Afterlife Department

"En." Gu Xingfeng nodded. "The two of them left me with an impression because, not only the actor Luo Ying was mourned by lots of his fans, his manager was also brave because he followed Luo Ying, who was sold by his agent to do unspoken role without him knowing, to save his actor." He explained. "This matter was exposed to the public. Unfortunately, the actor and the manager died." He said.

"You are right…" Hao Baiyun muttered.

He once has seen this pair before when the CEO of the entertainment company where Luo Ying was working brought Luo Ying to a party to promote him. Hao Baiyun also attended that party, and then he saw that Jing Li, who is silently following behind Luo Ying, drank the wine which was Luo Ying supposed to drink after a CEO gave it to Luo Ying.

Obviously, that whoever CEO was interested in Luo Ying. But, Jing Li guarded Luo Ying. Jing Li is really brave.

"Is it really him?" Hao Baiyun asked.

"Yes." Gu Xingfeng answered. "His face might have slightly changed, probably he is hiding after that shipwreck… I will send my subordinates to check." He said as he took out his own phone to send a message.

Then, the two of them continued to check the other videos after reviewing the video of the shipping company where Jing Li was working.

"Hm?" Gu Xingfeng muttered when he spotted someone in the video.

"… what is it?" Hao Baiyun nervously asked.

"This…" Gu Xingfeng's brows knitted as he rewinds the video. "Take a look at this." He said after a while.

Hao Baiyun took the phone and carefully watched the video to the moment where Gu Xingfeng rewind the video. Then, his eyes slowly widened when he saw it. "The plants… the plants moved!" he exclaimed as he raised his head and he looked at Gu Xingfeng.

Gu Xingfeng nodded. "En." He muttered as he watched the video. "Maybe the person hasn't noticed that he was being filmed. Xiao Hualing was invisible, after all. She has done a great job." He said.

"Gu Xingfeng, this person…" Hao Baiyun's expression turned serious.

"I know. He must be a yao, not a monster." Gu Xingfeng said as he watched the specks of light surroundings the plants around him. "Actually… he seems familiar to me, too." He said.

"Who do you think is he?" Hao Baiyun asked.

Gu Xingfeng's brows knitted. "Actually…" he muttered after a while. "He seems to be a resident of S City, too, and… was also a passenger of the Ascend Cruise Ship." He told him.

"… what?!" Hao Baiyun exclaimed in shock.

"His name should be… 'Lin Shu'?" Gu Xingfeng muttered as he tried to recall. "And… he was recorded as dead." He added.

Hao Baiyun's mouth fell open in shock.

…

In a restaurant, Zhuo Xia is silently eating his food with great relish. Since he has become a yao, he hasn't eaten any food. In fact, his food has been the sunlight, as well as water and nutrients from the soil. It isn't wrong to say, in a human's point of view, that Zhuo Xia was starved.

"Ehem." Mu Li coughed as he moved his gaze away from Zhuo Xia. He turned to Xiao Hualing who, like Zhuo Xia, was also eating with great relish. "…" were she also starved?! He thought, then sighed.

Xiao Hualing naturally noticed Mu Li's gaze. She reluctantly placed down her cutlery and then wiped her lips. "What do you want to ask?" she said.

"You said earlier that you found some yao working in some of the companies." Mu Li said. "Yao, not monsters." He added.

"Yes." Xiao Hualing nodded.

"Which companies?" Mu Li asked. He didn't have the time to watch the videos secretly recorded by Xiao Hualing because they were in a hurry earlier as they are very hungry. "Which yao?" he added.

"One yao is working in the ROS Shipping." Xiao Hualing answered. "But, that yao was very weak… it seems like he has lost most of his powers." He looked at Mu Li.

Mu Li was surprised. "Could he be injured?" he muttered.

"I don't know." Xiao Hualing shrugged. "How can a yao lose most of his powers?" she asked.

"Heavily injured." Zhuo Xia answered. Before the two could speak, he continued. "And losing their core." He added.

Xiao Hualing and Mu Li were shocked.

