Chapter 169: Rat-earth grave

The two parties finally let go and introduced themselves.

Li Qi’s introduction was simple; he claimed to be a Shaman, who had encountered some fortuitous opportunities, and hailed from Great Deer Kingdom.

The Cultivator beside him was Shen Shuibi, Li Qi’s good friend, and the two were currently traveling together to the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest, intending to slay two Demonic Overlords.

As for his lineage, he directly skipped over it, not mentioning whether he had one or not; as long as he didn’t say, it wasn’t a lie.

Then Zhang Lan also began to introduce himself.

Only then did Li Qi understand Zhang Lan’s situation.

This unassuming fellow, named Zhang Lan, was a Sword Master of Orthodox Sword Palace.

A Sword Master was a position within Orthodox Sword Palace.

Initially, the Palace Master of Orthodox Sword Palace spent a large sum of money to invite a Refiner to forge three hundred and sixty-five Heavenly Cycle Star Swords, in accordance with the number of the Heavenly Cycle, all of them Eighth-Grade, and then established the position of Sword Master.

Any Disciple who cultivated to the Eighth-Grade and was unwilling to remain within the School to hold a management position could apply for the Sword Master position.

After numerous assessments, they would receive one of these swords and learn a Formation.

Sword Masters usually traveled abroad, acting as heroes, spreading the deeds of Orthodox Sword Palace, and were also responsible for recruiting Genius Disciples back to the mountain.

Their primary role was to represent Orthodox Sword Palace externally and handle various external affairs.

After all, many external affairs were not simple matters.

Although Disciples also traveled down the mountain, their cultivation was still shallow, and they couldn’t handle many major issues.

Other Eighth-Grade Cultivators each had their own responsibilities, holding positions within the School, making it difficult to leave easily to handle affairs.

As for higher-level executives, it was even harder for them to move.

Thus, the position of Sword Master was created.

They received a sword from the School as proof of identity and could communicate with each other, specializing in external travel with great freedom.

As a Sword Master, Zhang Lan was usually a righteous and enthusiastic person, and this time he was also heading to the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest to slay demons.

However, on the way, he encountered many strange occurrences, such as almost all the border garrison troops in Bailin Kingdom withdrawing, while the common people remained in place, with only a few troops honestly assisting with the evacuation.

So he temporarily halted his journey to the demon nest and helped these people evacuate, and the White Rhinoceros Army was already the third army he had assisted.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi was full of doubts, and he asked, “Brother Zhang, is this a common phenomenon?”

“What? Oh, you mean these migrating people? Yes, that’s right, as far as I know, it seems to be the case throughout Bailin Kingdom, near the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest. I find it very strange too,” Zhang Lan replied.

“Something’s not right, is it? Where’s their commanding Dao Resonance? I just saw that a Dao Resonance of an army should be Eighth-Grade, but I haven’t seen the commanding Dao Resonance here. An army without a Dao Resonance is like a group of Dragons without a leader. How can this be?” Li Qi asked, puzzled.

Zhang Lan then explained to Li Qi, “As far as I know, the commanding Dao Resonance of this White Rhinoceros Army temporarily left to report to the capital.

Before leaving, he ordered these soldiers to assist in evacuating the common people.

I saw that they were only about ten thousand strong, and it would be too difficult to relocate over a hundred thousand people, so I offered my help.

Alas, in this battle, so many brave men perished, and now only over six thousand remain.”

“Strange, truly strange. Would a Dao Resonance report for duty and arrange something like this beforehand?” Li Qi frowned.

All of this was too illogical, but with insufficient clues, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason.

“I also know something is strange, but no matter the reason, we can’t just abandon the common people.

Brother Li, how about we temporarily team up? The three of us will first escort these over one hundred thousand people to a safe place, and then together we’ll go to the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest to investigate the situation?

Sister Shen, what do you think?” Zhang Lan looked at Shen Shuibi and asked.

In Zhang Lan’s opinion, although Li Qi was strong and seemed agile and quick-witted, and his actions earned his admiration, he was still only Ninth-Grade.

