Chapter 56: Martial arts

Li Qi felt a trace of “Qi” being forcefully squeezed out of his muscles and Physical Body, but as soon as this trace of Qi emerged, he instantly felt his entire body go weak.

“Li Qi, you’re awake?!” At this moment, Shen Shuibi’s voice came from beside his ear.

Her tone sounded anxious, but there was a sense of relief in it.

Li Qi opened his eyes, only to find her tightly hugging him. Where their skin touched, he could feel a smooth, soft sensation. He was covered in a layer of greasy sweat, but it somehow didn’t stick to Shen Shuibi’s body, which felt peculiar.

“Oh, thank goodness… I almost thought you wouldn’t wake up. Do you know, the Yin Qi from the Underworld just surged up, almost dragging you away!” Seeing Li Qi awake, Shen Shuibi quickly got up from him and then tidied her already disheveled dress.

“Yin Qi from the Underworld, huh… In that case, thank you, Shen Guniang.” Li Qi was still somewhat weak, feeling too feeble to move.

However, at least he had woken up.

From Shen Shuibi’s words, combined with the strange dream he had earlier, he immediately understood what had happened in that half-dream, half-awake illusion.

It was a simple deduction.

The Yin Qi from the Underworld wanted to drag him down, which probably meant he was truly about to die.

So, Shen Shuibi hugged him, using her pure, incorruptible body, which was immune to all evil, to block those few strands of Yin Qi for him, giving him time to save himself.

He really should thank her; otherwise, he probably would have died this time.

And now… let’s see the current situation?

Li Qi struggled to sit up from the ground.

Only then did he realize he was in a clearing in the forest, with a canvas spread beneath him, and a messy bandage wrapped around his chest.

It should be a bandage, right? Made of hemp cloth, and from the looks of it, it must be from Shen Shuibi’s dress.

After all, her long dress had turned into a seven-tenths length skirt that exposed her calves.

And before, Shen Shuibi must have been listening to the situation here and riding the old horse, always following close by, which was why she could rush out at the critical moment and kick that soldier to death.

The old horse was reliable. Shen Shuibi was a bit slow-witted, but she was dependable at crucial moments.

If it weren't for the two of them this time, he would have truly been done for.

While Li Qi was observing the situation, Shen Shuibi was squatting on the other side, tidying up the pot.

Something seemed to be stewing in the pot, bubbling away, likely something Shen Shuibi had cooked.

She seemed to be tidying up because she saw Li Qi was awake.

Since there were no utensils, Li Qi usually ate directly from the pot, so she simply brought the pot over.

It looked hot, but after all, she had a pure, incorruptible Physique, immune to heat and cold. Neither seemed to affect her, and even when directly holding a scorching hot iron pot with her hands, she felt nothing at all, her hands still soft and smooth.

Carrying the pot over, Shen Shuibi placed it in front of Li Qi, squatted down, and fed him a spoonful with the spoon Li Qi usually used for eating, saying, “Li Qi, you’re truly amazing! To be able to kill a Ninth-Rank Military School of Thought Cultivator at an unranked level, I’ve never seen anyone like you even by the Lady’s side!”

“It was just by relying on the terrain. Besides, most of his strength wasn’t used on me, but on using the formation to cut off the mountain veins and water脉.” Li Qi shook his head, not feeling that he was strong enough to have done it.

That officer, that Military School of Thought Ninth-Rank Cultivator, if they had a fair duel on flat ground, he could probably cut off Li Qi’s head with just one saber strike, and Li Qi wouldn’t even have the ability to resist.

After forming a formation with his subordinates, he could even temporarily cut off the mountain veins and water脉, preventing others from borrowing strength from the mountains and rivers.

Fortunately, Li Qi couldn’t borrow strength from the mountains and rivers at all; his precautions were for nothing.

This was very normal. Facing a Invoker from Shaman God Mountain who displayed Ox Strength Technique, immediately cutting off their means of borrowing strength from the mountains and rivers was definitely the right move.

It was just that this officer didn’t expect Li Qi to be a half-baked good-for-nothing who started halfway.

He didn’t know how to do it at all.

Coupled with the advantageous terrain of the pond and the sudden, unexpected move with the willow branch, he barely managed to counter-kill.

It was truly perilous, far from being a situation to be proud of. He still had a hole in his chest and was lying on the ground, unable to move.

“If you did it, you did it. It doesn’t matter what you relied on; that’s what the Lady said.” Shen Shuibi said, feeding Li Qi another bite.

Li Qi took a look; it seemed to be porridge made from rice cakes.

The rice cakes were crushed, then mixed with his previous mountain goods like wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, as well as cured meat, coarse salt, and some wild vegetables from who knows where, all stewed together.

It was a fragrant pot of meat porridge, and its enticing aroma aroused an appetite in Li Qi’s already weakened body.

He eagerly swallowed a spoonful, but it wasn’t enough, and he looked forward to Shen Shuibi continuing to feed him.

There was nothing he could do; he couldn’t even lift his hand. His whole body was sore and weak, and the knife wound on his chest kept seeping blood, causing unbearable pain.

Shen Shuibi understood him. She took a bite, then fed him another, not even minding the heat, eating noisily.

Fortunately, his Physique was strong, otherwise, he probably wouldn’t even be able to eat and recover his strength.

“You suffered an external injury and forcefully squeezed your Physical Body to produce a trace of internal Qi, so you need to eat more meat. I’ve cooked all the meat in your bag.” Shen Shuibi said while feeding Li Qi.

These words startled Li Qi, and he stopped his hasty eating.

“Wait, forcefully squeezing the Physical Body to produce a trace of internal Qi?” Li Qi asked back.

“Yes, don’t you know yourself? But wasn’t that something you did yourself?” Shen Shuibi was also a bit surprised.

“I don’t know, what is that? I was just trying to save myself, I don’t understand the principle behind it.” Li Qi immediately sought guidance.

Although Shen Shuibi’s mind was a bit slow to react, her knowledge reserve was truly beyond reproach.

When Li Qi asked, she answered, “This is a cultivation method of the Martial Dao combat path. Unlike Shaman Dao, which integrates external Qi into the human body’s microcosm, they believe the human body is the strongest and doesn’t need external Qi.”

“Therefore, people of the Martial Dao do not absorb Qi into their bodies. Instead, they rely on eating. They eat various Spirit Beasts, consume various Qi, and even eat people. Anyway, after eating, they digest these things through the human body’s microcosm, and then transform them into a unified ‘internal Qi,’ using this internal Qi in battle.”

“Different eating methods gave rise to different branches. The Martial Dao also has many cultivation methods that teach people how to eat. Besides cultivation methods, there are also different fighting styles. The Martial Dao excels in combat, capable of using many incredible Martial Skills, so their frontal combat ability is quite strong. You should also have a Martial Dao cultivation method on you, right?”

“Martial Dao cultivation method…” Li Qi looked at himself.

Wave-Breaking Force, was it actually a Martial Dao cultivation method?

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