Afterlife Department

"Huo Ling!" Qi Ming called as he ran towards Huo Ling. "How did you know it was Luo Ming?" he asked.

"He is a human… well, a cultivator." Huo Ling answered. "He doesn't have that unclean aura on him… he can't escape my eyes." He explained.

"Huh? What's with your eyes?" Qi Ming asked, puzzled.

Huo Ling turned and looked at Luo Ming, who was fighting against Yi Bing, once again. His eyes glowed and he saw that Luo Ming's soul is pure. This ability of his was because of the 'gift' given to him by Shen Sheng. He can see one's soul to find out if they were contaminated by the Foul.

Yet, Luo Ming's soul remained pure, like Luo Ye.

"What? So it's really Luo Ming?!" Hu Feng exclaimed. "But, didn't he become a demonic cultivator?" he asked.

"That's what we thought, too." Huo Ling answered as his brain worked faster. "I remember now…" he spoke.

"What do you remember?" Qi Ming asked, impatient.

"Luo Ye's memories… it was fake." Huo Ling said.

"WHAT?!" Qi Ming exclaimed. "Then, Luo Ye is the enemy?!" he asked.

Luo Ming's eyes narrowed and he sharply glared at Qi Ming when he heard what he said. "What did you say?! My shidi isn't an enemy!" he said and sent a sword glare towards Qi Ming.

Qi Ming's eyes widened in shock and his face paled. Hu Feng reacted fast and stood in front of Qi Ming to block, only for Huo Ling to push both of them away and block Luo Ming's attack with his sword, sending the sword glare away, hitting the asphalt road.

"Luo Ming." Huo Ling called. "It was your sect leader who has fallen to demonic cultivation right?" he asked.

Luo Ming froze.

"What?! The sect leader?!" Qi Ming exclaimed.

"Sect leader… what about the sect leader?!" Luo Ye asked as he hit the glass window. "Shixiong! What are they saying?!" he asked.

But, Luo Ming didn't speak.

"Luo Ye's memories of that day were fake. It was planted by the sect leader." Huo Ling continued. "But, the only thing that is fake is the 'you' he has seen in his memories. Luo Ming – " he looked at Luo Ming in the eyes. "You were already banished by the sect. How can you suddenly appear there?" he asked.

Luo Ming lowered his sword.

"Shixiong…?" Luo Ye called.

"Among those walking corpses that followed behind 'you, none of them is your sect leader." Huo Ling spoke. "It is because he was already seen by Luo Ye. Even though he disguised himself as you, but he can't create another him, since he already existed in Luo Ye's memories." He explained. "Am I wrong?" he asked.

Qi Ming's mouth fell open in shock. "What the…" he muttered.

Luo Ming slowly smiled. "How can I answer if I wasn't there?" he asked.

"Because the sect leader already told you about this beforehand." Huo Ling answered.

Yi Bing's eyes widened, stunned. Huo Ling… he thought. Huo Ling can discern the truth in just this short time.

Qi Ning, who accidentally pressed the walkie-talkie earlier when she stopped Luo Ye, heard some voices spoke.

"What the hell…!" it was Xi Kai. What Huo Ling said was live broadcasted to them.

"Then, I will ask you what you know." Huo Ling spoke. "You were imprisoned by the sect leader and your elders under the excuse of banishment… am I wrong?" he asked.

"… yes." Luo Ming answered.

"You are talented, and the ancient book that they found that can make them 'immortal', only you can understand, so they forced you to tell them about it." Huo Ling said. "But, you resisted. You also found out that they have heart demons because of the book. So, they finally used an excuse to banish you but in fact – " he looked at Luo Ming. " – you never left the sect, am I wrong?" he asked.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they looked at Luo Ming. They all held their breath, waiting for Luo Ming's answer.

Luo Ming stared at Huo Ling for a long time with a complicated gaze. "… yes." He answered.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

"But how did you know?" Luo Ming can't help but ask.

Everyone nodded and then turned to Huo Ling. That's right. How did Huo Ling know? They thought as they stared at Huo Ling.

