Ch101 - A New Colleague

Lu Xu had come to the bureau partially to receive his new assignment, and partially for the entire situation in regard to Ji Xiunian saving Fan Zeng.

But before he could even say anything, the Bureau Head had already explained the main topic. “Aiya, xiao Lu, we’ve gotten the entire Ji Xiunian situation completely wrong…”

Lu Xu didn’t think that the Bureau Head would willingly mention Ji Xiunian. He couldn’t help but ask, “What did we get wrong, what happened with Ji Xiunian?”

The Head’s expression was complicated, looking as if he completely hadn’t anticipated this situation. “Actually we should have thought of this long ago. After all, they look so similar, but we didn’t think about how they were similar at the beginning…”

Everything Lu Xu heard seemed to fly above his head into the clouds. He had to interrupt the Bureau Head’s memories. “Wait a moment, Boss, you said we got it wrong, so you should tell me where I got it wrong.”

Only then did the Bureau Head extract himself from his deep musings, and pulled at Lu Xu as he said, “Didn’t Ji Xiunian fail to die before, right? If he were a normal mortal we would definitely suspect him of being a stowaway, right?”

Lu Xu knew of this; after all, this is what they had said when he had first accepted this assignment.

Now that the Bureau Head was suddenly saying that this was a mistake, did that mean that this Ji Xiunian wasn’t a stowaway at all?

As if to prove his words, not even two seconds after this thought surfaced, the Bureau Head actually said, “Who knew he wasn’t actually a stowaway, but someone who was born with the grim reaper bloodline…”

“Grim reaper bloodline?” Lu Xu was dumbfounded. He suddenly thought of Ji Xiunian’s mother.

It was obvious that she had given that jade amulet to seal the death energy on Ji Xiunian’s body. Being able to do something like this meant that she was definitely someone with power.

Seeing that Lu Xu already had an answer in his heart, the Bureau Head didn’t bury the truth any longer, and directly said, “Right. His mother was a grim reaper. Now tell me, this situation, who could’ve known?”

Lu Xu couldn’t help raising his brows after hearing this. “Grim reapers can have children?”

“Grim reapers obviously cannot, but she wasn’t one later on…”

Grim reapers were considered underworld government employees. Other spirits had long lives; only grim reapers had long deaths.

Opposites occur when things are pushed to the extreme. The opposite of death was eternal life.

During their tenures, grim reapers were responsible for transporting the dead. As long as they didn’t commit any serious mistakes or failures, then this profession was long and stable.

But there were so many grim reapers. There would always be some who create bonds with mortals and leave feelings behind.

According to what the Bureau Head said, Ji Xiunian’s mother should have been like this.

Originally she should have taken a soul, but after interacting with it for a while, she had fallen in love with her own client.

Not only did the two of them overcome countless obstacles to be with each other, they even had had a child, Ji Xiunian.

Grim reapers were inherently associated with death. In their lives, they naturally would have death surrounding them in all aspects.

Even the child they gave birth to was filled with death energy. In order to escape the notice of the authorities at that time, Ji Xiunian’s mother found a way to suppress his death energy. Even 27 years later, no one knew that she had left a child behind.

The Bureau Head liked to add a bit of cadence to his tone when he talked about matters, making him sound as if he were telling a story. Lu Xu relaxed his shoulders; he didn’t know how much of this he could believe.

“I’m really not misleading you. Although it was against the rules, their love story really was like a novel.”

Lu Xu wasn’t very interested in Ji Xiunian’s parents’ romance. He was only curious where a grim reaper like this was currently at. “So, did she really die? Or did something else happen?”

But based off her actions when she managed to date, marry, and give birth to a child with a mortal, Ji Xiunian’s mother definitely was not the kind of person who was struck dumb by love.

If there hadn’t been any unanticipated events, then she definitely would not let her little son grow up by himself.

