Wanted

The traveling merchants breathed a sigh of relief and began praising Li Qi.

"Exactly! I was already getting my knife ready, but Brother Li Qi was even better. Who would've thought he'd actually bluff his way through!"

"I think that monster was probably muddle-headed, like Xiong Ga Po's kind, but still followed certain rules."

"Indeed. I've heard that some monsters knock on doors at night. If you don't open the door, they won't come in, but if you do, they'll eat you. Those demons and monsters all have strange habits. This one was probably the same. If we'd truly drawn blades, we might not have gotten out at all. Li Qi was the clever one!"

It turned out that after Li Qi, Ba Kui, and the others noticed something was wrong with that woman, they had immediately realized she was a monster.

What did one do when facing a monster?

Everyone else had instantly gone on guard, ready to risk their lives.

Yet although Li Qi had seen that something was off about the monster, he had remained calm. He had even tried speaking to her according to her rules, and somehow, they really had made it out.

What incredible luck! That monster had been one who followed rules as well!

Such cases were not uncommon. Legends of Xiong Ga Po, monkey shows, starving ghosts, Yellow Great Immortal, and house-guarding snakes all spoke of monsters with their own logic. So long as one did not violate their taboos, there was actually a sliver of hope for survival.

That was precisely what Li Qi had thought of, which was why he had forced himself to stay composed and speak with that monster.

That was a monster capable of Form Transformation! If she had truly erupted, Li Qi had no doubt that not one of their group would have survived.

As for Li Qi carrying that monster back in his arms, no one cared much about it instead.

Who knew whether she would have caught up and killed them if they had simply left then?

What if, by refusing to save her, that monster would come seeking their lives?

Better this way. Put nicely, they could even say they had formed a good karmic bond with the monster. Everyone was happy, so naturally no one blamed Li Qi.

Just as had been said before, although these traveling merchants did not fuss over good or evil, they still possessed a little righteousness. Li Qi had gone through life and death with them, and they would not turn their backs on him over some trifling matter.

Amid their joy, they finally reached the edge of the city.

They had arrived at Feng County. No matter what, it should be safe now.

Around every city were Demon Eradication Divisions and Garrison Commanders. Even in the countryside, there were usually shamans and spirit mediums capable of driving out demons and slaying monsters.

Therefore, the city outskirts had to be safe. If even the city outskirts were unsafe...

Then they might as well wait for death. What kind of existence would a demon or monster capable of breaking through a county seat be?

Once everyone had finally relaxed, Li Qi also had to part ways with them.

They had merely met by chance and traveled together for one night. Each had their own business to attend to; they could not remain together forever.

"Brother Li, I'll be leaving first. My destination is far away, and my task is weighty, so I must take my leave," A'Du was the first to say goodbye.

That was only natural. He had chosen to travel alone through the vast winter wilderness in the first place, so it was normal that he carried some heavy responsibility. No one tried to keep him. After their farewells, he left.

Then came the traveling merchants. All of them carried baskets full of goods that needed to be sold, or had already been ordered by someone and needed delivering. They too had their own work to do.

Ba Kui, however, said to Li Qi, "We're setting out for Lianxia Gorge at noon tomorrow. I promised to treat you to wine, but it won't work tonight. Tomorrow morning, let's meet here again. I'll make sure you drink your fill!"

Lianxia Gorge was a stretch of gorge through which the Li River flowed, and also where many ships gathered. It was only natural for traveling merchants to head there.

Naturally, Li Qi had no objections. A free meal, plus the chance to make some friends, was a good thing. He readily agreed, then parted with the merchants.

They had only just become familiar with one another on the road, yet in the blink of an eye, they had to part.

Other than Ba Kui, no one else had said what exactly they were going to do. Everyone had their own affairs; there was no need to lay every secret bare.

Such was the way of the world. Those who passed by were usually more numerous than those who gathered.

After the others left, Li Qi walked alone near the city gate without entering the city for the moment.

Mainly because he had spotted a notice board off to the side of the gate. Someone was putting up notices there, and many people had gathered to look, so he decided to go over and see.

Walking over and looking at the board, he found that a new notice had indeed been posted.

The notice said that a group of twelve traveling merchants had encountered demons and monsters on the road and all died. It had been posted in hopes that their relatives and friends would come claim their bodies.

Li Qi's scalp went numb.

Could it be... that Ba Kui and the others he had met were ghosts!?

Before he could successfully frighten himself to death, however, his doubts were cleared up, because portraits had been posted below.

Looking closely, they had nothing whatsoever to do with Ba Kui's group. They were simply another bunch of unlucky souls.

Only then did he settle down and read more carefully.

But the more he read, and the more he looked at the portraits, the more familiar those people seemed.

After thinking carefully, he finally remembered. Weren't the people posted here one of the two merchant groups he had encountered at that roadside tea stall?

Ba Kui's group had successfully made it here, but this group had all died on the road. After passersby discovered them, they had reported it to the authorities!

After sorting out what had happened, Li Qi shook his head.

Once again, he understood the dangers of traveling alone.

No wonder people were unwilling to travel far from home. Traveling alone was regarded as one would tigers and leopards, feared to the extreme.

However, as Li Qi continued reading downward, he saw a wanted notice.

It read:

"Warrant for Arrest! By order of the Prefect of Li Prefecture!"

"Lady Luofu, a rebel of the Tang Kingdom, is a Demon God. Having received the Emperor's grace and been granted a region to shepherd its people, she instead proved without virtue or conduct, brought calamity upon the common folk, employed petty men, and plunged the region into chaos."

"The Governor of Jiannan Circuit ordered her to investigate herself, yet she showed no respect for the sovereign's command, puffed herself up with arrogance, and acted in rebellion. The Emperor, in his magnanimity, decreed that she shut herself away and reform, yet this wretch ignored the sovereign's command, openly insulted her ruler and deceived those above, refused orders, and intended to defect to Tianzhu."

"For such a grave crime, she should be executed. Yet Lady Luofu's magical power is profound and her divine abilities extraordinary. She ambushed and killed an imperial envoy, fled the Tang Kingdom in rebellion, and has now entered Baiyue, whereabouts unknown. Our Great Deer Kingdom is one of the Baiyue states, and has been friendly with the Tang Kingdom for generations, bound as brotherly nations. A rebel of our elder brother's nation is a rebel of our Great Deer Kingdom. Any who provide clues concerning Lady Luofu shall be granted one hundred gold. Any who can kill her shall be bestowed two ranks of nobility and enfeoffed with ten thousand households. Any who can capture her alive shall be granted a portion of a province and made a king."

Unlike the other notices, this wanted notice was written on yellow cloth. It had probably hung at the edge of the city for some time, yet it still occupied a prominent position. Clearly, it was something important.

"A wanted notice for treason... well, that makes sense." Li Qi skimmed it and immediately passed it over.

What the hell did it have to do with him? Someone at that level was a real powerhouse—no, a real powerhouse of a person—and this notice was talking about killing her?

The purpose of this notice was probably only to warn the realm that such a rebel existed.

That was all. How could common folk possibly kill her through their own strength?

Skipping past it, Li Qi continued reading downward.

Then he saw himself.