Chapter 105: Close at hand

The old horse stepped on clouds and galloped away.

Li Qi was still a bit bewildered.

He had expected a fierce battle, so he revealed his trump card, trying to make the other party retreat in the face of difficulty.

Who knew, the name of Shaman God Mountain was so terrifying that it directly scared the other party into submission.

"This thing... is a double-edged sword," Li Qi sighed.

Shen Shuibi recognized the other party's origin; the other party was also a practitioner of Shaman Dao, called a "Spirit Shaman."

Shamanes party with ghosts, hence witches are Spirit Shaman.

It means that witches form alliances with ghosts, and such witches are called Spirit Shaman.

Spirit Shaman are not orthodox Shamanes; in fact, in Li Qi's understanding, Shamanes do not have any blood sacrifice or ghost control methods.

Therefore, he was certain that the other party was not an orthodox Shaman, so he recited a passage from "Zhu" about Spirit Shaman, to show his identity and display his backing.

Although Shaman God Mountain might not even know about his existence, he was just waving a big flag... Besides, he wasn't lying; Young Master Zhu said he would take him as an apprentice.

But this effect was simply too good.

So good that Li Qi was filled with worry.

Li Qi himself liked to plan ten steps ahead, and sometimes appeared indecisive due to overthinking. After this incident, he began to consider how to deal with the title of a Shaman God Mountain disciple.

While a big tree provides good shade.

A big tree also attracts wind, doesn't it?

Forget it, there isn't much information, so it's better to be a bit restrained for now. Once I truly experience Shaman God Mountain, I'll consider those matters. Before that, if I can avoid revealing my identity, I will.

It's just... a mere title can deter a county magistrate.

Truly terrifying.

However, this also made Li Qi understand the difference between so-called "orthodox Shamanes" and these rural Shamanes even more clearly.

Invoker can borrow the power of ghosts and gods, but the premise is mutual consent, not the Spirit Shaman's method of directly controlling ghosts.

Because ghosts do not possess the Qi of the Five Virtues and have no sentience to speak of, Spirit Shaman can subdue them through various means and use them as ghost slaves.

True Invoker would never do such a thing; when they encounter these ghosts, they would mostly disperse them directly, helping them return to Reincarnation.

Once true Invoker open the door to ghost manipulation, the problem would be huge.

Vicious ghosts... can be man-made.

Grievances? Malice?

How simple it is to create them.

Li Qi didn't believe that the vicious ghosts in the county magistrate's hands were all innocent victims.

Judging by his words and actions, and listening to the Jing Family's remarks, this person is definitely not a good sort in Snake Tail County.

Li Qi did want to step forward and uphold justice, but he estimated he couldn't win right now, so he had to run away.

There's always tomorrow. Let's take care of ourselves first. Li Qi considered himself a good person, but he wasn't prepared to risk his life for every injustice he saw.

Snake Tail County, he would return.

Along the way, Li Qi once again galloped furiously on his horse. This time, he didn't care about others' gazes, wantonly urging the old horse, treading on cloud Qi, and sprinting all the way.

The speed was extremely fast; ordinary mountain-collecting teams could only feel a gust of wind, and in the pitch-black night, they could only see the old horse's exhaust.

Occasionally, some powerful mountain-collecting teams could see it, but they wouldn't pursue.

Are you kidding? Chasing a Dragon Steed?

Can a person run a horse to death?

When traveling long distances, a Dragon Steed can run eight hundred li a day, and sixteen hundred li day and night, this is its cruising speed, meaning without harming itself.

When needing to fight or escape, the old horse's burst speed can easily reach six or seven hundred li in half an hour, and perhaps even faster if further pushed.

However, after a burst of speed, it not only consumes physical strength but also greatly harms the old horse, requiring a lot of food to compensate to avoid loss of essence Qi.

And it can't be ordinary food; it must be Heaven And Earth Treasure containing pure Qi.

Running for a minute or two during a battle for a charge is fine, but traveling for one or two hours is truly exhausting for the horse, running for one hour requires a day of rest.

People also can't rely on a hundred-meter sprint for long-distance travel; they still need to jog.

But even so, it was a speed that others could only dream of.

After a night, another city appeared before Li Qi.

"Looking at the map, this should be Qingshan County," Li Qi fiddled with his map, orienting himself.

"Shen Guniang, how far are we from Empress Luofu?" He turned to ask Shen Shuibi.

"Hmm... let me sense it. It seems there's still about ten thousand li? Our direction is correct, we should be able to see Niangniang in at most half a month!"

"And, for the past half month, Niangniang doesn't seem to have moved her position, so she should have settled down," Shen Shuibi said happily.

"That's good. We traveled all night yesterday, so let's rest in Qingshan County now and depart tomorrow. This time, we won't stop until we reach Niangniang's side!" Li Qi arranged.

Then, he patted the old horse: "Don't complain about being tired, old brother. This time, you're meeting Empress Luofu. When the time comes, even if she pulls out a single hair from her body, it'll be enough for you to transform into a Dragon."

Shen Shuibi pinched Li Qi, saying unhappily, "Niangniang won't pull out her hair!"

"Then let's rephrase it. If Empress Luofu lets a little bit leak from between her fingers, it'll be enough for us to benefit endlessly!" Li Qi laughed heartily, then rode his horse into the city.

However, although Li Qi had laughter and a smile, there was no amusement in his eyes.

He was about to meet Empress Luofu.

But was it really a good thing?

Li Qi always felt that meeting such a powerful figure was basically like walking into a Dragon's Den.

Although there were benefits, the risks were as high as the rewards.

What's more, when walking into a Dragon's Den, life and death are in your own hands, and rewards depend entirely on how hard you fight. It's dangerous, but your life, in a way, is in your own hands.

However, when meeting a powerful figure, both the rewards and life and death are entirely in the hands of others...

Besides, after meeting her, Shen Shuibi would have to leave, right? After all, staying by Empress Luofu's side is her favorite state, not to mention she is actually a fifth-rank expert, and her accompanying him was purely due to his good luck.

Up until now, he had received a lot of guidance from her, and he hadn't taken any detours in his cultivation. His foundation was solid, and his cultivation speed was also very fast, all thanks to Shen Shuibi's unreserved guidance.

It won't be there anymore.

How to put it... a little, uncomfortable.

Anyway, the journey still had to be made.

Along the way, there was nothing particularly special. Li Qi wasn't some special existence who would encounter adventures and various crises as soon as he stepped out. In short, after resting for a night, he continued his journey.

Fifteen days passed in a flash.

Eating and sleeping outdoors, even though Li Qi used taking care of the old horse as an excuse to rest for a good amount of time in between, the distance was still getting closer.

Finally, on the sixteenth day, Li Qi followed Shen Shuibi's guidance and arrived in a deep mountain.

Li Qi was very vigilant.

Because, unlike the main roads between the county towns before.

This was a true deep mountain and old forest.

"It's just ahead! No more than twenty li!" Shen Shuibi, however, was very excited.

They were almost there.