Chapter 384

**Chapter 384**

**◎Unable to Marry◎**

As the wandering spirit dissipated, the grand array in the sky gradually faded away. Mu Chun retrieved his ritual implement, his expression quiet and somber.

They were Taoist masters, responsible for maintaining the balance between yin and yang—not to drive spirits to destruction. There had been precedents of leaving malicious ghosts in the human world to settle their karmic debts. Yet this man, You Shunan, chose death over surrender.

After the soul dispersed, ashen wisps of smoke drifted down from the sky, vanishing before they touched the ground.

In the heavy silence, only You Shulei remained on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. To others, it was the elimination of a dangerous evil spirit. To him, he had lost the best brother in the world.

For several younger team members, it was their first time witnessing such a brutal scene. The annihilation of a wandering soul was no different from watching a living person commit suicide before their eyes. The anguished cries of the ghost’s family struck them like repeated blows, making them feel like accomplices in what had just happened.

Mu Chun patted their heads. “Don’t linger on it. Go handle the cleanup.”

The group scattered at his words.

Ji Nanxing came down from the rooftop and approached You Shulei. “For him, perhaps this was the best outcome.”

You Shulei looked up at him.

Ji Nanxing continued, “He carried too many deaths on his soul. Even in the underworld, the sins he’d have to atone for would be countless. And there was bitter resentment within him—he was the victim, yet he bore the final punishment. Though I didn’t know your brother well, from our short time together, he didn’t seem like someone who would easily submit. So, for his sake and yours, maybe this was the best result.”

Tears streaked You Shulei’s face as he stared in the direction where his brother had vanished. “If it weren’t for me…”

Ji Nanxing cut him off. “There’s no such thing as ‘if.’ What exists simply exists. Your brother gave you his life—so live for him.”

You Shulei asked, “Aren’t you going to deal with me? I’m living under a name and fate that don’t belong to me. Isn’t my existence disrupting the balance of yin and yang? Isn’t that within your purview?”

Mu Chun walked over. “You’re still alive, and no one has come forward claiming their fate was stolen. That means it’s not our concern. However, you’ll need to come back to the bureau with us to sign an NDA. What happened today, and your own situation—you can’t speak of them to anyone.”

You Shulei closed his eyes. Speak to whom? From now on, he would live under his brother’s name, become his brother in every way, letting the name “You Shulei” fade away completely.

As they stepped out of the alley, they saw Xiao Ye sitting on a curbstone, holding two cups of milk tea.

The moment he saw Ji Nanxing, Xiao Ye rushed over. “Is it done? Are you tired? Have something sweet to recover. Are you hungry? Want to eat? I reserved a table—we can eat as soon as we get there.”

He had worried Ji Nanxing might have used too much energy confronting the evil spirit, so he had prepared food in advance to replenish him.

Ji Nanxing shook his head. “I didn’t fight him. Mu Chun and the others handled it.”

Just then, Mu Chun and the rest emerged from the alley. Ji Nanxing had arrived first, chasing the evil spirit, while Mu Chun’s team had responded later. Xiao Ye had seen how many people went in and had prepared drinks for everyone in advance.

Seeing them come out, he handed each of them their drinks. “Great job, everyone.”

They thanked him with smiles, stepping out of the gloomy alley into the bustling crowd. The heavy burden of witnessing a wandering spirit’s destruction seemed to lift amid the lively energy of the city.

Noticing You Shulei trailing behind, Xiao Ye handed him the last cup of milk tea. He didn’t yet know what had happened to his brother, and afraid of saying the wrong thing, he simply said, “Your school knows. You can take a few more days if you need.”

You Shulei smiled faintly. “Thank you.” Then he followed Mu Chun and the others into the car heading back to the Bureau.

Once they had left, Xiao Ye turned to Ji Nanxing. “Was his brother laid to rest?”

Ji Nanxing shook his head. “Destroyed utterly.”

Xiao Ye opened his mouth, then closed it again. Total soul destruction—since meeting Naonao, he had seen him handle many cases, but this was the first time he had witnessed such an end.

Ji Nanxing looked at Xiao Ye. “It was *his* choice.”

Xiao Ye: "His own choice? If he'd decided from the start to face soul dispersion rather than reincarnation, why even target me?"

Ji Nanxing: "He wasn't targeting you. He was using you to get to me."

The evil spirit's escape would have led to his recapture by either the Bureau or Yuchun Taoist Temple, but Ji Nanxing had been the first to uncover the brothers' fate-exchange scheme. That had struck You Shu'ang’s most vulnerable point.

No one chooses death without a fight. Before hitting a dead end, they’ll claw for alternatives—like threatening Xiao Ye’s life to force Ji Nanxing to cover up the fate swap, or, more drastically, seeking vengeance in the face of no escape.

Killing Xiao Ye would make Ji Nanxing feel the pain of losing someone dear. It would test whether he could still stand as an impartial judge.

There was another possibility too: to retaliate against Ji Nanxing’s high-and-mighty ‘justice,’ which You Shu'ang despised, and provoke him into a rage. His hand might then deliver the final blow that ensured soul dispersion.

