Chapter 204: Reopening the Heavenly Gate

Transcendent and detached from the world, solitary and beyond mortal ties.

A slender thread of blue qi lay quietly within a small wooden box, radiating a sacred aura.

Li Rui never imagined.

Jiang Lin's gift was immortal qi.

He nearly stopped breathing.

"So the immortal qi indeed fell into Jiang Lin's hands."

Gao Zhen was truly unlucky—he went searching for the immortal qi, hoping to find fortune at the site where Wudu Gui died, only to lose his life.

Little did he know.

The immortal qi had long been taken by Jiang Lin.

Moreover, the immortal qi in Jiang Lin's possession was more than what Li Rui had previously gathered from Gao Zhen and the Four-Armed Demon Ghost combined.

Does this mean the Ghost Ming Sect distributes immortal qi according to strength?

Seeing Li Rui's reaction, Jiang Lin smiled in satisfaction:

"Looks like I gave it to the right person."

"Jiang Head."

Li Rui was about to speak, but Jiang Lin waved his hand: "I sensed your qi matches this thing, so I thought you might be able to use it."

"Treasures of the world belong to those destined for them."

"I've studied it for so long and still found no use—proof I'm not meant for it. Take it, no need to refuse."

Jiang Lin's expression was calm.

He obtained this from Wudu Gui.

At first, he merely found it curious.

But after extensive study, he still couldn't figure out how to use it—until he accidentally noticed Li Rui's qi resonating with it, prompting him to observe closely.

One look was enough.

He realized Li Rui had broken through—so he guessed Li Rui had slain the Four-Armed Demon Ghost and acquired something similar, hence the matching qi.

He struggled endlessly without success, yet someone else cracked the mystery—what does that prove?

That he's not destined for it.

Jiang Lin believed in fate; otherwise, he wouldn't have become an unlikely friend with Zhang the Daoist of Wenxian Pavilion.

If not destined, don't force it. Since it's useless to him, better to let someone else benefit.

Li Rui handles affairs well and has now crossed the Dragon Gate—he intends to cultivate Li Rui into a trusted right-hand man.

The Dragon Gate grants three hundred years of life; though Li Rui is over seventy, he still has over a hundred years ahead.

He's in his prime!

Having helped him resolve a difficult matter, Jiang Lin decided to take the opportunity to grant Li Rui this favor.

Li Rui will remember his favor and aid him with more tasks—far more useful than any mere object.

Jiang Lin himself would never stoop to harming a subordinate over something obtained from a sixth-rank official.

The world calls him the Immortal of the East River.

The sword matters, but the "immortal" matters too.

Precisely because his nature is detached, unattached to worldly things, he exudes true immortal qi.

Otherwise, why not call him Sword God or Sword Saint?

Li Rui took a deep breath: "Thank you, Jiang Head."

Even with his composure, he could not bring himself to refuse immortal qi.

He feared that if he declined, Jiang Lin might believe him—and withdraw the offer.

Jiang Lin drained his teacup in one gulp.

Tea finished, guest departed.

He rose and walked out of Li's residence with Jiang Yan, not even glancing back, floating away like a celestial being.

Li Rui gazed at the immortal qi in his hand.

"He probably doesn't know. Yeah, he definitely doesn't know."

If Jiang Lin had known this was immortal qi,

He'd never have shown such carefree, transcendent grace.

It's no surprise Jiang Lin failed to recognize it—immortal qi has always existed only in legend, never seen by anyone. Had Li Rui not had his system, he'd have been equally helpless.

No martial cultivator would be bold enough to merge unknown celestial impurities into his dantian.

If the qi clashed, it would mean qi deviation and instant death.

"A stroke of luck!"

Li Rui never imagined immortal qi would appear before him in this way.

He had searched far and wide without success—yet now it came effortlessly.

In comparison, Gao Zhen's death was truly pitiful.

To prevent complications,

Li Rui took out the immortal qi and swallowed it in one breath.

The instant the immortal qi entered his dantian, it was drawn by the Immortal Form.

In an instant!

Celestial light blazed fiercely, as if a purple-gold radiance illuminated the entire Immortal Court, dispersing clouds and mist to reveal the Southern Heavenly Gate standing at the southern end.

The next moment,

An ancient stone gate slowly rose from the west.

Opposite the Southern Heavenly Gate.

Carved upon it were grotesque demonic beasts, lifelike and terrifying.

"Western Heavenly Gate!"

Li Rui rejoiced.

With the immortal qi, the Western Heavenly Gate had formed directly—saving him seven or eight years of arduous cultivation.

More importantly,

The rank of Immortal Xuan Qi had risen again, its power increasing by at least fifty percent.

Utterly formidable.

Li Rui's spirits soared—he immediately activated Immortal Xuan Qi and completed seventy-two major celestial cycles. His true qi surged like a dragon; each cycle strengthened his body further.

In no time, he'd likely complete Qi Strengthening.

"Awesome!"

The next morning,

Li Rui rose at the same hour every day—his biological clock had never failed.

He washed his face.

Then stepped out of his room.

As he stepped outside, he suddenly heard someone speak: "Old men sleep so little."

Li Rui let out a soft "Huh?"

Liang He and the others were still asleep; the courtyard was empty—where did the voice come from?

