Afterlife Department

Yi Bing's brow twitched as he looked at Qian San, Wu Ling, Shi Yi and Qi Bai who are sitting across them while Huo Ling awkwardly smiled with sympathy in his eyes.

"A native found out that you are investigating the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain?" Yi Bing finally spoke.

"Yes." the four meekly answered.

"Then, for fear that he might go back and kill you because he suspected the four of you after you messed up, the four of you left the tavern next town where he sent you and teleported here back in Cuiyi Town?" Yi Bing continued.

"… yes." they nodded as they all broke out into a cold sweat.

Yi Bing stared at them for a long while that the four of them subconsciously shivered in fear.

Huo Ling finally can't stand this atmosphere and spoke. "Then, didn't you think about the fact that you can't reach the Cuiyi Town from next town in just a span of a second?" he asked. Before they could speak, he continued. "He might really go back in the tavern next town and also come back here and then find out that you appeared here right after he dropped you in that tavern." He told them.

Their faces paled when they realized the gravity of the situation. "… wu." They inwardly cried. Their hearts are filled with grievance. Why is this world so hard?! They thought. This world is so harsh towards us! they inwardly complained. Now, they felt that ferrying the souls of lovers is good than travelling in this kind of worlds.

Next time, if they would be assigned to a wuxia, xianxia or any difficult worlds, they would refuse the task!

Yi Bing heaved a sigh. "I understand where you are coming from." He spoke. "I won't report you to Shou Ji and Shi Jiu, nor to Gu Shi and Di San." He told them.

"Thank you, senior Yi!" they said as their eyes brightened and their gloomy expressions disappeared.

"But, you should be thankful that that driver doesn't seem hostile to you, and didn't kill you." Yi Bing continued. "A martial world is indeed frightening. This will serve as a lesson for you. Next time, don't be careless, especially, don't be rash with your actions." He reminded them.

"We understand!" the four of them heaved a sigh of relief.

"But, that driver really chatted with you?" Yi Bing turned to Wu Ling when he remembered this matter.

Wu Ling nodded. "Yes." he answered. "I think his name is 'Si Lang', since he told me to call him that if we ever meet again." He explained.

"He said that you have a temper like his friend?" Qi Bai muttered as he pondered.

"This driver seems a sentimental person?" Shi Yi commented.

"Nevertheless, it is thanks to Wu Ling that we aren't dead yet." Qian San said with a smile.

"That's right." Shi Yi and Qi Bai nodded in agreement and sighed, feeling relieved that they escaped a calamity.

Huo Ling watched as the four of them chatted, summarizing the information that they have gathered so far, before he turned to Yi Bing. "It seems that our tasks aren't related." He said with a slight disappointment in his voice.

Yi Bing nodded in understanding. He remembered the Inspection Department and the Normal World 112 where their tasks were actually connected in the end. Deeply connected. Even if Huo Ling didn't remind him, Yi Bing also would first think of the possibility of Huo Ling's task and the Collection Department's task are connected. But, since they didn't find anything common with their tasks just now, aside from being in the same world, he and Huo Ling discarded the idea.

"Should we look for an informant?" Huo Ling suggested.

Yi Bing, Qian San, Wu Ling, Shi Yi and Qi Bai looked at him. "'informant'?" they said.

"Like an intelligence center. The martial world has many of these." Huo Ling answered. "But, some belongs to different sects or organizations, and their information selling naturally contain some insider information." He explained. "But, we should be careful not to land on those ones and we should find the common ones." He said.

They all nodded in understanding. If they by chance have chosen an intelligence center that belonged to a sect or an organization, they will definitely suspect them. Worse, they will definitely be hunted this time to be killed.

Still water really runs deep! They inwardly exclaimed and sighed.

"Junior, you seem to know a lot about this world!" Shi Yi said as he looked at Huo Ling in surprise. Qi Bai beside him nodded in agreement as they curiously looked at Huo Ling.

