Afterlife Department

Chapter 70 - Shapeshifter

"Owww…" he said as he held his aching head. "What the hell happened? What was that explosion just now – waaah! Why am I transparent?! No, the other transparent… literally transparent! AAAHHH! Why is my body see-through?!" he screamed in panic and moved, only to not feel his legs. "Eh?" he said and lowered his head, only to be stunned. "… shit!" he cursed with a foreign accent when he saw he didn't have legs, but a tail! "Up where they walk… up where they run… Up where they stay all day in the sun~" he sang as he made a twirl in the air. "Wanderin' free… wish I could be… part of that world~" he raised his hand to reach out the sky.

A hand suddenly appeared and caught his hand. "Ahahahaha. This newly-died soul is interesting~" Jin Wu said as he jumped down the roof and landed on the floor, still holding the soul's hand. "He sings very well, too!" he added and looked at the soul with his eyes shining in amusement.

Mo Shi's face became beet red. "T-thank you…" he shyly said before he froze. It's as if he could his body cracked and his face lost its color. "Y-y.... y-you said 'newly-died soul'?!" he exclaimed. "I – I'm… I'm dead?!" he added.

"What could you be if you're not?" Jin Wu coolly asked.

"Hey, 5555. Stop playing around. We've got three tailing us!" Feng Er said as she jumped off the roof, then rode with the wind. "Hurry!" she said and flew away.

Mo Shi's eyeballs almost jumped out of their sockets. "She... she!" he said and pointed Feng Er. Jin Wu just laughed and, with his hand holding his, pulled him with him. His eyes widened in horror when they jumped off the terrace, and fell from 20th floor! "AAAAAHHHHH!!!!" he screamed and clutched Jin Wu's clothes as he closed his eyes tight. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE?! ARE YOU REALLY PEOPLE?! WHY IS IT?! WHY IS IT THAT I'M ALREADY DEAD YET I WILL DIE AGAIN?! CAN YOU FLY LIKE HER?! WHY DID YOU JUMP?! AND DRAGGING ME WITH YOU?! ASGDFKFJDK!" he can't help but yell as they approached the ground at a fast speed.

"Look up!" Jin Wu just said as he laughed.

Subconsciously, Mo Shi raised his head. How he wished he hadn't. He saw three people who looked like him! "AAAH! Who are they?!" he asked the troll Jin Wu.

"Soul Eaters." Jin Wu answered as he landed on the ground, surprisingly soundlessly.

"We're… we're fine…" Mo Shi muttered as he sighed in relief after they landed safely. "What do you mean Soul Eaters?" he asked.

"They are figureless monsters who take on whoever and whatever's appearance." Jin Wu said as he grinned at the three 'people' descending on them. Mo Shi's face paled as he saw his 'selves' approaching them. "In short – " he said as he stomped his leg and they were mid-air. Mo Shi turned and saw a large pit appeared on the ground where they just left, and his three 'selves' fell on the pit. " – they are shapeshifters." He heard Jin Wu said.

Mo Shi looked at Jin Wu's legs and saw they turned to metals. "Wha - !" he gasped when he saw three shadows emerged from the trees. "WAAH!!" he screamed when one of them jumped towards them.

Jin Wu dodged and they fell on the ground after Jin Wu turned his whole body into metal. BAM! A loud thus was heard as the ground cracked and dust flew around, creating smoke. The three Soul Eaters landed on the ground and looked around, but saw Jin Wu and the soul was gone.

"W-wh-what?!" Mo Shi exclaimed. "They're after me?! What?!" he asked. "I have nothing on me! I'm just a soul!" he said.

"Exactly. You're a soul, and they wanted to eat you." Jin Wu told him.

"NO WAY!" Mo Shi's tears fell. "I'm already dead… will I die again? QAQ" he asked.

"No – " Jin Wu answered as they came out the forest and Feng Er was waiting for them. " – you'll disappear." He told him.

"'disappear'? What does that mean? That sounds really bad… really, really bad - " Mo Shi said.

"Of course it's bad." Jin Wu said as he placed him inside the car and he and Feng Er faced the three Soul Eaters that finally caught up to them. "You'll be entirely gone." He told him as he and Feng Er rushed towards the Soul Eaters, brandishing their lance and whip!

Special World –

"Soul Fragment…" Qi Shan said as he looked at Huo Ling who was pacifying the sulking Lei Shan. When he found the two, he saw Huo Ling was lying on the ground, knocked out by Yi Bing. When he woke up, he couldn't remember anything aside from when he met Yi Bing in this world. He had returned to normal.

"Yes." Yi Bing said and looked at Huo Ling's dark pupils. That Huo Ling who is a sect master earlier disappeared. In order for Qi Shan not to notice more strange things with Huo Ling, Yi Bing knocked Huo Ling's head hard. It was effective, since Huo Ling returned to normal. The things he only remembers are his family, him, Qi Shan and Lei Shan. He doesn't remember his past life anymore. "The Soul Eaters' emergence is also connected with it." He added.

"But, of course!" Qi Shan said. "A Soul Fragment is equivalent to one million souls and one thousand years. No, maybe more than that!" he said. "Something precious like the memories and emotions of a soul… and this Soul Fragment has been drifting for a very long time, travelling between worlds… for the Soul Eaters, this is a sumptuous feast!" he said.

Yi Bing couldn't agree more. "A Soul Fragment could also increase one's power." He said. "And… the Meng Po soup's effect." He looked at Huo Ling. "If a soul would have it, they will remember their past reincarnations." He explained.

"That's true." Qi Shan said and also looked at Huo Ling.

However – Yi Bing's eyes narrowed when he remembered those red pupils of Huo Ling. "Is it possible – " he said as he looked at Qi Shan. " – for a soul who was just in its second life… to have memories other than of its first life?" he asked.

"Huh?" Qi Shan looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?" he said, then his brows knit. "Of course not! What other memories could he have aside from his first life?" he asked.

"But, if with a Soul Fragment…" Yi Bing said.

Qi Shan stared at Yi Bing before his eyes widened. He sharply turned to Huo Ling. "You don't mean…?" he said and turned back to Yi Bing. "What did he have?" he asked. "Isn't this his second life? What do you mean other memories…" he was puzzled.

"I don't know." Yi Bing said. He wouldn't usually bother other people with his problem. Furthermore, with this kind of situation, he wouldn't dare tell others about Huo Ling's condition. But, he's been cornered. He can't find any solution, nor answer. Thus, he told Qi Shan. "He knows his name. But, he told me – " he looked at Qi Shan. " – he's the sect master of Fengshen Sect. Qi Shan – " he called, serious. " – Huo Ling's previous life is from our world – the Stable World. There's no way Huo Ling would be a cultivator, much less a sect master." He said. "After all, that world – "

" – is also our world, the Stable World."