Faith

Late at night in Oklahoma, rain poured down in sheets. Fat raindrops battered the metal casing of the abandoned substation with a sharp clatter. Lightning split the lead-gray sky, briefly illuminating the rust-covered high-voltage lines. The twisted cables resembled dormant pythons, radiating danger in the darkness.

Dean, Sam, and Bai Haorui crouched low, advancing step by step into the depths of the substation. The shadow demon they had tracked was hiding here. It specialized in creating illusions and preyed on lone travelers. It had already killed three people in the nearby town.

"This damned place is thick with yin energy," Bai Haorui whispered, rolling three Five Emperor Coins between his fingertips. The coins spun rapidly in his palm, giving off a faint golden glow. "The shadow demon's up ahead. Watch out for its tricks."

Dean grinned and raised his shotgun loaded with silver rounds, bracing the stock against his shoulder. "Relax. I could hit something like this with my eyes closed." His voice held its usual swagger, but a barely perceptible wariness lurked in his eyes. Years of hunting had taught him that the more feeble an evil creature seemed, the more likely it was to set a deadly trap.

He had barely finished speaking when a blurry black shape shot out from behind a distribution box-the shadow demon. Wrapped in black mist, it let out a piercing screech. Instead of attacking, however, it retreated toward the high-voltage cabinet in the center of the substation.

"Trying to run?" Dean chased it without hesitation, his footsteps sending water splashing from the puddles. He wanted to finish the shadow demon quickly-so quickly that he missed the sudden tension in Sam's face.

Sam's heart clenched, and his voice shook. "Dean, don't follow it! It's a trap!"

But it was already too late. The instant Dean pulled the trigger and his silver round struck the shadow demon dead-on, it let out an agonized shriek. At the same time, it lashed out with a stream of black mist, striking the damaged high-voltage line beside it.

Bzzzt-

The ten-kilovolt power line snapped, wrapping around Dean's ankle like a venomous snake amid blinding electrical arcs.

Agonizing pain tore through Dean as the current surged through his body. He convulsed violently, and the shotgun flew from his hands, crashing to the ground. Clenching his teeth, he forced a roar from his throat. "Sam! Bai! Get back!" He could feel his life draining rapidly with the current. His vision darkened in waves, and he had only one thought-Don't let Sam and Bai Haorui get caught in this too.

Sam's pupils contracted. He was about to rush forward when Bai Haorui grabbed him. Bai Haorui's grip was astonishingly strong, his eyes graver than ever before. "Don't get yourself killed!" He quickly drew his peachwood sword from his backpack. Peachwood was a wood of utmost yang, naturally insulating and capable of suppressing evil. Seizing his moment, he leaped up and brought the sword down hard on the power line with a whistle through the air.

Crack!

The line broke, and the electrical arcs vanished instantly. Dean collapsed limply to the ground. A large patch of the shirt over his chest had been scorched black by the current, and he lost consciousness.

Sam lunged toward him, his knees slamming into the standing water. The splash soaked his trouser legs, but he did not notice. With trembling fingers, he checked Dean's carotid artery and felt a pulse so faint it seemed about to stop. He looked up at Bai Haorui, unable to keep the tears out of his voice. "He's not responding! Haorui, what do we do?"

Bai Haorui crouched and pressed his fingers to Dean's wrist, his brows tightly knitted. He could clearly feel how weak the pulse was, like a candle guttering in the wind. He quickly took out the "Expelling Evil" notebook his grandfather had left him and turned to the section on "invasion by the evil of heavenly fire." After scanning several lines, he pulled a small bottle of cinnabar from his backpack and mixed it with the clean water he carried, making a red liquid. Muttering an incantation, he carefully pried Dean's mouth open and poured it in.

"This can keep him alive for now." Bai Haorui spoke urgently, but his fingertips could not help trembling slightly. "But the current has already invaded his heart meridians. His heart is badly damaged. We have to get him to a hospital as soon as possible."

At three in the morning, the smell of disinfectant mingled with the dampness of rain in the small-town emergency room. The heart monitor beeped steadily, but the waveform moving across its screen was disturbingly weak. Dean lay in the hospital bed, his face white as paper and his lips cracked. His usually smiling features were now tightly drawn, as though he were enduring endless pain.

Holding the test results, the doctor approached Sam with a grave expression and shook his head. His voice landed like a stone. "More than ninety percent of his heart muscle cells are necrotic, and he's suffering multiple organ failure. Even with the best medication to sustain him, he won't last a month."

Sam went deathly pale and staggered backward, his back slamming against the cold wall. He braced himself against it, his knuckles whitening with the force of his grip. It felt as though a wad of cotton had lodged in his throat. Even breathing hurt. A month... How could it be only a month? His brother, Dean, who always stood in front of him-how could he have only a month left?

