The Eternal Way

Having been here for several years, Li Qi had long mastered the skill of being able to sleep anywhere.

There was no other choice. Sometimes, when pulling boats, he had to work from dawn till dusk. By the end, he was so exhausted that he would just lie down on the riverbank gravel and fall asleep.

What could a boat puller do?

Staying at an inn cost twenty qian per night for a dormitory-style room, and if you wanted a private room, it would be forty or fifty qian. He couldn't afford such luxury.

Thinking back, his previous world wasn't much different.

Many farmers worked all year round, hauling their produce into the city, and after selling everything, they might only have two or three thousand yuan left in their pockets.

Earning this amount of money by going to the city, but spending one night... even without considering high-end hotels, even budget hotels often required one or two hundred, or even three or four hundred yuan per night.

So, they would rather sit by the roadside and endure the night than spend money on a budget hotel.

Li Qi was now in a similar situation.

However, the good thing was that he had at least eaten his fill tonight.

Curled up in a corner with the eave overhead was enough.

Li Qi closed his eyes, ready to rest. After all, he had been traveling day and night yesterday and was utterly exhausted. He tied the bag to his wrist and tucked it inside his clothes, ensuring no one could touch it without alerting him.

He fell asleep.

However, a faint gaze penetrated the deep night sky, fixed upon Li Qi.

"Good temperament, clever and resourceful, brave yet calm. Even facing his own wanted notice, he remains unfazed. This boy, how can he possibly be an ordinary boat puller? Indeed, is he someone from the Outer Path?"

The "Young Master Zhu," who once shared the stage with the Governor of Lǐzhou at the River Observation Platform and even received a respectful bow from the governor, stood in a guest room of a nearby inn, watching Li Qi through an open window.

"I went to great lengths to perform a grand ritual, which predicted that the appearance of someone from the Outer Path would be greatly auspicious for me." He muttered to himself, "Though divination is difficult for those from the Outer Path, I finally managed to find a trace of them with great effort. But does this prediction refer to this object... or that person?" Young Master Zhu played with the broken game console in his hand.

He had already tested it using various methods—earth, fire, wind, water, thunder, netherworld, divine light, and willpower—but ultimately determined that the device only reacted to weak electric currents.

But it was just a reaction; the internal components were completely damaged and couldn't be activated.

Was this due to the effect of the Outer object or the person?

Young Master Zhu pondered over this.

"Ugh... umph, umph!" At that moment, a woman's muffled voice came from nearby.

"Don't bother screaming. Your powers have dissipated; you can't break free from this silencing spell." Young Master Zhu put away the game console, turned around, and sat on a stool, looking at the beautiful woman on the bed.

If Li Qi were here, he would immediately recognize her as Shen Shuibei, the demon he had tried so hard to escape from.

"Luo Fu Niangniang's personal attendant... Ha, what a big catch. The grand ritual's prediction was spot-on. The appearance of someone from the Outer Path is greatly auspicious for me. Such an extraordinary opportunity has been delivered right to my mouth; all I need to do is take a bite," Young Master Zhu said to Shen Shuibei.

Shen Shuibei's face showed fear. Although she seemed to have no physical restraints, she appeared bound tightly, like a fish floundering on the shore, unable to stand or get off the bed.

Seeing her struggle, Young Master Zhu seemed slightly bored. He told her, "I will release your bindings and let you speak, but you'd better cooperate well. Can you do that?"

"If not, don't blame me for taking you back to the Witch God Mountain."

"Although my abilities are insufficient to divine Luo Fu Niangniang's location through you, the many great diviners of the Witch God Mountain will certainly be able to. By then, you won't even have the chance to cooperate with me," Young Master Zhu said.

"You are Luo Fu Niangniang's personal attendant, deeply connected by fate. Do you think the great diviners of the Witch God Mountain could trace her location directly through you?"

"At that time, she will die because of you."

After saying this, Young Master Zhu waited for Shen Shuibei's response.

He saw Shen Shuibei stop struggling, tears welling up in her eyes and falling one by one.

She sobbed for a while, quickly wiped her tears on the pillow, and then nodded.

It seemed she agreed to cooperate.

Seeing this, Young Master Zhu casually waved his hand, releasing her from her bonds.

Suddenly free, she didn't move.

"Esteemed Diviner..." Shen Shuibei trembled as she looked at Young Master Zhu.

"Not quite. I'm just a Zhu Ren, not a Great Diviner. But it doesn't matter; call me whatever you want," Young Master Zhu replied.

He still looked like a young scholar, appearing very kind.

"Shen Shuibei, right? There's no need to be afraid. I restrained you earlier just in case you had some secret technique. Now that you've agreed to cooperate and have no such techniques, why would I make things difficult for you?"

"Besides, you should have noticed by now, right? If I really wanted to take you back to the Witch God Mountain, I would have done so already. Why wait until now?" Young Master Zhu continued.

After all, she was Luo Fu Niangniang's attendant and should understand his good intentions.

However, Young Master Zhu didn't expect Shen Shuibei to pause before nodding in understanding, her trembling body relaxing.

Ah? This, Luo Fu Niangniang's attendant, seems a bit slow?

But, calmness is good. She isn't the main decision-maker anyway, so whether she's smart or not doesn't matter much.

Seeing Shen Shuibei still dazed, Young Master Zhu spoke again, "Shen Shuibei, do you think that the Baiyue region is already ruled by human Dao?"

Shen Shuibei was suddenly startled and quickly nodded, "Niangniang once said... the countries of Baiyue have been too influenced by the Tang Dynasty, no longer respecting the Witch Dao but only following the human Dao."

This blunt statement made Young Master Zhu's face darken.

"Cough cough, although Luo Fu Niangniang is knowledgeable, she isn't from Baiyue and doesn't fully understand the situation. In the end, the Witch God Mountain is still the ruler of these lands. The ten thousand mountains and the various states of Baiyue still follow the commands of the Witch God Mountain!" Young Master Zhu said with a stern expression.

"But why are there counties and prefectures nearby? And officials governing by law? Aren't these characteristics of the human Dao?" Shen Shuibei asked, puzzled.

"Enough of those useless questions!" Young Master Zhu snapped, "Let's talk about the real issue. The Witch God Mountain is not idle. We still have influence over the Baiyue region. Luo Fu Niangniang was wronged in the Tang Dynasty and fled to Baiyue. Perhaps she could come to the Witch God Mountain and meet the various Witch Gods."

"But... Niangniang isn't here. What's the point of telling me all this..." Shen Shuibei looked somewhat aggrieved.

"So, I plan to send you as a messenger to inform Luo Fu Niangniang," Young Master Zhu sighed deeply, calming himself before continuing.