Chapter 39: Departure
Great Lu Kingdom, Li Prefecture, Feng County.
In a dilapidated roadside tavern.
"Haha! What a relief!" Ba Kui roared, draining the rice wine in his cup in one gulp.
That's right, it was still rice.
Ultimately, rice was the cheapest and most abundant. Since there was plenty of spirit rice, brewing wine naturally involved rice too.
As Li Qi drank this stuff, it didn't feel like distilled liquor at all, but rather more like sweet fermented rice…
It barely had an alcoholic taste, but it was sweet and quite palatable.
It counted as a beverage, not really wine.
Perhaps brewing high-proof liquor or distilled spirits would consume too much fuel, so they opted for this low-alcohol fermented drink?
After all, fuel was much more expensive than rice.
Could rice even be used as fuel?
Would it burn?
Li Qi's thoughts drifted as he picked up a small dish, savoring its deliciousness.
It wasn't a particularly remarkable dish, just stir-fried minced meat with pickled radishes but this ordinary dish tasted incredibly delicious to Li Qi, and he ate it with great relish.
"Brother Ba Kui, what kind of business are you doing on your trip to Lianxia this time?" Li Qi didn't drink much wine, instead savoring the pickled radish in his mouth.
Why hadn't he ever found pickled radish so tasty before? The salty taste, it was truly delicious.
Constantly eating plain white rice had literally made his mouth bland to the point of tastelessness. Having the opportunity to eat heavily flavored food, Li Qi still cherished this chance.
"Helping someone deliver a batch of goods. They said it was… some kind of gemstone, but it probably isn't worth much. I heard people say that those gemstones are worth tens of thousands of coins for just a small piece, and beautiful ones are dozens of gold for a single tiny gem, frightfully expensive.
The stuff we're carrying, each person has a piece, and the small ones are three to four hundred jin! Together, it's five to six thousand jin. What kind of gemstone could there be so much of?" Ba Kui said with a grin.
"Anyway, our trip to Lianxia isn't far. What about you, Brother Li Qi? You're out here alone right after spring began, with just one bundle of luggage. You don't seem like a traveling merchant; are you delivering a message for someone?" 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 vegetables with braised pork, and a basket of steamed rice cakes. These were their dishes and main staples for a feast.
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 this burly man couldn't be called a good person, but he was certainly a generous one.
The part about him not being a good person was easy to understand; Li Qi guessed Ba Kui had certainly committed his fair share of robbery and murder.
As for his generosity, just like now, Li Qi had faced life and death with him and battled demons together. So, even though they didn't know each other well, he still regarded Li Qi as a friend very sincerely.
"It's not a glorious reason. I offended someone in my hometown and came out as a fugitive," Li Qi didn't conceal anything, but he twisted some facts: "That fellow was too overbearing, always trying to seize my family's property. I killed him, so I fled."
"Excellent! I like a man like you! Anyone who dares to bully us deserves a stab to the death! No one should dare to look down on us men! Let's drink!" Ba Kui seemed especially fond of such stories. He raised his wine cup, ready to clink glasses with Li Qi.
Li Qi clinked cups with him and took a sip.
Then, he saw Ba Kui, while praising him, drawing the utility knife from his waist, brandishing it showily.
Almost instantly, Li Qi felt a sharp sting in his eyes!
Qi!
There was a dazzling qi in Ba Kui's utility knife.
It was red and extremely malicious. Li Qi could even feel the hairs on his body standing on end, as if a knife were tentatively grazing his face.
"Brother Ba Kui, your knife?" He suppressed the chilling sensation that washed over him, feigning normalcy as he questioned Ba Kui.
That night, when he and Ba Kui fought the stray dog demon together, he had seen a faint red glow on this object. But at that time, he hadn't thought much of it, confidently believing it couldn't harm his thick skin.
After all, the thick skin provided by the Bull Strength Art could be said to be invulnerable to blades.
But at this very moment, he could perceive the sharpness of that utility knife.
What kind of qi was that?!
Was this a magical artifact like his willow branch? Was some kind of qi infused into the utility knife, giving it a special quality?
His willow branch was infused with Earth Deity divine qi; what was this?
"What's wrong with my knife?" Ba Kui was a bit puzzled, why did Li Qi seem so… weak?
As if he was afraid of something.
"How many things has your knife cut?" Li Qi finally calmed down and asked, feigning composure.
"Haha! You've asked the right person! This knife is my livelihood. Whether climbing mountains or descending, chopping firewood or butchering beasts, it all depends on this fellow. It's strange to say, other people's knives dull quickly, but this knife of mine gets sharper the more I use it. It's killed countless pigs, countless rabbits, chopped wood, cut meat, there's nothing it can't do." He rapped on the blade with a "bang, bang, bang," saying proudly.
Then, he leaned in mysteriously: "It's even touched a lot of human blood."
Then, he sat back: "Even the shamaness in my hometown said that this knife of mine is no longer an ordinary utility knife; it has malevolent qi in it. Even ghosts would retreat upon seeing it. I rely on this thing wherever I travel!"
Li Qi listened to his boasting and looked thoughtfully at the knife.
So, this kind of qi was called malevolent qi?
From the description, it didn't seem to be obtained through sacrifice or cultivation. The source of malevolent qi… should be killing.
Killing people, killing wild beasts, killing living things.
It might even be more than just killing living things; killing what's already dead might also count, such as killing ghosts or zombies.
In short, Li Qi noted down the source of this qi.
Perhaps he could acquire some to increase his own strength.
After all, this didn't seem too difficult. Not to mention killing people, surely killing more pigs wouldn't be a problem?
Thinking this, after finishing the meal and drinks, neither of them was drunk. After all, they both had cultivation methods in their bodies and wouldn't get intoxicated by such rice wine, but their bellies were certainly full.
A rice cake with preserved vegetables and pickled radish, along with some minced meat or fatty braised pork, made for a very satisfying meal for both strong men.
"Well then, Brother Li Qi, we shall meet again if fate allows. I'll be off!" Ba Kui greeted, hoisted his back basket, paid the bill, and prepared to head to Lianxia.
Li Qi watched him leave, then turned around himself and walked towards the inn.
As he walked, his pace grew faster and faster, from walking, to a jog, then to a run!
It was already noon now; Shen Shuibi should be awake.
Then it was time to set off, to find Lady Luofu!
Li Qi clenched his fists, quickened his pace, and increased his speed.
If he found this person, he might earn some extra money!
New spell techniques, new powers, only then could he truly rise.
(Chapter End)