The Eternal Way-Chapter 136: A Sudden Incident

In this elegantly decorated inn, Li Qi asked curiously:

"Competition? What rank is this innate metal Qi that people are fighting over?"

He was aware that Green Mountain occasionally gave birth to an innate divine weapon.

"Innate" refers to something naturally born, untouched by any alteration.

As the saying goes: "What fate bestows is innate; what humans create is acquired."

Theoretically, most things in the world could be called 'innate' since everything is naturally formed.

However, there are distinctions among innate things. Just as some people are naturally smarter or stronger than others, and some stones are naturally harder, these entities possess inherent uniqueness, earning them the title of 'innate.'

For instance, this innate divine weapon was naturally formed from the concentrated metal Qi of Green Mountain, uncarved yet shaped into a weapon with mystical properties. For martial artists, it was the pinnacle of weaponry, surpassing ordinary weapons whether nurtured further or used as raw material for refinement.

Hearing this, the fox demon chuckled lightly at Li Qi: "When the metal Qi first emerged, a radiant five-colored light filled the sky. Afterward, the light receded, then burst forth again, with crimson rays piercing the heavens like the midday sun. The great powerhouses of the Clear Mist Sect observed and declared, 'Only pure metal can radiate such brilliance; impure metal cannot.' Thus, they judged it to be an innate eighth-rank treasure."

"Only pure metal can radiate brilliance; impure metal cannot."

Li Qi nodded upon hearing this evaluation. It was indeed high praise.

"Radiance" meant conspicuous brightness. The phrase "bright as day" derived from this idea. This statement implied that only the essence of metal Qi could emit light, while impurities could not. Judging by the purity of the light emitted, this metal Qi was undoubtedly flawless.

An innate eighth-rank treasure, pure and flawless metal Qi, naturally forming into a divine weapon—it was indeed rare. Describing it as something worth "contesting" was entirely justified.

"Sir, do you wish to hear more rumors about this matter? Though our establishment is small, we often hear whispers from the streets. Why don't you order more food, and I'll tell you all about it?" The fox demon spoke gently, her tone soft, with no overt seduction but still exuding a faint trace of allure.

Although she had restrained herself significantly, Li Qi, being a ninth-rank martial artist with heightened senses, could still detect it.

However, what he sensed was not deliberate flirtation but rather a subtle leakage despite her efforts to suppress it.

Looking around at the elegant surroundings and her conservative attire, Li Qi guessed this might have been her personal choice.

But ultimately, it had nothing to do with him, so he smiled and shook his head, replying, "My cultivation is too low to compete for such treasures. I'm afraid if I hear too much, I won't be able to resist getting involved."

The fox demon understood his polite refusal and stopped mentioning it. With a smile, she completed their check-in, took their meal orders, and called for a waiter to take Old Ma away before attending to other guests.

Li Qi and Shen Shuibei sat in the main hall, waiting to finish their meal and retreat to their room.

Though there was only one room, after a year of rough living and staying in various places, sharing a single room was nothing new to them—they were used to it.

After sitting down, Li Qi poured tea for both himself and Shen Shuibei. With a sigh, he remarked, "Leaving the Great Deer Kingdom area, I've come to realize how harmoniously beings of all kinds can coexist here."

"Look at Clear Mist City. Demons and humans live together, spirits abound, yet no one finds it strange—in fact, it's considered normal. Such harmony would be unimaginable in the Great Deer Kingdom, where demons are seen as calamities."

Hearing this, Shen Shuibei covered her mouth and giggled: "We are now within the territory of Wu Deity Mountain. Practitioners of Wu Dao don't discriminate based on race. I've heard that beyond Wu Dao, further west lies the Buddha Kingdom, where equality is practiced even more thoroughly. While Wu Dao still judges based on strength, the Buddha Kingdom supposedly upholds the equality of all sentient beings, treating even livestock as equals to cultivators."

"So, does this mean the Great Deer Kingdom behaves this way due to the influence of Humanism? Because Humanism dislikes demons?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"Partly, but not entirely. Humanism is clear-cut. Unless you consider yourself part of Humanism, there are relatively stable paths for advancement within, and discrimination isn't excessive. However, if you're not part of Humanism, you're considered 'not one of us,' and thus your intentions are suspect," Shen Shuibei recalled and commented.

