Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 191: Observation Report (Part One)

Late at night, in a dark alley of a bustling city district.

The alley was narrow and deep, flanked by towering building walls. Passing through felt like sinking into the sea. A middle-aged man, just off work, held his breath and quickened his pace to hurry through.

Halfway through, he suddenly noticed something ahead.

In the dim light, it looked like a man crouched on the ground. His outline flickered suspiciously, and he was letting out muffled sobs. The smell of vomit mixed with alcohol hung in the air, almost making the man retch.

“Hey man, are you okay? Do you need help?” The middle-aged man was blocked and couldn’t pass, so he cautiously asked.

The crying shadow didn’t respond. Gathering his courage, the man stepped closer and patted its back. To his shock, his hand touched nothing. It felt like the air inside a freezer, piercingly cold.

“Wuu… wuu… wuu…”

The crying shadow vanished, but the sobs still echoed through the alley.

Cold sweat broke out all over the man. He screamed and stumbled out of the alley.

……

The next day, at an empty basement office in Taiyi City First People’s Hospital.

The crying shadow sat obediently in a chair. Across from him were an officer from the Underworld and a seasoned ghost who had followed Fang Xiu for some time.

“Let me see… Zhao Rui, twenty-three years old… The cause of death was drunk and unconscious at night, choked to death by vomit.”

The ghost flipped through the report. “Dying young with resentment is understandable. But your resentment is too strong. Ordinary people are starting to see you.”

The moment they received the report, the ghosts acted immediately and dragged Zhao Rui’s spirit out of the alley.

Even though the yin energy was heavy at night, this guy could be seen by regular humans with no yin yang eyes. If they left him alone, he would almost certainly become an evil spirit.

The Underworld officer stroked his chin. “This level of obsession can only come from hatred. Start talking.”

Zhao Rui lifted his bloodshot eyes. His face twisted with fury. “What’s the damn point of talking? The living couldn’t stop him. The dead can’t stop him either. So now you’re coming to stop me…”

The officer shook his head and placed a peachwood sword glowing with golden light neatly beside him. “Talk.”

Zhao Rui straightened up. “I’ll talk.”

Through sobs filled with hatred, Zhao Rui recounted how he died—

He was a hardworking and traditional good student, who studied diligently and got into a top university. After graduation, he entered a prestigious company in Gui Province and landed a job that many envied.

From any angle, it was the perfect start.

But Zhao Rui was assigned to a terrible boss.

The boss was named Li Changlang, a long-time employee at the company. His position was neither high nor low, but he had personal ties with upper management and a very secure status.

This man had no real hobbies, except tormenting young, capable workers.

When Zhao Rui was still an intern, he saw three or four fellow interns break down crying after being scolded by this old guy.

One girl received vaguely inappropriate text messages from him and was so frightened she didn’t know what to do. Another was forced to drink late into the night with clients and eventually quit the internship.

Even Zhao Rui, being male, wasn’t spared. Fetching tea, buying breakfast—those were the small things. If the project metrics didn’t look good, he had to take the blame for Li Changlang’s decisions.

But Zhao Rui didn’t dare to resign.

The boss was awful, but the company, the projects, and the position were excellent. If he could endure for two or three years, the experience would look great on his résumé.

If he gave up now, he’d lose his fresh graduate status and risk being judged by future employers as lacking stability.

“I found out later that in over twenty years at that company, he destroyed at least four young people.”

Zhao Rui gnashed his teeth. “One was harassed until she broke down and killed herself in a rented room. Another was deliberately overworked to death at his desk. Another quit in depression and self-harmed into disability. One was forced to drink with him, went home drunk, fell, and died.”

“I was the fifth. I didn’t follow his orders at a business dinner. He went rabid. I thought being cautious would be enough. If only I’d known…”

As he spoke, he broke down again.

“Haa. Just picking on fresh graduates… it’s hard to survive in the mortal world.”

The ghost consultant sympathized. “Things like this don’t even count as workplace injury, let alone legal accountability. But down here, karma gets tallied. Do you want to claim this blood debt?”

The Underworld officer hummed. “Lord Fang’s judgment standard is ‘malice’. If this is all true, we’ll deal with it.”

The only question was whether they’d assign the case to an eight-time ritual with no rewards or a full unlimited package.

“Now we’re offering you a new job. As compensation, you’ll get a chance to punish him personally.”

The officer pulled out a cinnabar pen. “If you’re lucky, you might even witness his death.”

“I’ll do it!”

Zhao Rui’s bloodshot eyes widened. He agreed instantly.

“I haven’t told you the cost yet,” said the officer, half amused.

“I don’t care what it is. Any price is fine, even if my soul gets torn apart.” Zhao Rui spoke through blood-filled tears. “My life is ruined, completely ruined. My parents will suffer too. And that bastard gets to live comfortably? I can’t stand it.”

