Jiang Lin waited, and waited, for an entire night.
The next morning, as the east showed the pale white of a fish's belly.
The light surrounding the sphere of light entered the sphere one by one.
Following that, the massive sphere of light began to contract, to shrink.
Finally, it all entered Zhou Lan's body.
And Zhou Lan...
At this moment, he had already recovered his original appearance.
His long hair was tied up with a jade crown, and he was dressed in an exquisite dark robe, with cloud patterns embroidered on the wide sleeves.
A gentle yet powerful aura emanated from him.
When Jiang Lin saw Zhou Lan, he was extending one hand, palm facing upwards.
A battle sword materialized on it.
The center of the battle sword was silver-white, and the edges were black.
As soon as it appeared, it let out a hum, and the sword body trembled.
As if welcoming the sword master's return.
Jiang Lin: "Congratulations."
Zhou Lan put away the battle sword and cupped his hands towards Jiang Lin, "Thank you!"
Afterward, he transformed into a beam of light and shot towards the sky.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from the mortal world.
...
Later, the residents of the apartment complex discovered that the air at the underground parking garage exit was exceptionally fresh.
Even though it was November, large patches of small flowers had bloomed there out of nowhere, and even the surrounding green trees were more robust and verdant.
As if it were spring or summer.
In the same month, many new residents moved into the complex.
Judging by their renovations and the furniture being moved in and out, they seemed to be from wealthy families.
Even stranger, all the new residents refused to join the owner's chat group.
The new residents smiled and thought to themselves: What use is that?
Are they waiting to be wrongly accused and kicked out of the group someday?
The reason they came to this complex was not to make neighbors.
It was merely to bring their elders here, to see if they could bask in the holy light of the great god Zhou.
The internet has memory.
What was done is done, what was said is said.
It doesn't disappear just because it's in the past.
...
These were all later events.
At this moment, at the entrance of the garage.
After Zhou Lan left, Jiang Lin took out the Soul Ushering Register and recorded the follow-up of the mission below the special-grade mission.
"Zhou Lan's ushering mission should be considered complete, right?"
Watching Zhou Lan's mission information disappear from the register, Jiang Lin murmured.
This matter was quite sudden.
And a part of it was broadcast live... Would King Yama blame him?
"Whenever there's a live broadcast, there are always unexpected events. This should be within an acceptable range?"
Jiang Lin pondered for a while.
Afterward, it would depend on whether King Yama would come looking for him.
"Time to start the second mission."
Jiang Lin glanced at another special-grade mission, closed the thick register,
retracted the surrounding barrier, and turned to fly in another direction.
This second mission was for a reincarnated deity who required long-term investigation.
The small live broadcast ball floated closer, trying hard to make its presence known.
Jiang Lin raised his hand and put it away.
This time, no live broadcast.
Unlike ushering targets like Zhou Lan, this reincarnated deity would remain in the human world for some time.
If people were to find out the identity of the reincarnated deity, although their treatment might improve,
it would also lead to some unknown circumstances, disrupting their reincarnated life.
...
Later, Jiang Lin gradually learned.
The souls of reincarnated deities were generally ushered in by ghost messengers who conducted regular investigations.
Only two situations were exceptions.
One was for reincarnated deities for whom regular investigations had not yet been arranged.
The second was when the ghost messenger responsible for regular investigations had a temporary issue and couldn't get away.
Like Zhou Lan this time.
The ghost messenger originally responsible for him had a conflict with another matter, making him unable to get away.
So, he was temporarily assigned to other ghost messengers who could undertake special-grade missions.
...
...
Volcano Psychiatric Hospital—
White-clad nurses passed by in the hallway.
Some carried folders, others pushed small carts towards the patient rooms.
As the doors to the rooms opened, various sounds could be heard from within.
