Ambush

It's the second day now, and we're resting during our journey.

Li Qi was making the most of his time to practice his skills in small increments, not expending too much energy, but still able to gradually digest some of the moisture, while also managing to read a little at the same time.

Meanwhile, Shen Shuibi was bullying the squirrel.

She was digging into a squirrel's hole.

The squirrels nearby dared not speak out against their anger.

The main thing is that she suddenly developed a liking for nuts yesterday. She seems to really like the aroma of nuts. This was because Li Qi told her about the "masses who eat sunflower seeds," and that sparked her interest.

But there are no melon seeds here; amidst the snow-covered White Snake Mountain, there are only acorns and pine cones.

Where are acorns and pine cones most abundant?

No problem, of course it's in the pine tree hollow.

So she did something utterly heinous.

That's robbing squirrels.

She succeeded; after a fierce battle, the squirrel lost.

She sat under the tree, munching on the winter food that the squirrel had painstakingly collected, looking incredibly happy and adorable.

Unfortunately, the squirrel didn't see it that way.

But nature is cruel; in this competition among small herbivores, the rabbit emerged victorious.

Good news, good news.

Putting aside these incidents, Li Qi had no intention of resting. After his daily exercise, he continued on his journey.

The journey remained peaceful, as there were only two people traveling together, one of whom was a highly skilled expert.

There's nothing to rob, and you'd only attract the attention of skilled thieves. Few people with a brain would do that.

Robbery also requires a strategic approach, like a pack of wolves that must be quick, accurate, and ruthless. Even if they miss, they can't afford to suffer too much damage.

Wolf packs roam the mountains and forests, and although they are majestic and fearless of tigers, they dare not act rashly, because if they are injured, the others will have their eyes on them, and the situation will become even more serious.

In this way, large caravans are a more suitable target; they can rob one or two carts and run, suffering minimal losses and even making a profit.

Facing two individuals alone, who also have the power to retaliate, is like a hedgehog—plenty of meat and many quills, something a wolf pack wouldn't want to eat.

So, after a safe journey and traveling through the night, they returned to Snake Tail County the following evening.

Li Qi thought for a moment and decided to hurry back to prepare some food for Old Ma, then set off immediately.

Although I don't know if the county magistrate knew about it, it's not good to keep him around.

A county magistrate, that must be a very high-ranking official.

According to Li Qi's current understanding, a county's area is at least a thousand miles, which is almost the size of a province in the previous world.

Although he was called a county magistrate, he actually held the power of a high-ranking official. The county town had hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, and if you count the surrounding villages and various scattered mountain settlements, the population must be in the tens of millions.

The county magistrate should be the same as the secretary.

It's better to avoid trouble. Running away a day earlier might prevent Old Ma from getting proper fattening up, but it avoids potential problems, so overall it's still a win.

If all else fails, I can just go to the next county town and fatten myself up again.

At Old Ma's speed, he would reach the next county town in a day.

Li Qi made up his mind to return to the city, and then rushed to the entrance of the inn.

"Shopkeeper, I'd like to check out." Li Qi knocked on the door, went in, and went straight in, not intending to say anything more.

"Okay, sir. Will you accept the money you prepaid for the stables and feed in cash, or will you receive it directly via private message?" The shopkeeper didn't say much and simply checked out of the shop.

The guests who stayed for seven days had been there for quite a while, so it was normal for them to check out; they had already prepared for it.

Besides, this was personally instructed by the shopkeeper, who said to try to meet this gentleman's requests as much as possible and not to offend him.

Although I don't know why the shopkeeper said that, there must be a reason.

The accountant and the waiter quickly checked the bills, wrote down the specific expenses on slips of paper, and showed them to Li Qi.

Li Qi calculated it once, confirmed it was correct, then paid the money as required, checked the items as required, and then the groom led the horse and handed it to Li Qi.

Li Qi didn't say much, and mounted his horse to leave.

Old Ma, however, still looked reluctant.

I guess they've been living too well lately.

"Alright, it's been a week already, what are you still thinking about? Getting cocky, huh?" Li Qi lightly kicked Old Ma and scolded him with a laugh.

"Weekday? What's that?" Shen Shuibi asked curiously when she heard a term she didn't recognize.

"Uh... it's nothing, it just means seven days." Li Qi casually brushed it off.

"Oh..." Shen Shuibi nodded thoughtfully, it was unclear what she had understood.

He led the Old Ma out of the stable and onto the street.

As always, Li Qi hung up his basket, carried Shen Shuibi onto the horse, and then mounted the horse himself.

Get ready to run away!

But before the hooves even sounded, the Old Ma suddenly stiffened, adopting a posture as if ready to gallop at any moment, but did not move.

Shen Shuibi immediately became alert and tugged at Li Qi's sleeve. "There's a sound, Li Qi."

Li Qi gripped the knife in one hand and held the willow branch tied to his waist with the other. "What direction? I don't sense anything."

Unfortunately, aside from the progress bar, his perception skills are really nothing to boast about.

"It's a ghost, and a ghost that has deliberately concealed its form, located four steps directly in front of us," Shen Shuibi immediately whispered.

Li Qi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that it was a ghost.

There's still a bit of suspense about hitting someone.

They're incredibly accurate at killing ghosts.

Now that Shen Shuibi had figured out the location, Li Qi pretended not to notice and urged Old Ma to take a few steps forward.

Then, he suddenly pulled out a willow branch and whipped it forward!

With a snap, a mournful cry echoed all around.

The ghosts were in so much pain that they ran wildly through the sky, and the Yin Qi was spreading everywhere!

Now, Li Qi, who had activated his Qi Gazing, also saw a ghost.

With bared teeth and claws, a blue face and fangs, its body exudes not only Yin Qi but also Sha Qi!

This is no ordinary ghost, but a vengeful ghost!

It has already manifested as a creature of the five elements, a vengeful ghost capable of harming and devouring people.

Li Qi certainly wouldn't leave any way out. Now that the sneak attack had succeeded, he would deliver another blow.

The second whip was imbued with the divine power of Shen Tu Yu Lei.

A ninth-rank vengeful ghost can be utterly destroyed with just two lashes.

The willow branch bestowed by the Great Shaman himself was an overwhelming advantage over those below.

But the lash missed.

This ghost was suddenly enveloped by some strange force and retreated as if it were flying backward. It didn't seem to be flying on its own, but rather as if it was bound by ropes and forcibly pulled back.

Li Qi looked in the direction the ghost was flying back.

But then they saw an old man in a brocade robe holding a jade box in his hand. It was this jade box that had drawn away the evil spirit.

The old man who suddenly appeared looked at Li Qi and said, "Young hero, why be so ruthless? You only glanced at him, and you think you can just beat my ghost servant to death here?"