Dean slowly opened his eyes. He had heard the doctor too, but he merely tugged at the corners of his mouth, putting on a casual smile. Leaning back in the hospital bed, he looked toward the gradually brightening sky outside the window. His voice was light, as though he were discussing something unimportant. "It's fine. At least I've had plenty of whiskey, driven the Impala plenty, and always done what I wanted to do."

But when his gaze passed over Sam's reddened eyes, a barely perceptible trace of unwillingness flashed in his own. There was still so much he had not done-he had not found the Yellow-Eyed Demon, had not gotten revenge, had not seen Sam settle into a stable life... How could he just die like this?

Standing beside them, Bai Haorui closed the "Expelling Evil" notebook and said solemnly, "Grandpa recorded similar cases. Electrocution falls under 'the evil of heavenly fire.' A complete cure requires hundred-year-old ginseng, Tianshan snow lotus, and ambergris, combined with Taoist arts. But those ingredients are far too rare. There's no way to find them anytime soon." He looked at Dean with worry in his eyes. After their time together, he had long since come to regard the brothers as family.

Dean gave a derisive laugh and abruptly pulled out his IV line. A bead of blood followed the needle, but he paid it no attention. Looking at Bai Haorui, he spoke with a hint of finality. "Bai, thank you. I'm not afraid to die. I was ready for that the moment I started down this road. It's just that there's still so much unfinished... Could you look after Sam for me?" He knew Sam too well. Softhearted and prone to getting stuck in his own head-without Dean beside him, who knew how much that kid would suffer?

Sam abruptly raised his head. His eyes were red, tears swimming in them. He looked at Dean with unquestionable determination. "I just found a place-Hope Town, Kansas. There's a Pastor Jim there who's cured seven terminal patients in three months, including someone with late-stage lung cancer. Maybe he can save you."

Dean raised an eyebrow, his tone faintly contemptuous. "A pastor? Prayer can cure disease now? Since when did you start believing in that stuff, Sam?" He had never believed in such mystical nonsense. He believed only in the gun in his hands and his brother watching his back.

"We don't have any other options!" Sam clenched his fists, his voice choking as tears finally spilled down his face. "Dean, I can't lose you." He could not. Dean was his brother, the most solid support he had in this world. Without Dean, he did not know how he could keep living.

Bai Haorui leaned against the wall with his arms folded, his brows tightly drawn. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. There has to be something else behind this 'healing.'"

Sam turned to him, his eyes full of pleading and his voice trembling. "Even if there is, I want to try. It's better than sitting here watching him wait to die."

Bai Haorui fell silent for a moment and took a long look at Dean in the hospital bed. Dean was still deathly pale, but his eyes held a trace of hope that even he had not noticed. Bai Haorui sighed and turned to pack his backpack. "Come on. Let's go. Dean, you're as weak as a little girl right now. If you die, there'll be no one to argue with me, and no one to wash my socks and underwear."

That last remark referred to their earlier bet-Dean had lost and owed Bai Haorui a week of washing his socks and underwear.

Dean froze, then laughed. The laughter pulled at the injury in his chest, making him grimace in pain, but a little warmth appeared in his eyes. That was Bai Haorui all over: merciless with his mouth, but more dependable in action than anyone.

Before they left, while Sam went to handle the discharge paperwork, Bai Haorui quietly closed the door. He took a sheet of yellow talisman paper from the bottom of his backpack and bit his fingertip. Beads of blood dripped from it. Dipping into the blood, he swiftly traced intricate talismanic markings on the paper. This was a Life-Extending Talisman; making it required an expenditure, and once it was used, its maker would pay three years of his lifespan. He looked at the vivid red lines with determined eyes. Three years of my life for one year for Dean. Worth it. Although he knew Dean would not die so easily, there was always the possibility of something going wrong. If things did not work out, this could at least serve as a fallback.

He folded the talisman into a small square and carefully slipped it into Dean's coat pocket, murmuring, "This cost me a lot to make. You'd better stay alive."

Dean's eyes were closed. His lashes trembled slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted. Without opening his eyes, he quietly slipped a hand into his coat pocket and gripped the folded talisman tightly.

On Hope Town's main street, the Saturday morning sunshine was almost dazzling, yet the air felt oppressively stifling. The church spire gleamed white in the sunlight. Terminal patients and their families from all over crowded the entrance, every face bearing a devout, urgent expression, as though they had grasped their last lifeline.

"Pastor Jim is a messenger sent by God. His prayers can drive away all sickness and pain," a woman said devoutly, her hands clasped.

"My neighbor's son had leukemia. The hospital had given up on him, but after the pastor prayed, he actually started getting better. It was a miracle!" the man beside her chimed in excitedly.

As the conversations reached his ears, Bai Haorui's frown deepened. He took out the Five Emperor Coins, spinning them rapidly in his palm. Soon, a dense gray-black glow rose from them, its source the church altar not far away. It was death energy, so thick it would not disperse. Only someone who had spent a long time in contact with something yin and evil would carry so much of it.

