The male supporting character was actually myself.

The high-quality glass didn't shatter completely, but instead was smashed into a hole about the size of a bowl, with sharp shards of glass around the edges. He had a brilliant plan: he could simply reach in, open the latch, and climb in to do his thing!

"Bang! Crash!"

The sound of shattering glass startled Liao Yuzhou, and the little white cat crouched on her head, poised to pounce.

He Yongqiang, who was in a hurry to get things done, didn't mind the sharp glass shards and directly stretched his arm in to grope around looking for the latch.

"Thief! Help! Someone's broken into my house!"

Seeing an arm reaching in and causing trouble, Liao Yuzhou took a deep breath, mustered her courage, shouted "Stop thief!" and used the awl in her hand to stab the other person's arm repeatedly.

"Well done! You truly deserve to be my host's wife!" The fluffy ball bounced around excitedly, trying to avoid the protagonist's halo while helping to grab the other person's sleeve so he had nowhere to escape.

The thick, long, and sharp awl left a deep, bleeding wound wherever it pierced, causing He Yongqiang to scream in pain and try to break free and escape.

However, a situation that caused him both pain and panic arose—his sleeve was being pulled by something heavy and impossible to move; his right arm, which he had extended inside, was being poked around and was trembling with pain; and for some reason, his legs were completely immobile, as if they were being held by invisible hands…

He Yongqiang thought of the restless spirits from last night, and he was terrified. His arm was in so much pain that he tried to pull it out, but the sharp glass shards cut him and left bloody welts.

"Mother! Come save me!"

"Help! Mother, there's a ghost!"

"Help! Someone, catch the thief!"

The shouts of a man and a woman were even more jarring in the quiet mountain village at night, especially the man's howls, which were tinged with sobs, and quickly alerted the neighbors.

Upon hearing her son's voice, Qian Shuandi jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and ran outside, shouting, "Dad, hurry and see what's wrong!"

"Damn it, I definitely lost the bet..." He Gousheng grumbled as he slipped on his shoes and ran outside.

So, a number of villagers who had rushed over quickly gathered in front of He Jiangchen's tall, sturdy iron gate, which was tightly locked with a brand-new iron padlock.

These days, everyone is poor, so the local customs are relatively simple and honest. They have a low tolerance for thieves, and they will come out to see what's going on whenever they hear someone shouting that something is being stolen.

Sometimes, when there's such a lack of entertainment, when a thief breaks into the village and people shout that they're going to catch him, it's as lively as if the whole village is celebrating a festival.

"Huh? Why can we only hear Jiang Chen's family shouting 'Stop thief!' but not Jiang Chen himself? Could he have been attacked by a thief?"

"Are you stupid? Didn't you see the big iron lock on the door? The dog didn't bark either, so He Jiangchen must have taken the dog out before locking the door."

"How did the thief get in? How can we help catch him?"

"Get on the roof! Go over the roof!"

"Quick, quick, something's not right in there. Why is Jiang Chen's family yelling 'Catch the thief!' and the thief is crying and shouting 'Catch the ghost!'"

"Does that sound familiar to you, like the thief's movements? It sounds a bit like..."

"He Yongqiang's voice! Hiss... He's taking advantage of the fact that the man isn't home in the middle of the night..."

…………

The whispers among the crowd quickly elevated the thief-catching incident to a new level.

Breaking into someone's house in the middle of the night to steal is one thing; but for a younger cousin to break into his older cousin's house so late while he's not home... that's a completely different story!

The iron gate was ridiculously high, and the walls of He Jiangchen's house were also outrageously high; the only way to pass through quietly was from the rooftop.

There is a narrow passage between the old house of the neighbor on the right and He Jiangchen's house, and given the height difference, it is impossible to jump over; that leaves only the house of the neighbor on the left, He Gousheng's house!

Moreover, seeing the couple looking panicked and distressed among the crowd, the onlookers holding torches, flashlights, and even lanterns immediately understood what was going on.

The burly men who were shouting about catching a thief on the roof didn't care about anything else. They pushed open He Gousheng's door and barged in. "Brother Gousheng, catching a thief is important, so we'll have to pass over your roof first!"

Qian Shuandi was unsure whether she should stop them.

If we don't stop him, the whole village will know that our son went to steal someone!

If we really stop them, what if our son gets tormented to death by ghosts over there?

His squeaking has changed; he probably didn't get away with it. What should we do?

Qian Shuandi was frantic, and He Gousheng was completely bewildered.

Logically speaking, if a man enters one's house, shouldn't both young wives and young women be afraid to speak up for fear of damaging their reputation? Why is He Jiangchen so reckless in marrying this woman?

If you make a scene, the whole village will know you've had another man in your bed. How will you ever face anyone again?!

Before they could even finish their hesitation, several strong young men had already scrambled onto the roof, shining flashlights into the neighboring yard. He Jiangchen's house quickly became the focus of all the villagers' attention.

Amidst the waving flashlight beams, the woman's confident shouts of "Thief!", and the man's heart-wrenching wails, the first group of young people to reach the rooftop shouted, "No way! There's no ladder in He Jiangchen's yard. Jumping down is too high!"

"What's going on inside?!"

"Hmm, He Yongqiang is screaming and his arm is stuck in the east room window for some reason. His face and body are covered in blood. It seems that Jiang Chen's family is inside. They are all safe for now."

"Where's the ladder? How did He Yongqiang get down without a ladder?"

"I figured he must have hidden it, otherwise how could I not see the ladder?"

"What should we do then? Don't jump, or you might sprain your ankle, that's no joke."

"What else can we do? Let's just watch the show. He Yongqiang is having a blast dancing by the window!"