"That yao seemed doing fine to me… at first, I actually thought he was a human." Xiao Hualing said as she recalled. "If I didn't feel that he has some power on him, and didn't see him treat the plants earlier in the company, I would have been convinced that he is a human." She explained.

"Since he doesn't look injured, he must have been lost his core?" Mu Li muttered. "I heard from my master that removing a yao's core is tantamount to a yao's death." He said.

Xiao Hualing was shocked.

"But, since that yao lived, he must be tenacious." Mu Li sighed in admiration.

Xiao Hualing nodded in agreement, as she recalled that yao's eyes earlier. He looked like he had gone under multiple vicissitudes of life.

"What about the other yao, then?" Mu Li asked when he recalled.

"Oh. This yao – " Xiao Hualing muttered as she sipped her drink. " – actually, I feel that he is strange." She said.

"'strange'?" both Mu Li and Zhuo Xia muttered. They looked at each other before they looked away. Mu Li's ears are red while Zhuo Xia is frowning. Although, there is less rejection in his eyes now.

Xiao Hualing. "…" not only you are asking me, but you dared fed me dog food again! She thought, feeling that life really isn't hard, even after death, as a grim reaper.

"Ehem." Mu Li coughed. "So?" he looked at Xiao Hualing, asking for her to continue. "How is that yao strange?" he asked her.

"Because I felt the breath of that first yao on him." Xiao Hualing answered.

"… huh?" the young men stared at her. "Is that strange?" they asked.

"Of course it is strange!" Xiao Hualing answered with conviction. "Because they are working in different companies, which are located on opposite sides of the city!" she told them.

"What?!" Mu Li and Zhuo Xia exclaimed in shock. It really is strange, indeed.

"For someone to have a yao's breath on them, either they might have been marked by a yao, or has been spending time with that yao." Mu Li explained. "But, you said that they are on the opposite sides of the city." He looked at Xiao Hualing.

"En." Xiao Hualing nodded.

"Could they be friends?" Zhuo Xia asked. "Or relatives?" he added.

"That shouldn't be." Mu Li said. "It would take a long time to reach the other end of the city. The breath of the yao on that person would have already disappeared." he explained.

"Then…" Zhuo Xia's brows knitted as he tried to think of other possibilities.

"This is not all." Xiao Hualing spoke.

"There is more?" they asked.

Xiao Hualing nodded. "I already told you that that person is a yao." She said. "But – " she looked at them. " – he doesn't seem like a yao at all." She told them.

"Huh? What do you mean?" they asked, puzzled.

"What I mean – " Xiao Hualing took a deep breath. " – I also mistaken him as a human, since the breath of a yao on him is weak." She said.

A long silence fell.

Mu Li pinched his chin as he tried to analyze. "You found two yaos. One yao is very weak, and must have lost his yao core. Meanwhile, the other yao has the first yao's breath on him, but, he is working, and must be living, on the other end of the city." He said.

Xiao Hualing nodded in affirmation.

"But, if the first yao really has lost his yao core, then he can't be able to leave a breath on others – " Mu Li continued. " – especially on the other yaos. So, it is impossible for the first yao to leave his breath on this second yao, especially that this second yao is in the other end of the city, making the first yao's breath on his disappear by the time he reaches the other end of the city." He explained.

"You are right…!" Xiao Hualing exclaimed when she realized it.

"But, it is an irrefutable fact that they have the same breath." Mu Li said as he took a deep breath.

"Uhm…" Zhuo Xia spoke.

"What is it?" Mu Li asked.

"Can it be that they are just the same kind of yao, so they have the same breath?" Zhuo Xia asked.

Mu Li and Xiao Hualing, who have forgotten this, froze. "… oh." They muttered with a blank expression on their faces.

Zhuo Xia sighed. "What are their names?" he asked.

"Uh… the first yao who seemed to lose his core was 'Lin Shu'." Xiao Hualing answered as she tried to recall the name tags. "As for the other yao, his name was 'Jing Li'." she said.

"That's impossible!" Mu Li exclaimed.

"Why?" Xiao Hualing asked.

"Jing Li is a human! I have met him before!" Mu Li said.

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