Inside the church, the walls were covered with banners reading "Thank God," and the altar held a cross and flowers. Pastor Jim stood before it, tall and kindly faced, praying for an elderly man who had been paralyzed for years. His voice was gentle yet penetrating. Each sentence drew a chorus of answering prayers from the congregation.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I command you, sickness, leave his body!"

As Pastor Jim finished speaking, a miracle occurred. The elderly man who had been paralyzed for years slowly rose from his wheelchair. Trembling, he moved his legs, then dropped to his knees with a thud and bowed his head to the floor before Pastor Jim in thanks, tears streaming down his face.

Enthusiastic cheers erupted through the church, accompanied by thunderous applause.

Sitting in the front row, Dean watched as a glimmer of hope gradually kindled in his eyes. He unconsciously touched his chest. It still ached faintly, but now something seemed to be quietly sprouting within him. He really... wanted to live.

Standing in a corner, Bai Haorui leaned close to Sam's ear and lowered his voice, his tone grave. "That confirms it. There's definitely something wrong with him. And he's carrying a lot of death energy, which means he's been in contact with something yin and evil for a long time."

Sam nodded and took out his phone. The screen showed the town's death records. "I checked. For the past three months, every time the pastor holds a healing service, a healthy person suddenly dies afterward. Cardiac arrest every time, with no other abnormalities found." His voice was low and faintly trembling. This was no miracle at all. It was a deal with the devil.

Just then, Pastor Jim's gaze settled on Dean. He slowly approached, a gentle smile on his face, like a true savior. "Child, I can feel your suffering. Come. Let me pray for you."

Dean hesitated and glanced at Sam and Bai Haorui. Sam nodded, his eyes full of anticipation. Dean took a deep breath, stood, and followed the pastor to the altar.

Pastor Jim gently placed both hands on Dean's chest, closed his eyes, and began to pray. "Lord, please grant this young man the strength of new life. Drive the sickness from his body and restore his health."

Bai Haorui's eyes flickered. He clearly saw a strand of gray-black energy rapidly gathering from the direction of the residential neighborhood in the eastern outskirts outside the church. It flowed along Pastor Jim's arms and poured steadily into Dean's body. The energy was bone-chillingly cold and carried a dense aura of death. There was nothing holy about it.

Dean felt warmth rush into his heart. The tightness in his chest and the weakness vanished instantly. Surprised, he moved his hands and feet, then abruptly straightened his back. "I... I feel so much better!" he said in disbelief. He could clearly feel his heart beating strongly, his body filled with strength he had not felt in some time.

He looked down at his chest. Even the blackened scorch mark had faded considerably.

Cheers erupted through the church again. People crowded around, lavishing praise on Pastor Jim.

The glow from the Five Emperor Coins in Bai Haorui's hand grew even more dazzling. His expression grave, he told Sam, "The energy came from the residential area in the eastern outskirts. Right now, a healthy person must be dying."

Sam immediately hacked into the town hospital's computer system, his fingers flying across the keys. A few seconds later, he turned deathly pale, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "Eastern outskirts. Lily, a sixteen-year-old girl. Sudden cardiac arrest at home. Resuscitation failed. She's dead."

Dean also saw the message on Sam's phone. The smile on his face froze. He instinctively touched his chest, as though he could feel that unfamiliar life energy, carrying a young girl's presence, flowing through his veins. This strength had been bought with a sixteen-year-old girl's life?

A powerful wave of guilt engulfed him. Every second he lived felt like another step on that girl's remains. He would rather still be the man lying in a hospital bed waiting to die than trade an innocent life for his own lingering existence.

As the sun sank, shadows shrouded the alley behind the church. Dusky light filtered past the weathered walls, falling across the ground and casting long shadows. Pastor Jim sat alone on the steps, drinking despondently from a bottle of whiskey. Liquor dribbled from the corner of his mouth, but he did not notice. He was muttering something under his breath.

Bai Haorui and Sam had quietly followed him. They hid around the corner, holding their breath.

"I had no choice... I only wanted to save people..." Pastor Jim's voice was heavy with exhaustion and guilt.

Sam and Bai Haorui exchanged a look, their eyes cold. They rushed out together and surrounded Pastor Jim.

Sam seized Pastor Jim by the collar, his gaze as cold as an ice-tempered blade. "You know the price of the deal? You know that every time you heal someone, a healthy person dies?"

Pastor Jim shuddered. The bottle fell to the ground and shattered, splashing liquor over his trouser cuffs. He raised his head, his face full of conflicting emotions.

Bai Haorui crouched and looked at him, his voice calm but edged with coldness. "But you've already fallen into obsession. You think you're saving people, but you've become an executioner." Sacrificing other people's lives for his own selfish ends, then dressing himself up as a savior.

"Heh. If you'd already guessed, why did you still let him come and receive my prayers? Weren't you hoping I'd heal him too?"

