Chapter 57: Millennium
It was obvious that it was too late. Although Boss Hong's words were preceded by a question mark, his tone was declarative. He had made up his mind to offer sacrifices to the heavens to Qing Bai to divert the subject for Pei Ci.
Besides, they came here originally for takeout, so Boss Hong was just giving them a way out... As long as they were willing to go along with it, based on Boss Hong's solemn "thank you" before, he would probably not make things difficult for them.
Qing Bai adjusted his mindset very quickly. In just a few seconds, he smoothly transitioned from 'pretending to escape reality' to 'how to speak so as to appear natural and casual'. He quickly organized his words and spoke before Jiu Nian... He didn't mean to distrust Jiu Nian, but it was more appropriate for him to say those roundabout and polite words... Jiu Nian probably wouldn't do it either.
"It's really rude to come uninvited. It's just that I transformed back to my original form so suddenly, and I'm not very talented, so I've never mastered the art of transformation. Now I can only appear in my beast form. It's hard for me to even turn on my phone, let alone type..." At this point, Qing Bai glanced up at Jiunian and said calmly, "Jiunian is old and doesn't know how to do these things. There's nothing we can do. We can only be uninvited guests."
Nine Years Old: "..." Give him some time to think about it, maybe he can understand these things.
Qing Bai's words left Jiu Nian and Pei Ci, who seemed to know Jiu Nian well, feeling mixed emotions. Only Boss Hong remained unaffected. His expression was natural, even enthusiastic, as he asked him, "Since you came here to find me, I presume your transformation back to your original form is related to those takeouts?"
Qing Bai was silent for a while, trying hard to swallow back the question he asked even though he knew the answer already, and replaced it with an expression of thirst for knowledge, although even his cat-like face showed no change.
"Exactly. There are too many coincidences, and this is a serious matter. I'd appreciate some guidance from Boss Hong."
"It's not really about giving me pointers." After saying this, Boss Hong fell into deep thought. When he spoke again, it was more than just "I won't make it difficult" as Qing Bai had guessed. He told Qing Bai everything, and even expressed his blessings and expectations.
"I said before that I was just temporarily storing tools you might need in the future. It wasn't a lie to say I was just one of your customers. In fact, our incense and candle shop mostly functions as a 'merchant' within a 'takeout' business." Boss Hong smiled. "Come to think of it, you're the first takeout driver I've ever hired. I thought you were unusual when I first met you, but now it seems I've been quite discerning."
Qing Bai didn't expect that Boss Hong would find an opportunity to praise him like this. He only hesitated for two seconds about whether to say thank you humbly or accept it without hesitation, and then he missed the chance to speak.
"I think I know what you're really asking." After beating around the bush and saying a bunch of polite words, Boss Hong suddenly got straight to the point. "But I can only say that I don't know who's really behind this food delivery app."
Qing Bai couldn't tell whether he believed it or not, he was just confused: "How dare you cooperate with them if you don't know?"
Should we say that he is not particular about details or that he is skilled and bold?
Think about that long sword that can chop against Jiu Nian without anyone controlling it... It's probably because of his great skills and courage.
Boss Hong, however, looked calm and unconcerned. "My incense and candle shop is open for business. How can I push business away? Besides, it's not really a collaboration; we just each take what we need. Besides, isn't it good to have someone deliver to your door? You've delivered a few orders, too. You should have noticed the distance between humans and ghosts, and know that not everyone has the ability to transcend the Yin and Yang."
It's certainly good to have someone deliver food to your door. Otherwise, service industries like takeout delivery and errand running wouldn't have developed so rapidly in modern society. Furthermore, takeout, which transcends the 'yin and yang', is more than just a simple takeout delivery...
And judging by the few takeout orders he'd delivered, while the process was filled with countless perfectly timed coincidences, the results were always positive... Could it be possible that the person behind the takeout had no ill intentions? At least not towards those wounded souls?
Seeing Qing Bai's half-closed eyelids, seemingly lost in thought, Boss Hong didn't interrupt him. Instead, he greeted Jiu Nian, the man who shouldered the heavy responsibility of the 'foundation': "Master Jiu Nian, this is your first visit. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality. It's hot today, and the room is stuffy. Why don't we go to the lakeside pavilion to rest and have lunch together?"
Jiu Nian lowered his eyes to glance at Qing Bai who was lying on him in deep thought, and nodded in response to Boss Hong's kindness.
Now that I'm here and I've met old friends I haven't seen for a long time, it's time to catch up.
It was noon now, the sun was high in the sky, and the pavilion in the middle of the lake without any shade from the trees was not a good place to cool off according to common sense. However, none of the people present were "normal" and could not be judged by common sense. Moreover, this lake did not seem simple either. Even when the sun was shining directly on it, the water was still cool. Sitting in the pavilion, with the ripples on the water and the fragrance of lotus in the wind, it was really pleasant.
When Qing Bai came to his senses, he looked around and saw that only he and Jiu Nian were left in the spacious pavilion in the middle of the lake. He couldn't help but sigh that Boss Hong was a man of great skill, courage, and carelessness. He actually went with the other two to prepare the meal and left them alone without worrying about it... It seemed that Jiu Nian's status and reputation in the underworld were even higher than he thought.
"Can you tell me about Yin Ci's story?" Qing Bai looked at Jiu Nian's smooth, clear profile and suddenly didn't want to dwell on those murky and elusive things. With such beautiful weather and scenery, he should just enjoy a cup of tea and listen to a story with a happy ending, or just relax and dry his stomach. Why bother with such troubles?
Unfortunately, Jiu Nian has no talent for storytelling. Even if he was involved in the cause and the real events, the stories he told did not have the sense of moving and thrilling that it should have. It was even a bit boring because the summary was too complete.
