Afterlife Department

Chapter 178 – Suggestion

He likes Huo Ling. That's a fact. As to what exactly is this 'like' – whether it is the type that develops into love, Yi Bing doesn't know, and he doesn't want to know yet. "Are you ready to answer?" he asked back.

It was Huo Ling's turn to be silent. Yi Bing said 'ready', so Yi Bing must have noticed. Huo Ling clearly knows, aware, what his attachment is. Just now, it was him testing Yi Bing. But the table has now turned.

Yi Bing is testing him. Huo Ling felt powerless. "No." he finally answered..

Yi Bing just hummed a response at his answer and didn't speak any more about it. He nodded. "Then, let's climb a mountain." He said.

"…?" Huo Ling was puzzled and he sent a quizzical look at Yi Bing. What mountain? Why a mountain?

Yi Bing saw him looked at him in askance. He cleared his throat before he spoke. "Climbing a mountain tests one patience and endurance. This is helpful to a soul." He explained.

"…" you mean, this is stressful, right? Huo Ling's face was covered in black lines.

Since he was a prince, he had never climbed a mountain since when they go to a mountain, he's always inside a car and could only watch the car slowly ascend the mountain. However, he knew that it is tiring to climb a mountain, not to mention a waste of time. However…

But… Huo Ling glanced at his tail, which is wiggling and hovering above the ground. He isn't a human anymore. "…" he is speechless at Yi Bing's ability to lie.

How can this help him when he can't walk? He wouldn't feel tiredness, so his endurance wouldn't be tested. Also, ghosts aren't conscious of time, thus his patience wouldn't be tested either.

He finally found that a grim reaper, who he thought to be gloomy and gravely serious since they deal with the matters of death, can actually lie. "… okay." He answered as he (fakely) smiled at Yi Bing.

Since he is floating, climbing a mountain is effortless for him. As for a certain blatantly lying grim reaper…

Hours later, it is as Huo Ling thought. Yi Bing, who has feet which he used to climb, was motionlessly sitting on the ground. He blankly looked at his legs, which he felt are numb and are slightly trembling.

Huo Ling held back a laughter when he saw Yi Bing's vacant expression as he stared at the horizon as if he has lost his soul. "Where to, next?" he asked. Now, he started to look forward their next destination.

Yi Bing, who has secretly glanced at Huo Ling, saw Huo Ling's brightly smiling eyes. He sighed in relief when he remembered his and Mo Shi's conversation last night.

Mo Shi, who was about to run to Jin Wu's side but was distracted by the message Yi Bing sent, paused. He rubbed his eyes to see if he was mistaken of what he saw. Yi Bing asked him, and it's… 

To confirm that he has seen the message right, he replied. 

4626: places to relax? 

0001: yes. 

Mo Shi, who have heard of Yi Bing's 'legend' from the other grim reapers, was vexed. "…" indeed. Yi Bing has sent him a message, and it's really a question about… Wasn't senior Yi an abstinent man… erm, grim reaper who knows no fun in life? He thought as he stared hard at Yi Bing's message with a complicated look in his eyes like he was pondering about the creation of the universe. 

I, who lived hearing my cousins' 'adventures' in which the main setting is in brothels, decipher senior Yi's question as a question about the dating spots. However, senior Yi is a walking refrigerator. How can he know romance? He doesn't look like he has a romantic bone. 

Then, as if the ghosts are at work, an image of a bright, orange soul flashed in his mind. Before he could notice, his fingers moved on their own and typed a reply to Yi Bing. 

4626: senior, can I boldly ask… is it for senior Huo? 

Mo Shi suddenly felt his heart sped up. Senior Yi really cares for senior Huo! He thought as he remembered the last time when Yi Bing told him to bring Huo Ling around in the theme park. They ended up in a shooting booth, in where he saw Yi Bing gave Huo Ling a necklace with a beautiful orange pendant. Was it made of jade, that pendant? He thought. For some reason, he felt his cheeks heated up and flushed. 