Huo Ling shyly rubbed his nose. "I just read and watched some wuxia novels and dramas…" he answered.

"So, that's why!" they exclaimed. "Then, we will be depending on you!" they said. They choose to hug Huo Ling's thighs!

"H – huh?" Huo Ling blushed in embarrassment. He looked at Yi Bing, asking for help. But, the other looked away, avoiding his gaze.

Huo Ling helplessly smiled.

…

"How are things, Lu Xiu?" Jiang Ci, one of the two disciples from Ruojian Valley, asked as he and the other disciple, Rong Huai, appeared.

Lu Xiu, who told Wu Ling to address his as 'Si Lang', grinned as he coolly folded his arms over his chest and looked at the two. "I have met an interesting person." He grinned.

"Although we are happy to hear that you had fun acting as a driver, we want to hear more if you have discovered something regarding the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain." Rong Huai spoke without any expression on his face.

"Hmm… let me think." Lu Xiu pinched his chin as he acted pondering. "Hey. Surprisingly, that interesting person I met today is asking about the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain!" he said.

Rong Huai's eyes narrowed while Jiang Ci held the hilt of his sword on his waist.

Lu Xiu's eyes cooled and he looked at Jiang Ci. "You dare make a move on him?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes at him.

Jiang Ce coldly looked at him. "It seems that you intend to protect this person?" he sharply asked.

"They don't have any ill intent when they inquired about the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain." Lu Xiu explained.

"Are you speaking without bias towards that person?" Jiang Ci asked again.

"Yes." Lu Xiu answered.

The two of them glared at each other.

"Enough." Rong Huai finally spoke. "Lu Xiu. If this person you are talking about would, in the future…" he said.

"I know. I will bear all the responsibilities." Lu Xiu cut him off.

"Hmph! I wonder what kind of person made you protect them…" Jiang Ci curiously looked at Lu Xiu.

"Someone that reminds me of my childhood friend." Lu Xiu answered.

Jiang Ce was stunned while Rong Huai fell silent. They now finally understood.

"I see." Rong Huai coughed after he recovered his shock. "Jiang Ci, apologize." He spoke.

"It is my mistake." Jiang Ci sincerely said.

Lu Xiu just nodded. They now looked so amicable to each other now that no one would think they almost killed each other earlier. This is how the Ruojian Valley is.

Rong Huai and Jiang Ci looked at each other when they noticed that Lu Xiu fell silent and just stared at the sky with an empty gaze. They remembered Lu Xiu's life when he entered the Ruojian Valley.

Lu Xiu is a product of an accidental pregnancy. His parents got married to 'fix' their mistake but later broke up and neither of them wanted to take care of him. Due to his parents' constant arguments, he grew up with a matured mind. He then fled from his home after his father accidentally killed his mother. He arrived in the Ruojian Valley.

But, where was his childhood friend in this story, it was during when Lu Xiu's parents argued, Lu Xiu runs away from home and hid in a corner, waiting until his parents would stop arguing. Suddenly, a boy found him and, thinking he was a beggar, he gave him his food, including his umbrella even though it was heavily snowing that night, and the temperature is freezing one to death.

It was actually just one night of a meeting since the next day, he didn't see that boy again. Recalling that boy is from a wealthy family, he didn't look for him and felt ashamed since he was poor. Yet, in his heart, he considered him his childhood friend.

But, fate seemed to plan to entangle their lives since Lu Xiu saw that boy again, who now grew up to be a handsome lad. However, he feared his low status again so he can only watch him from afar, listening to that boy's friends call him 'Si Lang'.

Lu Xiu repeated the name in his heart many times. Just as he had gathered enough courage, he saw that Si Lang and his friends were surrounded by black-clothed people. Lu Xiu wanted to help but he was too late. Together with his friends, Si Lang died.

Staring at the bright red blood flowing to where he was hiding, Lu Xiu vowed to kill those who took Si Lang's life!