The Bureau Head hadn’t mentioned this situation for a very long time. If Lu Xu hadn’t mentioned this, he wouldn’t have wanted to return to these memories. “The situation was very sudden. So far, we have yet to find the souls of the couple. There was no headway on this case so it’s been pending. Because Zhong Huiqing passed on so early, no one knew he actually had a son…”

The Bureau Head began sighing when he mentioned Ji Xiunian’s mother. It was obvious his thoughts were complicated.

Lu Xu thought that this was strange, and asked, “To be honest, I feel like your attitude towards Ji Xiunian’s mother is different. Is there a story about something others don’t know about?”

The Bureau Head waved his hands. “What story, there was nothing between us. Ai, actually Hui Qing and I were from the same class. She was beautiful and a top worker, and always the face of our Grim Reaper Bureau. There were many in the bureau who liked her, but she had her own thoughts. If not for the fact that she was smitten with a mortal, she should be at the very top by now.”

“So strong.” Lu Xu nodded. The more he heard, the more curious he was about this senior he had never met before.

“Ai ai ai, I’ve talked so much I almost forgot about actual matters.” The Bureau Head slapped himself on the head and said to Lu Xu, “Your new colleague candidate has already been determined. Guess who?”

With all the setup, the implications were quite obvious.

Lu Xu wasn’t dumb, but he thought that the sequence of events were a little difficult to believe. “You’re assigning Ji Xiunian to me?”

“Mhm, this is a decision that was just made by the upper authorities. From his family connections to his own image, Ji Xiunian has met our selection criteria in all aspects. We can call it fate.” The Bureau Head’s expression was rarely this serious. “He is a grim reaper by birth. This is something he will never be able to change.”

As they spoke, a call from the Southwest Grim Reaper Bureau came.

“Bureau Head, there’s something I must tell you…”

Lu Xu listened to Peng Hanfei give out a long discourse from the other side, describing Ji Xiunian as a stowaway who despised all social order and Lu Xu as his colluder. In face of such malfeasance, he said, we must deal  with them sternly.

“Bureau Head, I’m really not exaggerating at all. The death energy on that Ji Xiunian’s body rushed towards the heavens. He originally can’t even live for that long, yet he still caused such trouble. And Lu Xu was even standing at the side protecting him. I think there’s some secret between the two of them that they can’t tell others. Maybe they’ve already reached some sort of agreement…”

Peng Hanfei’s words were very clear. Having dragged out the report for this long meant that he had probably been practising his words over and over.

The Bureau Head more or less understood his meaning. He wanted to brush it all off as a trivial matter, but Peng Hanfei insisted on investigating the relationship between the two of them.

Seeing that he was still chirping about, the Bureau Head couldn’t resist glancing at Lu Xu, and let him speak directly. “Come come come Lu Xu, tell xiao Peng what kind of a relationship you have with Ji Xiunian.”

“Lu Xu is also there?” Peng Hanfei hadn’t thought he had been reporting in front of the very subject of his report. He was a little ashamed.

When he heard the Bureau Head’s tone, he felt like there was something not quite right with this situation.

Perhaps Lu Xu had been guilty and came to bribe the Bureau Head. Maybe he had already gotten past this obstacle?

The more Peng Hanfei thought about this, the more he thought it was possible. But they were in the wrong in this situation. Ji Xiunian was a mortal, yet he had stood in the way of life and death. Lu Xu could not protect him on this point.

As Peng Hanfei’s thoughts flew around wildly, he heard Lu Xu answer on the other side, “He’s my colleague.”

Colleague?

Impossible!

Peng Hanfei only felt that Lu Xu was lying. Ji Xiunian was merely a normal person that happened to still be living. How could he shake his body and become a grim reaper?

But in the face of Lu Xu’s statement, the Bureau Head’s expression was extremely normal, as if he was agreeing to what he had just said.

“Absolutely impossible!”

Peng Hanfei wanted to say more, but he was cut off by the Bureau Head. “That’s enough xiao Peng. It’s true that Xiunian is his new colleague. As for you, go focus on your work. Don’t always watch others so closely, aren’t you tired…”

nao: some of u…have been too good at guessing the plot in the comments throughout these months…lol