Afterlife Department

Chapter 538 – Separated

Bai Wu's head that's already filled with question marks was filled with more question marks. Jiu Ye felt that he could understand Yi Bing's words but when put together, he felt lost. Wu Yi remained silent since he knows that there is more to Yi Bing's words while Bai Liu frowned since things really aren't simple as he had guessed.

Huo Ling immediately understand what Yi Bing meant. "You really saw You Ri there and it was her who is haunting the company… Li Yan, Li Li and Shi Nana to be precise." He slowly spoke. "But, when you checked the Death Note to mark her soul, you didn't see her current location. Thus, you think that it wasn't her." He looked at Yi Bing. "But, it should be her. So – " his eyes narrowed. " – the reason why you couldn't mark her because it wasn't her soul." He concluded.

Jiu Ye's eyes widened and Wu Yi's jaw dropped. Bai Liu's pupils shrank. "What?!" he exclaimed. "It wasn't her soul… what do you mean?" he asked with his brows knit.

Yi Bing's lips curled up as he looked at Huo Ling, feeling proud like his boyfriend… ehem. As his employer. "Yes. It wasn't her soul that I met." He answered. "But, it's definitely not her human form, either. And she also doesn't have a twin to pose as her." He added.

"Then… what was it that you met?" Wu Yi asked.

"Her resentment." Huo Ling answered with a blank expression.

They all turned to him. "'resentment'?!" they exclaimed.

Huo Ling nodded. "Yes." He heavily breathed. "This is possible?" he looked at Yi Bing.

Yi Bing nodded. "It's so, since I saw it." He answered.

Huo Ling, Bai Liu, Wu Yi, Jiu Ye and Bai Wu. "…" oh. Since you saw so, it is so? They thought. Their expressions turned indifferent.

Yi Bing acted as if he didn't see their reactions. He sat beside Huo Ling, looking relaxed while he held the cup of tea which is of Huo Ling's. "Resentment is actually also an attachment." He spoke. "From when I become a grim reaper up until now, I never saw an attachment separated from the soul." He told them.

They all nodded in agreement. This was never written before in the history of the afterlife. Thus, they were really shocked to hear this from Yi Bing, who must be similarly shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.

"Something must have happened to You Ri's soul." Huo Ling spoke in a low voice. "And it's got something to do with Lin Weng, who has You Ri's soul." He looked at the Inspection Department with his eyes narrowed in anger.

Bai Liu's and the others' eyes widened in shock.

"But, since the Death Note didn't react, then nothing, dangerous, should have happened to her." Yi Bing said as he glanced at Huo Ling.

Huo Ling immediately retracted his gaze from the Inspection Department who obviously sighed in relief. Should anything happen to You Ri's soul, even if they are from different department, Bai Liu and the others can't afford it!

Now, not only do they have to do something with Lin Weng, this troublesome person, but they also have to save You Ri and send her to reincarnation!

"So, since You Ri's soul should be safe, even if her resentment has separated from her soul through some method, she will remain safe?" Huo Ling asked Yi Bing as he used the last cup on the coffee table and poured his cup with tea.

"En." Yi Bing nodded. "After all, the Death Note wouldn't lie." He told him.

They all fell silent and sighed in their hearts. Yi Bing is right. Since their Death Notes never lie, the grim reapers are faithfully following it and check the status of the souls which are their assignments.

"What should we do now, then?" Bai Liu asked.

"How did your end go earlier?" Yi Bing asked back.

Hearing his question, everyone turned to look at Huo Ling.

Huo Ling's lip twitched. "It's a success." He answered. "We've managed to convince Li Yan, Li Li and Shi Nana earlier that the ghost wasn't exorcised and earned their trust and made them finally hesitate in their decision to speak or forever hold their peace." He explained.

Bai Liu, Wu Yi, Jiu Ye and Bai Wu. "…" what 'speak or forever hold their peace'? We aren't in a marriage ceremony! Even if we are currently dealing with ghosts, but we aren't holding a ghost marriage! They thought.

