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Great faults cost twelve years, small ones a hundred days
Key takeaway
Lifespan is a ledger. One act of misconduct is one entry. One refusal is another. The ledger never runs out of pages.
Lifespan is a ledger. One act of misconduct is one entry. One refusal is another. The ledger never runs out of pages.
The Treatise on Response and Retribution says that when a person does evil, heaven and earth reduce the lifespan in proportion, and with a shortened life come poverty, hardship and constant worry. A great evil costs twelve years, a small fault a hundred days. The text says the hearth spirit and the spirits of the north record everything, and nothing done in secret stays hidden.