"There is indeed dragon qi here. The villagers were right; those two people and the horse should be heading this way," a soldier reported to his officer while riding a horse.
"Hmm, looks like the merchant picked up that dragon steed, thinking it was a treasure. He didn't know what he was dealing with and dared to mess with something so precious?" The officer chuckled, piecing together the events.
Because they suspected human interference had disrupted their divination results, they searched all villages within a five-hundred-mile radius.
There were two villages, one of which had seen an odd merchant today.
Although called a merchant, his behavior was peculiar—not only did he travel with a seemingly helpless woman but also led an injured old horse.
He claimed he came to exchange some beans for the horse.
The officer knew well that if someone wanted to take a horse on a long journey, they would prepare beans or even elixirs in advance.
Horses are precious and require significant resources. Long journeys couldn't rely on finding supplies along the way. What could village beans do?
A dragon steed requires more than just ordinary beans—it needs elixirs, spirit herbs, and even rare minerals and spirit stones.
Such care isn't something an ordinary person can afford.
Leading an injured dragon steed but feeding it wild grass and beans...
No doubt, it must be the dragon steed they were pursuing.
So, following the tracks, they quickly moved towards where the dragon steed had gone.
"Sir, we found them! They must be on that mountain ahead!" a soldier shouted.
"Let's go, speed up!" the officer ordered.
"Why not wait for the others?" another soldier asked.
Looking around, he saw that from the original ten comrades, only five remained.
The other five were cleaning up behind them.
Cleaning up what?
After all, they were deep behind enemy lines, having come as far as Daliu. They needed to eliminate some of Daliu's forces.
"Wait, two villages shouldn't take long. A thousand laborers won't need much time," the officer waved his hand. With the dragon steed's location and direction confirmed, it wouldn't take long.
At most two hundred miles away, they should reach by tonight.
After a while, five black-armored riders passed through the darkness.
"Sir, everything is taken care of. Two shamans guarded the village—one unranked and one at the ninth rank—they've been killed. Here are their heads," the leading soldier approached, dismounted, and presented two severed heads.
"Good, killing cultivators earns you five merits. Preserve the heads; I will report to the merit officer," the officer said.
"Thank you, sir!" The five men bowed and carefully placed the bloody heads.
If Li Qi were there, he'd recognize one of the heads as the shaman he traded with that afternoon.
"Let's go, threats eliminated, and two heads earned. If we recover the dragon steed, we'll surely receive great rewards upon our return!" The officer declared, then whipped his horse fiercely.
With a crack, the horses neighed, and the group swiftly headed toward the dragon steed.
---
Meanwhile, Li Qi mocked himself for being useless while preparing for possible scenarios.
Why useless? Because he intended to stay up all night observing the enemy, yet ended up falling asleep while Shen Shuibei, who was sleeping, heard them first.
Truly... such a waste, he thought.
But since they were caught, he had no choice but to face them.
He told the old horse to take Shen Shuibei away; neither had combat strength and staying wasn't necessary.
Li Qi stood near the mountain root, below the altar, preparing and considering his words.
Perhaps he could persuade them without fighting.
If he could solve things with words, why risk his life in battle? That's dangerous, and Li Qi preferred using his mind.
However, preparations were essential.
Words could resolve issues, but only if the other side's swords couldn't kill you first.
He waited for less than a quarter of an hour.
Then, he saw them—a troop of black-armored riders!
All mounted, fully armored with various patterns, but uniformly black, looking menacing.
Each rider carried a long sword on their back, held a spear, wore a light crossbow at their waist, ready for close, mid, and long-range combat. Their horses stood at least six feet tall, with the officer's horse towering seven feet.
Though not as tall as the old horse, they looked vigorous and formidable.
Seeing this formation, Li Qi swallowed hard.
Damn, red clouds signify military disaster.
He expected bandits or something similar, but why were these regular troops?
And judging by their appearance, they weren't ordinary soldiers—likely elite units.
This was truly a "military disaster."
Li Qi prepared, holding a stone, stepping aside slightly.
Maybe they were just passing by? Let's hope they walk past.
But clearly, he hoped too much.
The squad of ten soldiers, several exuding murderous intent, one carrying two severed heads, stopped abruptly upon noticing Li Qi.
Instead of advancing rashly, one soldier rode forward.
"Why are you standing in the wilderness late at night?" the soldier asked.
Li Qi deliberately trembled, his voice shaky, "S-Sir, I'm a merchant camping here. I saw you coming and hurriedly got up, afraid of blocking your path."
"A merchant?" The soldier frowned, turned his horse, and whispered to the officer.
Understanding, the officer rode forward, stopping ten steps away, his face friendly, "Young man, you say you're a merchant. Did you happen to find a horse earlier?"
Upon hearing this, Li Qi felt a chill.
Indeed, they were after the old horse.
Should he hand over the old horse for his safety? The idea flashed through his mind.
But he quickly shook his head.
Impossible, the old horse's injuries were likely caused by these people. Handing him over would mean certain death.
Over the past few days, Li Qi had grown fond of the old horse, who was crucial to finding Lady Luofu. He couldn't abandon him.
So...
"I-I haven't seen any horse," Li Qi tried to bluff.
But before he finished speaking, the officer raised his crossbow and shot!