Ch87 - Xie An's Punishment

Lu Xu wasn’t in a rush to say anything after entering the assembly, and merely pulled out a chair and sat at the side to see what others would say.

As the representative of the grim reapers, Lu Xu’s professional capabilities had always been the strongest. Although he looked young and enjoyed smiling, he was very fierce when it came to it.

Originally everyone was craning their necks to scold Xie An. Now they immediately exercised some restraint in front of Lu Xu.

It was just that the eastern district was a huge market. Seeing that Lu Xu was doing so well, the number of people who wanted to mess around with him wasn’t small.

Peng Hanfei hadn’t been a grim reaper for very long, and didn’t understand why the head director was so fearful towards Lu Xu. In his eyes, Lu Xu was merely collecting souls like the rest of them; there was no need for his bonuses to be so extreme.

Furthermore, Lu Xu would always use the name of his post to snatch up a lot of orders in their district and it had even been exposed. The other divisions hadn’t said anything about this issue explicitly after learning about it, but they had been ridiculing him in private.

The more Peng Hanfei thought about it, the angrier he became. He only felt that this was all something Lu Xu had done; how could he still have the face to talk to him?

“Everyone’s opinions have already been clearly stated. Xie An is the main perpetrator guilty of covering up a stowaway. He should be severely punished as a warning for others.”

After Peng Hanfei opened his mouth first, the others followed up—

“Right, covering for a stowaway is no small matter. If it hadn’t been discovered, who knows what would have happened by now.”

“Correct, you can’t repeat this kind of basic mistake. This is a bad reflection upon our profession.”

“A harsh punishment, he must receive a harsh punishment!”

Lu Xu looked at every single person, his finger caressing the tip of the table. No one knew what he was thinking.

He saw that the members of the other districts were becoming more and more agitated as they spoke, basically wanting to scapegoat Xie An into the eighteenth level of hell.

The Department Head wasn’t in a hurry to give out an order, and merely silently listened to them debate. When they were about finished speaking, he finally looked towards Lu Xu and spoke. “Xiao Lu, Xie An is your subordinate. How do you see this situation?”

Before Lu Xu could even speak, someone snidely said at the side, “Lu Xu, you can’t go easy on him just because Xie An is your subordinate. Otherwise us grim reapers won’t have any reputation left.”

Lu Xu glanced at the person who had just spoken, and recognised him as a grim reaper from the northern district. His expression didn’t change very much and he merely smiled and nodded. “Of course. Since Xie An has done something wrong, then he should bear the consequences. Otherwise, we can’t create a community with rules right?”

“Tsk tsk, I didn’t think you would be so open-minded Lu Xu. Previously I thought you would use your relationship as our colleague to beg for him.” Although these words seemed to commend Lu Xu for being upfront and virtuous, it was clear after examination that it was mocking Lu Xu for not having a heart.

No matter what, Xie An had been his subordinate for over 40 years. His professional ratings before were very good. It was true that he had now made a mistake, but as his colleague and friend, it wouldn’t be too much for Lu Xu to beg for leniency. Now that they had finally managed to push Xie An out, it naturally made people think he was being cowardly and distancing himself. In a situation like this, others would all have different thoughts and plans for it.

Lu Xu didn’t care what they thought of him. He merely showed his attitude towards following the rules. Afterwards, he deeply took a look at that person, before suddenly hooking his lips up into a smile. “Right, didn’t your northern district catch a stowaway two years ago and because they weren’t registered, they remained in the mortal realm for sixteen years?”

“Uh…”

The grim reaper from the northern district had no idea Lu Xu would suddenly talk about them. What Lu Xu had said was true, and he began feeling a little panicked. “That’s true, but it was because we lost the files…”

“Lost the files?” Lu Xu seemed to have heard something funny and he shrugged his shoulders as he said, “Aren’t files the responsibility of the Grim Reaper Bureau. So in the end, it’s still the responsibility of the northern district. I want to ask, during that time, what was the punishment? We can take it out today to use as a comparison, right?”

Lu Xu sat there, leaning against his chair, merely smiling. His tone was calm and his expression normal, as if he were merely innocently asking a question.

“…”

The northern district reapers looked at each other, hemming and hawing for a while without saying anything of substance.

When they had discovered the problem that year, they had caught the stowaway and brought them back. Other than a reprimand that they needed to be more careful in the future, there was no other punishment.

Peng Hanfei saw that the situation wasn’t going his way and wanted to speak up, he immediately said, “How can an issue of three years ago be compared to the situation right now…”

When Lu Xu heard this, he turned around to face him. A glimmer of calmness appeared in his eyes, as if he were about to start something.

The southwest division’s head felt that something was wrong the moment he saw this, and was about to remind Peng Hanfei to speak less, when Lu Xu already began speaking.

