Chapter 42: Evil spirit

It was indeed the neigh of a horse, but it was unusually human-like, even sounding like crying and pain.

Just hearing the sound, one could almost feel the pain on its body.

"He must have gained sentience; he's no longer a beast, just hasn't transformed yet," Shen Shuibi said, and at the same time, her address for him changed from "it" to "he."

In the language of this world, "it" and "he" have different pronunciations, so the distinction can be clearly made.

"Then he should be able to communicate. I'll speed up!" Li Qi said, then took a deep breath, holding it in, and continued to gallop through the mountains.

Jumping over obstacles, crossing ravines, even swimming through streams, climbing down cliffs, and pushing through thickets and many other impediments, Li Qi ran for about two quarters of an hour, feeling like he had covered at least ten li.

Could Shen Shuibi hear that far?

From over ten li away, she could hear the horse's neigh?

This... she truly is a Rabbit Spirit.

However, soon, Li Qi saw it; there was indeed a horse in a nearby ravine.

"Wow... he looks so miserable," Li Qi frowned, somewhat astonished.

From this vantage point, the horse looked incredibly agile, leaping through the mountains, a single jump covering twenty to thirty meters, able to clear a ten-zhang-wide gully.

However, this horse looked to be in very poor condition.

He had no saddle, but he had horseshoes, so he shouldn't be a wild horse; wild Spirit Horses are unlikely to have horseshoes.

His skin had many wounds, some even with white worms wriggling, possibly maggots.

This horse looked emaciated, and from his skeletal frame, he appeared very tall, at least eight feet high.

"How about we help him?" Shen Shuibi poked Li Qi's shoulder and asked him.

"Mutual aid, mutual aid. We help him, and he gives us a ride," Li Qi nodded. Since they were lucky enough to encounter such a horse, there was no problem with mutual aid.

So, Shen Shuibi climbed up from Li Qi's back, changing from being carried to a riding posture, and raised her hand high: "Hey! Over here!"

"He can understand you speaking like that?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"Look how tall he is, he definitely understands," Shen Shuibi said with certainty.

"Why do you say that?" Li Qi asked.

"In ancient times, there was the 'Book of Rites,' which stated: 'A horse eight feet or more in height is considered a Dragon.' This horse is so tall, he can already be considered a Dragon Steed; he must have already gained sentience, just hasn't transformed like me yet."

"Besides, you see he's not just tall; as he gallops, there are even faint clouds under his feet. The ancient book 'Lu Yi Ji' states: 'There were once a group of Dragons that emerged from the water, entering the Han River. The large ones were several zhang, the smaller ones over a zhang, with colors like the five directions, and shapes like oxen, horses, donkeys, and sheep.' All these speak of the similarity between horses and Dragons."

"It is said in the world that Dragons have many offspring, and one of them is the horse! Moreover, among the many characteristics of a Dragon, there is the shadow of a horse. Look, the term 'Dragon Horse Spirit' is enough to explain the connection."

"'Lunheng' has a chapter on 'Dragon's Falsity,' which states: 'The common depiction of a Dragon has a horse's head and a snake's tail,' and Dragons are 'a type of horse and snake.' The 'Shilong' chapter of 'Erya' states that a Dragon's head is similar to a horse's head. Look at that horse, tall and elegant, though injured, he is still agile. The horse's form resembles a Dragon's form; he must be a Dragon Steed!"

Shen Shuibi spoke eloquently, citing various ancient texts and chapters offhand, leaving Li Qi stunned.

This girl, she might be a bit silly, but her knowledge base is truly rich.

She's so good at reciting, why does her intelligence seem a bit lacking...

Shen Shuibi, however, didn't know what Li Qi was thinking. Watching the horse run towards them, she continued to explain: "Besides, even if he's not a Dragon Steed, a horse still possesses Dragon nature."

"The 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' records: 'Horses are truly the essence of Dragons, originating from aquatic creatures.' In the Tang Nation, there's a 'Memorial on Dragon Horses' that states: 'There was a horse that gave birth to a Dragon Steed... with scales on its body but no fur.' In addition to this, I've even heard that Lingchang Commandery once obtained a strange horse from west of the river, whose form had Dragon scales and a Kui tail. It went west to Xianyang and entered the Wei River, transforming into a Dragon and swimming away, its whereabouts unknown. This shows that even ordinary horses, in fact, possess more or less Dragon nature."

As she spoke, she sat on Li Qi's shoulder, excitedly grabbing his hair, and happily said: "Maybe he came because he sensed the Azure Dragon Divine Qi on you!"

"Look how seriously injured he is. The Azure Dragon Divine Qi on you is the Great Forest Wood Qi, which is strongest in spring, and has excellent vitality, which is why he rushed over here!"

"Gentler! Gentler!" Li Qi yelped, jumping up in pain as she yanked his hair.

Will I get bald spots?

Hair follicles, once pulled out, don't seem to regenerate...

Li Qi shivered.

Never mind, now isn't the time to worry about going bald; let's look at that horse first.

After Li Qi spoke, Shen Shuibi awkwardly let go of his hair, but her eyes clearly sparkled with excitement, waiting for the horse to run towards them.

Li Qi also looked at the approaching horse, and the more he looked, the more startled he became.

Not only was he injured, but this horse also looked very old.

His hide was loose, his hooves were covered in wounds, and his mane was filthy, matted into clumps by congealed blood and dirt.

Yes, in clumps, not even in strands; all his mane was stuck together, and its color was not healthy, but a mixture of brown and mottled grey, looking just like a person's greying hair in old age.

In addition to this, he was also limping on one leg, with a foot-long saber wound on his thigh, which seemed to be an old injury, but because it had long festered, it wouldn't heal. Some maggots were wriggling in the wound, and pus continuously oozed out.

Besides this, he also had various small wounds on his body, his horseshoes were almost worn flat, and even his hooves themselves were severely damaged. It was truly hard to imagine how he had survived until now.

No wonder he ran to seek out Li Qi; it turned out he was at his wit's end.

"He's very badly injured. Not only is he severely wounded, but there's also a Qi in his body preventing his natural recovery," Shen Shuibi said with a worried tone.

Li Qi also channeled his Divine Qi to his eyes.

He could see that this old horse was emitting some mixed Qi.

There was a faint Dragon Qi, just like what he had seen on the Eastern Azure Dragon, but the concentration was probably like the difference between pure ink and a drop of ink diluted in the ocean—barely noticeable, and too far from the Azure Dragon's to be described by numbers.

In addition to this, Li Qi could also see a hint of redness on the saber scar on that thigh.

This red color had a sharp, chilling sensation.

It was like the red on Ba Kui's saber.

Was it Evil Qi?