His words were a sharp blade, striking precisely at Sam and Bai Haorui's weak spot. Yes, they had already guessed there was something behind this, yet they had clung to a sliver of wishful thinking and let Dean accept that so-called "healing." How were they any different from Pastor Jim?

Pale-faced, Pastor Jim covered his face and began to sob, tears slipping between his fingers. "I know I was wrong... Three years ago, I was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. The doctor said I had one month left. In my despair, I met the black-robed Death. He said the life energy of ten healthy people could buy me my health and the ability to heal, for a term of one year. At first, I didn't know the price was so terrible. By the time I realized, there was no turning back. Death said that if I broke the agreement, not only would my cancer return, but everyone I'd healed would die immediately."

His sobs echoed through the silent alley, filled with despair and regret.

In their room at the town motel, dim orange light spilled across the floor, casting long shadows. Dean sat on the edge of the bed, holding a photograph of Lily. The girl in the photo wore a radiant smile and held a piano in her arms, her eyes as clear as spring water.

Standing beside him, Sam said quietly, "Lily was an outstanding girl. Good grades, and she was learning piano. Her parents are still at the hospital. They won't accept that she's dead." His voice was low, carrying a trace of guilt.

Dean was silent for a moment before gently setting the photograph on the table. His fingertips stroked the girl's smiling face. His voice was heavy, as though weighed down by an enormous boulder. "I killed her, didn't I? Her life paid for mine." His voice trembled slightly, guilt gnawing at his heart like a venomous snake.

Bai Haorui leaned against the doorframe, his hands in his pockets, his tone complicated. "It wasn't your fault. It was the pastor's deal with Death. But now you have a choice-keep accepting the healing and let more people die, or expose this fraud with us and end the deal." He looked at Dean with a trace of expectation in his eyes. He knew Dean was not the sort of person who would sacrifice others to keep himself alive.

Dean looked up at him, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. "If we end the deal, what happens to me? Do I go straight back to how I was before, waiting to die?" He was not afraid of dying. He was afraid of seeing that despair in Sam's eyes again.

Bai Haorui nodded, answering honestly. "Most likely. But at least you won't keep carrying the weight of an innocent life."

Dean remained silent for so long that Sam and Bai Haorui thought he would not answer. The room was frighteningly quiet, broken only by the occasional chirp of insects outside the window. Then he suddenly smiled, with a trace of acceptance and a little of the Winchester family's stubbornness.

He stood, brushed off his clothes, and looked at Sam and Bai Haorui with determined eyes. "I'm Dean Winchester. I've killed plenty of evil spirits and saved plenty of people in my life. Even if I have to die, I'm not going out this pathetically. And I sure as hell won't trade a sixteen-year-old girl's life for my own."

He paused, his voice leaving no room for doubt. "Let's do it. Expose this fraud and send that thing back where he belongs!"

Bai Haorui raised an eyebrow. He wanted to smile but could not manage it. Taking a small cloth pouch from his pocket, he tossed it to Dean. "Dean, you're a badass! Don't worry. I'll do my best to keep you alive a little longer-at least until we find the Yellow-Eyed Demon."

Dean caught the pouch and gripped it, warmth filling his heart.

During the day on Sunday, the motel room smelled of cinnabar and mugwort. The three split into two groups and began preparing for the final battle that night.

Sam sat at the computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He combed through three years of the town's death records and healing cases. The dense text and data on the screen clearly showed a perfect correspondence between healings and deaths-behind every terminal patient cured was the innocent sacrifice of a healthy person. He also discovered that Pastor Jim's cancer had indeed "miraculously" disappeared three years earlier. He had begun holding healing services after that. Sam's eyes grew colder and more guilt-ridden.

Meanwhile, Bai Haorui sat cross-legged on the floor, a pile of yellow paper, cinnabar, and brushes before him. His expression focused, he dipped his brush in cinnabar and swiftly traced talismanic markings on the yellow paper. Evil-Breaking Talismans and God-Expelling Spell Talismans took shape in his hands one after another, giving off faint golden light. Fine beads of sweat gathered on his forehead, but he did not notice.

He took another small jar from his backpack. It held blood from the comb of a rooster he had bought at a poultry farm. He poured the rooster-comb blood into the cinnabar, mixing it into a bright red liquid. This was "Baleful-Energy-Breaking Liquid," which had an extremely powerful suppressive effect on yin and evil entities.

After finishing everything, Bai Haorui opened the "Expelling Evil" notebook, his gaze settling on the account of a magical battle against Black and White Impermanence. ("In the gengchen year of the Republican era, a Three Pure Ones Temple stood at the foot of Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan. Only three people lived there-a master and his two disciples: the old Taoist Master Qingxu, his eldest disciple Qingxuan, and his younger disciple Qingyang. Qingxuan was steady by nature and skilled at drawing talismans and chanting spells. Qingyang was lively and irrepressible, and practiced swordsmanship. The two disciples had grown up together and were as close as brothers.

