The Horse

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

Rice cakes were very durable, but they would get moldy if they encountered water.

The humidity in the mountains was heavy, and the rice cakes easily became covered in moisture, forming water droplets. Some of them had already started to mold.

However, it wasn't a problem. He could just shave off the surface mold and then eat them.

That's exactly what he was doing. He was carefully shaving off the moldy parts with a small knife, then cutting the rest into pieces and throwing them into the water to cook.

Rice cakes could only be eaten cooked, whether boiled or roasted, they had to be prepared properly.

As for eating them raw, anyone who tried would know: it would clog your throat, you wouldn't be able to bite through it, it would be like eating a tire.

The water hadn't finished boiling yet; he had only just chopped the rice cakes and thrown them in.

Once it boiled, he would add some coarse salt, and that would be a meal.

Recently, his cooking skills had been improving rapidly because he had learned to use a progress bar to control the heat. He watched the cooking progress bar of the food, and as soon as it was full, he would take it off the heat, achieving a consistently perfect level of doneness.

Although it wasn't particularly useful, it added a bit of fun to his monotonous journey. After all, the cooked rice cakes would taste better this way.

While boiling water, he stared at the "Book of Blessings" in his mind, reading it continuously.

This book was incredibly comprehensive and couldn't be finished in a short time, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. He wasn't in a hurry.

He read whenever he had free time, reading for ten hours a day, and he would eventually finish it.

Over the past three days, his progress had reached 0.6%.

It was still a glimmer of hope.

He also persisted with his cultivation every day. Now, his body contained four strands of Great Forest Wood Qi and three strands of Earthly Deity Qi from the Household God. These energies circulated within his body, strengthening him to a certain extent each day.

Furthermore, through reading, he had gradually learned to utilize these energies.

Although he was still very unskillful, Li Qi felt that he could now defeat three of his former selves.

Being able to wield Qi was truly immensely powerful.

Just as he was cooking the rice cakes, monitoring the progress bar, and reading the "Book of Blessings" in his mind, he suddenly heard Shen Shuibi calling him.

"Li Qi! Li Qi! Hurry over here!"

Li Qi immediately stood up, feeling a bit puzzled.

Normally, Shen Shuibi wouldn't speak unless he initiated conversation. Why was she calling him today?

However, since it was unusual, he quickly went over.

Perhaps she had found a clue.

Li Qi ran over quickly. Since it wasn't far, he arrived in no time.

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

"I... I I, I!" she stammered, repeating herself excitedly.

Li Qi didn't rush her. Instead, he observed her excited expression, wondering what had happened. Could Lady Luofu have come looking for him herself?

"I... I found a horse! Just ahead! I heard it!" Shen Shuibi said excitedly, then grabbed Li Qi's sleeve.

"A horse? Why didn't I hear it?" Li Qi rubbed his head.

Where would a horse sound come from?

"Of course, you didn't hear it!" Shen Shuibi said, and then, a pair of rabbit ears suddenly sprang up on her head.

They were white, fluffy, and stood straight up, looking quite cute.

After showing them off, she retracted them, then shook Li Qi's sleeve and said happily, "We can ride a horse now! With a horse, we'll be much faster!"

Hearing this, Li Qi didn't feel happy.

He knew what horses were, of course.

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

Why was there no animal husbandry in this world?

It was simple: because these livestock were all like massive tanks. The hide of a pig was so tough that even a knife couldn't cut through it. Horses, naturally, wouldn't be ordinary horses either.

He had seen many spirit horses, owned by important figures on ships. Back then, their strength felt like they could easily kick him to death.

Even now, he still couldn't confidently say he could defeat these horses...

Perhaps he could barely win?

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

Horses, setting aside whether he could beat them or not, he definitely couldn't outrun them.

People in this world could travel a hundred miles a day on foot. Creatures like horses could probably travel eight hundred miles a day with ease.

"No need to catch it. With me here, I just need to talk to it and ask for its help, and it will definitely agree!" Shen Shuibi said with a cheerful tone.

Li Qi was taken aback. It seemed like that might actually work?

This girl was also a demon.

If she hadn't crippled her own cultivation, Li Qi figured she could have killed him with a single slap.

"Well, shall we try?" he said.

If he could really get a horse for transportation, setting aside speed, the horse itself would be quite intimidating. It would likely dispel a lot of hostility and potential threats.

As for the horse being valuable, Li Qi completely ignored that.

He couldn't sell it anyway, and it wasn't a horse he had tamed himself, so it was better not to think about it. After all, even Shen Shuibi had used the phrase "begging it for help."

"Mhm! Let's try, hurry up and take me there!" Shen Shuibi sounded very excited.

Li Qi didn't say much more. He hid his carrying basket, placed the rice cake and pot on the ground temporarily, stomped out the fire, and scattered some dirt.

Then, he slung the now cultivation-less Shen Shuibi onto his back and began to sprint at full speed!

Li Qi channeled the Azure Dragon Spirit Qi he had collected, which was the Great Forest Wood Qi of spring, throughout his body. Instantly, not only did his speed increase, but he could also sprint for an hour without getting tired.

Great Forest Wood Qi represented vitality, allowing injuries to heal faster, making the body stronger, and endurance more lasting.

Unfortunately, doing so consumed a wisp of Qi, which he was usually reluctant to use.

He could only accumulate one wisp of Great Forest Wood Qi per day; how could he possibly use it for travel?

But if he didn't use it when he needed to, what was the difference between having it and not having it?

This was a horse!

Carrying Shen Shuibi, Li Qi raced through the forest, running with all his might!

Trees and gravel scratched small cuts on him, but under the effect of the Great Forest Wood Qi, these small cuts healed at a slow pace, with each one closing in about a minute.

Normally, Li Qi would have been exhausted to death after ten minutes of sprinting, but now, with this, his stamina was inexhaustible, and he didn't feel tired at all!

This was the effect of the Azure Dragon Spirit Qi; even a minor shaman without a rank could gain unimaginable strength through it.

Li Qi wasn't just running on the mountain path; he also climbed mountains and jumped. In any case, he was moving as fast as possible and taking the shortest route to the location where Shen Shuibi had heard the horse.

Shen Shuibi listened intently, discerning the direction.

However, as she listened, she suddenly said, "That horse... it sounds like it's crying? It didn't run away; instead, it's coming towards us."

"Coming? Crying?" Li Qi was stunned.

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