Afterlife Department

Gu Shi stared at Yi Bing before he slowly spoke. "Don't you already have your answer after you abducted Di San?" he asked. 

Yi Bing stared back at Gu Shi for a long time before he blinked. "… 'abducted'?" he got distracted for a moment. "Pft – " he laughed before he covered his mouth with his hand to control his laughter. "Gu Shi. I was present when Di San, Feng Er, Liu Lin and Si Shui encountered an accident with the combined Soul Fragments. You think Di San isn't gravely injured?" he asked and looked at Gu Shi in the eyes. "He is the most gravely injured. Fortunately, he has his healing power to heal himself. But, even after he used it, his injuries only lessened for a little much." He explained. "I 'invited' him over for a drink, not only to interrogate him, but also to send him to a specialist in the City of Dead." He told him.. 

Gu Shi was stunned. "The City of Dead…" he muttered. 

"Also known as the City of the Banished. All grim reapers there have been punished, and then banished." Yi Bing helped him explained. 

Actually, grim reapers don't need to have a residence, since they do not feel tired, and thus have tasks continuously sent to them. Added to the fact that their soul assignments needed to complete nine cycles of reincarnation, with nine lifetimes in each cycle, they've got no time on their hands for luxuries such as sleep. Thus, the City of the Dead is just a decoration. The only ones who reside in the City of Dead are the banished grim reapers who now run businesses for the official grim reapers when the official grim reapers stop by for a drink if they have a break time, or when the official grim reapers have a mission in the mortal world. 

"A specialist…" Gu Shi murmured. 

"It's Ruan Yu." Yi Bing told him. 

Gu Shi's pupils constricted. "Ruan Yu!" he exclaimed as he looked at Yi Bing in shock. "Why did you send him to madman?!" he asked. 

"A madman?" Yi Bing laughed. "How is he a madman? His medical skills are as good as Hai Ba's, if not better than Hai Ba's." he said. 

"But, he toys with the grim reapers' soul! He is sick!" Gu Shi said. 

"'sick'? What a strange thing to call a doctor." Yi Bing said. 

"Yi Bing! You know what I'm talking about!" Gu Shi said. 

Yi Bing's eyes narrowed and he frowned. "And you know what kind of person I am." He said. 

Gu Shi fell silent. 

"I am the one who plead for Ruan Yu to be released. Am I an inconsiderate person to plead for a criminal?" Yi Bing asked. 

Gu Shi didn't answer. 

"Ruan Yu's 'crime' is killing a grim reaper." Yi Bing said. "But, we all know that that grim reaper didn't listen to Ruan Yu and continued to search for his memories. Then, he stimulated himself and he died." He said. 

Ruan Yu's special skill is towards the soul. Precisely, in their thoughts and emotions. The grim reaper Ruan Yu treated before got corrupted by the Foul and Ruan Yu told him to stop enter a deep slumber to halt his mind from thinking. However, the grim reaper didn't listen and secretly searched for his memories. Ruan Yu is specialized in this area, but how can he be faster than the grim reaper to stop him? Ruan Yu was half a step late. He did his best to stop the overflowing memories of the grim reaper, but he can't save him in the end. 

Ruan Yu was also injured by that incident. But, since the grim reaper is his responsibility, he was held liable. Yi Bing at that time has just accomplished a task, and he plead for Ruan Yu's case. Then, Shen Sheng suggested to create a residence for the banished grim reapers in the mortal world. He weighed the pros and the cons with the Crown of Judges, and the pros are more than the cons, like the banished grim reapers still have their use, etc.. Shen Sheng also used sympathy for the banished grim reapers. 

Since the Upper Heaven and Lower Heaven are at odds, the Crown of Judges approved Shen Sheng's idea. Yi Bing, as the first grim reaper, was tasked to handle the residence for the . Yi Bing then had Ruan Yu gather all the banished grim reapers and find a place to settle themselves. That is now the City of Dead. And after Ruan Yu, the once official doctor of the grim reapers, was banished, Hai Ba replaced him. 

