Chapter 124

It’s not easy to be a ghost catcher these days.

Donkey Face was so bold in his daily work that he even dared to harass a female ghost. He was sued to the King of Hell and sent to hell.

For this matter, more than one hundred ghost officials were thoroughly investigated. A dozen ghost officials fell into the frying pan, plopped in like dumplings.

Lou Sheng wasn't worried at all. Facing a motley crew of ghosts, he was lucky not to be harassed. Besides, he and Zhenzhen were a notorious evil duo in the area, with a reputation even worse than that of Niutou, who loved to butt people with his horns.

With the sudden loss of so many colleagues, their workload increased significantly.

That night, after Lou Sheng gave Ying Zhisheng a farewell kiss, he hummed a song and came to the hospital to work in a happy mood - waiting for people to die in advance, if the registration was not in time, it would be easy for some people to slip through the net.

Wandering around the hospital, he was greeted by piles of ghosts:

"Brother Lou Sheng!"

"Brother Lou Sheng has been coming here quite often lately. I even saw you working overtime a few days ago."

"Hey sir! My daughter burned down a small villa for me. Do you want it?"

Lou Sheng didn't want it. Besides, Ying Zhisheng would give it to him as long as he asked.

As a qualified ghost messenger, one must keep a distance from these ghosts. Isn't there a saying that goes "If you are close to them, you will not respect them; if you are close to them, you will not be rude to them." Lou Sheng automatically kept a distance from them and did not give them any chance to talk about friendship or get in the back door.

Outside the ward, Lou Sheng pulled a plastic rope from his pocket to tie up the unconscious ghost. Well, he used plastic rope, while his boss used a large iron chain, which was a bit low-class. Tomorrow, he would ask Ying Zhisheng to get him a powerful weapon.

Lou Sheng works at night and rests during the day, and Ying Zhisheng follows suit, insisting on being on the same page. He has to go home early, because that person won't sleep until he comes home.

Lou Sheng arrived at the bedside, his gaze fixed on the withered, lifeless woman who lay there. Her cheeks were sunken from her long illness, her hair was nearly falling out, and she stared stubbornly out the window, mumbling something silently.

Over the years, Lou Sheng has witnessed too many separations and deaths. At first, he couldn't accept it and was in a low mood, but now he has been able to harden his heart and watch from the sidelines.

He stood quietly by the window, waiting for her death. The cicadas' chirping echoed in the summer night, sounding miserable. After death, the joys and sorrows of the real world, the four seasons, and the various aspects of life, had nothing to do with her. Even standing in the scorching summer sun and looking up at the sun was a luxury, and the cicadas would not sing for her.

The woman seemed to be waiting for something stubbornly, holding her breath.

"Kai, fa..."

"Zhang… Development."

Lou Sheng suddenly looked up and stared at the woman in a daze. He then realized that the person who was about to die was Liu Qing! The shy and beautiful girl he had met once before was now tortured by illness, emaciated and with a large bald spot on her head.

He thought Zhang Kaifa could save Liu Qing from death! After all, that Taoist priest was extremely capable!

But Liu Qing was still whispering, tears trickling down her cheeks:

"Zhang Kaifa..."

"I'm going to die."

Lou Sheng squatted down and told her: "Don't be afraid, little sister. I am a ghost messenger who is easy to talk to and not fierce. If Zhang Kaifa is not here, I will accompany you."

Liu Qing's eyes slowly turned, fixed on Lou Sheng's face. Then he smiled reluctantly, full of gratitude.

At this time, finally, the person she had been waiting for came.

He had done everything in his power to break free from the confinement of the special investigation office and rushed over to see her one last time. Zhang Kai's legs were weak, and he knelt beside the bed and grabbed Liu Qing's hand.

"Don't be afraid, don't be scared... Liu Qing, Brother Kaifa will protect you."

"I'm sorry... I didn't do it." Zhang Kaifa reached out to wipe her tears, smiling wryly as he faced the crushing pressure of fate. "Don't be afraid, this fate won't follow you forever. Our Liu Qing is the kindest and most polite person, so how could she be destined to be poor? She should be the daughter of a wealthy family."

"I will find a way, Liu Qing, don't be afraid. Brother Kaifa will be with you and will not abandon you. You are such a good child, don't be afraid, don't be afraid... don't be afraid..."

