Afterlife Department

"So, you left to find where the scream came from. But, only to found a dark villa where someone is dead inside?" Huo Ling said when Yi Bing, Di San and Liu Lin had returned.

"Yes." Yi Bing nodded. It was only him and Huo Ling now left in Huo Ling's room. Feng Er and Si Shui went with Di San and Liu Lin earlier to discuss. "After Di San, Liu Lin and I scouted the entire subdivision, we didn't see anyone suspicious. So, we think it was a yao that killed the woman." he explained.

Huo Ling fell silent. Yi Bing knew the change in his mood is because this was the first time for Huo Ling to know about the evilness of a yao.

After a while, Yi Bing spoke.. "You really don't want to go to the Hao family?" he asked. That's right. It wasn't his decision, but Huo Ling himself, to not go to the Hao family. At first, he thought Huo Ling was just shy and nervous facing his long-lost relatives… ah, no. It was Huo Ling who is the long-lost here.

But�� "I made a wise decision." Huo Ling said. The carefree smile on his face has disappeared and was replaced by a stern expression. "In the first place, I don't need a family. I am actually more comfortable with strangers." He looked at Yi Bing. "Also, I never forgot that my mother claimed she is an orphan." He said.

Yi Bing drew a sharp breath as he stared at Huo Ling. In Huo Ling's second life, he is a straight-A student so he is serious. However, Yi Bing had never seen Huo Ling this serious before. And Yi Bing couldn't help but feel intimidated by this side of Huo Ling.

"Why would my mother said she is an orphan when she actually has such a large family, and a wealthy one at that?" Huo Ling said. He already had Si Shui help him search about the Hao family. "Why would she live a frugal life with my father instead of going back to her family? Is she even aware of them? Why did she end up in a foreign land than live in her motherland?" he asked before he paused. "Now that I knew the dark side of the yao, I have a feeling – " he looked at Yi Bing. " – either my mother was chased out by her family, or she was lost… she might have been kidnapped." He remembered the sensational news more than two decades ago. "She was really kidnapped…" he stated.

"Huo Ling." Yi Bing called.

Huo Ling shook his head. "My mother has always been smart. I knew, she knew that her family must be looking for her." he said. "However, for some reason, she never appeared before them nor let them know she is alive. It's because – " he exhaled a breath. " – someone wants her to die." He said.

Yi Bing just remained silent, never interrupting Huo Ling as he spoke. Huo Ling must know everything by himself. And Huo Ling didn't disappoint him.

"Hey. When I was living in the foreign land, there were some Chinese dramas that were popular. I had watched this one drama…" Huo Ling said as he recovered his usual carefree expression. "It is a palace fighting drama. With the Hao family's power, don't you think they're like the imperial family?" he asked as he turned to Yi Bing. He smiled. "There's this also the fantasy movies… so, everything has a basis." He said. He is referring to the yao world.

Yi Bing opened his mouth to speak, but no word came out. He pursed his lips. "They are all fiction…" was what he managed to say.

Huo Ling finally laughed. "Fiction is the 'what if' of reality." He told Yi Bing.

Yi Bing decided not to argue with him.

In the other room, Di San, Feng Er, Liu Lin and Si Shui stared at each other.

"So, you're saying…" Liu Lin decided to break the silence. "There might be an archangel present in this world?" he asked.

Di San heavily nodded. "Yes." he answered.

"Why would they be here?" Feng Er asked as she frowned. "Weren't they always sitting up high on their seat in the Upper Heaven or that they would cultivate in their abode for eternity?" she asked. Dislike can clearly be heard in her voice.

The Upper Heaven is where the gods and the angels were located. It is divided into two: the Highest Heaven where the emperor of the gods – Shen Sheng's father, Shen Taijun, is staying along with the other gods, and the Mid-Heaven, or Middle Heaven, where the angels and archangels were located. The Middle Heaven was included in the Upper Heaven since the angels, particularly the archangels, disdain the grim reapers who were located in the Lower Heaven. Even if it is Heaven, but disdain is also present.

However, Shen Sheng who was supposed to be living in the Highest Heaven as a god, was actually staying in the Middle Heaven. One, because of his awkward position as the emperor – who should bear no child, His Majesty's son. Because of this, like the grim reapers disdained by the angels, he was disdained by the gods. This is also the reason why Shen Sheng empathized with the grim reapers.

The second reason Shen Sheng is in the Middle Heaven is actually because it was his decision. As much as he was disdained by the gods, he also disdains them. The feeling is mutual. Thus, he stayed in the Middle Heaven which is near the grim reapers he empathizes with, and also to keep the angels and archangels under his control.

"I don't know." Di San helplessly answered. "I already messaged Gu Shi for him to check which archangel it is that left the Heaven." He said.

An angel or archangel cannot leave the Heaven unless they were under an order. However, it was only Shen Sheng who can order them around – much to their chagrin, even if they do not show it. For the angels, they think Shen Sheng is a mistake. That he is the embodiment of Shen Taijun's flaws. If there is no Shen Sheng, Shen Taijun would be perfect. Thus, they resent Shen Sheng.

As it said before, the feeling is mutual. If they resent Shen Sheng, then Shen Sheng finds them an eyesore. This makes the archangels hate Shen Sheng more, since they were being looked down upon by Shen Sheng and they felt they were being mocked by him. Which is true.

And because the Afterlife Department is under Shen Sheng's supervision, the angels hated the grim reapers more. They find Shen Sheng and the Afterlife Department the stains of the Heaven, and that made the Heaven a laughingstock.

"If the being that Yi Bing met is really an archangel, and since it is only Shen Taizi who can command the angels, why would Shen Taizi send an archangel when he sent us on a secret mission?" Liu Lin asked.

"… to help us?" Si Shui asked as he blinked.

Di San, Feng Er and Liu Lin. "…" they looked at Si Shui with their eyes filled with pity. He's a lost case. They thought.

"… could it be His Highness really sent that archangel to help us?" Feng Er asked.

"No way. Why would he not tell us about it, since we have the same goal?" Liu Lin asked.

Di San felt something lit up in his mind. "Shen Taizi wouldn't make us feel loss." He said as he told them about Shen Sheng and Gu Shi's conversation before1.

Feng Er, Liu Lin and Si Shui felt touched by the importance placed by Shen Sheng to them. "If it wasn't His Highness who sent that archangel here…" Liu Lin said, his eyes suspiciously red. He's about to cry, but was holding back.

Feng Er, as a woman, has no need to keep up a pretense. Her tears fell, ruining her make up but she didn't care. She is happy they were valued, despite them being grim reapers. "Then, who sent that archangel here?" she asked as she looked at them.

"Wuwuwuwu…" Si Shui, with a mentality of a child, bawled. "It must be a villain…" he said.

"…" Di San, Feng Er and Liu Lin looked at Si Shui with a deadpan face. Does this child has to say it bluntly?

Suddenly, they felt a chill on their skin. They turned and saw Yi Bing. They felt their heart became cold. How long has he been listening? They thought.

However, Di San has no scruple towards Yi Bing. "How is Huo Ling?" he asked.

"Asleep." Yi Bing said before he turned to Si Shui who choked back his sob and, as a result, he hiccupped.

"…" this child is hopeless. They all thought.

Am I that scary? Yi Bing thought and sighed before a small smile appeared on his lips. He remembered that coward yet bold Huo Ling when they first met in the Stable World. Fearing the strong but bullying the weak, that's the best description of him in his first life.

Huo Ling, who was in the other room and was sleeping, sneezed.