Chapter 401 - Disappeared

Normal World 341, ancient world. 

"Someone went missing?" the head of the guards spoke as he raised his head from the document he is reading after he heard what the other person said. He looked at the junior guard that's one of the night patrol groups. "Who?" he asked in a low voice. 

The patrol guard nodded his head and, despite the cold night wind blowing from the window, he was sweating profusely because of the piercing gaze of the head of the guards. "This…" he stammered and felt his sweat dripping down the side of his face. "It's… it's the second young master of the Pei family – " he answered and closed his eyes tight. 

BANG! As expected, a loud noise was heard after the head of the guards threw his ink stone. The ink splattered on the wall as it hit it, giving the room another smell aside from the burning smell of candle.

"Damn it!" the head of the guards cursed. 

The Pei family is the lord of the Kunpeng County. No one dared to defy them even when the Pei family monopolized the market. Everyone is at their mercy. Now, the second young master, who is also the second son of the main wife of the current Pei family head, went missing in the middle of the night! 

"How did he go missing?!" the head of the guards asked. His voice rose in anger. "Doesn't their family have guards?! And aren't you all there?!" he asked. "How can one person disappeared under all of your noses and can't be seen by your eyes?! Are you blind?!" he said. 

The patrol guard felt wronged. All the other guards knew that the weight of the situation as well as the consequences, added the temper of their head, so they pushed him, the unlucky one, to report to their superior. 

"Well, what are you standing here for?!" the head of the guards snapped at the dazed patrol guard. "GO FIND HIM! Don't any of you dare come back if you won't find even a missing piece of his finger!" he told him. 

"YES!" the patrol guard answered and hurriedly left the room. 

Stable World. 

"Missing souls?" Huo Ling's voice raised and his body also raised when he heard what Gu Shi said. 

Gu Shi turned to him and nodded. "En. A non-assignment grim reaper went to Normal World 341 to investigate under Shen Taizi's general order." He said. "Sha Jiu happened to finish upgrading Anji Li, so he let the grim reaper test her. Anji Li said that there were souls missing." He explained. 

"Wait – " Huo Ling spoke as he raised his hand. " – not that I am doubting Anji Li, but how did she know that there were souls missing?" he asked. "Could it be that these souls went to reincarnate and not missing?" he asked. 

"Or there could be another Soul Eater." Yi Bing said. 

In the previous world, although the problem with the world energy was already solved, and Renton's case was also solved, but they also didn't forget about the Zirope Town – one of the keys they found before. Having learned not to leave any stones unturned, they went to the Zirope Town to investigate it, only to find a small Soul Eater. 

But, of course, no matter how small it is, but you can't underestimate it. Even though it's just the size of a baby's fist, but to grow to that size, it must be five hundred years old already. It was the one responsible to the fault in the machine of the power station, creating a fire. 

"There's these possibilities, but the problem doesn't lie in Anji Li, but that world." Gu Shi spoke. 

"What's wrong with that world?" Huo Ling asked. 

"A Special Ancient World." Gu Shi answered. 

Huo Ling's brows raised. "An ancient world being a Special World… is it a supernatural world?" he asked. 

"Yes." Gu Shi answered. "Although this isn't just the case." He said. 

"Then…" Huo Ling muttered. 

"The reason why I said that there shouldn't be missing souls is because the souls were 'recycled'." Gu Shi said. 

"'recycled'?" Huo Ling asked. 

Yi Bing heard it and he started. "What 'recycle' means is 'internal reincarnation'." He told Huo Ling. 

"… 'internal reincarnation'?" Huo Ling turned to him. 

Yi Bing nodded. "The souls reincarnate within that world, unlike the other worlds – for example, ours, where the souls reincarnate externally – that is, to the other world." He explained. 

Huo Ling was surprised. "This… seems interesting." He muttered and forced a smile. He saw Yi Bing's gaze on him and he immediately looked away. 

