Afterlife Department

Chapter 332 – Petrified

"Yi Bing?" Gu Shi called again to make sure it was Yi Bing who answered the call and not his impostor. 

Normal World. 

Yi Bing heard Gu Shi's doubtful voice and he cleared his throat. "Yes?" he answered, his voice now sounds formal. 

He heard Gu Shi sigh in relief. "Yi Bing. I called to ask you in which shelf did you place the Soul Fragment?" he asked. "There are… countless shelves here." He said. 

Although there are only two floors inside the Chrysanthemum Room, but it was stretched horizontally. So, when you enter the Chrysanthemum Room, what you'll see is only the surface of the first and first floor when you stand beside the pillar on its center.. 

"Shelf 04263." Yi Bing answered. "Second layer from the top." He said. 

Gu Shi sighed in relief. He was about to thank Yi Bing when Di San, who heard what Yi Bing said, spoke. 

"Where is the 04263 located?" Di San asked. 

"… first floor." Yi Bing answered. "In the northeast." He said and then ended the call. He looked at Huo Ling who's been waiting for him in the bus stop, sitting for a while together with their purchases. He walked towards him. "Sorry for the wait." He told him as he picked up the bags of their groceries. 

"Not a problem!" Huo Ling said with a smile. "Let me help you carry them!" he told Yi Bing when he saw that there are three bags on each hand of Yi Bing. 

"No. I can carry them on my own. Let's go." Yi Bing said as he walked past Huo Ling, didn't want for Huo Ling to insist in carrying the other bags of groceries. 

The bags of groceries are very heavy, from canned foods to frozen foods, as well as toiletries, since Huo Ling will be living with him from today until they can finally kill all those who wanted to kill Huo Ling. Yi Bing can actually kill that mafia organization on his own. But, it's not good to intervene in the world too much. Everything has to have a proper procedure. 

It's not that he wanted to be with Huo Ling for a little longer, so he isn't taking action… as long as he can protect Huo Ling… okay, these are just his excuses. He really wanted to be with Huo Ling. He doesn't want to see him dying again, and in front of him… 

"Yi Bing?" Huo Ling called, his voice pulled Yi Bing from his thoughts. 

"Hm?" Yi Bing turned. 

"I've been calling you since earlier… something in your mind?" Huo Ling asked. 

"… it's nothing." Yi Bing answered. Then, he saw that they've reached the gate to the subdivision. "We're here." He said. 

He and Huo Ling went and entered after greeted by the guard. The guard even offered to carry the grocery bags, but Yi Bing refused. 

"The guard is very friendly." Huo Ling said as they walked. 

"En. I helped him catch a suspicious person before." Yi Bing answered. "A stalker fan of an actor…" he explained. 

"Really?!" Huo Ling was shocked. "It's really scary to live with bad people surrounding you nowadays…" he sighed. 

Yi Bing nodded in agreement. Huo Ling is the prime example, since he is chased by a mafia organization. "We're here." He said. 

"Huh?" Huo Ling muttered and raised his head. He didn't notice how long and how far have they walked. 

Yi Bing nudged the gate open with hit foot and entered. 

Huo Ling followed him, then closed the gate. "You leave your gate open?" he asked as they walked to the door. His mouth fell open when the door opened without a key. "Even your door…" he added. 

"Special security system." Yi Bing said and entered. 

Huo Ling hurriedly ran after him after locking the door. "So…" he said as he watched Yi Bing placed the grocery bags on the kitchen counter. 

"So, no one can enter without my permission. It's very safe here." Yi Bing said. How can it not be safe? This is the house of the grim reaper. He teleported them both earlier when Huo Ling was distracted. 

This house isn't in that subdivision at all. 

"Oh." Huo Ling muttered. 

"Help me arrange them." Yi Bing told him. 

Huo Ling nodded. "Okay! I'll then cook our dinner." He said and replaced Yi Bing in the kitchen. 

Yi Bing hummed a response before he walked upstairs. "Gu Shi. How are you and Di San?" he asked as he spoke to his communicator. 

