The Eternal Way

He wasn't some desperate ghost who would pounce on anyone he came across… 

At this moment, one of the merchants suddenly spoke up: "If you ask me, Brother Li Qi, if you're really craving her body, why not just take care of her right here and now? After all, she's unconscious. Once you've had your fun, just toss her by the roadside. There's no way you can let her burden you for life, right?" 

"Besides, as her savior, it wouldn't be too much for her to offer herself to you, would it?" The merchant chuckled, clearly amused by his own suggestion. 

This comment was utterly devoid of humanity, and Li Qi frowned in displeasure. He stood up and walked toward the woman, speaking with a joking tone as he moved. "What do you mean, 'take care of her now'? Do I look like…" 

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman shivered and woke up. 

"Oh, you're awake?" Li Qi was relieved. Now that she was conscious, at least he wouldn't have to agonize over what to do with her. 

"Miss, what's your name?" He stepped forward decisively and asked her. 

Unexpectedly, the beautiful woman shrank back, her face filled with fear, her voice trembling as she stammered, "I… I'm very powerful. D-don't come any closer…" 

--- 

Shen Shuibei could never have imagined she'd end up in such a situation. 

When she served the Empress, though she didn't live in luxury, at least menial tasks were handled by servants. All she had to do was follow the Empress's orders and direct the staff accordingly. 

But when the Empress fell from grace and was forced to flee to Baiyue, Shen Shuibei naturally followed her. Along the way, they endured countless hardships. Not only did she suffer immensely, but she also became separated from the Empress, eventually wandering alone through the Ten Thousand Mountains. 

The Human Dao cultivators didn't just destroy her magical artifacts—they implanted divine consciousness into her cultivation base, forcing her to disperse her own powers in order to escape their surveillance. 

Thinking she could finally catch her breath, she found an abandoned temple, enchanted a wild dog for protection, and planned to rest for a while. However, she then encountered someone practicing the unique techniques of the Great Shaman of Baiyue. This person was likely a disciple or attendant of a Great Shaman, protected by ghostly and divine forces. They could divine fortunes and misfortunes, even reverse rain, calm storms, mitigate disasters, and heal illnesses. Their body was imbued with various extraordinary abilities. 

She had once read ancient texts describing how, among shamans, the most powerful were the Great Diviners (Da Bu) and the Great Shamans (Da Zhu). 

The Great Diviners mastered three methods of divination: Jade Divination (Yu Zhao), Tile Divination (Wa Zhao), and Origin Divination (Yuan Zhao). Each method had 120 variations, and their verses numbered 1,200. 

They also mastered three methods of change (Yi): their primary hexagrams numbered eight, with sixty-four variations. 

Additionally, they practiced three methods of dream interpretation: Induced Dreams, Distorted Dreams, and Shared Ascents. These methods had ten main operations and ninety variations. Using these, they interpreted omens for the state, predicting the fate of all beings. 

The Great Shamans, on the other hand, could conduct grand sacrifices to honor ghosts, gods, and earth spirits. They used their power to harmonize these forces for human use. They managed six calamities, performed six prayers, composed six speeches, distinguished six titles, identified nine types of sacrifices, and knew nine forms of obeisance. With fire and water, they served the spirits, protected by divine beings and ancestral spirits, revered by all deities, wielding terrifying power. 

The Great Diviners and Great Shamans were the pinnacle of shamanic power, undisputed rulers of Baiyue before the invasion of the Human Dao. 

The Beast Mastery Technique was a unique skill of the Great Shamans, exclusive to them. 

Upon confirming it was indeed a Great Shaman's technique—the Ox Strength Technique granted by the Beast Earth Spirit—Shen Shuibei was terrified. She decided to flee immediately. The wild dog she had tamed was merely a temporary safeguard, lacking intelligence. 

To escape, she summoned the black mist. 

This was a technique called **Concealment Aura**. 

Concealment meant hiding within the aura of life force. 

Life force was the primordial energy circulating between heaven and earth, essential for both. Invisible to humans, it was hidden within the earth. 

Concealment Aura used this life force to make oneself invisible, erasing all traces. 

However, the other party somehow saw through the black mist! 

Even worse, he happened to be accompanied by a group armed with machetes, imbued with lethal energies—natural enemies of life force. 

Driven back by these energies, Shen Shuibei was captured. 

Aware of her injuries and having dispersed her cultivation base to evade capture, she instinctively used her innate ability. 

She was a rabbit demon who had taken human form. 

What was the innate ability of a rabbit demon? 

Playing dead… 

Mentally praying, "You can't see me… You can't see me…" hoping the other party would find her troublesome or unlucky and discard her by the roadside. 

Unexpectedly, this Great Shaman turned out to be kind-hearted. 

Despite the danger, he carried her for an hour. 

Heaven, couldn't you just let her go? 

Shen Shuibei felt like crying. 

However, things quickly took a turn for the worse. 

Hearing the others suggest abandoning her, she initially felt hopeful, planning to escape once left alone. 

But Li Qi refused! 

Initially thinking he was simply being kind, Ba Kui pointed out that Li Qi actually desired her body. 

Honestly, she almost couldn't keep up the act. Raised in the Empress's court, she had never encountered such situations. 

Trying to maintain her composure, she heard another suggestion—simply take her and dispose of her afterward. 

Truthfully, she nearly wet herself. 

Though she had faced life-threatening dangers before, this was different. 

And Li Qi… 

It seemed he might agree. 

Walking straight toward her, smiling. 

His laughter made Shen Shuibei's rabbit ears nearly pop out in fear. 

Why did her rabbit ears appear? Because she was scared enough to reveal her true form. 

Rabbits are naturally timid, unable to maintain the act of playing dead. 

Desperate, she clenched her fists, determined to fight back upon waking up. 

Even if he was a Great Shaman, a rabbit could die but not be humiliated. 

But… wait, he didn't seem to care whether she lived or died. Even when she played dead, he didn't mind and prepared to proceed… 

Disaster. 

Realizing this, Shen Shuibei wilted instantly. 

Then came the scene where she opened her eyes, shrinking back in terror, staring at Li Qi. 

As for Li Qi...