A Mother’s Plea and a Lingering Soul

[My deepest sympathies, Auntie. I also believe what Master Bai said—you’ll definitely meet again.]

[Thank you. I still have a little time left with my daughter. I couldn’t come to terms with it before, but after hearing the streamer say that, I feel a little more at ease. As long as we can meet again, it’s just a brief separation…]

The mother’s words in the livestream seemed directed at the netizens, yet Bai Wanwan sensed she was primarily comforting herself.

Indeed, that was the truth of the matter. It was as if the very end of science converged with the mystical. When reality offered no solutions and hope was lost, people would always subconsciously cling to such ethereal, intangible beliefs.

Bai Wanwan had often heard her grandfather speak of it: commemorating those who had passed was never a meaningless triviality.

Do prayers and offerings truly work?

Perhaps…

But more often, it was about seeking solace for the heart.

Does visiting graves truly help?

Perhaps…

More often, however, it was a way of using incense and burnt paper to convey a message to the departed: that all was well in the living world, and ‘I miss you greatly.’

This was also why Bai Wanwan had never given up on studying folklore with her grandfather for so many years.

It was never feudal dross; instead, it offered people a sense of belonging and profound comfort through a mysterious, unspoken tradition.

How fleeting life was! Even with the closest of kin, the time one shared amounted to mere decades, and decades were more than enough to smooth over everything…

Yet, after those decades, only memories would endure forever.

[Is there a way? I’d like to donate some money. What illness does the little girl have?]

The wealthy user ‘Qiqizi,’ who had remained silent after showering the stream with gifts, now spoke. Bai Wanwan observed Deng Shuqi’s message, noting its extraordinary nature; the bullet comments she sent were always magnificent, adorned with dazzling special effects.

‘How much had she spent on this livestream platform?’

[Thank you, but it’s not needed. The doctor said my daughter is already in the late stage; she won’t live past two months. She loves watching livestreams and adores cute girls. Every time she points at a female streamer who resembles her, she tells me, ‘That’s what I’ll look like when I grow up.’]

[This is heartbreaking.]

[Master Bai, is there any way you can help them? Exorcism is exorcism, after all. Expelling a disease demon counts as exorcism, doesn’t it?]

For once, the bullet comments weren’t abstract, yet the request they put forth left Bai Wanwan in a deeply difficult position.

Birth, old age, sickness, and death were a person’s destined fate, and Bai Wanwan had no way to interfere with such a fundamental truth.

Even if a name were to be erased from the Book of Life and Death, it wouldn’t guarantee immortality. Moreover, throughout history, only the legendary Monkey King had ever managed to strike a name from its pages.

By what right or power could Bai Wanwan interfere with another’s life and death? If it were a malevolent ghost possessing someone or a villain’s malicious scheme, then it would be another matter entirely…

But this was the little girl’s destiny, and no one could change it.

If it were truly possible, wouldn’t she wish for a world free of separation and death?

“I cannot do something like this,” she said softly. “Not only is it beyond my capabilities, but it would be difficult to find another person on this earth capable of such a feat.”

“If someone were to solemnly promise you a resurrection technique, it could only be a very low-level scam.”

Bai Wanwan gently shook her head, and the livestream fell silent for a moment, a heavy quiet settling over the viewers.

The atmosphere grew somewhat heavy. Although Bai Wanwan felt a pang of pity, having witnessed countless partings and deaths, she could only sigh inwardly at the unfairness of fate in such matters.

During her time assisting her grandfather in the funeral business, wasn’t every single case steeped in a story that evoked profound regret and sorrow?

What Bai Wanwan faced, after all, was death itself.

“If the opportunity arises,” Bai Wanwan offered, “I can perform a blessing for this mother, praying for her child to have a smooth and peaceful next life.”

[Thank you, streamer. She has suffered so much in this life with me. If it were possible, I wish I could trade places, just so she could be free from illness and disaster in her next life.]

[It will certainly happen.]

[I miss my mom. I’m going to call her, boohoo…]

[Just finished the call. My mom scolded me thoroughly; she asked if I’d spent all my living expenses again.]

[Couldn’t hold it together, bro.]

[Even though I got scolded, she still transferred a month’s living expenses to me.]

At this moment, the livestream chat was abuzz with discussions centered around the unfortunate mother. Bai Wanwan, however, had no mind to pay further attention to the bullet comments.

Bai Wanwan had more pressing matters to attend to: helping Deng Shuqi find her brother’s soul. After all, she had received a hefty reward of three hundred thousand.

Even if she couldn’t locate it, she still had to explain clearly to Deng Shuqi exactly where her brother’s soul had gone.

“How is it? Any discoveries?”

Bai Wanwan glanced at Liu Hanzhi, who was diligently searching. Liu Hanzhi hesitated, then slowly shook her head.

There were no signs of any soul activity nearby. To be honest, Liu Hanzhi was more inclined to believe that Deng Shuqi’s brother’s soul had already dispersed.

After all, the malevolent ghost within Jinbaihan had originally intended to set a trap to acquire a brand new body. It had even orchestrated the car’s loss of control perfectly, knocking the soul out of the body while leaving the physical form relatively unharmed.

Had Deng Shuqi not sought Bai Wanwan’s help to resolve the situation, Jinbaihan would likely have become the next supernatural realm.

“In another hour, the yin energy will dissipate, making it even harder to find anything,” Liu Hanzhi explained. “Should we continue searching, or should we perhaps inquire with the underworld couriers?”

Liu Hanzhi was already planning to help Bai Wanwan contact the underworld couriers for a delivery, and at that time, they might also be able to inquire about the whereabouts of Deng Shuqi’s brother’s soul.

“Let’s keep looking for a bit longer.”

Bai Wanwan’s concern lay with Deng Shuqi’s brother’s body, as well as the unsettling eyes that had previously appeared before the French window.

With such a high-quality, vacant body lying there, any ghost would likely be greatly tempted.

From a folklore perspective, leaving the body unattended would inevitably attract malevolent spirits, which was, ultimately, not a good thing.

From a moral and ethical standpoint, Deng Shuqi’s brother had merely entered a vegetative state; he wasn’t truly dead, and therefore, his body couldn’t be disposed of.

Leaving it there would inevitably attract malevolent spirits. While Bai Wanwan might initially be able to guard it, as more and more malevolent spirits began to covet the body, she alone would likely become overwhelmed.

****

Meanwhile, at the hospital, as it was already late into the night, the patients and their families in the inpatient building were all resting. Even the night shift nurses had returned to their station for a brief respite.

The entire inpatient building was utterly silent.

On the tenth floor, the topmost floor, with fewer occupants and a greater emphasis on privacy and quiet, only a few faint lights illuminated the long corridor.

Ding!

Accompanied by the soft chime of an elevator arriving, its slowly opening doors cast a sudden light upon the previously dim corridor.

A nurse, with her head bowed, stepped heavily out of the elevator, heading directly towards Deng Shuqi’s brother’s room.

A patient’s family member, not yet asleep, peeked out from their room, curious about who was walking around the corridor so late. They assumed it was a nurse responding to a patient feeling unwell.

However, as the family member returned to their room and closed the door, a sense of unease settled upon them.

‘Weren’t there only two elevators in the inpatient building?’