A man in a blue robe stood at the forefront, pinching a yellow talisman with his index and middle fingers, while holding a rusty broken sword in the other hand. It was the broken sword that had chopped on the transparent cover over them, shattered it into pieces.
The originally pitch-black corridor now had color, with warm light shining down from above, passing through their bodies and onto the ground. Bai Lixin glanced at his feet and saw no shadows.
Several men and women in business suits followed behind the man.
When Bai Lixin saw them, they seemed to see him too. They all hid behind the man in the blue robe, their expressions panicked and flustered.
One of them, a man with neatly combed hair and glasses, urged, “Master, are these three things that have been disturbing us recently? Master, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and capture them!”
‘Three things? Disturbing them?’
Bai Lixin looked up, and his gaze shifted from the man in the blue robe to the eyes of the man in the suit.
The man’s eyes flickered slightly, his pupils reflecting three vague black shadows.
So, this was how they appeared in the eyes of ordinary people. No wonder there was a description like “three things” in their eyes.
Bai Lixin’s gaze returned to the man in the blue robe.
The man in the blue robe had a thick mask covering his face, making it impossible for Bai Lixin to see his face clearly.
However, this mask was somewhat different from a physical mask. From the perspective of other living people, they seemed to be able to see the man’s normal face, but as ghosts, they couldn’t see the man’s face clearly.
There might be an explanation for this, that the man in the blue robe used some method to prevent his appearance from being revealed among these ghosts.
Bai Lixin had also experienced the world of exorcism and righteousness before. In his previous knowledge, there were indeed some exorcists who were afraid that removing evil spirits would incur the spirits’ resentment, leading to revenge and their entire families getting cursed. In order to protect themselves and their families, they would conceal their appearance beforehand.
“Damn it, it’s my product manager.” Zhao Jia exclaimed, pointing at the man in the suit and cursing, “I worked myself to death for your company. Didn’t I just die without knowing it? I unknowingly scared you guys a bit, and you want to capture me?!”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and a dangerous black aura gradually began to envelop him. His face became increasingly ferocious, as if he was about to pounce and bite the man in the suit the next second.
The man in the suit was frightened and exclaimed, “Oh my god,” pointing in Zhao Jia’s direction and shouting, “Master, look at that one, it looks so fierce, is it planning to harm someone? Hurry up and kill it!”
The man in the blue robe’s fingers twitched slightly, and the talisman in his hand suddenly turned from one to three.
Bai Lixin stared at the man’s hand, quickly pulled the collars of the security guard and Zhao Jia on the left and right and pulled them back.
The talismans slipped from the man’s hand and landed where they had just stood.
The three talismans missed, and the man sighed softly. He flicked his wrist again, and more talismans appeared between his fingers.
Bai Lixin didn’t know the meaning of these talismans, but his instinctive reaction to danger told him that this thing was very dangerous and must not be touched.
Holding onto the two people on his left and right, Bai Lixin dodged with some difficulty, but still managed to avoid all the subsequent talismans from the man in the blue robe.
The man in the suit watched nervously. It wasn’t until the man in the blue robe threw away the talismans that he finally stopped his actions.
The man put his hands behind his back and said to Bai Lixin and the other two, “As the ancient law goes, ‘nine nines return to one.’ I’ve tried to capture you nine times, and you’ve dodged nine times. Heaven has allowed me to release you, so you may leave.”
As he spoke, the man in the blue robe moved aside, making way for them.
Bai Lixin was stunned.
The man in the suit heard this and became extremely agitated, “Master, how can you let them go? Our place is haunted every night, and everyone is frightened. I spent so much money to invite you here, not to let you let them go!”
“They are not guilty of death,” the voice of the man in the blue robe also had some kind of concealment, and Bai Lixin could only hear a vague voice, “They are not burdened with human lives, nor do they harbor ill intentions towards others. On the contrary, it is you who is surrounded by malice intent, you should be careful these days, guest.”
The man in the suit turned red. He pointed at Zhao Jia and said, “Can someone without ill intentions act like this?”
