Horse

Li Qi was boiling water, preparing to cook rice cakes in it.

Rice cakes kept well, but they would grow moldy the moment they came into contact with water.

The mountains were heavy with dampness. Moisture easily clung to the rice cakes and formed beads of water, and some mold had already appeared on them.

But it was no matter. He could eat them after shaving away the moldy patches on the surface.

That was what he was doing now, carefully shaving off the moldy spots with a small knife, then cutting the rest into pieces and tossing them into the water to boil.

Rice cakes could only be eaten cooked. Whether boiled or roasted over a fire, they had to be cooked through.

Raw, well, whoever ate them would know. They would clog up your throat, and you could not even bite through them. It was like eating a tire.

The water had not even finished heating yet. He had only just chopped up the rice cakes and thrown them in.

Once it came to a boil, he would add a little coarse salt, and that would count as a meal.

His cooking skills had been improving rapidly lately, because he had learned to use the progress bar to control the heat. He watched the food's cooking progress bar, and the instant it filled, he took it off the fire—perfect heat, every time.

It was not particularly useful, but it added a little amusement to the dreary journey. Besides, rice cakes boiled this way tasted better.

As the water heated, he stared at the "Invocation" in his mind and kept reading.

That book was simply all-encompassing. It was not something he could finish in a short while, but a journey of a thousand miles began beneath one's feet, so he was in no hurry.

Whenever he had time each day, he read. Read for ten damned hours, and he would finish it eventually.

After these three days, his progress had reached 0.6%.

At least hope was in sight.

He also kept up his cultivation every day. There were now four strands of Great Forest Wood Qi in his body, along with three strands of the household god's Earthly Deity divine qi. Those currents of qi roamed through his body, strengthening it to a certain degree every day.

Moreover, through reading, he had gradually learned how to use that qi.

Though he was still very unskilled, Li Qi felt that he could now beat three of his former selves to death.

Being able to wield qi was truly no ordinary advantage.

Just as he boiled rice cakes, keeping an eye on the progress bar while reading the "Invocation" in his mind, he suddenly heard Shen Shuibi calling for him.

"Li Qi! Li Qi! Get over here, quickly!"

Li Qi immediately stood up, somewhat puzzled.

Shen Shuibi usually did not speak unless he spoke to her first. Why was this girl suddenly calling him today?

Still, since it was such a rare occurrence, he hurried over at once.

Perhaps she had found some clue.

Li Qi ran over at a brisk pace. They were not far apart, so he arrived quickly.

"What is it, Miss Shen?" Li Qi asked.

"I... I-I, I!" She seemed to be stammering, repeating herself excitedly.

Li Qi did not urge her. He merely studied her thrilled expression, wondering what had happened. Could Lady Luofu have come looking for them herself?

"I... I found a horse! It is right ahead! I heard it!" Shen Shuibi said excitedly, grabbing Li Qi's sleeve.

"A horse? How come I did not hear it?" Li Qi scratched his head.

Where was there any sound of a horse?

"Of course you could not hear it!" Shen Shuibi said. Then, a pair of rabbit ears suddenly sprang up atop her head.

They were white, fluffy, and standing straight up. They looked rather cute.

After showing them off, she tucked them away again. Tugging at Li Qi's sleeve, she said happily, "We can ride a horse now. With a horse, we will be much faster!"

Yet Li Qi did not feel happy upon hearing that.

Of course he knew what a horse was.

But horses in this world... were not so simple.

Why was there no animal husbandry in this world?

The answer was simple: every last one of those livestock animals was a heavy tank. A pig's hide could withstand even a blade. Naturally, horses were no ordinary horses either.

He had seen quite a few spirit horses, all owned by important figures aboard ships. Their strength had made him feel as though they could casually kick him to death.

Even now, he still did not dare say that he could defeat one of those horses...

Perhaps he could barely manage it?

"Miss Shen, even if there is a horse, can we catch it?" Li Qi said with a wry smile. "That is a horse."

Setting aside whether they could beat one, they definitely could not outrun one.

People in this world could travel a hundred li a day on foot. A creature like a horse could probably cover eight hundred li in a day with ease.

"We do not need to catch it. With me here, I only need to talk to it and ask it for help. It will definitely be willing!" Shen Shuibi said happily.

Li Qi froze. It actually might work?

This girl was a demon too.

If she had not crippled her own cultivation, she could probably slap him to death with one hand.

"Then... shall we try?" he said.

If they truly had a horse for transport, setting aside the speed, the horse itself would be intimidating enough. It could probably scatter much of the hostility and many possible threats they might face.

As for horses being valuable, Li Qi ignored that outright.

They could not sell it anyway. It was better not to make plans concerning a horse that was not theirs and had not been tamed by them—after all, even Shen Shuibi had said she would "ask it for help."

"Mm! Let us try! Hurry and take me there!" Shen Shuibi looked extremely excited.

Li Qi said no more. He hid away his basket, set the rice cakes and pot on the ground for the moment, stomped out the fire, and scattered a handful of dirt over it.

Then he carried Shen Shuibi, who had already lost her cultivation, onto his back and burst into a swift run!

Li Qi circulated the Azure Dragon Spirit Qi he had gathered—the Great Forest Wood Qi of spring—throughout his entire body. In an instant, not only did he become faster, he could sprint for a chen without tiring.

Great Forest Wood Qi represented vitality. It allowed wounds to heal faster, made the body stronger, and granted greater endurance.

Unfortunately, doing so consumed a strand of qi. He normally could not bear to use it.

He could only accumulate one strand of Great Forest Wood Qi a day. How could he possibly use it merely for travel?

But if he did not use it when the time came to use it, how was that any different from not having it at all?

This was a horse!

With Shen Shuibi on his back, Li Qi charged through the mountain forest at high speed, running with all his strength!

Branches and loose stones cut small gashes across his body, but under the effects of the Great Forest Wood Qi, those wounds slowly healed. A single cut would close in around a minute.

Normally, Li Qi would be exhausted to death after sprinting for ten minutes. But now, with this, his stamina flowed without end. He could not feel tired at all!

That was the effect of Azure Dragon Spirit Qi. Even a Shamanic Priest with no rank could borrow its power and gain strength they would never normally have imagined.

Li Qi did not merely run along the mountain paths. He climbed mountains and leaped across gaps, doing whatever he could to reach the place where Shen Shuibi had heard the horse by the fastest route and shortest distance.

Shen Shuibi, meanwhile, listened intently and identified the direction.

But as she listened, she suddenly said, "That horse... seems to be crying? It is not running away. It is coming toward us instead."

"It is coming over? And crying?" Li Qi was stunned.

Then he suddenly realized that he, too, could hear the horse's whinny.