Zombie Life Begins in Hongxi Village

clap clap.

A crisp slap echoed in the main hall. Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound.

Lin Yi clapped her hands as she walked over from the pillar, a half-smile on her face.

His well-tailored suit made him look refined and scholarly.

"I never knew what a person with wolfish ambitions looked like before, but now I finally do."

He walked up to Ren Tingting and stopped, his gaze lingering on his eldest uncle's face for a moment before sweeping over his second and third uncles. "Are you here to offer condolences, or to force me to resign?"

The old man seemed to have just discovered that there was such a person in the main hall, and frowned as he looked him up and down.

He was dressed in a sharp suit, and despite his young age, he stood quite close to Ren Tingting.

His heart skipped a beat—when did Tingting find such a man?

"Who are you?" The old man asked sternly, slamming his cane on the ground with a dull thud. "You're spouting nonsense at the Ren family's funeral!"

Before Lin Yi could answer, the middle-aged man with a fierce face strode out from behind the uncle.

This guy was nearly 1.8 meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a neck as thick as a tree stump, and his face was so fleshy that his eyes were squeezed into slits.

He stretched out his short, stubby finger and poked Lin Yi's nose, spitting out saliva that almost flew onto Lin Yi's face: "Kid, watch your mouth! This is an internal matter for the Ren family. If you know what's good for you, get out of here, or you'll regret it!"

Lin Yi looked down at the finger that was almost poking her nose. The smile on her lips didn't change, but a hint of coldness appeared in her eyes.

"What a fine example of internal affairs within the Ren family." He shifted his gaze from the finger to his uncle's face. "You guys are really shameless. If you're going to take advantage of someone who has no descendants, just do it. Why make it sound so high-sounding?"

If you want to build a memorial archway, you have to see if you have the talent to do it first.

The eldest uncle's face darkened completely.

"Boy," his voice turned cold, and he tapped his cane on the ground again, "you'd better get out of here. This is a family matter for the Ren family, and outsiders shouldn't interfere. If you don't leave, don't blame us for being ruthless."

"An outsider?" Lin Yi raised an eyebrow and casually put her right arm around Ren Tingting's waist.

Ren Tingting's body stiffened slightly, then she leaned into his arm and looked up at the elders in front of her.

"My three uncles, I forgot to introduce you—this is my fiancé, Lin Yi, from the provincial capital."

You say he's an outsider, then I'd like to ask, in my father's funeral hall, who was more like family: my fiancé or a distant relative beyond the fifth degree of kinship?

The wrinkles on the old man's face twitched.

The second and third uncles exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing across their faces simultaneously.

They came today specifically because of Ren Tingting's orphanage and helplessness, but unexpectedly, her fiancé appeared out of nowhere.

"Fiancé? Who gave his consent?" The old man sneered, tapping his cane on the ground three times. "Marriage is a major event, decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers."

Ah Fa never mentioned this marriage when he was alive, and we elders have never heard of it either. We don't recognize you as our fiancé!

"Exactly!" Second Uncle chimed in, his fat face full of disdain. "This wild brat who came out of nowhere dares to call himself the Ren family's son-in-law? Show me the marriage certificate! Who's the matchmaker? Where are the betrothal gifts?"

"Whether you outsiders acknowledge it or not is none of my business," Lin Yi shrugged. "As long as Tingting acknowledges it, that's enough."

Ren Tingting raised her face, her gaze coldly sweeping over the faces of her three uncles: "I admit it."

The old man was taken aback and before he could figure out how to respond, the middle-aged man with a fierce face couldn't hold back any longer.

He felt a surge of anger rising within him after being ignored by Lin Yi.

"You're asking for it!"

The burly middle-aged man roared and his fist slammed towards Lin Yi's face with a whooshing sound.

Despite his large size, he was surprisingly fast at punching, clearly someone who was used to physical labor.

Lin Yi didn't dodge. He spread his five fingers and caught the fist, which was as big as a casserole dish, in mid-air.

The burly middle-aged man's fist struck Lin Yi's palm with a dull thud, but Lin Yi's hand remained completely still, without even a tremor.

The expression on the burly middle-aged man's face changed from anger to astonishment.

He tried to pull his fist back, but couldn't. Lin Yi's five fingers gripped his fist like iron clamps. He tried to pull it back twice, his face turning red and his neck bulging, the veins on his forehead standing out, but his fist still wouldn't budge.

Lin Yi looked down at him, her expression indifferent.

Then bring your five fingers together.

Click. Click, click.

