Lifespan: Thirty-Six Thousand Days

2024-07-31

The night was desolate, and a cold wind swept through.

A bank of dark clouds drifted and circled, tightly shrouding the bright moon overhead, leaving only two or three stars glimmering.

Donglai Commandery City. On the empty streets, two shadows stretched ever longer beneath the firelight.

The two wore blue uniforms, Side Sabers at their waists and lanterns in their hands, scanning their surroundings from time to time.

One of them was slightly older, a middle-aged man with a face full of short stubble. He sniffed at his chilled nose and shuddered in the cold wind.

"Damn, why's it so cold today? If I'd known, I'd have had the missus prepare another thick inner coat."

Song Changming glanced at the thin frame of the man beside him but said nothing.

No matter how cold the night was, their street patrol still had to continue.

The lantern swayed as his gaze swept over the alleys on both sides of the street. He silently estimated the time. It should have been around midnight.

[Today's evaluation: A boring day. Lifespan +5. Obtained limited-time status: 'Muddling Through']

"Just as expected." Song Changming noticed the prompt appearing in his mind right on time, his expression unchanged.

This was his twelfth year in this world. The events of his previous life had grown increasingly hazy in the depths of his memory.

He only remembered that he had likely died suddenly while working overtime late at night, then transmigrated here.

With a thought, a small translucent panel floated before his eyes.

Name: Song Changming

Lifespan: 36,002

Spirit: 7

Root: 10

Related Constitution: Hydrophobia (Gray)

This relatively simple attribute panel had followed him through his transmigration. By now, he had examined it to tatters and studied it inside out.

The Lifespan displayed on it was thirty-six thousand days—nearly a hundred years of life!

Even in the era of his previous life, living to a hundred was an exceptionally long life for an ordinary person. Very few truly made it that far.

In this life, there was even less need to mention it. By ordinary standards, living to fifty or sixty already counted as a happy funeral. People would be delighted rather than dare hope for a full century.

In fact, he was now considered eighteen years old, and those eighteen years already lived were not included in that number.

Those thirty-six thousand days were his remaining lifespan.

As long as he lived through another day, he could accumulate a certain number of days of lifespan.

Simply put, the longer he lived, the greater his remaining lifespan became.

Day after day, as small amounts piled up into more, he had accumulated nearly a century of lifespan.

This ability unique to him was undeniably powerful. So long as time kept flowing and the days continued passing one by one, then in theory, he was an immortal being!

When he had first realized this, joy had mingled with many other thoughts.

In his previous life, he had died suddenly while still young, just as his career was flourishing, hastily ending his brief life.

Yet in this life, he possessed what seemed like an inexhaustible lifespan. To him, it was like compensation granted by fate.

Of course, if he truly wanted to live forever, the premise was that he did not get himself killed.

With this ability, he could withstand the ever-present erosion of time's butcher's blade. But there were always countless accidents and illnesses in the world that could still take his life.

Thus, throughout these years, he had watched his words and actions, spoken little and done little, never taking the initiative to provoke trouble or calamity. Stability came first in all things.

Only today, when Song Changming looked at the neat number of thirty-six thousand in the Lifespan column, did the sense of achievement fill him as the great stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

"I've finally gathered enough."

From the very beginning of his transmigration, he had learned of another formidable aspect of this ability.

By consuming thirty-six thousand days of lifespan, no matter how grave the illness or whatever other cause brought about his death, he could return from the dead!

When he had first transmigrated here and come back to life, it had nearly exhausted the remaining lifespan accumulated over both his lives, leaving him with less than ten years.

Only after saving up until now had he restored it to this amount.

Now that I have one life guaranteed, I can finally make some changes. I no longer need to deliberately avoid everything. Song Changming silently calculated, his thoughts gradually becoming more active.

Having lived in this world for more than ten years, he had long since integrated into it.

Though he had always muddled through, that did not mean he was willing to go on living this way forever.

After all, this world was anything but ordinary.

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard shouting from ahead. Song Changming immediately turned toward the sound.

At the corner of the long street, several figures had appeared from nowhere, tangled together in a fierce fight.

At the sight, Song Changming instinctively grabbed Li Fu'an beside him.

Only then did Li Fu'an belatedly notice the group of thugs who had suddenly appeared ahead. He shuddered in fright and nearly failed to hold onto his lantern.

"They're Qinghe Gang men!" Li Fu'an had lived on Houli Street for more than a decade and knew the place like the back of his hand. He immediately recognized one group of thugs locked in the brawl.

