A passing traveler through the heavens

The night was as dark as ink, so thick it seemed impossible to dissolve. From the depths of the darkness came faint, sinister laughter, which sounded like sharp blades scraping straight into the hearts of Yang Jian and Yang Chan.

Yang Jian and Yang Chan instantly became alert. Yang Jian reacted extremely quickly and without hesitation, he tightly protected Yang Chan behind him.

His eyes were sharp as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings, not missing a single sound, and he exuded an aura of alertness.

"Who is it?" Yang Jian shouted sternly, his voice filled with anger and authority, which was particularly loud in the quiet night.

With this angry shout, three figures slowly emerged from the darkness. By the faint moonlight, it could be seen that they were three ferocious-looking monsters.

The leader was a burly tiger spirit, exuding a strong fishy smell, and he appeared to be accompanied by two foxes.

The tiger demon let out a strange laugh, a laugh that was grating and unpleasant to hear: "Two little brats, quite wary, but tonight you won't be escaping from my grasp!"

Yang Chan trembled with fear, instinctively gripping Yang Jian's clothes with both hands. Her body shook slightly, and fear filled her eyes.

But Yang Jian did not back down. Although he knew that with his current strength, he might have no chance of winning against these monsters, there was no fear in his eyes in order to protect his sister.

"Who exactly are you? What do you want here?" Yang Jian asked through gritted teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from his chest, filled with suppressed anger.

The tiger demon did not answer, but instead paced slowly around them, each step heavy and deliberate, deliberately creating a strong sense of oppression. Each step seemed to weigh heavily on their hearts, making the atmosphere increasingly tense.

Suddenly, the tiger demon raised its hand, and a black light carrying an evil aura shot towards Yang Jian like a black lightning bolt.

Yang Jian was unable to dodge in time and was struck by the light. He flew backward several feet like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the courtyard wall with a dull thud. The plaster fell off the wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Second Brother!" Yang Chan exclaimed, her eyes filled with fear and worry, and rushed towards Yang Jian without hesitation.

However, before she could reach Yang Jian, the tiger demon flashed like a black afterimage and swiftly grabbed Yang Chan.

The tiger demon looked at Yang Chan with greedy and lewd eyes, clearly harboring ill intentions towards her. It stretched out its furry paws and began to grope Yang Chan.

Just as Yang Jian was smashed into the wall and his life hung in the balance, Ji Lin, who had been invisible, suddenly broke free and moved swiftly to the tiger demon's side like a gust of wind. He kicked the tiger demon away and then quickly pulled Yang Chan behind him.

Yang Chan looked at the stranger who had suddenly appeared in front of her. Although she was full of doubts, she was still very grateful to him for saving her.

The tiger demon was kicked away by Ji Lin, and his two subordinates rushed forward to help him up. "Boss, boss, are you alright?"

The tiger demon was already in a bad mood from being ambushed, and the noise in his ears made him furious: "Get the hell out of my way!"

After seeing Ji Lin's face clearly, the tiger demon mocked, "Pretty boy, you've got guts! Trying to be a hero and save the damsel in distress without even considering the timing."

After saying this, the tiger demon grabbed his broadsword and charged at Ji Lin with a shout.

Ji Lin looked at the tiger demon and saw that it was full of flaws. He laughed disdainfully and then kicked the tiger demon's wrist in mid-air.

The tiger demon's broadsword fell, but Ji Lin caught it steadily and then gracefully twirled it.

As the swordplay ended, a flash of cold light appeared, and the tiger demon's head was severed from its body, which then transformed into a headless tiger.

Upon seeing this, the tiger demon's two henchmen immediately knelt down and begged for mercy.

Looking at the two foxes in front of him, Ji Lin remembered that they were the Fifth Brother and Fox Sister from the prequel to The Lotus Lantern, so he took pity on them and let them go.

Upon hearing this, Fifth Brother and Fox Sister immediately fled the Yang residence, fearing that if they were a step too slow, they would suffer the same fate as the tiger demon. Ji Lin couldn't help but smile as he watched them run away.

Seeing this, Yang Chan quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for saving my life, my benefactor." Before Yang Chan could finish speaking, an angry voice rang out.

"Let go of my sister."

Yang Jian stood up from the ruins, radiating a powerful aura. He slowly opened an eye on his forehead, and then shot out a powerful energy beam from that eye, attacking Ji Lin.

Ji Lin quickly pushed Yang Chan away and dodged rapidly. In a flash, he moved behind Yang Jian and delivered a chop to Yang Jian's neck. Yang Jian immediately fell into a coma, and the eye on his forehead disappeared.

Seeing that Yang Jian was unconscious, Yang Chan was extremely anxious. She staggered to Ji Lin's side, her eyes filled with tears, and her voice trembled with sobs as she asked urgently.

"My benefactor, what's wrong with my brother?..."

Ji Lin looked at the anxious Yang Chan with a gentle expression and softly comforted her, "Don't worry, Miss. Your brother was just knocked unconscious by me. He's fine and will be alright after a good night's sleep."

After saying that, he and Yang Chan carefully lifted Yang Jian and slowly walked into the house.

After settling Yang Jian on the bed and covering him with a blanket, Ji Lin and Yang Chan left the room.

Seeing the mess in the courtyard, with the corpses of Yang Tianyou and Yang Jiao lying on the ground, Yang Chan's tears welled up again, and her body trembled slightly with grief.

Seeing this, Ji Lin gently patted Yang Chan's shoulder to comfort her, and then they started cleaning up together.

They found two clean straw mats and gently wrapped the bodies of Yang Tianyou and Yang Jiao together. Bloodstains stained the straw mats, and Yang Chan's hands trembled uncontrollably.

Yang Chanhe's voice was choked with sobs: "My benefactor, if it weren't for you today, my brother and I would probably have met with certain death. I don't know how to repay your life-saving grace."

Ji Lin waved his hand, his tone calm: "Miss, you don't need to worry about it. It's only right to help when you see injustice on the road."

"My name is Ji Lin. I am a cultivator who travels around in search of opportunities to improve my cultivation. I just happened to pass by this place."

Yang Chan nodded slightly, composed herself, and said, "My name is Yang Chan. These are my father and elder brother. They have suddenly suffered this calamity..." As she spoke, her eyes reddened again.

Ji Lin comforted her, saying, "The deceased is gone, young lady, please grieve in moderation and take care of yourself." The two continued what they were doing, silently refusing to speak, the air thick with sorrow and solemnity.

Yang Chan was filled with sadness and exhaustion at the moment, and she didn't think much about Ji Lin's identity. She had already experienced too much today.

After everything was tidied up, the night had grown even deeper. Ji Lin looked at the exhausted Yang Chan and said, "Miss Yang Chan, you've had enough today. Go back and rest early."

Yang Chan nodded slightly, mustered her spirits, and prepared a guest room for Ji Lin, saying, "My benefactor, this place is simple, I hope you won't mind. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

Ji Lin nodded slightly in thanks. After Yang Chan left, he went into the guest room, closed the door, and the candlelight inside flickered gently, illuminating this night full of changes.