Ch84 - You Can’t Make Conclusions Without Rules

Lu Xingliang looked at Lu Xu, and carefully asked him about Xie An’s current situation.

Lu Xu was in no hurry to respond. He just casually asked, “You’re concerned about Xie An?”

Lu Xingliang urgently nodded his head. “Yes. I am grateful to Master Xie An, of course I wish for him to be well. Since you’re here, is it because he got involved in something?”

He spoke cautiously, silently hoping that Xie An was okay.

However, Lu Xu gave him an answer that completely terrified him. “Xie An was caught protecting you. Now he’s being investigated by the Bureau.”

“Is it serious? Will it affect him a lot?”

Lu Xu kind of wanted to laugh at that question, and he did end up laughing. “Of course. Sheltering the souls of the dead is a very serious violation of a Grim Reaper’s working regulations. Once his verdict is deemed guilty, Xie An can’t even be a grim reaper anymore.

“Ah?”Lu Xingliang’s eyes were wide, as though he never thought it would be this serious, and he muttered to himself. “How could it end up like this? It’s been 50 years, nothing should have happened…”

After he regained his composure, he looked at Lu Xu again, and his tone of voice was anxious. “This happened because of me. It has nothing to do with Master Xie An…”

Lu Xu simply raised his brows and said, “Yes, this was a mistake that shouldn’t have happened. Xie An was wrong, so I’m helping him make things right.”

Make things right?

Lu Xingliang thought it was a bit strange, but he still followed along and nodded. “You’re right. Mistakes have to be corrected.”

“OK. Lu Xingliang, Male, from Dongcheng, drowned in 1970…”

These were words that Lu Xingliang had heard before, and his already pale face became even paler. He quickly asked Lu Xu, “Sir, you’re…?”

“Sending you on your way,” Lu Xu said simply, with no intention of explaining further.

“On my way?” Lu Xingliang immediately shook his head, looking to the bed where his wife was, and began to plead. “Master Lu Xu, my wife doesn’t have much longer, please give me some time. Wait so that my wife and I can be sent off together. I can take any punishment when I’m in the underworld, even if I get sent to the eighteenth level of hell, it’s fine…”

Lu Xu raised his brows, and looked at Lu Xingliang without any humour. “You should have gone 50 years ago. This isn’t the marketplace, there is no place for you to bargain.”

Seeing that Lu Xu’s expression had changed, Lu Xingliang immediately shook his head, panicking. “No no no, Master Lu Xu I didn’t mean to bargain. Just that I’ve already lived for another 50 years, I still have a few more days, if I leave now I really will be unwilling…”

“Sorry, that has nothing to do with me.” Lu Xu didn’t care for what he had to say, he just delivered the news. “Confirm your details. If everything is correct, please sign.”

“No, I really can’t.” Lu Xingliang shook his head vigorously. “I know that if you wanted to, you could turn a blind eye. Master Xie An helped me…”

“Yes, his heart was soft, so he’s now been locked up and is being interrogated.” Lu Xu was not smiling at all. He stared right into Lu Xiangling’s eyes. “So, do you really not understand? Because of your pleas, you brought down Xie An. In the beginning, this request of yours was against the rules. What makes you think you can negotiate with me?”

“But, but…” Lu Xingliang was choked up by what Lu Xu had said, and didn’t know what else he could say. He thought for a long time before continuing, “But I died because I was trying to save someone. If it weren’t for those three children, I could have lived happily with Yuanyuan. Our kids would have grown up happy and healthy, and Yuanyuan wouldn’t have had to go through so much pain. If I hadn’t saved those three children…”

Lu Xingliang didn’t know what he was feeling right now.

50 years was far too long, so long that people couldn’t help but reminisce about the past again and again.

There were times where Lu Xingliang couldn’t help but ask himself; if he could turn back the clock to 50 years ago, would he have made the same choices.

“If, let’s say if, this all happens…” When Lu Xu spoke, he couldn’t help but smile and shake his head, before continuing, “If this kind of thing is the most meaningless existence, things that have happened cannot be changed, just like how your ending will always be death. Saving those lives was a way to collect good karma, that is to your merit, but it is not a shield that you can hide behind.”

Lu Xu didn’t want to ask Lu Xingliang hypothetical questions. In his eyes, there was only one truth-

Lu Xingliang was dead, and the dead should go to where they belonged.

If everyone was like him, then the world would fall into chaos.

Lu Xu wasn’t like Xie An. He wouldn’t think about other things. For him to have let this go on for as long as it did, it was only because of Xie An. After a moment, he let Lu Xingliang sign his name, then sent him to where he should go.

His hands moved across the Grim Reaper app to input Lu Xingliang’s information. Just as he was about to leave, he received a notification for a new order-

“You have a new client about to ascend, please choose whether to accept or deny this order…”

The new order’s name was Guo Yingyuan. Lu Xu paused for a moment, then chose to accept the order.

The person was lying down just beside him. With the effort of a single blink, Guo Yingyuan’s spirit was already sitting up from her sickbed.

From Lu Xingliang leaving to her dying, no less than two or three minutes had passed.

“Guo Yingyuan, female, from Dongcheng…”

Lu Xu confirmed the client’s details according to procedure. Guo Yingyuan first looked at her own translucent hands, then looked back to see the shell of a body lying on the bed. She was quiet for a moment, then said solemnly, “I died…”

After saying that, she looked at Lu Xu, and sighed deeply. “If I go down now, will I meet him?”