He moved his gaze back to his communicator when he heard it ding-ed, indicating he received a new message. 

0001: yes. 

If not him, then who? A ghost? Yi Bing, who's worlds apart – literally, from Mo Shi, thought and frowned at Mo Shi's brainless question before he suddenly paused when he realized it. Well… Huo Ling, literally, is a ghost. So, it's really for a ghost, the question he has sent.

He decided to forgive Mo Shi's level of IQ. 

(Mo Shi: QAQ senior Yi, how will I know for whom you asked me that question! It's a general question, okay?! Orz) 

In the Stable World, Mo Shi who doesn't know his IQ was being despised by the 'person' he was wholeheartedly helping, widely grinned when he received the other's reply. It's really for senior Huo! He happily exclaimed in his heart. 

4626: great!

0001: so, you know of places? Can you suggest me some? 

4626: I know! 

Mo Shi felt excited and his fingers tapped very fast on the holographic keyboard of his communicator. 

4626: And, travelling with a companion is better than travelling alone. 

Yi Bing, who is a lone wolf thus he always operated alone, raised his brows. Both the objective is travelling. What's the difference with adding a person or two in your travel? He thought. 

Nonetheless, he politely asked. 

0001: why? 

4626: 'alone' has a word 'lone', and so is 'lonely'. Travelling helps you relax, but when done alone, it can have the opposite effect. It'll make one feel distress, instead, which is the opposite of the objective of travelling: wanting to de-stress. 

4626: That's why it's better to have a companion! And you're, naturally, going to accompany senior Huo. Travelling together, the effect is shared with each other. 

4626: also, you want to do this for senior Huo…

Yi Bing paused when he saw the recent message of Mo Shi. 

0001: is there between difference of 'doing it together' from 'doing it for the other'? 

4626: of course, there is! Travelling together meant that both parties wanted to relax. Travelling for the other person meant that you want the other to relax. You're doing it mainly for the other. 

4626: although the objective is good, it can mean negative, since it sounds like you're forcing yourself or you were forced. However, for the positive side, like senior, you, you are voluntarily doing it for the other. You want the best for them. 

0001: … so? 

Yi Bing's face is blank as he stared at his communicator, reading the messages between him and Mo Shi, trying to digest Mo Shi's meaning. 

In the Afterlife Department. 

Mo Shi. "…" ignore the lack of enthusiasm! Ignore the lack of enthusiasm! Ignore… the hell (which was already gone, oops)! Does senior Yi really want to amuse senior Huo? Then why does he look like he lacks enthusiasm?! Ah… he looked like he lacks enthusiasm (with that emotionless face, which lacks everything but attractiveness! He thought as he froze. But still! He really wants to amuse senior Huo, right?! Right?! 

4626: senior, you can try act more tired after you two reached your goal!

0001: why?

4626: to give the other a sense of achievement, of course! Though sounds nasty, but the feeling of superiority usually makes one feel good. 

… and to make you look silly, so the other would be happy. The sillier you look, the happier the other would. Mo Shi added in his heart. However, with how serious senior Yi is, and I felt a sense of danger if I'd say this, I'd better not tell him this. He thought, which is a right decision since he can preserve his life. 

When he heard Jin Wu's voice finally roared since he didn't respond to Jin Wu's summons earlier, he ended his conversation with Yi Bing with a few words and then immediately rushed to Jin Wu's office. 

In the Normal World, after Yi Bing saw Mo Shi's words of goodbye, he closed his communicator after replying him 'thanks'. Then, he turned and looked at the soul, pale in orange color which made a stark contrast with the darkness around him, resting on the bench. Meanwhile, he, wearing a black-colored outfit from his head to his feet, blended in the darkness. 

It's as if the two of them live in different worlds; one is bathed with light while the other is embraced by the darkness.