Chapter 91: Who is the Funeral For?

Chen Ling felt the latter was more likely. After all, he didn't think he had any talent in the Play Dao.

The two took the K18 train and finally made it back to District 3 before dark. Han Meng stood on the desolate platform and checked the time.

"It's getting late, go back and rest... It won't be long before your appointment documents come down."

"Appointment documents?"

"Executive." Han Meng replied calmly. "All Executors who step onto the God Dao will be appointed as Executives by Aurora City. Since you're the only one who stepped onto the God Dao this time... they can't not appoint you."

"I offended the Star Chamber of Commerce. Will the appointment be a problem?"

"This is an appointment from the highest level of Aurora City; the Star Chamber of Commerce can't interfere. I was able to become the Chief Executive of District 3, so you'll be fine." Han Meng paused for a moment.

"Besides, the situation in the Aurora Domain is special right now... they need manpower."

Chen Ling nodded. "Alright."

Chen Ling's original goal was to become an Executive. After the Star Chamber of Commerce made their move, he thought it would be difficult to become one smoothly... Now it seemed that in some respects, the Executor headquarters was still quite firm.

Chen Ling said goodbye to Han Meng, and they parted ways at the platform.

Chen Ling walked under the night sky, where auroras surged, looking at the approaching outlines of the streets, lost in thought.

He had been away for so long this time going to the Ancient Path of the Military Dao, he wondered how things were going on Frost Street...

At the very least, his peaches should have arrived, right?

……

Frost Street.

"Hey! Have you guys heard?"

"What?"

"There was a group of Executors who went to the Ancient Path for trials this time, right? A friend of mine from Winter Harbor came to pick up goods this afternoon... He told me that the whole batch of Executors died!"

"Ah?!"

On the street corner of Frost Street, several residents pricked up their ears and immediately gathered together with their small stools.

"Is it true?"

"That can't be right. How could it be that dangerous in the Ancient Path... I heard that in previous years, at most one or two died."

"I heard that some Fire-Stealers snuck in this time, stole something, and killed everyone! A large group of people came from Aurora City this afternoon and surrounded the entire harbor."

"I knew about the harbor blockade, I heard about it too... So that's what it was for?"

"Did Chen Ling go too?"

"Seems like it. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him for two days..."

"Then doesn't that mean he also...?!!"

As they spoke, their eyes widened. They looked at each other, their eyes full of astonishment!

"Chen Ling is dead?!" Boss Xu from the tailor shop was the first to stand up, his shocked, booming voice loud enough for half the street to hear.

More and more people walked out of their homes, chattering away, their faces showing confusion, shock, and relief...

Several bosses gathered together and quickly confirmed something. The gloom on their faces dissipated, and the heavy stone in their hearts finally fell.

"He's dead? That monster Executor who eats human hearts is dead?!"

"...I haven't been able to sleep peacefully for the past two days. Every time I close my eyes, I see him handing me a human heart. It's truly terrifying."

"It seems he won't be coming back... Thank goodness, thank goodness, everyone won't have to live in fear from now on!"

“……”

Relief appeared on everyone's faces, and they began to pat each other on the shoulders, comforting one another.

Only Uncle Zhao, who had hurried over without knowing what was going on, turned pale upon hearing the news.

"Dead?" Uncle Zhao muttered to himself. "Such a good kid, how could he just die..."

"Even though Chen Ling ate human hearts, he was a kid who grew up on our Frost Street after all. How about... we hold a funeral for him?"

"That's true. That way, after he rests in peace, he won't come back as a ghost to cause us trouble."

"Can people really turn into ghosts after they die?"

"Ordinary people, I don't know, but he was a monster who ate human hearts. Who knows if he'll come back after he dies..."

"But we don't even have a body, how can we hold a funeral?"

"Just get any coffin and make a paper doll... Boss Xu, isn't that your business? This shouldn't be hard for you, right?"

"Hey, as long as you don't ask me to get human hearts, this is nothing."

Boss Xu waved his hand and immediately led everyone to his shop. He picked out a bright red coffin that no one had chosen, took a paper doll from the shelf, and with a few quick strokes, drew it to look five or six parts like Chen Ling.

"No body, no clothes, just make do with this."

Boss Xu took a few bundles of paper money, as well as paper-crafted houses and furniture, and threw them all into a bag. Then he called two strong young men to carry the coffin and walk toward Chen Ling's house.

The other residents watching, seeing a group of people carrying a coffin out, were curious and followed behind the procession.

Boss Xu stood in front of Chen Ling's house, holding the paper doll in one hand and waving the other toward Chen Ling's house, muttering something... probably words about returning the soul, burial, and resting in peace.

Seeing this, the people behind even felt that Boss Xu was performing a ritual. However, for a situation with no body and no clothes, they really didn't know what else to do.

Boss Xu muttered for a while before putting the paper doll into the coffin and closing the lid.

Just then, as if remembering something, he said a few words to the pork shop owner beside him. Soon, the latter hurried over to the crowd with several large bags filled with chicken and pig hearts.

"These were originally prepared for Chen Ling... as offerings. They won't be needed anymore, and keeping them is bad luck. Might as well bury them as burial goods."

Boss Xu waved his hand, had the two young men carry the coffin, and walked straight toward the back mountain in the dark night, with everyone following close behind.

To be honest, Boss Xu had been in the funeral business for so many years and had never done anything like this before. Paper doll replacing the body, calling the soul in front of the house—these were just funeral procedures he had made up on the spot. After all, cases like Chen Ling's were rare.

But what did that matter?

In the end, everyone was just afraid that Chen Ling would come back to cause trouble after he died. Doing all this was just for peace of mind, so Boss Xu just needed to go through the motions. If he had followed the normal funeral process, it would probably have taken until tomorrow morning.

Because it was dark, everyone carried kerosene lamps, and by the light of the fire, they walked bit by bit toward the back mountain... Behind the bright red coffin, the crowd followed, like countless moving shadows.

By the time everyone had walked far away, a figure walked out from the street corner in confusion, watching the departing crowd, a look of bewilderment flashing across his brow.

"So many people in the middle of the night, who are they holding a funeral for?"

Chen Ling muttered to himself, watching the departing coffin.