Chapter 137: Sudden accident

In this elegantly decorated inn, Li Qi asked curiously:

"Contention? What grade of Innate Jin Qi (Metal Energy) is this, that it warrants the word 'contention'?

He knew that Green Mountain would indeed occasionally birth an Innate Divine Weapon.

Innate means something born naturally, without any alteration.

It is said: What is given by fate is Innate; what is done by man is Acquired.

Theoretically, most things in the world can be called 'Innate,' as they are all naturally so.

However, there are differences even among Innate things, just as some people are naturally smarter than others, naturally stronger than others, and some stones are naturally harder than others.

Only these people or objects, which naturally possess special qualities, are given the title of 'Innate [something].'

For example, the current Innate Divine Weapon was naturally conceived from the concentrated Jin Qi (Metal Energy) of Green Mountain; it was not carved or refined, but naturally formed into the shape of a weapon, possessing divine properties. For a Martial Artist, it is the highest quality of weapon. Later, whether it is nurtured or used as raw Materials for further refining, it can surpass ordinary weapons.

The fox heard this and chuckled softly to Li Qi: "When that Jin Qi (Metal Energy) was first born, the sky was ablaze with five colors. Then the light receded, only to burst forth again, a red light belonging to the heavens, like the sun at its zenith. A great power from Qingwu Sect looked upon it and declared, 'The essence of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) can shine, while Impurities cannot; this light shines without Impurities.' Thus, it was determined to be a naturally occurring eighth-grade item."

The essence of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) can shine, while Impurities cannot.

Li Qi nodded upon hearing this evaluation. This thing truly received a high appraisal.

"Zhao" means a prominent light. The saying "Bai Ri Zhao Zhao" (bright as day) takes this meaning. This sentence means that only the essence within the Jin Qi (Metal Energy) can emit light, while Impurities cannot. Judging by the pure light of this Jin Qi (Metal Energy), it must be entirely free of Impurities.

A naturally occurring eighth-grade, pure and flawless Jin Qi (Metal Energy) that also formed into a Divine Weapon is indeed quite rare. It's certainly appropriate to say there would be a 'contention' for it.

"Sir, do you wish to inquire about rumors concerning this matter? Although our shop is small, market gossip always reaches us. Perhaps you could buy some more food, and I, your humble servant, will tell you in detail," the fox Anomolus Spirit said gently, her tone soft. While not overtly seductive, her speech always carried a subtle, almost imperceptible hint of charm.

Although she had restrained herself significantly, Li Qi was, after all, a ninth-grade Martial Artist. His senses were keen, and he could still perceive it.

However, what he sensed was not a deliberate display, but rather a tiny trace that leaked out despite her strenuous efforts to restrain it.

Looking at the elegant surroundings and the fox Anomolus Spirit's conservative attire, he guessed it was her own choice, perhaps?

But ultimately, it had nothing to do with Li Qi, so he shook his head and replied with a smile, "My cultivation is low; I'm not strong enough to contend for such things. I'm afraid if I hear too much, I might lose my composure."

The fox Anomolus Spirit naturally understood his gentle refusal, so she stopped speaking, smiled, completed his check-in, took his order, called for the waiter to lead away the old horse, and then went to attend to other customers.

Li Qi and his companion sat in the center of the main hall, waiting to finish their meal before heading to their room.

Although there was only one room, after a year of roughing it and staying in various places, they had often encountered situations where two people shared a single room and had long grown accustomed to it.

Sitting down, Li Qi poured a cup of tea for himself and Shen Shuibi, saying with some emotion, "Only after leaving the Great Deer Kingdom area did I realize that all beings can get along so harmoniously."

"Look, in Qingwu City, human and Anomolus Spirit live together, and Anomolus Spirits are everywhere, yet no one finds it strange; instead, they take it for granted. This is something that could never be seen in Great Deer Kingdom, where Anomolus Spirits are viewed as calamities."

Hearing Li Qi say this, Shen Shuibi covered her mouth and chuckled, "After all, we've already entered the sphere of influence of Shaman God Mountain. Shaman Dao does not care about racial distinctions. I've heard that further west, beyond Shaman Dao, there's even a Buddhist country where equality is even more thoroughly implemented. Shaman Dao still judges by strength, but the Buddhist country is said to advocate for the equality of all living beings, even considering the lives of livestock equal to those of cultivators."

"So, in that case, Great Deer Kingdom is like that because it's influenced by the Human Dao? Because the Human Dao dislikes Anomolus Spirits?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"That's somewhat true, but not entirely," Shen Shuibi recalled, then evaluated, "The Human Dao draws clear distinctions. Unless you identify yourself as part of the Human Dao, there are relatively stable paths for advancement within it, and there's no excessive discrimination. But if you're not part of the Human Dao, then you're considered 'not of our kind, and therefore of different hearts.'"

