Afterlife Department

"I see…" Gu Xingfeng muttered. His cheeks are suspiciously red now, too. "But, your cousin is now…" he looked at Hao Baiyun.

Hao Baiyun's face paled. "Yes… xiao Ling's body and power remained pure as a nine-tailed fox. So, they should target him." he said and clenched his fists. "Before, it was my aunt… now, it is xiao Ling!" he punched the wall.

"Xiao Yun!" Gu Xingfeng called and immediately took his fist in his hands. He felt his heart ached when he saw that Hao Baiyun's knuckles bled.

"Daddy!" Tian Tian and Tang Tang cried in alarm.

Hao Baiyun forced a smile. "I am fine… just a scratch." He told them, assuring them.

"Boss…" Lan Tian, Zheng Jian, Zi Cheng and Jin Chulin called.

Hao Baiyun sighed. "If we can help, then, will you follow my order and help xiao Ling?" he asked them four.

"If boss orders." They answered.

Hao Baiyun smiled. "Thank you." He said.

"Uhm…" Xiao Hualing called.

They turned to her. They almost forgot that she is here.

"I don't really mind you all treating me as a part of the background, but can you give me definitions of each word that you are speaking regarding with the yao world?" Xiao Hualing asked and smiled. "What is a monster? How is it different from a yao?" she said.

Everyone. "…" is she really a grim reaper?! How can she not know of these things?! They thought. f𝐫ee𝘄ℯ𝚋no𝐯𝐞l.c𝘰m

Xiao Hualing. "^_^" you can't hit a smiling person! Tee-hee!

…

"Huo Ling." Yi Bing called as he followed behind him.

The passersby as curiously looking at them for two reasons: one, they are too good-looking, especially Huo Ling. Two, because they are acting like an arguing couple –

Who the hell are a couple?! Huo Ling inwardly roared as he clenched his fists.

"Huo Ling." Yi Bing called again.

Huo Ling. "…" are you a broken recorder? Why do you keep saying my name? This is the nth time! he thought, though he didn't reveal anything on the surface.

"Huo Ling." Yi Bing called. "Can we go back for now?" he asked. "Someone is targeting you, and it seems that the one who attacked you earlier might belong to a big organization. So, it is very dangerous for you to be outside…" he told him in a gentle tone.

"Are you treating me like a child?!" Huo Ling finally said as he angrily turned to Yi Bing.

"No." Yi Bing answered.

"You!" Huo Ling pointed at him. "Weren't you the one who told me to forget my past because a grim reaper doesn't need it, and shouldn't know it?!" he asked as his voice raised. "Why are you telling Hao Baiyun about this, now? Why didn't you tell me this first?!" he asked as he gnashed his teeth in anger.

"Because I didn't know that you would also come in this world." Yi Bing answered. "Again." He added.

Huo Ling clenched his fists in anger.

"I am sorry. I have my reasons in telling Hao Baiyun about your past, and one of them is for him to recover his memories of you." Yi Bing explained.

"Why?" Huo Ling asked.

"… I am sorry. I can't tell you." Yi Bing said with a sigh.

Huo Ling pursed his lips in anger.

"Hao Baiyun knows of the UnION, so it is safe to tell him." Yi Bing said and made a pause. "He is a trustworthy person, so he wouldn't tell anyone about this. Also – " he looked at Huo Ling whose face is red in anger. " – now that we know that you are targeted, there is one more person to protect you." He told him.

Huo Ling wanted to say that he doesn't need it, but he isn't a brainless person just because he is furious. He knows that their skills as a grim reaper are limited because of this world's rules to protect itself. So, if he was really dragged into this world's mess by being a target, then, it is really good to have someone of this world to protect him. Also, they can also work together with Hao Baiyun regarding their cases.

But, still… still - ! Huo Ling felt unwillingness to this!

"Huo Ling." Yi Bing called.

Huo Ling froze. He doesn't know how many times did Yi Bing call his name today, but this time, he felt the gravity in Yi Bing's tone.