"Hey, I'll go check it out and broaden my horizons too!"

"It sounds like nothing's wrong. Let's wait for He Jiangchen to come back. Who can open this big iron gate and lock..."

…………

Chapter Fifty-Two: Big Yellow Takes the Stage

"Get out of the way! Everyone get out of the way!"

When He Gousheng saw that his plan had been exposed, he didn't care about saving face. He felt that his son's life was more important. He went up to the roof, pushed the others aside, and looked at the roof, which wasn't too low. He wanted to jump down to save his son, but he was a little scared. His legs were shaking. He stood there, cursing He Yongqiang while giving him advice.

"Why are you still stuck? Pull your arm out!"

"You coward, what are you doing out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Get out of there right now!"

He Yongqiang looked up, his face covered in tears, snot, and splattered blood. He cried out, looking both comical and somewhat frightening, "A ghost! A ghost is grabbing my arm and I can't get it off! I can't move my legs either! Dad, come and save me!"

"How can I save you?" He Gousheng still didn't dare to jump and could only worry anxiously.

Qian Shuandi, who was a little slower than the others, pushed through the crowd to the front and jumped down with great courage, shouting, "My son, don't be afraid, Mom is here to save you!"

The next second, there was a "crack" sound, and she screamed, "Oh my god, my leg! My leg! My leg is broken..."

After the Horcrux tripped over Qian Shuandi and caused her to fall hard to the ground, breaking her leg, she then lingered at the doorway, ready to intervene at any moment to help those who came to her rescue.

Several young men who were initially eager to try also quieted down upon seeing this.

If you jump down and sprain your ankle, how will you get back to work? These next few days are the busy season for planting corn. It's safer and more convenient to stand on the roof and watch the excitement than to jump down recklessly.

So the courtyard of He Jiangchen's house became extremely lively inside and out. The four thugs naturally heard the news and rushed over, but they were stopped from jumping into the courtyard. Instead, they stood on the eaves and shouted into the house to inquire about the situation.

"Sister-in-law, are you alright? Where's Brother Chen?"

"I'm fine, but I'm really scared. Your brother went out to walk the dog and hasn't come back yet. Be careful on the roof!"

"Alright, sister-in-law, don't be afraid, we're all here. He Yongqiang definitely won't be able to escape this time!"

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I'll go look for Brother Chen and ask him to come back and open the door. You drink some water and rest. Don't be afraid of anything!"

"He Yongqiang, you bastard! You piece of trash, why don't you just die already..."

…………

Huang Mao squeezed through the crowd and went down the ladder from He Yongqiang's house to find someone; the other three picked up broken tiles and half-bricks from the roof and aimed them at the crying and jumping He Yongqiang, throwing them at his head.

Jiang Chen used the Soul Artifact to get a clear view of the "crime scene," and then, timing it perfectly, led the specially trained Big Yellow back.

"Brother Chen, you're finally back! Hurry back, He Yongqiang jumped into your yard and harassed your wife, scaring her half to death!" Huang Mao had just left the village entrance when he saw Jiang Chen walking back with his dog, and hurriedly ran to call out to him.

He turned around and called to Big Yellow, "It's our turn. Are you ready?"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

The yellow dog responded excitedly and trotted after its owner all the way home.

"Oh my, you're back! Hurry up and open the door to see your wife!"

"Even such a tall door and wall can't stop it, and there's no adult in the house. What will you two teenagers do if you're left unattended?"

"We must act when necessary; we can't tolerate this kind of thing!"

"They're watching from the roof, don't worry, they couldn't get inside..."

…………

Amidst the villagers' chatter and the angry barking of the yellow dog that had sensed the scent of its "enemy," Jiang Chen used a key to unlock the large iron lock.

"Clang..."

The iron gate was pushed open instantly, and the crowd surged towards Jiang Chen, but Da Huang was at the forefront.

Under the bright, cold moonlight, and illuminated by the people on the roof, He Yongqiang's disheveled state and every move he made were clearly visible to everyone.

"Stab!"

His right arm was stuck in the window and his legs were immobilized. He shouted wildly and struggled desperately to break free, but somehow his waistband popped open with a soft sound, and his cheap, dirty trousers slipped down to his ankles, instantly exposing his underwear.

"Woof! Woof..."

Big Yellow let out an angry roar, lunged forward, bit down on something, shook its head violently, and then ran away with the bloody thing in its mouth.

"Waaaaah! Ouch! Mother, save me!"

He felt a chill in his groin, followed by an indescribable pain that made He Yongqiang gasp and his cries change tone.

The extreme pain drove him mad, wildly swinging his arms. The fluffy ball couldn't hold on any longer and was almost thrown against the wall. It finally let go, panting heavily and meowing, "I tried my best... I'm so damn tired, meow..."

He pulled his right arm out of the window, still pressed against the shards of glass. The Horcrux that had been "locking" his legs was now loose. He Yongqiang collapsed to the ground, clutching his groin, rolling around and wailing, "My manhood... Mother, save me!"

In the blink of an eye, from the moment Da Huang charged forward and perfectly coordinated with the soul weapon controlled by Jiang Chen, to the moment it struck and turned to run away, and He Yongqiang fell to the ground, howling in pain twice before fainting and becoming motionless, the whole process took only a dozen seconds.

The crowd on the rooftop and those who had crowded into the courtyard hadn't even realized what was happening before it was all over.

"Oh my god! He Yongqiang's thing got bitten by a dog!"

"Okay, it looks like it was bitten off, but I can't see it very clearly!"

"Quick, quick, stop waving your flashlights around and shine them all on He Yongqiang to see what's going on..."

…………