“If the issue from three years ago isn’t comparable, then what about recently?” As Lu Xu spoke, he looked towards the southwest division and spread his hands out. “If I remember correctly, Lai Chengshan was originally under the responsibility of you guys, and so were the lost spirits at Devil’s Bay. This probably also counts as mistakes in your work, so what is the punishment for the southwest grim reaper division?”

No one thought that Lu Xu would not only clearly remember the things going on in his own district, but also would remember the things in other districts extremely clearly.

If they were speaking of this topic, then there was no district without mistakes. To speak of the severity of the mistakes, they were afraid they were similar to Xie An’s.

The ones originally calling out for severe punishment were now unable to make a sound. The others hid with shame, fearing Lu Xu would point out their mistakes.

Peng Hanfei thought this was unfair, and laughed coldly. “So your point is, Xie An shouldn’t receive any punishment.”

“Of course not.” Lu Xu’s attitude carried a hint of a smile, his expression serious and righteous. “Our eastern division’s mission is to do things by the law. Rules are rules. If no one follow the rules, then the world will fall into chaos. I don’t have the intention of pleading for Xie An, but there are just two points I want to make clear. The first: Xie An did not cover for a stowaway. Lu Xingliang saved three children, and his innate character is different from the stowaways who sneak about in the mortal realm. Second: Xie An’s work abilities are accomplished, so one mistake is his fault, but if you take a look at the mistakes in every other district, there’s no need to relieve him of his post, right?”

After saying this, Lu Xu did not continue. His attitude was very clear. He wasn’t trying to avoid, but he also didn’t accept an unnecessarily harsh punishment.

The Bureau Head gave Lu Xu a deep look, and a hint of amusement unconsciously appeared in his eyes—Lu Xu this brat, tsk tsk.

After Lu Xu had revealed his opinions, the other people looked at each other, but no one said anything else.

When the Bureau Head saw this, he finally cleared his throat and dusted off his hands, attracting the notice of everyone. “I see that everyone’s opinions  now match with each other’s? Xie An’s actions have truly been a violation of the grim reapers regulations. In regards to things like this, we must be strict. However, after considering that he didn’t trade the lives of others, and did not cause a very serious aftermath, there’s no need to relieve him of his post…”

At the end of the assembly, the Bureau Head still made the final decision on the punishment—

As an employee of the underworld workers, Xie An had not followed the rules of grim reapers to do his tasks. His grim reaper status was demoted to that of an intern, and he was sent to work in a low-ranked region. Afterwards, he would be reinstated as a full-time worker once he passed the grading test, with the condition that he made no other mistakes.

Regarding the Lu Xingliang who had exceeded his stay, although saving people was an accomplishment, staying behind against the law was not right. Originally, he would have received VIP service, but now he had to wait in a lottery like all the other ghosts.

It seemed that Lu Xu had already thought of this conclusion. He didn’t oppose it as a sign of his acceptance.

This punishment was not light. The grim reapers from other districts couldn’t really say much else, which was also a sign of accepting the decision.

After the assembly, the others grouped in small groups to debate in low voices about what kind of conclusion this was. Lu Xu was kept back in the assembly by the Bureau Head.

“Xiao Lu ah, how is your work progressing?”

The organisation had sent Lu Xu out in order to investigate Ji Xiunian. The previously sent members included ones who had failed after investigating for two years. Lu Xu had only been there for two months, so it wasn’t a very urgent matter.

Thinking of Ji Xiunian, Lu Xu felt somewhat hesitant. “Bureau Head, can you confirm that Ji Xiunian really is a stowaway?”

Through their interactions during this time, Lu Xu discovered more and more that Ji Xiunian really didn’t fit the description of a stowaway. Although he had escaped in the face of death several times, this didn’t mean he had the identity of a stowaway.

“This is something I’m not sure of either, so that’s why we sent you out to investigate, right?” Thinking of the three bosses who had been sent out beforehand, the Bureau Head couldn’t help pinning Lu Xu with, “No matter if Ji Xiunian is a stowaway or not, you must maintain clear-headedness. You mustn’t get bewitched by his appearance.”

“It’s more like I’m bewitching him.” Lu Xu didn’t take this to heart, only feeling that the Bureau Head was groundlessly worrying.

The Bureau Head also didn’t feel like Lu Xu was the type of person who would be easily seduced and smiled. “Of course I trust you, otherwise I wouldn’t have sent you over there. Right, Xie An won’t be returning to the eastern district for the time being. Do you want to take someone from another district so you can choose a new grim reaper to come help you?”

“I don’t like the old wily ones, so you should find me a blank slate.” The environments in other districts were different from his eastern district’s, and there were many crafty people. Rather than finding someone like that to work together with, it was better to raise an inexperienced new person by himself.

Even if it was a little harder, at least collaborating together would be easier.

The Bureau Head had known Lu Xu for many years, and didn’t think anything was strange with his choice. He merely nodded and said, “Fine, I’ll arrange for it in the next few days. Right, for Xie An, do you want to go see him…”

Even if the Bureau Head hadn’t mentioned it, Lu Xu had been planning on seeing Xie An, as a preemptive goodbye.