"Why are you so angry?" Yi Bing asked.

Huo Ling didn't answer.

"Is it because I hid things from you, or – " Yi Bing said as he stared at him. " – you missed the chance of being together with your family, in this world?" he asked.

Huo Ling's eyes widened and his pupils shrank. Then, suddenly, his expression turned blank. "Pardon my insolence, sir – " he said, his tone sarcastic. " – but aren't these two questions just one question?" he asked.

"Mn?" Yi Bing raised his brows, indicating for him to elaborate his words.

"Because of the former one, the latter one happened." Huo Ling spoke. "So, if I choose either of the two, it is the same as admitting to both of them!" he explained and frowned.

Yi Bing didn't answer and just stared at him for a long while. "… pft." He covered his mouth as his shoulder shook. Then, he looked away. But, obviously, he is still laughing.

A vein popped in Huo Ling's forehead as he clenched his fist, itching to hit Yi Bing. Suddenly, both their eyes sharpened and they jumped, just in time when they heard a 'crack' sound!

Huo Ling and Yi Bing landed on top of the eave and looked around. Then, their faces became serious when they saw that there are still passersby, but they didn't notice anything strange in their surroundings.

"A domain?" Huo Ling asked as he warily looked around, looking for where that sound came from.

"This world is really so troublesome. Tch." Yi Bing clicked his tongue as he narrowed his eyes. He lowered his gaze and looked at the ground.

Huo Ling followed where he is looking at and his eyes widened when he saw a large crack on the ground! And the spot where the cracks are coming from is where he had stood earlier! "You… covered the ground with ice?" he asked as he turned to Yi Bing and looked at him in disbelief. "Thin ice?" he said, but this thin ice is not that thin as its name.

Despite looking for fragile and translucent, this thin ice is acting like a very strong wall!

"En." Yi Bing answered, but his gaze has been on that spot. If he hasn't put it in his mind about Huo Ling being targeted now and had lowered his guard, even if they have avoided the attack, Huo Ling might not be unharmed like he is now since the enemy is very sneaky!

Thinking this, Yi Bing is angrier.

"It should be that same sneaky monster." Huo Ling said as they looked around. "Judging of what it can do, it should be a monster with a spatial power, and can pass through anywhere within its domain." He took a deep breath. "Earlier, it might have been an unexpected surprise to it when it found me so it didn't create a domain to catch me. Now, it was prepared." He sighed.

Yi Bing clenched his fists. "We have to find until where its domain reaches, and then go out." He said.

"En." Huo Ling nodded and raised his hand. A large ball of fire appeared above his hand.

Yi Bing looked at him before he smiled. His ice currently acts as a defensive wall around them whereas Huo Ling will use his fire as an offense to 'smoke' out the enemy. "Go!" he told him.

"Yes!" Huo Ling answered as he flew mid-air while controlling the fire that is flying around, searching for the enemy.

Yi Bing clenched his fists as he stared hard at Huo Ling's figure at the center. Although this looks like Huo Ling is sniffing out the enemy, actually, he is acting as the bait to lure the enemy out. Suddenly, Yi Bing's figure disappeared.

The enemy hiding somewhere uttered a sound of surprise when he saw it. "Who is this man?" he asked as he tried to search for Yi Bing's figure that just suddenly disappeared. He felt a rising panic in his heart since things suddenly got out of his control after this mysterious man disappeared!

It was his own domain yet he has lost sight of one of them. Since he has his own domain, naturally, he wanted to restrict his target's powers, too, so that his target wouldn't be able to fight back! But, he can't, since he is unable to. He can only trap his target inside his domain but not restrict them aside their freedom, which is definitely an irritating situation.

"I have to capture this nine-tailed fox now!" the monster said as he reached his hands out, and a pair of hands suddenly appeared behind Huo Ling, wanting to grab him.

But, who knows that this pair of unsightly hands suddenly were grabbed instead!

"How dare you lay your filthy hands on him!" it was Yi Bing.