Chapter 80: The Gate (Part 3)

Early that day, Xu Qianyu took a carriage back to the Zhao family with Guo Yi to retrieve the “Three Documents.”
Mrs. Zhao prepared the seating for them. She had been contemplating the bride price from Guo Yi, lingering and hesitant to return the documents. However, with Xu Qianyu accompanying them, she dared not act rashly in front of the Immortal Monarch and could only force a smile, saying, “Please wait a moment; I’ll get the documents right away.”

The remaining two sat at the table with Zhao Fukun, exchanging silence.
It had been a few days since they last met, and Zhao Fukun appeared considerably thinner and more stooped, his head drooping, looking rather dispirited, devoid of his former vigor.
His right sleeve hung empty.

That day, while he was sleeping, his youngest son, who had turned into a ferocious dog, had bitten off his right arm. Although he survived thanks to an immortal elixir, he had been suffering from a high fever these past days and was now listless.
Zhao Fukun trembled as he tried to pick up food with his left hand. Halfway through, his hand shook so violently that the food fell onto the table.

He shook his head, stuffed his empty chopsticks into his mouth, and bit down twice, but couldn’t grasp any food. Anxious and restless, he slapped the chopsticks on the bowl and beckoned Guo Yi, saying, “Come here; I have something to say to you…”
Guo Yi exchanged a glance with Xu Qianyu, uncertain of what Zhao Mingtang’s father could want to discuss with him. Nevertheless, since Zhao Fukun was almost his father-in-law, he stood up and walked over, “Please enlighten me.”

Just as Xu Qianyu was taking the Three Documents and chatting with Mrs. Zhao, she suddenly sensed a surge of demonic energy approaching and abruptly pushed Mrs. Zhao away.
At that moment, Guo Yi was leaning down to listen to Zhao Fukun when, unexpectedly, Zhao Fukun’s black eyes rolled back, leaving only the whites, and he suddenly opened his mouth wide, revealing sharp teeth that grew to several feet long, turning into the fangs of a beast, lunging at Guo Yi with the intent to bite his neck.

Startled, Guo Yi raised his sleeve to defend himself, while Xu Qianyu pushed the table away, causing Zhao Fukun to topple to the ground. Guo Yi also fell down, looking back while crawling forward, as Zhao Fukun continued to chase him, barking incessantly.

Fortunately, Xu Qianyu pulled Guo Yi behind her and quickly took out the crow pot, unleashing a fire dragon at the completely demonic Zhao Fukun. Instantly, the room was engulfed in red light, as if they were inside a furnace, and within moments, the demonic energy dissipated into nothingness.

The room fell into cold darkness, in disarray. In the spot where Zhao Fukun had been, only a charred mass remained.
Zhao Fukun had suddenly turned demonic, and Xu Qianyu was somewhat dazed by the turn of events. However, having had some experience in slaying demons, she managed to remain calm. She turned to the trembling Guo Yi and asked, “Are you okay?”
Guo Yi shook his head, sweat pouring down his face, and rolled up his sleeves, saying, “I was bitten when I tried to defend myself. It hurt, but I can’t feel it anymore.”

Xu Qianyu noticed two small holes on his arm, resembling snake bites; the wounds were not deep, just breaking the surface of the skin. She tore a strip from her skirt and wrapped it around his arm.
“Immortal Monarch,” Guo Yi said with a downcast face, “let’s leave this place quickly.”
Had he known such a fright awaited him, he would have opted not to retrieve the three documents at all.

Xu Qianyu surveyed the surroundings, unable to determine what had gone wrong at the Zhao family that could suddenly turn someone demonic. She instructed people to carry the fainted Mrs. Zhao back. Following her master’s example, she tidyed up the room a bit, scattering the remaining talisman papers and sticking a few on the pillars, walls, and windows.
“Let’s go.” Xu Qianyu handed him the stacked Three Documents. “I’ll take you to the clinic to check your injury.”
On the other side, Yu Chu was running too slowly, and Ruan Zhuqing had to carry her on his back. As he sprinted through the street, he turned his head to grimace, saying, “My hair, my hair, it’s getting pulled… it hurts, it hurts.”

Yu Chu quickly gathered her hair that was trailing behind him.
At that moment, she spotted Zhao Mingtang and pointed in the distance, saying, “Miss is over there.”
Ruan Zhuqing asked, “Aren’t we going to the Zhao family?”
“But the Miss has gone to the clinic; what if she’s unwell?” Yu Chu said, “Quick, quick, we can go to the Zhao family together with her.”
Ruan Zhuqing rushed into the clinic while carrying her.

By noon, the clinic was already crowded with patients waiting for consultations. In front of the bamboo curtain, several wooden tables were set up where the doctors were focused on examining pulses, while behind the curtain were numerous boilers and herb cabinets, with apprentices busy preparing and cooking medicines.