If they were truly to venture into the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest together, he still needed to consult this woman who had been in a daze the whole time.

After all, she was Eighth-Grade.

Shen Shuibi was asked, and for a moment, she was flustered.

She panicked for a second, then pointed at Li Qi: “You ask him, I’m following him.”

After saying that, she quickly hid behind Li Qi.

Shen Shuibi, her social anxiety was very severe.

Li Qi had long experienced this.

Zhang Lan’s expression was stunned, somewhat surprised.

This woman, a dignified Eighth-Grade, he had thought she was on equal footing with Li Qi, but now it seemed she was deferring to Li Qi?

Who was this Li Qi? His self-introduction didn’t mention coming from a major School.

Even if he were from a major School, the Dao Protector sent down would certainly be a Senior, and it would be impossible for him to be the leader.

They didn’t look like a couple either.

This Li Qi showed no intimacy towards Shen Guniang, and his every word and action were quite restrained, completely without impropriety, highlighting his politeness and propriety.

It was Shen Guniang, however, who often displayed some natural affectionate gestures towards Li Qi, like helping him brush off his clothes, holding him without shying away from physical contact, or occasionally glancing at him, all very natural, as if she was already used to it.

Could it be…

That Shen Guniang was pursuing him in reverse?

This Li Qi had some tricks up his sleeve.

Thinking this, Zhang Lan’s gaze towards Li Qi instantly changed.

Previously, it was out of respect for Li Qi’s ability to preside over sacrifices and his righteous act of stepping forward, which made him willing to address him as a peer.

But now, his gaze towards Li Qi became even more reverent.

Li Qi felt a chill down his spine.

How had Zhang Lan’s gaze become so… uh, how to describe it?

If he had to find an adjective, it would probably be “reverent”?

What did he have that was worthy of this person’s reverence?

Li Qi couldn’t figure it out, so he cleared his throat twice and changed the subject: “Ahem, Brother Zhang’s words make sense. I’ll perform another sacrifice to dispel the sickness here and help these common people recover their health.

We’ll depart tomorrow.”

Anyway, there was plenty of time, and Li Qi didn’t mind a delay of at most half a month.

He had been traveling for almost half a year from Green Mountain Country; half a month was no problem.

He was already a Cultivator, and his lifespan was incomparable to ordinary people, so his concept of time also needed to gradually develop.

“You can even perform sacrifices to dispel sickness? That’s truly impressive. I, who only know how to fight, truly can’t compare,” Zhang Lan praised.

Orthodox Sword Palace was a Martial Dao School, and all its practitioners cultivated the Martial Dao.

Zhang Lan was naturally an Eighth-Grade Martial Dao Cultivator, but he seemed to have also cultivated some other methods.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi voiced the doubts in his mind: “By the way, speaking of this, Brother Zhang, I see that you seem to cultivate the Martial Dao, and indeed, you don’t have many flashy techniques.

However, I saw that what you used earlier was the Solar Lung Meridian Jin Qi (Metal Energy) Sword Qi, which is clearly a Daoist technique.

The one in your sword box should be the Heavenly Cycle Star Sword.

Why didn’t you use it during the battle earlier?”

If Zhang Lan was a Martial Dao Cultivator, it meant he had been holding back his strength and hadn’t even drawn his sword.

What did this mean?

Zhang Lan laughed heartily upon hearing this and explained to Li Qi, “Haha! Brother Li, you don’t understand this, do you?

If I went all out from the start, those demons would definitely not fall for it; they would surely prepare their defenses.”

“I used my supplementary Daoist techniques to make them misjudge my strength.

At the critical moment, I would use my Martial Dao cultivation to get close and draw my sword.

That is where my sliver of hope lies.

First, I’d kill one, then fight off the other.

According to my estimation, I had a thirty percent chance of killing them in return, saving these over a hundred thousand people, and a hundred percent certainty of dying with both of them.” Zhang Lan said, confidently raising his head.

Only then did Li Qi realize.

