“Otherwise, none of the 108 members of your Lawson Family will live through this night!”

I spoke firmly, but Vivian struck me across the face.

“Courting death, are you? How dare you curse the Lawson Family?”

“Do you believe I won’t make sure you never see the sun again?”

Vivian raised her hand, ready to send me to the grave, but the man beside her stopped her.

“Miss, the old lady just passed. We shouldn’t stain the house with blood.”

“Besides, why bother dealing with a fool yourself? Let the nuns I invited baptize him. Maybe then he’ll stop spouting nonsense.”

Vivian’s fury softened a little. Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him on the cheek. “Noah is truly my darling. Even his words are so clever.”

“Then let’s do as you say. Let the nuns baptize her and drive away the foul air!”

Noah Cole reached for my clothes, but I stepped back at once.

“This is a vestment. Don’t touch it!”

He sneered, ignoring me.

“Vestment? It’s just rags stitched together.”

“You fool, I’m helping you.”

“Mother Teresa is a registered senior nun. She’ll surely cast out the evil in you and restore your senses.”

“You might even serve in the Lawson Family, wear proper uniforms, and enjoy fine meals. Isn’t that better than rotting away in this backwater?”

But I do not want to be a servant of the Lawson Family.

I am the village guardian. Only I can keep Lawson Residence safe.

If I leave, the entire village will fall!

I shoved Noah aside and tried to enter the Lawson residence.

Though I used little strength, he toppled down the stairs.

Vivian, alarmed, rushed to help him, glaring at me with eyes that burned to tear me apart.

“You wretch! You dare spurn my kindness?”

“Strip him!”

Several strong men rushed forward, forcing me to the ground.

I fought back, but they ripped away my clothes. My vestments and talismans were shredded into pieces.

I folded my arms across my chest to hide myself, yet Noah still caught sight of the pus-filled sores across my body and cried out in disgust. “What’s that? Revolting…”

“Charles Lawson, it’s said that fools in the countryside live wretchedly. They’ll even bed old women just to get a meal, and end up diseased with no cure.”

“Look at the boils all over him. Could he have caught something from those women?”

Vivian’s gaze fell on me.

One glance, and she vomited in revulsion.

“A rotten cucumber like you. Letting you near her would only disturb my great-grandmother’s spirit!”

“No need for baptism. Just drag him out and bury him!”

But I raised my voice. “This is the price I pay to send Lawson Residencers on!”

“They bear heavy sins. Without me calling the names and carrying the coffin, calamity will strike! Even their descendants will suffer!”

“Crows circle your roof—it’s the sign of spirits demanding revenge! I must call the names and carry the coffin before midnight to send Mrs. Lawson away!”

“It’s less than twenty minutes to midnight. Let me in—there’s still time!”

As soon as I finished, a murder of crows wheeled over the Lawson mansion, refusing to disperse.

Their shrill cries pierced the still night, and for the first time, a trace of hesitation flickered in Vivian’s eyes.

Noah tugged at her arm, speaking with disdain. “Isn’t it normal for crows to appear in the countryside? Stop falling for tricks!”

“Miss, you’ve studied abroad for years, receiving the best education. Do you still believe such absurd talk?”

“In my view, he should be buried, and Mother Teresa can exorcise the so-called evil from him. Then we’ll see if he dares spout nonsense again!”

Noah raised his hand, and at once someone shoved me toward a nearby pit.

I glanced down—the hole was as deep as a man’s height—and instantly realized Noah never intended exorcism. He meant to kill me!

My frown deepened, and I warned Vivian once more.

“You broke my soul-calling incense and destroyed my vestments. Those spirits are already stirring!”

“If you won’t let me in, then when midnight strikes, the Lawson Family will be buried alongside you for your ignorance!”

Noah rolled his eyes. “Ridiculous! Monsters don’t exist in this world.”

“Even if they did, the Lawson Family has Mother Teresa. I hired her to protect us. Nothing will happen!”

“You little fool, you’d better worry about yourself first!”

He shoved me into the pit, and soil was thrown over me immediately.

