"Don't even talk about you few; I, Lin Dongzi, can take you all down by myself. Come on, I'll take you on one by one," Dongzi yelled at the dozen or so bodyguards, brandishing his arms menacingly.

None of those dozen bodyguards were amateurs; each one knew his own capabilities and tricks, so they weren't afraid of Dongzi's taunts. They treated it like a joke, and some even burst out laughing. "Hey kid, you were the one snoring loudly earlier, weren't you? What's up? Didn't get beaten up then, so you're looking for a beating now?"

"Fine, bring it on! We're all men here. I'll let you all come at me together. If I, Lin Dongzi, get knocked down by you lot, I'm useless, and I'll call you 'Brother'!" Dongzi had really let loose with this boast. Despite having some cunning, the guy was really going for broke here.

One of the bodyguards, who looked like the leader, strolled casually up to Dongzi and grabbed the collar of his shirt with one hand. "Watch your mouth, kid. We don't know what level you're at, but the ten of us aren't amateurs either. You thinking of taking us all down single-handedly is probably out of the question." The man sneered at Dongzi, then turned back to his 'brothers' and loudly announced, "Boys, I think we should just let him call us 'Brother' now, or maybe we should beat him up good first."

"Totally, this guy has no clue, doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth," after asking this, the dozen or so men behind him started chiming in with jeers. But just as the noise began to rise, a scream cut through the air: "Ah!"

Dongzi slammed his elbow into the face of the man who had grabbed his collar, then followed up by kicking the man right in the face. "Still putting on an act, huh? You dare grab anyone's collar? Are you tired of living?!"

The bodyguards behind froze for a split second. Seeing their comrade getting hit, they pulled out the short clubs they were carrying and rushed forward.

Dongzi was about to charge in and continue the fight, but unexpectedly, two figures flashed past him from behind. With a series of swift movements, the charging bodyguards were all taken down. The men in the back tried to pull guns from their waists, but these two figures were upon them in a couple of steps, leaving the remaining ones bruised and battered, and all their guns were confiscated.

"Gentlemen, this stuff isn't a toy. Keep it safe. Don't blame your flimsy fate if you cause trouble!"

Hearing the man speak this way, Dongzi could hardly believe his eyes and ears. The fighting displayed by these two was too sharp, like watching a movie. "Brother, what you just did was..."

"I've been wanting to beat these guys up for a long time," Zhou Huan said, his expression completely composed. Then he pointed at the bodyguards rolling on the ground and roared, "Let me tell you, we don't object to you following your boss, and we didn't intend to fight you. The main issue is that your boss is too arrogant, and you just served as cannon fodder. Go back and tell your boss that when I, Zhou Huan, do a job, I don't cut corners or deliver shoddy work for anyone."

Some of the bodyguards still tried to resist, but Shi Bingyuan, who had come with Zhou Huan, delivered two swift kicks, taking down the two who had just managed to stand up. "Hunker down! Whoever stands up gets hit!"

Zhou Huan gestured to Dongzi. "What are you waiting for? Keep an eye on them. Anyone who moves gets hit. You few, get rolling and inform your master." With that, Zhou Huan pointed out a few men. These men nodded repeatedly without a second thought, bowed, tucked away the weapons they had pulled out, and ran toward the vehicles.

"Brother, you were absolutely spectacular! This is the first time I've seen you unleash such might!" Dongzi was genuinely awestruck by Zhou Huan's skills, giving him a thumbs-up as he spoke.

Zhou Huan continued, "Keep an eye on them. We're going to start building the coffins. I'll call Tianxiong and Hongkun down shortly." Then Zhou Huan beckoned to Shi Bingyuan and walked aside, dragging three or four bodyguards with him to help unload the wooden planks from the truck.

Under Shi Bingyuan's watchful eye, the bodyguards shuffled after Zhou Huan, helping to unload the truck. A whole truckload of dozens of coffin boards was unloaded.

"Master, why are we using this Dragon Pool Wood?" Shi Bingyuan voiced the uncertainty in his mind.

Zhou Huan smiled faintly. "Heh heh, you'll understand this situation in a while. You don't need me to explain: Dragon Pool, Tiger's Den—only the brave venture in!"

Shi Bingyuan grew more confused the more he heard. He was planning a proper burial for Old Sun, so why all this talk of Dragon Pool and Tiger's Den? His bewildered expression couldn't escape Zhou Huan's notice.

"This Old Master Sun did bad things his whole life, and you think he can just wash his hands clean? There's no such easy way out. Just follow my lead, and you'll learn the whole story when the time comes. That way, the memory will stick better than if I just told you." Zhou Huan casually picked up a coffin board. "Shi Bingyuan, come help me support these two boards."

Shi Bingyuan helped hold the boards steady, and Zhou Huan pulled a handful of long nails from his bag. He held the nails in his hand, the gleaming tips pointing directly at the bodyguards who were exhausted and sitting on the ground.

