Unintended Immortality

“Gasp!”

In the deep, sprawling mansion, everyone was startled. The more guilty they felt, the more terrified they were now.

“Was that thunder?”

“Is it going to rain?”

“How could there be thunder?”

“Go take a look...”

“T-The sky is full of stars outside, not a cloud in sight...”

“How could there be thunder on a clear night?”

“Could it be… the Thunder God?”

For a moment, the courtyard was filled with murmurs and whispers. After some effort, the group finally quieted down. But they were still visibly shaken, their faces filled with doubt and fear.

“Father...”

“Second Uncle...”

All eyes turned to the elder seated in the main seat. Everyone's thoughts were clear.

No one was unaware that what they were doing was utterly disgraceful, a transgression against the natural order. They already felt uneasy committing such an act, and then, out of nowhere, a clap of thunder sounded from the sky. Now, everyone was on edge, questioning whether to proceed and fearing that, if they did, they might truly be struck down by divine retribution.

The elder himself was no less afraid.

Just then, another servant rushed in, announcing, “Master, the two guests we just sent off have returned.”

“What?”

“Why did they come back?”

“What do they want now?”

Everyone turned to the servant with curious, uneasy glances.

“The gentleman leading them said… that he observed the stars tonight and sensed something amiss here. So, he returned to investigate. Just as he reached the gate, he witnessed the thunder on this clear night and feared that some actions here might be against the natural order, disturbing the balance of heaven and earth...”

The servant glanced carefully at the crowd. “Since the master hosted him for a meal and provided lodging, he felt grateful and came specifically to check in.”

For a moment, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

“Quick, invite him in at once!” The elder immediately stood up.

A moment later, Song You and his companions were welcomed inside.

“Sir...” The elder greeted him at the door, bowing deeply.

“No need for formalities,” Song You said calmly.

The gray-clad swordsman followed behind him with his sword in hand, his expression cold and showing far less respect than before.

They had shown respect earlier because, as strangers, they had been welcomed and treated kindly by the household, which deserved a polite response. But now, knowing what they were up to—even if the tale from the farmer about burying the bride alive wasn’t entirely true—the mere act of tying up a bride to make her marry the dead was intolerable.

It was like that thunderbolt from the heavens. Even if they hadn’t gone so far as to bury someone alive, forcing a bride to marry the dead was enough to warrant a clear night thunderclap as divine warning.

The elder respectfully said, “I heard you mention, sir, that our household has committed some act offensive to the heavens, bringing about the thunder on this clear night. May I ask what you mean by this?”

“You should be more aware of your actions than I am.”

“This...”

“In fact, I can already guess a little.”

“Please enlighten us, sir.”

“There’s an old saying,” Song You began with a calm but fearsome tone, “that the living and the dead belong to separate realms. A ghost marriage for the living harms the natural order; if it’s done willingly, it’s one thing, but if it’s forced, it’s a violation of natural law.”

His voice remained calm, but his words sent a chill down everyone’s spine. “The thunder tonight was only a warning. If you insist on going through with this, I’m afraid disaster will befall your entire household.”

“What sort of disaster?”

“That’s hard to say.”

The elder’s face turned pale with fear as he looked around at his gathered family and friends, each exchanging worried glances.

From behind him, someone asked, “Sir, do you truly mean what you say?”

Everyone could tell that the person who spoke was implying suspicion—that Song You might be a jianghu charlatan, who had returned in hopes of swindling some money after witnessing the unusual clear-night thunder.

But just as Song You turned—

“Boom!” Another thunderclap resounded.

This time, it struck even closer.

The previous thunder had cracked loudly in the sky, but this one struck directly on the roof, sending shards of tiles flying in all directions and scaring everyone inside half to death. Some cried out in shock, others trembled, and a few instinctively ducked, trying to shield themselves.

Song You remained calm and composed.

“As you have just seen, that earlier thunder was indeed only a warning,” he said, “and I returned solely out of gratitude for your prior hospitality and because I sensed that there might be reasons beyond your control in this situation. Had it not been for your warm welcome earlier, everyone here may already have suffered a grave misfortune.”

His tone was sincere, and he spoke without a single false word.

“I assure you that I’ve come back to help, with no intent to take even a single wen, only to aid you in warding off this disaster… Besides, as you’ve all seen, with such an overwhelming display of heaven’s wrath, how could I possibly dare to use it as a trick to deceive?”

Hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

Finally, it was the elder, more experienced than the others, who stepped forward. He cupped his hands respectfully, and asked, “Might I ask, sir, where you are from?”