Late that autumn, Qingyang went down the mountain to buy incense and candles. Passing Black Wind Pass, he came upon a group of grave robbers excavating the tomb of a Song-dynasty Taoist. Young and hotheaded, he drew his sword and stepped forward to stop them. But the tomb's yin energy was too strong. A black shadow shot out and lunged straight at his face. Unable to dodge in time, Qingyang was caught by it. He felt cold burrowing through every part of his body and immediately collapsed.

By the time Qingxuan found him, Qingyang was deathly pale, his breathing barely perceptible. After taking his pulse, Master Qingxu sighed deeply. 'Yin baleful energy has invaded his body and ensnared his three hun souls and seven po souls. I fear his name has already been marked in the Book of Life and Death before the Hall of Yanluo. Within three days, Black and White Impermanence will come to chain his soul.'

Qingxuan's eyes reddened, and he dropped to his knees with a thud. 'Master, please teach me a way to extend his life. My junior brother shouldn't end like this!' Master Qingxu stroked his beard and pondered for a long while before finally producing a Seven-Star Lamp Formation Diagram. 'Extending life with the Seven-Star Lamps means defying heaven and changing fate. One careless mistake, and all three of us could suffer heaven's punishment. Very well. Qingyang is a kind child. He should not die young.'

That night, the main hall of the Three Pure Ones Temple was arranged with solemn dignity. Following the positions of the Big Dipper, Qingxuan placed seven oil lamps in the hall. The central life lamp had a wick twisted from Qingyang's hair, and its oil was mixed with cinnabar, mugwort, and ginseng juice. Having purified himself and fasted, Qingxuan wore Taoist robes and held a peachwood sword. He performed the Steps of Yu while chanting the 'True Scripture of the Northern Dipper for Extending One's Allotted Life.'

'The Southern Dipper records life, the Northern Dipper records death. All mortals, upon conception, pass from the Southern Dipper to the Northern Dipper... This disciple, Qingxuan, willingly offers three years of his own lifespan in exchange for the life of his junior brother Qingyang!'

The first day passed without incident, and the second remained calm. At midnight on the third day, a fierce wind suddenly rose. The temple's doors and windows rattled, and the clatter of chains dragging across the ground came from outside the hall. A bone-piercing chill penetrated the doors and windows, bearing straight down on the Seven-Star Lamp Formation.

Qingxuan's heart tightened. He knew Black and White Impermanence had arrived. Biting the tip of his tongue, he spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the peachwood sword. Red light instantly spread across its blade.

With a creak, an invisible force pushed open the hall doors, and two figures floated inside. The one on the left was tall and thin, with a face as white as paper and a tall hat inscribed with 'Wealth upon seeing me.' He was White Impermanence Xie Bian. The one on the right was short, stout, and dark-skinned, his hat bearing the words 'Peace throughout the world.' Naturally, he was Black Impermanence Fan Wujiu.

Holding iron chains, the two swept their piercing gazes across the hall before settling on Qingyang, who lay on the couch. White Impermanence spoke ominously. 'Qingyang's allotted time is over. We have come to chain his soul by order of Sovereign Yanluo. Taoist, step aside at once. Do not bring ruin upon yourself.'

Qingxuan held his sword across the front of the couch and declared, 'My junior brother is kindhearted. He has saved drowning children below the mountain and distributed medicine to plague victims. His lifespan should not end here! This is the Seven-Star Lamp Formation. I have already borrowed years from the Star Lord of the Big Dipper. I ask you both, Lords Impermanence, to show leniency.'

Black Impermanence Fan Wujiu snorted coldly and swung his chain straight at Qingxuan's face. 'Yin and yang have their order. Life and death have their destined times. How could we permit Taoists like you to act against heaven!'

The chain hurtled toward him, carrying a freezing yin aura. Unruffled, Qingxuan took a handful of glutinous rice from inside his robes and scattered it. Mixed with cinnabar, the rice burst into tiny sparks of red light upon encountering the yin energy, forcing the chain back three feet. Seizing the opening, he flung out a Soul-Subduing Talisman. It stuck to the stem of the life lamp, and the flame immediately rose three inches.

White Impermanence narrowed his eyes and waved his folding fan. Black mist spread outward. 'What an arrogant Taoist. Do you really think we Impermanences are so easily bullied?' Wherever the black mist passed, the candles in the hall swayed. Of the Seven-Star Lamp Formation's six supporting lamps, three began to flicker.

Qingxuan inwardly cursed. The yin energy was overpowering the yang energy. He immediately took out a Five Thunder Talisman, formed a hand seal, and chanted, 'Mysterious source of heaven and earth, root of the myriad qi! Five Thunders, come swiftly! Drive out evil and ward off plague!' The talisman became a streak of golden light and shot straight toward the black mist.

