Li Qi, Shen Shuibei, and the old horse entered the village.
There was nothing particularly remarkable about it—just an ordinary village. The entire settlement had only one cow, but... Li Qi suspected that this wasn't an ordinary cow.
Then again, in this world, there probably weren't any ordinary cows either.
Much like horses were often spirit horses, cows also had their own unique traits.
Li Qi knew his Ox Strength Technique granted him the power of "one ox."
In other words, a single ox typically had the strength to lift six thousand jin (approximately three metric tons).
To put that into perspective, as a researcher, Li Qi knew that in his original world, one horsepower equated to 75 kilograms, or roughly 150 jin. That meant a horse could pull 150 jin at one meter per second.
So, this ox had the equivalent of 40 horsepower. A 40-horsepower tractor could easily pull a trailer loaded with fifteen tons of cargo.
Even during World War II, Soviet T-37 tanks only had 40 horsepower.
This ox was essentially a small tank.
Upon entering the village, Li Qi set down his backpack and began exchanging goods with the villagers who gathered around.
The old horse stayed by Shen Shuibei's side, who seemed somewhat shy and leaned against the horse, trying to hide herself in a corner.
It was baffling... why wasn't she shy when they first met?
Oh right, she was initially frightened by him, but after some clever talk, she became more comfortable around him and lost her shyness.
Fortunately, he hadn't encountered her during her most timid phase.
The old horse stayed with her, though weak and aged. As a dragon steed, ordinary people who practiced cultivation techniques wouldn't dare approach him easily.
Meanwhile, Li Qi went off to exchange goods.
The villagers had plenty of mountain produce and grains but lacked money. Typically, merchants would come to exchange for these goods and then sell them in town for money, using the proceeds to buy supplies and bring them back to the mountains.
Li Qi originally planned to do the same, but now it didn't seem appropriate.
"Villagers, I'm not here for mountain produce. Do you have any beans? I'd like to trade for some beans and dried meat," Li Qi said to the approaching villagers.
Around ten villagers approached, carrying items such as dried mushrooms, wild peppers, chestnuts, etc.
"Why beans? Don't you usually want mountain produce?" a farmer's wife asked curiously.
"We're not trading for money; we need food for our journey!" Li Qi explained to the crowd.
"Oh, no wonder you brought a horse and a young wife. Not a regular merchant, huh? Alright, I'll go get some beans for you," another farmer's wife packed up her goods and went to fetch beans.
"I slaughtered a pig this year, so I have some cured meat. How much will you pay for it? Don't cheat me," another woman asked cautiously.
"Don't worry, I won't let you lose out! We'll calculate based on money! I'll tell you how much my goods are worth, and you tell me how much yours are worth, and we'll match it up!" Li Qi assured them.
"Why do you need beans?" another villager asked.
"The horse is sick and needs good food," Li Qi explained.
"My goodness, the horse eats better than people! So precious!" another villager exclaimed, noticing the rice cakes in Li Qi's backpack.
Clearly, Li Qi ate rice cakes himself but fed beans to the horse.
Beans weren't cheap—they cost more than rice!
"There's no choice; the horse runs faster if it eats well. If I eat too much, I just fart!" Li Qi joked.
The villagers laughed heartily, and after chatting, they became more familiar with Li Qi.
As they conversed, Li Qi traded his surplus salt, farming tools, cloth, pots, and some basic medicines for beans, sweet potatoes, and other provisions.
He exchanged for several bags of dried beans, weighing around fifty to sixty jin, along with sweet potatoes and yams, which were used to supplement the beans.
He also got some mountain produce.
One farmer's family needed medicine urgently, but they had no beans or meat. Feeling sympathetic, Li Qi traded them a bag of dried mushrooms and fungus.
The grateful farmer gave Li Qi extra goods, which was a profitable deal, even if temporarily unusable.
Well, they could be eaten on the road, improving his diet and treating himself better.
Li Qi couldn't identify mountain produce on his own, so he avoided picking anything randomly, fearing poisoning without recourse.
Who knew if something that looked like a mushroom was actually safe?
Better to be cautious and avoid taking unnecessary risks.
He also traded for some dried meat, which was expensive. A few pieces of dried meat cost him two hoes and a small bottle of coarse salt.
Indeed, meat was pricey.
After exchanging goods, Li Qi's backpack was full of new items.
He didn't idle; instead, he helped the villagers move stones.
While preparing to leave, Li Qi saw a group of villagers struggling with a large stone in the field, obstructing their efforts to clear the land. Even the ox couldn't budge it.
A group of villagers pulled on hemp ropes while others tried to pry it loose with wooden poles, but the stone wouldn't budge.
Seeing this, Li Qi stepped in to help.
"You don't move heavy objects like that," he said, walking over. "Come here, place it on your shoulders, follow my stance—it's easier to apply force this way!"
As an experienced boatman, Li Qi could handle pulling heavy loads. With the help of the ox and some coordination, they managed to pull the stone out of the ground.
Such stones were valuable resources; once extracted, they could be broken down for use in making millstones or other useful items.
Li Qi bid farewell, helping wherever he could along the way.
By the time he returned, it was already late afternoon, with the sun beginning to set.
His easygoing nature during exchanges and willingness to help the villagers had quickly endeared him to them, and some had started calling him "little brother."
Meanwhile...
Shen Shuibei and the old horse were huddled against a wall, looking very much like someone with social anxiety.
Perhaps that's just what rabbits were like.
They had remained there all afternoon until Li Qi returned with his backpack in the evening.
"What's going on? Why are you huddled like that?" Li Qi asked, holding the large backpack.
"You're finally back!" Shen Shuibei, who had been nervously waiting, rushed over and grabbed his sleeve. "Did you finish trading? Can we leave now?"
"Yes, I finished trading, but why are you in such a hurry?" Li Qi wondered.
Wasn't social anxiety supposed to be less severe?
"I have a premonition that something bad is about to happen!" Shen Shuibei said anxiously.