The Eternal Way

With a sudden grab, he pulled out a woman.

Li Qi was momentarily stunned, frozen in place.

But the black mist immediately tried to snatch her back, charging forward without regard for damage!

Li Qi quickly tossed the woman behind him and followed up with three punches that dispersed the oncoming mist. However, unlike before, the mist didn't disperse but instead swallowed him whole!

It seemed to be fighting desperately.

"Damn!" Li Qi's heart raced, and he immediately began singing loudly!

"Huáng huáng qī yào, míng míng zài shàng!"

"jiū jiū wǔ fū, xióng zāi xióng zāi!"

His blood and qi instantly ignited like an oil barrel set aflame, boiling fiercely!

Radiant like sunlight, blazing like a fierce fire!

Under the enhancement of the Bull Strength Technique, his yang energy surged out, pushing the surrounding black mist away with a powerful aura.

The mist wanted to advance, but at this moment, the other merchants arrived, shouting loudly with killing intent, their clashing machetes filled with battlefield fervor, which scared the mist away.

The mist hesitated for a moment and then swiftly retreated, no longer blocking their path.

"We did it! That damned thing is gone. Let's get out of here quickly!" Seeing this, Li Qi took a breath and immediately told the group behind him.

Though his tone was commanding, no one objected at this point. Everyone quickly gathered their belongings, secured their machetes, shouldered their baskets, grabbed torches, and ran off in a hurry.

No one even paid attention to the woman.

Seeing them run off without caring for the woman left Li Qi unsure of what expression to make...

However, she was still alive, seemingly unconscious?

She must have been held captive by the monster, right?

Looking at the fleeing group, Li Qi was uncertain, but upon closer inspection, he noticed her torn clothes, originally white cloth and gauze, indicating expensive attire.

Though expensive, it was now covered in mud and dirt, torn and ragged, with some wounds seeping blood, staining her white dress red.

Her hair was loose, messy and pitiful.

She looked like... a captured lady from a noble family?

Would there be a reward for rescuing her?

He hesitated for two or three seconds, and when he turned back, the others had already run twenty meters away.

And those black mists, who knew if they would return?

"No way, a shape-shifting monster could be pulled out by me?" Li Qi muttered to himself, then hoisted the unconscious woman and hurried after them.

There was no choice; he couldn't just leave someone to die, right? Though suspicious, if she were a monster, sunlight would reveal her true form during the day.

If it were a type of monster unafraid of sunlight and capable of perfectly transforming into a human, would saving her make any difference?

Wouldn't it all lead to the same dead end?

Such things, once seen, whether you live or die depends purely on their mood. Maybe saving her might please the monster and bring benefits, right?

After all, Li Qi still had a conscience. Leaving a seemingly defenseless woman lying on the roadside without helping her would leave him feeling guilty.

Reaching Feng County was only a day's journey, so carrying her wouldn't be too much trouble.

With this thought, he stopped hesitating, carried the woman, relying on his physical fitness to catch up quickly.

The group ran without pause for over an hour. Even though they all practiced cultivation techniques, running wildly on mountain paths and exhausting themselves through the night left them as exhausted as dead dogs.

What surprised Li Qi even more was that after an hour of intense running, if a living person were on his shoulders, they would either be shaken to death or revived from near-death. Yet, the woman on his back remained unconscious.

Given this world full of strange phenomena, he couldn't say much. He would take her to the city first and deal with it later if no one claimed her.

An hour later, the sky began to show faint light. The group finally stopped, collapsing like dead dogs along the roadside, leaning against stones, utterly exhausted, with a few even vomiting from exhaustion.

"Don't drink water until you've rested enough!" the burly man instructed the merchants, then leaned against a tree himself, completely drained.

Li Qi's situation was even worse. Although he wasn't carrying the merchants' baskets, carrying the woman, weighing eighty to ninety pounds, was exhausting. Running with her for an hour nearly killed him. He found a spot, placed the woman down, and regardless of the dirt, lay down flat, gasping for air.

Tired, truly tired.

This hour of intense running likely covered almost eighty miles, and with the weight, it nearly took Li Qi's life. Since practicing cultivation techniques, he had never been so exhausted. Even pulling a boat wouldn't exhaust him like this for two hours straight!

While the group of "dead dogs" was catching their breath, the burly man recovered the quickest.

After regaining some strength, he walked over to Li Qi and sat down beside him: "You don't look very strong, but you're surprisingly brave. I'm Ba Kui, what's your name?"

"Li Qi..." Li Qi replied weakly, still not fully recovered.

"Li Qi, I apologize for what happened during the day. My temper flares easily, and hearing people gossip makes me lose control. But I didn't expect you, looking weak and small, to be such a real man. We'll reach Feng County today. Once we arrive, let's celebrate with a drink! It's a promise!" Ba Kui patted Li Qi's shoulder, laughing heartily.

"Sure, sure..." Li Qi responded weakly, falling down after being patted.

For some reason, he felt exceptionally tired.

Having done physical labor regularly before, he believed his stamina shouldn't be bad, and even if tired, he should recover quickly.

But at this moment, he felt extraordinarily exhausted, as if no amount of rest could restore him.

It felt like recovering from a serious illness, as if his body was weakened.

But he hadn't done anything to weaken himself, had he?

"By the way, Li Qi, why did you bring this woman back? She hasn't woken up, probably having her essence sucked out by the monster. She's a burden, hard to carry on the road. Are you interested in her?" Ba Kui glanced at the unconscious woman.

"I just didn't want to see her die. How could I leave her behind?" Li Qi wiped his sweat and took a small sip of water.

"This will help you recover faster." Ba Kui handed over a paper package.

Li Qi took it, opened it, and found dark brown granules inside.

"Salt. When tired, drink some water, then take a pinch of salt. You'll regain strength soon," Ba Kui explained.

"Thank you." Li Qi thanked him, pinched a bit, and put it in his mouth.

The initial sensation wasn't salty but bitter.

But it was normal; this crude salt might contain more sand than salt. Being able to replenish energy was already quite good.