These men were terrified, afraid Zhou Huan had some hidden move. "Master Zhou, we surrender! Please don't use any Little Flying Daggers or anything—we truly surrender!"

Zhou Huan was baffled by their words. He glanced at Shi Bingyuan, and the two shook their heads at each other before he continued with his work.

"Shi Bingyuan, remember this: for these specific joints, you must use square-section, long steel nails to bind the coffin boards. Because the wood we've chosen is a type of spiritual wood that is difficult to tame and control, these long nails can effectively and firmly connect these boards." Zhou Huan explained the properties of the wood to Shi Bingyuan.

The more Shi Bingyuan listened, the more ashamed he felt. His nearly forty years of experience in funeral rites felt utterly insignificant compared to what Zhou Huan was explaining—a gap as wide as heaven and earth.

"Oh, I understand, Master. But for a coffin, we usually only need four or five boards. Why did you order a whole truckload? What are the extra ones for?"

Zhou Huan hammered nails into the wood with a large mallet, answering Shi Bingyuan's question. "I'm telling you, this whole truckload of boards is because the deceased's family wants to show off their wealth, and their subordinates did this to curry favor with that fat woman, Xiang Jiao. It doesn't matter; even if he brought a whole train of wood, I have a way to use it all."

As he spoke, he pointed toward the bodyguards. "You few, come over here!"

The bodyguards, tired as they were, didn't dare hesitate when Zhou Huan called them. They quickly got up and rushed over to Zhou Huan. "Master Zhou, Master Shi, what are your orders for us?!"

"You few, go call over those men over there. I have a task for you: help me build a spirit platform for the coffin. Then, go call my apprentices to bring out all the gear from my car. We'll burn spirit money here tonight!" Zhou Huan's expression was solemn as he spoke.

"Understood, but... Master Zhou, what kind of spirit platform are you building? None of us have ever built one!" The bodyguards looked troubled.

Shi Bingyuan interjected this time. "Let me tell you, nobody knows how to do something until they do it the first time! Just build it as you see fit. If you build it well, we'll treat you to a late-night snack. If you don't build it well, after we've eaten our fill, you'll have to be our targets to help us digest our food!"

"Yes, yes!" the men agreed repeatedly, turning around to call for help. They also relayed Zhou Huan's instructions to Dongzi.

Dongzi, along with Li Tianxiong and Hongkun, went to the vehicles to retrieve the necessary tools for burying the remains and brought them over to Zhou Huan.

"Apprentices, you just watch them. Dongzi, go prepare dinner. We'll eat first." As he said this, Zhou Huan glanced at the time on his phone. "It's past midnight. Let them build the spirit platform. After it's done, we'll eat, then we'll take turns standing watch over these things to make sure no lonely ghosts come looking for trouble!"

"Understood, Master!" Dongzi went to prepare dinner, while Tianxiong and Hongkun laid out the spirit money, peach wood swords, and other useful magical implements near the coffin.

"Hongkun, come here!" Zhou Huan finished nailing the last coffin board, leaving the very top one unfastened. "Good apprentice, hop in and lie down so I can check. You're the tallest among us!"

Hongkun managed a forced smile. Although he should have happily done what his master asked, Zhou Huan's explanation made him uncomfortable. However, he couldn't voice his feelings and jumped into the coffin readily.

Zhou Huan looked Hongkun up and down according to his frame. The coffin he had built seemed passable, with no major flaws. He then reached down and pulled Hongkun out. "Alright, the coffin is done. We'll put the lid on tomorrow morning when people and the gold basin arrive. Let's go eat."

As they were leaving, Shi Bingyuan spoke up for Zhou Huan. "You brothers building the spirit platform, hurry up! Otherwise, if the evil spirits come out while we're all asleep, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle them, and if you get possessed, we won't be responsible!"

Dongzi worked quickly in the trunk of Zhou Huan's car. Before long, a tent was set up. Inside, Dongzi arranged the food, then opened the tent flaps on both ends. The savory aroma of canned food drifted out, making the bodyguards drool with envy.

Zhou Huan and his apprentices devoured the food like a whirlwind. When only the last piece of cream cake remained, Dongzi held it up, just about to put it in his mouth. At that moment, the bodyguards rushed over to Dongzi with pleading looks. "Masters, slow down! Save a little for us brothers! Our spirit platform is done—though we don't know if it's right—and we're starving!"

"Dongzi, go check if the spirit platform is finished. If it's not done right, make them redo it. Only after it's done correctly will we eat!" Zhou Huan said, standing up. "Let's go. Tianxiong and Dongzi take the first watch. Shi Bingyuan and Hongkun take the second. I'll take the last watch myself! We're going to sleep now, leaving Tianxiong and Dongzi here!"

Just as Shi Bingyuan and Zhou Huan were about to leave, they noticed shadows flickering among the trees on the mountain, accompanied by a rustling sound. Everyone present stared intently.