"Master..."
I half-squatted in front of Master Zachary Wu and called out to him softly. Zhang Jizheng stood off to the side.
"There isn't much time left, my friend. If you have anything you want to say, do it quickly."
Master Zachary Wu nodded slightly. As the pale blue wrappings receded, his body looked like a withered leaf falling in the autumn wind—about to touch the ground, to rot in the soil.
"Ethan, you don't need to blame yourself. Life and death are part of being human. Today, I simply did what I believed was right. Be good to your parents."
Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over. I choked up, nodding, unable to say a word. Master Zachary Wu gave a pale, weak smile, looking very content, and then slowly closed his eyes.
I knew nothing about his past. The only thing I did know was that he was an old friend my father had known since childhood.
Then, Master Zachary Wu's trembling hand slowly rose, clutching a golden talisman covered in Taoist script. I took it from his hand.
Gradually, the hand he had raised slowly lowered. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Alas, Heaven is clear and Earth is bright, the Great Way is simple..."