Return to Great Deer Kingdom

Li Qi suddenly felt a little tired.

It was just the end of a course, like a high school graduation, but the classmates around me were about to embark on some kind of hostile path.

This made Li Qi realize one thing again—

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

Different minds cannot understand each other.

Those who share the same goals and work together can benefit from mutual support and assistance.

If those who disagree agree to cooperate, there is a risk of confusion and disorder.

This made Li Qi look at his own body again.

Within his body, several Dao Lineage have merged into one, which seems beneficial now, but if he grows in cultivation and deepens his understanding of various Dao Path, he may discover and comprehend their differences...

Then my outcome probably won't be very good.

However, it is impossible to abandon one's current physical world, because that would inevitably require rebuilding.

What he needs to rebuild is not his cultivation level, but his entire Dao Path. He needs to shatter his worldview and then rebuild it.

It's not that simple. In daily life, it's already incredibly difficult to get people to accept new things. Asking someone who's used to eating rice to eat bread every day is something that, apart from a few people who are just helpless, most people simply can't accept.

If even something as simple as eating is so difficult, let alone completely reshaping one's values.

Modifying one's own path is not simply a matter of changing one's Cultivation Method; it requires changing oneself as a person.

In other words, many of Li Qi's current views are conflicted.

Many of his ideas can be reconciled for the time being, but in the future, these ideas will inevitably tear each other apart, causing a rift in his Dao Path, such as the conflict between 'justice' and 'righteousness'.

If justice and righteousness cannot coexist, how should he conduct himself?

If one can only abandon one of them, it will inevitably lead to the tearing apart of the microcosm of the human body, resulting in the loss of control over cultivation and the collapse of the Dao heart.

If the path one has always adhered to is wrong or conflicting, then one naturally cannot move forward. Maintaining the status quo is the best outcome; further progress is simply impossible.

If one does not advance on the Dao Path, rashly increasing one's cultivation level is merely courting death; uncontrolled cultivation will destroy one's own inner world.

This is actually quite easy to understand.

Suppose that a person firmly believes in Newtonian mechanics, and he constructs his own microcosm based on Newtonian mechanics.

So, as his cultivation level gradually increases and he can move at one-tenth the speed of light, then at this point, the Absolute Spacetime based on Newtonian mechanics will fail, his own Dao will not be absolutely correct, and he will easily encounter various unmanageable situations.

Therefore, his cultivation will get out of control. The 'Dao' of the human body as a microcosm cannot support this more mysterious and profound reality, and then it will collapse, his cultivation will become scattered, and he will eventually explode and die.

To resolve this situation, he must progress, improve his understanding of the world, find the right way to interpret it, or simply abandon his original way and directly copy others'.

If you don't do that, then you'll either stay where you are or your cultivation level will drop.

Li Qi didn't want to copy others; he wanted to forge his own path. But the problem was that he was now increasingly aware of his own shortcomings and the potential conflicts that might arise between existing Dao Lineage and established doctrines.

This crisis was not imminent, but it had already become an insurmountable obstacle on his path of cultivation.

If this problem isn't resolved, his Dao Path will lead to a dead end.

How to solve this?

Working in isolation is definitely not going to work.

Li Qi became increasingly eager for the trip to the East China Sea.

He needs to gain knowledge and learn more so that he can expand his understanding of the world and use this knowledge as nourishment to allow his path to encompass everything at present.

The trip to the East China Sea is no longer just about Mount Luofu. Li Qi suddenly felt that he needed to use this safe time to find a solution.

It must be solvable; otherwise, this world shouldn't exist.

This is the source of Li Qi's confidence.

The fact that the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth can accommodate the existence of many Dao Lineage indicates that there must be a supreme, Ultimate Great Dao that can govern everything and encompass all of reality.

Only...

This Great Dao is the goal pursued by countless people, and even one of the goals of all Dao Lineage.

Can Li Qi solve this?

To be honest, he didn't know either, but since he had already come this far, what else could he do? Unless he had to retake the course or brainwash himself, there was no way out.

Since that's the case, then we have no choice but to move forward, even if it truly leads to a dead end...

We'll talk about it later.

With his mind made up, Li Qi relaxed a little, drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, and got up to leave.

But before they could leave, they saw a big fat man huffing and puffing as he ran towards them.

