Master Zachary Wu stayed at my house for several days. Every day, my father would tell him about some of my strange past incidents, and finally, this time, Master Zachary Wu spoke a little with my father.
"Old Zhang, how about I call Ethan Zhang back, and you..."
Master Zachary Wu sighed and shook his head.
"Not yet, Ethan. Ethan Zhang's current condition seems pretty good, but what worries me most is..."
Master Zachary Wu paused. No matter how much my father pressed him, he didn't answer, so my father stopped asking.
"Alright, I won't ask. Old Zhang, what exactly is that Transformation Spirit Technique you mentioned?"
"The so-called balance of yin and yang, mutual complementarity—where there is yin, there must be yang, and where there is light, there is always shadow. It's just a minor technique, nothing too serious. This technique can completely cure certain harmful things in Ethan Zhang's body. Don't worry, if it's necessary, I'll step in."
I stared at Master Zachary Wu in astonishment. My father, reassured, cooked in the kitchen, while Master Zachary Wu wore an apologetic expression. He didn't mention the true power of the technique, nor did he talk about himself.
Seeing this, sorrow welled up in my heart once again.
At that moment, my memory was completely interrupted. I had no idea what happened next. I returned to the dark space of recollection, quietly watching fragments of past memories.
"Ethan Zhang, do you still want to watch?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. I turned around in surprise—it was Ironmask.
"Why are you here?"
"Master Zachary Wu sensed the darkness within you long ago. Ever since that incident in the horror story, he felt it."
As Ironmask spoke, he slowly drifted in front of me, raising a hand to signal me to place mine on his. I nodded.
Gradually, I saw it—that crossroads, the place from the horror story, where we were chased by the Immortality Society and Ghost Syndicate. Redmond helped us, and later I was taken by Lord Shenyan straight to the Forest of Desire.
It was Master Zachary Wu. After everything ended, he went alone toward my home, walking along the street. At that moment, Ironmask suddenly landed right in front of Master Zachary Wu.
Master Zachary Wu was startled at first, then he smiled.
"Is it you?"
Ironmask straightened up. As I watched this memory, it felt as if they had known each other for a long time. Ironmask didn't answer, but began to speak.
"When do you plan to act? If you truly use the Transformation Spirit Technique, you... will die."
Master Zachary Wu shook his head and smiled.
"Yes, I will die. But just as I said seventeen years ago, I will still help Ethan Zhang."
"Why?"
Ironmask spoke, spreading his wings and flying up, arms crossed, looking deeply puzzled.
"Why? Clearly, you could devote yourself to cultivation, make your Taoist arts even greater. Clearly, you could..."
Master Zachary Wu shook his head and smiled again.
"I have my own path, and this is my path. At the end, there is nothing. No matter how well I cultivate, in the end, I am just a pile of bones—nothing remains."
As Master Zachary Wu spoke, he pointed to his heart.
"Here. All along, it’s been here, stabbing at me. Every time I face these things, it hurts here. I can't just stand by and watch. For the Zhang family, ordinary life isn’t bad. As a human, I can help. Most people choose to run away, most choose silence, but my choice is to face my own path head-on."