Li Genmiao's identity was mysterious, his mind was deep, and he was two rounds older than Yan Shouyi.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi often didn't understand what Li Genmiao was thinking, but seeing that fellow doing nothing made him very unhappy.
Tiezi was for me to deal with, and Uncle Weng gave us face by bringing us up the mountain. Now, the Heavenly Gate stands in our way, and I'm asked to solve the puzzle alone. What use are you to me?!
Hearing Yan Shouyi's grumbling, Li Genmiao smiled slightly and walked forward to examine the Heavenly Gate before him.
"Who built this Heavenly Gate?" Li Genmiao asked Uncle Weng.
Yan Shouyi was stunned and then came back to his senses. He had forgotten that there was an NPC he could ask. Understanding the origin of the Heavenly Gate might help unlock the restriction.
Uncle Weng did not hide the information deliberately but answered truthfully, "The Heavenly Gate did not exist originally. It was built by the young lady after she returned from her travels. The wooden birds on the Heavenly Gate were also carved by her."
Li Genmiao nodded, and Yan Shouyi continued to ask Tiezi and the others.
"Can you pass through the Heavenly Gate?"
Having discovered the trick to solving the riddle, Yan Shouyi no longer needed to wait for Li Genmiao.
Er Ya ran towards the Heavenly Gate barefoot and passed through it unimpeded, reaching the other side. She turned back and said proudly, "We can come and go as we please!"
"What if I go around?" Yan Shouyi said, trying to circle around the outside of the Heavenly Gate—after all, the Heavenly Gate was just a stone doorframe, and there were no cliffs or precipices beside it.
The result was the same. An invisible force pushed him back, but Yan Shouyi had already anticipated this. If it were that simple to bypass it, it would be an insult to his intelligence and his mother.
"You can't go around," said Shan Pao the sika deer.
"Can Uncle Weng go through?"
"This old man can only enter when the young lady permits," Uncle Weng shook his head.
"But Er Ya and the others can come and go freely..."
Yan Shouyi rubbed his chin, pondering the differences between them.
Was it because Uncle Weng was human, while Er Ya and the others were not?
But other animals did not seem to be able to pass through the Heavenly Gate freely. Er Ya and the others must have received some privilege from their mother.
The Heavenly Gate blocked the only way forward, and the condition set by his mother was that I had to pass through it myself. This meant that I possessed something in common with Er Ya and the others.
Finding that commonality would allow me to pass through the Heavenly Gate.
Yan Shouyi gradually formed a plan and began to recall what he had.
Related to his mother, the first thing he thought of was his satchel, but the satchel was on him. If he could pass, he would have passed already.
So, it had nothing to do with the satchel.
There were wooden birds on the Heavenly Gate. Could it be San Yuan?
But San Yuan only came to our home after Mother returned to Changbai Mountain, and San Yuan had nothing in common with Er Ya and the others. It shouldn't be San Yuan either.
Could it be the Heart-Guarding Jade that Li Qing'er gave me?
That was not right either. The Heart-Guarding Jade was left by General Qing Jiang and had nothing to do with Mother.
Yan Shouyi thought hard and tried many times, but he still could not pass through the Heavenly Gate.
In the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed. Uncle Weng did not seem impatient, standing quietly in the cold wind, waiting.
Li Genmiao was also not idle, carefully observing the structure and material of the Heavenly Gate.
There was a hint of relief in his eyes. "Your mother's craftsmanship is excellent. She must have inherited her master's legacy. Her master was truly a remarkable descendant of Lu Ban."
"Heh, do I need you to praise her?" Yan Shouyi snorted coldly. "My mother's master must have been a senior with noble character, just like my grandfather. It's a pity that this senior died early; otherwise, he might have eliminated a scourge like you."
Li Genmiao chuckled, "He wouldn't."
"Wouldn't?" Yan Shouyi frowned.
Li Genmiao had a close relationship with his mother but had never met her.
Could it be that Li Genmiao was his mother's fellow disciple?
No, still not right. Li Genmiao was a successor of Nuo Ghost Opera. How could he possess the skills of a Lu Ban successor?
Putting the matter aside for the moment, Li Genmiao's words gave Yan Shouyi some new inspiration.
The commonality might not be specific items, but rather the bloodline within the body, the cultivation techniques, a certain mark...
"Right!"
Yan Shouyi slapped his forehead and laughed self-mockingly, "Isn't the standard answer right in front of me? I'm so foolish, only thinking of it now!"
Li Genmiao asked in surprise, "You've figured out the answer?"
"No, but I've found a new breakthrough."
Yan Shouyi looked at Er Ya and the others, "Come here, all four of you."
Since Er Ya and the others could pass through the Heavenly Gate, it meant the answer was hidden within them. Yan Shouyi didn't need to find what he had in common with them; he only needed to find what the four of them had in common.
The four pets stood somewhat sheepishly before Yan Shouyi. Yan Shouyi first approached Tiezi, circling it and observing it for several rounds.
Tiezi said awkwardly, "Young master, please don't look at me like that; it's rather embarrassing."
Yan Shouyi sighed. This fellow was covered in black fur, and he couldn't discern anything special about it.
So he shifted his gaze to Shan Ji.
Shan Ji was a Chinese Pheasant Tail, and its most unique feature was its beautiful feathers, but other Chinese Pheasants also had such feathers.
As for Shan Pao, it was a sika deer with great spiritual awareness, and Yan Shouyi felt kindness from it.
"Er Ya, come here and let me take a good look at you," Yan Shouyi called out.
Er Ya, with her round belly, walked up to Yan Shouyi, sucking her finger.
This little fellow was plump and cute, and very innocent. Her biggest characteristic was her gluttony.
Upon closer reflection, Yan Shouyi couldn't find any commonality among these four pets. They were of different species, had different personalities, and possessed different abilities.
The breakthrough he had just found had led him into a dead end again.
Seeing Yan Shouyi frowning in thought, Er Ya felt a little guilty. She then grabbed Yan Shouyi's big hand with her chubby little hands and swayed, saying:
"Young master, don't be discouraged. How about I go to the Heavenly Pool to find the immortal sister and tell her you're here? The immortal sister will surely want to see you!"
But the moment Er Ya grabbed Yan Shouyi's palm, he suddenly felt something.
It was a strange resonance.
Yan Shouyi looked at Er Ya in surprise, then extended his other hand, palm open.
In his palm, a ball of purple smoke slowly rose.
And above Er Ya's head, a ball of purple qi quickly formed, as if the resonance reaction between similar beings was attracting each other.
"Is this... True Dragon Purple Qi?"
Yan Shouyi suddenly understood.
The commonality between him and his four pets was True Dragon Purple Qi!
True Dragon Purple Qi was the key to opening the Heavenly Gate!