Upon seeing the large, fat man in a white shirt, Li Qi immediately became serious and went to greet him, "Brother Guo, why did you suddenly come over?"

This fat man is Guo Penghai, the contractor of the Imperial Academy's canteen.

"Hey bro, isn't the holiday coming up soon? I probably won't be able to see you for the next few months, so I rushed over here in a hurry." Guo Penghai slapped his forehead, his fat jiggling.

"Haha, I didn't run away, why are you in such a hurry? But judging from your Brother Guo, is something wrong? Is it about your new dish?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"To be honest, I have some things I'd like to ask you for a favor, but I don't know if you'd be willing..." Guo Penghai sheepishly.

"Brother Guo, please speak freely. As long as it is within my power, I will do it without hesitation. However... Brother Guo, you are, after all, a fourth-rank expert. Is there anything you cannot do that you need me to do?" Li Qi asked, puzzled.

"Well, I just overheard you saying you were going to the East China Sea?" Guo Penghai said.

"Yes, I do plan to visit Donghai during this holiday." Li Qi nodded. He didn't hide this from his classmates. After all, given his status, going to Donghai was no big deal.

Guo Penghai must have overheard his chat with his classmates, right?

"That's right. Brother, you know that the relationship between Chang'an and Donghai hasn't been very good lately. After all, I'm considered a member of the imperial court, so I have a certain rank and it's not easy for me to go to Sea Cooking Pot said.

"It's just a small matter? Of course, I'll do my best to help. Don't worry, Brother Guo, I'll definitely pack everything you need. Just give me a list." Li Qi nodded and readily agreed.

It's just going out to help someone pick up some goods, it's no big deal.

"Keep this safe. I've already written down the list of things here. There are several world contracts, all of them for Sixth-Rank World. There are also some silver, Qi bead, Law Treasure, and the like. It should be enough for my food needs, with a surplus."

"Please buy the items on the list for me when the time comes, and consider the rest as a reward for your hard work, brother. Thank you for your help." Guo Penghai casually handed Li Qi a Mustard Seed Bag.

The value of a grotto is already very high, much like a large truck used for transporting goods; in fact, it is likely more valuable than the goods themselves. Therefore, Guo Penghai chose the Mustard Seed Bag instead.

Anyway, we're in the world, and we don't have much stuff, so the Mustard Seed Bag is enough.

Li Qi reached out and took it, weighing it in his hand. This Mustard Seed Bag was of extremely high quality, worthy of being a fourth-grade item; the person was truly generous.

"Okay, then I'll accept it. I should be back in three or four months. I won't keep Brother Guo waiting any longer," Li Qi said with a smile.

"I trust you to handle things, brother. Besides, it's just some ingredients. The East China Sea is so far away, it's normal that we can't get them. You should focus on your work first, and you can go and buy them when you have some free time." Sea Cooking Pot patted Li Qi on the shoulder.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Qi talked about the new dishes at Sea Cooking Pot, and the conversation ended in a pleasant atmosphere.

After that, Li Qi left.

Now that things in Chang'an are settled, it's time to head to the East Sea.

However, Li Qi did not plan to set off directly from Chang'an, because that would be asking for trouble. The Tang Kingdom was already at war with the East Sea, and even if they were not fighting in the world, their relationship was still not very good.

Therefore, Li Qi prepared to set off from Baiyue.

He still remembered the poem from the Great Deer Kingdom: "The Li River is easily navigable by boat, allowing one to travel south to the sea and north to Song."

The Li River flows south directly into the vast sea, leading to the Baiyue region. From the Li River in the Great Deer Kingdom, one can take a boat all the way to the South China Sea, which is the Demon Race territory in the southeast. After that, one can take a sea ship and travel along the coastline, departing from a deep-water port, and finally reaching the depths of the East China Sea.

The entire trip took about a month.

If one were to travel through the Liesu, one could instantly traverse vast distances, but that is not possible.

Golden Platform cannot be directly teleported to Liesu; it can only be teleported to the territory of the Tang Kingdom. Similarly, Liesu cannot be directly teleported to the territory of the Tang Kingdom.

If people can freely communicate internally, it's like everyone is exposing their vulnerabilities. Who would dare to do that?

Therefore, things like Golden Platform and Liesu had strict boundaries, and people could only go to their respective borders.

If Li Qi chooses the route of rushing to the border from Golden Platform, then going to Baiyue, from Baiyue to Liesu, then using Liesu to teleport to the border of the East Sea, and then taking a boat to the depths of the East Sea...