Boom-

The golden light exploded, dispersing most of the black mist. Both Black and White Impermanence were startled. They had not expected such a young Taoist to possess such cultivation. Humiliated and enraged, Black Impermanence swung his chain again. This time, layers of black energy coiled around it as it lunged straight for the life lamp at the heart of the Seven-Star Lamp Formation.

'Don't hurt my junior brother!' Qingxuan leaped up. His peachwood sword, glowing red with essence blood, collided with the chain. A sharp clang rang out, and the impact drove him several steps backward. A bloody sweetness rose in his throat, but he guarded the life lamp with all his strength.

Just then, Qingyang suddenly coughed on the couch, his fingers moving slightly. In a weak voice, he said, 'When encountering the Impermanences, dot rooster-comb blood between the brows to stop the underworld officers from chaining the soul. Present a Petition for Worshipping the Dipper to the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak to alter the Book of Life and Death.'

Qingxuan's eyes lit up. He remembered the bowl of rooster-comb blood his master had left before departing. Reaching back beneath the shrine, he retrieved the porcelain bowl and dabbed its blood between Qingyang's brows. Then he took out the Petition for Worshipping the Dipper he had prepared earlier, lit it, and tossed it into the air.

The petition became a wisp of blue smoke and shot straight into the heavens. A faint, authoritative snort sounded in the air, and Black and White Impermanence's expressions changed abruptly. They felt an oppressive force. Looking down at the rooster-comb blood between Qingyang's brows, they found that this substance of utmost yang actually prevented their soul-binding chains from approaching.

The life lamp's flame burned ever brighter, and color gradually returned to Qingyang's face.

White Impermanence sighed and folded his fan. 'Very well. The Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak has approved your Petition for Worshipping the Dipper. Qingyang's lifespan has been extended by one twelve-year cycle. But Qingxuan, you have exchanged ten years of your lifespan for twelve of his. You must cultivate diligently from now on to make up for this deficit in heaven's order.'

Black Impermanence also put away his chain and glared at Qingxuan. 'Do not defy heaven like this again. Next time, even the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak will not be able to protect you.'

With that, the two figures became a gust of yin wind and vanished beyond the hall doors.

The wind stopped. The moon shone bright among sparse stars. Qingxuan slumped to the floor and watched his junior brother's breathing gradually steady. At last, he could no longer hold back his tears.

Three days later, Qingyang awoke. Seeing his senior brother's pale face and the 'Expelling Evil' notebook on the table, he immediately understood everything. He struggled upright and bowed deeply to Qingxuan. 'Senior brother, I will never forget this kindness.'

Qingxuan helped him up, smiling and shaking his head. 'We're fellow disciples. There's no need to speak of debts of kindness. Just don't be so reckless the next time you go down the mountain.'

The sunset shone through the temple's lattice windows, spilling over them both. At some point, another line had appeared on the flyleaf of Qingxuan's notebook: 'My fate lies with me, not heaven, and with goodness, not evil.'") The notebook's bold, powerful handwriting recorded in detail how to extend life with Seven-Star Lamps, block soul-taking with rooster-comb blood, and alter the Book of Life and Death with a Petition for Worshipping the Dipper. Bai Haorui became absorbed in reading it, unconsciously tightening his grip on his peachwood sword. Even if something truly went wrong, he could follow this account to extend Dean's life. He just did not know whether the Lord of the Eastern Peak had jurisdiction over foreign ghosts.

During the preparations, Dean leaned against the wall and watched Bai Haorui bustle about, a faint smile on his lips. He approached and said quietly, "Bai, thanks. If I make it through this... Ah, I won't say any more. It's all in here."

Without raising his head, Bai Haorui retorted while drawing a talisman, "Save it until you survive. Oh, and take this." He tossed Dean a small pouch filled with glutinous rice and cinnabar. "Death fears things of utmost yang. This could save your life when it counts. Don't get careless and lose what I've prepared for you again."

Sam turned to Dean, his eyes determined and his voice solemn. "Dean, I won't let you leave me."

Looking at his two companions, Dean felt warmth in his heart. He knew that no matter how dangerous the road ahead might be, he was not walking it alone.

Sunday afternoon, in the small wooden cabin in the alley behind the church.

The light was dim. Dust and an icy chill filled the air, making one shiver. A crude altar stood in the center of the cabin, holding a black contract book. Intricate symbols of Death were carved into its cover, which radiated a heart-stopping chill.

Dean led Pastor Jim into the cabin. At the sight of the contract book on the altar, the pastor turned deathly pale. His body began trembling involuntarily, and his voice shook. "You... What are you going to do?"

Dean's smile disappeared. His voice was as cold as a winter wind. "I want to know exactly how many people you've sacrificed."

Just then, Bai Haorui and Sam came in through the door, blocking Pastor Jim's retreat.

Bai Haorui got straight to the point, his gaze sharp. "Tell the truth. How many innocent lives did you trade for your health and that so-called 'healing ability'?"

