To Return To Where You Belong To

By the time Yang YueChen came of age, his ghost traits slowly getting stronger and began to take hold of his being. His scent, which used to be unnoticeable by three realms, started to attract ghost and the likes. YueChen, whose constitution was weak and had poor health, of course often was bedridden every few weeks, no matter how mild it was. On top of that, YueChen attracted more bad luck without amulets.

"Body of a mortal, heart of a god, soul of a ghost, eyes of a demon, and strength of a beast."

YueChen raised his head to meet a youth clad in black's deep brown eyes.

"Just what in the world are you?" the youth asked with a low voice and a slight hint of rhetoric.

"Who are you?" YueChen asked the youth back, ignoring his interested gaze that seemed to bore into his soul.

"JingAn. The spirit of seeking truth inside living and unliving." he replied.

Yuan Ji sucked in a breath and whispered, ["I don't think I know him. The name was familiar and he looked familiar though. JingAn was one of the judges of afterlife, he could see one's nature and intentions. He wasn't supposed to be here. This means—"]

["I'm gonna die?"] YueChen thought sarcastically.

["No."] Yuan Ji objected at once, not giving the question any thoughts.

["Damn it... Why would he come if he's not taking me to afterlife?"]

["JingAn is not a reaper, okay!"]

How to describe the high judge standing before YueChen? That's a little hard.

JingAn had a pale complexion, with long dark grey hair that could actually pass as light black (if the term exist of course) that reached to his knees—done in half ponytail, he had the appearance of a nearly dead sickly youth. With the black and grey traditional robes that certainly suited him, he looked a little out of place in the dull, brightly lit classroom. YueChen thanked the gods above that JingAn didn't bring anything—like sword or fan or scythe or—

["I told you he's not a reaper."] Reminded Yuan Ji.

YueChen brought his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat once, "May I ask why would a spirit came here, to this humble place of mine, for?"

["You're terrible in polite gestures and greetings."] commented the fallen deity with an unamused tone.

["Couldn't help it. This is the twenty first century, no one is using honorary greetings on daily basis."]

While the two were busy arguing in his head, JingAn had taken a small tour in the classroom, checking things out. Only when their argument calmed down and YueChen's attention back to him again did the spirit told them the reason.

"I believe a deity of Eastern Water inhabited your body, was it right?"

"Y—Yes?" Stuttered the boy.

"Dong Shi Shui Shen, am I correct?."

["Hell yes you are. Now tell us the matter."]

JingAn produced a black paper fan out of his sleeves and started to fan himself. "You didn't change. Rude as usual."

"You two knew each other??" blurted YueChen out. Yuan Ji just said that he know the spirit, but only the name and the job. Not the person himself.

Yuan Ji snapped his fingers in realization. ["Oh, right. I definitely knew him. I always called him You An, I just happened to be forgetting his real name."]

The spirit's hand twitched, he kept a smile plastered over his face, but someone with eyes could see clearly that there was a vein popped on his temples. JingAn folded his fan and lightly smacked his palm with it.

"I'm here to discuss something, Shui Shen." JingAn glanced at the boy, still smiling. "However, I'd like to talk under four eyes with Shui Shen. The matter shouldn't be known to outsider or being spread out over the world...."

"I got it, I got it. A-Ji is to take my place, right?"

"That's right—"

YueChen gave Yuan Ji the full control over his body. The deity stopped him when he was about to step into unconsciousness. ["You don't need to be unconscious."]

["But I thought this is a private matter?"]

["I need you to serve as the witness. Just be quiet, okay?"]

["Mm.."]

Yuan Ji turned to JingAn and spoke, "What's the private matter, then?"

JingAn reopened his fan, looking somewhat proud and satisfied with his capability to make YueChen obeyed his request and ask nothing at all. He then proceeded to bring out the matter to discuss.

"The inner council of the heaven had decided that your banishment is to end once you regained your memories and your sword, as well your powers—" JingAn watched the deity closely.

"Four years, they have a meeting four years after I was thrown out from the heaven. Just what in the world—" Yuan Ji was cut off by the judge of afterlife before he could proceed to cuss.

"Well, we spent two years to find you among the mortals in the world only to find nothing at all. And another one and half to find out what's wrong and half the scribes flipping through the book of life and death of all eras again and again. After our efforts produced no useful outcome, we tried to use the red strings to track you down. It ended up useless, as the strings were lost and burnt..."

It must be said that the red strings were no normal strings. They couldn't be easily lost or burned, but matters that involved Yuan Ji often contravene the laws of nature.

JingAn took a deep breath before proceeded to continue. "We gave up and tried to use the water serpent to find you. Only to find a youth around the age fifteen or sixteen. Which is your host." He gestured to YueChen.

"Things are complicated, aren't they?" Sighed Yuan Ji sarcastically.

"It's your fault, not ours. Go deal with it alone."

"I'm not exactly alone. I have a ghost-ling by my side."

JingAn's fingers twitched at the word ghost-ling. "What?"

"Yang YueChen is a 'ghost'."

The black-clad youth pulled out a dagger from his sleeves. "Ghost?"

"Not real ghost as in the underworld's inhabitants." Yuan Ji rolled his eyes at the other's act. "His aura and spiritual energy is weak, and things."

JingAn's tense shoulders relaxed at once. He lowered his dagger. He glanced at the boy once.

"You aren't supposed to possess him."

"I know. And I don't know why."

"Furthermore, he's.... different, for the lack of word."

"To me, he's special."

"Whatever."

JingAn left once there was nothing more to discuss with. And the time slowly moved from its frozen state. Three minutes later, and the class is filled with students again. Yuan Ji returned the body to the rightful owner.

"We're going to find another clues."