Unintended Immortality

The Daoist priest remained seated cross-legged on the bed, calmly looking at him.

“It sounds like this isn’t your first offense.” Even his tone was remarkably calm.

“...” The scholar ghost was immediately startled, his entire body trembling. He realized that he had slipped up in his words.

It wasn’t because he was foolish, but the yang energy in the room was burning like fire. His body was rapidly shrinking, and it took all his energy just to endure the pain. He had no capacity left to focus on anything else.

At this moment, he could only stammer, “But it’s my first offense against you, Immortal Master...”

“I see.”

“Please, Immortal Master, spare my life!” The scholar ghost's form continued to shrink rapidly.

At this rate, he would likely dissolve completely in less than a moment, like snow under the noon sun. Seeing this, the scholar ghost dared not harbor any further tricks and pleaded for mercy with all his might. “Spare me, Immortal Master!”

“Don’t worry,” the Daoist priest said, simply waving his sleeve. Instantly, all the solstice spiritual energy and yang energy in the room dissipated.

Not only was he no longer suffering from the excruciating burn as if being roasted by flames, but it was also the early hours of the morning, when yin qi was at its peak and yang energy was at its weakest. The world was shrouded in darkness.

Once the room returned to its normal state, it felt as though he had been moved from a blazing kiln to the cool and pleasant atmosphere of spring or autumn. He couldn’t help but let out a groan, akin to a fish about to die from being exposed to the sun suddenly returned to the comfort of water.

His body could now move again.

However, in front of this Daoist priest, how could he dare to move? How could he dare to run?

“Theft is not a crime punishable by death. I observe that your body is filled with thick, pure yin qi. While your cultivation is not low, it doesn't seem like you've harmed anyone. Moreover, becoming a ghost is not easy, and I wouldn’t take your life merely for theft.”

“Immortal Master, you’re right. I just have a habit of stealing. I loved stealing while alive, and I still love it after death, but I have never intended to harm anyone!”

“Be that as it may, stealing is still wrong. If you hadn’t stolen from me, I might have let it pass. But since you've come to steal from me, I’ll consider it a fated encounter.” The Daoist priest calmly gazed at the minor ghost before him.

“If you were alive, the laws of earth would govern you. As a ghost, you fall under the jurisdiction of the Earth Gods of the Heavenly Palace. I could send you to the nearest Daoist temple. What do you think?”

“Spare me, Immortal Master! Spare me!” The scholar ghost immediately kowtowed frantically.

“What’s the matter?”

“Immortal Master, you may not know this, but while demons and ghosts are indeed under the Heavenly Palace’ authority, human souls are meant to dissipate into the heavens and earth after death. Therefore, the Heavenly Palace is most severe with us yin ghosts! If you send me to the Heavenly Palace, it’s the same as sentencing me to death!”

The scholar ghost paused before continuing, “Moreover, there are now ghost hunters everywhere. Though their skills may not be high, I’ve heard that many minor ghosts have been captured by them. If you send me to the nearest Daoist temple, I fear... I fear I might not make it to the Heavenly Palace…”

“Oh?” Song You became somewhat intrigued and asked, “You mentioned that there are ghost hunters everywhere—what's that about?”

“I don’t really know the reason,” the scholar ghost replied truthfully. “In recent years, it’s become common to see Daoist priests roaming the land. When they come across minor ghosts, they capture them. If they encounter great ghosts, especially those that have caused trouble, they’ll try to capture them as well.”

The ghost continued, “Even those that haven’t caused trouble—some of them have managed to escape capture, or so I’ve heard. As for me, I’ve never harmed anyone and possess some skill in hiding my presence, which is how I’ve managed to remain free up until now.”

“...” The Daoist priest, still sitting cross-legged on the bed, lowered his eyelids slightly. After some thought, he asked again, “Do you know why they’re capturing ghosts? And what do they do with them afterward?”

“This...” The scholar ghost hesitated. He wanted to give an answer but couldn’t, so he finally said, “I’m not sure about that. But whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

“What do you think I should do, then?”

