Chapter 79: The Lifespan Penalty (Part 2 of 2)

As I quietly slipped away from the crowd and began walking along the country road, a deep, sour feeling welled up in my chest—perhaps because I had been so deeply misunderstood. My heart was heavy.

As I trudged down the path, I suddenly noticed a man dressed in all black standing about twenty or thirty meters ahead, watching me.

He appeared to be holding something in his hand, writing or noting things down while locking eyes with me. The surroundings were eerily quiet—just empty wheat fields, not even a bird in sight. And yet, this man gave off an overwhelming presence.

He was tall—at least 190 centimeters—with his hands clasped behind his back and sharp, piercing eyes. His appearance here felt too sudden, too unnatural. Alarm bells went off in my head. I instinctively activated my Clairvoyant Eye (慧眼) to check his spiritual state—and what I saw made my heart freeze.

There were no three torches of life (阳火) above his shoulders and head. Instead, what hovered above him were three blooming lotus flowers.

Suddenly, I recalled a story my grandfather once told me: Immortals and mortals are divided by a great boundary. To prevent celestial beings from disrupting the mortal realm, the Jade Emperor forbade unauthorized visits to the human world. Any immortal descending must carry a token of celestial authority—those who failed to return on time would be labeled as lawbreakers and punished by divine thunder on the Execution Terrace.

So when I glanced at the man's waist and saw what looked like a wooden badge—plain but incredibly prominent—I instantly understood who he was.

Ignoring the pain from my earlier fight with Yicheng, I gathered all my strength and sprinted toward him. But as I approached, the man calmly closed his book and turned away, beginning to walk slowly into the distance.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, but no matter how I ran, I couldn't catch up. Whether it was rocks or ditches, the tall figure moved as if walking on flat ground.

Seeing no one around, I yelled as I chased him:"Wait up! Big bro! Uncle! Great-Grandpa! Please slow down—I'm begging you!"

I was 90% certain now—this had to be the Night Patrol God (夜游神). This concerned my life, how could I not be desperate?

The Night Patrol God kept about 30 meters ahead of me. When I slowed, he slowed. Eventually, we reached a cornfield, where I saw him slip into the stalks. Without hesitation, I followed.

The stiff stalks scraped my skin raw, but I kept pushing through and shouting until I got within ten meters of him. His broad back loomed ahead, and I trembled with nervous anticipation—this was a matter of life and death for me!

I bowed deeply and caught my breath before respectfully announcing:"Disciple of the 108th generation of Maoshan Daoism, Zhang Dabao, pays respect to the Immortal."

"Do you know your sin?" His voice was icy.

"I do not," I replied honestly. As the old saying goes: To save a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I had indeed saved lives. Even if the golden weasel died, it wasn't by my hand.

The Night Patrol God still didn't turn around. He said, "The reason I led you here is because someone from above has a message for you."

My heart leapt. So all this time, someone up there had been watching everything—Master Miaoyin's invitation, my dispute with Yicheng… It all made sense.

"I'm all ears," I said, still kneeling with head down.

His voice became calm and low: "You are not to speak of this to anyone. If you do, divine punishment will follow."

Of course I understood what that meant. This was a matter of survival—I promised immediately.

Then he told me that because I had meddled with karmic cycles and interfered with fate, I had been punished—my remaining lifespan had been docked. However, someone was trying to protect me from the shadows. But because I had broken celestial law, they couldn't openly shield me—only give me hints.

I nervously asked how much lifespan I had lost.

This time, the Night Patrol God turned around. I sneaked a glance—his eyes gleamed with divine clarity, and though his appearance was intimidating, there was an unshakable, commanding presence about him.

He declared:"You caused the death of Fu Wei—lifespan penalty: 5 years.You indirectly caused the death of the pregnant woman Zhao Na—8 years.You interfered with the karmic cycle in Zhou Family Village—12 years.You caused the extermination of the golden weasel's entire family—20 years."