The ghost official wrote up the contract with elegant strokes and slid it over to Zhao Rui.

“It’s not that serious. You just sign the ghost contract and agree to be managed by the Underworld. Right now, you’re no different from an evil spirit. We can’t let you roam around the living world.”

“Thank you… Thank you… wuu…”

“Save your thanks for Lord Fang. The Underworld didn’t use to have procedures like this.” The ghost waved its hand.

That night, at the top of the Disaster Relief Tower.

Zhao Rui passed through the smoke gate and was led by the ghost officer to this strange place. At first glance, it looked like a traditional study room, with many ghosts lining up in an orderly queue.

At the head of the line sat a towering ghost in a wedding robe. Zhao Rui couldn’t tell what kind of ghost she was, but like a mouse facing a cat, he instinctively felt fear and awe.

“Is that Lord Fang?” he whispered to the ghost officer who brought him.

“No, that is Lord Fang’s subordinate, Lady A’Shou,” the officer corrected quietly.

Zhao Rui stood respectfully. Even a subordinate had such overwhelming presence, then Lord Fang must be an even more powerful being. He tidied his clothes and imagined a three-meter-tall underworld version of Justice Bao.

The ghosts brought here were all said to have blood debts confirmed and contracts signed with the Underworld—

“Zhao Rui, right? Here’s your number. We’ve got the ruling on Li Changlang. We’ll assign a proper ritual to handle him.”

“Rest well tonight. An Underworld officer will come find you tomorrow. Since you have a grudge with the target and need memory retention, don’t forget to sign a ritual confidentiality agreement.”

A’Shou wrote down the record on a scroll, tore off a slip, and used a cinnabar pen to write “Number Eight” on it.

She waved her hand. “Next.”

Zhao Rui: “…”

What could he say? The process was certainly efficient, but it just felt oddly familiar.

Lady A’Shou handled things neatly and swiftly, but her vibe didn’t match Zhao Rui’s image of a ghost at all. She felt more like a seasoned doctor in a hospital outpatient ward.

Still, he had no complaints. The Underworld’s efficiency was evident, and it only made him more curious about Lord Fang.

“When can I meet Lord Fang?” Zhao Rui asked eagerly.

The ghost officer smiled slightly. His human appearance faded revealing his true form of a paper figure.

“To be precise, it’s Lord Fang and Lord Bai,” it said in a sharp voice. “Those two are never apart. Once you see them, you’ll know right away.”

Never apart? Like the Black and White Impermanence*?

*Two gods in charge of escorting spirits of the dead to the underworld.

But even after Zhao Rui joined the ritual, he still hadn’t seen the legendary pair.

He was guided to an abandoned factory, isolated from the world. Among a dozen terrified faces, he immediately spotted the shovel-like face of Li Changlang.

Yet among them, the most eye-catching weren’t Li Changlang, but a pair of young people.

The two wore striking matching red and white outfits. Their fashion was stylish, their figures elegant, which made them stand out from the crowd.

The taller one had long hair, wore a mask, and his pale eyes shimmered with strange light. The shorter one had a slim, fit build, gentle handsome features, and a slightly shy smile.

They held hands affectionately, each wearing matching rings on their ring fingers. Even the dullest observer could tell they were a couple.

Li Changlang’s eyes flicked around and quickly locked onto the attractive pair. First he looked relieved, then pressed his lips tight and furrowed his brow, putting on his usual disgusted expression.

“You’ve got time for this crap at a time like this?”

He stepped forward and barked, “Disgusting. You two better say now if you’ve got any filthy diseases, especially the one in the mask—”

The man in white had his face hidden by the mask, but his eyes were full of contempt and killing intent beyond his age. Even Zhao Rui shuddered at the sight.

The man in red smiled undisturbed, as if completely unaffected by Li Changlang’s hostility. He held his partner’s hand tightly, looking like someone with a very good temper.

“Wearing the mask is just his habit,” he said warmly. “This is our second ritual. We’ll do our best to keep up and not drag the group down.”

Everyone present wore bitter expressions and hostile stares. Not a single face was friendly. The two young men among them looked like lambs in a pack of wolves.

“The first ritual only left two survivors. You’re basically useless, huh? Just don’t run around. Do as you’re told,” Li Changlang sneered without hiding his contempt.

The man in red still didn’t get angry. Instead, he turned politely and reached out a hand toward Li Changlang.

“You’re absolutely right. We’ll be careful to cooperate with the team.”

“I’m Fang Xiu. My partner here is Bai Shuangying. May I ask your name?”

“Li Changlang.” Li Changlang raised his chin and ignored the offered hand.

Fang Xiu withdrew his hand with a smile, his gaze casually sweeping over Zhao Rui’s direction.

“Very well, Mr. Li,” he said respectfully. “You seem to know a lot about this. Can we follow your lead in what comes next?”

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