Departure

In Great Deer Kingdom, Lishui Prefecture, Feng County.

Inside a dilapidated roadside tavern.

"Hahaha! Wonderful!" Ba Kui shouted, downing the rice wine in his cup.

That's right, it was still rice wine.

After all, rice was the cheapest and most abundant ingredient. Since there was plenty of Spirit Rice, it was naturally used for brewing wine.

Drinking this, Li Qi felt it was less like white wine and more like sweet glutinous rice cake...

It had a faint alcoholic taste, but it was sweet and quite pleasant.

It should be considered a beverage, not wine.

Perhaps brewing high-proof spirits or distilled liquor consumed too much fuel, so they opted for this low-fermentation wine?

After all, fuel was far more expensive than rice.

Maybe they could use rice as fuel?

Would it even burn?

Li Qi mused, picking up a piece of small dish and savoring it.

It wasn't any fancy dish, just pickled radish stir-fried with minced meat, but this ordinary dish made Li Qi feel it was incredibly delicious, and he ate with great relish.

"Brother Ba Kui, what business are you heading to Lianxia Gorge for this time?" Li Qi didn't drink much, instead savoring the pickled radish in his mouth.

Why had he never thought pickled radish was so tasty before? The saltiness, it was just so delicious.

Constantly eating plain rice had made his mouth incredibly bland, so Li Qi truly cherished any opportunity to eat food with a stronger flavor.

"Delivering a batch of goods for someone. They said it was... some kind of gems, but I doubt they're very valuable. I heard from others that even a small piece of these gems costs tens of thousands of coins, and the beautiful ones are worth dozens of gold for just a tiny stone. They're terrifyingly expensive. Each of us is carrying a piece, and the smallest ones weigh three to four hundred catties! That's five to six thousand catties in total. What kind of gems could be this abundant?" Ba Kui said with a grin.

"But our trip to Lianxia Gorge isn't that far. Brother Li Qi, what do you do? You're out here all by yourself right after spring begins, with just a single bundle for luggage. You don't look like a merchant; are you delivering a message on someone's behalf?" Ba Kui asked.

As he spoke, he also picked up a piece of pickled radish and savored it.

Besides the pickled radish with minced meat, there was also a plate of preserved pork belly with pickled vegetables, and a basket of steamed rice cakes. This was the spread for their banquet, the dishes and staple food.

It was hard to call it lavish, but for Li Qi, it was definitely a rare delicacy. For Ba Kui, it probably wasn't cheap either. It was clear that while this strong man couldn't be called a good person, he was certainly a straightforward one.

It was easy to understand why he wasn't a good person; Li Qi guessed Ba Kui had probably done his fair share of killing and looting.

As for calling him straightforward, it was like this now. Li Qi had faced death with him, fought demons together, so even though they didn't know each other well, Ba Kui treated Li Qi as a friend, with great sincerity.

"It's not a glorious reason. I offended someone back home and had to flee," Li Qi didn't hide anything, though he did twist the story a bit. "That scoundrel was too overbearing, always trying to seize my family's property. I killed him, so I had to run."

"Well said! I like men like you! If anyone dares to bully us, we'll stab them to death with a single blow! No one can look down on us! Cheers!" Ba Kui seemed particularly fond of such stories. He raised his wine cup, wanting to toast Li Qi.

Li Qi clinked cups with him and took a sip.

Then, he saw Ba Kui, while praising him, draw the wood cleaver from his waist and brandish it.

Almost instantly, Li Qi felt a sharp pain in his eyes!

Qi!

There was a piercing Qi emanating from Ba Kui's wood cleaver.

It was red, extremely ferocious, and Li Qi could even feel his hair standing on end, as if a knife were lightly tracing his face.

"Brother Ba Kui, what about your knife?" He endured the oncoming chill, pretending to be casual as he asked Ba Kui.

That night, when he and Ba Kui fought the wild dog demon together, he had seen a faint red light on it. He hadn't paid it much attention then, thinking his thick skin, a result of the Ox-Strength Technique, was impervious to harm.

After all, the thick skin brought by the Ox-Strength Technique could be considered impervious to blades and arrows.

However, at this very moment, he could sense the sharpness of that wood cleaver.

What kind of Qi was that?!

Was this a magical artifact like his willow branch? Infused with some kind of Qi to give it special properties?

His willow branch was infused with the Qi of an Earthly Deity; what was this one?

"What's wrong with my knife?" Ba Kui asked, looking somewhat puzzled. Why did Li Qi seem so... weak?

As if he were afraid of something.

"How much have you cut with that knife of yours?" Li Qi finally calmed down, asking with feigned composure.

"Hahaha! You've asked the right person. This knife is my livelihood. Up the mountain, down the mountain, chopping wood, chopping beasts, it's all thanks to this fellow. It's strange, other people's knives go dull after just a few uses, but this knife of mine gets sharper the more I use it. I've killed countless pigs and rabbits, chopped trees and meat; there's nothing it can't do," he said, proudly tapping the body of the knife.

Then, he leaned in mysteriously, "Even human blood has been spilled on it."

He then sat back, "Even the shaman from my hometown said that this knife of mine is no longer an ordinary wood cleaver. It has killing aura within it; even ghosts would retreat upon seeing it. I rely on this for all my travels!"

Li Qi listened to his boasting, then thoughtfully looked at the knife.

So, this kind of Qi was called killing aura?

From the description, it didn't seem to be acquired through any rituals or cultivation. The source of the killing aura... was likely from killing living things.

Killing people, killing wild beasts, killing anything alive.

It might even extend beyond living things; perhaps killing spirits or zombies as well.

In summary, Li Qi noted the source of this energy.

Perhaps he could get some to increase his own strength.

After all, this didn't seem too difficult. If not killing people, killing a few pigs should be fine, right?

With that thought, after finishing their meal and drinks, neither of them got drunk. After all, they both had bodies cultivated through techniques, so they wouldn't get drunk from this rice wine, though their stomachs were certainly stuffed.

A rice cake with pickles and pickled radishes, along with some minced meat or fatty pieces of braised pork, left both strong men thoroughly satisfied.

"Well then, Brother Li Qi, we'll meet again if fate allows. I'll be taking my leave now!" Ba Kui greeted him, slinging his basket onto his back, paying the bill, and preparing to head for Lianxia Gorge.

Li Qi watched him leave, then turned around himself and headed towards the inn.

As he walked, his pace quickened, from walking to a jog, then to a run!

It was already noon, and Shen Shuibi should have woken up by now.

It was time to set off and find Lady Luofu!

Li Qi clenched his fist, quickening his steps and increasing his speed.

If he could find her, perhaps there would be some extra income!

With new sorcery and new strength, he could truly stand tall.