Yi Bing's brow raised while Gu Shi looked at them two. Huo Ling must have skipped a topic and Yi Bing didn't know it. Or else, Huo Ling wouldn't ask and Yi Bing wouldn't answer him just now. Yi Bing must have answered Huo Ling's question on reflex, and realized the strangeness just now.

"Well?" Yi Bing, although was deceived by Huo Ling, looked calm. 

But, the calmer Yi Bing is, the more afraid Huo Ling is of him. "… sorry." He apologized and lowered his head. 

Yi Bing didn't answer. 

Huo Ling's face twisted in grievance. "I… I really didn't mean it!" he immediately said. 

Yi Bing just looked at him. 

Huo Ling pursed his lips. "… I accidentally burnt the page." He said in a low voice. 

New grim reapers can't control their power since they need to get used with the bodies given to them. So, accidentally burning or destroying something is something to be expected. 

But, not Yi Bing. "Remove the second word." he spoke, already seen through Huo Ling's lie. 

Gu Shi covered his face with his hand. These two… he thought. They bicker, but even when they bicker, there's a tacit understanding between them. Although, for now, only one of them perceived it. 

"… I'm really sorry." Huo Ling pressed his lips tight. 

"You are dissatisfied with me." Yi Bing said. 

Gu Shi looked at him. He expected to see a frown on Yi Bing's face, but he didn't see it. Instead, he saw him… smiling. "…" bro, you seem to have picked up the wrong script. Aren't you supposed to scold your partner for deceit and insubordination because he didn't do what you told him? Why do you look so happy and looked like you want to pamper him, instead? He thought and wryly smiled as he looked away. 

"No." Huo Ling spoke. 

Yi Bing just stared at him, letting him explain himself. 

"That day… I really accidentally burned that page." Huo Ling started. "I was bored, and I can't even sleep since grim reapers don't need to sleep. So, I feel unused to it. I don't have other things to do aside from reading." He said. 

"That doesn't mean that you have to burn the page, does it?" Yi Bing asked. 

Huo Ling pursed his lips and lowered his gaze. "I was really bored and felt the desire to burn something…" he said. Including your irritating handsome face. He added in his heart. 

Yi Bing held himself not to laugh. He already knows that when Huo Ling looks away or not meets his eyes, he would definitely lie. "Oh." He muttered. 

Huo Ling raised his head and looked at him. "You believe me?" he asked. 

"If I say I don't?" Yi Bing asked back. Can you find another excuse? 

"Then, you do." Huo Ling retracted his gaze. I will definitely find five more excuses next time! He thought. 

Yi Bing smiled. Gu Shi can't bear it anymore and he coughed to get their attention. Yi Bing and Huo Ling immediately turned to him and, as expected, it's as if they just remembered he was there. 

"…" life is really hard, especially when you unexpectedly become a third wheel. He thought and sighed. "Actually, I have one more thing to say…" he said. 

"What is it?" Yi Bing asked seeing his hesitating expression. 

Gu Shi looked at him and took a deep breath, bracing himself. "In fact, the souls aren't just missing." He said. 

"Huh?" Huo Ling muttered, confused. "If they're not missing, then what is it?" he asked. 

"They disappeared." Gu Shi answered. 

"'disappeared'?!" Huo Ling was shocked. 

"Yes. Disappeared." Gu Shi spoke. 

Yi Bing looked at him, immediately understanding what Gu Shi is trying to say. "… did they die?" he asked. 

Huo Ling sharply turned to him, his eyes wide. 

"I don't know." Gu Shi answered, knowing that Yi Bing has already an idea. 

Yi Bing didn't ask Gu Shi anymore and turned to Huo Ling whose eyes are filled with question marks, obviously wanted to ask him. "By 'disappeared', it meant that a soul's presence disappeared." He said. 

Huo Ling froze. "… you said 'presence', not 'existence', right?" he asked. 

"Smart." Yi Bing smiled, feeling satisfied by Huo Ling's reaction. 

"If their existence disappeared, that means that they are no longer in that world. There are two possible reasons for this." Huo Ling spoke while pondering. "Either they reincarnated to another world, or that they are dead." He said.