Afterlife Department

Chapter 568 - Third Person

"That is likely." Yi Bing muttered when he thought of the possibility.

"Right?" Huo Ling smiled. "He must have been picked up by someone. Of course, they are definitely not his family's hypocrite friends." He sneered.

Yi Bing. "…" I thought that you have already calmed down? Why are you still angry? He thought, though he didn't vocalize it since he is afraid Huo Ling might suddenly explode in anger, feeling provoked.

"We still don't know who might this someone be… but since they took Zhuo Xia in, then, they definitely won't be someone bad, right?" Huo Ling asked as he pondered. "The Zhuo family's death definitely is deliberate. Someone wanted to kill them and killed the younger generations, too, to cut the grass and pull out its roots (complete eradication). Thus, they must have changed Zhuo Xia's name and hid him so no one until now have heard of him. And everyone thought that he just suddenly vanished." He explained.

Yi Bing nodded in agreement. "The question is, who picked up Zhuo Xia?" he said.

Huo Ling fell silent as he carefully pondered. "Although the Zhuo family's 'friends' before disappeared when Zhuo Xia needed help, there should be some of them who might be acting cold outside but actually soft inside so that the Zhuo family's enemies wouldn't' suspect him." he said.

"You are right. This is also a tactic." Yi Bing agreed.

Hiding friends among the enemies… this is a good diversion tactic to avoid their enemies from completely eliminating them all.

"Zhuo Xia also must be familiar with them so he didn't appear and cooperated with his family's friend." Yi Bing added.

"Yes." Huo Ling looked at the scenery outside the window of the boat. "But, we also can't ignore the fact that it might really be a stranger that picked up Zhuo Xia." He said.

"En." Yi Bing agreed with a nod. "Now, we are back to the question of who could this person be?" he said.

"Hmm…" Huo Ling hummed as he gazed at the wild flowers growing by the riverbank. "To be able to hide Zhuo Xia, the only one member alive of the once wealthy Zhuo family, this person must be powerful." He said.

"En. Zhuo Xia should be recognizable, especially that many people has been watching him after his family was killed." Yi Bing said. "That is, unless, he – " he looked at Huo Ling.

Huo Ling's eyes flashed. " – he knows disguising skills." He said.

He now recalled that this world is a martial world. Naturally, the natives of this world should learn some skills or more aside from martial arts… and scheming. They study disguising skills to avoid their enemies or to do undercover tasks. Of course, they should also know how to make poisons and other drugs.

"Since Zhuo Xia never appeared in the public's eyes for the remaining three years of his life, thus making them all assume he was dead including these three years, this person who picked up Zhuo Xia should be a very powerful person." Huo Ling explained.

"You can add him as being influential." Yi Bing said.

Huo Ling looked at him.

"He can suppress the news about the sole survivor of the Zhuo family being still alive, when everyone should actually be focusing on him to see how he will live from here on." Yi Bing explained.

Huo Ling frowned in disgust. People are just like this… whenever there is something lively, they would flock to it as long as it is the trend. No matter which world or which era, people will always be like this. "You mean that he also must have guided the public's attention to Zhuo Xia being dead?" he said.

"Yes." Yi Bing answered. "After all, Zhuo Xia has become an orphan and his family that supposed to back him up in this world, also as his shelter, was gone. Adding to the fact that he must have lived in wealth and comfort, he definitely wouldn't survive even just a day on the streets. Thus, more people will be convinced that Zhuo Xia is dead than still being alive." He explained.

Huo Ling fell into a deeper contemplation.

"Should we drop by a restaurant and eat first?" Yi Bing asked after some time has passed. Thinking also requires energy to keep the mind going.

Huo Ling shook his head as an answer. "First person, second person…" he muttered as he recalled the two possible personas that could have picked up Zhuo Xia. He felt like he was missing something… "AH!" he suddenly and loudly exclaimed, causing the boatman to almost slip and fall to the water after he was startled – as well as Yi Bing.

Yi Bing's face darkened. Huo Ling was still immersed from his happiness after he realized something when, suddenly, he felt his hand cooled to the point it is freezing. He immediately realized his mistake.

"O – oops…" Huo Ling apologetically smiled as he immediately withdraw his hand from their seat which is Yi Bing freezing, literally. You are this mad just because I unintentionally startled you?! He thought. He wanted to complain, yet in the end, he didn't. He knows he is the one in the wrong this time. Even if he wasn't, he still would suffer because 'the boss is always right'.

"You better tell me a logical reason for me not to freeze you." Yi Bing coldly glared at Huo Ling.

Huo Ling immediately felt the inside of his chest suddenly became cold. He knows that Yi Bing definitely is freaking serious since he never saw his boss cracking up a joke with that as cold as iceberg face. He silently clicked his tongue in dismay.

Good-looking people naturally are very pleasant to look at, but definitely not his boss, Yi Bing. First, Yi Bing is a grim reaper and looking at him is equivalent to looking at death. Second, Yi Bing's cold expression neutralizes his attractiveness.

"I was thinking about the people who are likely to secretly pick up Zhuo Xia." Huo Ling answered. "The first person is a family friend. The second person is a mighty passerby." He said. "But, what if there is a third?" he asked.

Yi Bing's eyes flashed when he understood what Huo Ling wanted to say. "An enemy?" he said.

Huo Ling nodded in affirmation. "This is the biggest possibility. I should have thought of this since the beginning." He heaved a sigh. Then, he began to tell Yi Bing his conjectures. "The biggest reason that it could be an enemy is them wanting to kill each and every member of the Zhuo family. But, they didn't expect for Zhuo Xia to live. Thus, they will definitely kill Zhuo Xia." He said. "There are two ways they can kill him." he raised two of his fingers.

"And what are they?" Yi Bing asked.

"One, they can secretly approach Zhuo Xia when he is alone and kill him." Huo Ling answered. "But, Zhuo Xia died only recently, so this shouldn't be the case. Then, it could have been the second method, which is to pretend as his family's friend and then kill him later." He explained.

Yi Bing nodded in understanding. "This is possible." He said.

"Only by fifty percent." Huo Ling spoke.

"Why?" Yi Bing looked at him in surprise.

"He wanted to kill Zhuo Xia, so why should prolong it that lasted for three years?" Huo Ling asked.

Yi Bing seriously pondered over it. "… could it be that he has developed familial feelings towards Zhuo Xia, thus, he hesitated in killing him and this hesitation took three years?" he asked.

Huo Ling stared at Yi Bing. "... what you are saying right now is the standard television revenge drama." He said.

A vein popped in Yi Bing's forehead.

Huo Ling immediately looked away and coughed. "You are right. The enemy might have hesitated." He said. "And only after three years did he have gathered enough courage to kill Zhuo Xia." He said.

Yi Bing hummed a response. "But, if he hesitated for this long, why would he still kill Zhuo Xia in the end?" he asked.

"Ah." Huo Ling muttered when he also realized it. "You are right… if he hesitated for a long time because he grew familial feelings towards Zhuo Xia, why would he still kill Zhuo Xia?" he asked as he deeply pondered over it. "Actually, Zhuo Xia is young, so he shouldn't have done any sins yet. His hands are still clean. If they have enemies, then, either they have offended anyone, or…" he looked at Yi Bing.

"His family has committed sins." Yi Bing spoke.

Huo Ling frowned since he also realized it. Revenge. Although it is sweet, it is also cruel if the innocents were dragged into it and their lives were claimed due to it. He then recalled the wealth of the Zhuo family that could make the gods envy… was this actually an ill-gotten wealth?

Then, what befall to their family… could it be undeserved calamity or retribution?