I walked quickly, already on the small path. Suddenly, I stopped. There was a figure moving fast under the moonlight. I immediately hid in the woods at the side. The person stopped. It was Evergreen Sage. With a sinister grin, he glanced around and muttered to himself.
"Did I hear it wrong?"
Then Evergreen Sage began to cough violently. In the moonlight, I saw him cough up fresh blood.
I swallowed hard. There was definitely something wrong. This Evergreen Sage—his method of subduing the Ironhide Revenant looked convincing to outsiders, but anyone in the Taoist world or familiar with revenants would know it was far too fake. After Evergreen Sage left, I went to where he had stood and glanced down. There were some black bloodstains on the ground.
Then I quickly followed him. When I saw the house, I stopped.
"Fellow Daoist, are you there?"
Evergreen Sage stood respectfully at the door of Luke Chen and asked. The light in the house came on, and Luke Chen walked out.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I just have some business to attend to. I hope you’ll make it easy for me and stop getting involved."
Luke Chen sneered as he spoke.
"That revenant was brought by you, wasn't it?"
Evergreen Sage didn't avoid the question; he nodded.
"It was indeed me. Since you know, please don't meddle any further."
Luke Chen started to laugh.
"I've long since stopped practicing the Tao. I won't meddle in your affairs. Please leave."
With that, Luke Chen turned to go inside. Suddenly, Evergreen Sage moved as if shifting shadows, appearing behind him.
"Only the dead keep silent."
My eyes widened as I watched Luke Chen freeze, unable to utter a word. He collapsed to the ground. Just now, I saw Evergreen Sage seem to stab something into his body.
Soon, Evergreen Sage left. I waited until he was far away before running over. Luke Chen's face had turned green, trembling as he gripped my hand.
"Corpse poison."
I recognized it immediately, and it wasn’t ordinary corpse poison—it was likely from the Ironhide Revenant. With Luke Chen’s cultivation, he would never survive this. The only thing that could save him was corpse jade, but where could I find it now? Before, Rachel Lan also suffered a near-fatal case, and it was Yuna Ji who drew the corpse poison out of her body, saving her.
"I’m afraid there’s no saving me. You must be careful, he came looking for..."
Before Luke Chen could finish, he died. I stared at his body, my teeth clenched. Right now, I was powerless—there was nothing I could do. The opponent was so strong, I wasn’t a match at all.
Immediately, I thought about reporting to the authorities, but then reconsidered. That man was so vicious, he’d already said that the Ironhide Revenant would cause an epidemic. If I reported it, he’d claim it was a disease. And now, Luke Chen’s face was blue-green; it looked exactly like a death by illness.
With no other choice, I could only go back and keep observing how this dream played out.
Early the next morning, more than ten people died in town. All had blue-green faces, just like Luke Chen. I stood quietly outside the magistrate’s office, watching as townsfolk lined up. I kept my eye on Evergreen Sage, and after a while, I understood.
Evergreen Sage asked everyone—no matter their age or gender—for their birth date and time, then did a quick ritual before letting them go. For some, he gave a pill and told them to boil it in water and drink it to be cured.
Evergreen Sage was looking for someone to extend his life. He looked about forty, but maybe he was already over a hundred—after all, he could control the Ironhide Revenant.
Day after day, there were long lines outside the magistrate’s office. The townsfolk went every day. Even the shrew wanted to go, but I stopped her.
"Why won’t you let me go? What if one of us is carrying the disease, then..."
"How could we? I never go out, and you’ve been home these past few days."
It took a lot of effort to convince the shrew. After several days, everyone in town had been checked except for the two of us. But Evergreen Sage didn’t leave—he kept asking in the streets if anyone hadn’t been examined yet.
Eventually, someone mentioned us. That afternoon, Evergreen Sage came to my house. I was copying books, and the shrew didn’t call me. After a while, she came in.
"Zhang Danxiao, hurry out! The Taoist himself has come to check us for the epidemic." I glanced up.
"Got it."
I left the pile of books and walked over. As expected, Evergreen Sage asked for my birth date and time. I made up a set close to my actual age. Evergreen Sage calculated with his fingers, looking doubtful, then left still looking puzzled.
I’d switched the time of birth, but left the rest unchanged. Just then, the shrew muttered beside me.
"Zhang Danxiao, I remember you were born at the hour of the Rat. How could it be...?"
