Afterlife Department

Chapter 278 - Puncture

Yi Bing stared at Di San who is looking attentively at Gu Shi\'s soul with his eyes filled with full concern.

"Well?" Di San said and looked at Yi Bing when he didn\'t hear Yi Bing\'s answer.

Yi Bing fell silent.

Di San\'s eyes narrowed and his lips slightly frowned in dissatisfaction seeing Yi Bing didn\'t answer him. "Yi Bing. You know that I know the souls of the grim reapers should be returned to them so they could have a complete soul when they become a grim reaper. Then, a seal will eb conferred to body given to them for them to use." He said. "The Conferment Seal\'s purpose isn\'t to restrain the grim reaper, but to protect them from any harm instead, to keep them from being corrupted by the Foul. However – " he said and looked at Gu Shi\'s soul. "I didn\'t expect for Gu Shi\'s soul to not be intact. And – " he looked at Yi Bing.. " – for the Conferment Seal to also bar the soul from entering our body." He said.

Yi Bing sighed. "Setting aside it is Gu Shi\'s soul, you should also know there are malicious souls." He told Di San.

Di San knew what Yi Bing meant, but this isn\'t his point why he talked with him about this stuff. "Yi Bing!" he yelled. "You should know what I mean!" he said and looked at him in the eyes.

Yi Bing didn\'t answer.

Di San gnashed his teeth. "You also have the Conferment Seal – " he said. " – right?" he asked.

Yi Bing looked at Di San for a long time before he nodded his head. "I do." He honestly answered.

Di San knows Yi Bing wouldn\'t lie to him. "Then – " he said, his breathing turned ragged. " – how can you let Huo Ling\'s soul enter your body?" he asked, finally speaking the thing he wanted to ask Yi Bing before.

This time, Yi Bing fell silent for a long time.

"Yi Bing." Di San called. "Please tell me." He told him.

Yi Bing stared at Di San in shock. Not only did Di San plead, but Di San also knelt! "Stop!" he shouted and froze Di San\'s legs.

"Tell me." Di San spoke.

Yi Bing helplessly sighed. "It\'s because Huo Ling is my assignment." He answered.

"No!" Di San spoke. "This isn\'t it! There must be a way!" he said and looked at Gu Shi\'s soul glowing in his palm. "Yi Bing… I beg you." He told him as he looked at him. His eyes are red. "I don\'t want for Gu Shi\'s soul to disappear." He said in a low voice and closed his eyes. Something shone on his face and dropped to the ground.

Yi Bing knew. If a soul would continuously wander around, they would gradually weaken and finally disappear unless they have their own consciousness and nourish itself to continue to exist. Gu Shi\'s soul has his consciousness, but not fully matured. Or else, it would become another persona of Gu Shi.

"If a soul has its own consciousness, you and the soul should make an oath." Yi Bing said as he unfroze the ice on Di San\'s body. "However, Gu Shi\'s soul doesn\'t have enough consciousness. Only instinct." He said and glanced at Gu Shi\'s soul in Di San\'s palms.

"Then…" Di San said.

"You have to do Force Conferment." Yi Bing said.

"\'Force Conferment\'?" Di San isn\'t familiar with the name.

"It is what I did with Huo Ling\'s soul. I forced his soul to confer his soul to me." Yi Bing explained. "But, there exists a contract between him and me." He said.

"The Assignment." Di San said.

Yi Bing nodded.

"Gu Shi can\'t be my assignment." Di San reminded him.

"I know." Yi Bing rolled his eyes.

"Then… what will happen to us if I did a Force Conferment?" Di San asked.

Yi Bing didn\'t immediately answer. "Before you do the Force Conferment, you have to do something first." He said.

"What is it?" Di San asked.

Yi Bing looked at him. "How can Gu Shi\'s soul enter your body because of the Conferment Seal?" he asked.

It took a moment before Di San understood his words. "… can\'t you tell me this first?" he asked with black lines on his face.

The corner of Yi Bing\'s lips curled up.

