Chapter 43: Mutual Aid
In addition to the malevolent Qi, a grayish, chilling aura enveloped him.
"Malevolent Qi, death Qi, no wonder his injuries are so severe..." Shen Shuibi's expression was no longer bright, becoming quite serious.
The old horse finally reached them.
However, before it could stop steadily, one of its legs buckled, and it collapsed to the ground, letting out a weak whinny.
Shen Shuibi immediately jumped down from Li Qi's neck and quickly went to the old horse's side, stroking its mane and neck.
Fortunately, her body was inherently pristine. Even though the old horse was dirty and covered in grime and congealed blood, nothing would stick to her.
Pebbles and dust naturally slid off her, leaving her unstained, as if she had a hydrophobic layer. Nothing could cling to her clothes or skin; even sticky mud and blood clots slid off her.
She wouldn't get wet walking in the rain, nor would she get dirty walking through mud puddles; all impurities simply couldn't get near her.
Even more miraculously, after she stroked it, the old horse's mane, which was so badly matted that Li Qi thought it should all be cut off, miraculously unknotted itself.
It seemed that Shen Shuibi, as Lady Luofu's maidservant, must have been an extraordinary being before her cultivation was crippled. She must have been a great master, right?
Perhaps a high-ranking expert of the fifth or sixth rank?
Looking at it this way, her ability to quickly grow close to him and show no discrimination truly spoke of her gentle nature.
Li Qi thought this to himself.
Though she really was a bit silly, he wondered if she had injured her brain when crippling her cultivation.
"Li Qi, go get the luggage. I'll check his injuries first," Shen Shuibi said to Li Qi.
Then, she lowered her head and began to clean the old horse's filth.
She didn't even need water; where her hand passed, the grime naturally fell off onto the ground.
Seeming to feel that this wasn't ideal, she patted the horse and whispered something to him.
The old horse let out a soft neigh and, with effort, struggled to stand up.
After standing, the old horse first walked to Li Qi's side and neighed, seemingly greeting him.
Li Qi heard the horse's feeble neigh and shook his head: "There's a small river down in the ravine. You two should go wash there. You can wash off the blood and clean the wounds. I'll go get the luggage; there's medicine inside."
The old horse neighed. For some reason, even though Li Qi didn't understand the language, he could feel it was a sound of gratitude.
"No need to thank me, it's mutual aid, mutual aid," Li Qi waved his hand, then turned and set off.
He went back to get the luggage.
By the time he returned, the soup was half-cold, and the rice cakes inside were soaked beyond recognition.
Well, never mind.
He added some brown coarse salt and slurped it down, finishing his lunch by half-eating, half-drinking.
In this wilderness, no one passed by during this time, so the hidden luggage was still there.
He shouldered his backpack and headed back again.
This time, he didn't use the Great Forest Wood Qi. He only had three strands left, so he had to conserve them.
Without the aid of the Great Forest Wood Qi, his return journey was much slower.
It took a full hour before he finally made it back.
Carrying the backpack was exhausting. He panted heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked down from the cliff.
Down by the small river, Shen Shuibi had almost finished cleaning the old horse.
The old horse looked much better. The grime on his body had been cleaned completely, and his wounds were rinsed with clean water. His previous disarray was swept away. Although still weak, the impression he gave had changed from a decrepit prisoner to a frail but majestic elder.
He was truly majestic. Although the horse looked very thin now, with atrophied muscles, his bones were broad and standing, he was still over eight chi tall. much taller than Li Qi.
His mane, though streaked with grey, was exceptionally flowing and elegant when he moved.
His large eyes were bright and spirited, gleaming with wisdom and humanity, even giving the impression that he could speak.
Looking at this aged dragon steed, Li Qi had to admit:
He was so handsome.
Even more handsome than himself.
Li Qi suddenly felt a bit miffed that a horse was more handsome than him, but he quickly cast these emotions aside.
Why bother competing with a horse!
"Li Qi! You're back? I've almost finished cleaning his wounds; I'm just waiting for you to bring the medicine!"
"And I've spoken with him; we'll help him recover from his injuries, and he'll carry us on our journey!" Shen Shuibi joyfully rushed to Li Qi, grinning as she said, "This is great! What would have taken us a year and a half will now probably take only half a month!"
"That's wonderful, truly wonderful," Li Qi also smiled.
Even in his current state, this old horse could probably still travel eight hundred li a day. As long as they took good care of him, they could travel less for the first few days, prioritize his recovery and once he healed, they wouldn't have to trek so far themselves.
"Old Horse, I'll call you that from now on. I don't know your name. Come over here; I'll apply the medicine! We've made a deal, so don't run off after getting the medicine!" Li Qi took out the wound medicine from his backpack and called out to the old horse.
The horse seemed to truly understand human speech. He walked over, snorted at Li Qi, then obediently turned around, presenting his wounds to Li Qi.
"He's saying thank you to you," Shen Shuibi translated.
"No need to thank me," Li Qi replied casually, then began to apply medicine to the horse.
However, the old horse seemed very affectionate towards Li Qi, occasionally turning his head to nuzzle him.
Li Qi felt a chill down his spine because it was a stallion.
Damn it, horses were so rough.
He was scared.
But the old horse didn't stop. He kept letting out soft whinnies, as if speaking.
Li Qi didn't understand.
But Shen Shuibi could.
"He's saying he wants you to lend him a strand of Azure Dragon divine qi," Shen Shuibi translated for Li Qi.
"A strand of Azure Dragon divine qi? So he really came for that?" Li Qi scratched his head.
Shen Shuibi had already told him that this horse had actively come over precisely for that.
The horse nuzzled Li Qi with its nose, whinnying into his ear.
Li Qi felt a shiver of disgust and took a step back.
"He says it's mutual aid. You saved his life, and he will repay you," Shen Shuibi continued to translate.
"Repay me? How else can he repay me besides carrying me for a while?" Li Qi said.
However, he still waved his hand: "Never mind, it's also to get us on our way faster. Don't worry about repayment, just be quick when you travel."
Anyway, as long as it was spring, he could consistently gain one strand of Azure Dragon divine qi every day. If he didn't use it when he should, it was no different from not having it at all.
(Chapter End)