The man in the blue robe: “You and this spirit have karmic connections. His cause of death involves you indirectly, so he became abnormally agitated after seeing you. When you leave here, he will calm down.”
The man in the blue robe then looked at Bai Lixin and the others again, “I’ll let you off today. If you’re smart, you’ll leave here and return to the world of the dead. If there’s a next time, even if you dodge nine times, I won’t let you off.”
The man in the suit left angrily.
After he left, Zhao Jia indeed calmed down.
Bai Lixin observed the man in the blue robe and only after confirming that he indeed had no intention of capturing them did let go of the collars he had been holding onto.
Seeing the man in the blue robe about to leave, Bai Lixin tried to stop him, “Wait.”
The man in the blue robe stopped. Through the blurry mask, Bai Lixin couldn’t see his expression, only hearing a vibrating voice, “Did you make a sound just now?”
Bai Lixin didn’t know how he appeared in the man’s eyes or if he could see his gestures, so he pointed forcefully towards the elevator, “We can’t get out, we’re trapped, please help us.”
‘Could he understand?’
‘Since he was an exorcist, he should be able to understand, right?’
In the man’s brief silence, Bai Lixin waited nervously.
Finally, three seconds later, the man spoke, “Are you trapped? Follow me, I’ll take you out.”
Bai Lixin felt relieved, it seemed the man understood.
As they followed behind the man, Zhao Jia and the security guard remained very frightened, hiding behind Bai Lixin and moving their bodies very reluctantly.
When they passed through the lobby of the office building, they glanced inside.
It was already after nine o’clock in the evening, but there were still many employees gathered in the lobby, looking at them with curiosity and fear.
Zhao Jia couldn’t help but curse when he saw them, “So the so-called ‘boss asking everyone to leave work at seven because of fear’ was just my fantasy. Even if I died, overtime work is still going on as it should and nothing has changed. It’s just the death of an insignificant person, huh, this world is fucking disgusting. Bah! I’m not staying here, I don’t care!”
The elevator slowly arrived at the eighteenth floor, and the bright little metal box was empty.
The man in the blue robe entered first, followed by Bai Lixin pulling the other two spirits.
The number 1 lit up on the button again, and as the elevator descended slowly, it successfully reached the first floor.
Zhao Jia and the security guard nervously stared at the floor display and the elevator door above. As the elevator door slowly opened, they no longer saw the endless loop of the eighteenth-floor corridor, but a spacious lobby. From the position of the elevator, they could even see the door and the asphalt road outside, with vehicles speeding by.
The two of them cheered excitedly, but in the end, reason prevailed over excitement. They obediently stayed behind Bai Lixin, not daring to rush past the man in the blue robe.
The man in the blue robe didn’t say anything, he just walked straight ahead. It wasn’t until they walked out of the building and into the courtyard outside that he stopped. Although Bai Lixin couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, he could feel the man’s gaze on his face, “This building is built in a strange magnetic field. It affects the state of the spirit body of the dead, trapping you in a certain place you can’t leave. It shouldn’t be long before a messenger of the dead comes to guide you, so you should go to the world of dead as soon as possible.”
After saying this, the man in the blue robe left directly.
When the man in the blue robe walked away, Zhao Jia and the security guard finally cheered loudly.
Zhao Jia pointed at the still-lit eighteenth-floor office and spat, “Pah!”
The security guard: “The man just said there would be a messenger of the dead to guide us, meaning we just need to stand here and wait? When will they come to pick us up? They wouldn’t make us wait here for a year or two, would they?”
Zhao Jia: “Didn’t they show it in TV dramas that Black and White Wuchang guide the souls to the afterlife? It should be Black and White Wuchang coming to pick us up. Ah, the Black and White Wuchang portrayed in myths are impartial, I still want to go back and see my parents and fiancee, I wonder if they can make an exception.”
‘Black and White Wuchang?’
“If it’s really Black and White Wuchang, it’s probably negotiable,” Bai Lixin was somewhat confident.
Zhao Jia asked, “Why?”
Bai Lixin: “You may not believe it when I say it, but the King of Hell is my son.”
‘Although not by birth.’
