Indeed, it was the neighing of a horse, but it sounded unusually human, even conveying sobs and pain.
Just by listening to the sound, one could almost feel the pain in its body.
"He must have gained spiritual intelligence; he's no longer just an animal, though he hasn't taken human form yet," Shen Shuibei said, switching her pronoun from "it" to "he."
In this world's language, "it" and "he" had different pronunciations, making the distinction clear.
"If that's the case, we should be able to communicate. I'll speed up!" Li Qi said, taking a deep breath and pushing himself to run faster through the mountains.
He leaped over obstacles, crossed ravines, swam across streams, climbed down cliffs, and pushed through thickets and many other barriers. After about half an hour, Li Qi figured he had covered at least five miles.
Could Shen Shuibei hear that far?
She could hear the horse's neighing from ten miles away?
This... truly, she was a rabbit spirit.
Soon enough, Li Qi saw the horse not far ahead, near a mountain ravine.
"Wow... he looks so miserable," Li Qi frowned, shocked.
From where they stood, the horse appeared very agile, leaping across the mountains with jumps spanning twenty to thirty meters, easily clearing ten-meter-wide gorges.
But the horse looked in poor condition.
There was no saddle, but there were horseshoes, suggesting he wasn't a wild horse—wild spirit horses wouldn't likely wear horseshoes.
His skin was covered with wounds, some harboring writhing white maggots, indicating infection.
The horse was emaciated, but his skeleton suggested he was quite tall, probably over eight feet high.
"Let's help him, okay?" Shen Shuibei poked Li Qi's shoulder.
"Mutual assistance, mutual assistance. We help him, and he helps us travel," Li Qi nodded. Since they were lucky enough to encounter such a horse, helping each other made sense.
Thus, Shen Shuibei climbed off Li Qi's back and assumed a riding posture, raising her hand high: "Hey! Over here!"
"Will he understand you if you talk like that?" Li Qi asked curiously.
"Look how tall he is; he must understand," Shen Shuibei stated confidently.
"Why do you say that?" Li Qi asked.
"There's an ancient text called 'The Book of Rites,' which says, 'A horse taller than eight feet is considered a dragon.' This horse is already tall enough to be considered a dragon steed, surely he has gained spiritual intelligence, just hasn't taken human form like me."
"Besides, look at him. Not only is he tall, but there's even a faint mist under his hooves when he runs. The ancient book 'Record of Strange Anomalies' mentions, 'Once, a group of dragons emerged from water into the Han River, ranging from several zhang to over one zhang, appearing in various colors, resembling oxen, horses, donkeys, and sheep.' These all highlight the similarities between horses and dragons."
"People often say that dragons have many offspring, one of which is the horse. Moreover, among the many characteristics of dragons, there are elements of horses. Look, the term 'dragon-horse spirit' itself shows the connection."
"The 'Lunheng' discusses dragons in its chapter 'Dragon Illusion,' stating, 'Secular depictions of dragons often resemble a combination of horses and snakes.' The 'Erya' explains that a dragon's head resembles a horse's. Look at that horse—he is tall and graceful, still agile despite his injuries. He definitely looks like a dragon steed!"
Shen Shuibei spoke eloquently, quoting various ancient texts effortlessly, leaving Li Qi amazed.
This girl, though somewhat naive, had a wealth of knowledge.
How could someone so well-versed in books seem lacking in common sense...
Unaware of Li Qi's thoughts, Shen Shuibei continued as the horse approached: "Even if he isn't a dragon steed, horses inherently possess dragon-like qualities."
"The 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' records, 'Horses embody the essence of dragons, emerging from aquatic origins.' There's also a record in Tang Dynasty's 'Memorial on Dragon Horses': 'A horse gave birth to a dragon foal... covered in scales rather than hair.' Furthermore, I've heard that Lingchang County once obtained an extraordinary horse from Hexi, described as having dragon scales and a serpent tail. It entered the Wei River in Xianyang and transformed into a dragon, swimming away, never to be seen again. Thus, even ordinary horses carry some dragon-like traits."
Reaching this point, she excitedly grabbed Li Qi's hair from her perch on his shoulders, saying happily, "Maybe he sensed the Azure Dragon Divine Qi within you and came for help!"
"Look at his severe injuries. Your Azure Dragon Divine Qi, rich in springtime Great Forest Wood Qi, possesses excellent vitality. That's why he came to you!"
"Be gentle! Be gentle!" Li Qi winced in pain as she pulled his hair.
Would he go bald?
Hair follicles pulled out might not grow back...
Li Qi shivered.
Forget about going bald; now wasn't the time to worry about that. They needed to focus on the horse.
After being scolded by Li Qi, Shen Shuibei released his hair, though her eyes still sparkled with excitement, waiting for the horse to approach.
Li Qi also watched the approaching horse, growing more alarmed the closer it got.
Not only was the horse injured, but he also looked very old.
His fur was loose, his hooves covered in wounds, and his mane filthy, matted with clotted blood and dirt.
Yes, matted into chunks, not strands. His mane was stuck together, colored a mix of brown and gray, resembling an elderly person's graying hair.
Additionally, he limped on one leg, with a foot-long knife wound on his thigh, likely an old injury that had festered, unable to heal. Maggots wriggled in the wound, pus continuously oozing out.
Apart from these major injuries, there were numerous smaller wounds, and his horseshoes were nearly worn down, with the hooves themselves severely damaged. It was hard to imagine how he survived until now.
No wonder he sought out Li Qi; he was desperate.
"He's badly hurt, and there's a malevolent qi inside him preventing natural recovery," Shen Shuibei said worriedly.
Li Qi focused his divine qi on his eyes.
He could see that the old horse emitted a mixture of energies.
A faint dragon qi, similar to what one would see on the Eastern Azure Dragon, though much diluted, barely noticeable compared to the pure form.
Additionally, Li Qi noticed a red hue around the knife wound on the thigh. This redness felt sharp and ominous, reminiscent of the red on a Ba Kui blade.
Was it malevolent qi?