The two soon spotted Xu Qianyu, who was bored, fiddling with the red ribbon tied around her head.
She was in her prime, dressed in a vibrant red shirt and a white skirt, looking very striking. Moreover, a butterfly ornament was pinned on her collar, its wings sparkling like seven-treasure glazed glass, complementing her delicate and luxurious features.

Yu Chu praised, “She looks so beautiful.”
Xu Qianyu replied, “What brings you two here?”
Ruan Zhuqing gasped for breath, saying, “We were just going to the Zhao family.”
“What?!” Xu Qianyu asked, “I just came back from the Zhao family.”
Ruan Zhuqing was taken aback and examined her from head to toe. “You didn’t encounter any trouble, did you? You’re not hurt, right? Why are you in the clinic?”
“It’s not me; it’s him.” Xu Qianyu pointed at Guo Yi beside her.
Guo Yi was sitting at the table while the holy maiden bandaged his wound.

Seeing that the holy maiden was pure and beautiful, he felt embarrassed to show his pain. Noticing the people around him discussing him, he hurriedly said, “This humble person pays my respects. It’s like this: I just returned to the Zhao family with Mingtang, and while we were eating, for some reason, my future father-in-law suddenly jumped up and bit me. Luckily, this humble person was calm in the face of danger…”
Before he could finish, Ruan Zhuqing and Yu Chu turned to him in unison, their expressions changing drastically: “You were bitten by Zhao Fukun?!”
Guo Yi’s mouth opened slightly, unsure what he had said wrong.

He frowned, as if he were overthinking and feeling a bit of a headache. Suddenly, his complexion turned pale, and his eyes rolled back, seeing the holy maiden’s smooth, white hands gripping his wrist, which looked quite enticing. He instinctively reached out his claw-like hand toward her.

Lu You never expected that when she looked up, the person in front of her suddenly transformed into a ghastly face, startling her into a scream as she instinctively pushed him toward Xu Qianyu.
Xu Qianyu’s butterfly on his chest suddenly fluttered its wings twice; a flash of golden light appeared, and it struck him heavily away, just as a cage descended from the sky.

As a few people opened their eyes, they realized they were no longer in the medical clinic but in a brownish space, as if they had been flipped upside down into a mud bowl.
This space was filled with numerous variously shaped high earthen mounds that could serve as cover.
“This is…” Xu Qianyu turned around a mound and saw that this place resembled the environment inside the belly of the earth demon at that time.
Ruan Zhuqing, hiding behind a dirt mound, looked around and said, “This is a battle formation, similar to the arena in that cocoon. Your Horned Phoenix Butterfly senses your fighting intent and creates a battle formation on its own, without harming those outside the formation…”

Before she could finish, a giant object lunged at him from the air. Ruan Zhuqing threw a talisman and leapt away, causing the cover to collapse and dust to rise.
He exclaimed in despair, “Mingtang, how did you get him involved too? Now he doesn’t bite outsiders; he only bites us. I don’t have many talismans left.”
“I didn’t know the Horned Phoenix Butterfly would do this!” Xu Qianyu shot out his last set of sleeve arrows. “I’ve run out of my magical tools—why has he turned like this?”
“Getting bitten by a dog will make you become a dog!” Yu Chu, also hiding behind a dirt mound, tore off petals from a lotus flower to use as daggers and hurled them. “I’ve run out of my magical tools too.”

Ruan Zhuqing whispered, “What do we do now?!”
Yu Chu decisively slapped a magic seal, completely disregarding the fact that this would reset her score. “Alright, I’ve called for help; we just need to hold on for a while longer.”
Guo Yi was on all fours, his eyes rolling back, completely out of his mind. The talisman on his forehead fell, soaked by drool from his fangs, and dropped to the ground. He grinned savagely, seemingly contemplating whom to pounce on and bite first.

Xu Qianyu suddenly thought of a method: “Heavenly Fairy Gu!”
“When we were eating in Flower Realm, I pricked him with a needle on Guo Yi’s back. You said the one who gets pricked can fulfill one of my wishes.” Xu Qianyu asked Ruan Zhuqing, “What’s the command for the Heavenly Fairy Gu?”
Ruan Zhuqing said, “Try shouting, ‘Old promise must be fulfilled; repay my heart’s wish.'”
“Old promise must be fulfilled; repay my heart’s wish,” Xu Qianyu urgently said as Guo Yi lunged at him. “Guo Yi, don’t bite anyone!”
Guo Yi paused for a moment, his face slightly twisted, but it was only for a moment. His bones creaked, and he lunged at Xu Qianyu again.