"Gu Shi." Yi Bing called. "Have you forgotten that Di San punctured the Conferment Seal?" he asked. 

Gu Shi held his breath. "Wasn't it you who told him that idea?" he said. 

Yi Bing shook his head. "You underestimate Di San's intelligence." He said. "It was him who told me this. I only imparted my knowledge to him." He explained. 

"Yi Bing!" Gu Shi's voice now rose. 

The grim reapers who passed by outside Gu Shi's office immediately fled. 

"If Hai Ba was to treat Di San, he will know about the problem in Di San's Conferment Seal." Yi Bing said. "Hai Ba is an honest man. He will definitely report it to you, as a doctor." He said. Hai Ba is in the R&D with Sha Jiu, and they are the directors of the R&D, so they can directly report to Shen Sheng. 

However, Hai Ba is also a doctor of the grim reapers. His direct superior is Gu Shi. 

"And even if you don't want to, but you will be burdened by your sense of responsibility, so you will report to Shen Sheng even if Di San did it for you." Yi Bing continued. "Gu Shi. Di San isn't a child anymore, so stop treating him as one." He told him. 

Gu Shi hung his head. 

"Di San didn't report his injuries to you so that he can avoid his rule breaking to be known, and since it will also implicate you." Yi Bing said. "So, I took Di San to the City of Dead so Ruan Yu could treat him. I also scared him during the interrogation." His voice lowered. 

"Why?" Gu Shi asked. 

Yi Bing looked at Gu Shi in the eye. "Your soul – " he said. " – I noticed its dormant power." He told him. 

Gu Shi's pupils shook. "What?" he muttered under his breath. 

"I am guessing, your soul's power became dormant because it had been in the mortal world for long after it was left alone when it was supposed to combine with your other souls when you became a grim reaper." Yi Bing said. "However, when it sensed the other grim reapers, it instinctively approached us since it could also feel you from us – as a grim reaper, and also your colleagues which had a trace of your aura." He explained before he lowered his gaze. "And Di San, who had been with you the most, has the strongest trace of your aura on him." He finished. 

Gu Shi's jaw dropped in shock and his body weakly fell on his seat. "No way…" he muttered. "If this is true, I am the one who implicated Di San, not the other way around…" he said. 

Yi Bing sympathetically looked at him. "Your dormant power in your soul was stimulated after it felt 'your' presence is near. And – " he said and took a deep breath. " – you must also have noticed, that there is a connection between you and Di San in that world." He looked at him. "Your memories in that world being stimulated also stimulated your power. When Di San punctured the Conferment Seal, there will be some power released from the Conferment Seal. That suppressed your soul from rampaging in Di San's body." He explained. 

Gu Shi sharply turned to him. 

Yi Bing faintly smiled. "Do you think I am an inconsiderate person?" he asked. 

Gu Shi's eyes reddened. "Yi Bing… thank you." He said as he lowered his head and his tears fell. 

Yi Bing didn't speak. How can he not know how the effects of the Conferment Seal from being punctured work? Thus, he dared to have Di San puncture his own Conferment Seal. If Yi Bing didn't know, he will definitely not tell Di San the method and just subdue Di San. 

"Gu Shi." Yi Bing called. "Do you know why I didn't take the director position of the Afterlife Department even if I have the right?" he asked. 

"Because you hate being shackled." Gu Shi answered. 

"That's one of the reasons." Yi Bing said. "I also lack interest." He told him. "However, the main reason is that – " he looked at Gu Shi. " – I don't want to know the secrets of the Heaven." He told him. 

Gu Shi's eyes widened. 

"At that time." Yi Bing added. 

"Then… now?" Gu Shi asked. 

Yi Bing's lips curled up. "Now… I badly want to know. So – " he looked at Gu Shi in the eyes. " – will you help me?" he asked.