"How do we deal with the Conferment Seal?" Di San asked. He knew, for Yi Bing to tell him all these, even if Yi Bing had the protection of the Assignment Contract between him and Huo Ling when he did the Force Conferment, Yi Bing still has a way in dealing with the Conferment Seal if he didn\'t have the Assignment Contract with him before.

As expected of the first grim reaper! Di San\'s eyes brightened and he looked excited.

Yi Bing noticed Di San\'s enthusiasm of breaking the Heaven\'s Rules and he scoffed. However, his eyes are bright. He feels amused with breaking the rules. He remembered when he first met Huo Ling and told Huo Ling some of the Heaven\'s secrets, which he shouldn\'t do.

Di San: so, this change is because of Huo Ling…

"You have to puncture your soul." Yi Bing said, pulling Di San back from his thoughts.

"Ah?" Di San felt like he heard him wrong. "Puncture what?" he asked.

Yi Bing crossed his arms. "Do you think everything is free and easy?" he asked. "To obtain something, you first have to give something." He said. "The Conferment Seal was given to us by Shen Taizi. Of course, anything related with Shen Taizi isn\'t easy. In fact, it is death-seeking." He explained. "This Conferment Seal appeared on our body, but it is actually imprinted in our soul. It is a double barrier for us grim reapers."

"Puncturing the soul… how to do it?" Di San asked. Yi Bing showed him the answer by summoning his death scythe. Di San\'s face paled before it darkened. "… is it too late to ask for some other methods?" he asked.

"It is (too late)." Yi Bing said.

One hour later.

Di San lied on the ground, his arms and legs spread like an eagle on its flight. But, Di San felt like he was on his last flight (death) earlier after Yi Bing\'s scythe pierced his soul. "… thanks." He said and looked at Yi Bing who sat beside him. He raised his hand and felt his chest that has something warm inside.

It was Gu Shi\'s soul. "3257." He heard Yi Bing called.

"Mn?" Di San answered. He knew Yi Bing has something to say when he calls him by his code.

"Puncturing your soul will make you become susceptible to the Foul." Yi Bing said.

"I know." Di San said.

"And you\'re in a dangerous mission finding the Soul Fragments. Who knows which worlds have Foul?" Yi Bing reminded him.

"I know." Di San just said.

"San Di." Yi Bing called with a sigh.

Di San smiled.

"Is he worth it?" Yi Bing asked.

"It is worth it." Di San answered.

"Why?" Yi Bing asked.

"You should know that the most, since you are the same as me." Di San told him.

Yi Bing fell silent. Once the other\'s soul mixed with your soul, you will see their memories. One reason why he did a Force Conferment with Huo Ling\'s soul is to see Huo Ling\'s memories. However, Huo Ling\'s memories he saw are from when they first met, until the former world, the interstellar world.

He didn\'t see Huo Ling\'s life before he met Huo Ling in the Stable World. He can only give up for now.

Di San looked at Yi Bing who fell into his thoughts. Even if Yi Bing was demoted to a grim reaper from being an archangel, but that ended in a positive way. It made Yi Bing legendary, since he is the first grim reaper in the Heaven\'s history. It also made him ranked higher than the archangels, which irritated the archangels.

Yi Bing is the first archangel. He may have been demoted to a grim reaper, but he still is the first! That didn\'t change anything?! Shen Sheng, what is in your head!

Stable World, Middle Heaven.

Shen Sheng was gazing at the sea of clouds before him when he saw a cloud dissipated. Suddenly, the corner of his lips curled up. "The Conferment Seal… this is interesting." He chuckled. "More and more things are getting disorderly. I wonder what should I see next." He said and twirled his index finger.

A new cloud appeared. He suddenly remembered the time when he created the grim reapers. He was faced with so much antagonism, but it was already the usual for him.

Shen Sheng, at that time. "I just reinstated the Underworld\'s guards, the Soul Envoys who died under the hands of the Soul Eaters, then changed their name to a Western one since it sounded gloomier, the right mood the Soul Envoys should have. Aren\'t I good?"

Then, the Heaven\'s Council Elders coughed three liters of blood. Shen Sheng left in a good mood and didn\'t bully Ling Shiyi when he returned.