Chapter 34: Learned fool

Li Qi felt his pockets; he had nine hundred and ninety-two coins.

Blast it! The new boss only gave him the cultivation method and that willow branch, but no money!

He could manage by himself, sleeping outdoors, under a bridge, or even on the street if necessary.

But now there was a woman with him… and this woman was dressed in rich attire, with a veil and silk, looking pristine and clearly wealthy.

No, sir, this doesn't seem very safe. How could they possibly sleep on the street?

Most importantly, there were no guards or anything; the only one accompanying her, Li Qi himself, was a tattered Lifter who obviously looked like a pauper.

Going out dressed like that felt like telling others: “Come rob me! Come steal from me! Not only am I very rich, but I also clearly have no ability to resist!”

So, Li Qi took a couple of steps on the street, diverting Shen Guniang’s attention, and then said to her, “Shen Guniang, my name is Li Qi, which I believe you already know.”

“Yes, Li Qi, my name is Shen Shuibi.” Shen Shuibi’s attention had already been diverted, and she seemed to have forgotten her previous indignation.

This made Li Qi sigh with emotion.

This Anomolus Spirit really was a bit simple-minded. No wonder it was the Human Race’s world. With minds like this, it would be a ghost if it didn't become the Human Race’s world.

Oh, no, that’s not right… Should he say… this was innocence?

He truly hoped everyone in the world was this innocent.

Li Qi led Shen Shuibi to a riverside.

He squatted by the river, and Shen Shuibi stood behind him, seemingly confused about what to do.

At this moment, Li Qi spoke: “Shen Guniang, we will be setting off together… ah no, embarking on a journey together, so we must get to know each other, right? Besides your name, I know nothing else about you.”

“However, understanding must be mutual. Let me introduce myself first.”

As Li Qi spoke, he began to introduce himself.

His life was originally very simple, except for the fact that he was an outsider, which was not good to talk about much. He couldn't just tell people he was a Transmigration, could he?

Although being an outsider actually made no difference, judging by Young Master Zhu’s appearance, there seemed to be quite a few of them…

He wondered if he would have a chance to meet a fellow countryman?

Besides that, he simply introduced himself as a Lifter, recounting some stories he encountered while pulling boats.

Like his battles of wits with Shan Dazhuang, or encountering Mountain Anomolus Spirits and Water Anomolus Spirits while pulling boats.

Generally, when encountering those Anomolus Spirits, the higher-ups of the boat owners would be responsible for resolving them, not letting the Boat Towmen go to their deaths.

After all, those who could sail boats were not comparable to the Boat Towmen.

There were also some legendary stories he had heard while traveling near the docks, such as Water Gu, Water Monkeys, and Shaman casting spells.

He told his stories, completely captivating Shen Shuibi’s attention. She had never heard these things before and clearly regarded Li Qi as a storyteller.

“So, because of the Shaman, here in our Great Deer Kingdom, if a child gets seriously ill, they usually don’t go to a doctor but seek out a Shaman to cure the illness,” Li Qi said, recounting some strange tales he had seen in the Baiyue Area.

Now, he happened to be talking about the Shamanes who walked the streets and alleys. In Li Qi’s view, they took the place of barefoot doctors, using some herbs or mystical cultivation methods to treat illnesses.

However, at this moment, Shen Shuibi suddenly spoke.

“I know about this. A Confucian scholar once wrote a book about the Baiyue’s deeds, saying, ‘The Baiyue customs favor Shaman. When people are sick, they invariably ask a Shaman with their eight characters. The Shaman arrives, breaks a chicken egg, and observes the white and yolk within to determine the severity of the illness. If light, it is appeased with wine and food; if severe, a divine image is drawn in the hall. The Shaman assumes the form of a beautiful woman, blows a cow horn, beats a gong, and dances, carrying a chicken on a flower pole while singing. The dances are called the Dance of Soul Redemption and the Dance of Breaking the Fetus. The songs are called the Chicken Song and the Warm Flower Song. Warm Flower means that when a male infant is sick, the Shaman ties a cluster of flowers with five-colored threads around him, and relatives and friends each point to a flower to offer a blessing. After the blessing, they sing, which is called Warm Flower. The Shaman cuts her own arm to draw blood and smears it on a talisman, which is called Manifesting Yang.’ This describes how the Baiyue Area uses Shaman to treat illnesses, rather than doctors.”

“So, that scholar also criticized the Baiyue for being ignorant, saying that in the countryside, there are often ten Shaman but it’s hard to find a single physician, and the common people are bound to live in hardship. One must know that although Shaman can cure illnesses, they cannot prevent them. Besides curing illnesses, physicians can also delve into the root cause, investigate the etiology, and treat from the root. Curing one person can prevent a hundred people from getting sick again, while Shaman can only treat one by one, which is like trying to put out a blazing cart with a cup of water.”

Li Qi listened to these words, turned to look at her, his face full of surprise.

This woman… ah no, female Anomolus Spirit, although she gave Li Qi the impression of being foolish, she could always speak eloquently. The situation with the willow branch earlier was also like this; she would casually cite classics, as if she had read many ancient books.

However, having read many books and possessing extensive knowledge… why was her mind still like it was missing a piece?

“Indeed, that scholar is very right.” Li Qi deeply agreed. Those Shaman could cure illnesses, but once cured, that was it. They didn’t even know how the illness was cured.

Li Qi himself had experienced it. When he pulled boats, he was infested by Water Gu, becoming pot-bellied and round, with wriggling worms inside. He paid a Shaman, who performed a ritual and danced. Before long, all the Water Gu died and were expelled.

But although the illness was cured, Li Qi didn’t know how to prevent it afterwards or how to prevent others from getting sick. Even the Shaman herself didn’t know, only able to treat one person at a time.

Hearing Li Qi agree with her opinion, Shen Shuibi let out a smug hum.

She really was… carefree.

After chatting for about twenty minutes, she seemed to have completely forgotten her previous unhappiness.

However, this was exactly what Li Qi wanted to do, only Li Qi himself didn’t expect the effect to be so immediate.

He wondered if his conversational skills were too strong, or if the target person was too easy to fool.

He struck while the iron was hot, continuing, “I’ve talked so much about my side, Shen Guniang, but you haven’t said anything about yourself. How did you end up in Great Deer Kingdom?”

With the conversation reaching this point, Shen Shuibi didn’t feel anything amiss: “Me? I don’t have as many stories as you. I’m just the Empress’s rabbit. I’ve been by the Empress’s side since I was little. When the Empress read, I read. When the Empress Cultivated, I Cultivated. When the Empress ate, I ate. It’s been about a hundred years like this, right? And then, as you know, the Empress was being hunted down, and halfway through, she was afraid I’d be killed by the aftershocks, so she left me in Great Deer.”

“However, I was unlucky and got infected by a spell from the pursuers. That thing would transform into my Wei Qi, feeding on my Cultivation, and also reveal my location.”

“The floating Qi that does not follow the meridians is Wei Qi. However, Wei Qi and Ying Qi, Yin and Yang follow each other, and inside and outside are connected, so it cannot be eradicated. I can only abandon all my Cultivation and destroy my cultivation method to get rid of this spell.”