Afterlife Department

Chapter 308 - Thief

"Oh, my… this is great!" Huo Ling said with a wide grin. "As long as it isn't in the Soul Society's hands!" he happily laughed, feeling overjoyed by this sudden event. Suddenly, he remembered something and he turned to Yi Bing. "But, how did you know this?" he asked. "Do you know who stole it? Or…" his eyes narrowed as he stared at Yi Bing who is smiling. "… was it you who…" he said, feeling gossipy. His head moved closer to Yi Bing.

"It's not me." Yi Bing said as he pushed Huo Ling's head away from him.

"Mmph!" Huo Ling frowned when Yi Bing's wide palm covered his face as he pushed him.

"And I don't know who stole it." Yi Bing added..

Huo Ling grabbed Yi Bing's hand and removed it from his face. "Then, how did you know it was stolen?" he asked.

"You wanna know?" Yi Bing asked as his eyes turned into crescents when he smiled. He looked at Huo Ling, waiting for the other's answer.

"Naturally!" Huo Ling nodded hard. He's innately curious, so, naturally, he would ask since he wanted to know.

"Move closer." Yi Bing said as he beckoned him with his index finger.

Huo Ling subconsciously did as he was told. He didn't notice the cunning look that flashed in Yi Bing's eyes and the devious smirk on Yi Bing's lips, like a fox leading the rabbit to his plate to eat.

"Closer." Yi Bing said.

Huo Ling really moved his head closer, his cheek almost touching Yi Bing's lips.

Yi Bing secretly laughed in glee. This rabbit is really easy to be taken advantage of. He thought as he gazed at Huo Ling's lips that was slightly agape, and he felt his throat became dry. And so, he gulped. Should I kiss him? He thought as he moved his head closer to Huo Ling, his lips just a few centimeters away from Huo Ling's cheek.

Huo Ling suddenly felt a warm breath sprayed on his neck. His brows knitted and he instinctively turned, only to be face-to-face with Yi Bing who was staring intently at him. His eyes widened in surprise, and he suddenly felt his heart thumped when he found out that their lips are almost touching! He actually felt that his lips seemed to brush against something soft.

His face reddened and he immediately floated away from Yi Bing. "What are you playing at?" he asked as he averted his gaze from Yi Bing.

Seriously, it wasn't my idea, but why am I the one who feel embarrassed? Because it was me who kissed Yi Bing, and so I accidentally taken advantage of Yi Bing? But I didn't know he's very close! It wasn't my intention!

He cleared his throat. "Tell me, how did you know that the artefact was stolen?" he asked, resuming their topic earlier.

"Because of you." Yi Bing answered.

"Huh?" Huo Ling turned to look at him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Yi Bing didn't immediately answer. He asked instead. "Do you know why the Soul Society place someone in the family of the vessel to monitor them?" he said.

"Uh…" Huo Ling pondered. "To observe the vessels and record the changes on them after their soul was replaced?" he guessed.

"Smart. That's one of them." Yi Bing said. "The other is that to keep them from making a contact with tombs, or anything that is related to the tombs." He told him.

"Huh? Why?" Huo Ling asked.

"Tombs are a taboo to the Soul Society." Yi Bing answered.

"Huh?" Huo Ling was confused. "Wasn't the Soul Furnace from a tomb?" he asked and then noticed something. "Not all vessels will go to tombs like me, so why keep a tight monitoring on them?" he added.

"It's because the vessels are all the descendants of the five families that found the artefact." Yi Bing answered. "So, there's a possibility that the vessels would have a contact with the tombs. Wasn't this what happened to you?" he asked.

Huo Ling fell silent. "The vessels…" he spoke after a while. "Is it a curse from the artefact because our ancestors stole it?" he asked.

Yi Bing nodded. "Yes." He answered. "Everyone with their blood will be affected." He said.

"Why is the Soul Society so afraid we'd go to the tombs?" Huo Ling felt puzzled.

