The Eternal Way-Chapter 91: Fattening Up

Without asking, he booked two rooms.

This operation surprised even the inn's waiter.

He had prepared a deluxe double room, but this gentleman booked two separate rooms.

What's going on? Is he a true gentleman?

Or is there something wrong with him?

But Li Qi didn't care about the waiter's puzzled look. He paid for the rooms and told Shen Shuibei that he was going out for a walk, allowing her to move freely but not to wander too far.

Shen Shuibei nodded obediently, like a rabbit or a chick pecking at food, looking very compliant.

Li Qi felt reassured, packed his belongings, wrapped his saber carefully in coarse cloth so it looked like a stick, and then left the inn.

What was he going out to do? Of course, to find opportunities to earn money; he couldn't just sit around and consume resources.

Fattening up Old Horse wasn't something that could be done overnight; it would take at least half a month of proper rest. Luckily, Old Horse didn't need horseshoes, which would have cost even more.

Moreover, it wasn't necessary. As a dragon steed capable of riding on clouds, Old Horse didn't suffer much wear and tear, nor did his hooves grow continuously like ordinary spirit horses, leading to potential health issues.

The hooves of a dragon steed remained fixed; they grew when needed and stopped when sufficient, making them very convenient.

Although they were both horses, they seemed to belong to entirely different species.

Indeed, one was a horse, while the other was half-dragon.

With these thoughts swirling in his head, Li Qi walked through the streets of Snake Tail County, observing the surroundings and chatting with people to gather information that was common knowledge but unknown to him.

The air here was quite fresh and very humid.

Human settlements always needed to be near water sources. Snake Tail County had a clear river running through it, fed by melted snow from White Snake Mountain.

Just as Li Prefecture relied on the Lishui River, White Snake State depended on White Snake Mountain for sustenance. After all, people lived off what their environment provided.

The melting snow from the mountain created countless rivers winding down, forming a dense network that supplied natural resources. White Snake Mountain itself was a treasure trove.

Unlike the barren hills of Li Prefecture, White Snake Mountain produced countless heavenly treasures and mineral veins, making White Snake State quite prosperous.

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Moreover, this prosperity rested on the shoulders of numerous adventurers.

Whether exploring mineral veins, harvesting heavenly treasures, or engaging in other activities, everything required venturing outside the city into the wilderness. Traders waited inside the city, ready to buy whatever adventurers brought back.

After purchasing goods, traders would ship them via the rivers to the Lishui River and then transport them elsewhere.

White Snake Mountain and the Lishui River formed a perfect ecosystem, supporting the livelihoods of billions of residents in two states of the Great Deer Kingdom.

However, unlike Li Prefecture, where taxes and farming along the Lishui River could provide income, in White Snake State, one had to venture out of the city to make money.

The Lishui River was gentle, providing resources as long as one stayed close. But mountains were different; though rich, they demanded effort. One had to prepare equipment and risk life and limb to harvest resources from the mountains.

Thus, martial prowess was highly valued here. Many households owned swords and armor, often gathering in groups to venture into the mountains for profit.

White Snake Mountain was like an inexhaustible treasure chest. Whenever money was needed, one simply ventured in to gather more.

It was no exaggeration; with thousands of miles of mountain range covering millions of square kilometers—equivalent to a continent—it would be miraculous if it ever ran out.

Snake Tail County had a modest population of only several hundred thousand, but Li Qi could feel the local atmosphere just by walking around.

There weren't as many gangs as in Li Prefecture, but there were more "mountain-harvest teams" and "martial academies."

These were the most common organizations in Snake Tail County.

On the streets, one could frequently see martial displays, with many places hosting arenas where people enjoyed sparring matches. Winners received cheers, while losers weren't discouraged and simply stepped aside for the next challenger.

It seemed like a game where winning and losing weren't important; mutual improvement was the goal.

Li Qi observed that most people here were significantly stronger than those in the gangs of Li Prefecture, many bearing malevolent qi and scars, likely from years of battling beasts and humans in the mountains.

Because of this, the forests near White Snake State were extensively developed.

Li Qi realized that in White Snake State, it would be hard to ride Old Horse through the wilderness for years without encountering anyone, as he had done in Li Prefecture.

Here, every so often, one might encounter a mountain-harvest team, seeing their trail.

"In such a place... It's not wise to be too conspicuous, or else Old Horse's identity as a dragon steed might be exposed." Li Qi shook his head, estimating the situation on White Snake Mountain and planning his next steps.

A tall spirit horse and a dragon steed were two different concepts.

Unless someone was as skilled as Shen Shuibei in horse appraisal, simply walking wouldn't expose Old Horse. But if Old Horse took flight, anyone with basic knowledge could recognize him as a priceless dragon steed worth a hundred times more than ordinary horses.

"However, earning money here is relatively easy. The martial arts culture is strong, and many mountain-harvest teams are recruiting, but those are ordinary teams with unranked members offering low pay, wasting time." Li Qi walked down the street, analyzing how to earn some travel expenses to feed Old Horse better.

As a newcomer, he shouldn't reveal his abilities as a Wu Zhu, but using his Martial Dao rank to earn money should suffice.

After wandering around for a noon, he hadn't seen anyone ranked Ninth Rank. The strongest among the patrol teams was a burly man with a beard who had just begun refining his internal organs and appeared to be in his forties or fifties, his vitality waning, making it unlikely he'd ever reach Ninth Rank.

For ordinary people, reaching a rank was extremely difficult, so challenging that a lifetime of effort might still fall short.

In fact, merely obtaining a cultivation method that could lead to ranking was already beyond ninety-nine percent of people.

This made Li Qi appreciate his own fortune once again.

Therefore, he should seize every opportunity.

Li Qi continued walking down the street, listening to the bustling sounds around him.

At that moment, someone hurriedly approached him and called out, "Sir! Please wait!"

Li Qi turned his head and saw a silk-clad merchant, unsure why he had been stopped.