"Don't bother with them. Leave first. We'll report this to the Patrol Guard Headquarters. As for whether to send out patrol guards, let the Patrol Captains decide." Song Changming made a prompt decision.

Though he had only been a Torch-bearing Night Watchman for just over a year and was still half a newcomer, the principles he had lived by for so many years would never allow him to involve himself in such a dangerous incident. He should not even have looked twice.

Besides, those were the rules here.

Though they belonged to the government's Patrol Guard Headquarters and wore sabers at their waists, at most they could intimidate lowly petty thieves and ordinary civilians.

The grudges between the city's gangs were simply not something they could interfere in.

To put it plainly, their status was not high enough.

"Right, let's go! Go! You're sharp-eyed, kid." Li Fu'an came to his senses and immediately turned to leave, terrified of being caught in the crossfire.

Donglai Commandery City had eight main streets, dividing it into eight major districts. Each district had a corresponding Patrol Guard Headquarters responsible for local security and control.

Song Changming was currently a Torch-bearing Night Watchman at the Houli Street Patrol Guard Headquarters, his position barely counting as a government posting.

Before long, the two set aside their night patrol duties and hurried back to the Patrol Guard Headquarters.

Other Night Watchmen were already there reporting the gang fight. The two of them had returned rather late.

The Patrol Guard Headquarters was not as crowded at night as it was during the day. Only a few patrol guards clad in armor sat by the candlelight, eating dried fruit and chatting.

Even upon hearing the Night Watchmen's report, they paid it no heed, not a trace of tension on their faces.

On a long solid-wood bench coated in baked lacquer, a broad, burly man lay there with his eyes half closed, casually waving a hand.

"I already know about this. Have everyone return. You'll rest tonight. There's work for you to do tomorrow morning."

Song Changming and the other Night Watchmen immediately acknowledged the order and left.

The Houli Street Patrol Guard Headquarters had a strict hierarchy. At the very top, overseeing everything, was the Director.

Under the Director were six Patrol Captains. The man on the bench was one of them.

With the Director absent, these Patrol Captains made the decisions. Torch-bearing Night Watchmen like them had no choice but to obey.

"Thanks to those gang bastards, we get off early today. I need to head home and have a couple cups of hot wine to warm myself up." Once outside the Patrol Guard Headquarters, Li Fu'an looked to be in high spirits. After calling out to Song Changming, he left.

"With such a huge commotion, there'll probably be plenty of corpses to collect tomorrow morning. Better hurry back, wash up, and sleep."

"True enough."

The Night Watchmen spoke as they each finished work and went home.

Song Changming yawned and headed in another direction.

Though he worked around Houli Street, his home was not there.

Houli Street was considered fairly prosperous within the city, so the houses there were beyond what his family could afford.

He quickened his pace, passed through several small streets and alleys, deliberately avoiding the site of the gang fight he had just seen, and walked for nearly two hours.

Near the edge of the city, the streets gradually grew worse. Grand residences disappeared, as did pavilions and towers, leaving only scattered, old stone-and-wood houses.

Baiyi Street, the most run-down and most outlying of the eight major districts.

Those who lived here were generally common people at the bottom, without status, connections, or wealth.

It was already deep into the night. Baiyi Street lay in complete darkness. The people living here mostly rose with the sun and rested at sunset; nighttime was for sleep.

Passing through several alleys and beneath an old crooked-necked tree, he occasionally heard the cries of stray cats and dogs.

Before long, several partitioned little houses came into view. Their lower portions were plastered with mud, their upper portions covered in wood, with a sturdy fence surrounding them.

Song Changming briefly looked around, and after confirming there was nothing unusual, he went to check outside the room where his parents slept. Only after faintly hearing their steady snores did he return to his own room in relief.

Though Baiyi Street also had a Patrol Guard Headquarters, its security remained the worst, especially with its abundance of thieving petty criminals.

The gangs in the city at least established rules and followed them, leaving a trail to follow.

But these unaccountable little thefts were impossible to guard against. Not long ago, even several chicks his family had raised were stolen away, which said it all.

After hastily washing up, Song Changming lay down on his wooden bed, his Side Saber placed beside his pillow as always.

This was another of his habits. He could not be called a true swordsman, but most of the time, his saber never left his side. It gave him a little more sense of security.

After saving up some more money, it's time to make proper plans.

Song Changming looked at the Side Saber beside his pillow. With the confidence of having an extra life, countless thoughts ran through his mind that night before he finally fell into a deep sleep.