He searched for a long time.

Finally confirmed—the speaker was the Crimson Dragon Horse.

Indeed.

Li Rui could now understand horse speech.

"Actually, I've always slept little."

Hard to imagine a horse's face wearing an expression of utter shock.

Since merging with Wang Zhao, the Crimson Dragon Horse had become less and less like a horse.

"Damn!"

The Crimson Dragon Horse swore.

Li Rui was certain—he could now understand the Crimson Dragon Horse's speech.

Was it because of Wang Zhao's Immortal Xuan Qi?

He fell into thought.

Soon, he understood the reason.

Wang Zhao was merely the catalyst—the key was the Western Heavenly Gate. Legend says ancient Immortal Courts had four Heavenly Gates: the Southern Heavenly Gate connected to the mortal realm, the Western Heavenly Gate to the demon realm.

The Western Heavenly Gate was the sacred ground of the demon race.

Perhaps for this reason, he had prematurely learned horse speech—and could even communicate with demonic beasts.

A flash of delight crossed Li Rui's mind.

This ability might prove unexpectedly useful.

"D-don't come any closer!"

The Crimson Dragon Horse kept retreating.

For some reason, seeing Li Rui made his soul tremble uncontrollably—he felt an irresistible urge to bow before this human.

Finally.

The Red Dragon Horse could no longer hold on and collapsed to its knees with a thud.

The commotion in the stable was the first thing to wake Wang Zhao.

=9+book_bar

He had actually slept the entire night in the stable and only returned to his room at dawn, so he burst out the door first.

Then he saw a scene that shocked him.

There, Dahong was bowing its head to Li Rui.

Yes.

Bowing its head.

A horse, bowing its head to a human—such a sight was something he had never even dreamed of.

"Master, what is this?"

Li Rui turned his head and smiled slightly: "I think I can now understand Dahong's words."

Quickly.

Liang He and the others all gathered around.

When they heard that Li Rui could also understand horse speech, they all stared in disbelief.

Yang Yong couldn't help muttering:

"Does that mean anyone who raises horses can understand them?"

Hadn't Li Rui and Wang Zhao both once been Zhu family grooms? And in the courtyard, only the two of them could understand.

Seeing that Dahong could no longer kneel,

Li Rui patted Dahong's large head: "Get up."

The moment he spoke,

Dahong felt the pressure vanish entirely, rising as if freed from a death sentence, like a minister encountering his sovereign.

Yang Yong and the others couldn't help murmuring in amazement.

But if the disciple could understand horse speech, it made sense that the master was even more powerful.

A brief interlude passed.

Li Rui practiced his sword as usual, then went to the Running Tiger Cavalry.

"Commander He, you're back."

A guard from the Anning Guard spotted a carriage slowly approaching and stepped forward to greet him.

He Shan was driving the carriage himself.

Sitting inside was naturally his newlywed wife.

"Yes, I went to Anning Prefecture."

"Congratulations on your wedding!"

After seeing off He Shan,

the gate guard said:

"How unusual—to see a smile on He Shan's icy face."

He Shan rarely left the Weapons Depot.

But his eccentric ways had made him well-known in the Anning Guard.

"I heard from Platoon Leader Tian that Commander He's wife is breathtakingly beautiful—even more so than the top courtesan of the Entertainment Bureau."

"Really?"

"Absolutely true!"

The carriage stopped before a grand four-courtyard mansion.

He Shan leapt down and lifted the curtain.

A woman in layers of white, flowing robes stepped out—her skin as pale as snow, eyes large and bright, features flawless.

Delicate and frail, as if a breeze could knock her over.

One couldn't help but feel pity for her.

A sickly beauty.

He Shan gently helped her down, wrapping his outer robe around her: "My lady, don't catch a chill."

The woman's name was He Lan.

He had found her on the mountain, and he had given her that name.

Yes.

Found.

Suddenly, the chirping of sparrows echoed in his ears, returning him to the forest where they first met.

"Uncle, are you a bad man?"

The girl was like a startled fawn.

"I'm not a bad man. Why are you alone here? It's dangerous."

"Why am I here?"

The girl clutched her head, shaking it desperately: "I can't remember… I truly can't remember."

For some reason, He Shan's heart, as hard as iron, trembled because of this girl.

Later,

the girl was brought back to the military camp.

Since she had lost her memory and didn't know her name, he gave her the name He Lan.

"Uncle, your noodles are delicious…"

"Uncle, you're so kind to me…"

"Uncle, let me be your wife…"

The scene faded.

Entering the mansion,

He Shan ordered: "Light a brazier for the lady, and add another quilt."

"Yes, Master."

The maids in the courtyard were newly hired, all to care for the girl—otherwise, with only himself, he preferred silence and had no interest in being a master.

"My lady, you've traveled far—rest well."

"Master…"

Seeing He Shan turn to leave, the girl couldn't help calling out.

He Shan turned and smiled: "I'll go brew you some warm medicine."

Saying this,

he hurried off to the back courtyard.

There were maids specifically assigned to brew the medicine—he didn't need to supervise it himself—but He Shan couldn't relax.

The door to the room was slightly ajar.

The girl sat alone on the edge of the bed.

She sighed softly:

"You're so kind… it's making me reluctant to kill you."

(End of Chapter)