On the fifth day after the incident, a piece of good news came for the He Huan Sect.
Run Yu hurried toward his Master's courtyard, his robes fluttering with each step, he was in a hurry to deliver the news to his master: After days of tense searching, their efforts had finally paid off because they had found his junior brother, Sui Sui, along with another disciple called Yizhou.
Another piece of good news was that, overnight, the massive dragon that had been looming in the middle of the city had vanished without a trace. No one knew exactly what happened. Yesterday's heavy rain had kept everyone indoors, so there were no witnesses.
But honestly, who cared about the details? The important thing was that the dragon was gone.
For the past few days, its looming presence had kept everyone on edge, too afraid to return to their usual work. Now, with the streets free of that terrifying sight, people could finally breathe easier and move about the city without feeling their hearts in their throats.
When Sect Leader Wan heard the news, her eyes lit up and her lips curved into a rare, delighted smile. Without a moment's hesitation, she strode straight toward Sui Sui's quarters, her steps brisk with urgency.
By the time she arrived, Elder Lian—the sect's only alchemist—had just finished examining the two children's vitals. The faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air.
"Lian Xin," Sect Leader Wan called, stepping closer with an eager yet worried expression. "Tell me, how is Sui Sui?"
"Don't worry, Sister Wan," Elder Lian said, her tone calm yet reassuring. "I checked their vitals and found nothing serious. They'll be fine—just a few wounds and scratches, nothing fatal."
Sect Leader Wan's tense shoulders loosened slightly at those words. The two women spoke quietly for a while, discussing the children's condition. The faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, mingling with the soft crackle of the brazier.
Then—rustle.
A faint movement from the bed caught their attention. Both turned at the same time. On the mattress, Sui Sui's fingers twitched against the blanket, his lashes trembling before he slowly blinked awake.
Sect Leader Wan's eyes lit up. She quickly stepped to his side, her voice soft but urgent. "Sui Sui darling, are you okay? Can you hear me?"
"Auntie Wan?" Sui Sui's voice was hoarse, his gaze a little hazy as he tried to focus. It was clear he had just woken up.
These past few days, while his body slept, his consciousness had been wandering in his sea of consciousness, lazily chatting with the Little Bird.
At some point, he'd asked the bird if it could sense what was going on outside and the other said yes. So even though he had been asleep this few days, he still knew the gist of things.
After that demon cultivator attacked him, as expected it had turned its sights on Yizhou. But fortunately, according to the Little Bird, it didn't succeed because Yizhou had transformed into a big dragon and fought back.
Just as Sui Sui managed to collect his thoughts, something urgent suddenly flashed through his mind.
~~~
When the topic came up, the Little Bird spoke with rare admiration in its voice. "For a little brat, that boy is surprisingly talented ah!"
"Undergoing transformation at such a young age is extremely rare, even in the Upper Realm"
"If I recall correctly, he might be the youngest in the entire history of the Dragon Clan."
Sui Sui blinked in surprise, tilting his head slightly, the corners of his lips twitching upward in surprise, unable to hide his curiosity.
"Wow, is Yizhou really that amazing? I didn't know."
"Yeah, he's a little amazing," the Little Bird said, its voice carrying a hint of respect, which was very rare according to Sui Sui's impression.
"Not bad… If he can survive this period, this kid will definitely become someone impressive in the future." The words were spoken in a light, almost offhand manner, yet there was an unmistakable undertone, as if the Little Bird was deliberately hinting at something Sui Sui should notice.
"What do you mean if he survives?" Sui Sui asked, brows knitting together, genuine confusion flickering in his eyes.
"Ho ho, you don't know it yet?" The Little Bird tilted its head, a glimmer of intrigue in its beady eyes, as if savoring the chance to explain something important.
" After a dragon undergoes their first transformation, it will stimulate all the potential in their spiritual roots and push the body to transcend " The little bird continued, speaking with the slow, deliberate tone of a storyteller revealing an important truth.
"As you know, a cultivator's body is like a vessel. If the vessel is too small or fragile for the energy being poured in—or if they mishandle the flow in their body, then more or less the result will be–" As it spoke, the Little Bird spread its wings wide, then clapped them together sharply in an exaggerated boom gesture.
—they will explode."
"This is called Qi Deviation," it added, its tone turning firm. "But of course, the Dragon Clan has a secret technique to contain this phenomenon," the Little Bird continued, giving a small shrug of its wings
"However… I'm not sure if this kid has learned it at such a young age." Its voice held a faint note of regret, though its expression remained calm.
