Chapter 36: Stop crying for a moment, let's talk.

"Is it really possible? Master, can I truly see my daughter again?" Song Zhao’s eyes flickered with a mix of desperation and yearning, his vision blurred by tears. "If you can let me see her just one more time, I will do anything you ask."

"As long as you wish to see her, it can be done." Bai Qianzhou nodded and produced a talisman.

"I want to see her. Please, Master," Song Zhao pleaded, looking at Bai Qianzhou as if begging for his life.

In the observation room, Bai Jingcheng and the others watched the scene in astonishment, witnessing a man who had previously remained silent and unresponsive now sobbing uncontrollably and pleading with all his might.

"As you wish." Bai Qianzhou tossed the talisman into the air and tapped it with a small finger.

At that moment, the attention of those in the observation room was drawn to the corner, where a nearly transparent figure began to manifest. It was a little girl of five or six, wearing a white dress with her hair tied in a ponytail.

"Daddy, Daddy," Song Tiantian called out.

"Tiantian?" Song Zhao turned his head and saw his daughter in the corner.

Bai Qianzhou walked up to Song Zhao and flicked a small hand; with a sharp *click*, the handcuffs on Song Zhao's wrists sprang open.

"What the—!" A young officer was terrified by the sight and started to rush in, but Bai Jingcheng held him back.

Song Zhao gave Bai Qianzhou a grateful look and approached the corner cautiously. He reached out to embrace his daughter, but Bai Qianzhou stopped him.

"Just speak to her for now; do not touch her. Although you have committed murder, the merit you carry has not yet dissipated. She is very weak right now, and the golden light of your merit would shatter her soul into nothingness."

"I... I am sorry. I didn't know. Thank you for the warning, Master. Thank you." Song Zhao bowed to Bai Qianzhou again in gratitude before turning his attention back to his daughter.

"Tiantian, I am sorry. It is Daddy's fault for not protecting you. If I hadn't gone out to buy you that cake, if I hadn't stopped to save those people, if I had just come home earlier..." Song Zhao knelt before her, head bowed, weeping bitterly.

Ever since his daughter passed away, Song Zhao had lived in constant self-reproach, yet no amount of remorse could bring her back.

"Daddy, I don't blame you. Really, I never blamed you. You saved people; I can proudly tell everyone that my daddy is a hero," Song Tiantian said, flashing a sweet smile at him.

"I am sorry..." Her maturity only made Song Zhao choke on his words, leaving him to bow his head and apologize incessantly.

"Hey, Mr. Song, stop crying for a moment. Shall we talk?" Bai Qianzhou, chin resting in hand, watched the scene of the father weeping and the child comforting him. At some point, he had pulled out a large apple and was munching on it with a loud *crunch*.

"What does the Master wish to discuss with me?" Song Zhao wiped his tears and looked at Bai Qianzhou.

"You have killed someone. Under normal procedures, you would have to endure hundreds of years of punishment in the Underworld before you could be reincarnated. As for your daughter, because she has lingered in the mortal realm for too long, her soul is fragile. With fewer people having children these days, she might also have to wait centuries to be reincarnated. However, because you possess merit, I can help you bypass the punishment. Are you interested in becoming a ghost official? Of course, if you become one, you would be able to live with your daughter until she is reincarnated."

Bai Qianzhou took another bite of the apple, smiling brightly at Song Zhao.

"Master, are you saying you can find me a position in the Underworld?" Song Zhao paused for a moment, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"You could put it that way. Are you interested?" Bai Qianzhou asked, his eyes shining with anticipation.

"I am certainly willing, but..." He had killed a man, after all!