Chapter 41: Horse
Li Qi was boiling water, preparing to cook rice cakes.
Rice cakes were very durable for storage, but they would mold when they encountered water.
The mountain air was damp, and the rice cakes were easily covered by moisture, forming water droplets, and some had already started to mold.
But it didn't matter; he could just scrape off the surface mold spots and eat them.
He was in the middle of doing just that, carefully using a small knife to scrape off the moldy parts, then cutting the rest into chunks and dropping them into the boiling water.
Rice cakes could only be eaten cooked. Whether boiled or roasted, they had to be cooked through.
Raw ones? Anyone who tried would know. They'd choke you and you couldn't even bite through them. It was like trying to chew a tire.
The water wasn't ready yet; he had only just chopped up the rice cakes and dropped them in.
Once it boiled, he'd add a bit of coarse salt, and that would be a meal.
Lately, his cooking skills had improved rapidly because he had learned to use the progress bar to control the heat. He'd observe the cooking progress bar of the food and as soon as it was full, he'd take it off the heat, ensuring perfectly cooked food every time.
Though it wasn't particularly useful, it added a bit of fun to his monotonous journey. After all, rice cakes cooked this way tasted better.
While boiling the water, he looked at the Zhu in his mind, continuously reading.
This book was simply all-encompassing; it wasn't something he could finish in a short time. But a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and he wasn't in a hurry.
He'd read whenever he had time, reading for ten hours a day, and he'd finish it eventually.
After three days, his progress had reached 0.6%.
It certainly felt like there was hope.
He also diligently cultivated every day. Now, within his body, there were four strands of Great Forest Wood Qi and three strands of Earth Deity Qi from the Household God. These energies circulated within his body, allowing it to be strengthened to a certain extent each day.
Moreover, through reading, he had gradually learned to utilize these energies.
Though he was still very unskillful, Li Qi felt that he could now beat three of his former selves.
Being able to use Qi truly made one extraordinarily strong.
Just as he was cooking the rice cakes, paying attention to the progress bar while reading the Zhu in his mind, he suddenly heard Shen Shuibi calling him.
"Li Qi! Li Qi! Come over quickly!"
Li Qi immediately stood up, feeling a bit strange.
Shen Shuibi usually didn't speak unless he talked to her. Why was she suddenly calling him today?
Nevertheless, since it was rare, he immediately rushed over.
Perhaps she had found some clues.
Li Qi hurried over. Since they weren't far apart, he arrived quickly.
"What's wrong, Miss Shen?" Li Qi asked.
"I... I, I, I!" She seemed to stammer, repeating herself excitedly.
Li Qi didn't rush her; instead, he looked at her excited expression, wondering what had happened. Could it be that Lady Luofu had appeared herself?
"I... I found a horse! It's just ahead! I heard its sound!" Shen Shuibi said excitedly, then grabbed Li Qi's sleeve.
"A horse? How come I didn't hear it?" Li Qi rubbed his head.
Where would a horse's sound come from?
"Of course you can't hear it!" Shen Shuibi said and then a pair of rabbit ears suddenly stood up on her head.
They were white, fluffy, and stood very straight, looking quite adorable.
After showing them off, she retracted them again, shaking Li Qi's sleeve and happily saying, "We can ride a horse now! With a horse, we'll be much faster!"
Hearing this, Li Qi didn't become happy.
He, of course, knew what a horse was.
But the horses in this world... weren't that simple.
Why was there no livestock farming in this world?
It was simple. Because these animals were all like giant tanks. A pig's hide could make a knife unable to cut through it and horses, of course, wouldn't be ordinary horses.
He had seen many spiritual horses, all owned by important figures on ships. The strength they possessed then felt like they could easily kick him to death.
Even now, he still couldn't say he could beat those horses...
Perhaps he could barely beat one?
"Miss Shen, even if there's a horse, can we catch it?" Li Qi said with a bitter smile. "That's a horse."
A horse, whether he could beat it or not, there was no way he could outrun it.
People in this world could cover a hundred li a day on foot. A creature like a horse could probably easily cover eight hundred li a day without any problem.
"No need to catch it. With me here, if I just talk to it and ask for its help, it will definitely be willing!" Shen Shuibi said happily.
Li Qi was stunned. It actually might work?
This girl was a demon, after all.
If she hadn't crippled her cultivation, he probably would have been slapped to death by her.
"Then, shall we try?" he said.
If they could really have a horse for transport, not to mention the speed, just the horse itself would be very intimidating. It would probably disperse a lot of hostility and potential threats.
As for horses being valuable, Li Qi simply ignored that.
Anyway, they couldn't sell it, and it wasn't a horse they had tamed themselves, so it was better not to compare. After all, even Shen Shuibi used the phrase "ask for its help."
"Yes! Let's try! Hurry and take me there!" Shen Shuibi seemed to be in high spirits.
Li Qi didn't say much more. He hid his backpack, left the rice cakes and pot on the ground for now, stomped out the fire and sprinkled some dirt on it.
Then, he carried Shen Shuibi, who had lost her cultivation on his back and ran like mad!
Li Qi circulated the Azure Dragon divine qi, also known as the Great Forest Wood Qi of spring, throughout his body. In an instant, his speed not only increased but he could also run wildly for an hour without getting tired.
Great Forest Wood Qi represented vitality. It could make injuries heal faster, strengthen the body, and increase endurance.
Unfortunately, doing so would consume a strand of Qi, which he usually couldn't bear to use.
He could only accumulate one strand of Great Forest Wood Qi per day, so how could he use it for traveling?
However, if he didn't use it when it was time to, then what was the difference between having it and not?
This was a horse!
Li Qi carried Shen Shuibi, rushing quickly through the mountain forest, running with all his might!
Trees and small rocks scratched him, but under the effect of the Great Forest Wood Qi, these small cuts slowly healed, with each cut closing up in about a minute.
Normally, Li Qi would be exhausted to death after running for ten minutes, but now with this, his stamina was inexhaustible; he felt no fatigue at all!
This was the effect of the Azure Dragon divine qi. Even a low-grade little shaman could gain unimaginable power from it.
Li Qi didn't just run on the mountain paths; he also climbed hills and jumped, reaching the location where Shen Shuibi heard the horse's presence at the fastest speed and shortest distance possible.
Shen Shuibi listened carefully, discerning the direction.
However, as she listened, she suddenly said, "That horse... it seems to be crying? It's not running away; instead, it's coming towards us."
"Coming towards us? Crying?" Li Qi was astonished.
Then, he suddenly realized that he could also hear the horse's neigh.
(Chapter End)