One person sat in the center of the bed, slapping their thigh, and indignantly declared to their fellow patients:
"I am a Golden Core cultivator, about to ascend to a higher level. It was only because of that ignorant child, who took advantage of my inattention, that he stole my Golden Core!"
"When I recover my strength, I will return to seek revenge and ascend to the Ninth Heaven!"
The fellow patients applauded enthusiastically: "Go back and kill them! Go back and kill them!"
Another person, wearing a light blue hospital gown, hid in a corner drawing circles:
"I am a mushroom, I am a mushroom, I want to grow lots and lots of mushrooms..."
Even more so, when a nurse entered the room, someone immediately jumped off the bed, holding a slipper in one hand, and ferociously swatted at them:
"Demon, where do you think you're going!"
Following that,
this carefree and even bolder patient was tied to the bed, intimately embracing it.
A young boy, appearing about fifteen or sixteen years old, struggled:
"Let me go, let me go! I am the thirteenth generation Divine Sword of the Ou family, you people should release me quickly so I can slay demons and eliminate evils!"
Beside him,
a disheveled old man quietly crawled over from the floor after the nurses had left.
"Young friend, since you are a Divine Sword, you should cleave the heavens and earth, slay all things, and break all difficulties."
"Why don't you sever these restraints with a single sword?"
The boy listened and nodded solemnly, "This fellow Daoist speaks reason. I shall sever these binding ropes now!"
"I am the thirteenth generation Divine Sword of the Ou family, even the Immortal Binding Rope cannot do anything to me!"
With that said, he calmed his breath and then suddenly opened his eyes.
"Break!"
The ropes on his body remained silent, without the slightest response.
The boy's youthful face furrowed, "...This shouldn't be."
"Did that demon do something to me just now?"
The old man circled him, examining him, "Young friend, I see your divine power has not been fully unleashed. Why don't you let me lend you a hand?"
The boy pondered for a moment, his eyes serious: "Then I'll trouble you. When I get out, I will surely reward you handsomely!"
"Good!"
The old man shouted loudly, clenched his fists, extended and joined his index and middle fingers.
He breathed on them separately and said to the boy, "Here it comes!"
With that, he jabbed his four fingers rapidly at the boy's body.
The boy's face turned red, and he frowned deeply, "It's coming, it's coming, the divine power is about to surge out!"
Seeing this, the old man clenched his fists and brought them down towards the boy's back:
"The last meridian, break it open for me!"
"Ahhh—"
The boy cried out, feeling a continuous surge of strength within him.
"Fellow Daoist, please step aside, I am about to exert my power!"
"Alright!"
The old man withdrew his hands, jumped back, turned, and climbed onto his own bed.
Only then did the boy shout, "Slash!"
The ropes remained undamaged.
The boy continued, "Slash! Slash! Slash!"
The ropes on his body also shook with his movements.
...
Half an hour later—
The boy collapsed onto the bed.
His throat hoarse, he whispered, "Slaaaash~~~"
Slash for me...
The old man beside him sighed and said profoundly, "It seems the time is not yet right."
"This is the will of heaven, the will of heaven..."
The boy gasped his last breath: "I am the dignified thirteenth generation Divine Sword of the Ou family... Quickly let me out to slay demons and eliminate evils, otherwise the human world will fall into chaos, and the people will suffer..."
With that, his head limply fell onto the bed.
"..."
When Jiang Lin arrived, following the special-grade mission information, this was the scene he saw.
He looked at the boy below, then took out the Soul Ushering Register and glanced at it again.
"Tan Xiaodong, fifteen years old, born into wealth."
"Due to severe demonic energy erosion, his consciousness has been affected. He is currently staying in room 2203 of Volcano Psychiatric Hospital..."
As Jiang Lin was confirming the mission details, he suddenly noticed that the boy below had stopped moving.
He looked down and saw a pair of eyes staring straight at him.
Jiang Lin: "...?"
The boy, Tan Xiaodong, glared, "What are you looking at me for?"
...