"I know very little about Yin Ci. I only know that he was waiting for someone... but he didn't see her for many years."
Too much time has passed. Jiu Nian reminisced as he spoke, his face showing his usual gentle expression, but his words were inexplicably chilling: "There's never a shortage of infatuated souls on the Naihe Bridge. When they first come down, they all cry and shout, refusing to drink Mengpo's soup, each waiting for someone. Fortunately, life is only a few decades long, and if you're willing to wait, there will always be a result. However, the world is unpredictable, and waiting may not always bring a good result. After all, only a very small number of people can happily hold hands and cross the bridge to reincarnate. Most people have changed, and there are also some who give up halfway and drink the soup on their own to reincarnate... Only Yin Ci waited until his soul dispersed."
Qing Bai asked softly, "How long...has he been waiting?"
"About... a thousand years." Jiu Nian shook his head, seemingly disapproving of this behavior. "No one in the world is immortal, nor are there ghosts that can exist forever. Only reincarnation can balance life and death. The scattering of Yin Ci's soul is inevitable."
"A thousand years..." Qing Bai muttered again, and suddenly raised his head, staring at Jiu Nian intently. "If it's destined, why did you help him?"
Jiu Nian lowered his eyes to look at Qing Bai on his shoulder. They were very close to each other, and his voice was soft, gentle. "It's not really help, it's just a small favor. Besides... being infatuated is not wrong, and it's not against the law."
What do you mean by "not a mistake, not a violation of the law"? You must have checked all the laws of the underworld to make sure he hadn't crossed the line before you intervened? You're truly the strongest security guard in the underworld, always keeping justice and good and evil in mind! Qing Bai's newly awakened feeling of emotion instantly died out like a red coal meeting ice water, leaving only choking smoke.
Qing Bai asked in a weak voice, "And then?"
He was like a naughty kid who was clearly drowsy but still refused to face reality, refused to close his eyes, and kept asking questions about the bedtime story whose ending he already knew from the beginning.
As expected, the nine years did not disappoint the 'naughty kid': "And then? Then Yin Ci entered the reincarnation cycle and became Pei Ci."
"..." Qing Bai was unwilling, but he couldn't explain what he was unwilling about. However, he didn't want to let the topic pass by lightly, so he could only make small talk and pick out words to find problems.
"...You said there's no shortage of infatuated people by the Naihe Bridge, but why is Yin Ci waiting by the Samsara Platform?"
Nine years: "The Nai River is turbulent, the Blood River Pool is dangerous, and the bridge is crowded with ghosts and monsters, making the environment harsh. The Samsara Platform across the bridge is relatively quiet and suitable for waiting for people."
Qing Bai was a little surprised: "If I stay in your underworld for a long time, I can upgrade the standby environment?"
Jiu Nian smiled and said, "Anyone with perseverance and determination will be treated preferentially wherever they are, and Lord Yin of Shangjing is his cousin."
Qing Bai: “…”
Nine years. This is... just a joke?
Yin Ci, Yin Weihuai, judging by their names, they are indeed from the same family… Qing Bai twitched his lips and also made a cold joke, but he didn’t know if Jiu Nian would get it: “Weihuai seems to be a chosen character. His original name couldn’t be Yin Bei, right?”
After nine years of living up to expectations, he didn't get it and asked seriously, "How did you know?"
Is it really called Yin Bei?
Qing Bai said calmly, "Because monks are compassionate."
Jiunian was silent for a long time before speaking: "...I see."
Qing Bai sighed: "It's just a joke, don't think too much about it."
Jiu Nian shook his head: "But it does make sense." And your tone doesn't sound like a joke.
Qing Bai didn't know that Jiu Nian had kept the second half of the sentence hidden, otherwise he would have sighed. One of them couldn't take a joke, and the other couldn't tell a joke from another. They were both boring together, which made them a perfect match in another sense.
"...The years you spent guarding the Samsara Platform must have been very boring." After all, even a story like Yin Ci's, 'the infatuated male ghost who waited for a thousand years by the Samsara Platform without regrets even after his soul was scattered', could be excavated into at least a hundred chapters and a few more tear-jerking spin-offs. However, his appearance rate in the story as a security guard at the Samsara Platform for nine years was so low that he almost didn't have a name. This is enough to show how dedicated (un)fulfilled (loving) his duty (eight) and guard (hexagrams) was. It's hard to imagine how he managed to survive those endless years.
Jiu Nian thought about it carefully and said, "Fortunately, when no one came to attack, I could just sleep for a few decades and it would pass."
Sleeping for decades... Qing Bai pursed his lips and couldn't help asking: "What about when you're awake? What will you do?"
Don't high-ranking civil servants in the underworld have those reincarnation-related KPIs seen in TV dramas and novels? You yourself say that only reincarnation can balance life and death, so naturally you'd have to personally experience that balance to be convincing...
Year Nine: "Reviewing official documents, revising old laws on time, reading... Occasionally, when I have some free time, I chat with the ghosts waiting for people by the bridge."
That's how he met Yin Ci. He woke up nine times in those thousand years. The ghosts by the Naihe Bridge had changed countless times, and even the ghost officials had lost many familiar faces. Only Yin Ci was always there.
When Qing Bai heard Jiu Nian say that he would chat with the ghost waiting for people by the bridge, his heart trembled, and he suddenly felt an irresistible impulse.
What he said was also confusing and unclear: "... Then you, do you have any impression of Tongjiu——"
There were footsteps outside the pavilion, and Qing Bai subconsciously shut up. The sudden impulse in his heart was like a balloon pricked by a needle, wilting little by little, and then he felt that the impulse was really inexplicable. It would be better to just look through the Book of Life and Death... Lingxi should be able to get the right to look through the Book of Life and Death by selling herself to work in the underworld... right?
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