Unintended Immortality

The next morning, outside the county yamen…

Heroine Wu and a middle-aged man in a green robe walked out of the second court.

The so-called “second court” was where the county magistrate handled civilian disputes. It was less formal than the main court and more suited for mediating civil matters. The magistrate dealt with cases here to avoid offending either party.

The two exchanged glances—one narrowed her eyes, and the other smiled and cupped his hands.

“Your actions are utterly unreasonable!”

“Why do you say that? You took down a bounty, and so did I. You went to Wang Family Village, and I went to Wang Family Village too. Moreover, I even bought some supplies and set them up downstream. If I hadn’t seriously injured that water ghost, how could you, a mere martial artist, have easily dealt with it?”

“Nonsense!”

“How rude...”

“You son of a gun, you’d better watch out.”

The two continued walking out of the county yamen.

Outside, a young Daoist priest, with a calico cat crouched by his side licking its paws.

Heroine Wu paused and looked toward that direction, and the middle-aged man followed her gaze.

Song You smiled, walked over slowly, and greeted the middle-aged man. “I am Song You, a mountaineer from Lingquan County of Yizhou. May I ask who your esteemed master is?”

“You are…?” The middle-aged man frowned, sizing up Song You.

Originally, he had just arrived in Changjing. Due to the high cost of living, he had no means of making a living. He went to the city gate to accept a bounty, hoping to earn some money to establish himself in Changjing.

To catch the water ghost, he spent the little money he had left on ghost-hunting tools, only to discover that someone else had beaten him to it. Now, with hardly any money remaining, he was unwilling to give up.

He had heard that the bounty was claimed by a martial artist from the jianghu, which made him more determined. No matter how skilled a jianghu warrior was, he felt confident he could handle the situation. Furthermore, compared to a martial artist, the county was more likely to credit him with slaying the ghost. Out of desperation, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and lie.

However, he hadn't anticipated that the martial artist had a Daoist companion by her side.

He was quite familiar with the martial arts of jianghu warriors and had plenty of strategies to deal with them. However, when it came to those of the mysterious Daoist sects, he was much less confident.

The jianghu was full of eccentric figures with unpredictable abilities. Sometimes, it was impossible to know what kind of techniques the other party might wield. In a duel of spells, victory didn’t always go to the one with the higher cultivation skills. A moment of carelessness or a failure to notice subtle tricks could result in falling into a trap, and by the time one realized it, they might already be dead.

There were simply too many variables. If he had known this earlier, he would have reconsidered this. But now, there was no way out.

The county magistrate had just warned them that anyone caught lying, fabricating evidence, or deceiving him in court would be severely punished.

The middle-aged man assessed Song You from head to toe and gained a bit more confidence. At least, this Daoist seemed rather young.

“My surname is Lai, given name Mao. My style name is Ziming, and I’m from Jingzhou. It's a pleasure to meet you.” The middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting. “And may I ask what business you have with me?” ȑ

“I see that you, too, are a cultivator with some degree of skill. But even in hard times, one could easily earn a living by performing on the streets and still be well received. Why resort to such underhanded tactics to steal our reward?” Song You asked.

“Sir, there’s no need to trick me,” the middle-aged man replied, unafraid of Song You’s insight into his cultivation level. “It seems you are the companion of this heroine. I have already explained to your companion: I took down the bounty at the east gate the afternoon before last.

“That very night, I went to Wang Family Village and made preparations. I fought with the water ghost, injuring it. Without that, it wouldn’t have fled in your direction, and you wouldn’t have had such an easy time dealing with it. As I am new to Changjing and in a tight spot, I suggested to your companion that we split the reward evenly. However, it seems you two are unwilling to do so.”

“You know very well that’s a lie.”

“So, you are truly unwilling to split the reward...” The middle-aged man scrutinized Song You further. “You and this heroine are working together, yet you refuse to show up in court. Do you have something to hide?”

“I’m just lazy.”

“Heh...” The middle-aged man chuckled twice, clearly not believing him. Instead, he threw Song You's earlier words back at him. “I see that you, too, are a cultivator with some degree of skill. Cultivation is not easy, and sometimes, one must be more magnanimous. If a situation can be resolved peacefully, it’s best to do so. After all, when fists fly, too many things can go wrong.”

“Oh?” Song You’s expression grew more intrigued. “And how exactly do you propose we resolve this?”

“Since there are two of you, I will concede once more. I’ll take eight taels of silver, and you two take twelve. As for the county yamen, we can come up with an excuse that we both agree on, and that will be the end of it. The officials there don’t want to offend people like us anyway,” the middle-aged man suggested. “Afterward, I can even treat you both to some tea. How about it?”

“So, you intend to take advantage of me,” Song You replied with a smile, his tone light.

“I’m being perfectly sincere!” Lai Mao insisted.

“Farewell, then.”

“Sir, are you really intending to test your skills against me?” the middle-aged man asked, squinting his eyes in suspicion. “I’ll say it again: it’s always better to settle things peacefully. When it comes to a fight, no one can guarantee the outcome, be it life or death. If you're unsatisfied, we can still negotiate.”

“My companion already mentioned it before. If you’re in need, we can offer you one tael of silver. Why won’t you accept it?”

“One tael is too little. In Changjing, it’s not enough to cover even a month’s rent.”

“I see...” Song You mused.

“Please, sir, make your intentions clear,” the middle-aged man pressed.

“If you’re only seeking money, I am willing to give you a chance. If you regret your actions, just go to the county yamen and clear things up,” Song You replied. “But if you’re planning to kill me, that’s a different story.”

