The Eternal Way

As for Li Qi, seeing the young woman awake brought a smile to his face. He opened his mouth, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

Why?

Because she was awake now, which meant fewer complications.

Besides, this woman looked wealthy. Her clothes were made of gauze.

Joking aside, Li Qi had never even touched gauze before. Even the rich families and middle-class households in Lǐzhou mostly wore cotton. For someone as poor as him, having hemp cloth to wear was already a luxury.

What did gauze represent?

At the very least, it indicated that she came from a large landowner's family.

But there was one question...

If she really had money, why didn't she hire someone capable to rescue her? Why did it come down to passersby like them to save her?

It was puzzling.

But perhaps it was just a coincidence.

However... there might be other reasons. One must always be cautious. It wouldn't hurt to test her out.

Li Qi pondered these thoughts: "Miss..."

"Aaaah!" Shen Shuibei trembled with fear, making strange noises and even rolling around.

Ba Kui glanced over, frowning: "This woman seems to have been frightened by demons, she's gone mad. This is going to be troublesome."

"No trouble at all, madness is better. No need to take responsibility. After tasting her, we can just leave her by the roadside, and she'll run away on her own without us having to lift a finger," one of the merchants said.

Li Qi now understood what kind of people these merchants were. No wonder ADu dared not travel with them and could only seek help from strangers.

These people were merchants most of the time, but given the opportunity, they would instantly turn into thieves, showing no qualms about committing evil deeds. They might have some sense of loyalty, but it was limited to small acts of righteousness, lacking a broader moral compass.

As for greater righteousness, it required concern for the world, something Li Qi felt he, as a mere boatman, had no right to discuss.

Before he could speak, Shen Shuibei, hearing their conversation, immediately stood up: "I... I'm not crazy! Don't... don't... touch me!" She stuttered for a while before finally getting the words out.

Her movements were quick and precise, nothing like someone who had been tossed around all night.

Because the person called Li Qi had a terrifying smile, showing his teeth as if he intended to eat her.

No, to eat a rabbit.

On Li Qi's side, he was somewhat bewildered.

He didn't pause this time, speaking continuously: "Miss, what is your name?"

Although he didn't know what the woman misunderstood, she seemed rather unintelligent. It was best to guide her first.

"My name is Shen Shuibei."

"I'm Li Qi. Miss Shen, were you captured by that demon before? Do you remember where your home is?" Li Qi asked again.

"My home is in Jiannan..." Shen Shuibei replied instinctively, then suddenly realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth.

"Jiannan?" Li Qi was stunned. He had never heard of such a place near Lǐzhou.

He looked around at the merchants. These people traveled far and wide, trading goods, so they should know more place names.

But the merchants also seemed confused, having never heard of it either.

It was ADu who thought for a moment and then said, "I once traveled with a large merchant caravan and heard them talk about a place named Jiannan Dao in the Tang Kingdom. Could it be that place?"

"The Tang Kingdom?" Li Qi frowned. "Miss Shen, are you from the Tang Kingdom?"

"No, no! It must be just a coincidence! My... my Jiannan is a small place, very small. It's normal you haven't heard of it!" Shen Shuibei hurriedly explained.

"Then, Miss Shen, does the demon have anything to do with you?"

"No, no connection!" Shen Shuibei quickly answered.

The merchants all took a step back, pulling out their machetes.

ADu also hid behind them.

Shen Shuibei immediately realized she had said the wrong thing.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

When she was with the Empress, she never lied!

Now, not only did she have to lie, but she did so awkwardly, making it easy to see through her deceit.

But Li Qi didn't turn around; instead, he put his hand behind his back and discreetly signaled for everyone to move quickly.

Then, acting as if he hadn't noticed the commotion behind him, he approached: "So, no connection, that's good. Scared me half to death." Li Qi scratched his head, showing a friendly smile.

"Huh..." Shen Shuibei looked puzzled.

Was this person fooled?

"But, sorry, miss, we're all hardworking people with no special abilities. We can't escort you back to Jiannan, and we're not familiar with the terrain. How about we part ways here?" Li Qi politely suggested.

Hearing this, Shen Shuibei felt relieved and nodded hastily, forgetting everything else.

"Alright, let's go. You'll have to find your way home alone," Li Qi said with a kind expression.

"That's fine, that's fine! I can find my way home!" Shen Shuibei quickly agreed.

"We'll part ways here. The rice cakes in the pot haven't been eaten yet. We'll divide them among our bowls. You can eat first to regain your strength," Li Qi added.

"Thank you!" Shen Shuibei bowed repeatedly, having forgotten what had scared her earlier.

After saying this, Li Qi turned around and gave the others a signal.

The merchants immediately pocketed their machetes, slung their baskets over their backs, and ran off without even taking the pot!

Li Qi followed without hesitation, leading A Du in a frantic sprint!

You've got to be kidding! The person behind them was likely a demon!

And she looked almost human, probably able to take human form. That wild dog demon was definitely connected to her!

Although they didn't know what she was thinking, they couldn't afford to wait for her to realize their trick. If they didn't escape now, they'd be asking for trouble.

Taking advantage of Li Qi's calm demeanor, the group continued running without stopping to chat. They rushed onward from dawn until dusk, drinking water along the way but unable to stop for a proper meal. Finally, they arrived at Feng County.

Finally reaching Feng County, everyone could catch their breath.

Even Ba Kui, exhausted and out of breath, still managed to give a thumbs-up and praise Li Qi: "Phew... pant, Brother Li Qi, I admire you! Facing a demon, you remained so calm!"

"I didn't expect... puff, ha... haha." Li Qi was also out of breath: "I didn't expect the demon to be so easy to fool, acting like an idiot... I was prepared to fight if she dropped the act, but she kept it up, allowing us to escape!"

"It's thanks to Brother Li's composure. Knowing the demon was pretending to be good, he avoided alarming her, letting us escape. If we had exposed ourselves, we might have faced another battle," ADu added quickly.