She herself was a victim of this ideology.

Once viewed as an enemy, the Tang Emperor had mercilessly ordered the extermination of Luofu Mountain without hesitation.

"'Consider yourself'?" Li Qi was surprised by this phrasing.

"Yes, as I mentioned earlier, Humanism doesn't solely focus on race but rather on self-identification. If you embrace its principles, even demons can be comrades. If you reject them, even humans are enemies."

"Therefore, Humanism is highly united, capable of gathering collective strength quickly and expanding rapidly," Shen Shuibei sighed.

Seeing this, Li Qi quickly changed the topic: "Miss Shen, there are so many paths in the world. Besides the ones we often hear about, are there any particularly powerful sects?"

"Powerful figures? Hmm... that's hard to say," Shen Shuibei pondered before continuing. "As the saying goes, 'Horses differ in color but share swiftness; jade differs in hue but shares beauty. Whether bay, black, chestnut, or white, all can travel a thousand miles—how can one distinguish good from bad?'"

Li Qi nodded in agreement.

Horses of different colors can all be swift, and jade of different hues can all be beautiful. Whether bay, black, chestnut, or white, these horses can travel a thousand miles. Similarly, every path has its unique strengths.

"Therefore, one must not become arrogant because of belonging to a prestigious path. Oh, Li Qi, you've already grasped this point—I won't elaborate further," Shen Shuibei instinctively reminded him but realized Li Qi was already free from arrogance, so she stopped.

As they conversed, their food arrived—all exquisite dishes.

The first dish brought out was half of a tender pig. Tender pigs, weighing around five to six jin (2.5–3 kg), were fed rice until their bones became soft and brittle. Roasted whole, the aroma of pepper filled the air. Sliced for serving, it was incredibly delicious.

Next came bamboo shoots stir-fried with fatty meat. The fat rendered sweetness into the bamboo shoots, making them taste exceptionally fresh rather than merely sweet.

The main course was a bowl of "Four Beauties Soup," made from mushrooms from the land, water shield from rivers, crab roe, and fish ribs—hence the name.

Mushrooms were formed from the essence of mountains, rivers, grass, and trees. Eating them was akin to absorbing the energy of nature.

Water shield had a fragrant, crisp, smooth, and delicate texture, somewhat like fish marrow or crab fat but far lighter and purer.

Combined with the freshness of crab roe and fish ribs, the flavor was extraordinary.

Every dish was incredibly delicious. Although there were only two side dishes and one soup, and the ingredients weren't expensive, the portions were generous, and the flavors were excellent. Thus, Li Qi didn't complain about the cost of three to four thousand coins.

After finishing the meal, they returned to their room. Shen Shuibei began meditating, while Li Qi sat by the window, observing the nighttime scenery of Clear Mist City.

The city lights glittered like stars, illuminating the bustling human world. Though the sky was growing darker, the uniformly glazed tiles reflected the glow of candles and luminous pearls.

From above, the city below appeared crisscrossed with a network of roads. The city was supported by this dense web of pathways, with carefree revelers occasionally galloping on horseback through the dazzling streets, singing and dancing joyfully.

At night, Clear Mist City revealed its true form.

Beauties sustained by various magical techniques adorned the city. Li Qi also noticed mechanical puppets and illusionary methods used to attract customers, along with many demons walking freely.

They seemed unconcerned about revealing their demonic features, so it wasn't uncommon to see animal ears, fur, or tails everywhere.

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But this was no fairyland. The demons had diverse styles; not all transformations were pleasing to the eye. Some hadn't fully shed their beastly forms, others had bizarre appearances, and some hadn't even refined their vocal cords, communicating with incoherent sounds and exaggerated gestures.

These were the ones who had awakened intelligence. There were also beasts without intellect, treated purely as animals. Even demons didn't consider them kin, eating their flesh and wearing their pelts without guilt.

For demons, intelligence was the criterion for identifying kinship. Only those who had awakened intelligence were considered part of the same race. Otherwise, even the beasts that birthed them held little significance.

For them, life began with the awakening of intelligence, not birth.

Speaking of which, Li Qi had read in books that humans weren't the only beings with innate intelligence. True dragons of the four seas were born with intelligence, as were many spirit beasts, including Shen Shuibei and other rare breeds.