“That depends on your abilities!” the middle-aged man retorted.

“Farewell. Until fate brings us together again.” With that, Song You turned and started walking away. The calico cat lowered its paw and glared briefly at the middle-aged man before it followed behind Song You in quick, small steps. Heroine Wu also followed after them.

Once they rounded a corner, she quietly asked, “So, how did it go?”

“He has some cultivation skills.”

“What do you mean by 'some cultivation skills'? Can you take him on?” Heroine Wu stayed close to him, speaking in a low voice. “If you're not confident, don’t push yourself. I can take care of him. I’ve seen plenty of these showy jianghu sorcerers. A single slash, and their heads will roll, just like anyone else.”

“Unless something unexpected happens, he’ll likely come to the county yamen in a few days and explain everything.”

“Unless something unexpected happens? So, there’s still a chance that he might not fess up?”

“There’s always a chance for the unexpected to happen.”

“What do you mean by that?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“It’s hard to say,” Song You replied seriously. “But as a disciple of Hidden Dragon Temple, I've seldom encountered such surprises when wandering the world.”

“You’re feeling that confident?”

“Just a little.”

“Didn’t you say he had some cultivation skills?”

“Only a little.”

“He also said that you have some cultivation skills.”

“He was talking nonsense.”

“Is that so?” Heroine Wu nodded. “So, when are you planning to deal with him? I’ll go with you.”

“No need for that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve already dealt with him.”

“...”

Heroine Wu halted for a moment, stunned.

It finally dawned on her that their duel of skills had already begun without her even realizing it. Immediately, she felt a sense of wonder. This battle between cultivators and those of the Daoist sects was indeed different from the confrontations between jianghu warriors. Her eyes lit up as she rushed forward to ask for more details, eager to gain new insights.

***

The middle-aged man stood where he was, staring in the direction they had gone with his brow furrowed. That young Daoist seemed quite confident. Of course, during their brief exchange, he hadn’t shown any signs of weakness—regardless of one’s abilities, when walking the jianghu, you’ve already lost a few points if your aura was weaker than your opponent’s. Aura was something that must never be lacking. That young Daoist surely understood this as well.

Retracting his gaze, he walked along the street. As he moved, he slipped a hand into his sleeve and pulled out a small wooden figurine, about two fingers wide and just shy of the length of a palm. After inspecting it closely and finding no abnormalities, he still tossed it into the corner of the street just to be safe, without breaking stride.

This was his substitute—a wooden figurine. It was also his most remarkable skill.

With this substitute, unless the other party used spells to burn him to ashes or chopped off his head, the harm would be transferred to the figurine instead no matter what tricks they played.

With this in place, he should be safe.

He returned to the temporary lodging he had found and lay down to rest, though he remained on high alert, unwilling to let his guard down.

Lying on the wooden plank, his mind began to wander.

At times, he felt a sudden surge of anger, wanting to find those two and silently dispose of them then claim the entire twenty taels of silver for himself. That would be enough for him to live in Changjing for at least half a year, giving him a stable foothold.

But then he quickly thought that committing murder for twenty taels wasn’t worth it. Moreover, he’d heard that Changjing had been cracking down on such matters recently, so it was best not to act rashly.

At other times, he regretted not giving them more leeway at the time. If he had taken a little less, perhaps they would have agreed. Now, not only had he gained an enemy, but he was also left anxious and unable to sleep peacefully.

Sometimes, he even regretted not taking the initiative and making a move earlier, leaving him in such a passive situation now.

The afternoon passed, and night fell.

He only ate a sesame cake the whole day. Perhaps it was from overthinking, or maybe from hunger, but he couldn’t fall asleep all night.

If someone had been in his room, they would have seen him tossing and turning on the bed. At times, he would frown deeply in frustration from his sleeplessness; other times, he would forcefully relax his brow, trying to calm down and sleep.

But no matter what he did, he simply couldn’t fall asleep. His eyes grew increasingly dry, yet his mind remained sharply clear.

It wasn’t until the dead of night that the middle-aged man suddenly sat up, wide awake. This wasn’t normal! This wasn’t ordinary insomnia!

It wasn’t anxiety or worry keeping him awake! It was the young Daoist’s doing!

“But why?”

Why hadn’t the substitute, which had always worked, failed this time?

There was no time to ponder this. He hurriedly got up and pulled another wooden figurine from his bag. Holding it in his hand, he spun it in circles while chanting a spell.

He muttered softly, repeating the incantation three times. Then, gripping the figurine's head, he applied force.

“Snap!” He had unexpectedly pulled the figurine's head clean off.

“Phew...” The middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief and lay back down, his mind at ease. It was likely already the third watch of the night, and he should be able to sleep now.

However, his thoughts began to wander again.

At one moment, he considered that the young Daoist might indeed have some skill. Perhaps he should swallow his pride and go to him tomorrow to admit defeat, and chalk up the loss of the reward. He could find another way to make a living in Changjing—performing on the streets wasn’t out of the question.

Then, he thought that since the young Daoist had already made his move, if he didn’t reciprocate in kind, he might be seen as weak and someone easy to bully. But if he sought him out, and the young Daoist truly was quite strong, would he escalate the situation? Could it lead to a fight to the death?

Caught in this cycle of indecision, weighing all the possibilities, he found it impossible to sleep. Before he realized it, dawn had arrived.

“Something’s wrong!” The middle-aged man's eyes shot wide open.