CG Chapter 33: Torn Between Fate and Deception.

'It seems that I lost another father, hah. I think that this is simply my destiny,' Tom thought, as he closed his eyes while taking a deep breath that filled his lungs with air as he tried to regain his calmness.

Turning his attention to Li Mei, he said, "We should bury him before his body begins to decay."

Li Mei's body began to sway back and forth, her movements reflecting the turmoil in her mind.

Seeing the scene in front of him, Tom sighed as he thought, 'I believe this has shattered her mentally.'

Tom ignored Li Mei as he carried the body of Tian Chang and placed it near the entrance of the cave. After a while of searching around, he didn't find any shovel to dig with, so he decided to use the nearest item near him, a cooking pot that they had lying inside.

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The hours came and went, and Tom stood with his drenched body 6 feet under the ground after he finally completed creating a place where Tian Chang could rest. Tom wasn't sure if he was doing this for the sake of keeping up the act or if he actually cared about his new family; his face was covered in the rain, and deciding if he was crying or not would be an impossible task to do.

Once he placed Tian Chang's corpse inside the grave, Tom made sure that the burial was covered up completely.

'I need to do one more thing, Tom thought as he ran with incredible speed.

Once he arrived at the location he was searching for, Tom covered his face and picked up a couple of flowers as he prepared to head back.

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Tom glanced inside the cave only to see that Li Mei's tears had all dried up and that the exhaustion of today had gotten to her.

After he made sure that she was still there, Tom's sight shifted back to the grave as he opened his mouth, "I'm not typically sentimental, and I'm not entirely sure why I'm doing this. But consider me burying you today as a token of gratitude for all the training you've given me."

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After uttering his final farewell, Tom gently laid the black flowers on the grave.

He reflected, 'I doubt there's a more fitting flower for a man known as the Scythe of Death than Thanatosia.'

With careful steps, Tom entered the cave, taking great care not to wake up Li Mei.

Standing over Li Mei with an emotionless expression, he grappled with a dilemma: should he end her life or leave her for potential future use?

After a while of contemplation, he ultimately reached a decision. 'No, I can't kill her for now. She's simply too valuable. Her knowledge of the art of healing might open up an entirely new path of possibilities for me. Unfortunately, I don't know how I would extract knowledge from her in her current state.

Once he made up his mind, he ensured his face and body would return to the regular state that he displayed every day.

"Wake up, Mom," Tom said as he gently shook her.

She opened her eyes only to see her son's face in front of her.

Tom expected many things from her. He expected her to scream at him or even hit him. However, what he didn't expect was.

.

Once she noticed her son Li Mei gave him the widest smile she could muster, asking him, "Where's your father? I thought he said he'd be back by now."

'Noor, did she go crazy, or is she simply acting?' Tom asked in his mind, not wanting to make any decisions that would ruin his plans.

[… Unable to come to a conclusion due to lack of information.]

Tom felt a twinge of annoyance but managed to restrain himself. He then asked, 'What's the likelihood that my conjecture is correct?'

[There is a fifty percent chance that the host's idea is correct.]

'I need to gather more information. Should I play along for now?' He decided to draw more information out of her.

"What do you mean? Can you remind me where he went?" Tom asked carefully not to reveal more than he needed to.

As her son asked her a seemingly silly question, Li Mei turned her head to the side, a look of confusion on her face. 'Are you okay?' she inquired. 'It seems your memory has gotten worse. I think I know a recipe for mushroom soup that can help enhance memory. Remind me to make it for you once I gather the ingredients. As for your father, he mentioned he would go hunting for us after we arrived here for our trip.

'Noor.' Tom asked.

[Her facial expressions are too natural for this to be an act. There is a ninety-nine percent that she actually believes in what she is saying.]

'Are you saying that she is now crazy? Shit, shit, shit…' Tom felt a sudden urge to leave upon hearing this. However, a second thought crossed his mind, 'No, wait. If she still believes in our loving family facade, that could work to my advantage. I can manipulate her more easily to get what I want.

"Yeah, I was just joking, but maybe I still need that soup," Tom said as he looked at Li Mei with a smile that would melt the heart of any woman.

After she heard her son answer, Li Mei laughed with him. "Haha, I actually believed you. I thought, how could he have forgotten that so easily? Good thing that my son isn't an idiot."

Tom's smile remained in place as he engaged in this surreal conversation with his mother. He played along, not wanting to reveal his true intentions just yet.

On one side, Li Mei continued to talk about the mushroom soup and their family plans. And on the other Tom was relieved that she seemed to have accepted the fabricated reality he was presenting. It seemed that his strings were slowly tightening their grip on her.

Tom realized that he needed to maintain this facade for now. Manipulating Li Mei would be easier if she believed they were still a loving family. He decided to ask a few more questions, trying to gather information while keeping the act intact.

"That's right, Mom," Tom said with feigned enthusiasm. "I think it's time for us to go to sleep."

Li Mei's smile faded slightly, and she glanced at the cave entrance, her expression shifting to one of mild concern. "Well, your father should have been back by now. He always returned on the promised time. Maybe I should go look for him."

Tom's heart skipped a beat; he had to prevent her from leaving the cave and discovering the truth. "No need to worry, Mom," he said quickly. "It might be dangerous out there, especially with the rain. Let's give him a bit more time. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

Li Mei hesitated but ultimately nodded. "You're right. I'll wait a bit longer. He's a strong man; he can take care of himself."

Tom inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that, for now, Li Mei would remain inside the cave. He needed time to figure out his next steps and how to extract the valuable knowledge she possessed without raising suspicion.

As the rain continued to pour outside, Tom sat beside his mother, engaging in a conversation that felt increasingly surreal. He couldn't help but wonder how long this delicate facade could be maintained and what challenges lay ahead as he continued to navigate the intricate web of deception and manipulation.