The Eternal Way

When someone called out to him from behind, Li Qi immediately turned around to look at the person.

Upon turning his head, he found it was a traveling merchant. However, this merchant's backpack was different from those of the two groups of merchants nearby, suggesting that he was also traveling alone, just like Li Qi.

This was somewhat odd. Generally speaking, no one in this world would travel alone. After all, as mentioned before, this world was very dangerous.

There were exceptions, such as someone like Li Qi who was fleeing after committing murder or someone forced to leave their hometown for some reason. But Li Qi had never heard of a traveling merchant setting off alone. Wasn't he afraid of death?

"Um... Brother," the merchant approached and sat down next to Li Qi.

Li Qi was slightly on guard but didn't shoo him away, merely observing him: "Little brother, is there something you need?"

"Well, I saw you were also traveling alone, so I thought I'd come over and say hello," the merchant said, looking a bit nervous.

"So, I thought since we're both traveling alone, we might as well travel together for mutual support along the way," the young merchant suggested.

"Travel together? Where are you heading?" Li Qi asked while sizing up the man. Traveling alone was indeed dangerous, and having company could be beneficial, but one must always be cautious.

"I'm going to Bi County. And you, Brother? From the direction you came, there's only one road without any branches until Feng County. We should be able to travel together for about fifty li (approximately 15.5 miles) before reaching an inhabited area," the merchant explained.

"Oh, right, what's your name, Brother? My surname is Du, call me ADu," ADu introduced himself, placing his tea snacks and tea water on the table, setting down his leather-covered backpack, and sitting down.

"My name is Li Qi," Li Qi replied honestly. "From your words, you seem quite familiar with this route. If you know it so well, why do you want to travel with me?"

ADu smiled bitterly, "It's precisely because I know it well that I want to travel together. To be frank, this road isn't safe. Look at the other merchants, none of them set out with fewer than ten people."

"If I had another choice, if I wasn't in urgent need of money, I wouldn't have gone solo either..." ADu said with a resigned expression.

This reason seemed plausible enough, but Li Qi still hadn't agreed. He frowned slightly, "Not safe? What's happening?"

At this, ADu leaned closer and lowered his voice, "There are rumors of monsters appearing along this road."

"Monsters? Who dares to go then?" Li Qi was startled.

Working at the docks, he had heard countless times from passing guilds and canal associations about monsters. In his mind, monsters were terrifying beings capable of easily killing dozens of people.

"It's just a rumor; they're probably not real monsters but wild beasts nearing enlightenment. These creatures nearing enlightenment but not quite there yet are afraid when there are many people around because of the strong human qi. So traveling in groups is safest. As for us... we can only rely on luck," ADu explained.

"Sigh, if life weren't so hard, who would venture out alone... Monsters are scary, but there are far scarier things out there," ADu sighed.

Li Qi deeply sympathized. The Lizhuang Sect had tried to kill him twice in one day. After barely surviving and retaliating, he had to flee to avoid trouble. Even now, with monsters around, he had no intention of going back, proving the truth of ADu's words.

Seeing Li Qi nod slightly in agreement, ADu seized the opportunity: "Besides, Brother Li, I don't just see you as a danger needing companionship. Look at you, your qi and blood are robust, full of yang energy. Those half-enlightened beasts fear people like you most. And I have experience as a traveling merchant. Together, we'll surely be fine!" ADu spoke eloquently.

Li Qi looked at him and felt he wasn't lying. Even if he were, as long as Li Qi didn't follow his path exactly and didn't let him lead, it shouldn't be a problem. Moreover, if there really were creatures nearing enlightenment, having someone else around would provide more security. As a seasoned traveler, ADu likely had some skills and wouldn't be helpless against monsters.

Also, in the worst-case scenario, he wouldn't need to outrun the monster; he just needed to outrun ADu.

With this thought, Li Qi nodded, "Since that's the case, let's travel together. I'm headed to Feng County, which means we can cover about two hundred li (approximately 62 miles) together."

"Hehe, that's perfect. By the time we reach Feng County, there will be more people, and there are local shamans, exorcists, and government officials responsible for eliminating demons. No monster would dare act there. The most dangerous part is the middle two hundred li, where there's little oversight and poor roads, making it easy for monsters to appear!" With a positive response, ADu relaxed and began joking around.

"Brother Li, you don't seem to travel much. Now that we're drinking tea, how about I tell you some interesting stories from the road to pass the time?" Sitting down, ADu acted very friendly.

However, Li Qi understood ADu's true intentions. ADu was being polite, even flattering, but Li Qi knew that this experienced traveler wanted to share some road wisdom and taboos, using this approach to avoid offending him.

This guy truly knew how to handle people, explaining why he dared to seek companionship in the wilderness.

"Sure, I don't travel often. Go ahead," Li Qi responded immediately, pushing his millet cake plate next to ADu's, indicating they would share.

This was acceptance.

ADu didn't hesitate, took a piece of millet cake, poured himself a cup of tea, and began talking.

"When traveling outside, you occasionally encounter mountain spirits and wild beasts. Humans differ from these spirits because humans possess the three innate treasures—something these beings cannot obtain no matter how much they wish."

The term "three innate treasures" caught Li Qi's attention, and he listened carefully.

"The three innate treasures refer to our human Jing (Essence), Qi (Vital Energy), and Shen (Spirit). These are unique to naturally intelligent beings. Creatures that gain intelligence later through cultivation cannot obtain them!"

Qi!

Li Qi again heard a familiar term.