Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Reaper Comes for My Soul—Am I Dead?:

Seeing the delicate beauty sitting there, Yue Bing quickly scrambled to his feet.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?”

Despite the fact that a beautiful woman had appeared in his home, Yue Bing’s first reaction was one of caution. After all, who knew if this was some kind of trap?

“I’m White Impermanence, the Soul Reaper of the Underworld,” Su Yao said proudly, lifting her chin. “Yue Bing, your time on earth has come to an end. It’s time to return with me to the Underworld. Once there, your deeds will be assessed, and your next reincarnation will be determined based on the good and bad you’ve done in this life.”

(T/N: ‘Black and White Impermanence’, are two Deities in Chinese folk religion in charge of escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld. As their names suggest, they are dressed in black and white respectively)

Today was Su Yao’s first day on the job, and she wasn’t yet familiar with the process of collecting souls. She sat there, scratching her head, a bit confused, and couldn’t quite remember what she was supposed to do next.

Huh? White Impermanence? Soul Reaper?

Yue Bing widened his eyes and took a closer look at her, and then, unable to hold it in, he burst out laughing.

“I mean, come on, if you’re going to cosplay, at least make it convincing,” he said with a smirk. “Don’t you think I know what White Impermanence is supposed to look like?”

The legendary White Impermanence was described as wearing a long white robe, holding a gloomy stick, with a tongue a foot long and a tall hat on his head—a sight terrifying enough to scare anyone to death!

But the delicate beauty before him?

She was wearing a form-fitting cheongsam and high heels—more suited for a party than soul-reaping.

Yue Bing couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.

Su Yao felt a twinge of embarrassment. How could he question her identity?

She wrinkled her small, delicate nose. “I would never wear such outdated, unstylish clothes. They don’t show off my figure at all. What you’re describing is what they wore decades ago. Society has advanced, and even in the Underworld, we have cell phones now. Why shouldn’t I update my uniform?”

Su Yao’s explanation was full of conviction, but Yue Bing just sneered.

“Quit messing around. If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the cops.”

Today was turning out to be bizarre. First, his landlady showed up, and now a girl with delusions. And both were beauties. What, were they all after his body? He wasn’t some holy monk!

Su Yao raised an eyebrow. Since this was the first soul she was supposed to reap, she might as well let him die with some understanding.

She lifted her fair hand and pushed Yue Bing’s phone, which was on the table, to the edge.

“Go ahead, make the call. Let’s see you try.”

Yue Bing frowned. From the way she acted so nonchalant, there had to be something off about her. A lunatic—best to stay away from her.

“Do you think I’m playing around with you?” He said as he strode to the table, reaching for the phone to call the police. But as soon as he reached for it, his hand passed right through the table!

Yue Bing thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he tried again several times, but to no avail.

He couldn’t touch the table or the phone—they were like 3D projections, visible but untouchable.

“What… what is this?”

Yue Bing stared at his hand, feeling a sudden panic rise within him.

“You’re already dead. Of course, you can’t touch anything in the mortal world.” Su Yao said, resting her arm on the table and propping her head up as she kicked her long legs, watching him.

“I… I’m dead? How… how is that possible?”

Suddenly, he remembered the sharp pain in his heart and how he had collapsed unconscious to the floor.

“Yes, you’re dead,” Su Yao said. “If you don’t believe me, look behind you.”

Su Yao raised her eyebrows and motioned for him to look back.

Yue Bing slowly turned around, a sense of dread creeping over him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrifying was behind him. He gradually lowered his gaze to the floor and saw a lifeless body curled up there, eyes wide open, mouth agape, face pale as death. The hands were clutching the chest, frozen in place.

The clothes on the body were identical to his own.

And the face…

It was his!

Yue Bing stared in disbelief at the scene before him.

“Am I really dead? Just like that?”

He had survived being struck by a meteor and been reborn in this world, only to die in such a sudden and meaningless way?

“Yue Bing, male, 22 years old. Cause of death: natural end of lifespan.” Su Yao said, now standing beside him, holding a small booklet in front of him for him to see.

Yue Bing’s vacant eyes fell on the booklet, and sure enough, it listed his birthdate and time of death.

“Hmm? Now do you believe me?” Su Yao asked as she closed the booklet and tapped it against her hand. “Come on, let’s go back to the Underworld.”

She tried to comfort him, “I understand it’s hard to accept your first death when you have no experience, but don’t worry. As long as you’ve done enough good in this life, you’ll have another chance to be reincarnated as a human.”

Yue Bing’s mouth twitched.

“You might not believe me when I say this, but this isn’t actually the first time I’ve died.”

…

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