She herself was a victim of this Human Dao concept.

After being deemed an enemy, Emperor Tang had ordered the extermination of Mount Luofu without hesitation, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Identify themselves?" Li Qi was somewhat surprised to hear this description.

"Yes, as I said before, the Human Dao is not strictly confined to race; it only recognizes your self-identification. If you agree with their ideology, then even a Anomolus Spirit is a companion. If you don't agree, even if you are human, you are an enemy."

"That's why the Human Dao is extremely united and can easily gather the strength of many people, expanding very quickly," Shen Shuibi sighed.

Seeing this, Li Qi immediately changed the subject: "Shen Guniang, there are so many Dao paths in the world. Besides those we often hear about, are there any other powerful Dao Orthodoxy?"

"Powerful ones? Hmm… that's hard to say," Shen Shuibi pondered for a moment, then said, "As the saying goes, 'Horses differ in coat but are equally swift; jades vary in color but are uniformly beautiful.' Hua Liu, Lu Li, and Qi Ji can all travel a thousand li. How can one distinguish between good and bad?"

Li Qi nodded in agreement with this statement.

Horses can have different coat colors but still be fine steeds, and jade can have different colors but still be beautiful. Whether it's Hua Liu, Lu Li, or Qi Ji, these horses can all travel a thousand li a day. Therefore, no matter the Dao Orthodoxy, each has its unique strengths.

"So, you must never become complacent just because you come from a great Dao Orthodoxy. Oh, Li Qi, you've already grasped this point, so I won't say more." Shen Shuibi, speaking of these things, instinctively offered a reminder, then realized that Li Qi was already free from arrogance, so she stopped speaking.

As the two spoke, the food arrived, all exquisite dishes.

First to arrive was half a tender pig. Tender pigs are small piglets, weighing five or six catties, fed on rice. Their bones are all soft and brittle. When roasted whole, they are fragrant with pepper. Sliced and eaten, the taste is exquisite.

There was also stir-fried fatty pork with bamboo shoots. The fat of the meat is sweet, and when its sweetness permeates the bamboo shoots, the sweetness itself is not apparent, but only an extreme freshness is perceived.

The main dish was a bowl of "Four Beauties Soup," made with mushrooms from the land and water shield from the water. These two ingredients were made into a soup, combined with crab roe and fish ribs, hence the name "Four Beauties Soup."

Mushrooms are formed from the Qi of mountains, rivers, and plants. Eating them is like absorbing the Qi of mountains, rivers, and plants.

Water shield tastes fragrant, crisp, and smoothly soft, somewhat like fish marrow and crab fat, but far clearer and lighter.

Complemented by the freshness of crab roe and fish ribs, the taste was exceptionally delicious.

The entire meal was incredibly delicious, and Li Qi was very satisfied. Although there were only two dishes and one soup, and the ingredients were not expensive, the portions were generous and the taste was excellent. So, he had no complaints about the two or three thousand cash for the meal.

After dinner, they returned to their room. Shen Shuibi began to meditate and cultivate, while Li Qi sat by the window, observing the night scenery of Qingwu City.

The lights were like stars, illuminating the vast Mortal World. Although it was getting dark, the city's uniformly covered glazed tiles reflected the light from candles and luminous pearls.

From here, looking down at the city, the surrounding roads formed a network.

The city was supported by an intricate web, situated in the center. Occasionally, exhilarated individuals would gallop through the dazzling streetscapes, singing and dancing joyfully, creating a lively scene.

It was only at night that Qingwu City truly revealed its true appearance.

Beautiful scenery, supported by various magical techniques, filled the city. Li Qi also saw methods using mechanical Puppets and illusions to attract customers, and he could see many Anomolus Spirits walking among them.

They seemed unconcerned about their demonic features, so one could often see a multitude of beast ears, fur, and tails.

But all of this was not some immortal realm. The Anomolus Spirits had unique styles, and their transformations were not always beautiful. Some had not yet shed their beast forms, some were strangely shaped, and some had not even refined their transverse bones, speaking in gibberish and gesturing wildly.

And these were the ones who had awakened their sentience. There were also some strange beasts that had no sentience at all; they were purely animals. Even Anomolus Spirits did not consider them their kind, eating their flesh and wearing their fur without any qualms.

For Anomolus Spirits, sentience is the method by which they distinguish their kind. Only those who have awakened sentience are considered kin; otherwise, even the wild beast that gave birth to them is not something they care much about.

For them, the beginning of life is the moment of Awakening sentience, not birth.

However, speaking of it, humans also seem to be this way, the only difference being that humans are born with Innate sentience.