The sound of bones breaking was exceptionally clear in the quiet main hall.

The burly middle-aged man let out a bloodcurdling scream, and collapsed to his knees as if his bones had been removed.

His fist was crushed by Lin Yi like an eggshell, and his five fingers were twisted in all directions in an abnormal posture, hanging limply on his wrist.

"Boss!" The gaunt third uncle exclaimed in surprise, his voice so shrill it could pierce eardrums.

He abruptly turned to the other middle-aged men, spitting as he roared, "Are you all dead? Ah Heng's been beaten, aren't you going to help him! Break that pretty boy's arms and legs!"

The other three middle-aged men looked at each other for a moment, then rushed towards Lin Yi at the same time.

They were all quite large, and their combined charge resembled three wild bulls charging side by side.

The seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth also rushed up, probably thinking that a four-on-one fight would be a sure win and wanting to show off in front of the clan elders.

Lin Yi smiled dismissively and went to meet her.

A series of crackling sounds rang out; it was the sound of joints breaking, crisp and clean, like breaking dry firewood.

By the time everyone came to their senses, the four men who had rushed forward were already lying on the ground.

Their hands and feet were all broken, and they rolled around on the ground like worms, groaning softly.

The main hall was deathly silent.

The servants of the Ren family were so frightened that they huddled in the corner and dared not move. Uncle Fu's mouth was wide open, and he didn't even notice that the incense and candles in his hand had fallen to the ground.

"You! You!" The old man pointed at Lin Yi, his lips trembling so much that he could barely speak.

"How could you be so cruel! You're a madman! Wei! Wei! You're the security captain! This man is committing violence right in front of you! Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Awei stood in the corner, startled by his uncle's shout.

He glanced at the several middle-aged men on the ground, their limbs twisted, then at Lin Yi's expressionless face, and his legs began to tremble again.

The memory of being held at gunpoint yesterday flooded back, and my crotch felt slightly damp.

But just as he was about to play dead, his second uncle suddenly strode up to his side.

The fat old man bent down, leaned close to Awei's ear, and tempted him in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Awei, as long as you help us get rid of this kid, we'll arrange for Tingting to marry you."

Haven't you always wanted to marry her? If you succeed, you'll not only have a beautiful woman by your side, but also a generous dowry.

"You'll still be the security captain, and the Ren family will continue to fund your path. How about that?"

Awei's eyes lit up for a second. It was just a fleeting glint, but Lin Yi saw it clearly.

After the light faded, Awei reached for the holster on his waist.

His movements were quick; the way he drew his gun was clearly something he had practiced in private—with a pull and a snap, the muzzle rose and was aimed at Lin Yi.

But before he could pull the trigger, a hand was already on his wrist.

It's Lin Yi.

Awei didn't even see how he got in front of him.

Then Lin Yi twisted her hand.

Click.

The sound of Awei's right wrist breaking was louder than the previous ones.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream, the gun in his hand fell to the ground with a clatter, and he rolled on the ground clutching his broken wrist, his face covered in tears and snot.

"I knew you weren't a good person." Lin Yi looked down at him and said with disgust.

Then he raised his foot and kicked each of Awei's calves.

These two kicks looked light and airy, as if they were just casually kicked twice, but the sound of bones breaking was heard the moment they landed.

Awei's two legs were broken cleanly at the shinbone, the white bone fragments piercing his skin and trouser legs, and blood flowed out from the broken bones, staining a large area of ​​the bluestone ground red.

After letting out a heart-wrenching howl, Awei fainted from the pain.

The two security guards reacted very differently.

When the bamboo pole team member named A-Qiang saw his captain beaten like this, he was terrified, but his hand still instinctively picked up the flintlock pistol and aimed it at Lin Yi with trembling hands.

Lin Yi didn't even lift her eyelids. In a flash, she was in front of A-Qiang and kicked him squarely in the chest.

Ah Qiang, gun and all, flew out of the main hall and crashed into a stone pillar in the courtyard. As he slid to the ground, he was already spitting out mouthfuls of blood and looked like he was about to die.

The other team member's reaction was much smarter.

He was taken aback at first, then threw the gun on the ground with a "thud," raised his hands high, and looked as obedient as a baby.

"Very good, you know how to read the situation." Lin Yi patted his cheek. "What's your name?"

"I...I'm called Awang, Lin Ziwang," Lin Ziwang stammered, his two raised hands still trembling slightly, but he stood quite steadily.

"You'll be the new security captain from now on," Lin Yi said, reaching out to straighten Lin Ziwang's askew collar.