“D-Dare I ask, what do you mean by ‘what should you do,’ Immortal Master?”

“What should I do with you?”

“You want... my opinion?”

“Speak your mind.”

“...”

The scholar ghost gritted his teeth. “Please, Immortal Master, give me a punishment. Even if it means burning away most of my cultivation skills with yang energy, I only beg to be spared my life. I would be eternally grateful.”

“And will you continue to steal after this?”

“No... I wouldn’t dare...”

“You hesitated.”

“Please, Immortal Master, spare me! I swear I won’t steal again!”

The Daoist priest, growing curious, asked sincerely, “I’ve heard that you died because of theft. Why is it that, even after death, you haven’t learned your lesson and continue to steal?”

“This...” The scholar ghost hesitated once more.

The scholar ghost, being quick-witted, understood that a good answer might help him escape this predicament. So, after hesitating for a long while, he suddenly knelt down on the ground and sincerely said, “Immortal Master, you may not know this, but after a person turns into a ghost, although it may seem like we gain a longer life, much longer than in the yang world, it’s not the same as being alive.”

“Please rise and speak.”

“I dare not...”

“Please, get up.”

“...”Only then did the scholar ghost stand.

The Daoist priest said, “I’m willing to hear your thoughts.”

“I wouldn’t call it an insight, just speaking from my own experience.”

“Very well.”

“When one is alive, eating, drinking, and even the basic necessities of life seem normal. Standing under the sun might feel too hot, but you're still alive. Although people fear death, they still live on. Even with the constant illnesses and misfortunes, there are other comforts,” the scholar ghost said, sneaking glances at the Daoist priest’s expression.

“But after becoming a ghost, no matter how delicious the food may be, it has no taste. No matter how fine the wine or celestial tea, you can’t drink it. When you’re hungry, all you can eat is dew.

“In the first few years after I died, my family would still burn incense for me every year. The scent of that incense was pleasant. But eventually, they stopped, and I had to resort to stealing others’ incense during festivals.

“But the incense from others... it's never as satisfying. I can’t bask in the sun, so I can only wander at night. Not everyone turns into a ghost after they die, so no matter how far you roam at night, whether within ten li or a hundred, you might not even meet another ghost to talk to.

“It’s a lifetime of loneliness—how else could I find joy?”

“Hmm...” The Daoist priest, expressionless, only nodded.

He was already somewhat aware of these things. Long ago, when he had studied at Hidden Dragon Temple, he had read about it in books.

Though the written descriptions in books were detailed, experience gained this way always felt superficial compared to seeing and hearing it firsthand. That was why his conversation with a minor ghost in the mountains of Pingzhou had left such a deep impression on him.

Later, outside Changjing City in Yanhui Peaks, there was an old ghost of several hundred years. The murals and writings on the walls spoke of how it had become lost in loneliness.

Seeing a chance, the scholar ghost quickly continued, “Moreover, after becoming a ghost, it may seem like you've already died once and won't die again, but that's not true. There's still the danger of the soul being utterly destroyed! While alive, if you get sick or break a leg, you can see a doctor and take medicine. If you're beaten, injured, bullied, or even killed, there's the authorities, the government to appeal to.

“But as a ghost, if something goes wrong, how do you get treated? Who can help you? If a ghost gets beaten, hurt, bullied, or caught by a passing Daoist or monk, or even struck by a passing deity, and the soul is scattered, who will care? Where can you seek justice?”

“Go on.”

“I was originally a human, but now feared by people—how could I feel good about that?”

“That makes sense.”

“You can't taste food nor see the light. Most of my human joys are mostly lost, there's nowhere to depend on, no gods to rely on. I’m just drifting around aimlessly night after night, and year after year. How could I live like that?”

At first, the scholar ghost was merely trying to find an excuse to plead for his life, but as he spoke, he became truly emotional. His expression grew complex and pained, almost on the verge of tears. Yet, as a ghost, even crying wasn't possible.

