan's wound and stop the bleeding, helping a scab form to spare him further agony.
"Ghost Immortal Healing!"
Meanwhile, the Ghost Immortal Vine inside Lin Fan's body channeled spiritual energy to aid his recovery; otherwise, he would have long since passed out from excessive blood loss.
Moments later, amid his grogginess, Lin Fan snapped awake. Though his face was pale and greenish, and he was drained of all strength, his mind was relatively clear. He slowly looked down at his severed left arm lying on the ground, wanting to say something, but stopped himself.
Soon, Village Chief Lin Yecheng withdrew his yuanqi. Deeply moved by Lin Fan's sheer willpower, he hadn't expected the boy to be so resilient as to remain conscious through all of that.
However, neither Village Chief Lin Yecheng nor the villagers knew that a Ghost Immortal Vine inside Lin Fan was assisting him; they simply assumed his time had not yet come to die.
"Lin Fan is truly tough, being able to endure something like that!"
"Right, we really underestimated him before. You truly can't judge a book by its cover!"
Ten minutes later, Village Chief Lin Yecheng and the others brought over Lin Fan's family oxcart, placing the small iron box containing the family's money onto the rear bed of the cart.
In addition, the Village Chief and the others helped pack several sacks of rice, flour, daily necessities, clothes, and water flasks for Lin Fan, along with plenty of fruits and vegetables. These were all items from Lin Fan's own home, and Village Chief Lin Yecheng felt he should take them so he would at least have enough food to last a year or two.
Furthermore, Village Chief Lin Yecheng secretly slipped several dozen copper coins to Lin Fan from his own pocket. Knowing Lin Fan would now have to live entirely alone without any relatives to rely on, the Village Chief was deeply worried, yet this was all he could do for him.
"Son, Lin Fan isn't fully recovered yet. Take him out of Goudan Village, and remember, you must make sure he finds a safe place to settle before you come back!"
After loading the items onto the oxcart, Village Chief Lin Yecheng turned and told his son, Lin Mu.
"I understand, Father!"
Lin Mu was a few years older than Lin Fan and stood a few heads taller and sturdier, though his yuanqi cultivation was not as high as Lin Fan's. He was an honest and simple-minded fellow.
A few minutes later, Village Chief Lin Yecheng and the others helped Lin Fan onto the oxcart. Lin Mu drove the cart away from Goudan Village with Lin Fan, heading toward the center of Fengyun Town.
"Lin Fan, let this be a warning to you! Our score is far from settled. Don't let me cross paths with you again, or I'll make you pay!"
Wang Niu shouted at their receding backs, thinking to himself that he would never forgive Lin Fan as long as he lived. With today's parting, he had no idea when he would have the chance to avenge his heavy grievances.
"Mother, once the autumn harvest is over and Father is buried, we're going to join an immortal sect to cultivate. I want to become stronger so I can find Lin Fan and avenge us later. You just take care of yourself at home!"
"That's right, Father, Mother, I'll go with my cousin. Aunt Li Lan, you can move in with our family too so you won't be lonely!"
"Alright, sons, Xiao Yang, you must be careful out there. If worst comes to worst, let's just forget about revenge, okay? I don't want to lose you too!"
Tearfully embracing Wang Niu and Li Yang, Li Lan said this because she had already lost her husband Wang Shan and could not bear anything happening to the boys.
"There, there, Son, Xiao Niu, Father supports you either way. Whether we take revenge doesn't matter much, but you must be careful when you go out to hone your skills and gain experience. You two cousins must be of one mind, support each other, and make progress together. With united efforts, you can snap metal, haha!"
"Understood, Father, we know!"
"Understood, Big Uncle, we know!"
Afterward, Li Dawei, Village Chief Lin Yecheng, and the others helped bury Lin Tian and the others, with the villagers of Goudan Village all pitching in to help.
To do everything in his human power, Village Chief Lin Yecheng had Lin Fan's severed arm buried right alongside Lin Tian and the others, so that Lin Fan would remain forever by their side. Even in death, he would be united with them as a family in paradise.