And that was just within the mortal realm. Beyond, in countless worlds, the numbers were even greater.

There were many with innate intelligence and even more without.

Realizing this, Li Qi completely lost any notion of being "special."

In this world, no one was special, and nothing was unique.

Not even himself.

There was nothing new under the sun, nor any truly one-of-a-kind person.

As he gazed at the outside scenery, Li Qi reflected on these thoughts.

Thinking had become a habit for him. Every spare moment, he was contemplating, reading, or researching different knowledge.

By now, he had finished reading the book "Wu".

Upon completing it, the progress bar instantly granted him the entire book's knowledge, as if he had memorized it word for word, with an extraordinarily vivid memory.

This was the power of Daoist resonance.

As Li Qi immersed himself in his thoughts, both he and Shen Shuibei suddenly snapped out of their reverie, looking toward the door.

"Death Qi—someone has died?" Li Qi said.

"Not just death Qi, but also the intent of death. They aren't dead yet, but they will be soon," Shen Shuibei frowned.

Both immediately stood up and went out to investigate.

Exiting their room, they saw others emerging from their rooms as well, evidently having sensed the death Qi.

Following the source of the death intent, they saw a fox demon lying below, gasping for breath, clearly on the verge of death.

Beside her, a panicked man frantically pressed on her wound, shouting "Wife!" repeatedly.

To Li Qi's surprise, no one stepped forward to help.

"This is strange. I don't sense anyone who killed her. This wound... it's a curse from Wu Dao, but I'm not sure if it's from a diviner," Li Qi frowned.

After all, this was the territory of Wu Deity Mountain. While orthodox practitioners of Wu Dao were rare, many practiced peripheral branches, some of whom specialized in curses—it wasn't unusual.

"What should we do? It seems no one wants to save her," Shen Shuibei glanced around.

"We can't just watch someone die. Let's go take a look," Li Qi decided.

Regardless of what the innkeeper had done—even if she had committed unspeakable deeds in secret—after saving her, justice could still be served. She couldn't simply be left to die.

Having decided, the two leapt down to the lobby below.

At this moment, the frantic man was pressing on the fox demon's abdomen, trembling as he shouted, "My wife! Hold on! I've sent Begiya to fetch a doctor! Hang in there!"

"Step aside. Let me handle this," Li Qi stepped forward and pulled the man away.

The man was startled but quickly realized someone had stepped in to help.

Li Qi examined the wound and sensed the surrounding Qi.

"It's indeed a curse—a method of ghostly witchcraft," Li Qi confirmed after checking the wound.

"The wound contains the five elemental energies. It's the Five Ghosts Curse technique. Someone dispatched five vengeful ghosts, each representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, to place five restrictive talismans on the victim. After cursing them, they sent the corresponding ghost to pursue and bind the victim's soul, leading to this sudden outbreak," Li Qi explained.

"I'll set up protective seals to drive away the ghostly Qi, but treating the wound is your specialty, Miss Shen. You handle it," Li Qi said.

Shen Shuibei nodded: "Alright."

With that, the two began working together.

Li Qi started arranging protective runes. In addition to the Four Seasons Qi he inherently possessed, he also cultivated the Five Shrines Qi.

What are the Five Shrines? They refer to the gate, door, well, stove, and central chamber.

Spring honors the door, summer honors the stove, autumn honors the gate, winter honors the well, and the sixth month honors the central chamber, aligning subtly with the five elements.

Thus, when he first began cultivating, Li Qi venerated the Door Gods Shentu and Yulü, whose divine Qi could repel ghosts. They resided on a great peach tree, associated with wood, hence honoring the door god in spring.

The stove corresponds to fire, the gate to metal, the well to water, and the central chamber symbolizes earth at the center.

Li Qi deployed the Five Shrines Qi, using the five divine energies to counteract the ghostly Qi of the five ghosts, preventing further harm.

Meanwhile, Shen Shuibei examined the wound and couldn't help but exclaim: "Wow, it really is the Five Evil Ghosts. The five evils have entered the body, but the external wound is just a small cut. The five evils resonate internally and externally, causing damage to both, leading to reversed Qi flow and blood vomiting. It's truly vicious. Once the five evil Qi kill, they don't dissipate—they pollute the Spiritual Essence, aiming for total annihilation of both body and soul."