Ruan Zhuqing threw three talismans, pulling Xu Qianyu and Yu Chu back to a larger dirt mound. “It’s not working! The dog will definitely bite; your wish is too big; it goes against his nature; he can’t fulfill it!”
Xu Qianyu reached into Ruan Zhuqing’s storage pouch and pulled out the Heavenly Fairy crossbow, pressing the trigger and shooting six darts at Guo Yi!
Guo Yi raised his hand to block his face, looking down to see ice flowers blooming all over his body, but it didn’t hurt or itch. He was initially relieved but then enraged, letting out a low growl from his chest as he charged toward Xu Qianyu.

“Old promise must be fulfilled; repay my heart’s wish.” Xu Qianyu shouted, “You’re not allowed to bite me!”
Guo Yi’s movements suddenly froze; he couldn’t bite Zhao Mingtang but could still eat others, so this wish was effective. He turned his head and lunged toward Ruan Zhuqing.
Ruan Zhuqing cursed loudly and was about to use a talisman when Xu Qianyu’s icy hand suddenly pressed down on his: “Old promise must be fulfilled; repay my heart’s wish. You can’t bite him either!”
Guo Yi’s face was fierce as he turned and lunged toward the girl holding the lotus flower.

“Old promise must be fulfilled; repay my heart’s wish. You’re not allowed to bite the girl!”
“…” Guo Yi faced the three in front of him but could not bite them, struggling to hold back, his body trembling, sharp teeth glimmering in frustration.
After a while, he suddenly turned and lunged toward a dirt mound in the back, which collapsed, causing the Holy Maiden with the basket to cough and hurriedly retreat.

“Old promise…” Xu Qianyu realized that the person was the Holy Maiden with the basket. “How many needles did I prick you with just now? It seems like there are no more needles.”
Lu You never expected that when she got to her, there would be no more needles. Her pupils constricted, her face drained of color, and she threw the basket back, allowing Guo Yi to bite it into pieces.
While calling for help from the system, she activated her own healing animal ability, trying to soothe the fierce dog before her: “Good boy, lie down, don’t bite me!”
Guo Yi’s airborne body swayed precariously, and after a while, he actually fell straight down, kicking up a cloud of dust and lying motionless on the ground.
The four, covered in dirt and grime, cautiously gathered around him.

Previously, Guo Yi lay on the ground, eyes tightly shut and face flushed. His sharp teeth retracted, seemingly returning to his human form.
Now, the situation could be said to be the result of their joint effort. Lu You glanced at the three opposite her, her feelings particularly complicated.
Xu Qianyu sensed the strands of demonic energy dispersing from Guo Yi’s body. “He was only lightly bitten; is there a chance of saving him?”
Ruan Zhuqing replied, “It’s very possible. Get up; let me stick a purification talisman on him.”
But Xu Qianyu squatted down, took off the Soul Lock from his neck, wrapped it around Guo Yi’s wrist, and then checked his breath. “You need to be good now.”

Ruan Zhuqing quickly reminded, “Mingtang, you don’t have to…”
Xu Qianyu had already squatted beside him. Today, she accompanied Guo Yi back to the Zhao family, but he ended up bitten by Zhao Fukun, for which she bore some responsibility.
If she could save him, she would feel less guilty.

The moment Lu You saw the Soul Lock, her heart sank: so Zhao Mingtang got the lock! If it weren’t for Guo Yi causing trouble this time, she might have almost won.
She stared at the lock on Guo Yi’s wrist, her heart racing as her thoughts spun. She realized it wasn’t too late. Since she had the healing animal ability, while Guo Yi was still a dog and hadn’t fully turned back into a human, couldn’t she control Guo Yi to give her the lock?
Just as she thought of this, under the influence of the Koi system, Guo Yi, who was covered in seven or eight talismans, suddenly turned over and sat up dazedly, handing the Soul Lock to her.

“Old promise must be fulfilled, repay my heart’s wish.” Xu Qianyu suddenly said coldly from behind, “Return what’s mine!”
The girl’s voice echoed in the battle formation, domineering and unyielding.
Guo Yi’s hand paused, and he stiffly turned to return the Soul Lock to Xu Qianyu.

It turns out that the fairy didn’t run out of needles; she deliberately chose not to save her, saving it for this moment!
Xu Qianyu had just secured the lock when a hand reached out from the side, snatching the soul lock from her grasp.
“Who?” Xu Qianyu turned around to see a tall man in plain clothes.

The man immediately tucked the soul lock into his sleeve, then made a hand gesture, causing the battle array to break apart. The crowd returned to the bustling medical hall. “The two junior sisters have excellent control over objects; they will surely be able to slay dragons in the future.”
This was… the observer that Yu Chu had called earlier!
“Little friends,” the man said with a calm expression and a slight smile. Before they could react, he suddenly pushed them back with both hands. This push was like a mountain collapsing, infused with overwhelming force, sending the three of them crashing through a table and falling behind a curtain.

