Afterlife Department

Silence fell. 

"… am I wrong?" Jiu Ye asked when he saw that Yi Bing, Huo Ling and Shi Jiu are staring at him. His face flushed and he started to feel conscious. 

"No. You are right." they answered. 

"… then, what is it?" he asked. If I am right, then why are you looking at me with that weird gaze? He thought as his lips twitched in annoyance. 

"You've become sharper." They answered before they turned around, their backs facing him. 

"He summarized our investigation, that took thirty chapters, in just one paragraph." Huo Ling said. 

"Mn…" Yi Bing nodded. His expression is blank. 

"Please forgive my younger brother for being not sensible…" Shi Jiu said and awkwardly smiled. 

Jiu Ye who can hear them. "…" sorry for saying this another insensible thing but can we now continue the discussion? This arc is going to end in five chapters. 

Yi Bing, Huo Ling and Shi Jiu turned. 

"If this is really what it is – " Huo Ling spoke. " – then, she is killing because of grudges." He said. "A deep one, at that." He added. 

They nodded in agreement. "Xiao Hualing killed Pei Tingsong because he defiled her and made her suffer by giving her a bad reputation." Shi Jiu said. 

"She killed Xu Hongkai because she, as well as Ke Hanying, were victims of him when they were young." Jiu Ye said. "Pei Tinghe… huh?" he paused. "What is her grudge with Pei Tinghe?" he asked. 

"… rejection? But, it was her who rejected Pei Tinghe, right?" Shi Jiu asked. 

"There is also Pei Tingting." Yi Bing reminded them. 

Silence fell. "Then… what are these two's sin to Xiao Hualing for her to kill them?" they asked. 

No one spoke as they do not know the answer. 

"Could it be to serve as a warning to the Pei family?" Huo Ling guessed. 

They turned to him. 

"That she killed them because they are a part of the Pei family?" Huo Ling added. 

"Ah." They muttered. This seems possible. 

"Let's stop here." Yi Bing spoke. "Have a rest. We'll continue tomorrow." He told them. 

"Yes!" they answered. 

Huo Ling and Yi Bing were about to leave and go back to their room when Shi Jiu spoke. "Wait." He called. 

"What is it?" Yi Bing asked as they turned. 

"I forgot to tell you something." Shi Jiu said. 

"That is?" Huo Ling asked. 

Shi Jiu grinned. "I'm already dead." He scratched his head.

"… we already know that." Huo Ling spoke. 

"No. That's not what I mean!" Shi Jiu said as he shook his head. 

"Then…?" Yi Bing spoke. 

"What I mean, I died in this world." Shi Jiu answered. Before any of them could ask or react, he continued. "Li Huchong killed me." He told them. 

Yi Bing, Huo Ling and Jiu Ye. "…" what… 

"HUH?!?!" as expected, Jiu Ye was the first to react. "Brother, what do you… you mean Li Huchong killed you?! Why?! When?!" he asked as he stared at Shi Jiu, wide-eyed in shock. 

Shi Jiu didn't answer and he glanced at Yi Bing. Seeing that Yi Bing's expression didn't change and he isn't mad, he secretly sighed in relief. "I was too hasty and let my guard down." He said. "We were drinking then but when I lied down the bed in the room he arranged for me, my AI suddenly notified me that I was poisoned. It was from my drink, and my AI notified me only then because the poison acted late." He explained. 

"So… you mean to say, you should still be lying down on that bed right now while Li Huchong is waiting for you to die and then dispose your body?" Huo Ling asked. 

"That's right." Shi Jiu nodded. 

"… then why are you here right now?" Huo Ling asked. Shouldn't you be still in one of the rooms in Li Huchong's house? He thought. 

"Don't worry. I replaced myself with a clone." Shi Jiu answered. 

Huo Ling then remembered that there really seemed to be clones for the grim reapers. Although grim reapers are corpses – which are lifeless, that made it similar to a clone, but their difference from the clones made for them is Shen Sheng's Conferment Seal, which gives them vital signs. But, the clone is appropriate to use currently in Shi Jiu's situation since Li Huchong is expecting him to become a corpse. 

