Five Million Deposited

By the time Su Yang reached his front door, the sky was beginning to brighten.

Su Yang couldn't remember how he had left the cemetery in the northern suburbs. From the moment Gai Fengyan pulled the moon out from behind the clouds, his brain had completely crashed.

The scene had been even more fantastical than a dream! Gai Fengyan had actually pulled the moon right out from among the clouds!

At that moment, Su Yang felt the worldview he had built over eighteen years crumble to pieces!

So this world really did have those miraculous supernatural powers! Gods really did exist!

No wonder his parents had vanished so mysteriously that even the police couldn't find a single clue, as though they had evaporated from the face of the earth.

No wonder those whispers that science couldn't possibly explain had appeared in his dreams.

No wonder he had encountered departed souls again and again...

Everything that had once puzzled and worried Su Yang had now become evidence of a new world's existence!

Standing outside his door, Su Yang looked down at the piece of black jade and the Dead Man's Book in his hands, his heart still surging with excitement.

For one thing, this was the first news Su Yang had received of his parents since they disappeared.

Although Su Yang still didn't know exactly where his parents were, as long as he could confirm they were safe, there was still hope of a reunion!

For another, Su Yang felt he had discovered the secret hidden behind this world! He was like a child delighted to find a crab beneath a rock on the beach.

"Sword-bearers of the Soul-Reaping Bureau... Looks like I'm about to become one of them!"

"The Soul-Reaping Bureau should be an organization, right? But a secret organization pays salaries? Then again, if they have the power to burn mountains and boil seas, the pay shouldn't be low..."

"As soon as I get the money, the first thing I'll do is take Grandma to the hospital for a full checkup!"

He imagined himself possessing Gai Fengyan's miraculous abilities someday; he imagined how life would improve for him and Grandma once he had the money... The more Su Yang thought about it, the more the smile on his face grew.

He clenched his fist. Su Yang was now brimming with confidence in life!

But just as Su Yang reached the door and was about to open it, he heard a conversation coming clearly from inside the house.

"Young man, I really don't know where this money came from. Could you have made a mistake?"

"I've checked it over and over..."

Who?

Su Yang was startled. Who was Grandma talking to?

Had someone broken into his home?!

Had a thief broken in while he was away last night? Could Grandma be in danger?

Su Yang's heart tightened. He pulled the keys from his pants pocket, flung the door open, and shouted into the house.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?!"

"I can give you whatever you want, but I'm warning you, don't hurt my grandma!"

The scene inside the door came into Su Yang's view.

The chandelier in the small living room was lit—normally, Su Yang's grandma never turned it on, in order to save electricity.

His gray-haired grandma was sitting beside the living room table. When she saw Su Yang, a hint of pleasant surprise appeared in her cloudy eyes.

Beside Grandma stood a young man in a suit and polished shoes.

He was visibly stunned when Su Yang came in, then was overjoyed and immediately gave Su Yang a perfectly practiced smile. He picked up the large pile of gifts on the table and rushed toward Su Yang.

"No, no, you've misunderstood! I'm not a bad person!"

"You must be Mr. Su? I'm your personal assistant. My full name is Li Zheng, but you can just call me Xiao Li!"

"First of all, thank you for placing your trust in our bank! It's my first visit, so please accept these modest gifts!"

Li Zheng?

He's... a bank employee?

Su Yang still hadn't quite caught on. "What do you mean?"

At that moment, Su Yang's grandma hurried over to his side, her back hunched.

The old woman's weathered face was full of worry. She anxiously patted Su Yang's clothes with her wrinkled hands, her cloudy eyes full of concern about their livelihood.

"Xiao Yang, this young man came to our house early this morning looking for you. He kept saying there's five million in your account..."

"Where could our family possibly get that much money? There must be a mistake!"

"Grandma's clumsy with words and can't explain it to him. Hurry and explain it to this young man.

"Otherwise, the police might come and arrest us and make us pay it back... I couldn't earn that much money selling vegetables my whole life."

Su Yang instantly understood what had happened!

Yesterday, Gai Fengyan or the Soul-Reaping Bureau had transferred a sum of money to his account.

Gai Fengyan had mentioned it before leaving, and had also told him to take Grandma to the hospital for a full checkup.

Su Yang had originally thought it would take a few more days to arrive, but he hadn't expected them to be so efficient. He hadn't even made it home before someone from the bank had already come calling.

Because small banks offered slightly higher interest rates than the big ones, Su Yang had always done his banking at a small bank.

When Gai Fengyan and the others sent the money, they must have transferred it to that small bank.

To a small bank, someone with five million in their account was already a major client!

It was perfectly normal to send a representative to visit and cultivate the relationship.

But Su Yang had never imagined... that the salary the so-called Soul-Reaping Bureau gave him would be so high!

Five million in cash, handed over just like that!

Now Su Yang could be considered a man of modest wealth...

But seeing how nervous Grandma was, Su Yang felt a deep ache in his heart.

The old woman had worked hard all her life. She should have been enjoying the filial care of her children and grandchildren, yet she was still worrying about making ends meet...

Su Yang looked down and smiled at Grandma, tears slowly welling in his eyes.

Since Su Yang's parents disappeared, he had tried every possible way to earn money, whether collecting scrap or running errands for others, spending huge amounts of energy for a little cash.

Grandma, too, left early and came home late every day, for fear that the family would fall apart.

To sell a bunch of greens for ten yuan, Su Yang's grandma had to stand at the market for hours, enduring wind and sun and the stench of the market, and perhaps even disdainful looks from others...

Grandma was already seventy!

Rubbing his damp eyes, Su Yang said casually to Li Zheng:

"Sorry, it was a misunderstanding after all."

"You know how it is, she's getting on in years, and I'm just afraid some bad person might target her... Thank you for making the trip. I'm very satisfied with your bank's service!"

At those words, Li Zheng's face instantly lit up with a smile.

"Good, good, good! Thank you for your trust. I'll come visit again next time! I won't disturb you any longer!"

With that, Li Zheng promptly took his leave.

He could tell that this wasn't a good time to promote the bank's services.

As soon as Li Zheng left, Su Yang immediately turned to his white-haired grandma.

How long had it been since he and Grandma had been this close to each other?

As Su Yang remembered it, Grandma's back hadn't been this hunched a few years ago, and the top of her head had still reached his chin.

But now, how was it that she only came up to his chest?

"Grandma, you've suffered!"

Su Yang didn't answer Grandma's words. Instead, he bent down and held the old woman before him tightly.