You Shu'ang had only one path forward. No matter how it played out, the outcome was fixed. He’d never face trial in Diyu. He never believed the people he killed were at fault, and he couldn’t go to the underworld—because doing so would expose the fate-swap.

Once he was gone, everything ended. His brother could live on, and he wouldn’t face judgment or bow his head in defeat.

Xiao Ye gave Ji Nanxing’s hand a gentle shake. "What about You Shulei? Will the fate-swap go unpunished?"

Ji Nanxing: "If no one officially files a grievance, no one will pursue it. You Shu'ang was willing, and their fate exchange didn’t harm anyone else. Taoist work is just a job—no one goes looking for trouble."

Xiao Ye was curious about something else: "You Shulei didn’t die because he became You Shu'ang, and You Shu'ang was already dead, so it fooled the Yin Officers. Does that mean You Shulei can live forever?"

Ji Nanxing: "How could he live forever? Word is the Netherworld audits its ledgers every sixty years, specifically to root out those who’ve swapped fates to hide from destiny. Even without that, You Shu'ang’s body will age over time. Once it can no longer hold his soul, he’ll die."

Their swap worked because they were twins with matching fates. For anyone else, it wouldn’t be so easy.

Though the Bureau had no intention of interfering with You Shulei’s case, they still documented it and investigated who had arranged the fate-swap years ago.

They traced it back to a planchette medium who had died three years ago. Her family had long dealt with the underworld, practicing spirit-writing and communicating with spirits—skills surpassing even some taoists. But she had never joined the Bureau, instead earning her keep with divination and selecting auspicious dates in small towns.

Her mother had once received an act of kindness (a meal) from the You family, so when they came asking for help, the medium rewrote their childless fate, giving rise to the You brothers.

With the cause and effect clarified and the threat eliminated, the Bureau staff responsible for the initial mishap were reprimanded and fined. Since no greater disaster had occurred, they breathed easier.

The next day, You Shulei returned to class. His roommate asked if something had happened at home, given his days-long absence.

You Shulei smiled. "It’s nothing. Everything’s fine now."

Lin Xiu, still glued to his game, glanced up. "That person who got your excused absence—was that your guardian? Baldy Li plays favorites. Wang Chuan tried to take leave a couple days ago and got chewed out. Yours went through smoothly, so we thought Li had mellowed."

You Shulei and Xiao Ye exchanged a glance. *If even the Bureau couldn’t swing an excused absence, that counselor would have guts.*

Xiao Ye: "What reason did Wang Chuan give that got rejected?"

Lin Xiu giggled. "Said his mom was dragging him to a matchmaking session to earn credits for getting married in college."

You Shulei: "Isn’t that marriage credit thing just an urban legend?"

Xiao Ye: "*Get* credits for marrying?!"

They spoke almost in unison, but their words were entirely different. As soon as You Shulei finished, he heard Xiao Ye’s sharp tone and saw his gaze dart toward the next dorm.

Lin Xiu: "I heard our school gives GPA points for marriage? Not sure though. Who’d actually marry for a few extra points?"

Before he could finish, Xiao Ye had taken off like a shot. Lin Xiu looked at You Shulei.

You Shulei grinned. "Probably off to propose."

"Right this second?" Ji Nanxing had just showered and changed in his dorm. He’d dripped soup on his morning clothes during breakfast in the cafeteria. Disliking the mess, he’d decided to clean up and change.

He had just finished showering when Xiao Ye came over and went straight into the bathroom with his discarded clothes.

They had prepared all their daily necessities here, so there was no need to borrow someone else's laundry basin or detergent.

Seeing Xiao Ye immediately take Ji Nanxing’s clothes to wash without a word, Yang Mulin, who had been playing on his phone, sneered—what a suck-up.

No one noticed his little gesture. Ji Nanxing walked up next to Xiao Ye: “You could just take them back and throw them in the washer.”

Xiao Ye: “They’re barely dirty—just a few soup stains. I’ll just scrub them a bit.”

Ji Nanxing didn’t stop him. At home, they didn’t usually do these things either—clothes went straight into the washing machine, and anything hard to clean would be left for the housekeeper. Not doing it didn’t mean they couldn’t.

Watching Xiao Ye diligently wash his clothes, Ji Nanxing watched him for a moment before asking, “Did you race over just to wash my clothes?”

Xiao Ye’s ears turned red as he leaned closer to Ji Nanxing and whispered, “I just heard you get extra credits for getting married.”

He then looked at him expectantly, his intention clear.

Ji Nanxing chuckled again and pinched his ear, “Sorry to burst your bubble.”

Xiao Ye’s pupils instantly shrank and he stammered, “Wh-what do you mean? You don’t want to marry me?!”

Ji Nanxing poked his cheek, “Get real. By the time I’m twenty-two, we’ll already be graduating senior year.”

Xiao Ye was stunned—dating has age limits, and now marriage too? What kind of world is this?!

Author's Note:

Xiao Ye: Life’s unfair. This world sucks.