The moment three-year-old Qi Yu devoured the second soul, a light bloomed on her forehead, revealing a small dot. This dot then expanded, forming a massive halo that enveloped Qi Yu entirely.
Qi Yu's body also transformed in that instant.
She began to grow taller, her features resembling those of a young girl on the cusp of adulthood, exuding exquisite beauty.
When the white light receded, Qi Yu had transformed from her three-year-old form into a young girl in her teens.
She was still wearing the clothes that Si Qing had conjured with magic, which had transformed from a small red robe into a flowing red gauze dress.
The hem of the skirt was embroidered with maple leaves.
Her raven-black hair was tied back, styled into a butterfly bun, with delicate glass butterflies dangling from glass hairpins at her temples.
She appeared innocent and lively.
"Two souls and one spirit have been gathered," Qi Nian said, watching Qi Yu gradually recover, a sigh of relief escaping him. He looked up at the sky of the Dream Butterfly Secret Realm and voiced a soul-searching question, "Since this is the case, shouldn't we be concerned about the next matter? How can we get out of here quickly?"
"Getting out isn't difficult. I've been contemplating solutions for leaving the secret realm all along, and now I have an idea I want to try. If it succeeds, we should be able to leave," Si Qing said. He summoned the Yan Zhen Mirror and connected its other end directly to the dressing table mirror in Qi Yu's room in the South Sea.
Once the location was set, Si Qing closed his eyes and recited the incantation, instructing everyone to hold hands. Then, he opened the mirror portal and with a gentle step, they exited the secret realm.
The departure was so smooth that before everyone could react, they found themselves in Qi Yu's room in the South Sea Dragon Palace.
Si Qing looked apologetic, "I didn't want to set the exit in my sister's room, but only her room in the entire South Sea Dragon Palace has such a large mirror."
His own mirrors were either oddly shaped or very narrow.
An Nuo's room only had a palm-sized round mirror at most, and she relied on magic for her daily grooming.
Therefore, the South Sea Dragon Palace didn't have many full-length mirrors prepared.
"Let's get out quickly, quickly," Sui You urged everyone to leave. Once they reached the corridor of the South Sea Dragon Palace, they all sat down on the floor, exhaling a long breath.
Little Qi Yu was still fiddling with her skirt.
Alone, she looked around with curiosity, peeking here and touching there, occasionally reaching out to tap the shells on the pillars.
Si Qing stood at a distance, observing the innocent and curious little Qi Yu. After watching for a while, he shifted his gaze back to Sui You and Yan Hua, asking, "Third Senior Brother, Master, you say my sister has now found two souls and one spirit, but her memory is still not fully recovered. Does this mean that for my sister's memory to fully recover, we must find the remaining spirit?"
"Once the three souls are gathered, the remaining seven spirits can be automatically summoned back with the use of magic," Yan Hua said, then added, "However, there is a drawback. Because Qi Yu's last soul contains too many memories, and due to the punishment of becoming the Heavenly Dao before, it is very likely to be attached to someone or some animal."
"The greatest possibility is that it will be suppressed in a place that can never be discovered, causing Qi Yu's soul with the most memories to gradually dissipate, so that Qi Yu, with her three souls and seven spirits complete, does not return for revenge."
"Therefore, our search will definitely be more difficult than the previous ones, and we must look in places we never imagined before."
Sui You rubbed his forehead.
They had been searching for so long without rest, and they were utterly exhausted, mentally drained.
Now, hearing Yan Hua's words, he couldn't immediately think of any suitable place to hide a soul.
Shao Feng massaged his temples, also tired, but in order to gather his beloved daughter's three souls and seven spirits as soon as possible, he dared not relax even a little. "Lord Yan Hua, are you referring to places that normal people cannot conceive of? Could it be in the deepest parts of the ocean or something similar?"
Yan Hua pursed his lips, "I'm not entirely sure."
Because such matters are difficult to explain, perhaps the last soul of Qi Yu's three souls and seven spirits that they had been searching for had been by their side all along.
Anything was possible.
Shao Feng looked enlightened. He stood up unsteadily, about to suggest they search thoroughly within the South Sea Dragon Palace, when suddenly his vision went black, and he fainted backward.
An Nuo let out a startled cry.
Chen Xi slid down from Yan Hua's shoulder and quickly supported Shao Feng's shoulder.
She touched his forehead and discovered that Shao Feng had developed a high fever at some point. Since he had been suppressing it with spiritual energy, it hadn't been noticeable, otherwise, they would have detected something was wrong with Shao Feng much earlier.
"It's likely due to exhaustion," Yan Hua squatted beside him, holding Shao Feng's pulse. "However, he is not human, so this level of illness is manageable. He just needs some rest."
Saying this, Yan Hua had someone carry Shao Feng inside.
An Nuo followed anxiously, covering Shao Feng with a blanket, sending someone to fetch medicine, and to make ginger tea.
Qi Yu stood by, looking at the unconscious Shao Feng with concern. Seeing his eyes tightly shut, she couldn't help but lean closer and reach out to touch his forehead.
Shao Feng's forehead was burning hot.
Si Qing was also worried. He instructed someone to prepare more ice packs to cool Shao Feng down and personally helped to clean and change Shao Feng's clothes.
Qi Yu couldn't help with these tasks.
She could only pace anxiously for a few rounds, then pursed her lips, resting her chin on her hand, and squatted by Shao Feng's bedside, looking dejected like a little puppy, waiting for the medicine to be brought.
After a flurry of activity, they finally managed to give Shao Feng the medicine and change his clothes, allowing him to rest. Shao Feng gradually regained consciousness.
His voice was hoarse. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to search for Qi Yu with his gaze.
"Daddy," Qi Yu rushed to his bedside, her eyes fixed on Shao Feng's face, "Are you okay?"
Si Qing sighed, "Father, you really scared us."
Although they could get sick, it was rare for a dragon like Shao Feng to be so unwell without saying anything.
An Nuo chided Shao Feng, "If you were feeling unwell, why didn't you say so earlier? If you had said something sooner, a few cycles of spiritual energy circulation would have been enough."
"That would have taken at least three to four days," Shao Feng closed his eyes, his slender, pale hand gently stroking Qi Yu's little head. "But I couldn't wait half a day."
He was worried about any potential changes, so he dared not relax. If possible, he wished for thirty-six hours in a day, so he could find all of Qi Yu's souls at once.
Qi Yu looked at Shao Feng, her face filled with sadness.
An Nuo, afraid that their noise might disturb Shao Feng's rest, urged everyone to leave after watching Shao Feng finish his medicine, so that Shao Feng could sleep more.
The medicine began to take effect, and Shao Feng nodded.
After everyone had left, Shao Feng finally closed his eyes, succumbing to fatigue and falling into a deep sleep.
Not far away, specks of starlight began to glow.