"The Ren family will support your rise to power. Are you confident?"

Lin Ziwang's face flushed bright red.

A fleeting look of disbelief and surprise flashed in his eyes, which was quickly replaced by a feverish, almost manic light.

He abruptly lowered his right hand from the air and gave Lin Yi a crooked military salute, his voice trembling with excitement:

"I have confidence! From now on, I will follow your lead completely! I will do whatever you say!"

"Not bad, you can even use idioms. You've been to school?"

"I attended a private school for two years!"

The three old men stood in the center of the main hall, watching Lin Yi and Lin Ziwang talk as if no one else was around, and they were so angry that they trembled all over.

Their faces changed from red to purple, and then from purple to bluish-gray.

The old man gripped his cane tightly, his knuckles turning white. His lips trembled as he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "You...you scoundrels! You injured people, and yet you're here secretly exchanging goods!"

He took a breath, turned to Ren Tingting, and said in a pained tone, "Tingting! You just stand by and watch an outsider treat your family like this?"

Aren't you going to say anything? This person injured your uncles and brothers. He's so brutal, do you dare to associate with him?

Aren't you afraid he might cripple you one day? If that happens, Ah Fa's lineage will truly be cut off!

Ren Tingting's face remained expressionless. After her uncle finished speaking, she stepped forward from Lin Yi's side and coldly swept her gaze over the three old men in their seventies and eighties in front of her.

"Hmph, I can still tell who's good and who's bad." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear in the quiet main hall.

"You old geezers used to fawn over me and be all smiles when you saw me, but now that my father is dead, you've all revealed your wolfish ambitions."

"I didn't expect you wouldn't even wait until the seventh day after my father's death—that Ren Dongdong, isn't he the one you put forward to be adopted by my father?"

She pointed to the young man lying on the ground, clutching his broken leg and wailing.

The young man paused for a moment when he heard his name called, then howled even louder.

Ren Tingting withdrew her finger, her voice even colder: "From today onwards, my family is severing all ties with you. I have no relatives like you."

She turned to Lin Ziwang, her tone shifting from icy to a crisp, commanding one:

"Lin Ziwang, right? Don't worry, Ayi's opinion is my opinion. Our Ren family will fully support you as the security captain."

"Lord Long from the county town is my family's business partner; he'll definitely give me this much face."

"Now," Ren Tingting pointed to the door, her tone decisive and efficient, "I want you to go to the security team and bring in people to arrest all these thieves who are trying to seize the family property."

"Yes, Miss! I'll go find someone right away!" Lin Ziwang bowed to Ren Tingting, then turned and ran out of the main hall.

As he passed by the unconscious Awei, he paused, spat at Awei, and then ran away without looking back.

"You, you all..." The old man clutched his chest and swayed a couple of times.

His face changed from pale to grayish-blue, his lips went from trembling to turning purple, and his eyes rolled upwards, revealing large patches of cloudy white.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only a series of "whoosh whoosh" sounds came from his throat.

Then he fell straight backward, his head hitting the bluestone ground with a dull thud.

He twitched twice and then stopped moving.

The anger on the faces of the second and third uncles was finally completely replaced by fear.

These two old men, who were just moments ago so arrogant, now seemed to have had their spines removed, their legs trembling like leaves.

The second uncle knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears: "Tingting! Tingting! We were wrong! We were senile! Please, for the sake of us all being family—"

"Tingting, please forgive us, we will never dare to do it again—" Uncle San also knelt down, kowtowing loudly.

Ren Tingting looked down at the two old men who had been so aggressive just moments before, her eyes devoid of any sympathy.

She turned her back to them, walked to Lin Yi's side, and didn't even bother to glance at him.

A short while later, Lin Ziwang returned with five security guards.

They were pushing two carts, one to carry Awei and the middle-aged men with broken arms and legs, and the other to carry the body of Uncle Da and the body of the team member Lin Yi had kicked to death.

The second and third uncles were escorted away, with two team members flanking them on either side and dragging them out.

The two old men staggered behind the cart, their mandarin jackets ripped open in the pushing and shoving, revealing loose, worn-out leather underneath.

After everyone had left, the servants of the Ren family began to silently wipe up the bloodstains on the floor.

The bloodstains remaining on the bluestone floor were washed clean twice with water, and the broken table and chair legs were swept to a corner of the yard.

The main hall fell silent again, with only the incense burning before the spirit tablet, its smoke curling upwards.

Ren Tingting turned around and buried her face in Lin Yi's arms, unable to hold back any longer, and burst into tears.