"Tombs are mysterious. And the artefact came from the tombs." Yi Bing said. "So, they would think that either the vessels will die in the tombs and they can't use them anymore, or that they would be 'cured' by the tombs and no longer become vessels, returning to normal people." He explained. "Though, I reckon, they still don't realize that it was because of your ancestors you were 'cursed' and became vessels, and they still think that it was because they broke the balance of the world by using the artefact, thus the vessels came about." He said. "Philip doesn't know this. He doesn't have enough authority." He added.

Huo Ling was astonished. "This is so…" he stammered. He never knew there's this great conspiracy happening. Suddenly, he remembered something again. "That doesn't explain the relation of the artefact's disappearance to my appearance here in the tomb!" he said.

Yi Bing sighed. "If they knew that the artefact was missing, would Philip remain here?" he asked. "The Soul Society prioritizes the artefact more than the vessels. Philip would be called back by the soul society." He explained. "However, nobody called him back. That must mean no one has discovered that the artefact was missing yet." He said.

Huo Ling's brain was very foggy.

"Also, Philip wasn't told about the Soul Society's taboo, that vessels can't go to the tombs. Your parents don't know, either." Yi Bing continued. "The Soul Society can't always monitor the vessels, either, so they didn't know your profession. If they did… hahahaha." He laughed. "This means – " he raised his head and looked at Huo Ling. " – someone purposefully didn't tell Philip, who was tasked to monitor you, about the Soul Society's taboo. Thus, Philip didn't tell your parents about the taboo." He said.

Huo Ling's eyes widened in shock. "There's a traitor in their organization?!" he said.

Yi Bing nodded. "I think so." He said. "Didn't you notice that, among the five grave robbing families, only you are the one who became archaeologist – someone who makes contact with the tombs and artefacts?" he asked. "And because the grave robbing families rarely contacts each other and were not as close as before, so no one told your family about the Soul Society's taboo and warn you, and thus they also didn't find out the fact that the taboo isn't really a taboo, and might actually be the answer to break your families' curse." He told Huo Ling.

Huo Ling's jaw dropped, feeling stunned. "So, that's why you told me, because I am here, the artefact must have been stolen…" he muttered. "My appearance here is a part of the scheme of the Soul Society's traitor?!" he said.

Yi Bing nodded. "I think so." He answered and calmly looked at Huo Zichu, Huo Huainan, Zhang Jun, Yang Jie, Zhou Cheng, Peng Qian, Rourou and Lian Xiang.

Huo Ling also turned. "You think the Soul Society's traitor is someone among them?" he asked.

"I guess." Yi Bing said.

Huo Ling turned back at him. "But, my parents aren't a part of the Soul Society." He said.

"Naturally. In fact, they must hate the Soul Society." Yi Bing said.

Huo Ling sighed, completely agreeing to what Yi Bing said. "Could it be the policemen?" he asked as he looked at Zhang Jun and Yang Jie.

"They have the aura of righteousness." Yi Bing said. "The serious-looking one is s straightforward person. Actually, he hates scheming. The younger one may look carefree, but he's loyal." He explained.

"Then…" Huo Ling said as his gaze fell on his colleagues. "This can't be…?" he muttered.

Yi Bing looked at him. "You didn't even know that Philip is a member of the Soul Society. Naturally, you also won't know if your friends are hiding something from you." He told him.

Huo Ling frowned. "Then, who do you think is the Soul Society's traitor among them?" he asked.

Yi Bing was about to speak when he suddenly paused. He looked at Huo Ling. … he's this accepting? He thought before he turned his gaze back to the group and remembered their names. "Zhou Cheng looked ambitious. After you died, he already took over of the leadership in your group. But, although he wants power, but he is a patient person." He said. "He didn't act against you, so he doesn't rely on petty tricks or sly methods to get what he wants. In fact – " he said as he stared at Zhou Cheng. " – he is loyal. Your death is unexpected, so he could only take over the lead. But, he also wants to repay your favor." He explained. Then, his gaze shifted. "For Peng Qian – "