Chapter 23: Ying Lin, Your Package

Chapter 23: Ying Lin, Your Package

“As your master, I’ll go back and dig through the history books again and see whether there was any famous killing star that matches the conditions.”

Most of the famous killing stars in history had already reincarnated who knew how many times over. Those who remained and refused reincarnation mostly held positions in Fengdu. There really were no fish that had slipped through the net.

Under normal circumstances, as long as Pei Ye did not cause trouble, Realman Qingxuan would not pay special attention to her.

Although the country had always advocated eliminating feudal superstition and even claimed that animals were not allowed to become spirits after the founding of the nation, it did so to reassure ordinary people and prevent unrest. In reality, the state quietly promoted harmonious coexistence among all races. To that end, several special departments had been established, including the Celestial Masters Alliance. For example, there was the Spirit Affairs Office responsible for settled spirit creatures, and the Special Investigation Department that handled conflicts between the worlds of yin and yang. The country upheld the doctrine of moderation and harmony. As long as one did not cause trouble, disturb the public, or commit crimes, one was considered a good citizen of China.

Things were different now.

The arm that had stirred up a bloody storm more than twenty years ago had reappeared. These old-timers had all lived through that disaster and could not afford to be careless.

Zhu Chun’an understood Realman Qingxuan’s worries, but the person involved, Pei Ye, knew nothing about them.

She transferred all the information from Xiao Hong’s second-hand counterfeit imitation Apple phone into the new phone Zhu Chun’an had given her and also downloaded several popular gaming apps.

Meanwhile, at the morgue.

“Ying Lin, the fierce ghost boss of T City Central Hospital’s morgue, there’s a package for you!”

The cold and silent morgue was the same as usual. The teenage ghost sat on a medical transport trolley, his pitch-black eyes devoid of even the slightest glimmer.

He swung his legs back and forth, his head slightly lowered. His short brown hair drooped limply.

At that moment, a gloomy vortex of yin energy suddenly appeared on the floor, and out popped an underworld messenger courier wearing a safety helmet.

Ying Lin: “???”

The underworld messenger courier said, “Are you Ying Lin?”

The youth was somewhat bewildered. His name was indeed Ying Lin, but... he did not have any packages...

He had seen many mortals frequently delivering packages to hospitals, but he had never seen an underworld messenger delivering packages to ghosts stranded in the human world.

“The name matches, the address matches too, so this package is yours. Remember to sign for it and leave a five-star review.”

The underworld messenger courier produced a parcel from who knew where and held it out in front of the youth, asking him to leave a fingerprint.

A fingerprint carried a ghost’s aura. If the aura matched, then the recipient was the correct person, eliminating the possibility of wandering ghosts falsely signing for it.

“So the underworld has started a courier business too?”

The youth held the package, clearly conflicted and uncertain about who had sent it, while looking at the courier with a trace of curiosity.

The underworld messenger courier was probably not busy, so he had the leisure to chat for a while.

“The human world has developed too quickly. Not only has the population exploded, but many newly deceased ghosts are terribly picky. They complain that the underworld is too backward, that the service quality is poor, that there’s no courier service and no food delivery... The Great Emperor of Fengdu got tired of all the complaints, so a Courier Department was established. Oh, and a Food Delivery Department was created a few days ago too. If you want to order something, you can contact me.”

The underworld messenger courier handed the youth a business card.

Ying Lin: “???”

Food delivery?

What kind of food was available?

The underworld messenger courier was experienced. He said, “Candles and incense sticks of every price range and flavor.”

Although food from the human world tasted wonderful, ghosts could not taste it. Naturally, any food delivery service catered to ghostly tastes.

Ying Lin: “...”

It sounded great, but what if he had no money?

“I heard other old ghosts say that Fengdu has always lacked enough underworld messengers. You even have time to deliver packages now?”

The underworld messenger courier replied, “Courier work is just a side job for off-duty underworld messengers to earn extra money. It doesn’t affect our main work.”

The human world could let ordinary people become couriers, but the underworld could not.

Who knew whether a courier delivering a package to someone’s door was delivering goods or delivering death? Many old ghosts remained in the human world, and some ancient ones were not easy to deal with.

For example, the youth before him looked harmless, but even underworld messengers did not dare provoke him.

Because of this, the underworld’s courier business had not been widely promoted. It circulated only within a limited range and was generally handled part-time by soul-reaping underworld messengers during their time off to earn a little extra money.

The underworld messenger courier said, “We’ve always been short-handed. But it’s not something that started only in recent years. The human population exploded and grew too fast. Even the Great Emperor has accepted reality.”

Ying Lin: “...”

Was it really okay to complain about your boss so bluntly?

After chatting for a while, the underworld messenger courier disappeared into the vortex, and the morgue returned to silence.

The youth held the neatly wrapped package in his arms and stared at it for a long time, seemingly wondering who had mailed it to him.

He did not know how many years he had been dead. Since the day he became a ghost, no relatives had ever burned offerings to him. Why was he receiving a package now?

This was the first package he had ever received. It was a novel experience.

Carefully opening the wrapping, he discovered several identical pairs of round silver-rimmed glasses inside, each with a different prescription.

The youth suddenly thought of Pei Ye.

The answer to who had sent the package was practically obvious.

Like a child receiving a gift for the first time, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips as he tried on the glasses one pair after another.

At last, he found the pair with the most suitable prescription.

“It’s so bright.”

It was as though the haze covering his eyes had been completely swept away and the entire world had become clear.

When Pei Ye returned to the dormitory, Mi Xiangjun and the others let out a long sigh of relief.

In the past they had wished she would stay away from the dormitory and stop affecting their reputations. Now they wished she would never leave.

“Xiao Hong is back! I brought takeaway for you, handmade cold skin noodles from the market area. It’s a large portion, and they even added extra peanut sauce.”

Normally, Bai Xiaoxiao asked her roommates to bring takeaway for her, but today she had taken the initiative to bring some for Pei Ye.

“Thank you.”

Pei Ye pulled some money from her pocket and handed it to Mi Xiangjun.

“What’s this?”

Mi Xiangjun was startled.

“Money for the electronic cigarette.”

The cold skin noodles really did taste good. It was said that the shop in the market had preserved its craft for many years, and nearby students loved eating there.

“Xiao Hong, I think I saw a guy bring you back today.”

Pei Ye asked in return, “You mean Zhu Chun’an?”

“So it really was him!” Zhou Huirong asked in surprise. The others immediately perked up their ears. “Is he someone pursuing you?”

Pei Ye said, “He’s a Taoist priest who catches ghosts. I heard he’s a second-year student at University 233 next door.”

The girls who thought there was juicy gossip: “...”

Pei Ye added, “I helped him solve a case yesterday and caught a ghost. He came to deliver my reward money today.”

“Oh.”

The smiles gradually disappeared.

These days, merely hearing the word “ghost” frightened them. Naturally, they had no interest in discussing Zhu Chun’an, who specialized in catching ghosts.

While they were talking, Lei Yating returned with an unfamiliar girl.

The unfamiliar girl was called Mei Lixiang. She was the roommate who had taken leave a few days earlier to return to her hometown and obtain a new identity card.

Since she had been absent for the last two days, this was Pei Ye’s first time meeting her.

Among all the roommates, Mei Lixiang had the worst relationship with the original Xiao Hong.

The grudge between the two went all the way back to the beginning of their first year at university.