Unpredictable train of thought, hidden master detective, fun-loving bottom
Gentle and refined in life, lets loose after death, spirit-form top
*
Lu Jingbai works for the Wish Fulfillment Bureau in the Underworld.
They say that Underworld bailiff Lu Jingbai is a loose cannon who always likes to add his own little flourishes while carrying out assignments. Every month, he gets more complaint letters than he does in wages.
To prove he isn't a good-for-nothing, get promoted and earn a raise, and reach the pinnacle of the Underworld, Lu Jingbai transmigrates to the mortal realm. He decides to accomplish something big and win back everyone's trust.
Lu Jingbai's plan is simple.
Step one: Find the subject of his assignment, Shen Zhihang, the illegitimate son of Duke Cheng.
Step two: Get close to Shen Zhihang and learn what he wishes for.
Step three: Use his status as an Underworld bailiff to take advantage of his position and help Shen Zhihang reach the pinnacle of life before he dies.
Step four...
Oh, crap!!!
How did Shen Zhihang die?!
By the time Lu Jingbai finds him, Shen Zhihang's body has already gone cold.
Lu Jingbai freezes on the spot, his mind going completely blank.
Changing fate.
Defying heaven.
The two phrases pound into his skull like iron hammers.
The Book of Life and Death says when someone dies, and that's when they die. Not a moment earlier or later. Shen Zhihang's case has clearly been tampered with by an outside force. This isn't something a low-ranking Underworld lackey like him can get involved in.
Lu Jingbai plans to pretend he saw nothing and sneak away from the crime scene, when he suddenly feels a weight settle on his shoulder.
Someone leans close beside him and speaks in a chilly voice:
“Are you from the Wish Fulfillment Bureau?”
Lu Jingbai jumps in fright and quickly turns around.
Well, would you look at that? It's Shen Zhihang's spirit!
Shen Zhihang hires Lu Jingbai to find the person who killed him. Lu Jingbai originally doesn't want to get involved, but there's a reason they say money makes the world go round, even for ghosts. When Shen Zhihang tempts him with a hefty reward, Lu Jingbai admits that greed got the better of him.
The case won't get him promoted, but achieving financial freedom is...
Not bad, either?
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Bonus scene:
Lu Jingbai has been in a terrible mood lately. He smiles and jokes around in front of people, then immediately drops his expression as soon as they're gone. When he's with Shen Zhihang, his face gets especially long.
He's an Underworld bailiff, for crying out loud! If a spirit haunting the mortal world keeps doing this and that to him and taking all kinds of liberties, how will he ever show his face in the Underworld?!
“Shen Zhihang!”
Lu Jingbai summons Shen Zhihang with a furious shout.
Shen Zhihang appears at the sound of his name, lazily poking half his body through the wall. As if he has no bones, he drapes himself over Lu Jingbai's back, resting his chin in the hollow of his shoulder. His nose brushes Lu Jingbai's ear, chilling one side of his neck until it goes numb.
“What is it this time?” Shen Zhihang's voice pours into his ear, tinged with laughter, while his fingertips wander over Lu Jingbai's collar.
Lu Jingbai stiffens all over and shoves at him. “Get off me! Have some consideration in public!”
Shen Zhihang hums. Instead of getting off, he hangs his whole body on Lu Jingbai, making him shiver with cold. “No one can see me anyway.”
Lu Jingbai is so angry he wants to slap him. “But they can see me!!!”
Reading Tips:
1. The top only gets a body after going to the Underworld later in the story, so at first the bottom can only... with the top's spirit (censored).
2. The top acts all proper in public but is mischievous in private. Since only Underworld bailiffs can see his spirit, he's mischievous the whole time.
3. The story involves some political intrigue.
Theme: Live well and keep striving
