I'm almost done for. My arms feel like they're about to snap, and the Ironhide Revenant's head keeps lunging at me, snapping its jaws. I swallow hard, fighting back with all my strength, foam spilling from my mouth. Its claws have already pierced my skin.
My face has turned green. If I’m not strangled by the Ironhide Revenant, I’ll be bitten to death. Just then, I notice The Shrew standing up. With great effort, I twist my neck and glance over. She grabs a chair and charges toward me.
"What are you doing to my husband?"
With a loud crack, the chair splintered, wood chips flying everywhere. The Ironhide Revenant turned angrily toward The Shrew, loosening its grip slightly.
"Why are you coming over here? Run! Go get help!"
But just as I finish speaking, I see The Shrew slowly prying the Ironhide Revenant's hands off my arms.
"When it comes to strength, I never lose!"
With a whoosh, the Ironhide Revenant suddenly flew into the air. The Shrew, startled, clung tightly to its arm.
"Why are you holding on? Let go!"
I shouted, and only then did The Shrew snap out of it. My eyes widened as, with a thud, The Shrew landed squarely on my head. The impact was far greater than anything the revenant could muster. Dazed, I sat on the ground with her on top of me. She quickly scrambled up, while the Ironhide Revenant, now upside down, reached toward us with its claws.
"Try to grab him."
I shouted, and as The Shrew got up, she gripped the Ironhide Revenant's wrists, then pinned the creature to the ground.
"Ethan, hurry up and run, run!"
I rolled over, wiped the blood from my nose, got up, and lunged forward, grabbing the Ironhide Revenant's waist, trying to pin it down. The Shrew firmly controlled its hands. With a bang, the revenant crashed to the ground. I took a stone and smashed it onto the protruding spike on its spiritual cap.
With a bang, the Ironhide Revenant roared in fury, suddenly flying up and taking both me and The Shrew into the air.
Amidst cries and shouts, The Shrew screamed in terror.
"Hold on!"
The Ironhide Revenant spun us around in the air. I kept aiming for its spiritual cap, smashing it with the stone. With a bang, the revenant suddenly fell toward the ground.
We crashed to the ground. I flew out, rolling several times before finally stopping. The Ironhide Revenant lay motionless on the ground.
The Shrew sat on the ground, crying loudly. The commotion seemed to alarm the neighbors, and soon people from nearby rushed over. As soon as they saw the Ironhide Revenant, they tried to flee. I shouted for help, explained the situation, and everyone worked together to carry the revenant to the authorities. Some officials arrived, and we discussed what to do next. Someone started digging a pit. I said the revenant's head should be exposed above ground, and some people went to find a blacksmith.
I looked at the wound on my neck, itchy and sore. It must be zombie poison, though not too serious. I just need to apply the special sticky rice paste for a few days and it should be fine.
Back home, The Shrew was still in shock, sitting on the ground with vacant eyes. I walked over and waved my hand. She burst into tears again and hugged me. After comforting her, I noticed her hands were scratched by the Ironhide Revenant, but thankfully, the nails weren't long enough to embed in the flesh, so the zombie poison wasn't too severe.
After comforting The Shrew, I returned to the government office. A large pit had been dug, and the Ironhide Revenant was placed inside with its head exposed. Pouring iron water directly wouldn’t work, as it could make the revenant go berserk and push out the long spike in its spiritual cap. So, we first covered its body with cement, then poured iron water.
The blacksmiths gathered outside the office and started a fire to melt iron.
When the sun came out, the place was crowded. Everyone was helping each other. I shouted, asking if anyone knew a real Taoist, but no one did.
The situation became extremely difficult. This method could only restrain the Ironhide Revenant for a while. Once the spike in its spiritual cap lost effectiveness, the pit wouldn’t be able to contain it.
By noon, the cement had set. The blacksmiths used stone slabs to reinforce the bottom and sides of the pit, making it as strong as possible. The pit was nearly four meters wide, the largest we could manage that day. Next, they began pouring the iron water, continuously.
By dusk, a massive block of solid iron sealed the Ironhide Revenant inside. As night fell, the revenant awoke. I declared I would keep watch here. Many people left in fear. A large bell was installed at the office entrance—if the revenant escaped, I would ring it to alert the town. Some people began searching for a Taoist outside, but I tried to leave and couldn’t.
Above my head, more than ten lanterns lit up the area. The Ironhide Revenant struggled but couldn’t move. Its blood-red eyes glared at me.
I swallowed, quietly watching the Ironhide Revenant.
"Staring at me won't help. I'm not your enemy. If you understand, I'll let you go. Don't harm the townsfolk anymore."
As I spoke, the Ironhide Revenant wailed, its mouth wide, spewing corpse gas. I quickly stepped back, covering my nose.
"Stop yelling. Do you understand? I'm Ethan Zhang, not Changqingzi."
All night, the Ironhide Revenant kept screaming. By daylight, it closed its eyes as if sleeping, but I knew it was recovering. The spike in its spiritual cap was losing effectiveness, and the iron block wouldn't hold it much longer—ten days at most. I saw cracks forming in the cement below its neck as it struggled.
