It’s said that every person is born with three souls and seven spirits.

  The three souls—Yōujīng (Phantom), Shuǎnglíng (refreshing), and Tāiguāng (Fetal light)—are innate a even ial stage. The three souls are indispensable; if even one is missing, the result is a stillborn child.

  In parison, the seven spirits are more obscure. They are Fúshǐ (Hidden Arrow), Shīgǒu (cadaver dog), Chòufèi (Stinky lungs), Fēidú (Non-toxic), Tūnzéi (Swallow a thief), Quèyīn (Sparrow's Shadow), and Chúhuì (Remove filth). For instance, Chòufèi governs the body’s respiratory fun, while Chúhuì oversees metabolism and waste discharge.

  While losing one of the seven spirits won’t immediately end one’s life, it will cause signifit physical defects.

  In the case of Gu Wei, the missing spirit was Tūnzéi, the one responsible festion and absorption. Without it, no matter how muutritious food he ed, his body couldn't absorb anything. Over time, his body grew progressively weaker, and his appearance became skeletal—skin and bones.

  “...Yāoyāo, do you have any way to help Xiao Wei recover the missing spirit that he lost?” Hui, looking at her grandson’s emaciated face, felt her heart ache terribly.

  She had always wondered why things seemed off. Despite the family’s endless supply of rare delicacies, all carefully prepared to nourish Gu Wei’s body, his dition remained unged.

  “Yāoyāo, y brother is begging you. If you do something to help, just tell me what you need. I’ll make it happen, no matter what,” said Gu Heng, Gu Wei’s father, his voice filled with urgency.

  Gu Heng doted heavily on his firstbiven the boy’s frail health, his attention and care for him had only intensified over time.

  Initially, Gu Heng had resigned himself to thinking that Gu Wei’s dition was due to some genital deficy, an ungeable fate. But now, learning that his son’s dition was caused by a lost spirit, he couldn’t sit still.

  At this moment, the entire family turheir attention to Yāoyāo, eagerly awaiting her response. Even Gu Wei himself curiously watched his aunt with his round, dark, and glimmering eyes.

  “Big Brother, Mom, if I help, I definitely will,” Yāoyāo replied, shaking her head. “But let me make something clear first: once a soul or spirit leaves the body, it doesn’t st long iside world—it dissipates quickly. If Wei Wei lost his spirit from birth, it might already be too te to retrieve it.”

  The world is divided into yin and yang energies. Souls and spirits are of pure yin. Without the prote of a physical body, they are obliterated by the yang energy of the human world in mere hours or, at most, three to five days.

  “Let’s try anyway. If we ’t find it, we’ll figure out a different solution,” Gu Heng said after a moment of silence, holding on to a sliver of hope.

  “Alright, I’ll give it a shot,” Yāoyāo nodded. She instructed a servant t her some yellow talismans and abar ink from her room.

  Ohe tools were brought, she began drawing the talisman right in front of everyone.

  The Gu family held their breath, not daring to make a sound for fear of disturbihey watched ily, but the intricate symbols she painted oalisman were inprehensible to them.

  “All done,” Yāoyāo announced, stopping her brush after just two breaths’ time.

  Her mastery of talisman crafting was evident. From the talismao the tail and the infusion of spiritual esseo the talisman’s core, every step was smooth and effit.

  “Will this really work?” Gu Li, one of the family members, couldn’t help expressing his doubts, his eyes fshing with skepticism.

  He had always found the cims of Yāoyāo’s extraordinary abilities hard to believe.

  “This is a Soul-Searg Talisman. If Wei Wei’s spirit is within ten miles of this talisman, it will se,” Yāoyāo expined.

  She didn’t mention what would happen if the spirit was outside that range, but everyone was smart enough to uand the implications.

  To activate the talisman, she needed something personal from Gu Wei, such as a strand of hair or a piece of clothing, to establish the e.

  “Let’s begin,” Gu Heng said without hesitation, plug a strand of his son’s hair and handing it over.

  Taking the hair, Yāoyāo wasted no time. She csped the talisman, formed the Daoist Treasure Vase Seal with her fingers, and shouted, “Ji!” (Hasten!)