In the time he had been locked up by the Investigation Team, Xie An looked a lot rounder and softer. Even his pale face had become brighter.

Lu Xu saw him like this, and decided there was nothing to be overly worried about.

It was Xie An who thought differently. He began crying and shouting from afar when he saw Lu Xu, “Xu ge, I’m sorry…:

Xie An knew deeply that he had broken the basic guidelines with his actions, and had already braced himself to receive the harshest punishment as a consequence. But when the punishment was announced, he only then realised that it was just to be a demotion. Based on his hard work, he would be able to go back to his original position very quickly.

It was just that intern grim reapers could not remain in Dongcheng. Xie An didn’t think a low-ranked region was shameful, but he was very apologetic towards Lu Xu.

In the time he wasn’t there, Lu Xu had been busy with recording for the show while also harvesting souls. It couldn’t have been easy no matter how he thought about it.

In the beginning, Xie An had thought that the actions of one person would only be born by that person. Now he realised that when he had made the wrong decision, others would also be affected. For example, Lu Xu didn’t need to be this busy before, but now he had to take on two people’s worth of work by himself.

Lu Xu didn’t blame him or anything, but he couldn’t resist asking, “Why was it Lu Xingliang?”

Every year, there were people who died after saving others. Lu Xingliang was not the only “hero” among so many others.

Almost all people had family members, and their first reaction after death would be an unwillingness to leave. So many people had pleaded with Xie An and he hadn’t broken the rules. Only a Lu Xingliang had been special. Lu Xu always felt that there were other reasons behind this scenario.

Xie An let out a breath and raised his hand to rub at his face. He then sighed as he said, “It’s because when I saw him, I felt like I was looking at myself…”

To tell the truth, Xie An himself didn’t know how many people he had saved from the waters in order to have become a grim reaper.

He only remembered that his death had been so sudden he hadn’t even realised he had died.

“I was just squatting at the side watching them salvage my corpse, thinking how nice it would be if I could go home and see my family. But at that time, I didn’t say anything and merely followed the Bureau Head to the underworld to register myself. I originally thought they were going to send me to reincarnate, but I was sent to intern instead. You also know this, once you’re dead, everything in the mortal realm no longer has any relation to yourself. I haven’t gone to see my family members, but once in a while I wonder if it would have been somewhat better if I had said goodbye…”

This was the first time Lu Xu had heard Xie An mention his past. He raised his hand and patted Xie An’s shoulder. “That’s okay, go forward without looking back at the past. Work hard when you’re over there. Don’t make these kinds of basic mistakes again.”

Thinking of the fact that he wouldn’t be able to work under Lu Xu in the future, Xie An couldn’t help feeling rather miserable.

In his eyes, Lu Xu was always lofty and calm; he would never make mistakes. He wouldn’t be misled by others, and his mood never fluctuated. As Xie An thought, he was suddenly curious about what Lu Xu had been like before he had become a grim reaper.

Seeing that Lu Xu was about to leave, Xie An couldn’t resist calling out behind him, “Xu ge, thank you.”

Lu Xu didn’t look back, and merely waved his hand. “That’s enough. Goodbye, my good friend.”

“Goodbye, Xu ge!” Xie An was originally able to keep it back, but after saying this “goodbye”, his tears gushed out.

He had thought not being able to say goodbye was a regretful thing, but didn’t think it would be so heart wrenching to say goodbye in this situation.

He suddenly felt very regretful—

If he hadn’t been soft-hearted back then, then none of this would have happened.

At the bottom of all this, it was still he who had done something wrong. It had nothing to do with others.

When the Bureau Head came out, he saw Xie An staring blankly at Lu Xu’s back. He joked, “Xiao Lu looks rather cold like this ai, are you upset?”

Xie An shook his head. “No, Xu ge isn’t cold, his heart is the warmest of all.”

Even though he had never expressed his concern, Xie An knew Lu Xu was very good.

“As long as you know, that’s good. Don’t forget how much xiao Lu has done for you.” As the Bureau Head spoke, he suddenly remembered something. “Right, that Lu Xingliang wants to see you, he says he wants to apologise to you in person.”

When he heard Lu Xingliang’s name again, Xie An was stunned for a moment. He shook his head and said, “No need. Other than him, I also did something wrong, so I don’t have the right to accept his apology. If Bureau Head doesn’t have anything else, then I’m going to pack up my things. I will always remember today.”

“Go then.”

The Bureau Head sent off Xie An. When he thought of what he had just discussed with Lu Xu, he called the underworld management agency. “We need a new grim reaper position over here, I’ll have to trouble you to list the qualifications…mn mn, we’re in urgent need of talent, the faster the better.”

happy new year from the official alien bureau! wishing everyone a great start to 2022