A week passed. Fewer and fewer people remained in town; nearly two-thirds had fled. Some stayed to finish business before leaving, families in tow. I wanted to escape too, but couldn't.
I told The Shrew to go back to her family first. She refused, insisting I go with her, but when I tried, I couldn't leave town. I said I was just keeping watch for everyone and would run if anything happened.
Eventually, The Shrew left too. By the eighth day, she was gone. Though we patched the cement, I noticed cracks forming at the edges of the pit. The massive iron block was being pried open bit by bit by the Ironhide Revenant. Things were getting worse.
On the tenth evening, the local gang leader arrived with the last group of people.
"Ethan, are you really not leaving?"
I forced a smile and said there were still people in town, so I'd stay behind. The gang leader looked at me helplessly.
"Take care. I remember if you keep heading east out of town, there's some kind of Taoist temple, though people say it's fake and not very popular."
"Damn, why didn't you say so earlier?"
The gang leader looked at me in surprise and retorted.
"Isn't it just a fake Taoist like Wang Daxian? What's the point?"
It was just past noon. Without another word, I ran toward the east side of town. I could get out. Elated, I ran down the main road. Aside from a few side paths and forks I couldn't take, the road seemed to lead directly to the Taoist's residence. I swallowed hard.
Finally seeing hope, I ran almost the whole way. By dusk, I had no idea how far I'd gone. A mountain rose to my left, and the road ahead seemed blocked like a wall, but I could go left, so I did.
Soon I saw a stone path leading up the mountain, old but very clean, as if someone swept it daily. The trees on both sides were neat rows of pines and cypresses, and the road wound upward.
Gradually, I saw a small archway with four bold characters: 'Return to Purity.' The calligraphy was powerful, radiating righteous energy. I swallowed, a little puzzled, but this time I'd found a real Taoist.
At the mountaintop was a clean, tidy courtyard with a well in the center. Opposite was a small Three Pure Ones Hall, flanked by rows of houses. I looked over and saw, sitting calmly before the statues, a Taoist in gray robes, long hair tied up, his posture resolute.
"Master Taoist..."
I called out, but the Taoist before me did not respond. I watched closely—his temples were already graying, but his skin was pale with a healthy flush. I waited quietly as the sun slowly set. At last, the Taoist moved.
"You’ve come because of the revenant, haven’t you?"
A deep, clear voice rang out. I stared at the Taoist, feeling a strange sense of familiarity. His voice was unmistakable. When he smiled, I was stunned—he turned toward me, and I gaped in disbelief, dropping to the ground.
"You..."
The Taoist looked displeased at my rude behavior.
"I am Zhang Qingyuan. My Taoist name is Yuanliu."
I was speechless. The man before me, though not handsome, had a strong face, righteous eyes, and a gentle air. He looked about forty, but every feature was mine—Zhang Qingyuan—just with a different hairstyle. He radiated an aura of purity, like a towering mountain under the clear sky.
"Why are you...?"
I hurried over. Zhang Qingyuan looked at me in puzzlement.
"May I ask, is something wrong, guest?"
"I am Zhang Qingyuan, and you are Zhang Qingyuan. What is going on?"
The Taoist, who looked exactly like me, glanced at me in confusion, then burst out laughing.
"Same name and surname?"
I shook my head immediately.
"No, you look exactly like me."
Then Zhang Qingyuan pulled me to a large basin. Looking at myself now, I was thin and sickly. I remembered that since entering the dream, I hadn’t looked in a mirror or washed up. The situation was hard to accept, but I quickly focused on the Ironhide Revenant and explained everything to this Zhang Qingyuan.
After a while, I finished explaining. Yuanliu nodded, his eyes serious as he stared at me.
"In my life, I do not save three kinds of people: the greedy, the ungrateful, and those without hope. Which are you, Ethan Zhang?"
I swallowed. The Taoist Zhang Qingyuan stared at me with piercing eyes. I swallowed again.
"None of those. Please help me, Master Taoist. The Ironhide Revenant has already killed many."
With a sudden swish, I stared wide-eyed as a streak of bright white light shot from the Three Pure Ones Hall. Zhang Qingyuan raised his left hand, gripping a sword with a black upper sheath, white lower sheath, and gray middle. Its hilt was a strange triangle—an utterly unique blade.
A breeze stirred. A lock of hair drifted across Zhang Qingyuan’s left brow. A giant wine gourd, adorned with Bagua and Taiji symbols, slung itself onto his side. Smiling, he strode forward, glancing back at the Three Pure Ones statues.
"You old fellows, I won’t cause trouble. Just going out for a bit—won’t be long. It’s only an Ironhide Revenant."
I swallowed. The feeling this Zhang Qingyuan gave me was just like the future Zhang Qingyuan: powerful, profound, his aura awe-inspiring.
"Let’s go, Ethan Zhang. I’ll descend the mountain, slay monsters and demons, uphold the righteous way."