Chapter 41: Horse

Li Qi was boiling water, preparing to cook rice cakes.

Rice cakes were very durable for storage, but they would mold when they encountered water.

The humidity in these mountains was heavy, and the rice cakes were easily covered by moisture, forming water droplets, and some had already started to mold.

However, it didn't matter; he could just scrape off the surface mold and eat them.

He was doing just that, carefully using a small knife to scrape off the moldy parts, then cutting the rest into pieces and throwing them into the water to cook.

Rice cakes could only be eaten cooked, whether boiled or roasted, they had to be cooked thoroughly before eating.

Raw ones, whoever ate them knew the pain; they would clog your throat and be impossible to chew, like eating a tire.

The water here hadn't boiled yet; he had only just chopped the rice cakes and thrown them in.

Once it boiled, he would add some coarse salt, and that would be a meal.

Recently, his cooking skills had grown rapidly because he had learned to use progress bars to control the heat, observing the cooking progress bar of the food, and immediately taking it off the heat when it was full, ensuring perfect doneness.

Although it wasn't very useful, it added a bit of fun to the monotonous journey, as the cooked rice cakes would taste better this way.

While boiling the water, he looked at “The Book of Blessings” in his mind, reading continuously.

This book was simply all-encompassing, not something that could be read in a short time, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and he was not in a hurry.

He read whenever he had time, reading for ten hours, and he would eventually finish it.

After these three days, his progress had reached 0.6%.

It was still a visible sign of hope.

He also continued to practice every day; now, in his body, he had four wisps of Great Forest Wood Qi and three wisps of Di Qi (Earthly Qi) of the Household God; these Qi circulated within his body, allowing his body to be strengthened to a certain extent every day.

Moreover, he had also gradually learned to use these Qi through reading.

Although he was still very unskillful, Li Qi felt that he could now defeat three of his former selves.

Being able to use Qi was truly extraordinarily powerful.

Just as he was cooking rice cakes, paying attention to the progress bar and reading “The Book of Blessings” in his mind, he suddenly heard Shen Shuibi calling him.

“Li Qi! Li Qi! Come quickly!”

Li Qi immediately stood up, a bit surprised.

Shen Shuibi usually didn't speak unless he spoke to her; why was she suddenly calling him today?

However, since it was rare, he immediately rushed over.

Perhaps she had found some clue.

Li Qi ran quickly, and because it wasn't far, he arrived very soon.

“What's wrong, Shen Guniang?” Li Qi asked.

“I… I I, I!” She seemed to stutter, repeating herself excitedly.

Li Qi didn't rush her, but instead observed her excited expression, not knowing what had happened; could Empress Luofu have come to them herself?

“I… I found a horse! It's right ahead! I heard its sound!” Shen Shuibi said excitedly, then grabbed Li Qi's sleeve.

“A horse? Why didn't I hear it?” Li Qi rubbed his head.

Where was the sound of a horse coming from?

“Of course, you can't hear it!” Shen Shuibi said, and then, a pair of rabbit ears suddenly stood up on her head.

They were white, fluffy, and stood very straight, looking quite cute.

After showing them off, she retracted them again, shaking Li Qi's sleeve, and said happily, “We can ride a horse now, with a horse, our speed will be faster!”

Hearing this, Li Qi did not feel happy.

He certainly knew what a horse was.

But the horses in this world… were not that simple.

Why was there no animal husbandry in this world?

It was simple, because these livestock were all like large tanks; the fur of pigs could make knives unable to cut through, and horses would naturally not be ordinary horses.

He had seen many spiritual horses, all owned by important figures on ships; at that time, he felt that these horses could easily kick him to death.

Even now, he still couldn't say that he could defeat these horses…

Perhaps he could barely defeat them?

“Shen Guniang, even if there's a horse, can we catch it?” Li Qi said with a bitter smile, “That's a horse.”

Horses, regardless of whether one could defeat them, certainly could not be outrun.

People in this world could travel a hundred miles a day on foot, so a creature like a horse could easily travel eight hundred miles a day without any problem.

“No need to catch it, with me here, as long as I talk to it and ask for its help, it will definitely be willing!” Shen Shuibi said in a happy tone.

Li Qi was stunned; it seemed like it might actually work?

This girl was also a demon.

If she hadn't crippled her own cultivation, he probably would have been slapped to death by her.

“Then, shall we try?” he said.

If they could really have a horse for transportation, not to mention the speed, just the horse itself would be very intimidating, likely dispelling a lot of hostility and potential threats.

As for horses being very valuable, Li Qi directly ignored that.

Anyway, he couldn't sell it, and it wasn't a horse he had tamed himself, so it was better not to compare, after all, even Shen Shuibi had used the phrase “ask for its help.”

“Hmm! Let's try, quickly take me there!” Shen Shuibi seemed to be in high spirits.

Li Qi didn't say anything more; he hid his backpack, temporarily placed the rice cakes and pot on the ground, stomped out the fire, and scattered some dirt.

Then, he carried the now powerless Shen Shuibi on his back and rushed forward quickly!

Li Qi circulated the Azure Dragon Divine Qi he had collected, which was the Great Forest Wood Qi of spring, throughout his body; in an instant, his speed not only increased, but he could also run wildly for an hour without getting tired.

Great Forest Wood Qi represents vitality; it can make injuries heal faster, the body stronger, and endurance longer.

Unfortunately, doing so would consume a wisp of Qi, which he usually couldn't bear to use.

He could only accumulate one wisp of Great Forest Wood Qi a day, so how could he use it for traveling?

However, if he didn't use it when it was time to use it, what was the difference between having it and not having it?

This was a horse!

Li Qi carried Shen Shuibi, rushing quickly through the mountain forest, running with all his might!

Trees and small stones scratched some small cuts on him, but under the effect of Great Forest Wood Qi, these small cuts healed at a slow rate, with one cut healing in about a minute.

Normally, Li Qi would be exhausted after running for ten minutes, but now with this, his stamina was inexhaustible, and he felt no fatigue at all!

This was the effect of Azure Dragon Divine Qi; even a low-grade shaman could gain unimaginable power through it.

Li Qi was not just running on the mountain path; he would also climb mountains and jump, in short, he would reach the place where Shen Shuibi heard the horse, using the fastest speed and shortest distance.

Shen Shuibi, meanwhile, listened with her ear tilted, discerning the direction.

However, as she listened, she suddenly said, “That horse… seems to be crying? It didn't run away; instead, it's coming towards us.”

“Coming over? Crying?” Li Qi was astonished.

Then, he suddenly realized that he also heard the neighing of a horse.