Just after midnight, I returned home with Evergreen Sage. The shrew was already fast asleep. I swallowed hard and quietly supported him as he coughed and wheezed incessantly. Maybe it was because I’d pinned him down and given him a beating—he seemed even worse now.
I helped Evergreen Sage into the study. He sat down and grabbed the kettle, gulping down a lot of water. I never liked this guy—after all, he’d caused the deaths of quite a few people.
“Hmph, you idiot. You already knew I brought the Ironhide Revenant here, and that it’s a hair revenant, yet you threw all my tools into the latrine. Now look—the seal on the Ironhide Revenant can only last seven days at most. Without my restraint, if that thing gets loose, everyone in this town will die. Before, only a few died; now, it’ll be tens of thousands. You...”
Evergreen Sage started coughing violently again, clutching his chest as if his heart and liver were about to burst out of his throat.
“Ah, well, I’m really sorry about that.”
I spat out the words viciously, my tone sharp. Evergreen Sage sighed.
“Who wants to hurt people for no reason? You really think I’m just bored? I’ve harmed others in this life, and I’ll pay it back double in the next. That’s why I don’t want to die—my time’s almost up, less than a hundred days left. With death so close, I can’t afford to care about worldly morals anymore. I just want to survive. Once I do, I’ll use what I’ve learned to subdue more evil spirits, take care of more revenants, and help more people. Isn’t that good? Then I’ll be able to save even more lives.”
“Twisted logic.”
I spat out two cold words. Evergreen Sage shot up, ready to argue with me.
“What do you know? Do you have any idea how many years it took me to learn all this, from a novice Taoist to mastering my craft? Twenty years—twenty years of my best youth spent on the path. By the time I looked back, most of my life was gone. And even after all that, what did I get? A life of poverty, always beneath others, always dealing with ghosts, never at peace, destined for hell. Tell me—aside from a longer lifespan, what’s the point of being a Taoist? I can drink but can’t touch women, can’t eat meat, have to stay pure and clean every day. Ha, you tell me, what’s the meaning of our existence as Taoists?”
Evergreen Sage stepped toward me, sticking his head right in front of my face.
“None of that gives you the right to use Taoist arts to harm people. I’ve met plenty of Taoists, and even more with integrity. People like you are a disgrace.”
Evergreen Sage was furious. He slapped his thigh and bared his teeth as he spoke.
“Integrity? Can you eat that? Can it keep you from pain and loneliness when you’re dying? I’m human, after all—humans have desires and fears, especially of death. Sure, I’ve met plenty who aren’t afraid to die, but what did they get in the end? Nothing. Just bones, maybe even used by others, tortured in hell, unable to reincarnate. Do you know how many people I’ve saved in my life? From the day I learned Taoist arts, I made it my duty to uphold justice, subdue evil spirits, save lives. That Ironhide Revenant once terrorized a whole city. I fought it for nearly a month, got poisoned by corpse venom countless times before I subdued and controlled it. With it, I’ve defeated countless evil spirits and villains. Do you know that? Do you know anything?”
I swallowed and looked at Evergreen Sage, who was clearly agitated. He coughed again, nearly collapsing, and I quickly steadied him, helping him sit down.
“Different paths, different goals. But right now, you’re the only hope—I’m powerless. Let me tell you: once a person abandons their nature and faith, they can never truly regain them. You might survive now, maybe even find someone to borrow more years from when you reach another hurdle, but keep doing that and one day you’ll be neither human nor ghost.”
Evergreen Sage sighed.
“You think I want this? Including that guy—if he hadn’t meddled, I wouldn’t have killed him. And when I borrow years, it’s only ten at a time, never more. Since you’re so righteous, why not save me, a dying man? My body’s falling apart. Even if you hadn’t destroyed my tools, my control over the Ironhide Revenant keeps getting weaker. I can’t even use half my power from back then. I can see your will is unusually strong, but if I had all my strength, subduing you wouldn’t be hard.”
I snorted. Evergreen Sage went on.
“For the good of all, so that the Ironhide Revenant won’t bring disaster here—lend me ten years of your vital energy.”