Just as Lin Jin was about to enter the city gate, the souls nearby quickly parted to either side. An old man in gray robes slowly walked out of the city. The Shinigami Hall members following Lin Jin all stopped when they saw him.
The middle-aged man leading them went forward and spoke a few words in a low voice. After listening, the old man looked up at Lin Jin, his expression visibly cooling.
"A living person making it this far is a rare sight." The old man stood before the gate, leaning on a wooden staff. His gaze lingered on Lin Jin for a moment. "The people up ahead have already told me that you entered Yellow Springs to take a soul away."
Lin Jin did not deny it.
At that, the old man slowly tightened his grip on his staff, his tone growing heavier. "Yellow Springs can accommodate the newly dead who still long for the living world, and it allows those unwilling to sink into soul slumber to remain here for many years. But once you cross the line between life and death, there is no going back."
At this point, he glanced at the souls coming and going along the ancient road, his voice lowering.
"New souls arrive here every day. How many of them want to go back and see their parents, wives, and children? How many died unwillingly, desperate to return to the world of the living and finish what they left undone?"
"If Shinigami Hall sent everyone back simply because they couldn't let go, this place would have fallen into chaos long ago."
Lin Jin listened to him finish, his expression calm throughout.
"So you're saying the person I want to take must stay too?"
The old man looked back at him, his