“Hm?”

Lu Xu didn’t think she would ask this question, and was shocked for a while.

Guo Yingyuan smiled, then asked again. “If I go down now, will I meet my Lu Xingliang?”

“If you want to.” Lu Xu suddenly thought of something when he finished speaking, and couldn’t help but ask her something. “So, you know he’s there?”

Guo Yingyuan nodded and sighed again, as though she was reminiscing. After a long while, she spoke. “There’s no point in knowing. He can’t do anything.”

According to Guo Yingyuan, that time when she nearly stepped through the ghostly gate, she saw Lu Xingliang kneeling with Xie An.

Not long after the two of them got married, Lu Xingliang had gotten into an accident. The children had long since needed people to watch over them. Those dark times were like a boulder falling onto Guo Yingyuan’s shoulders, weighing down on her so much it was suffocating.

Giving birth had injured her yang energy, and on many occasions Guo Yingyuan could feel Lu Xingliang was around, but so what?

She had to do work on her own, she had to take care of the children on her own.

When Lu Xingliang died, she was barely 25 years old, and many people wanted to introduce her to suitors.

Guo Yingyuan never wavered, no one wanted to be with someone who didn’t know the ups and downs.

But during such moments, she could feel a fluctuation in the air around her. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she had no way to prove it.

She didn’t want Lu Xingliang watching her get together with other people, so she grit her teeth and soldiered on.

It carried on for 50 more years.

“I’m really tired, so tired…” Guo Yingyuan lowered her gaze, her voice dropping low, and she didn’t know if she was telling Lu Xu or saying it to herself.

50 years was too long. Even if there were feelings, they would fade over time, not to mention that the two of them had already been separated.

Having experienced life’s tribulations, whatever feelings of love or sentiment had already been banished. Guo Yingyuan couldn’t even remember what Lu Xingliang looked like, she just felt overwhelmed.

Although regretful, she never complained about Lu Xingliang saving lives.

If he died, Guo Yingyuan would miss him, and look forward to when they could meet again. But he had always been there, and there was nothing to help. Her heart ached but no one could understand, whether it was Lu Xingliang’s spirit, nothing would change.

“You don’t want to see him?” Lu Xu looked at Guo Yingyuan staring off into space, and couldn’t help but ask to get her attention back.

“Mn.” Guo Yingyuan looked at her own face, covered in wrinkles. She couldn’t remember what it was like when she was 25 and Lu Xingliang was around.

He died when she was 25, and would always stay frozen in that time.

But Guo Yingyuan wasn’t like that.

Her youthful years were filled with hardships, and it was different every year.

Her whole life had been like this. If there was a next life, she hoped it would be more relaxing.

Lu Xu didn’t ask her why in order to respect the client’s wishes. “If you don’t want to meet him, I’ll arrange for you to go to another district. As long as it follows the rules, we’ll try to satisfy the client’s wishes to let them be happy in death.”

To let them be happy in death?

These words were unfamiliar to Guo Yingyuan, but it did make sense.

She already worked hard to live, and according to her, death was indeed a happy thing.

Before she left, Guo Yingyuan still had to ask Lu Xu. “Master Lu Xu, my son, he…”

After all, it was something she had carried for ten months and was her own flesh and blood, of course Guo Yingyuan cared.

Lu Xu understood and said to her, “He’s already started a new life, he’s healthy.”

“That’s good, that’s good…” Guo Yingyuan’s eyes teared up when she heard that. As long as her child lived on, it would be worth it.

Lu Xu sent Guo Yingyuan away, and then clicked to submit the information.

He was here to take away the stranded people, but didn’t expect a buy one get one free deal.

Just as he was thinking about it, the Department Head called: “Xiao Lu, is this the one Xie An has protected for fifty years?”

“Yes.”

The Department Head had always trusted Xie An, but he never thought he would have to make such a decision.

“The investigation team has already started to move forward. If nothing happens, Xie An’s punishment will be announced soon. There will be a discussion meeting at the relevant time tomorrow. Remember to come by then.”

“Mn, I’ll definitely be there.” Lu Xu nodded, then left the hospital room.

The next day, Lu Xu came and prepared for filming along with everyone else.

The composition and dance team were different from the vocals team, so the methods of recording them were also different.

For example, in the vocal group, the program group gave several performance repertoires to choose from, and the trainees had to go through some physical competition games to grab the priority.

“I heard that the right to choose for the vocal group is decided through a swimming relay. Wow, I really want to have a chance to show off my body next to Manman.” Xu Lele started talking when he entered the classroom, saddened to not have the chance to show off his figure in front of the goddess.

Others couldn’t help being surprised: “Swimming relay? But what about those who can’t swim?”

Xu Lele smiled openly: “If you don’t know how to swim in a 1.5-meter-high pool, you can choose to take the waterway. Anyway, it’s fine as long as you do it”

Several people were talking, the instructor of the singing group came to the classroom and announced the recording of today’s program.

Lu Xu saw Ji Xiunian and Gu Wenan come in, but didn’t see Tao Yingbo. He couldn’t help but glance at Ji Xiunian, with an inquiring look in his eyes.

Ji Xiunian thought Tao Yingbo was here, but he wasn’t there at all.

Seeing Lu Xu’s eyes with questions, Ji Xiunian gave him the same blank look, which meant that he didn’t know where Tao Yingbo was either.

The two of them looked at each other, and they each had a guess in their minds almost at the same time——

Did he go to look for Qu Dehui?