“I have been cultivating in Lingquan County, Yizhou.”

“Ah, so you are an esteemed master from Yizhou,” the elder said with great respect, continuing, “Could you share with us, sir, any method or trick that might avert this disaster from our Ding family?”

“To resolve a disaster, we must first understand what it is,” Song You replied.

“This...” The elder seemed somewhat hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Song You simply smiled and continued, “Might I ask, where is the bride?”

“The bride?”

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. The bride hadn’t yet officially married into the family; how could they casually show her to someone else?

“Sir...”

“It’s not that I’m making an unreasonable request,” Song You explained calmly. “The wrath of the heavens is fierce, and the Thunder God is angered. If we don’t resolve this soon, a lightning strike would be the least of your worries—greater misfortunes may follow.”

“This...” The elder hesitated, glancing up at the sky, then at Song You’s calm expression and the swordsman’s stoic face. Finally, he gritted his teeth and waved his hand. “Bring her here.”

“Yes, sir...” Immediately, someone went to fetch her.

Shortly after, two large men escorted the bride over. The bride was still in her wedding attire, bound with ropes. Her mouth was gagged, and her head was covered with a red veil.

Once they brought her in, the men stepped back.

“Whoosh...”

Strangely enough, though they were indoors, a sudden gust of odd wind swept through. The wind bypassed everyone else, blowing only upon the bride and lifted her veil.

In the dim candlelight, the curtains swayed and settled. As shadows flickered across the room, they revealed a delicate, youthful face—she couldn’t have been more than in her teens.

Song You glanced at his companion.

“Swish!”

In an instant, the gray-clad swordsman drew his blade, giving it a swift, effortless swing that neatly severed the ropes binding the bride. Not only was she unharmed, but her clothing remained perfectly intact, without so much as a scratch.

Only when he slid his sword back into its sheath with a soft thud did everyone in the room react.

From that single motion, those who were more experienced understood—regardless of the Daoist’s own abilities, even the swordsman accompanying him was no ordinary person.

The swordsman then reached out and removed the cloth gag from the bride’s mouth.

“May you all die a horrible death!” The bride’s first words were a curse.

Song You sighed but said nothing to her. Instead, he addressed the elder, “When I arrived, I suspected that a ghost marriage alone wouldn’t warrant a thunder strike. Now it seems that using a living person for a ghost marriage isn’t the whole story here.”

He paused, then continued, “We came here as strangers, yet you welcomed us warmly. From what we heard among the village folk, you seem to be generally decent people—not the sort to commit heinous acts. So why would you commit such an offense against natural law?”

“It is not our wish either, sir… we are forced into it.”

“What sort of coercion is forcing you into this?”

“...” The elder sighed, avoiding Song You’s gaze. His lips moved as if to say something, but he hesitated. Finally, he said, “Given the situation, sir, do you have any way to help us avert this disaster?”

“This is both divine retribution and a man-made calamity,” Song You replied, his gaze steady on the bride, rather than on the elder. “Since it is a heavenly punishment, how could mortals hope to easily dispel it?”

He continued calmly, “Throughout history, there has only been the concept of ‘atonement’ for heavenly punishments, never one of ‘dispelling.’”

“Atonement?” The elder froze for a moment.

“Precisely.” Song You continued to focus on the bride, his emotions unreadable, though his tone remained steady. “As I said before, forcing the living to marry the dead already disrupts the natural order. But to bury a person alive is an even graver sin, one that will not only bring calamity to everyone here but will also prevent the deceased from finding peace. There is no ‘solution’ for this.

“However, heaven is compassionate, and the deities above often welcome those who repent and change. If you halt your actions immediately, you may escape death. If you continue to make amends, you might even avert some of the consequences.”

“This...”

“Are you still unwilling to speak, elder?”

The elder sighed deeply before finally admitting, “I won’t hide it from you, sir...”

He exhaled long and heavily, and at last began to explain, “We are not malicious people. In this village, we have always lived in harmony with the villagers, never oppressing them. On the contrary, we’ve shown kindness to the people in the surrounding areas. But some time ago, our household was suddenly plagued with unrest—strange occurrences and disturbances. Then, around ten days ago...”

He glanced over at the black lacquered coffin in the main hall. “My eldest grandson, my only grandchild, suddenly fell ill and passed away.”

“And then?”

“After my grandson’s death, the disturbances worsened, and several others in the household died in succession. We’ve even occasionally seen their ghosts wandering around. Just when we were at our wit’s end, a wandering master happened to visit...”