Although Shi Jiu could make Shen Sheng's Conferment Seal stop working for him to play dead on Li Huchong, but since there is already a replacement, then why do something troublesome? Even though they can make the Conferment Seal stop from working, but it requires extensive methods for it to stop. After all, it is Shen Sheng's seal. 

Also, who knows what Li Huchong would do to Shi Jiu's corpse? So, it's best for Shi Jiu to replace himself with his clone. 

"For now, there is no sign of any activity in the room." Shi Jiu said as he tapped his jade ring and then looked at the holographic screen. 

"Why did Li Huchong kill you?" Yi Bing asked. 

Shi Jiu shook his head. "I don't know. After he placed me on the bed, he just looked at me and then silently left." He answered. 

"Could it be he is working for the Pei family?" Huo Ling asked. "The Pei family must not want for their dark secrets to be revealed. Now that there is someone snooping around them, then they have Li Huchong kill Shi Jiu." He explained. 

"It is possible." Yi Bing spoke. 

"Huh?" Jiu Ye muttered. "If they would kill those who are investigating them, then – " he looked at them. " – wouldn't Ji Qiuxin be in danger?" he asked. 

"… ah." They muttered. A second later and they ran outside, going to the direction of Ji Qiuxin's room. 

Shi Jiu watched them left and helplessly smiled. He can't show up since he should be in Li Huchong's house right now. He was about to leave when he suddenly heard some noises. He activated his stealth skill before he followed it, which is in the opposite direction to Ji Qiuxin's room. 

Meanwhile, Yi Bing, Huo Ling and Jiu Ye are hiding in a corner and is watching the servants sneak around. It was already late in the night and everyone should be sleeping now, but they are still up and about, which make them suspicious because they are violating the night rules of the town. 

"What do you think are they doing?" Jiu Ye asked. 

Yi Bing and Huo Ling observed the servants for a while. "They don't seem going to kill anyone tonight." Yi Bing said. 

"Then, were we wrong…" Jiu Ye wanted to ask when he was cut off. 

"They are just planning to kill." Huo Ling said as he looked at a servant place some weeds on the beam. 

"Huh?" Jiu Ye muttered and turned, only for him to almost scream when he was startled by a servant that suddenly appeared before him. He thought that he was exposed, but the servant didn't react and resumed placing weeds in the corners. 

"Those are highly flammable weeds." Yi Bing spoke as he looked at the weeds before Jiu Ye's feet where the servant placed them. 

"Are they planning to stage a fire as an excuse to avoid the responsibility for the death of the guests?!" Jiu Ye exclaimed. "They really are planning to kill us all?!" he asked. 

"It's likely." Huo Ling frowned in disdain. "They value their face the most." He said. 

"Shi Jiu was killed because he was found to investigating the Pei family, as well as Xiao Hualing." Yi Bing spoke. "Ji Qiuxin might be the next." He said. 

"No." Huo Ling suddenly spoke. "It might be us." He said. 

Yi Bing and Jiu Yue turned and saw that Huo Ling is looking at the direction of their rooms. Then, they found the servants are slipping the flammable weeds in their doorframes and windowsills. 

"Wha – " Jiu Ye's jaw dropped. "Too sinister!" he said, angry. 

"Don't worry." Huo Ling spoke. "I don't think they'll be killing anyone tonight." He said. 

"Why?" Jiu Ye asked as he turned to him. 

It was Yi Bing who answered. "They still have to finish Pei Tinghe's funeral. They also have to hold Pei Tingting's and Pei Tingsong's funeral." He said. 

"But why would they kill all of the guests?" Jiu Ye asked. "Weren't it just my brother and Jiu Qiuxin who are investigating the Pei family?" he feels puzzled. "And it all of their guests would die…" he muttered. 

"It's better to kill everybody than let one escape." Yi Bing answered. "And, if there'll be an accident, the people wouldn't be suspicious of them. Instead, they would feel sympathy as they have consecutively suffered misfortunes." He explained. "The loss wouldn't outweigh the gains." He said. 

Jiu Ye's jaw dropped in shock. "They are very scheming!" he said. 

"Hey." Someone called. 

They turned and saw that it was Shi Jiu. 

Shi Jiu grinned. "Guess what I found tonight?" he asked.