In addition to the malevolent qi, there was also a grayish, desolate aura around him that looked chillingly bleak.
"Malevolent qi, death qi... no wonder he's so badly injured..." Shen Shuibei's expression turned somber, her earlier excitement fading.
The old horse finally reached them.
However, before he could steady himself, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground with a weak neigh.
Shen Shuibei immediately jumped off Li Qi's shoulders and hurried to the old horse, gently stroking his mane and neck.
Fortunately, her body naturally repelled dirt. Even though the horse was covered in grime, clotted blood, and filth, none of it stuck to her. Pebbles and dust slid off her like water off a lotus leaf, leaving her completely untouched. Not even mud or blood could cling to her clothes or skin.
Walking in the rain wouldn't wet her, and trudging through mud wouldn't soil her. No impurity could come near her.
What was even more miraculous was that after she stroked him, the horse's matted mane—so tangled that Li Qi thought it might need to be cut off entirely—miraculously untangled itself.
It seemed that Shen Shuibei, who had served as Luo Fu Niangniang's maid before losing her powers, must have been no ordinary person. Perhaps she was once a high-level practitioner?
Maybe even a fifth- or sixth-rank expert?
Viewed in this light, her ability to quickly grow close to Li Qi without showing any hint of disdain spoke volumes about her gentle nature.
Li Qi reflected on this.
Though she was admittedly a bit dim-witted—perhaps due to damaging her brain when she suppressed her own cultivation powers.
"Li Qi, go fetch our luggage while I check his wounds," Shen Shuibei said.
She then bent down and began cleaning the filth from the old horse's body.
She didn't even need water. Wherever her hands passed, the dirt and grime simply fell away, dropping to the ground.
Perhaps feeling that this wasn't quite respectful, she patted the horse and whispered something to him.
The old horse let out a feeble whinny, struggling to rise despite his weakness.
Once on his feet, the horse limped over to Li Qi and let out a neigh, seemingly greeting him.
Hearing the weak but heartfelt sound, Li Qi shook his head. "There's a small river in the ravine below. You two should go there to wash off the blood and clean the wounds. I'll fetch the luggage—it has medicine inside."
The old horse let out another whinny. Though Li Qi couldn't understand it, he somehow sensed gratitude in the sound.
"Don't thank me. Mutual assistance, mutual assistance," Li Qi waved dismissively, then turned and set off to retrieve their belongings.
By the time he returned, the soup he'd left behind was lukewarm, and the rice cakes had soaked too long, becoming mushy.
Oh well.
He sprinkled some coarse brown salt into the mixture and slurped it down, finishing his makeshift lunch in a few gulps.
In the wilderness, no one had passed by during this time, and the hidden luggage was still safe.
Hoisting the backpack onto his shoulders, he set off again.
This time, he didn't use the Great Forest Wood Qi—he only had three strands left, and he needed to conserve them.
Without the aid of the qi, his return journey was much slower.
It took nearly four quarters of an hour—half a shichen (a traditional time unit)—before he finally made it back.
Carrying the backpack was exhausting, and he wiped the sweat from his brow as he peered down the cliff.
Below, by the small river, Shen Shuibei had nearly finished cleaning the old horse.
The horse looked much better now. The filth was gone, the wounds were cleaned with fresh water, and the earlier disarray was swept away. Though still weak, the horse now exuded an air of dignity, transforming from a pitiful prisoner to a frail yet regal elder.
And regal he was. Despite being emaciated with atrophied muscles, his broad frame stood over eight chi (about two meters) tall—far taller than Li Qi.
His mane, streaked with gray, flowed gracefully, and his movements carried an elegant poise.
His large eyes gleamed with intelligence and humanity, almost as if they could speak.
Looking at this aged dragon steed, Li Qi couldn't help but admit:
He was handsome.
More handsome than himself.
For a moment, Li Qi felt a pang of jealousy at the thought that a horse could outshine him, but he quickly dismissed the emotion.
Why compare himself to a horse!
"Li Qi! You're back? I've cleaned the wounds—just waiting for you to bring the medicine!"
"And guess what? I've already talked to him! We'll help him recover, and in return, he'll carry us on our journey!" Shen Shuibei exclaimed joyfully, running up to Li Qi with a wide grin. "Now, the journey that would've taken a year or more will only take half a month!"
"Good news, good news," Li Qi chuckled.
Even in his current state, this old horse could likely cover eight hundred li a day. With proper care, they could ease him into traveling shorter distances at first, allowing his wounds to heal. Once he recovered, they wouldn't have to trek such long distances themselves.
"Old Horse—we'll call you that since we don't know your name. Come here; let me apply some medicine! And remember, don't run off after we treat you!" Li Qi pulled out a vial of wound-healing medicine from his backpack and called to the horse.
The horse, seemingly understanding human speech, walked over, snorted loudly, and obediently turned to present his wound to Li Qi.
"He's thanking you," Shen Shuibei said.
"No need to thank me," Li Qi replied absently, beginning to apply the medicine.
But the old horse seemed unusually affectionate, occasionally turning his head to nuzzle Li Qi.
Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine. This was a stallion, after all.
Damn, horses are big.
Creepy.
But the horse didn't stop, occasionally letting out soft whinnies, as if speaking.
Li Qi couldn't understand.
But Shen Shuibei could.
"He says he wants to borrow a strand of Azure Dragon Divine Qi from you," she translated.
"A strand of Azure Dragon Divine Qi? So he really came here for that?" Li Qi scratched his head.
Earlier, Shen Shuibei had mentioned that the horse had approached them specifically for this reason.
The horse nudged Li Qi with his nose, whinnying softly near his ear.
Li Qi shuddered and took a step back.
"He says, 'Mutual assistance—you saved my life, and I'll repay you.'" Shen Shuibei continued translating.
"Repay me? Besides carrying us, how else can he repay me?" Li Qi asked.
Still, he waved dismissively. "Forget it. It's all for the sake of speeding up our journey. Repayment isn't necessary—just make sure you're fast when you run."
After all, during springtime, he could gather one strand of Azure Dragon Divine Qi daily. If he didn't use it when needed, it might as well not exist.