City of the Dead.
"Huo Ling." Yi Bing called as they ate.
"Yes?" Huo Ling answered as he chewed on the meat.
"Where is your next assignment?" Yi Bing asked.
"Hm? My next assignment?" Huo Ling wiped the sauce in the corner of his lips. "Why do you ask?" he asked.
Since Huo Ling is Yi Bing's apprentice, Yi Bing can see Huo Ling's next assignment and anything in Huo Ling's Death Note. This is the masters' privilege, and also a responsibility as the master since he still needs to supervise Huo Ling as his apprentice.
This lack of privacy made the other grim reapers dislike being an apprentice, especially if they would encounter a master that uses this privilege of theirs in a perverse way, like stealing their apprentice's points, etc.
Yi Bing isn't like that, of course, since he isn't perverse, and also doesn't need points. Also, he is an upright grim reaper, and he also wants to pursue Huo Ling, so he would naturally give Huo Ling his privacy.
"Because I have somewhere to go to." Yi Bing answered. "You are now a junior grim reaper, so you should be able to ferry a soul now. I have already taught you, and you have successfully ferried one." He explained. "It is now time for you to ferry a soul alone." He told him.
Huo Ling nodded in understanding. "I will do my best not to disappoint you." He answered.
Yi Bing secretly sighed in relief. "Good." He said, looking calm. "Let's continue eating. You can also leave and go to your next soul assignment." He told him.
"Okay!" Huo Ling answered.
Yi Bing's clenched fist on his side loosened. At first, he wanted to take Huo Ling with him to Special World 600. He can ask Gu Shi to assign Huo Ling a soul from Special World 600 for him to ferry, so that he and Huo Ling can go together to Special World 600.
But, because he is drinking vinegar… ehem, that's not it. He recalled that Huo Ling is now a junior grim reaper so Huo Ling should experience has to ferry a soul by himself. This is his chance to prove to him his abilities! He is definitely not drinking vinegar!
Anyway, although Huo Ling is his apprentice, a grim reapers' first and foremost duty is to ferry souls. So, Yi Bing can't make Huo Ling come with him again to investigate a problem in the Special World 600. Also, he doesn't want Huo Ling to meet Hao Baiyun and Gu Xingfeng, these two annoying mortals, again!
(Hao Baiyun and Gu Xingfeng: what have we done wrong to you!)
No. It is not that he is drinking vinegar… it is because Shen Sheng once told him that Hao Baiyun and Gu Xingfeng are Twin Souls of Fate. Yi Bing is worried that if Huo Ling would frequently meet this pair of mortals, something bad might happen to Huo Ling. Thus, he better let Huo Ling go farther away from these two mortals.
"Yi Bing." Huo Ling called. He doesn't know why he doesn't address Yi Bing by 'master' even though he is his master.
Yi Bing doesn't seem to mind, either, thus Huo Ling calls him by his name.
"Yes?" Yi Bing answered.
"I still have one and a half hour left before I leave to go to my next assignment." Huo Ling spoke. "I will go check Zhuo Xia first. Qian San, Wu Ling, Shi Yi and Qi Bai sent me a message telling me that they are also in the infirmary since their soul assignments Wu Tong, Yu Qiao, Zhang Yi, and Ping Kun have woken up." he said.
Yi Bing nodded. "Good." He said. "I will accompany you before I also leave." He told him.
Huo Ling looked at him in surprise. "Does the case you have not that immediate?" he asked.
"Not necessarily." Yi Bing answered as he wiped his lips. "I am full." he said.
"Oh." Huo Ling muttered and immediately finished his food.
…
"Wait." Yi Bing spoke after they left the noodle shop.
"What is it?" Huo Ling asked.
"Are your eyes really good?" Yi Bing asked as he stared at Huo Ling's amber eyes that are sparkling.
Huo Ling nodded. "Yes. I can see clearly now." He said as he looked around. "Surprising, isn't it?" he asked and smiled as he looked at Yi Bing.