"Initially, I thought that the sect leader's corpse was really eaten because Luo Ming hated the sect leader the most while he turned the elders to zombies because he hates them less." Huo Ling spoke. "But, after hearing what Luo Ye said earlier that it was the sect leader who picked up Luo Ming, I then thought that no matter how Luo Ming hated the sect leader later, he would still remember his kindness and gratitude when he took him away from the hellish life he lived before he met him." He explained. "So, he wouldn't leave the sect leader without an intact corpse as the least he could do." He finished.

Everyone fell silent while Luo Ming wryly smiled. The clouds suddenly rumbled and rain fell down.

"I was thinking, though, that the sect has already had that ancient book for a long time and they only need to find someone who can read it." Huo Ling continued, ignoring the rain that is wetting his clothes as well as the wind coldly biting his skin. "They already have Luo Ye, but then they found out that he doesn't have the talent even after they taught him everything they know." He said.

The rain harshly hit their skin but they didn't say anything and just silently listened.

"Then, they found Luo Ming by chance." Huo Ling looked at Luo Ming who stood in the middle of the rain. "They taught him everything they know, and made him read the book and found out that he really can read it. So, they kept him like they did with Luo Ye." He said. "Yet… after you read that book, you found out that it is a forbidden art, right?" he asked. "So, you resisted." He spoke softly.

"… yes." Luo Ming spoke in resignation. He glanced at Luo Ye inside the bus and felt his heart ache when he saw him crying. "Don't cry… don't cry." He told him. But, his own tears fell and streamed down his face along with the rain. He wanted to keep all these from Luo Ye so that Luo Ye can continue to live in his pure, small world.

Yet… yet… he can't keep the truth in the end.

"They suddenly grew anxious and became impatient. Finally, they imprisoned you." Huo Ling spoke. Only his voice can be heard amidst the falling rain. "But, they didn't make you leave the sect, since they had to make you continue passing the content of the ancient book to them. Luo Ye thought that you left, yet you are actually there all along." He looked at Luo Ye inside the bus who is wailing.

"Enough." Luo Ming spoke in a weak voice.

Huo Ling turned back to him. "You will continue, then?" he asked.

"'continue'? 'continue' what?" Qi Ming asked.

"Continue to keep the one secret that remained." Huo Ling answered.

"'secret'? What secret?" Luo Ye asked. "Shixiong! What more do you not want to tell me? What more do you not want to let me know?!" he asked in an angry voice.

"The fact that your sect leader started the apocalypse." Huo Ling answered.

Luo Ming gripped his sword and wanted to cut Huo Ling down but Yi Bing has been secretly watching him so he immediately de-armed Luo Ming.

"What…?" Luo Ye muttered under his breath as his eyes widened.

"Your sect leader lost his sanity." Huo Ling answered. "And – " he took a deep breath.

"FCK!" they heard Xi Kai's voice from the walkie-talkie. "What hellish place is this…?!" they exclaimed.

Everyone was puzzled.

"And… they killed all the cultivators." Huo Ling continued.

Everyone almost dropped their walkie-talkie in shock and they looked at Huo Ling with their eyes filled with horror.

"Your sect leader is selfish. He wanted power aside from immortality. So, after he became 'immortal', he killed all the cultivators that threatened him." Huo Ling explained.

Everyone sucked in a cold breath. "Damn…!" they cursed.

"Then, what about them?" Hu Feng asked.

Everyone turned to him.

"Why are they still alive?" Hu Feng asked and looked at Luo Ming, then Luo Ye.

"That's because… if that 'visitor'." Huo Ling answered and looked at Luo Ming who lowered his head.

Meanwhile, Yi Bing looked at Huo Ling. But, he didn't say anything.

"In exchange of that content of the book, Luo Ming, who already know that the sect leader and the elders will imprison him, asked that visitor to protect him and Luo Ye." Huo Ling answered in soft voice that is almost a whisper.

But, everyone still heard him. "What… do you mean?" they asked.

"That visitor gave them both a talisman to protect themselves, to not die." Huo Ling spoke. "But… it only will last for five years." He said.