Huo Ling felt a chill ran down his spine and his eyes widened in shock. His pupils shrank and trembled, and he turned his head to look at Yi Bing who is now looking at him.
Their gazes met. Huo Ling already knows what Yi Bing wanted to say – that Huo Ling's luck is extremely bad. But, this time, it should just be the worst of all! If he missed this lifetime of his, then Huo Ling would have become crippled or terminally ill in his next lifetime!
Huo Ling's face paled in horror. He can still remember his life in the Stable World so he knows how bad can his luck be. But, he never would have imagined what would happen to him if he becomes terminally ill or crippled! It is the worst of the worst!
Yi Bing sighed when he saw Huo Ling's expression. This is the reason why Di San didn't pursue the matter of him saving Hao Ning before, or else it would have created a paradox with Huo Ling at the crux of the matter. This matter of him saving Hao Ning and disguising as Liu Lingling wasn't written on his report that he submitted to Gu Shi. Only he and Di San knows about this.
Oh, and also Feng Er, Liu Lin and Si Shui, but they only know of the matter of his disguise as Liu Lingling and not of him saving Hao Ning. Missing a lifetime in a reincarnation cycle… it is already terrifying. So, this information wasn't placed in the library of the Afterlife Department but was placed in the City of the Dead, lest a grim reaper would have an ill intention towards his soul assignment and commit this crime.
Anyway, no one would be able to get inside the library of the City of the Dead, either, since it is located in the terrifying Rainbow Tower, which no one dared to enter. So, who would bother with a library? But, Huo Ling is Yi Bing's apprentice so he took Huo Ling in the library inside the Rainbow Tower. Thus, Huo Ling now knows of the consequence of missing a lifetime in a reincarnation cycle.
"I didn't intend to tell you this, since I didn't want to scare you, much less make you feel indebted to me." Yi Bing said with a sigh as he sat up. "Me deceiving you is my mistake which can't be erased. So, I will never ask you to forget your hate." He said as he secretly clenched his fists. "But, I still owe you an apology. I am sorry, Huo Ling." he said and lowered his head.
Huo Ling didn't speak. Yi Bing felt his heart was torn to pieces by a Soul Eater. No, what he feels right now is worse than that. Huo Ling will hate him…
"I will leave for now. You go rest. It is already late." Yi Bing said and immediately teleported away, thus he missed to see Huo Ling raising his head and looked at the spot where he was sitting earlier.
"… I don't hate you, actually…" Huo Ling said with a hoarse voice. "I love you…!" he said and closed his eyes tight as he let his back fall on the soft bed. Then, he curled his body and hugged his knees as he buried his face and cried.
He remembered that pair of blue pupils that makes one feel cold but then they look at Huo Ling with a warm and gentle gaze, which made Huo Ling forever fall for that gaze, and he can't extricate himself from that gaze.
That gaze… it appeared just now when his and Yi Bing's gazes met.
…
"Thank goodness! Huo Ling's emotions have finally become stable!" Di San's voice from the communicator can be heard.
"Is it?" Yi Bing absent-mindedly said.
"It is!" Di San answered. "How did you coax your little lover… ehem, apprentice?" he asked and coughed.
Yi Bing's body stiffened when he heard Di San said the word 'lover'. The expression on his face became unnatural for a moment before it returned to his usual cold and aloof expression. "Just talked." He answered. "And apologized." He added.
"Eh?! So it was really you who riled Huo Ling up?!" Di San exclaimed. "I was just joking earlier and it was just my guess…" he muttered. "Yi Bing, you bastard! What did you do to your apprentice?!" he asked, feeling indignant for Huo Ling.
Yi Bing naturally declined to answer. "He is currently targeted." He said, changing the topic.
As expected, Di San was distracted. "Eh?! 'targeted'?! What happened?! Why is Huo Ling being targeted?!" he asked, panicking.
