The Judge knew An Nuo would return to ask him, but he hadn't expected her to be so quick.
He sighed deeply, his mind churning over and over, but he couldn't find any suitable words to comfort An Nuo. In the end, he could only tell the truth: "Regarding the matter of the Heavenly Dao, how should I put it? To say there's absolutely no chance seems incorrect."
An Nuo's head shot up instantly: "So, there's still a chance? Explain it to me clearly."
The Judge paced back and forth: "The Heavenly Dao's primordial spirit bestows blessings upon the earth. Therefore, Qi Yu's primordial spirit is actually within the Three Mountains and Five Peaks."
An Nuo pondered, "Judge, what do you mean by that?"
The Judge glanced around, seeing no one, and then conspiratorially pointed upwards, lowering his voice: "The entire Three Realms know about Lord Si Qing's descent into demonhood. I heard about it even in the Underworld. Since we know each other, I'll give you a path."
"You should go to the Nine Heavens and find Lord Si Qing. Have him search with you throughout the Three Mountains and Five Peaks. Perhaps you might find Qi Yu's primordial spirit, which hasn't completely dissipated. It's not impossible."
An Nuo excitedly grabbed the Judge's arm: "Where should I go? Among the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, which place is most likely to yield results? I know I'm asking too much and it puts you in a difficult position, but please, see this through for me."
An Nuo made a gesture as if to kneel.
The Judge quickly supported An Nuo: "You don't need to do this. I'll tell you. However, even though I can tell you, I'm not sure how accurate this information is. To find Qi Yu's primordial spirit, which hasn't completely dissipated, within the Three Mountains and Five Peaks, you need to look for something rather special."
"The Heavenly Dao bestows blessings upon the earth and the Three Realms. This means the recipients of these blessings are not just plants, but also humans. To give a simple example, a young girl in a certain village who was always foolish might suddenly regain her senses. Or someone who was supposed to die might miraculously recover after a severe illness."
"These are all recipients of the Heavenly Dao's blessings. What the Heavenly Dao bestows upon them is mostly what they need."
"For instance, if a foolish person needs a soul fragment to be normal, when the Heavenly Dao bestows blessings, it will provide the missing fragment. What you need to find is this soul fragment."
An Nuo seemed to understand: "So that's why you told us to go to the Three Mountains and Five Peaks to find people blessed by the Heavenly Dao? Because your daughter's soul fragments might be within these people? Then, will Yu'er have memories? Will she recognize me when we meet?"
"All beings in the Three Realms adhere to the concept of three souls and seven spirits," the Judge explained. "Among these, one soul is the dominant soul, which possesses consciousness, but its memories may be incomplete or absent. The other souls and spirits govern emotions, desires, and immortal roots and meridians."
An Nuo diligently took notes, her brow furrowed with doubt as she wrote: "Then, if I find all three souls and seven spirits... what will happen to those humans who originally received the blessings?"
"Of course, the fool will become foolish again, and those who were meant to die will still die," the Judge said, looking at An Nuo. "If you want to save Qi Yu, you are destined not to be a benevolent person. If you want other families to be reunited, then your own family will lose Qi Yu. In this world, many things have cause and effect. You should think about it carefully."
An Nuo nodded.
After leaving the Underworld, she went to the highest snow-capped mountain.
An Nuo did not use her spiritual power but walked step by step to the summit.
She knelt at the peak, clasped her hands together, and kowtowed three times to the heavens, her voice slightly choked with emotion:
"Heaven above, I know that humans blessed by the Heavenly Dao have their own families. For me to take Qi Yu's scattered soul fragments from them and cause those humans' families to rejoice in vain is an extremely selfish act."
"But... for Qi Yu, I can do anything. I will bear all consequences alone and will never implicate others. I only ask that my wish be granted."
An Nuo prayed for a long while before slowly descending the snow mountain. Then, at the fastest speed, she flew to the Nine Heavens and informed Si Qing of the matter.
"Mother, is what you say true?" Si Qing, who had been staring blankly at Qi Yu's ethereal phantom, stood up excitedly, his eyes bloodshot, after hearing An Nuo's words.
An Nuo nodded, tears streaming down her face: "Let's go down now to find your father. We'll search together."
Si Qing responded, pulling An Nuo, and they turned to leave.
Meanwhile.
At the foot of Mount Yue, in a village house.
A young girl slowly opened her eyes.