As he sat there, Tseng Caihong whaling on his barrier, Hui turned his thoughts inward. I can’t simply leave. Although leaving would ensure Tseng Caihong received no potential absorption, it would also mean that I have no idea whether she’s still trapped or not. I trust the reaper, but if something goes wrong, I want to be here to make sure nothing bad happens. Plus, in case Tseng Caihong gets smart and tries to do something other than breaking through to kill me, I need to be here to thwart her plans.

Back in my world, I remember always getting annoyed by villains who didn’t play the long enough game. The immortal vampires and demon lords who decided that the world had to die TODAY. But why today? Why today, when you’re an immortal evil being? If the hero’s an ordinary human, and you have forever, why not sit down and wait for them to die? Even assuming the film or book built in a power-inheritance rule and the hero wasn’t a one-off, then why not wait for the power to swap to a baby, then go for it? Or better yet, wait for the hero to grow old and decrepit?

The point is, there’s a lot of situations where waiting just a little while would allow an immortal villain to defeat a mortal hero. It’s not always a problem, but it’s something that came up far too many times.

Now that I’m acting the villain, I am not going to fall for the ‘not-quite-long-enough-game’ ploy! In other words, I’m going to sit right here and wait for Tseng Caihong to die. Watch her limited time play out, watch as the potential she stole wastes away, then leave. I’m not going to be the one with the long lifespan who foolishly doesn’t wait long enough to ensure my plan succeeds!

Although it’s true that I’m the only source of potential here that Tseng Caihong could absorb, and therefore, my remaining seems a mistake… truthfully, no one knows more than myself how fragile secret realms are! If I’m not here, I’m afraid she’ll get smart and wander around, looking for a way to break the realm. And I know it’s quite possible to break realms. Instead, if I sit here and provide a target, she’ll focus all her energy on breaking through and reaching me, and won’t bother looking for an exit. Since I know she can’t absorb through my barriers, and I know I can trust in my barriers, I’m the best choice to provide that distraction.

I’m here to provide a lure. A false hope. I’m that annoying clue in an escape room that sends you down the wrong rabbit hole.

Now! Tseng Caihong! Fall for my final trick!

Ah, I say that, but… she’s already fallen for it, hasn’t she.

He suppressed a yawn, adjusting his pose and straightening his spine. In any case, since I’ve decided to sit here for a while, and since Tseng Caihong doesn’t come close to smashing my barrier fast enough to match my barrier-creation-pace, should I try to do a little cultivation? I’m in dire need of enlightenment. Although I’ve reached eighth stage in raw strength, I haven’t had the mental breakthrough yet, and if I don’t solidify my Dao, I feel strongly that I cannot move forward. I don’t know why I feel this way. Perhaps it’s instincts? But certainly Master needed to comprehend his Dao before he stepped forward. Still, I’ll feel much more secure if I figure out exactly what it is that’s troubling me with my Dao.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

After all, it’s my path forward. If I don’t have solid footing, I’ll naturally feel uneasy.

Tseng Caihong stared at Hui. “Are you meditating? Now?”

The reaper laughed. “If you’re surprised, you don’t know much about Weiheng Hui.”

She scowled at the reaper. Curling her fingers, she sent a pulse of light at the reaper.

“Aaaaha, do you really want to strike me?” the reaper asked, looking at the light. It passed through her, striking the wall in the distance. “Remember, if you can strike me, I can strike you. You’re bright enough to figure out who I am.”

Tseng Caihong hesitated, then turned back to Hui. She raised her fist again.

“Good choice,” the reaper chuckled.

Sitting there, unaware of the conversation around him, Hui plunged deeper in thought.

The world is simple. Incredibly simple. At the same time, complex. To play dead is simple, and yet, the act of playing dead can take near-infinite forms. Everything in this world is so incredibly simple, and yet complex at the same time. Simplicity within complexity. Complexity within simplicity.

Within his mind, the clones formed. Without a word, they spawned off thought clones, offering multitudinous paths of thought.

Time passed. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. Tseng Caihong grew weak. Her blows continued, but now it took several attacks to shatter one layer of Hui’s barrier. The reaper sat overhead, watching with a smirk. Slowly, Tseng Caihongs eyes and flesh turned white. The color leached from her hair, too, and her fingernails blackened.

She panted, Slamming her fist on Hui’s barrier. “Let me in!”

Like the thought clones. Complexity and simplicity.

But that isn’t my path.

The path I walk is the line between life and death. No… the path that crosses life and death. To waver between life and death. To appear dead while alive. To appear alive while dead. My path mixes life and death.

Not Death Reversal, as I originally thought.

No. I walk the path of life. To utterly seek survival in all circumstances. To take every action to clear the road so that I can continue to remain alive and live on. To reach immortality, even if it means playing dead.

Yet, I also walk the path of death. To survive by playing dead. To appear alive, while my soul remains in a state of death. To die completely. To spend time in the Underworld and serve as a reaper. To play dead, in all scenarios.

Complexity and simplicity.

Life and death.

Complexity is life. To grow and change. The multitude of living beings, of plants and animals, the variation even within humans.

Simplicity is death. In the end, everyone faces death, and it is the same for everyone and everything. An ending.

If life is 1, death is 0.

One multiplied by something becomes anything. It is colorless, but can absorb any color. Zero times anything remains zero. It doesn’t matter what you are beforehand. Zero is black. It absorbs all.

Light. Life. Complexity. One.

Dark. Death. Simplicity. Zero.

And I live at 0.5.

Hui’s eyes opened wide. “I walk the path of life and death.”

This is my Dao.

“Just in time.” The reaper stepped down. Hui followed her steps.

Tseng Caihong sat half-upright on the floor, her whole body white save her fingernails. She struggled to breathe, her limbs heavy. At the sight of the reaper, her eyes widened with dread.

“There’s nothing to fear. The cycle of reincarnation will sort you.” Putting a hand on Tseng Caihong’s shoulder, the reaper raised her sword.

Fast as lightning, Tseng Caihong’s hand snaked forth and landed on the reaper. A smile cracked her dried-up face. “If you can touch me, I can touch you.”

“Mamian!” Hui jumped up, eyes wide.