Pastor Jim collapsed to the floor, covering his face with both hands. His shoulders shook violently as he sobbed. "I know I was wrong... Every time I heal someone, I have nightmares. I dream of the dead coming to demand my life. But I can't stop. I'm afraid... Afraid the cancer will return. Afraid I'll lose everything..."

Dean looked at him with conflicting emotions in his eyes. He could understand that fear of death, but he could not forgive him for trading other people's lives for his own survival. Fear was never a reason to hurt others.

Just then, the temperature inside the cabin abruptly plummeted. A bone-piercing chill swept over them, making even the spaces between their bones ache. The lights began flickering wildly. Black smoke poured in through the doorway and gradually coalesced before the altar into a tall figure.

He wore a black robe that covered his body, his face hidden in shadow, his features impossible to make out. Only two withered, skeletal hands were exposed, their coldly gleaming nails sending chills down the spine.

A harsh, grating voice emerged from beneath the black robe, thick with anger and sounding like metal scraping against metal. "You despicable creature. You dare violate your contract with me!"

Pastor Jim shook with terror and instinctively cowered in a corner. His voice broke into a sob as he babbled, "Lord Death, it isn't my fault! They forced me!"

Death snorted coldly and waved a skeletal hand. A powerful yin wind struck Pastor Jim, hurling him away like a fallen leaf. He slammed into the wall, spat blood, and slowly slid to the floor.

"You signed the contract willingly. Now you want to go back on it?!" Death's voice was bone-chilling, without a trace of warmth.

Moonlight fell through the stained-glass windows, forming strange, mottled patterns of light and shadow on the floor and casting an eerie pall over the sacred church. Death stood at the center of the altar, surrounded by black mist. The faint wails of departed souls rose from within it, making their hair stand on end.

Pastor Jim was bound to a pillar at the altar, his face deathly pale and his breathing faint. Dean, Sam, and Bai Haorui stood opposite him, ready for battle.

"Now!" Bai Haorui shouted, charging forward first. He took out an Evil-Breaking Talisman and slapped it onto the altar. The instant it touched, dazzling red light erupted, immediately severing the energy connection between Death and Pastor Jim.

Bai Haorui shouted, "Sam, burn the contract book! Dean, protect the pastor and break the contract's blood seal on his palm!"

Sam immediately rushed toward the altar and reached for the black contract book. Just then, Death lashed out with a stream of black mist, wrapping it around Sam's ankle. Thrown off balance, Sam fell. His palm scraped across the rough floor, drawing beads of blood.

Dean reacted instantly, drawing the silver knife at his waist and slashing at the black mist. Silver was a potent weapon against evil. The instant the blade touched the mist, it hissed and dispersed.

"Sam, go! I've got this!" Dean shouted. Holding his silver knife, he stood in front of Sam like an indestructible mountain.

Bai Haorui began chanting the God-Expelling Spell. His powerful voice rang throughout the church, carrying a majestic, righteous energy. "Mysterious source of heaven and earth, root of the myriad qi; through countless kalpas of cultivation, I prove my divine power. Within and beyond the Three Realms, the Tao alone reigns supreme; golden light surrounds my form, covering and illuminating my body. Death, retreat! Swiftly, in accordance with the decree!"

As he chanted, a layer of golden light spread over Bai Haorui and enveloped him. He grabbed the Baleful-Energy-Breaking Liquid beside him and hurled it at Death. When the liquid struck the black mist, it hissed violently, instantly dispersing more than half of it.

Death roared. His skeletal hand became a black blur as it clawed toward Bai Haorui. Bai Haorui dodged sideways, drew his peachwood sword, dipped it in the remaining Baleful-Energy-Breaking Liquid, and thrust at Death's skeletal hand.

Hiss-

The instant the peachwood sword struck the skeletal hand, a piercing sound rang out and brilliant red light erupted. Death screamed and staggered back several steps. Black smoke rose from his skeletal hand; he was clearly injured.

Seizing the opportunity, Sam rushed onto the altar, grabbed the black contract book, and set it alight with his lighter. Flames instantly engulfed it. An agonized scream rang through the air, so shrill that it hurt their eardrums. Death's figure began to blur, as though he might dissipate at any moment.

Dean rushed to Pastor Jim's side and saw a faint, blood-colored symbol on his palm-the contract's blood seal. Without hesitation, he slashed the pastor's palm with his silver knife. Blood flowed, and the symbol gradually disappeared.

Seeing the contract book burned and the blood seal broken, Death let out an earth-shaking roar. The entire church trembled. "You will pay for this!"

Bai Haorui seized the moment to chant an even stronger God-Expelling Spell. The red light on his peachwood sword surged, illuminating the entire church. He drove it toward Death, his voice ringing with force. "Go back where you belong!"

The red light pierced Death's black robe, and his figure gradually dissolved within it. In the end, only a cold statement remained, echoing through the church, heavy with venom. "The deal is dissolved. Everyone who was healed will return to their former condition... Including you, Dean Winchester."