This journey, just from Baiyue to Liesu, would take a month or two.

It would be faster to go directly to Baiyue and then take a boat to sea.

Having finalized his travel route and finished his last class, Li Qi didn't waste any time and set off that very evening.

Of course, Old Ma was brought along this time.

Ever since Li Qi's cultivation reached the seventh rank, Old Ma has been unable to keep up and has gradually lost its function as a means of transportation, since few people can keep up with Li Qi's cultivation speed.

However, Li Qi said that Old Ma was his good friend, not his mount, so he always kept Old Ma by his side.

This time, they were going to the East China Sea. Li Qi was not good at swimming, but Old Ma was, after all, Dragon Horse Dragon Transformation into a dragon. Walking on water and diving were both easy for him, at least better than Li Qi. So Li Qi brought Old Ma along this time.

After bidding farewell to his friends and carrying various purposes, Li Qi quickly left Chang'an via Golden Platform and arrived at the border.

Riding Old Ma, we crossed the border of the Tang Kingdom.

My choice to travel from the Li River to the East China Sea this time was partly driven by personal reasons.

He wanted to see the current Wave-Pushing Gang and also to visit the Spirit of the Lishui River he used to worship.

Tap, tap, tap.

The Old Ma's hooves trod on the stone-paved street.

A day later, Li Qi had arrived in the Great Deer Kingdom.

This distance is quite short. From Golden Platform in Chang'an, you can quickly reach the border. From the border to the Great Deer Kingdom, it's only a few thousand miles. With Old Ma's speed, he can get there in a day and a night.

What once seemed like an endless distance now feels ordinary.

The Great Deer Kingdom, he has returned.

This is the capital of Li Prefecture in the Great Deer Kingdom.

Li Qi has been gone for many years, but nothing has changed here; everything is exactly the same as when he first left.

Li Qi could even see his own arrest warrant, though it was from several years ago, the paper was long since torn and yellowed.

Clearly, just as Li Qi had initially thought, this arrest warrant was merely a formality; the local constables had no intention of making any arrests and were simply going through the motions.

It was just the start of the holiday season, the beginning of winter, and all industries were beginning to scale back, with everyone stockpiling supplies for the winter.

Based on Li Qi's understanding of Li Prefecture, this period should be the peak season for river transport, because various winter supplies, coal, grain, and the like would be transported over now, before the Li River completely freezes over.

If the Li River were to freeze and they still wanted to transport the animals, it would require enormous costs for the transport. Furthermore, since the Great Deer Kingdom lacked mature techniques for breeding and taming Demon Beast, such transport would most likely have to be done by human labor, further increasing the costs.

The backwardness I saw in the past, including the lack of animal husbandry, the scarcity of practitioners, the extreme xenophobia of local groups, and their extreme dependence on the production relationship of "treating humans as livestock," has not changed at all.

That makes sense.

It hasn't changed for thousands of years, and it's unlikely to change in the next few years.

Li Qi walked to the banks of the Li River, intending to find the Boatman Gang and see his former brothers from the Wave-Pushing Gang.

Because he was riding a horse, and although his clothes were not fancy, they were clean, the laborers and other people passing by quickly avoided him, afraid of offending such an important person.

The law is not very effective in the Great Deer Kingdom.

This isn't Chang'an; even a fifth-rank official has to wait obediently for the red light and dare not overstep it.

However, after riding his horse around the dock and riverbank for a while, he couldn't find the Wave-Pushing Gang anywhere.

"Hmm? Didn't it come out?" Li Qi asked, puzzled.

He decided to go to the station to look for them. Could it be that they weren't out working? But it was peak season for river transport, so everyone except the elderly, women, and children should be out and about.

The Wave-Pushing Gang's base was in a remote location, inaccessible by horseback. So Li Qi dismounted, led his Old Ma, and squeezed through the narrow alleys, trying to get through to the old riverbank.

Old Ma is now ten feet tall, a veritable behemoth. And since he doesn't yet know how to change size, and doesn't want to collapse the wall, he has no choice but to curl up and squeeze in.

After squeezing through more than a dozen gaps, Li Qi finally arrived at his former residence, only to find that it was not the place where the Wave-Pushing Gang lived.

I was too tired last night and went to bed early, so I forgot to update. Sorry.