Chapter 40: On the Road
Mountains high and waters long, lush green trees abound.
Li Qi carried a large back-basket, tenderly weighing his money pouch.
Nine hundred ninety-two coins; now only two hundred thirty-one remained.
And what he had exchanged for it was the large back-basket on his back.
It contained many things.
The large back-basket itself wasn't cheap.
Rain-proof cowhide paper, long-lasting rice cakes, and some dried salted meat.
A large canvas tarp, which could be folded into a large bundle for carrying things in the wild, or rolled up into a handy short rope. It could also be used as a blanket and was wear-resistant and fireproof.
Two woodcutting knives, a small whetstone. At least some sharp tools for emergencies in the wild, also useful for cutting obstructive vines or chopping wood for a fire.
Some tinder sticks and two flints. Needless to say, for making fire. He'd use the flints normally, but in an emergency, he could use the tinder sticks that ignited with a flick.
There were also wound medicine, insect repellent, some essential medicines, and necessities for wilderness survival.
A bolt of hemp cloth, some small knives, a spatula, iron heads for farming tools, and such. These were brought to act as a peddler, to sell some in villages to recoup some money.
He was poor; every little bit he could earn helped.
Besides these, there were many small miscellaneous items, which wouldn't be listed one by one.
In short, Li Qi had made ample preparations to cope with the long journey ahead.
Moreover, he spent a hefty sum, a full sixty coins, to buy Shen Shuibi a change of clothes.
Her previous outfit, with its veil and lace-like white dress, matched Mister Zhu's aesthetic, but walking with him, she looked like an easy mark about to be robbed.
So, he changed her into a woman's hemp cloth dress. Now, she just looked like a pretty village girl.
Although a bit too pretty; how could normal villagers raise such a beauty?
After all, female members of ordinary rural families or gang members like Li Qi, even if they were naturally beautiful and pretty, mostly needed to work and manage the household.
No matter how good one's natural looks were, if they grew up daily washing clothes, cooking, pounding rice, and chopping firewood, any naturally beautiful person growing up like that would turn into a farmer's wife, robust and broad-hipped, with coarse skin and not very attractive.
But to be honest, people of Li Qi's social class precisely needed this kind of wife.
Because they were familiar with all sorts of tasks, efficient, physically strong, not prone to illness, and could work in the fields or assist their husbands with heavy labor. They were excellent at maintaining the family's livelihood; one needed such a wife to get by.
If one truly raised a delicate, small-figured beauty with tender skin and a pampered disposition at home, even if she didn't cause trouble, just her inability to work could make the family overwhelmed.
They couldn't afford to keep her.
If she was willing to share the burden with her husband, then after at most two years of work, she would become like other farm wives, broad-hipped and no longer beautiful.
Therefore, even dressed in hemp clothes, Shen Shuibi could still be recognized at a glance as someone definitely not ordinary.
But all that didn't matter. After all, Li Qi felt that he should no longer be considered an ordinary person himself and should be able to handle things, as long as they weren't too conspicuous.
Walking along the road, Li Qi looked at Shen Shuibi beside him, lightly dressed, carrying no luggage, carefree, leading the way as if on a picnic.
This reminded him of their conversation at the start of their journey.
At that time, Li Qi had asked, "Miss Shen, how do you determine the direction? Where is Lady Luofu?"
"By feeling it~ I've been by Lady's side since I was little. As soon as I open my eyes, I know where she is. As long as I follow my feelings, I'll definitely find her!" Shen Shuibi said confidently, clenching her small fists and making a solemn vow.
Honestly, Li Qi felt it was highly unreliable.
But there was nothing he could do. This was a world with cow-headed demons, snake demons, and deities, so it might actually work.
And so, a journey with an unknown destination and no planned itinerary began.
The two traveled together. Li Qi carried a large back-basket containing all their luggage, while Shen Shuibi carried nothing, dressed in her new clothes, hands empty, just walking forward.
At first, Li Qi was very skeptical of her approach.
But after two days of walking, Li Qi realized that she really didn't seem to need luggage.
Shen Shuibi could actually remain unstained by dust. Even walking in the wilderness, she wouldn't get dirty at all. She neither sweat nor emitted any odor. Even if she fell and got covered in dust, when she climbed up with a bitter face, the dust would naturally slide off her, not sticking to her skin at all.
Besides that, she didn't even need to eat!
Yes, according to her, she was a naturally born extraordinary creature, not an ordinary demon that had gained sentience, so she didn't need to eat regular food. She only needed to "feast on the wind and drink the dew," absorbing different kinds of qi.
Because of this, she also didn't need to excrete waste or sweat. If she wanted to, she wouldn't even need to breathe, though breathing was merely a means of "eating" for her.
No need to bathe, no sweating, always clean, always beautiful.
What the hell… was she an anime girl?
Was she that low-maintenance?
In any case, having this 'thing' on the journey meant absolutely no logistical pressure. She walked by herself and ran quite fast too.
Good, good.
The two of them trekked through the desolate mountains and wilderness for three days.
On this day, at noon, Li Qi needed to rest, make some lunch to replenish his energy, and stretch his legs.
Shen Shuibi was also very understanding. Not everyone could be as fragrant and energetic as her without eating or bathing, so she patiently waited nearby.
After three days of companionship, the two were no longer as unfamiliar with each other. However, Shen Shuibi was usually quiet, and topics were mostly initiated by Li Qi to alleviate boredom on the road. So, at this moment, with Li Qi gone to fetch water and cook, she silently gazed into the distance.
She hadn't lied to Li Qi; she truly didn't know the exact location of the Lady. But the little rabbit could vaguely sense the Lady's direction.
However… after three days of walking, she hadn't felt the distance close by much.
This meant that the distance covered in these three days was utterly insignificant compared to the distance to the Lady.
She hadn't told Li Qi this, because she was afraid that if she did, Li Qi wouldn't be willing to go with her to find the Lady.
Because his journey through the mountains was very arduous, unlike hers.
They had walked over two hundred li in these three days, but if they wanted to find the Lady, they would probably have to walk tens of thousands of li.
If the Lady didn't change her location, it might take a year or half a year.
"Sigh…" She sighed. At this pace, it would take a long, long time.
If only they had a horse.
Unfortunately, Li Qi was poor and couldn't afford one. A horse would cost twenty to thirty gold coins. Although Shen Shuibi didn't think it was that expensive, Li Qi definitely couldn't produce that much.
As she was thinking this, she suddenly stood up.
Up ahead… was that the neigh of a horse?
(Chapter End)