Divine Level Witch Doctor

"Of course, we have to find Liu Lili and convince her..."

Before Zhao Yuan could even finish, a wail of utter despair echoed from the lakeshore in the park.

The three of them followed the sound with their eyes and saw Liu Lili at the edge of the lake. "Son, hang on! Mommy's coming to save you!" she cried, leaping into the water.

But Liu Lili couldn't swim. She flailed in the water a couple of times before she started to sink.

Fortunately, at this critical moment, people on the shore rushed to help. Some jumped into the lake and swam toward the drowning Xiaochengcheng, while others grabbed Liu Lili and started dragging her back to land.

Tears streamed down Chen Kaihua's face. "This is the scene from two years ago, when Xiaochengcheng drowned," he said. "Even though I wasn't here, I've heard Lili recount it countless times."

For him, witnessing his son's death with his own eyes was gut-wrenching. In that moment, he viscerally felt the same despair and guilt that Liu Lili must have faced two years ago. He finally understood why she had developed such an obsession, why she insisted on keeping Xiaochengcheng's soul inside her own body.

"Lili!" Chen Kaihua shouted. He grabbed Xiaochengcheng and was about to run toward Liu Lili.

"You go alone," Zhao Yuan said, stopping him.

"Why?" Chen Kaihua asked, not understanding.

Zhao Yuan replied, "We've come to this dreamscape to make Liu Lili let go of her obsession. If she sees Xiaochengcheng now, she'll just believe he isn't dead, and all our efforts will have been for nothing! When you get to her, you must tell her that Xiaochengcheng is dead!"

Chen Kaihua nodded. "I understand!" Taking a deep breath, he composed himself and strode toward the shore.

By the time he reached the shore, Liu Lili had just been pulled from the lake. The moment she saw him, she threw herself into his arms, wailing, "Kaihua, you have to save Xiaochengcheng! Save our son! It's all my fault... *sob*... if I hadn't gotten distracted, he wouldn't have fallen in the lake. I'm a terrible mother. If anything happens to Chengcheng, I don't want to live anymore!"

Chen Kaihua wanted to cry too, but he forced back the tears. He gently patted Liu Lili's back and said softly, "Lili, it's all in the past. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Liu Lili grew furious. She struggled out of his arms, pointed a trembling finger at the lake, and shrieked, "What do you mean, it's in the past? Chengcheng is still in the lake!"

Chen Kaihua couldn't hold it in any longer. He sobbed, "Xiaochengcheng is already dead!"

"Dead? Impossible! My son can't be dead! Impossible!" Liu Lili roared, her voice raw and her emotions spiraling into hysterics.

Just then, one of the rescuers pulled Xiaochengcheng's body from the lake.

Liu Lili scrambled over, clutching the soaking wet, ice-cold body to her chest. "Chengcheng, open your eyes!" she shrieked hysterically. "Look at Mommy!"

Though grief-stricken, Chen Kaihua remembered the task Zhao Yuan had given him. "Chengcheng is already dead," he said loudly. "Please, don't do this!"

"Dead? He's dead..."

Liu Lili froze, as if she'd been struck by lightning.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuan let out a soft sigh. He patted Xiaochengcheng's shoulder and said, "You're up."

Xiaochengcheng nodded and walked toward the wailing Liu Lili, with Zhao Yuan following close behind.

Reaching his mother's side, Xiaochengcheng called out through his tears, "Mommy."

Liu Lili's body jolted. She looked up and saw Xiaochengcheng, then jumped to her feet in excitement, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Son, you're not dead? You're alive! Oh, thank God, thank God."

Chengcheng clung tightly to his mother, choking back sobs. "No, Mommy. I'm already dead."

"H-How could that be?" Liu Lili couldn't believe it—or rather, she refused to believe it.

Chengcheng let go of her and pointed to the body lying on the ground. "Look. That's my body."

Liu Lili turned her head, her gaze flicking from the corpse on the ground back to Chengcheng. Her mouth fell open as she asked in utter disbelief, "Then... what are you...?"

"I'm a Ghost," Chengcheng replied.

Liu Lili wasn't scared.

This was her son. No matter what he had become—even a Ghost or a Demon—a mother would never be frightened of her own child.

After a brief silence, Liu Lili said, "I understand. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have died! Don't worry. Mommy will make sure you live on, even if I have to trade my own life and soul. I'll do it without hesitation! Son, from today on, you'll live inside Mommy's body!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan knew it was time for him to speak.

"You can't do that. The living and the dead must walk separate paths. If you let Chengcheng reside in your body, you will only end up harming both yourself and him!"

"Who are you?" Liu Lili whirled around to glare at Zhao Yuan, her eyes filled with hostility. "Are you trying to tear us apart? How could you be so cruel!"

Zhao Yuan shook his head. "No, you've misunderstood. I'm not trying to separate you. I'm here to save you both."

"I don't need your saving!" Liu Lili roared.

Zhao Yuan raised a hand and pointed at Chengcheng, still clutched in her arms. "Then what about your son? Are you just going to stand by and watch as he's unable to reincarnate, forced to become a Lone Soul, a Wild Ghost? Do you want him to suffer until the sun's rays or a cold gust of wind scatters his very essence, wiping him from existence forever? Are you really that cruel?"

Liu Lili glanced at Chengcheng, her expression a mix of terror and worry. "Wiped from existence? Th-That's impossible. You're lying! You have to be lying to me!"

Seeing his wife in such agony, Chen Kaihua's heart ached, and he started to say something to comfort her.

But Zhao Yuan stopped him.

'Liu Lili's obsession is too deep. To make her let go, we have to resort to drastic measures.'

Zhao Yuan decided to add more fuel to the fire. He pointed at Chengcheng and said in a grave tone, "Look! It's because you refuse to let go that his soul is already starting to dissipate!"

Liu Lili hurriedly looked down and saw that her son's form was indeed beginning to fade. Her face drained of color. "What's happening?"

"This is the consequence of your refusal to let go! It's not too late if you let go now! Otherwise, your son will vanish completely!" With that, Zhao Yuan's voice grew sharp. "Liu Lili, are you still not going to let him go? Do you really want to be the reason he disappears forever?"

Chengcheng played his part perfectly, crying out, "Mommy, I don't want to disappear!"

Liu Lili trembled uncontrollably. After a fierce internal struggle, she finally screamed, "I'll let go! I'll let go, all right?! I don't want my son to vanish! I want him to be reincarnated, to have another chance at life!"

Hearing her words, Zhao Yuan let out a long breath. He muttered to himself, 'It worked.'

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