“Hahaha.” Zhao Jia and the security guard looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Zhao Jia: “Haha, are you deliberately trying to make us happy? Thank you, haha. Xiao Xin, if the King of Hell is your son, then I’m the Jade Emperor’s father.”
They laughed happily, but when they turned around, they almost bumped into two people.
The laughter quickly subsided, and Zhao Jia looked at the figures that appeared out of nowhere in front of them with confusion.
One was wearing a white suit, and the other was wearing a black suit.
The man in the white suit had a cold and frosty demeanor, while the man in the black suit was very flamboyant.
Both of them were handsome and standing straight. The man in the white suit was holding a notebook and flipping through it.
‘Where did these two people suddenly come from?
Dressed like this late at night, were they here to do business in the office building?’
‘Strange, how did they appear, it’s not like we saw a car coming.’
Zhao Jia lowered his head in confusion. Suddenly, he noticed something and his pupils dilated.
“Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts…” He stumbled and hid behind Bai Lixin, pointing at the feet of the two men with trembling hands, “No shadow, ghosts.”
Well, isn’t it said that the old are the most cunning? The security guard remained very calm, “Xiao Zhao, we’re ghosts too.”
Zhao Jia smiled awkwardly, “…”
‘Sorry, when I get nervous, I always forget that I’m a ghost myself.’
‘I just died all of a sudden, I’m still not used to it.’
The man in the white suit finally closed the notebook, and his gaze slowly fell on them, his attitude as businesslike as a bank teller handling transactions.
“Zhao Jia, male, born on March 23, U1992, born in City D, died on August 31, U2022.”
“Zhou Xiaoyi, male, born on February 12, U1969, born in City M, died on March 6, U2022.”
The man in the white suit finished reading without much emotion, his gaze passing through them and slowly falling on Bai Lixin behind them.
Suddenly, the expression of the man in the white suit changed drastically. He suddenly knelt down on one knee and said respectfully, “Queen Dowager!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Um, while it’s nice to climb up to relatives, this title is a bit… let’s drop it.’
A man in a blue robe stood at the forefront, pinching a yellow talisman with his index and middle fingers, while holding a rusty broken sword in the other hand. It was the broken sword that had chopped on the transparent cover over them, shattered it into pieces.
The originally pitch-black corridor now had color, with warm light shining down from above, passing through their bodies and onto the ground. Bai Lixin glanced at his feet and saw no shadows.
Several men and women in business suits followed behind the man.
When Bai Lixin saw them, they seemed to see him too. They all hid behind the man in the blue robe, their expressions panicked and flustered.
One of them, a man with neatly combed hair and glasses, urged, “Master, are these three things that have been disturbing us recently? Master, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and capture them!”
‘Three things? Disturbing them?’
Bai Lixin looked up, and his gaze shifted from the man in the blue robe to the eyes of the man in the suit.
The man’s eyes flickered slightly, his pupils reflecting three vague black shadows.
So, this was how they appeared in the eyes of ordinary people. No wonder there was a description like “three things” in their eyes.
Bai Lixin’s gaze returned to the man in the blue robe.
The man in the blue robe had a thick mask covering his face, making it impossible for Bai Lixin to see his face clearly.
However, this mask was somewhat different from a physical mask. From the perspective of other living people, they seemed to be able to see the man’s normal face, but as ghosts, they couldn’t see the man’s face clearly.
There might be an explanation for this, that the man in the blue robe used some method to prevent his appearance from being revealed among these ghosts.
Bai Lixin had also experienced the world of exorcism and righteousness before. In his previous knowledge, there were indeed some exorcists who were afraid that removing evil spirits would incur the spirits’ resentment, leading to revenge and their entire families getting cursed. In order to protect themselves and their families, they would conceal their appearance beforehand.
“Damn it, it’s my product manager.” Zhao Jia exclaimed, pointing at the man in the suit and cursing, “I worked myself to death for your company. Didn’t I just die without knowing it? I unknowingly scared you guys a bit, and you want to capture me?!”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and a dangerous black aura gradually began to envelop him. His face became increasingly ferocious, as if he was about to pounce and bite the man in the suit the next second.