But, they really did hold their 'peace' back since they didn't even do anything earlier aside from introducing themselves and became a part of the background. It was Huo Ling who acted and spoke everything earlier.

"Oh?" Yi Bing muttered as he sipped his tea. Of course he knows that Huo Ling doesn't want to talk about what he did earlier, even if it was deserving of praise. It's not that he is shy, but that he just doesn't like to flaunt his achievements.

In short, he is low-key. Also, he has the skills so he can do it again. But, if he failed in his next task and that his previous achievement was actually just a fluke, then his praise-seeking before will put him to shame now. So, him not seeking for praises in his successful tasks is a smart move, and would make him look humble instead.

Truly smart. Yi Bing praised Huo Ling in his heart. But – "I would like to hear the details." He spoke.

Silence fell. Huo Ling's brow can't help but spasm. Thinking that Yi Bing is making fun of him, he rose from his seat, ignoring the cup of tea he only had a sip from. "I'm tired." He spoke. "I'll take a nap first and return later to discuss about our next plan, and also to make a draft for our backup plans." He spoke.

Not caring at their expressions, especially Yi Bing, he left and headed straight to the second floor before his figure vanished in the dark hallway.

"So shy ah…" Yi Bing smiled as he resumed drinking his tea. Then, without caring of the others' reactions, he picked up the other cup of tea Huo Ling drank from and took a sip from it, exactly where Huo Ling placed his lips and sipped.

"… senior, are you that thirsty?" Bai Wu asked as he looked at the first cup that Yi Bing finished drinking.

"Yes. I am very thirsty." Yi Bing answered as he continued drinking, even licking the rim of the cup between his lips.

Bai Liu, Wu Yi and Jiu Ye. "…" we feel that you are implying of a different kind of thirst but we don't have an evidence so we'll ignore this for now until we find one (evidence). They thought and tacitly looked away from the cup that Yi Bing is currently using, forgetting that it was Huo Ling's.

And Yi Bing has stolen two now. They felt like they had understood something but since Yi Bing isn't talking about it, or they just unanimously assumed that he doesn't want to even though they can see that the other looked like he wanted to.

Seeing their expressions of refusing to ask him not because they feared him but because they don't want to hear a 'love' story and be fed of dog food, Yi Bing shook his head in pity and finally placed down Huo Ling's cup on the coffee table.

"So, who would be kind to tell me everything that happened earlier?" he asked them and smiled a smile which isn't really a smile seeing their tight lips. "… I'll give you points." He added.

Their expressions changed. Who doesn't want points?! Points can be changed to anything in the City of the Dead! They all thought, suddenly feeling excited.

But, Jiu Ye and Bai Wu are just junior officials. Naturally, it isn't good to fight over something with their seniors. Not to mention that they are their apprentices. So, they immediately calmed down. This transaction naturally will fall between Bai Liu and Wu Yi.

Wu Yi, naturally, is a whipped husband… ehem. Respectable partner (in 'business') of Bai Liu. To convey more of his sincere feelings, he let Bai Liu tell Yi Bing of what had transpired over this morning in the park.

Bai Liu coughed and started to speak. "It's like this…" he said.

While Yi Bing is fishing for information from Bai Liu regarding to Huo Ling's 'achievement' earlier, Huo Ling had finally cooled himself down after he washed his face. He then recalled what Yi Bing said, word for word.

"It is her." 

"Because it also wasn't her."

"That was You Ri who is haunting the company… but, it was also not her. That's why I had to go back earlier to confirm it." 

"When I first saw 'her', I should have seen it in the Death Note but there is none. Her location didn't appear in the Death Note even if she was in front of me… thus, I confirmed that it is also not 'her'."

"Yes. It wasn't her soul that I met. But, it's definitely not her human form, either.. And she also doesn't have a twin to pose as her."