  The yellow talisman ignited spontaneously, and trails of white smoke rose, lingering and curling as they floated away.

  “This… what…?” Hui murmured in amazement, her eyes wide with surprise.

  Unclear whether the spirit had been found or not, she instinctively turo her daughter. Seeing the grim look on Yāoyāo’s face, her heart sank.

  “Follow the smoke!” Yāoyāo anded sharply.

  Had they really found it?

  Normally, a free-floating spirit wouldn’t survive this long. However, if supernatural interference had occurred, it was a different story. This realization was the source of Yāoyāo’s unease.

  The Gu family, unaware of these plexities, broke into smiles at the news of the discovery. Without dey, they followed the smoke trail as instructed, with a driver quickly starting the car to take them in pursuit.

  Not long after, they arrived at the destination and stepped out of the car. Upon seeing where the smoke had led them, the Gu family’s expressions darkened.

  “Why here?” Gu Yu couldn’t help but excim.

  Before them stood a grand hotel. At the entrance, greeters and security stood dutifully, while a revolving door spun tinuously.

  The e above the hotel’s entrance gleamed with goldeering that read, “Mingfu Courtyard.”

  This was her than the ba hall they had previously reserved.

  The area was already bustling with guests, and some who were nearby reized the Gu family upon seeing them.

  “President Gu, you’re here early!”

  “This must be your daughter—such a beautiful young dy!”

  Normally, pliments like this about their family members would elicit polite responses from the Gu family. But today, none of them had the mind for idle chatter.

  Afraid of losing the white smoke trail, they gave only brief replies before stepping into the hotel.

  Upoering, they saw the white smoke curling around a young boy in a ly tailored suit.

  The boy was about the same age as Gu Wei, standing obediently beside a middle-aged man, silent and well-behaved. The white smoke, which had remained unbroken until now, merged into the boy and disappeared entirely.

  The missing spirit had clearly been found.

  “Third Brother, why are you here so early?”

  Hearing the otion, the middle-aged man turned around and, upon seeing Gu Xuésōng, greeted him with a smile.

  This man was her than Gu Xíngjūn, Gu Heng’s elder brother and Gu Xuésōng’s sed eldest brother.

  Gu Xuésōng’s geion of the Gu family sisted of three sons and one daughter. Gu Xuésōng was the third son, with two elder brothers above him. After the family had split, however, the brothers didn’t i much. This event was an exception because it was a family celebration, and invitations had beeo everyone.

  “Yāoyāo, what’s the meaning of this?” Hui asked, her gaze fixed on the boy. She already had a sinking suspi but refused to accept it without firmation.

  “Mom, this uncle’s Pace of Desdants is dry and barren. He shouldn’t have any successors. Are you sure this boy is really his grandson?” Yāoyāo replied coolly.

  Her words struck like a thundercp, and Gu Xíngjūn’s expression ged drastically.

  “Where did this child e from? How dare you speak to your elders this way?” Gu Xíngjūn barked angrily.

  Realizing how Yāoyāo had been addressed earlier, he sneered, “So this is the daughter you insisted on adopting, Third Brother? She’s utterly ill-mannered!”

  His voice was filled with anger, but those who knew him well would reize it as a sign of guilt. The louder he yelled, the guiltier he felt.

  “Sed Bru Heng interjected coldly, “whether Yāoyāo is well-mannered is none of your . What I want to know is this—why is my son’s missing spirit in yrandson’s body?”

  Hui might not have uood all the nuances, but Yāoyāo’s words had made things clear enough. If she still didn’t uand by now, she’d truly be a fool.

  Her question hit Gu Xíngjūn like a thundercp.

  “What… what are you talking about? Spirits? I don’t uand any of this nonsense,” he said, his voice trembling as he instinctively avoided their gazes.

  But his evasive demeanor firmed the Gu family’s suspis.

  Gu Wei’s missing spirit was no ce.

  And it was clear that it had everything to do with this so-called "good uncle."

  [--------------------------------------------]

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