The Eternal Way-Chapter 90: White Snake State

In the Great Deer Kingdom, there is a place called White Snake State, specifically in Snake Tail County.

White Snake State is located adjacent to Li Prefecture. Similar to how Li Prefecture got its name from the Lishui River, White Snake State derives its name from White Snake Mountain.

This is a towering mountain range stretching for thousands of miles. Due to its immense height, snow accumulates on its peaks, resembling a white snake winding across the land—hence the name White Snake Mountain.

The entire White Snake State is divided into two parts by this mountain range.

Fifteen days have passed since the events in Li Prefecture.

For fifteen days, Old Horse ran day and night, finally escaping Li Prefecture without worrying about being pursued by officials.

However, crossing states...

This was Li Qi's first long-distance travel across states, even more extensive than anything he had experienced in his original world.

A journey of ten thousand miles!

Li Qi couldn't help but marvel at the vastness of this world.

Earth... it's just as big as the Great Deer Kingdom.

Yet, the Great Deer Kingdom is merely a small, remote area. It is said that the entire kingdom is no larger than a county in the Tang Dynasty, and to the Wu Deity Mountain, such small countries number in the thousands.

Truly unimaginable proportions.

According to Shen Shuibei, they had covered about half the distance to Luo Fu Niangniang, seemingly almost there.

Therefore, Shen Shuibei had been very happy recently, eagerly looking westward every year.

But Old Horse couldn't hold out any longer.

After fifteen days of continuous travel, eating only beets, oats, and grass wasn't enough. Old Horse lost weight rapidly during these days, visibly becoming thinner.

If one didn't know better, they might think Li Qi had prepared twenty mares for him.

Thus, Li Qi planned to stay in Snake Tail County to replenish supplies and let Old Horse rest and regain some weight, while also earning some money to cover expenses.

How to earn money?

He'd figure it out once they reached Snake Tail County.

Snake Tail County, as the name suggests, is precisely at the tail end of White Snake Mountain, which is the outermost edge of the mountain range, bordering Li Prefecture. The endless snow on White Snake Mountain melts here, flowing down the slopes and converging into rivers, forming the source of the Lishui River.

"Li Qi, do we really need to stop here..." Shen Shuibei looked dejected, eager to fly straight to her mistress, finding Li Qi's plan to rest for seven to eight days unbearable.

"Miss Shen... there's no other way. Look at Old Horse, can he still run?" Li Qi patted Old Horse's belly; instead of the usual resonant sound, it was now dull, hitting bone.

Old Horse snorted, eyes sunken, turning back with a pitiful look at Shen Shuibei.

Shen Shuibei was left speechless.

Fifteen days of nonstop travel would wear out even a dragon steed, losing at least two hundred jin (approximately 100 kg). Who could bear that?

"Alright..." Shen Shuibei lowered her head, reluctantly agreeing.

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With everything settled, Li Qi rode Old Horse into the city.

Since they were now in White Snake State and mainly needed to fatten up Old Horse, he rode directly into town.

After all, Li Prefecture was thousands of miles away, and whatever happened there wouldn't affect them here.

However, although Li Qi was prepared, he was still amazed by himself before entering the city.

With a saber at his waist, riding a dragon steed, followed by an ethereal beauty looking around curiously, though dressed simply in ordinary clothes, they exuded an air of dignity.

Actually, it was mostly due to the dragon steed and Shen Shuibei.

Anyone on top of that horse would seem dignified.

The only benefit was cleanliness; despite being outdoors for days, they appeared spotless.

Naturally, Li Qi practiced daily near water sources, soaking for three hours each day, making it hard to get dirty.

Also, he avoided wearing good clothes outdoors, preferring rough garments, only changing into new ones before entering the city, giving off a fresh appearance.

Overall, their presence was quite impressive.

Except for the large basket on Old Horse's back, which looked somewhat awkward but necessary.

Without storage rings or bags, where else could they carry their belongings?

Nonetheless, riding a dragon steed, carrying a long saber, and accompanied by a beautiful lady stood out in a small county town.

As Li Qi approached the city gate, no one dared to stop him.

It was only when Li Qi dismounted to pay for entry and verification that the guards respectfully processed his request.

Li Qi felt the difference in treatment and couldn't help but sigh.

Oddly, though showing deference to Li Qi brought them no benefits, they still bowed deeply.

Contrastingly, when Li Qi wore rough clothes and had dark skin in Li Prefecture, people often found reasons to harass him despite gaining nothing.

People are complex and hard to understand.

Anyway, things went smoothly. With over ten gold pieces left, Li Qi chose a decent inn with stables, paying one thousand coins upfront for the best feed for Old Horse—beans, beets, oats, even local delicacies and fruits.

Poor old friend deserved some good food after all his hard work.

Seeing Li Qi's generosity and Old Horse's imposing stature, the innkeeper treated them exceptionally well, assigning a groom to care for Old Horse and give him a thorough wash.

Though appearing wealthy, Li Qi's heart ached inside.

Maintaining a horse is expensive.

A dragon steed like Old Horse is worth a fortune, comparable to modern luxury cars like Bugatti Veyron, requiring substantial maintenance costs annually.

However, as long as he didn't display cloud qi abilities, Old Horse remained an ordinary spirit horse, not attracting unwanted attention.

Calculating, Old Horse suffered by eating mundane foods instead of heavenly treasures.

Fortunately, whenever Li Qi found water sources, Old Horse could absorb pure water qi, compensating for his own cloud qi consumption, preventing severe depletion, though physical strength lagged behind.

Mountain base waters can generate clouds, and cloud qi itself rises from mountain base water vapor, ensuring Old Horse could still move swiftly without weakening.

According to Shen Shuibei, "The Classic of Explaining Simple Characters" states: "Clouds are the essence of mountains and rivers, arising from rain."

Having settled Old Horse, Li Qi took Shen Shuibei upstairs to find lodging.