My heart skipped a beat, chills running down my spine. Evergreen Sage turned at the doorway and gave me a cold smile.
Suddenly, I realized what was happening. Why did I get bitten by the revenant? It must be because Evergreen Sage found out Zhang Danxiao’s birth details and could use him to extend his own life.
Without another word, I grabbed all the money and pulled the shrew along, determined to leave town. After a long, forceful explanation, she finally smiled.
"You’re finally willing to take me out for a walk."
When we reached the north side of town, I tried to lead the shrew onto the road, but found I couldn’t move. After a while, I woke up—I was still in the courtyard, facing Evergreen Sage’s cold, sneering face. I tried many times, but no matter what, I couldn’t leave town.
There should be a Taoist in this dream who can subdue the revenant—where is he?
For a whole day, I wandered the streets searching, but found nothing.
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By nightfall, my anxiety grew. The shrew seemed to notice something.
"What’s wrong with you? Jumping at every shadow like you’ve seen a ghost."
"It’s nothing. Go to bed early tonight—I need to copy books."
After sending the shrew to bed, I wondered what to do next. Then I went out, running all over town.
At night, the streets returned to their usual bustle. I blended into the night market, relying on the crowd—he wouldn’t dare make a move.
Sure enough, I soon spotted Evergreen Sage. He seemed to know exactly where I was, probably using a spell to locate someone—since he knew Zhang Danxiao’s birth details.
"Brother Zhang, I felt a special connection the moment I met you. Would you join me for a drink?"
I almost laughed out loud, but quickly held it in and shook my head, saying I had to go home soon.
Evergreen Sage left, but I knew he was watching me from the shadows. His gaze was disturbingly excited.
As the night market closed, I wanted to ask some acquaintances if I could hide at their place, but thought better of it. Instead, I started walking down an empty street.
"Brother Zhang, it’s late—let me walk you home!"
Sure enough, Evergreen Sage followed. I hurried off, but suddenly he accelerated and appeared right in front of me. He slapped a yellow talisman onto my forehead. I stopped, but felt nothing at all. Evergreen Sage burst out laughing.
"Finally found you—the one who can extend my life! Ha ha ha..."
Suddenly, Evergreen Sage began to cough violently, clutching his chest in pain. I still couldn’t move—the talisman on my forehead had no effect. Taking advantage of his coughing, I swung my fist and punched him in the face.
"The person you’re looking for isn’t me."
I roared. Evergreen Sage sat up cross-legged from the ground, suddenly drew a peachwood sword and stabbed it into my chest, then pressed two fingers to my forehead.
Still, I felt nothing. Instantly, I understood and started laughing. I grabbed Evergreen Sage’s fingers, twisted them hard, then kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground again.
"Who are you, really?"
Evergreen Sage’s eyes widened. He seemed shocked that his spells had no effect on me, thinking I must know some sorcery. But he was completely wrong.
Spells work on ordinary people—things like immobilization or soul-shifting. They target the soul first, but what controls the soul is consciousness. My consciousness has been tempered a thousand times; his spells have no effect on me at all.
Suddenly, Evergreen Sage gulped down some wine. As he opened his mouth, a stream of fire shot out. I wasn’t afraid—I blocked it with my hand, and sure enough, felt no heat. I leapt through the flames and tackled Evergreen Sage. He started coughing, black blood spilling from his mouth. I pinned his hands—he was weak, or maybe his body was failing.
"That’s what you get for hurting people. I’ll beat you to death."
I punched Evergreen Sage’s chest over and over. He kept spitting blood, and after a while, he stopped moving. Without hesitation, I tore off his clothes and tied up his hands and feet.
"Who are you, really...?"
"Speak when spoken to, or I’ll beat you to death right now. Answer whatever I ask."
Evergreen Sage was completely subdued. He nodded. I kicked away his wine gourd, then took all his talismans, peachwood sword, and other magical items, and threw them into a latrine. When I came back, Evergreen Sage stared at me in disbelief.
"Are there any other Taoists in this town besides you?"
"You idiot! You threw my things into the latrine—who’s going to control the revenant now? You destroyed my magical tools, so the Ironhide Revenant can’t be controlled anymore."
My eyes widened. I’d just thought to stop him from causing trouble, so I tossed his things into the filthiest place around, figuring it would destroy their power instantly.
"I didn’t think that far ahead."
"Now we’re doomed! Hurry up and untie me!"