"His soul became of a fox's in this world, so the other yao and monsters sensed him and are after him." Yi Bing answered.
Di San sharply inhaled. "That is right… devouring a nine-tailed fox will greatly increase your power!" he exclaimed.
"En." Yi Bing nodded in response.
"Oh, geez… I didn't know that this world will be this dangerous!" Di San sighed as he paced back and forth, panicking and worried. "As expected of a Special World…" he sighed with emotion.
Yi Bing didn't speak.
"Yi Bing, how about the case that I gave you?" Di San asked.
"It is more troublesome and complicated." Yi Bing answered.
"What?!" Di San exclaimed.
"It was not just the Golden-Haired Monkey clan… but also the Sunflower Clan…" Yi Bing said and sighed. "In fact, this is just the beginning of their plan." He told him, then narrated to him their conversation earlier.
Di San sharply inhaled. "Good lord!" he exclaimed in shock. "This… this is too…!" he said and took a deep breath. "If this happens… no. I can't bear it just imagining it!" he said and shook his head.
Yi Bing ignored him.
"Yi Bing, what are you planning to do now?" Di San nervously asked.
"Protect Huo Ling." Yi Bing answered.
Di San fell silent.
"If any monster, or even yao, would get Huo Ling and then devour him later…" Yi Bing's eyes narrowed as ice enveloped everything around him.
The temperature instantly dropped. But, after a second it returned to normal, because Yi Bing remembered that Huo Ling is also currently sleeping. He doesn't want him to feel cold, so he retracted the ice in the surroundings.
Di San sucked in a cold breath. "If anyone were to devour Huo Ling, then… wouldn't they be able to destroy that world?!" he exclaimed.
Not only because Huo Ling is a pure, nine-tailed fox. It was also because of Huo Ling's strong soul.
Yi Bing sneered. "They will die before they can get to Huo Ling." he said as his eyes sharpened.
Di San could feel the chill even if he is in the Stable World. "Yes, yes, they will definitely die so they can't get Huo Ling!" he agreed.
Yi Bing is the strongest bodyguard that Huo Ling can get! The villains would turn into ice statues before they can approach Huo Ling!
"What are you nodding like your head is pounding garlic?" Gu Shi's voice was heard.
"Eh? Gu Shi! I am currently talking to Yi Bing!" Di San said.
"It's Yi Bing? You can finally reach him?!" Gu Shi asked and then sighed in relief.
"En." Di San answered.
"Yi Bing. How is Huo Ling right now?" Gu Shi asked.
"Ask Di San." Yi Bing answered.
Gu Shi's and Di San's brows twitched.
"Do I also have to report to you how many times does he breathe in a minute?" Yi Bing continued. "Do I have to tell you the way he eats, whether he picks up his spoon first or fork?" he added.
Gu Shi and Di San. "…" what the fck! How did we offend you, sir?! They thought as their faces darkened.
Di San decided to make Gu Shi leave first since he and Yi Bing were having a harmonious conversation earlier and it was only when Gu Shi arrived that the conversation turned sour. But, Gu Shi doesn't even know what did he do to make Yi Bing change his mood!
But, just when Di San was about to resume talking to Yi Bing, he saw that the call has ended. "…" fck! Yi Bing was just actually looking for a reason to end the call! He thought as his face darkened.
Meanwhile, Yi Bing looked up at the moon in the sky. "I care… even if grim reapers should have no emotions, we were once humans before." He muttered. "Even if our memories were erased, but our emotions were deeply engraved in our souls. That is why we are still capable of exhibiting emotions." He sighed as he lowered his head.
Their memories only acts as triggers or catalysts… in short, they act as keys to unlock their emotions. But, even just a small interaction, we can still show emotion or feel an emotion from it. It is because through interactions that they can have memories. Also, interactions are also a part of being a human. So, grim reapers can still feel emotions.
Suddenly, his communicator beep-ed. It was a message.
0000: I don't hate you, because it was my choice.
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