He knew she was doomed to die, and apart from telling her not to be afraid, he could not say anything else to comfort her.

Liu Qing stretched out her fingers, which were thin and skin-thin. She gently touched Zhang Kaifa's cheek, feeling the hot tears, and smiled.

They haven't seen each other for ten years.

Liu Qingji touched his face and said softly, "You are also a good boy."

Then his head tilted, his hands dropped, and he died.

Zhang Kaifa tightly grasped her hand, sympathizing with the pain she was suffering. His grief was silent, his lips parted as he sobbed, tears streaming, his throat trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Don't be afraid..."

Lou Sheng stood nearby, witnessing the entire process. Closing his eyes, he seemed to hear a hymn from the abyss. Life after life of poverty and short life—is it better to live or to die?

Zhang Kaifa tried to save her from the pain that was so tightly entwined with her soul after only one encounter. But fate was not to be trifled with.

"Lou Sheng." Zhang Kaifa held Liu Qing in his arms, the light weight enough to break his back. His eyes were empty as he pleaded, "Can you wait before taking her? I have something to say to her... Please, I really beg you."

Over the years, Chen Ji has focused on investigating Zhang Kaifa. Naturally, there is fatal evidence, and he has been frequently targeted and imprisoned with malicious intent. Even Zhang Kaifa has a gloomy look in his eyes.

"This is against the rules." Lou Sheng refused him.

"If it takes one day, I can give Ying Zhisheng ten years of life in exchange."

“…”

The world is so big, and with so many people dying, it's common for illegal operations to happen. Lou Sheng nodded, his eyes falling on the medicine box on the bedside.

"Give her some candy. Little girls love it, and so do patients who take injections and medication every day."

Zhang Kaifa stared at him blankly for half a minute before he choked up and said, "Okay."

Lou Sheng returned to the underground to hand in Liu Qing's name, his fingers curled with nervousness. Not far away was the ghost messenger impatiently swinging his chains and Zhenzhen arguing with him.

Zhenzhen said firmly, "I've been helping you for ten years. Sir, you should make me a regular employee! Although I've committed crimes and have no merits, and you look down on me, we're in need of people in the underground!"

"Why do you have to be a ghost messenger? Do you want to be treated like a slave every day like Lou Sheng?"

"right!"

The ghost who was swinging the chains was speechless, and finally relented: "That's fine..."

Just as I started to talk, Zhenzhen interrupted me: "Exchange my achievements for the life of a man named Tao Yuan!"

When Lou Sheng heard this, he hurried over to listen and see what was going on.

The ghost who was swinging the chains asked in confusion, "Why? Do you also have a dying partner to support like Lou Sheng?"

Zhenzhen curled her lips and said in a strong voice: "Give him back the ten years of life he lost by having a ghost marriage with me!" She remembered Assistant Tao's complaint about losing his life a long time ago.

Lou Sheng interjected at the right moment: "Zhenzhen has worked diligently for the past ten years. Brother Tielian, you have to give her some compensation."

Don't bring up anything else. Here comes the reward.

"Shut up! Lou Sheng, get back to work!" He swung the chains and turned back to flipping through the Book of Life and Death. "I'm telling you, your boyfriend has less than two weeks to live. Get back to work... You have to extradite at least eight people in the next few days to keep him alive! Go work overtime!"

…

there.

Ying Zhisheng waited for Lou Sheng for three days, but he still didn't come back. This had been a common occurrence over the past ten years.

But every time Lou Sheng worked overtime, he was not very happy.

Looking at himself in the mirror, time is merciless, and Ying Zhisheng's eyes are fixed on the fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He is already 32 years old and has entered middle age.

Lou Sheng still looks like a young man in his early twenties.

At one moment, Ying Zhisheng discovered a single white hair among his hair. This white hair was abrupt and unsightly, a symbol of aging and decay.

He thought about what it would be like to be with Lou Sheng when he got older.

Will he grow gray hair? Will he become hunched over? Will he lose all his teeth and develop age spots? Thinking of the still youthful and energetic Lou Sheng watching over him, will he still like her? It's a bit scary; they don't seem to be a good match.

He clenched the white hair tightly in his palm.