Chapter 48

The boy was wheeled out of the operating theater.

His black lips and sunken cheeks took the youth out of the seven-year-old child.

Melody choked with sobs. “Ivan, Mommy is taking you home.”

If he could not be saved, so be it. The little man had tubes sticking out all over his body and lay alone on the operating table.

It was hard enough for the boy.

With the car driving off, Colton turned a corner and made his way toward the Crawfords’ family home.

Melody held Ivan in anguish without paying attention to where the car was going.

A phone call came in, and Colton tapped the button to accept. Karen’s exasperated voice came from the other end of the line.

“Where are you taking Ivan, Colt?”

Colton answered in a flat tone, “The doctor said that they can’t help Ivan, so I’m taking him to the Crawfords.”

He informed his mother about what Lilly said to him yesterday.

Karen was Ivan’s grandmother and a rather superstitious old lady.

She was on the extreme end when it came to superstition as she could only dine at an auspicious time.

Nevertheless, Colton’s reply only infuriated her further. “What’s the point of seeking help from a little girl? What does she know? I found a practitioner, so come back now with Ivan/”

Colton scowled. Karen had sought many practitioners, but these people were later revealed to be shams.

He answered, “That won’t be necessary.”

Melody did not mean to eavesdrop, but Karen’s loud voice could be heard from the phone.

“What do you mean it won’t be necessary? I’m telling you to come home now! I have Master Sullivan here. Do you know who Master Sullivan is? He’s not someone who can easily be invited. Master Sullivan has reached the pinnacle of spiritualism. Do you get it? You rather believe a little girl than a true practitioner.”

Colton faintly responded, “I’m hanging up.”

He then terminated the call.

Holding Ivan tightly in her arms, Melody asked, “Are we going to see Lilly?”

She had heard about the young heiress’ union with the Crawfords.

Colton queried, “Do you trust the girl?”

If Melody gave a negative answer… Colton would turn the car around and take Ivan home.

To his surprise, Melody firmly replied, “I trust her.”

This was because the girl carried the boy back.

Lilly also said to come to her before Ivan’s health took a turn for the worst.

…

Meanwhile, Karen was fuming after the call.

“Master Sullivan, can you… come with me to the Crawfords’ residence?”

Next to the old lady sat a practitioner with brows longer than his beard. He had his eyes closed for a rest.

He arrogantly uttered, “I don’t usually interfere with the mortal world. I have already made an exception by coming here with you…”

Karen devoutly nodded her head. “Yes, I understand. It’s all my ungrateful son’s fault. I can’t believe he’s going to see a child.”

She anxiously and helplessly relayed what Colton said before bringing up restoring Master Sullivan’s shrine and doing good deeds to repay him.

Master Sullivan said, “Fine. It was fate that brought us together. I’ll go with you and check out the kid who made these insensible notions.”

Grateful for Master Sullivan’s change of heart, Karen brought him to the Crawfords’ residence.

…

After breakfast, Lilly looked out vacantly.

“Master, do you think the boy will be okay?”

She could not shake off the dream she had this morning. The ghost in the dream simply stared at her without a word.

Lilly believed that the ghost might really become a ghost if he died. For all she knew, he would come into her dreams every night to stare at her…

Pablo sat cross-legged in a corner, scribbling something in a notebook. He offhandedly remarked, “Are you interested to find out? I can teach you to read his fortune.

“Do you remember what I taught you yesterday? The five practices of spiritualism – Cultivation, Medicine, Destiny, Prophecy, and Observation.”

Lilly replied, “I do… I guess.”

Pablo gave her a skeptical look.

She was snoozing away before he was even done talking yesterday. Remember, his *ss.

Pablo added, “Destiny is all about reading the stars and signs to deduce a person’s fortune. Prophecy is the art of divination to infer the future…”

He took his time to impart the basics to Lilly, and Lilly listened intently. There was no telling whether Lilly got it though.

“Now, can you try and look into Ivan’s future?”

Lilly immediately looked around.

Fortune-telling… Pendulum…

The little girl got these two things in her head.

With her eyes lighting up, she ran to the artificial pond and fished out a tortoise that was basking in the sun.

“Ha!”

Lilly hurled the tortoise onto the grass.

The tortoise tumbled and rolled around upside down before stopping.

The poor tortoise was puzzled.

Pablo was at a loss for words.

A pendulum or a dome-shaped item could be used for the art of divination, but nothing was said about using a tortoise, and a live one at it.

What was she doing?

Looking serious, Lilly kneeled before the tortoise. “Hm… Is that so…”

Pablo was speechless. “What do you mean?”

Lilly responded, “The boy isn’t dead, and he’s heading our way.

“There’s a scammer too… Oh, the poor boy! He might not make it…”

She was down on all fours and got to the tortoise’s eye level.

Putting up a struggle, the tortoise craned its neck and bit on the grass to flip itself over.

Lily exclaimed, “Ah! There will be a turn of events!”

Pablo had no words.

What the hell? Was that supposed to be an unexpected twist to the boy’s fate?

Pablo irritably did the math before shooting Lilly with a look of surprise.

Huh? It seemed to be the case.

Just then, the sound of a roaring engine came from outside the Crawford Mansion.

Getting up, Lilly dusted off her bottoms and ran out.

Hugh and Bettany’s voices echoed across the hall. “Mr. Shaw… How is Ivan doing?”

“Lilly is here. Margaret, please fetch Lilly for us…”

Lilly made haste. “Here I come, Granny!”

Bettany steadied the little girl. “Slow down. Why did you get here so quickly?”

Lilly turned her gaze to Colton and the woman next to him who was carrying Ivan.

“The tortoise told me that Ivan was coming, so I came running.”

Bettany and Hugh were confused. What tortoise?

The moment Melody laid eyes on Lilly, she felt like the girl was her lifeline.

“Lilly, please save Ivan…”

Nothing was more touching than the love of a parent. Melody was lost.

Ivan was motionless in her arms.

Lilly ran into the house, yelling, “Come in quickly!”

Colton took Colton and kept up with Lilly.

Bettany and Hugh followed behind.

Lilly went straight to the kitchen. Pablo said that she needed fire to summon the lost soul.

She also needed the boy’s clothes…

Margaret asked, “What are you looking for, Little Miss?”

Lilly answered, “I’m searching for a firepit, papers, and a piece of Ivan’s clothes…”

While talking, she took a glance at Ivan.

She realized she had a flame on top of his head.

Dumbstruck, Lilly quietly asked, “Master, what’s that on Ivan’s head?”

Pablo replied, “The flame on the head represents his life force. An incense will appear before a person’s death. The person will die once the fire reaches its end.”

He said while wincing his face.

The flame would not appear on those whose lives were in danger, yet it was not their time yet.

However, death was imminent when the incense showed up.

Was the kid not going to survive?