Chapter 12: The Price of Immortality

What? Could it be...

Qian Cangyi glanced back. Under the gloomy sky, black shadows hiding among the furniture gradually poked their heads out, like ubiquitous ghosts.

The black shadows did not give chase, yet they displayed that same terrifying grin once more, as if mocking the two men for their overestimation of their own abilities. Seeing this, Qian Cangyi felt a chill run through his entire body; even his breathing grew heavier.

"We are heading to the back mountain," Eagle Eye said, letting go of his hand.

"I will read as we walk," Qian Cangyi nodded, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Chenxi’s house was quite close to the back mountain, and the two could already see the path leading there, though it would still take some time to reach.

"The black shadows aren't attacking us; they are likely waiting for the sun to go down," Qian Cangyi felt deeply anxious.

In June, the sun sets around 6:30 PM. However, with dark clouds looming over Yuxi Village, the light was already quite dim. Even before the sun actually set, the visibility around 6:00 PM would be nearly as dark as night. Not only would it be difficult to trace the movements of the shadows in the darkness, but even walking would become hazardous.

One hour was the remaining time they had in relative safety; an hour and a half was the absolute limit for their survival.

"We don't have much time left," Eagle Eye turned his gaze toward the horizon, his expression grim.

Qian Cangyi immediately opened the notebook. The name written on the title page was Li Chenxi.

[Dedicated to those fated ones who, like me, seek eternal life.]

[At first, I thought the Death Sacrifice only affected me, but I never imagined it would impact all of Yuxi Village.]

[Although there is some regret, it is not all bad; this way, I will no longer be lonely after achieving immortality.]

[What is the purpose of being alive?]

[For the past few years, I have been searching for the answer to this question.]

[When talking about eternal life, many people think of ancient emperors searching for elixirs of immortality, and various rumors abound.]

[However, I am curious: are ordinary people truly uninterested in eternal life?]

[Obviously not. Even the common elderly think about how to live longer.]

[From this, it is evident that everyone's fundamental goal is to extend their own life, because only by being alive can one possess anything else.]

[Living is the foundation of everything.]

[I want to live. There is no cure for my illness; the doctor said it might be a genetic disorder and that I would need to go abroad for testing.]

[Heh.]

[Just the cost of seeing the doctor at the hospital has already drained almost all of my savings. Abroad? Perhaps in my next life.]

[I am incapable of doing anything; I can only stay in Yuxi Village, waiting for death to arrive.]

[Others at my age are traveling far and wide, but I am different—I am already waiting to die.]

[I don't want to die. I want to live.]

[Every night before I fall asleep, I repeat this to myself.]

[In the past, I would always mock those who prayed to gods and Buddhas, but now, I find myself rather pitiful. If I were like them, at least I would have some spiritual sustenance now. Even if it were a lie, I would rather be deceived.]

[I can no longer bear the fear brought by death. It gnaws at my brain like a maggot in the bone, 24 hours a day, leaving me with a splitting headache.]

[Until two days ago, June 9th. From that day on, everything became different. That day, I happened to find a black stone tablet on the back mountain.]

[The tablet was small, a rectangular block about the height of an ordinary chair and as thick as a thumb's width. It was carved with strange symbols, each spaced equally apart. The symbols were obscure and difficult to comprehend—I had never seen anything like them before; they looked like a tangled ball of yarn.]

[I brought the tablet home, intending to study it carefully, since I had nothing else to do anyway.]

[That night, I had a dream—a bizarre dream.]

[In the dream, I traveled upon the wind, roaming the four seas, until finally, I landed in a village. The people there welcomed me with great hospitality upon seeing me.]

[At the dining table, I noticed that none of the villagers took a bite; they merely watched.]

[After asking, I learned that they had already achieved immortality. They no longer needed to eat or drink, nor did they need to sleep. Every day, they were happy and carefree.]

[I became curious and asked how I could achieve immortality like them. They led me to the village ancestral hall.]

[The plaque hanging on the hall read "Shrine of the Death Sacrifice." Inside, no ancestors were enshrined; instead, they worshipped a black stone tablet.]

[The villagers told me that the black stone tablet was called the "Death Sacrifice Stele." Without it, one could not hold the Death Sacrifice, and the secret to eternal life was hidden within the ritual.]

[The Death Sacrifice, a ritual to honor death—once performed, one would no longer be troubled by death and could exist in this world forever.]

[After hearing their explanation, I was exceptionally excited and hurriedly asked how the ritual should be performed.]

[The villagers were very happy to hear my request and held me there for three days and nights, repeating the method for the Death Sacrifice over and over until I couldn't forget it even if I tried.]

[Before I left, the villagers warned me repeatedly that during the performance of the Death Sacrifice, the Stele was extremely fragile and must be protected at all costs.]

[I thanked them and left, riding the wind.]

[When I opened my eyes, the sky was beginning to brighten. As I sat up, my mind was flooded with memories of how to conduct the ritual.]

[Was it the Stele that sent me that dream?]

[I don't know if it was, but I decided to perform the Death Sacrifice.]

[White candles, paper money, a strange dance, and an incomprehensible chant—fortunately, I remembered them all.]

[The preparation took me all morning; it wasn't too long. In the afternoon, I carried the Death Sacrifice Stele to an open space on the back mountain. The ritual required a spacious area, and besides, I didn't want to be seen by the villagers of Yuxi.]

[The clearing on the back mountain is a very quiet place; most of the time, no one is there.]

[Once everything was prepared, I began the ritual. First, I lit the candles and placed them around the Stele—sixteen in total. Then, I lit the paper money and scattered it into the air.]

[Next, I began to dance around the Stele while chanting the incantations, or perhaps they were ballads.]

[At first, my movements were a bit clumsy; after all, I have no talent for dance. But after two minutes, my movements became increasingly fluid, as if I had performed them countless times before. Suddenly, I realized: it was not I who was dancing, but the Death Sacrifice Stele controlling me.]

[The Death Sacrifice... had begun!]

[The strange characters on the black stone tablet actually began to quiver, as if they were about to leap off the stone. The next second, they did indeed jump from the surface, floating in the air and swaying in rhythm with my dance. I had never seen such a miraculous sight.]

[A peculiar power flowed through my body, sustaining me and urging me to continue. In that moment, I felt that I would never stop.]