Although the other party was reckless, being able to cultivate to the Eighth-Grade meant he couldn’t be completely brainless; it turned out he had already thought everything through before acting.

However, Zhang Lan immediately added, “But this time, I still relied on Brother Li.

Alas, my Martial Dao Divine Intent isn’t good enough; I didn’t even detect that someone else was lurking in the rear.

If it weren’t for you, Brother, discovering the third one in advance, I probably would have truly fallen this time.”

Speaking of this, Zhang Lan also asked curiously, “Brother, what’s going on with you?

How can you, a Ninth-Grade, detect the stealth technique of an Eighth-Grade demon?

How did you do that?”

“I have a wisp of Dao in my body, good at observation.

As long as there’s a slight trace, it will definitely not escape my eyes,” Li Qi answered truthfully.

“So that’s how it is.” Zhang Lan received a satisfactory answer, so he stopped asking questions and stepped back a bit, preparing to end the conversation and begin meditating to recover.

However, Li Qi still had one question unanswered, so he finally asked, “Before you rest, Brother, could you answer one more question for me?

You Sword Masters travel outside all year, carrying treasures with you.

What happens if a sword is lost, for example, stolen, or if you die?

What happens to the sword then?”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lan laughed as if he had heard a joke, “What’s there to worry about?

If a Sword Master meets with an accident outside, the sword will naturally fly back to the School.”

“Not only will it fly back, but before it leaves, it will also record the surrounding situation.

After it returns, the School will handle it, very conveniently.

Even if I die, there’s no fear; someone will definitely avenge me!”

His tone was very carefree, making Li Qi speechless for a moment, unable to respond.

“No one can stop it?” Li Qi asked again.

Zhang Lan replied, “To stop the Heavenly Cycle Star Sword’s self-return, one would need at least a Sixth-Grade Cultivator.

If a Sixth-Grade powerful being were to attack an Eighth-Grade like me, wouldn’t that be a huge gain?

Besides, within a hundred thousand miles, every Sixth-Grade is accounted for.

At that time, they would visit each one and ask around; they’d surely find them.”

Alright, Li Qi now understood Orthodox Sword Palace’s way of doing things.

This truly lived up to its name as a Martial Dao School…

It was somewhat mentally ill.

The two temporarily ended their conversation; Zhang Lan went to heal his injuries, while Li Qi spent the night setting up the altar.

This time, he was going to set up a sacrifice to dispel sickness, which he could do by himself.

First, he placed wine and food, then blew a bullhorn, rang gongs, and arranged a wreath with colorful flowers and medicinal herbs.

Then he ordered the soldiers to have the common people set up their camps in a circular Formation when resting, symbolizing a human circle with the wreath.

Then he conjured Jin Qi (Metal Energy), cut his arm, and smeared the Talismanic Incantation with blood, making nine talismans.

Eight were placed at the eight directions of the wreath, and one was placed in the center of the wreath.

The talismans were buried in the ground, covered with soil, each two feet five inches deep.

The ritual was complete.

The Qi of medicinal herbs and all flowers, that is purity.

The Shaman’s blood Qi, that is divinity.

The two, supplemented by Talismanic Incantation, with the wreath symbolizing the human circle, were linked together through Shaman Dao methods.

Through the resonance of the pure Qi of flowers and the Shaman’s blood Qi, the Qi of flowers and medicinal herbs diffused into the entire circular encampment of tents, dispelling the original sickness.

The Shaman’s blood Qi transformed into Li Qi’s illusory body, like a divine Dao Resonance, guarding the eight directions and the center, preventing sickness from returning.

In this way, the effect of collective disease removal was achieved.

If the wreath and blood Qi illusion in this process were replaced with something else, such as various poisonous herbs and demonic evil blood, then what would be cast would be a curse produced by sacrifice, capable of cursing these over one hundred thousand people to death.

Of course, whether it was a curse or dispelling sickness, the Shaman himself had to bear all the consumption and consequences, which was actually not easy.