The man in the suit was frightened and exclaimed, “Oh my god,” pointing in Zhao Jia’s direction and shouting, “Master, look at that one, it looks so fierce, is it planning to harm someone? Hurry up and kill it!”
The man in the blue robe’s fingers twitched slightly, and the talisman in his hand suddenly turned from one to three.
Bai Lixin stared at the man’s hand, quickly pulled the collars of the security guard and Zhao Jia on the left and right and pulled them back.
The talismans slipped from the man’s hand and landed where they had just stood.
The three talismans missed, and the man sighed softly. He flicked his wrist again, and more talismans appeared between his fingers.
Bai Lixin didn’t know the meaning of these talismans, but his instinctive reaction to danger told him that this thing was very dangerous and must not be touched.
Holding onto the two people on his left and right, Bai Lixin dodged with some difficulty, but still managed to avoid all the subsequent talismans from the man in the blue robe.
The man in the suit watched nervously. It wasn’t until the man in the blue robe threw away the talismans that he finally stopped his actions.
The man put his hands behind his back and said to Bai Lixin and the other two, “As the ancient law goes, ‘nine nines return to one.’ I’ve tried to capture you nine times, and you’ve dodged nine times. Heaven has allowed me to release you, so you may leave.”
As he spoke, the man in the blue robe moved aside, making way for them.
Bai Lixin was stunned.
The man in the suit heard this and became extremely agitated, “Master, how can you let them go? Our place is haunted every night, and everyone is frightened. I spent so much money to invite you here, not to let you let them go!”
“They are not guilty of death,” the voice of the man in the blue robe also had some kind of concealment, and Bai Lixin could only hear a vague voice, “They are not burdened with human lives, nor do they harbor ill intentions towards others. On the contrary, it is you who is surrounded by malice intent, you should be careful these days, guest.”
The man in the suit turned red. He pointed at Zhao Jia and said, “Can someone without ill intentions act like this?”
The man in the blue robe: “You and this spirit have karmic connections. His cause of death involves you indirectly, so he became abnormally agitated after seeing you. When you leave here, he will calm down.”
The man in the blue robe then looked at Bai Lixin and the others again, “I’ll let you off today. If you’re smart, you’ll leave here and return to the world of the dead. If there’s a next time, even if you dodge nine times, I won’t let you off.”
The man in the suit left angrily.
After he left, Zhao Jia indeed calmed down.
Bai Lixin observed the man in the blue robe and only after confirming that he indeed had no intention of capturing them did let go of the collars he had been holding onto.
Seeing the man in the blue robe about to leave, Bai Lixin tried to stop him, “Wait.”
The man in the blue robe stopped. Through the blurry mask, Bai Lixin couldn’t see his expression, only hearing a vibrating voice, “Did you make a sound just now?”
Bai Lixin didn’t know how he appeared in the man’s eyes or if he could see his gestures, so he pointed forcefully towards the elevator, “We can’t get out, we’re trapped, please help us.”
‘Could he understand?’
‘Since he was an exorcist, he should be able to understand, right?’
In the man’s brief silence, Bai Lixin waited nervously.
Finally, three seconds later, the man spoke, “Are you trapped? Follow me, I’ll take you out.”
Bai Lixin felt relieved, it seemed the man understood.
As they followed behind the man, Zhao Jia and the security guard remained very frightened, hiding behind Bai Lixin and moving their bodies very reluctantly.
When they passed through the lobby of the office building, they glanced inside.
It was already after nine o’clock in the evening, but there were still many employees gathered in the lobby, looking at them with curiosity and fear.
Zhao Jia couldn’t help but curse when he saw them, “So the so-called ‘boss asking everyone to leave work at seven because of fear’ was just my fantasy. Even if I died, overtime work is still going on as it should and nothing has changed. It’s just the death of an insignificant person, huh, this world is fucking disgusting. Bah! I’m not staying here, I don’t care!”
The elevator slowly arrived at the eighteenth floor, and the bright little metal box was empty.
The man in the blue robe entered first, followed by Bai Lixin pulling the other two spirits.
