He Li and Bai Fei waited in Biancheng for two days before the people from the Spiritual Management Association headquarters finally arrived. The person who came was named Gu Cong, a refined man in his 40s.
Gu Cong stood before the deep crater created by the spiritual energy high-pressure bomb. He looked at the pit in front of him, speechless. After a long while, he turned to He Li and the other person and said,
"My purpose for coming here is not to take over Biancheng, but to wait. To wait for someone in Biancheng to awaken, to unlock their gene lock. I will help the people of Biancheng rebuild the Spiritual Management Association and a demon hunter team."
Gu Cong looked back at the crater and said with a sigh, "To defend a city without fear of death, it still has to be one's own people."
He Li and Bai Fei exchanged glances. They couldn't say Gu Cong was wrong, but they couldn't refute him either. This was a matter of opinion, and it was normal for ten thousand people to have ten thousand different ideas about one thing, one person, or one principle.
That afternoon, the two of them left Biancheng.
The plane was flying in the sky, in first class.
He Li and Bai Fei were not sitting side by side. Instead, they both sat by the window. In Bai Fei's words, this way, both of them could see the scenery in the sky.
He Li glanced out the window. Hmm... it was cloudy.
Sitting next to He Li was a man in his 30s, wearing a black embroidered suit, brown leather shoes, an off-white shirt paired with a plaid tie. A faint smile graced his face, exuding an scholarly aura. One had to admit, this man was very handsome, a veritable killer of young girls.
He Li secretly compared them and finally concluded that this man was the only male in his 20 years who posed a threat to his looks.
Hmph! He felt annoyed.
The man, who was reading, suddenly froze. He closed his book, turned to look at He Li, and asked with a slight smile, "Excuse me, sir, have I disturbed you?"
He Li shook his head. Damn, this guy looked even more handsome when he smiled.
"No."
"That's good. My name is Yang Wenyou. May I ask what you are called?"
"My name is Min Liang."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. He Li."
"..."
Yang Wenyou smiled and pointed to the control panel between their seats, where He Li's boarding pass was.
He Li paused and added, "Min Liang is my childhood nickname."
Yang Wenyou gave an awkward but polite smile.
Their conversation ended there. Soon, a flight attendant came to serve drinks. He Li asked for a glass of juice, while Yang Wenyou ordered a glass of champagne.
He Li's cold attitude seemed to pique Yang Wenyou's curiosity, as his gaze shifted from his book to He Li's face from time to time.
Finally, when Yang Wenyou looked at He Li for the third time, He Li couldn't stand it anymore.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't keep sneaking glances at me. I'm very sensitive and suffer from severe mania and mental illness. If you keep staring, I'll shout 'Indecent assault'!"
Upon hearing that He Li had mania and mental illness, Yang Wenyou, who had been a little nervous a moment before, was stunned.
Shout 'Indecent assault'?
What did I do to you? Did I sexually assault you with my eyes?
Compared to eyes, I prefer using my mind to steal someone's chastity from afar.
Yang Wenyou twitched the corner of his mouth, waved his hand, and said, "Mr. He, you've misunderstood. I'm just curious about you."
"Normally, when a woman is curious about a man, it's a precursor to liking him. So, what is it when a man is curious about another man?"
He Li looked at Yang Wenyou and said, "I'm not interested in 'bayonet duels.' I like women – women with big chests, slender waists, long legs, fair skin, beautiful looks, and wealth."
"No, no, no, Mr. He, you've misunderstood. I like women too. I've had three wives."
Yang Wenyou hesitated, his nose twitched slightly. He lowered his voice and said, "I'm curious about the aura of death around you, Mr. He."
"Oh, is that so?"
He Li nodded and said, "It's not strange. Because facing death is the job of us 'undertakers.' Our daily work is to serve the deceased and ensure they depart with dignity."
"Undertakers?"
"Yes, with a monthly income of over ten thousand, and a customer complaint rate of basically zero. Our principle is to respect life and give the deceased their final dignity."
Yang Wenyou was stunned. He knew He Li was joking.
"Heh heh... Mr. He is quite humorous."
He Li looked at Yang Wenyou calmly and shook his head. "I'm not trying to pick a fight. Any person with basic common sense wouldn't tell the truth when a stranger strikes up a conversation, would they?"
Yang Wenyou nodded in agreement. "That's true. Often, choosing to deceive is also a way to protect oneself."
"It's not entirely deception, though. My job is similar to that of an undertaker; both involve giving the deceased dignity, including, but not limited to, forcibly helping the deceased achieve dignity," He Li explained.
Yang Wenyou said, "At first, I didn't fully understand the profession of an undertaker, though I wasn't against it. It wasn't until my wife passed away. They spoke to the corpse as if it were alive, cleaning their hands, their face, changing their clothes, massaging their arms, all with such gentleness. Then, my wife looked as if she were asleep, with a serene smile on her face. From that moment on, I truly respected that profession from the bottom of my heart."
He Li blinked and said, "You said you had three wives."
Yang Wenyou's eyes turned sad, and he sighed softly. "They all left me."
"Widowed or divorced?"
"No, widowed."
"I admire your current wife. I can't believe she had the courage to marry you."
"I am single now."
"Single???"
"All three died???"
He Li's eyes widened. Then, He Li quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm surprised. I didn't expect something like this to happen to you."
Yang Wenyou gave a forced smile, which served as a response to He Li's apology. He shook his head and said softly,
"It's alright. Anyone who hears my story would be surprised, even fearful, thinking I'm a jinx, a demon. After all, my wives, none of them died... with dignity."
Hearing this, He Li frowned slightly and, after a moment of silence, asked, "May I be so bold as to ask how they died?"
Yang Wenyou looked up, leaned slightly towards He Li, and met his gaze calmly before answering,
"Drowning, murder, and a car accident."
He Li said, "There was murder? That surprises me."
Yang Wenyou replied, "I'm not very surprised. In fact, I find it quite natural."
"Why?"
"Because she was terrifying. She was beautiful, an intellectual woman with extensive knowledge. But she reminded me of a cat I once owned... a beautiful, cute fluffy cat that liked to curl up on the sofa. When I petted it, it would let out a soft meow, then turn around and bite my hand fiercely.
I didn't know what kind of capricious heart lay beneath her beautiful and cute exterior."
"And then?" He Li asked.
Yang Wenyou said, "I had her euthanized."