Unwilling to wait for death, I clawed at the earthen wall, trying to climb up.

But Noah had men guarding the edge. Each time I surfaced, a shovel cracked against my head.

Blood streamed down my forehead, dizziness threatening to overwhelm me.

Yet Vivian and her bodyguards only roared with laughter at my wretched state. “Miss, look—he’s just like a dog!”

“Why not keep him alive? Throw him in your amphitheater to fight wild beasts for entertainment. Wouldn’t that be amusing?”

Vivian kicked the man between the legs.

“Idiot! My imported beasts are priceless. Ten of him couldn’t match one of them.”

“And he reeks of disease. You want me to lock him with my precious creatures? Do you want them dead?”

“Yes, yes, of course! How could I forget? This fool deserves to die! Let’s bury him!”

The soil quickly rose against my chest.

I struggled to breathe, yet forced out words one by one.

“Vivian… you’ll pay for this folly!”

“With a descendant like you, the Lawson Family is bound for ruin!”

Vivian spat thick phlegm into my face. “Bastard! Still stubborn on the brink of death!”

“Looks like I’ve been far too merciful with you!”

Beside her, Noah’s eyes shifted slyly, and he offered a cruel idea.

“Miss, why not bring Black Tiger over?”

“He’s been training to hunt live prey recently.”

The moment he finished, they wheeled out a cage holding a Tibetan mastiff as massive as a tiger.

Catching the scent of blood from my head, it grew frantic, snarling and growling nonstop.

Vivian, delighted by its reaction, lifted her hand to signal its release.

But before she could, a powerful voice cut through the night.

“What are you doing!”

I looked up and saw the village chief appear at the Lawson Family gates.

His eyes fell on me—half-buried, my bloodied head exposed—and his whole body trembled with fury.

“You’re insane! How could you treat Lucas Lawson like this? He’s the village guardian! Dig him out at once!”

Vivian shrugged.

“Who are you?”

“Old man, I suggest you mind your own business! Otherwise, I’ll bury you along with him!”

The village chief ignored her and picked up a shovel, trying to dig me out of the dirt.

As he worked, he spoke.

“Lucas, don’t blame them. These young ones have been away too long and don’t understand the village rules.”

“Once you’ve safely sent Mrs. Lawson off, I’ll personally bring them to your house to apologize.”

I glanced at the thickening black mist rising over the Lawson Family mansion and said evenly,

“Let’s send Mrs. Lawson first.”

The chief quickened his digging, but Vivian’s rage flared.

She stepped forward and shoved him down. “Old man! Are your ears stuffed with donkey hair? Can’t you hear me?”

“He’s a fraud! He came to my great-grandmother’s funeral just to freeload. If you speak for him again, I’ll punish you too!”

The chief’s face turned crimson.

“When someone in Lawson Residence dies, the guardian must call the name and carry the coffin. That is the rule!”

“You’re young, so I’ll overlook your rudeness. But if I delay and your great-grandmother turns into a zombie that harms your family, we’ll see how you feel then!”

Before Vivian could respond, Noah burst into laughter beside her.

“Old man, your imagination is wild. Turning into a zombie? Do you think you’re in some horror film?”

The nun he invited shook her head.

“Country fools! A funeral is simply a time for the living to mourn. You invent monstrous tales just to earn more money. God will not forgive such lies!”

Vivian sneered. “You defend this idiot so fiercely. Has your wife been with him before, perhaps?”

“You’re shameless—protecting an adulterer even after being branded one. Since you care for this fool so much, I’ll grant your wish!”

Vivian flung open the cage of the Tibetan mastiff. The next instant, the beast, smelling blood, lunged at me.

At the critical moment, the chief stepped in front of me.

Its fangs tore through his arm, but through clenched teeth, he still said,

“Lucas, go! Enter the Lawson mansion and call the name, carry the coffin for the old lady…”

I shook my head. “It’s already too late.”

Before anyone could react, the gates of the Lawson residence burst open. A housekeeper ran out, pale with terror.

“Something’s wrong! The old lady… she sat up in her icy coffin!”