The number 1 lit up on the button again, and as the elevator descended slowly, it successfully reached the first floor.
Zhao Jia and the security guard nervously stared at the floor display and the elevator door above. As the elevator door slowly opened, they no longer saw the endless loop of the eighteenth-floor corridor, but a spacious lobby. From the position of the elevator, they could even see the door and the asphalt road outside, with vehicles speeding by.
The two of them cheered excitedly, but in the end, reason prevailed over excitement. They obediently stayed behind Bai Lixin, not daring to rush past the man in the blue robe.
The man in the blue robe didn’t say anything, he just walked straight ahead. It wasn’t until they walked out of the building and into the courtyard outside that he stopped. Although Bai Lixin couldn’t see the man’s face clearly, he could feel the man’s gaze on his face, “This building is built in a strange magnetic field. It affects the state of the spirit body of the dead, trapping you in a certain place you can’t leave. It shouldn’t be long before a messenger of the dead comes to guide you, so you should go to the world of dead as soon as possible.”
After saying this, the man in the blue robe left directly.
When the man in the blue robe walked away, Zhao Jia and the security guard finally cheered loudly.
Zhao Jia pointed at the still-lit eighteenth-floor office and spat, “Pah!”
The security guard: “The man just said there would be a messenger of the dead to guide us, meaning we just need to stand here and wait? When will they come to pick us up? They wouldn’t make us wait here for a year or two, would they?”
Zhao Jia: “Didn’t they show it in TV dramas that Black and White Wuchang guide the souls to the afterlife? It should be Black and White Wuchang coming to pick us up. Ah, the Black and White Wuchang portrayed in myths are impartial, I still want to go back and see my parents and fiancee, I wonder if they can make an exception.”
‘Black and White Wuchang?’
“If it’s really Black and White Wuchang, it’s probably negotiable,” Bai Lixin was somewhat confident.
Zhao Jia asked, “Why?”
Bai Lixin: “You may not believe it when I say it, but the King of Hell is my son.”
‘Although not by birth.’
“Hahaha.” Zhao Jia and the security guard looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Zhao Jia: “Haha, are you deliberately trying to make us happy? Thank you, haha. Xiao Xin, if the King of Hell is your son, then I’m the Jade Emperor’s father.”
They laughed happily, but when they turned around, they almost bumped into two people.
The laughter quickly subsided, and Zhao Jia looked at the figures that appeared out of nowhere in front of them with confusion.
One was wearing a white suit, and the other was wearing a black suit.
The man in the white suit had a cold and frosty demeanor, while the man in the black suit was very flamboyant.
Both of them were handsome and standing straight. The man in the white suit was holding a notebook and flipping through it.
‘Where did these two people suddenly come from?
Dressed like this late at night, were they here to do business in the office building?’
‘Strange, how did they appear, it’s not like we saw a car coming.’
Zhao Jia lowered his head in confusion. Suddenly, he noticed something and his pupils dilated.
“Ghosts, ghosts, ghosts…” He stumbled and hid behind Bai Lixin, pointing at the feet of the two men with trembling hands, “No shadow, ghosts.”
Well, isn’t it said that the old are the most cunning? The security guard remained very calm, “Xiao Zhao, we’re ghosts too.”
Zhao Jia smiled awkwardly, “…”
‘Sorry, when I get nervous, I always forget that I’m a ghost myself.’
‘I just died all of a sudden, I’m still not used to it.’
The man in the white suit finally closed the notebook, and his gaze slowly fell on them, his attitude as businesslike as a bank teller handling transactions.
“Zhao Jia, male, born on March 23, U1992, born in City D, died on August 31, U2022.”
“Zhou Xiaoyi, male, born on February 12, U1969, born in City M, died on March 6, U2022.”
The man in the white suit finished reading without much emotion, his gaze passing through them and slowly falling on Bai Lixin behind them.
Suddenly, the expression of the man in the white suit changed drastically. He suddenly knelt down on one knee and said respectfully, “Queen Dowager!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Um, while it’s nice to climb up to relatives, this title is a bit… let’s drop it.’