Death vanished, and the black mist in the church gradually dispersed. Moonlight fell through the stained-glass windows onto the floor, restoring the former stillness.

Dean's body suddenly weakened. The familiar pain returned to his chest, so intense that he could barely breathe. He staggered back several steps and leaned against the wall, gasping for air as his face turned deathly pale.

Sam immediately rushed over to support him, his eyes full of worry and his voice trembling. "Dean, how are you feeling?"

Dean panted and managed a faint smile, his tone tinged with self-mockery. "I'm fine... feels like I'm back in the hospital." He looked at Bai Haorui. "Looks like I'll have to say goodbye to you again."

Bai Haorui frowned, preparing to activate the Life-Extending Talisman, but when he placed his hand on Dean's wrist, he found that Dean's heartbeat was steady. Suddenly, realization struck, and his eyes lit up. "Wait, Death's energy has completely dissipated. Now that the contract has been terminated, those stolen souls..."

Before he could finish, Dean's vision went black, and he passed out.

Bai Haorui and Sam went pale with alarm and immediately rushed him to the hospital.

Several hours later, a doctor hurried over to the two of them with the follow-up test results, his face full of disbelief and his voice excited. "A miracle! It's a miracle! Mr. Dean Winchester's follow-up results are back. His heart muscle function is recovering rapidly, and all his readings are returning to normal. His life is no longer in danger!"

All three of them froze. Dean slowly opened his eyes and touched his chest in disbelief. The pain was actually fading. He could clearly feel his heart beating strongly, full of life.

Understanding dawned on Bai Haorui. He slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "It's a side effect of terminating the contract! Death's deals are based on 'plunder.' Once the contract is terminated, the stolen life energy has no host, so it returns to wherever it's needed most. Although Dean's body was damaged, his life force was still there. That energy just happened to repair the damage to his heart muscle!"

Pastor Jim stood up, a relieved smile spreading across his face, carrying both release and remorse. He looked at Dean and said sincerely, "Live your life well. Don't let obsession blind you the way it blinded me."

Dean nodded. "Thank you. And thank you both, Bai, Sam." He looked at the two people before him, his eyes filled with gratitude. They were the ones who had stayed with him through his darkest hours.

Pastor Jim confessed to the police about his deal with Death and the truth behind the seven bizarre deaths. Although the police found it hard to believe, they opened an investigation at the pastor's insistence, though they might end up sending him to a psychiatric hospital.

After learning the truth, Lily's mother, Martha, sought Dean out. She didn't blame him, merely handed him a photograph of Lily. There was a trace of sadness in her eyes, yet she was remarkably calm. "Lily was a kind child. She surely wouldn't have wanted her life used for a deal like this. Live your life well, and live her share along with yours."

Dean took the photograph and clutched it tightly, his eyes reddening as he nodded solemnly. "I will!"

A few days later, the Impala was driving down the highway. Old rock music played on the car radio, its melody rousing.

Dean held the steering wheel and whistled, in high spirits. He looked at Sam in the passenger seat, then glanced at Bai Haorui, who was resting with his eyes closed in the back seat, and said with a smile, "Looks like I've still got a few more years to drive my baby, drink whiskey, and discuss life with different girls."

Sam smiled and nodded, his tone turning solemn. "Don't be so reckless next time, Dean. You're my brother. I don't want to lose you again."

Bai Haorui leaned against the seat, a faint smile on his lips, and opened his eyes. "Looks like we won't need that Life-Extending Talisman." "By the way, Dean, do you still have the Life-Extending Talisman in your pocket?"

Dean paused, then pulled the yellow talisman paper from his pocket. He smiled and carefully stroked it. "Of course I do. Who knows if this talisman of yours might save my life at a critical moment next time?"

Bai Haorui raised an eyebrow, his voice carrying a hint of threat. "Good thing you know that. If you ever dare throw away something I give you again, I'll paint your Impala red and cover it in talisman papers."

"Touch my baby and I'll kill you!" Dean said with feigned ferocity, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from rising.

Sam couldn't help laughing, his laughter echoing through the car.

Just then, a cold notification suddenly sounded in Bai Haorui's mind:

[Mission complete. Reward: one "Life-Extending Talisman" (requires no expenditure of lifespan), constitution +1.]

Bai Haorui froze for a moment, then the smile on his lips deepened.

As though remembering something, Sam suddenly said, "I found out earlier that the Yellow-Eyed Demon started marking babies all over the place many years ago. All those babies develop special abilities when they grow up."

At the mention of the Yellow-Eyed Demon, the smile instantly vanished from Dean's face, and deep-seated hatred welled up in his eyes. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, his voice icy. "Whatever his plan is, we'll stop him. The next time I run into the Yellow-Eyed Demon, I'm going to kill him!"

Bai Haorui sat up straight and said firmly, "Don't worry. We'll kill him together."