The bamboo curtain that had been coming and going with the herbal medicine attendants was now empty. Through the gaps, numerous rays of white light leaked through, seeming to come from a source of illumination.
“The ‘gate’ has opened; let’s go back.”
“You stole my things! Give it back to me!” However, Xu Qianyu, like an eel, hooked her foot around his leg. In a moment of falling, she pulled herself back, like a monkey climbing a tree, reaching for his sleeve.

The senior brother looked a bit surprised, having never seen such a fierce female disciple who dared to disregard gender differences, hanging onto him, sliding back, her body spreading out like water, causing her to awkwardly crash to the ground.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yu Chu shouting “Miss” as she climbed back. He felt somewhat troubled.
Standing at a distance, he prepared to push the two of them back with his palm. Suddenly, two woven cicadas flew out from Xu Qianyu’s arms, buzzing as they crashed against his sleeve, knocking the soul lock out!
The two cicadas were transformed by the system. She had intended to help Xu Qianyu at that moment, but unfortunately, they were clumsy, unable to coordinate, and somewhat inept.

Yu Chu crawled over just in time, seeing the soul lock fall. She hurriedly reached out with her lotus hand to catch it, and the soul lock landed right in the center of the flower: “Miss!”
Xu Qianyu saw the man’s large palm rushing toward her. She had never seen such a fast movement, as quick as light and shadow, yet like water with no solid form. She feared she wouldn’t be able to snatch it from him no matter what.
Her mind raced; she suddenly turned and pushed Yu Chu, along with the lotus, into the doorway.
Yu Chu’s “ah ah ah” cries faded into the distance.

Xu Qianyu sat on the ground, glaring at him, two strands of hair sticking up, her eyes shining bright like a spooked little beast, while behind her, the bamboo curtain swayed, light bursting forth.

The soul lock was something only she could handle. Even if she was giving it away to Yu Chu, she wouldn’t let him snatch it away.
Seeing Yu Chu tumble inside, the man didn’t intervene but turned back with a slight bow, apologetically smiling: “Junior sister, aren’t you going in?”
Indeed, to the master, as long as it wasn’t her who had taken the soul lock, it didn’t matter who received it.
Xu Qianyu glared at him and got up to walk around him.
“Mingtang.” Ruan Zhuqing followed her, carrying the unconscious Guo Yi. “It’s fine; you did great. This person is clearly here to cause trouble, and your abilities are evident for all to see. Mingtang, you will become even stronger. Think it over and then go through the door.”
“Mingtang, how about I take you out to eat some tofu pudding?”
Xu Qianyu shoved the crossbow back into Ruan Zhuqing’s arms. “Count how many needles I used from you; I’ll repay you later.”

“No need, use as many as you want.” Ruan Zhuqing felt uneasy seeing her so calm, carrying Guo Yi and following her to the doorway, where people were bustling about, his pupils constricting.
Xu Qianyu unexpectedly broke free from him.
On Flower Realm Street, the sounds of countless calls filled the air: those carrying burdens, selling fried dough sticks, and blowing sugar figures. Xu Qianyu mingled into the crowd.
She didn’t enter the “gate” because she wanted to see if there were any demons left that could give her extra points before returning. As long as her points were high enough, even if she didn’t obtain the soul lock, she could still enter the inner door.

But when she reached the center of the street, she stopped and looked around, suddenly feeling lonely.
Yu Chu and the other disciples should have left Flower Realm by now.
People came and went around her, some chatting and laughing, some shouting, some holding hands, toasting each other, all joyous and harmonious, while she alone felt like a drifting soul, feeling a sense of exhaustion.
Suddenly, she missed her sister a little.

Xu Qianyu stood there for a while, wasting a hundred points, and pressed the light mark on her hand to call for help.
In no time, a figure in a snow-white robe appeared in the crowd. Shen Suwei spotted her and walked over, his robe fluttering.
Seeing her approach, Xu Qianyu felt a little better.
Shen Suwei was first surprised that she hadn’t entered the “gate.” Noticing her gloomy expression, he guessed that the soul lock had surely been taken away by someone and asked, “Do you need help?”
Xu Qianyu looked at him, unhappy, and said, “I didn’t encounter any danger, nor was I injured. I wanted to call for help, so you have to come. Take me back.”

Shen Suwei paused, not scolding her and turned around, saying, “Let’s go.”
Just in time for another feast.
Xu Qianyu walked beside him, her hand suddenly slipping into his sleeve, holding his slightly cool hand.
Shen Suwei’s expression tightened; he intertwined his fingers with hers and said lightly, “No need to waste a hundred points. Your butterflies can convey messages. If you call out ‘brother,’ I will come.”