Chapter Four

  Kenji's old eyes, deep like pools reflecting stars, really grabbed Li Wei's attention. “That alien world… doesn't mean anything to me now. I'm going somewhere else, but my dumb old body won't take me.” He tapped his chest with a really bony hand, and it sounded kind of empty. “But you… you're strong, and your body is still good. I need that.”

  Li Wei felt a shiver go down his spine. Need it? What does that mean?

  Kenji smiled a little, a sad kind of smile. “To the land of the dead, kid. Where everyone goes when they die. I need to see Aiko again.”

  Those words just hung there in the mountain air, like they were super important. Li Wei was trying to wrap his head around it. The underworld? Dead people? This wasn't some comic book; this was actually happening… or wasn’t it?

  “Your body,” Kenji went on, staring hard. “It'll be how I get there. Just for a little while, my ghost will use it to go through.”

  Li Wei's stomach dropped. The idea of someone else using his body like a puppet was scary. But when he looked into Kenji's eyes, he saw how badly he wanted this, and Li Wei felt like he kind of had to help.

  “What if I don't want to?” Li Wei barely whispered.

  Kenji's eyes softened, but he sounded serious. “Then you get nothing. You won't learn what you want, or know how to fix those alien animals… it stays away from you here.”

  Li Wei felt stuck. He wanted to help those creatures, to find out about that alien place. This old wizard had the answer, but it was going to cost him.

  “What… What bad things might happen?” Li Wei asked, shaking a little.

  “Power,” Kenji said simply, looking serious. “Going between worlds, even if a ghost is using a living body, takes a lot out of you. Your spirit will be… used. I can't promise you'll still be alive when we get back, kid.”

  Li Wei felt those words hit him hard. Give up his life for a shot at helping aliens and maybe getting rich? It was a stupid idea, and he was scared. But going back with nothing, still wondering, felt just as bad.

  “I… I'll do it,” Li Wei finally said, and it felt like he was swallowing something nasty.

  Kenji nodded, and for a second, Li Wei thought he saw thanks in his eyes. Okay, then. Get ready. This isn't some easy magic trick. This place is a good spot to go see another dimension, but it still takes work.

  What happened next was nothing like Li Wei thought it would be. Kenji led him to a circle of old rocks covered in moss and weird, glowing drawings. He told Li Wei to lie down in the middle, with his arms and legs out. Kenji started singing in some old language that sounded like wind blowing through ruins. He got louder and louder, and the rocks started to shake.

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  A weird energy filled the air, like a buzz going through Li Wei's body. He felt light like part of him was floating away. Everything started to blur, and the trees turned into swirls of colors.

  Then, nothing. Not just black, but like a really deep darkness with voices whispering and sad cries far away. He was still awake, but he couldn't move. Someone else was driving.

  He saw a dark place like it was always almost night, and dead trees reaching up to a cloudy sky. Ghosts were floating everywhere, see-through and shimmering. This was the land of the dead.

  And then he saw her. A woman smiling kindly, with eyes that looked familiar. Aiko. His grandmother looked younger, without all the worries he remembered.

  Kenji, using Li Wei's voice, spoke, sounding like he really missed her. “Aiko… my love.”

  Aiko turned around, and her eyes lit up. “Kenji… you came.”

  It was a touching scene. Kenji, speaking through Li Wei, told Aiko how much he loved her and how the years felt like nothing. Aiko answered like that too, her voice soft in that sad place. They talked about old times, sunny days together, and promises made under the stars.

  Li Wei was stuck there, watching a love that didn't stop even after death. He never thought his mean grandmother could feel so much. It felt strange and amazing.

  After a long time, all that whispering started to bother Li Wei. He felt tired and weird because he wasn't in control of his own body. He thought, *Okay, that's enough. Please stop.*

  Right when he thought that everything started to disappear. Aiko faded away, her smile gone into the mist. Kenji pulled away too, and the energy was gone.

  Li Wei gasped and opened his eyes. He was back on the rocks, smelling the dirt and trees. He was tired, his body ached, and he felt worn out.

  Kenji was next to him, looking tired too. “Thank you, kid. You did something really special for me.”

  That night, Kenji gave Li Wei some dried fruit and water. They didn't say much. The next morning, Li Wei felt like he had to do something fast.

  “Master Kenji,” he said, still sounding weak. “You said you'd share knowledge with me… how to patch up those weird alien animals.”

  Kenji slowly nodded. “Yes. But you can't just say it. You need to… see it for yourself.”

  The next day, he started getting ready. He mixed different plants – ones Li Wei had never seen before – with water from a secret spring in the mountains. They shimmered with light. He sang softly while he stirred like the nature around them was humming too.

  “Drink this kid,” Kenji said, handing him the mix in a bowl. “It'll help you see things, and understand how other worlds heal.”

  Li Wei hesitated for a second, then drank it. It tasted weird, like dirt, and a little sweet. He felt dizzy. The trees were brighter like they were shining with green light.

  Then, he saw it. He could see a world in bright gold. Weird, glowing plants grew all over the place, with leaves and flowers in many different colors. He saw light sparkling in the air, going to hurt animals, patching them up. He knew what plants could help heal other animals of other worlds. He saw how to mix them. It was like someone was downloading the information into his head.

  The vision was over, and Li Wei was catching his breath. He knew what he had to do.

  For days, Li Wei wandered the mountains, following the images he could see in his mind. He saw glowing leaves, bright flowers, and strange mushrooms that pulsed. It was hard; he was still tired from the ghost visit. He fell and almost gave up. But he recalled seeing the hurt bodies of the creatures, and he marched forward.

  He finally completed the gathering of the various flora, his bags stuffed with plants, fungus, and other ingredients that he had sought. Approaching Kenji again, he has a grateful heart as he looks at Kenji and speaks, “Thank you, Kenji,” Li Wei said, bowing deeply. “I could not have done this without you.”

  Kenji smiled a genuine, warm smile that transformed his aged face. “Go now, young one. Heal the creatures. And may your journey be… fruitful.”

  As Li Wei turned to leave, Kenji held out two objects. “A parting gift.”

  The first was a staff crafted from dark, hard, polished wood. Intricate engravings spiraled along its length, and at its apex, a shard of obsidian was pulsing with a malevolent glow. The Staff of Fury, Kenji said, his voice low. “It channels elemental energies. Use it.”

  The second was a blade, its metal was shimmering with an ethereal light, edges seemingly not quite solid. “And this,” Kenji continued, his eyes glinting, “is the Blade of Elemental Dimensions. It can cut through more than just flesh.”

  Li Wei stared at the gifts, his mind reeling. A staff of fury? A blade of elemental dimensions? These weren't just weapons; they were artifacts of power. The old wizard had given him what he had initially sought – and so much more. Clutching the staff and the blade, a sense of confidence surged through him. He was no longer just a veterinarian. He was armed. He was knowledgeable. He was ready to face that alien world.