Hai Ba said that it would take at most three days for Huo Ling's vision to completely return. But, it actually returned not more than three hours. So, Huo Ling went to the City of the Dead to eat. Is Hai Ba bad with time? Of course not. He is a doctor, and time is of utmost importance in his profession. So, Hai Ba wouldn't joke with this matter.
So, the problem lies with Huo Ling.
"Let's go see Ruan Yu." Yi Bing said.
"'Ruan Yu'?" Huo Ling muttered.
"A friend. He is also a doctor, and he is working in the City of the Dead." Yi Bing explained.
"Oh." Huo Ling muttered and followed behind Yi Bing.
"We have to be sure that your eyes would work normally and would not fail when you are in the middle of the work." Yi Bing spoke as they walk. "We can't let your vision jeopardize with your work." He said.
"En." Huo Ling nodded, indicating he understood.
Silence fell. The night breeze of autumn in the mortal world seems to be harsh to the humans but it feels cool and comfortable to the grim reapers. The trees around them look scary with their fallen leaves, but if not for them, there wouldn't be the maple leaves that they tread on right now.
Although night in the City of Dead seems scary, as its name implies and due to its inhabitants, the place actually also looks tranquil.
"When Zhuo Xia wakes up…" Yi Bing spoke, breaking the silence.
"I will tell him everything that happened." Huo Ling spoke. "Tell him the truth, that it was his family who first transgressed, making them all die. But – " he took a deep breath. " – even though it was one of their family members, their patriarch, exactly, who committed a sin, his descendants are sinless." He said.
Yi Bing silently nodded in agreement. Even though the Zhuo family enjoyed the wealth that was ill-gotten, their hands weren't washed with blood. They also are relieved of guilt, because they are ignorant of their patriarch's sin. If even the descendants would be admitted with guilt just due to enjoying the wealth, then most humans would now be dead because they enjoyed the legacy of their ancestors who have committed a crime without their knowledge.
In the end, it all narrows down to one's conscience. If one wouldn't know, then they wouldn't feel guilt. If they know, then they would feel guilty, thus their conscience would kick in.
"Huai Sen's disciples, though… one of them actually is a spy!" Huo Ling sighed and shook his head in dismay.
As soon as the souls of Zhuo Xia, Wu Tong, Yu Qiao, Zhang Yi and Ping Kun being trapped inside that Soul-Trapping Sword, their information in the Death Note, including the way they died and the cause, were finally completed. For the cases of Wu Tong, Yu Qiao, Zhang Yi and Ping Kun, it was only vaguely written on the Death Note that they died for love, thus their souls were sent to Qian San, Wu Ling, Shi Yi and Qi Bai as their assignments. As for how they died due to love, it wasn't revealed until their souls were released from the Soul-Trapping Sword.
Zhuo Xia's death was also written. He died due to being struck in the abdomen. As for the spy in Huai Sen's disciples… it was Ping Kun. He met someone from the Martial Alliance and envied them since he can't leave the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain and was forced by Huai Sen to cultivate there with his fellow disciples. So, he befriended that person he met and told him that he is from the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain and his master is Huai Sen.
That person didn't believe him and asked him for proof. Ping Kun was enraged so he secretly brought that person in the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain. No need to say what happened next. That person recognized Zhuo Xia and so that person reported to the Martial Alliance. Then, the Martial Alliance began to plan, with Zhao Yuwei in the lead, of course. That person also continued to communicate with Ping Kun, telling him that he will be accepted as a disciple of their sect so he can leave the mountain. Ping Kun was enticed, and thus he told that person everything about Zhuo Xia.
But, when that day arrived, Ping Kun, who actually likes Wu Tong, in the end saved her and died. His love overpowered his desire to leave the mountain, yet what happened has already happened.. Even if he died for love, he dragged everyone in the Snow Clouds Spring Blossoms Mountain with him to die.
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