"Then what? What happens? What can we do?" Sui Sui leaned forward, urgency creeping into his voice. His chest tightened as worry settled in—deep down, he knew Yizhou probably didn't know about this technique. After all, the boy had grown up without any guidance from his clan.
"Does Senior know how to contain it?" Sui Sui asked, almost hopefully.
"Unfortunately for you, this isn't something I know. It's the Dragon Clan's secret technique afterall," the Little Bird replied, shaking its head with finality.
"Unless another Dragon Clan member helps him out, there's nothing more you can do." Its tone was matter-of-fact, leaving no room for argument.
~~~
Back in the present, because of this shocking revelation, Sui Sui forced his consciousness to snap awake. Although his body was still not fully healed, but there was no time to care of it. He had to do something to help Yizhou.
"Auntie Wan, where's Yizhou right now?" Sui Sui asked, his voice tight with urgency, eyes flashing with worry.
"He's in the room next door. Anyway, how are you feeling, Sui Sui? Do your wounds still hurt?" Sect Leader Wan's brows knitted, her tone filled with concern.
"There's no time—" Sui Sui shook his head, cutting her off, his eyes blazing with determination. "Auntie Wan, we need to save Yizhou!"
Without another word, he pushed himself forward. Sect Leader Wan who confused, hurried after him.
Along the way, Sui Sui began to spill the truth. Of course, he left out the little bird's existence, but he told her everything else—from the moment he had rescued Yizhou in the back mountain, down to Yizhou's true identity.
Sect Leader Wan's steps faltered for a brief moment, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief written all over her face.
"So the dragon who appeared in Qi Luo City… is this junior brother of yours?" Sect Leader Wan's voice was low, almost disbelieving.
"Yes," Sui Sui admitted, his tone firm yet guilty.
"You… so you hid all of this from me for such a long time?" Sect Leader Wan's brows furrowed, a hint of reproach in her eyes.
Sui Sui lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously tightening into fists. "I'm really sorry, Auntie. I'll accept any punishment you give me for lying… but can we please deal with this matter first?" His voice wavered with urgency, the apology sincere yet overshadowed by his desperation.
When they finally reached Yizhou's room, Sui Sui's eyes darted around anxiously. The first thing he searched for was Yizhou's Qiankun Pouch. Spotting it lying carelessly in the corner of the bed, relief flickered across his face. He rushed over, lifted it with steady but eager hands, and poured his spiritual energy into it.
Because Yizhou had once given him permission, the pouch responded and opened with ease.
When Sui Sui finally found what he was looking for inside the pouch, his eyes lit up. He pulled it out quickly—it was the talisman Yizhou once used to contact his clan. Since Yizhou had stopped using it long ago, there were still several pieces left inside.
"Auntie Wan, if you also have any means, could you find a way to contact the people from the upper realm?" Sui Sui asked anxiously. His initial plan was to reach out to the dragon clan as quickly as possible. However he didn't know if Yizhou's talisman would work, Just in case, he also asked his Auntie for help.
"Don't worry," Sect Leader Wan reassured gently. "I already contacted someone from the upper realms to inform the Dragon Clan that there was a dragon here in the middle realm. If nothing goes wrong, the message should already be sent, and they should dispatch someone to investigate soon."
Since the founder of the He Huan Sect was from the upper realm, naturally, they also had the means to contact people from there.
"Thank you," Sui Sui said softly. Without wasting another second, he quickly poured his spiritual energy into the talisman. According to Yizhou, this talisman was supposed to directly connect to his father. It hadn't activated before because the distance was too great—but right now, this was Sui Sui's last hope to reach the people who could save Yizhou.
He held his breath, waiting. Seconds stretched into what felt like hours, his heart thudding as he stared at the unlit talisman.
Then, suddenly, the tense silence was broken by hurried footsteps outside. Someone was running straight toward their room.
"Is Sect Leader here? Where is she?!" A disciple's voice rang out, filled with urgency. It was one of the senior brothers in charge of guarding the gates. When he reached the door, he didn't even bother with the usual salute, his expression pale with nerves.
"Sect Leader," he reported breathlessly, "a group of people has arrived outside the gate. They claim to be from the Dragon Clan of the Upper Realm."
The words had barely left his mouth when the talisman in Sui Sui's hands lit up brightly. A deep, authoritative male voice came from the other side:
"Where are you right now, Long Yizhou?"