“I don’t even know how I foolishly became a ghost after dying. When I first turned into a ghost, I even felt a bit lucky. But less than half a month later, I was filled with regret. Had I known it would come to this, I would’ve rather died fully and been done with it.”

As he said this, he paused, realizing that he had misspoken. He quickly raised his head to look at the Daoist priest and the cat, who was listening in confusion, and explained, “But I’m too much of a coward. Even now, I wouldn’t dare seek death!”

The Daoist priest could read his mind and only nodded with a smile, saying, “All creatures have the will to survive.”

“Immortal Master, you’re wise!” the scholar ghost quickly flattered, then lifted his head and sneakily glanced at the Daoist. “I've said all I needed to say. I wonder if you would be willing to let me off this time? I promise to turn over a new leaf! I’ll never steal again!”

“I'm afraid that won’t do.”

“Then please punish me!”

“You’re quite the clever one.”

“You flatter me, Immortal Master...”

“I can consider not sending you to a temple or monastery.”

“Immortal Master, please tell me what I need to do!”

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“Please... Go on...”

“Have you ever heard of Mount Ye in Fengzhou?”

“I've heard of Fengzhou, but not Mount Ye.”

“I’ve heard that there are many ghosts there...”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“There are quite a few ghosts...”

The scholar ghost lifted his eyes and stole a glance at the Daoist priest. Only after their gazes met did he speak, “I did hear something a couple of years ago. Some nearby ghosts went to Fengzhou for a visit. When they returned, they said they saw a procession of a hundred ghosts in Fengzhou, all of them newly dead, being led by an old ghost. They didn’t know where they were going…”

“Is that so?” The Daoist priest’s interest was piqued.

“I wouldn’t dare lie to you, Immortal Master!”

“To be honest with you,” the Daoist said, “I’m quite curious about this matter. However, Fengzhou is quite far, and it’s not convenient for me to go there at the moment. You have great cultivation skills, and you’re skilled at traveling by night. Plus, you possess the power to conceal your movements. If you would be willing to go to Mount Ye in Fengzhou to investigate on my behalf, I would be deeply grateful.”

“…” The scholar ghost lowered his head, his eyes darting around as he thought.

Though Fengzhou was adjacent to Angzhou, where Changjing was located, it was still quite a distance away. If he could leave, he would be returning to comfortable territories, like a fish returning to the vast ocean or a bird soaring in the high skies. Unless this Daoist had divine abilities, it would be hard for him to catch him again.

However, this Daoist really did seem to possess divine abilities. And since he dared to let him go, he likely had the means to deal with him if needed.

“...” The scholar ghost stared at the ground, his eyes darting around as he thought. After a moment of hesitation, he looked up and asked, “So, if I go on this errand for you, Immortal Master, will you let me go?”

“No,” came the reply.

“Huh?”

“Your theft was wrong, and you deserve punishment. However, if you sincerely repent and help me with this task, I will certainly forgive you,” the Daoist calmly said while looking at him. “But this journey to Fengzhou is not only far—spanning thousands of li—but also potentially dangerous. If you agree to go, I must reward you accordingly; the task cannot simply offset your punishment.”

“…” The scholar ghost looked up at him, momentarily stunned.

Then, the Daoist added, “If you can complete this investigation for me and return to Changjing, I’ll treat you to a cup of tea.”

“A cup of tea…”

“Yes, a cup of tea!”

The scholar ghost stood frozen for a long while before finally lowering his head, his tone noticeably different from before. “May I ask where exactly Mount Ye is located in Fengzhou? And how should I find it? Once I’ve found it, how do I return to find you, Immortal Master?”

“Mount Ye is to the south of Fengzhou in Zi Commandery of Yinnan County. On the mountain grows a plant called ‘Ghostface Grass,’ which looks like this.” The Daoist showed him the Ghostface Grass. “Wherever this plant grows, there will be many ghosts.”

“Understood!”

“My name is Song You, and I live in the western part of Changjing City on Willow Street, about midway down. There’s a flag at the entrance with the character for ‘Dao,’ and a sign that reads ‘Rodent Extermination.’ You can find me there.”