Speaking of this, Li Qi had also read in books that not only humans possess Innate sentience in this world. For example, the True Dragons of the Four Seas are born with sentience, and many Spirit Beasts, including Shen Shuibi's Innate strange species, are born with Innate sentience.

This is just within this world; looking at countless worlds beyond, the number is even greater.

There are many with Innate sentience, and even more without Innate sentience.

After realizing this, Li Qi completely gave up on the idea of 'special.'

In this world, no one is special, nothing is special.

The same goes for himself.

There's nothing new under the sun, and there will be no unique person.

He pondered these things while looking at the scenery outside.

Thinking had now become Li Qi's habit; almost every moment of leisure, he was thinking, reading, and searching for different knowledge.

And now, that book, "Zhu," had also been read by Li Qi.

After reading it, the progress bar directly bestowed upon him all the knowledge from the entire book, as if he had memorized the whole thing, and his memory was incredibly profound.

This was the power of Dao.

Just as Li Qi was immersed in his own world, suddenly, he and Shen Shuibi simultaneously awoke from their respective worlds and looked towards the door.

"Death Qi, someone died?" Li Qi said.

"More than that, there's also a deathly aura, meaning they're not dead yet, but close," Shen Shuibi said with a frown.

Both immediately got up and went out to see what was happening.

Stepping out of the room, they saw people emerging from other rooms as well, all seemingly having sensed the Death Qi.

Looking towards where the deathly aura emanated, they saw a fox Anomolus Spirit lying on the ground, barely breathing, clearly on the verge of death.

Next to her, a man stood helplessly, desperately clutching her wound, continuously shouting "Wife!"

To Li Qi's surprise, no one went to help.

"Something's strange. I didn't sense the killer. This wound… it's a Shaman Dao cursing technique, but I don't know if it's a Diviner," Li Qi said with a frown.

After all, this was the territory of Shaman God Mountain. Although there were few practitioners of orthodox Shaman Dao, many people practiced some minor branches of Shaman Dao. It was normal for some of them to be skilled in curses.

"What should we do? It seems no one is willing to help," Shen Shuibi looked around.

"We can't just watch someone die. Let's go take a look," Li Qi decided.

Regardless of what the innkeeper had done, even if she had committed heinous acts in secret, once saved, she could be dealt with as appropriate; she couldn't be left here to die.

Having made their decision, the two immediately flipped down, directly jumping to the hall downstairs.

At this moment, the panicked man was clutching the fox Anomolus Spirit's belly, his voice trembling as he cried, "Wife! Hold on! I've sent Qi Ya to find a doctor! Hold on!"

"Move aside, let me," Li Qi stepped forward and pulled the man away.

The man was stunned but quickly realized someone had come to help.

Li Qi glanced at the wound, then sensed the Qi around it.

"It is indeed a curse, a Spirit Shaman technique," Li Qi confirmed after examining the wound.

"There is Five Elements Qi at the wound, it's the Five Ghosts Curse technique. Someone dispatched five fierce ghosts, arranged with five Talismanic Incantations according to Jin Qi (Metal Energy), wood, water, fire, and earth, to counteract the person. They cursed first, then sent the counteracting ghosts to pursue the Spirit Soul of the controlled person. That's why there's this sudden outbreak," Li Qi explained.

"I will set up Divine Qi to drive away the Ghost Qi, but Shen Guniang, you are more skilled with injuries. You handle it," Li Qi said.

Shen Shuibi nodded: "Okay."

With that, the two began to cooperate.

Li Qi began to set up protective incantations. In addition to the Four Seasons Divine Qi, he already possessed the Five Sacrifices Divine Qi within him.

What are the Five Sacrifices? They refer to the gate, door, well, stove, and central hearth.

Sacrifices are made to the door in spring, the stove in summer, the gate in autumn, the well in winter, and the central hearth in the sixth month, aligning with the Five Elements.

Therefore, at the beginning of his cultivation, Li Qi had sacrificed to the Door Gods Shen Tu Yu Lei. Their Divine Qi can ward off ghosts, and they reside on a large peach tree, thus belonging to wood. This is why sacrifices are made to the Door God in spring.

The stove is fire, the gate is Jin Qi (Metal Energy), the well is water, and the central hearth symbolizes earth in the center.

Li Qi deployed the Five Sacrifices Divine Qi, using the Divine Qi of the five gods to counteract the Ghost Qi of the five ghosts, preventing them from further harming the person.

Meanwhile, Shen Shuibi examined the wound and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, it really is the Five Elements fierce ghosts! The five evils have entered the body. The external wound is just a small cut, but the five evils interact, causing damage both internally and externally, so the Qi reverses and rises, which is why she's spitting blood. How vicious! The Qi of the five evils won't disappear even after death; it will also contaminate the Spirit Soul. This is clearly meant to cut off the roots and destroy the Spirit Soul completely!"