After Li Qi finished, he was exhausted and simply lay on the ground to sleep.

Sleep was the best means of recovery.

Not sleeping was also possible, but it was like the human body’s microcosm having no night, which would only lead to the Wei Qi not being able to enter the Yin.

If the Wei Qi could not enter the Yin and remained in the Yang, then the Yin Qi would be deficient, leading to constant agitation, emotional outbursts, and mental unrest.

Therefore, maintaining sleep was very important; as the saying goes, ‘when awake, the spirit resides in the heart.’ Because of this, anyone who didn’t sleep would definitely suffer side effects.

As cultivation increased, the human body’s microcosm became more resilient, naturally allowing one to stay awake longer, but one still needed to rest eventually, otherwise it would have an adverse effect on the human body’s microcosm.

Deep sleep and awakening were inherently transformations of Yin and Yang, subtly aligning with the cosmic shifts of the greater world outside.

Forcibly reversing them was not impossible, but it was unnecessary.

Everyone went to rest.

After the soldiers had arranged for all the common people to sleep, it was soon deep into the night.

In the dead of night, only Shen Shuibi was not resting.

She held a silver-furred mouse in her hand; it was the Eighth-Grade Cultivator she had killed, the one lurking in the rear.

Although it was the strongest of the three Eighth-Grade Cultivators, it was truly no match for Shen Shuibi.

“Rat Soil Mound…” Shen Shuibi tilted her head, recognizing the origin of the creature.

The Rat Soil Mound was a special cluster of exotic beasts.

The “Records of the Western Regions” states: In the middle of the desert road, there is a mound called the Rat Soil Mound.

The rats within are as large as hedgehogs, their fur of different colors, gold and silver.

The chief of their group, whenever he leaves the burrow to roam, is followed by a multitude of rats.

In the past, when two countries were at war, a great country led hundreds of thousands of troops, capturing border cities, and camped near the Rat Mound.

Another small country had only tens of thousands of soldiers, but was no match for them.

However, they had always known that the rats in the desert were extraordinary and treated them as divine beings.

After only a few days of fighting, the small country was completely conquered, with no one to turn to for help.

The ruler and his ministers were terrified, not knowing what to do.

They reluctantly set up a sacrifice, burned incense, and prayed to the rats, hoping they had spiritual power and would lend some military strength.

That night, the king of the small country dreamt of a large rat saying: “I sincerely wish to help you; please prepare your troops early.

When you fight tomorrow, you will surely win.”

The king of the small country knew there was divine protection, so he marshaled his forces, issued orders to his Dao Resonances, and set out before dawn, launching a long-distance surprise attack.

The great country, hearing of this, was delighted to fight and was about to mount their horses and don their armor to go into battle when they suddenly discovered that the saddle girths, personal clothing, bowstrings, and armor laces—all the straps and ties—had been gnawed through by rats.

When the enemy soldiers arrived, they were unarmed and could only surrender, bound and awaiting slaughter.

Thus, the small country killed their Dao Resonances and captured their soldiers.

The great country was awestruck, believing it was divine protection.

The king of the small country, grateful for the rats’ great kindness, built shrines and held sacrifices, honoring them for generations, holding them in special reverence.

Therefore, from the king down to the common people in this country, all performed sacrifices to seek blessings.

When passing by their burrows, they would dismount and walk, bowing in respect and offering sacrifices to pray for blessings, whether it be clothing, bows and arrows, or incense, flowers, and food.

Once sincerity was offered, many benefits were received.

If no sacrifices were made, then disaster would strike.

“This kind of exotic beast cluster should only exist in the Western Buddhist Kingdom, even further west than Shaman God Mountain… How did it appear in the Hundred Yue Area?” Shen Shuibi was somewhat puzzled.

Shaman God Mountain was only in the Southwest of the world, but the Buddhist Kingdom was directly to the west, at the extreme western edge of the world.

“Forget it, maybe it migrated here… I don’t care.” She put the silver-furred mouse into her dimensional bag.

This thing was still somewhat useful to Li Qi.