“Go on,” Song You prompted gently.

“The master told us that it was due to a shift in the feng shui of our ancestral graves,” the elder sighed. “He said that if this goes on, our family line would soon be cut off entirely, bringing endless misfortune, and those who die could turn into vengeful spirits. I once had three sons, but now only one remains, and my only remaining son had only a single son… who now lies in the coffin.”

“I see.” Song You nodded, sensing there was indeed something unusual here.

“And how did he propose to resolve it?”

“The master took measures to temporarily halt the disasters and found a geomantic site for us. He told us we needed a girl with a unique bazi[1]to marry my deceased grandson in a ghost marriage and be buried with him. Only then, he claimed, would the curse be lifted. Otherwise, the hundreds of lives in this household might all be lost.”

“So you were indeed planning to bury this young girl alive,” Song You said, shaking his head. “Truly a ruthless decision.”

“This was my decision alone and has nothing to do with anyone else.”

“Don’t deceive yourself.”

“It was a last resort...” the elder sighed again. “But I did not treat the girl unjustly. Her parents passed away recently, and they had yet to be properly buried. I provided for their funeral expenses and purchased the girl from her uncle, giving him enough money to last a lifetime, hoping that this might somehow serve as a small compensation.”

Song You pursed his lips, remaining silent, feeling the twisted blend of kindness and cruelty.

To call this elder evil wouldn’t be entirely accurate—he could warmly host unknown travelers and was reasonably good to the villagers. But to call him good wouldn’t fit either—he was willing to bury an innocent girl alive. And after making these so-called compensations, they all seemed to feel a bit less guilty.

The mismatch between good and evil here was largely justified by a mindset that simply didn’t view people as humans. Their own lives were valuable because of their wealth and influence. Ordinary people, on the other hand, were sometimes regarded as less than human.

“Helping the young girl’s parents with their funeral was indeed a kind act, but it was only kindness toward her parents. The money you gave to her uncle was generous, yet it was merely a favor to him, not to her,” Song You continued. “Whether it’s for peace for the deceased, family lineage, or to lift the curse, burying someone alive is against the natural order and cannot be condoned.”

“Please, sir, guide us!” The elder was nearly on his knees.

“As I said, stop here and repent, and atone for your sins—that is the only way to lift this curse. Otherwise, even if the authorities forgive you, and even if the Thunder God pardons you, Heaven itself will not. You will all suffer disasters in this life, and in death, you’ll face the deepest hell, punished by an inferno.”

“This...”

“While the girl has not yet been married to your deceased grandson and remains unharmed, it’s still not too late to stop. Doing so will at least spare you from the death penalty in this life,” Song You advised.

“That’s well and good, but if we stop now, how can the Ding family rid ourselves of these recent calamities?” the elder asked, still desperate.

Song You stood still, meeting the girl’s gaze.

Her face was initially filled with despair and resentment, and she thought everyone here deserved the worst of punishments in the afterlife. But as she listened to Song You, her expression began to change, with a glimmer of hope dawning in her eyes.

Song You looked back at the elder, locking eyes with his cloudy gaze. After a long pause, he said, “There is a way.”

“Please, do tell, sir!”

“I know a technique that can transform grass and wood into a lifelike figure. If I have the girl’s birthdate and bazi, this wooden effigy can replace her in a ghost marriage with your deceased grandson,” Song You explained, glancing at the black coffin beside him.

The corpse inside had been dead for days, yet no spirit lingered with it. Either the soul had not become a ghost or had been taken away. Either way, there is certainly a Daoist secretly meddling, scheming something unknown.

“You may bury this effigy in her place.”

“This… Can it really work?”

“Bring me some grass and wood.”

“Is there anything specific you need?”

“No, any thin branches or weeds will do.”

“As you say, sir!”

The elder quickly ordered the servants to take lanterns and gather the materials. After the servants returned with the materials, they found it was still insufficient, so they went out once more. This time, they gathered enough.

The Daoist took the grass and branches, and with a few skillful twists, he shaped them into a human figure resembling the young girl. Then he asked for her birthdate and bazi. Finally, he blew a breath over the effigy, scattering a few glimmers of light. In that fleeting moment, the grass-and-wood figure transformed into a human form. It was almost identical to the girl herself, indistinguishable at a glance.

Everyone watched in awe. They couldn’t help but feel that this was truly the work of a genuine master.

1. "Bazi", which means "eight characters" or "eight words" in Chinese, is a Chinese astrological concept that a person's destiny or fate can be divined by the two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour. ☜