"No good. We can't find it! There are so many shelves here!" Di San answered as he looked at the maze-like arrangement of the shelves. "I – I feel dizzy…" he said. 

Yi Bing blew out a sigh and reached for the doorknob. "I'll be there." he said.

"Huh?" Di San muttered. The next second, he heard a door opening. He turned and saw Yi Bing was closing the door of the Chrysanthemum Room. "Yi Bing?!" he exclaimed in shock. 

"Where's Gu Shi?" Yi Bing asked. He didn't hear Gu Shi's voice earlier and only Di San's even though it was Gu Shi he called. 

"Inside…" Di San's voice faded when he realized there's something wrong. His eyes widened and he immediately rushed towards the shelves. 

Yi Bing followed him. After a while and they have found Gu Shi standing in front of the shelf 4263. But, he was just standing there and not moving, just like a statue. His communicator screen is also open. 

"Gu Shi?" Di San called. 

Gu Shi didn't turn. 

Yi Bing walked towards Gu Shi, hand raised in preparation for what might come. But, when he reached Gu Shi, he lowered his hand. "He was petrified." He told Di San. 

"Huh?" Di San went and saw Gu Shi's stiff body. "Petrified…" he muttered. 

Yi Bing turned and saw the wooden cane, which was the strongest treasure before the Soul Fragment was placed in the shelf, was turning. "It's the Petrifying Cane." He told Di San. "It can petrify any being, including a god." He explained. 

"'Petrifying Cane'?" Di San turned and saw the wooden cane with a round head and pointed tip. It looked like an ordinary cane, but it is actually horrifying. "Can we cure Gu Shi?" he asked and looked at Gu Shi. 

"Hai Ba can't. but Ruan Yu can." Yi Bing said. 

Di San nodded, understanding what Yi Bing meant. "You…" he said and looked at Yi Bing. 

"I'll be picking up the Soul Fragment and give it to Shen Taizi." Yi Bing said. "Sorry for the trouble." He told him. 

"No. What I mean is… aren't you accompanying Huo Ling in his last world of first cycle?" Di San asked. 

"En. But, he's cooking dinner, so I figured I'd help you here." Yi Bing answered as he coated his hand with ice and picked up the Soul Fragment. The Soul Fragment struggled before it became docile. Yi Bing then took out a box and placed the Soul Fragment inside. 

Meanwhile, Di San who heard Yi Bing's answer froze like the petrified Gu Shi. No, no… there's something wrong with what you said! Huo Ling is cooking dinner?! And what does this imply? You two are living together?! He looked at Yi Bing in shock as he cursed in his mind. 

"Hm? What's wrong? Were you petrified by the cane, too?" Yi Bing asked. 

"… no." Di San answered. Why do you act like everything's normal?! He thought as he looked at Yi Bing as if Yi Bing is a beast. 

Well… Yi Bing isn't a beast, but a grim reaper. 

"If there's no problem, then you'd better take Gu Shi to Ruan Yu." Yi Bing said. "Fortunately, only his body was petrified and not the soul. Ruan Yu can cure him." he told him. 

Di San nodded. "Yes." He said, then opened his communicator and pressed a button to teleport outside the Rainbow Tower. 

It's not that they underestimate Hai Ba's abilities. But, the reason why they chose Ruan Yu instead of Hai Ba is that they have to minimize the information regarding the treasures kept inside the Chrysanthemum Room. Who knows which bad being would be tempted to steal the treasures in the Chrysanthemum Room? That's why they release scary information regarding the Rainbow Tower and Chrysanthemum Room, thus its bad reputation now. They did it to keep any being away from the Rainbow Tower. Wasn't Di San scared after he heard from Yi Bing he will be going to the Rainbow Tower? 

"Right." Di San said when he remembered something. "Why didn't we see the prison cells?" he asked. 

"They are in the Rainbow Tower, but in a different space." Yi Bing explained as they went out of the Chrysanthemum Room. 

Di San looked around and saw the empty walls of the Rainbow Tower. "So, earlier, we didn't see it wrong? That there really aren't prison cells here?" he asked. 

The only light illuminating them is coming from the hole on the roof of the Rainbow Tower.