Chapter 25: Wanted
The merchants breathed a sigh of relief and praised Li Qi one after another.
“Exactly! I was ready to draw my knife, but Brother Li Qi was even more formidable; I can’t believe he actually managed to fool it!”
“I think that monster was probably mentally unstable, like the Bear Granny type, acting with a certain set of rules.”
“Indeed, I’ve also heard that some demons, when they knock on your door at night, won’t come in if you don’t open it, but if you do, they’ll eat you. These demons and ghosts all have some strange habits, and this monster was probably the same. If we had truly resorted to force, we might not have gotten out. Li Qi was clever!”
It turned out that Li Qi, Ba Kui, and the others, upon noticing that something was off with the woman, immediately realized she was a demon.
What to do if it was a demon?
Everyone else immediately became wary, preparing to fight for their lives.
But Li Qi, upon seeing the demon’s odd behavior, remained calm and even tried to communicate using a set of rules. Unexpectedly, they actually managed to escape.
What good luck! That demon also followed a certain code!
Such situations were not uncommon. For instance, in the legends of the Bear Granny, the Monkey Show, the Hungry Ghost, the Yellow Weasel Immortal, and the House-Guard Snake, the demons within often had some logic. If one didn't violate their taboos, there was actually a glimmer of hope for survival.
Li Qi had also thought of this, which was why he feigned composure and spoke to the demon.
That was a demon that could shapeshift! If it truly went berserk, Li Qi had no doubt that none of them would survive.
As for the matter of Li Qi carrying the demon back, the others weren’t too concerned.
Who knew if leaving immediately would have resulted in her chasing them down to their deaths?
What if by not saving her, the demon would demand their lives?
It was better now, to put it nicely, one could even say they had formed a good rapport with the demon, and everyone was happy, so no one blamed Li Qi.
As mentioned before, these merchants, though not averse to good or evil, still possessed a minor loyalty. Having experienced life and death with Li Qi, they wouldn't turn their backs on him over minor issues.
As everyone rejoiced, they finally arrived at the city’s edge.
Feng County had been reached and no matter what, they should be safe now.
Around cities, there were always Demon Extermination Bureaus and Garrison Envoys. Even in the countryside, there were many witches and local exorcists who could perform acts of exorcism and demon-slaying.
So, the city’s edge was definitely safe. If even the city’s edge wasn’t safe…
Then they might as well wait for death. What level of existence would a demon that could breach a county seat be?
After finally relaxing, Li Qi was also ready to part ways with the others.
They were merely acquaintances who had shared a night’s journey. Each had their own affairs to attend to; they couldn't stay together indefinitely.
“Brother Li, then I’ll be off first. I have a distant destination and important matters, so I’ll take my leave,” A'Du was the first to say goodbye.
This was quite normal. He was someone who chose to travel alone in the depths of winter, so it was only natural for him to have important responsibilities. The others didn't try to keep him and after bidding farewell, he left.
Next were the merchants. They all carried back baskets filled with goods that needed to be sold or had already been ordered, requiring delivery. They each had their own business to attend to.
Ba Kui, however, said to Li Qi: “I’ll be setting off for Lianxia tomorrow at noon. I promised to treat you to a drink, but tonight it won’t happen. Tomorrow morning, let’s meet here again and I’ll make sure you drink your fill!”
Lianxia was a gorge through which the Li River flowed, and also a gathering point for many boats. It was natural for merchants to go there.
Li Qi naturally had no objections. Being able to get a free meal and make some friends was a good thing. He readily agreed and then parted ways with the merchants.
They had only just gotten to know each other on the journey, but now they were already parting ways.
Except for Ba Kui, no one else revealed what they were going to do. Everyone had their own affairs, and there was no need to disclose all their secrets.
Such is often the way of the world; those passing by are always more numerous than those who stay.
After everyone had parted, Li Qi walked alone towards the city gate, not entering for the time being.
Mainly, he saw a notice board not far away, on the side of the city gate. Someone was putting up a notice, and many people were gathering around to watch, so he decided to go over and take a look.
He walked over and saw the notice board. Indeed, a new notice had just been put up.
This notice stated that a group of twelve merchants had encountered a demon on their journey and all had died. The notice was now posted, hoping that relatives and friends would come to claim the bodies.
Li Qi felt his blood run cold.
Could it be… that Ba Kui and his group were actually ghosts!?
However, before he could successfully scare himself, his confusion was resolved, because there were portraits posted below.
Upon closer inspection, they had nothing to do with Ba Kui and his group; they were simply another group of unlucky souls.
Only then did he calm down and read carefully.
But the more he looked, the more he looked at the portraits, the more familiar the people seemed.
After thinking hard, he finally remembered that these people on the notice were none other than one of the two merchant groups he had encountered at the roadside tea stall!
Ba Kui’s group had successfully made it, but this group had all died on the road. After being discovered by passersby, the authorities were informed!
After sorting things out, Li Qi shook his head.
He once again realized the dangers of traveling alone.
No wonder everyone was reluctant to travel far, and traveling alone was feared like tigers and leopards, terrifying to the extreme.
However, Li Qi continued to read further down and saw a wanted poster.
It read:
“Arrest Warrant, by order of the Prefect of Li Prefecture!”
“Today, the traitor of Tang—Lady Luofu—a deity of the demon race, was granted favor by the Emperor and entrusted with governance over a region. Yet she proved without virtue or conduct, brought disaster upon the people, and employed petty men, plunging the land into chaos.”
“The Governor of Jiannan Dao ordered her to conduct a self-investigation, but she disregarded the imperial decree, acted arrogantly, and engaged in rebellious acts. The Emperor, being magnanimous, issued an edict ordering her to self-reflect behind closed doors, yet this fiend defied the imperial decree, openly insulted the Emperor and defrauded her superiors, refused to comply with orders, and intended to defect to Tianzhu¹.”
“For this great crime, she deserves execution. However, Lady Luofu possesses profound magical power and extraordinary divine abilities. She ambushed imperial envoys and fled the country, now having escaped into Baiyue, whereabouts unknown. Our Great Lu Kingdom is one of the nations of Baiyue, having enjoyed generations of friendly relations with the Tang Dynasty, bound as brothers. A rebel of our brother nation shall be considered a rebel of our Great Lu Kingdom. For any clue leading to Lady Luofu, a reward of one hundred gold shall be given. He who can kill her shall be granted a second-rank noble title and enfeoffed with ten thousand households. He who can capture her alive shall be granted territory the size of a prefecture and enfeoffed as a king.”
This wanted poster was different from the others. It was written on yellow cloth and had probably been hanging by the city for some time, but it was still prominently displayed, clearly indicating its great importance.
“A wanted poster for treason… indeed,” Li Qi glanced at it and skipped past it.
What did it have to do with him? A fierce man of that caliber- oh, no, a fierce women and they were still talking about killing her?
The effect of this notice was probably just to warn the world that such a rebel existed.
That was all. How could she possibly be killed by civilian forces?
Skipping this, Li Qi continued to look down.
And then he saw himself.
(Chapter End)
¹Tianzhu, fun fact, this is the ancient name for India.