Chapter 25: Wanted

The Merchants breathed a sigh of relief and praised Li Qi one after another.

“Exactly, I was ready to draw my knife, but Brother Li Qi was even more amazing; I didn't expect him to actually fool it!”

“I think that monster was mostly out of its mind, probably like a Bear Granny, acting with some method.”

“Indeed, I’ve also heard that some monsters knock on your door at night, and if you don’t open it, they won’t come in, but if you do, they’ll eat you. These demons and ghosts all have some strange habits. This monster was probably the same. If we had really resorted to force, we might not have gotten out. Li Qi was still clever!”

It turned out that Li Qi and Ba Kui and the others, after realizing something was wrong with that woman, immediately understood she was a monster.

What to do if it’s a monster?

Everyone else immediately became vigilant, preparing to fight to the death.

But Li Qi, seeing the monster's peculiarity, remained calm and even tried to communicate with a method, and unexpectedly, they actually escaped.

Such good luck! That monster also followed a method!

This situation is not uncommon; for example, legends like Bear Granny, monkey shows, hungry ghosts, Great Yellow Immortal, and house-guarding snakes often feature monsters with some logic. If you don't violate their taboos, there is actually a glimmer of hope for survival.

Li Qi had thought of this, which was why he forced himself to stay calm and speak to that monster.

That was a monster capable of shapeshifting! If it had truly erupted, Li Qi had no doubt that his group would not have survived a single one.

As for the matter of Li Qi carrying that monster back, the others weren't very concerned.

Who knew if walking away directly at that time would have led to being chased and killed by her?

What if not helping would cause that monster to demand their lives?

It was better now; to put it nicely, one could even say they had forged a good connection with the monster, a joyous outcome for all, so they wouldn't blame Li Qi.

As mentioned before, these Merchants, while not shying away from good or evil, still possessed a sense of minor righteousness. Having experienced life and death with Li Qi, they wouldn't turn their backs on him over trivial matters.

Amidst their joy, they finally arrived at the edge of the city.

Feng County had been reached; no matter what, it should be safe now.

Around cities, there are Demon Extermination Bureaus and Garrison Commanders, and even in the countryside, there are often witches and shamans who can perform exorcisms and demon-slaying.

Therefore, the city's edge was definitely safe. If even the city's edge wasn't safe…

Then just wait to die. What level of existence would a demon capable of breaking through a county seat be?

After everyone finally relaxed, Li Qi was also about to part ways with them.

They were merely acquaintances who had traveled together for one night; each had their own affairs to attend to and couldn't stay together indefinitely.

“Brother Li, then I’ll be going first. The place I need to go is far, and my matters are important, so I’ll take my leave now.” A Du was the first to bid farewell.

This was normal; he was someone who chose to travel alone in the vast winter, so it was natural for him to have important tasks. The others didn't try to keep him, and after saying goodbye, he left.

Then came the Merchants; they all carried baskets filled with goods that needed to be sold or had already been ordered, requiring delivery. Each had their own busy tasks.

Ba Kui, however, said to Li Qi, “We’ll set off for Lianxia tomorrow at noon. We said I’d treat you to a drink, but tonight isn’t possible. Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet here again, and I’ll definitely make sure you drink your fill!”

Lianxia is a section of the gorge through which the Li River flows, and it is also a gathering place for many boats. It was natural for Merchants to go there.

Li Qi naturally had no objections; being able to get a free meal and make some friends was a good thing. He readily agreed and then parted ways with the Merchants.

They had only just become familiar with each other on the road, yet in a blink, they were to part.

Aside from Ba Kui, no one else mentioned what they were going to do. Everyone had their own business, and there was no need to reveal all their secrets.

Most things in life are like this: those who pass by are always more numerous than those who stay.

After everyone parted ways, Li Qi walked alone to the city gate, not entering for the time being.

Mainly, he saw a notice board not far away, to the side of the city gate, where someone was putting up a notice, and many people were gathered around, so he decided to go over and take a look.

Walking over, he looked at the notice board, and indeed, a new notice had just been put up.

This notice stated that a team of twelve Merchants had encountered demons on the road and all had died. The notice was now posted, hoping that relatives and friends would come to claim the bodies.

Li Qi's hair stood on end.

Could it be… that Ba Kui and these people he encountered were ghosts!?

However, before he could successfully scare himself, his doubt was resolved because portraits were hung below.

Upon closer inspection, they had nothing to do with Ba Kui and his group; it was purely another group of unlucky individuals.

Only then did he calm down and read carefully.

However, the more he read, and the more he looked at the portraits, the more familiar the people seemed.

After thinking carefully, he finally remembered that these people on the notice were none other than one of the two Merchant groups he had encountered at the same roadside tea stall earlier!

Ba Kui's group had successfully escaped, but this group had all died on the road and were reported to the authorities after being discovered by passersby!

After clarifying the matter, Li Qi shook his head.

He once again realized the danger of traveling alone.

No wonder everyone was unwilling to travel far, and traveling alone was regarded as terrifying as a tiger or leopard.

However, Li Qi continued to look down and saw a wanted poster.

It read:

“Arrest Warrant, by order of the Governor of Li Prefecture!”

“Now, Empress Luofu, a rebel of Tang Nation, though a demon god, received imperial favor and governed a region, yet she lacked virtue and conduct, causing chaos among the common people, employing villains, leading to great disorder in the region.”

“The Jiannan Road Censor ordered her to self-examine, but she disregarded the imperial decree, acted arrogantly, and behaved rebelliously. The Emperor, being lenient, issued an edict for her to self-reflect and reform behind closed doors. However, this villain showed no regard for the imperial decree, openly insulted the monarch, disobeyed orders, and intended to defect to Tianzhu.”

“For this grave crime, she deserves execution. But Empress Luofu possesses profound magical power and extraordinary Divine Ability. She attacked and killed imperial envoys, betrayed the country, and fled. She has now disappeared into Baiyue. My Great Deer Country is one of the Baiyue states, and has been friends with Tang Nation for generations, becoming brothers. The rebellion of our brother nation’s rebel is to be considered a rebel of our Great Deer Country. For any clues to Empress Luofu, one hundred gold will be granted. For killing her, a second-rank noble title and a fief of ten thousand households will be granted. For capturing her alive, a prefecture will be granted and one will be enfeoffed as a king.”

This wanted poster was different from the others; it was written on yellow cloth and had probably been hanging by the city for some time, but it was still prominently displayed, clearly indicating its importance.

“A wanted poster for treason… Well, that makes sense.” Li Qi scanned it and simply skipped over it.

What did it have to do with him? A fierce man of that caliber, oh, no, a fierce person, and they're still talking about killing her here?

The effect of this notice was probably just to alert the world that such a rebel had appeared.

That was all; how could it possibly be killed by civilian forces?

Skipping this, Li Qi continued to look down.

Then he saw himself.