Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 54: Desperate Straits

But by the time they got on their horses, Li Qi would have long vanished!

Besides, their horses couldn't go into the water.

Li Qi inwardly thanked Sixth Uncle several times.

Wave-Breaking Force, when facing people who couldn't swim, truly offered a massive advantage.

It was precisely because of this that the Wave-Breaking Gang could maintain their safety. After all, the Strong-Force Gang and the Water-Horse Gang were both formidable in a fight, but as long as they were in the water, the Wave-Breaking Gang was invincible.

He swam downstream the whole way.

Behind him, the sound of hooves was incessant; sometimes they even got ahead of Li Qi, trying to cut him off.

The soldiers refused to give up, vowing to cut off Li Qi's head!

But this was in the pitch-black mountain roads. Li Qi, flowing downstream, was like traveling on a highway, while they, on horseback, could not do the same.

If they were riding dragon steeds like Old Horse, capable of leaping ten zhang and even be surrounded by clouds to soar lightly, Li Qi would absolutely not have escaped.But these people's horses were all ordinary spiritual horses.

Leaping three zhang was their limit, let alone ten zhang.

So, although they galloped through the mountain forests at a fair speed, it was difficult to keep up with the winding river.

If the river were straight, Li Qi certainly wouldn't outswim them.

But... this was a mountain with waterfalls.

When Li Qi encountered a waterfall, even if it was ten zhang high, he would jump directly. Anyway, there was a pool below, it wouldn't be too shallow.

Divers dared to jump from a ten-meter platform. His physique was more than twenty times stronger than theirs, and he had the thick hide from the Bull Strength Art, impervious to impact. As long as he didn't land directly on rocks, he'd be fine!

What if the bottom of the waterfall really was all rocks, and the water was too shallow for a person to stand?

Then he'd just accept it!

It was an escape; was there ever a foolproof plan?

Li Qi had always been this way: before something happened, he would rack his brain to consider all possibilities, arrange all escape routes and plans, appearing indecisive.

But once he actually started doing something, he was utterly fearless and wouldn't hesitate for anything.

When it was time to fight for his life, he would fight!

It wasn't his first time fighting for his life, what was there to be afraid of?

He dared to jump ten-zhang waterfalls, but his pursuers dared not.

They were on horseback!

What if the horse's legs broke? What if they fell to their death?

So, even though they were seething with anger, they had to detour, find a gentle slope to descend, and then continue chasing along the river.

They really wanted to see how far this bastard could swim in the river!

However, they forgot one thing.

This was Baiyue.

This was the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

The intricate mountains and water veins formed a complex network of waterways, with countless rivers and streams, much like the root system of various undergrowth plants, sprawling and winding.

As long as they detoured, giving Li Qi less than a minute out of sight, Li Qi would immediately change course and take another route.

Wasn't it just hide-and-seek?

Come on!

Let's see who had more experience: these horse-riding soldiers who clearly came from the plains, or Li Qi, the old boat hauler!

Li Qi simply didn't believe these people could still track him under these circumstances.

After jumping at least four waterfalls and swimming about twenty li, Li Qi still had some energy left, but the hoofbeats behind him had grown much fainter.

He had swum twenty li in the water, but these people had probably detoured at least a hundred li.

This was what mountain roads were like.

The straight-line distance was short, but in reality, when running, it was full of twists and turns. As long as you couldn't fly, prepare to circle an entire mountain for a seemingly short distance.

This was the scene deep within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

Two villages, calling out to each other across the distance, one could hear a shout from the other side.

But to walk from one village to the other would take an entire day.

Mountain roads were that treacherous.

This characteristic greatly helped Li Qi.

About three quarters of an hour later, Li Qi finally emerged from the river.

He was bruised all over, his limbs soft and powerless; he was completely done for.

His first sensation was cold.

At first, he was so tired that his body was warm and he didn't feel cold.

But Li Qi had overlooked one thing: in this world, there was Qi.

The water veins circulated, gathering cold Qi. The cold Qi in the water gradually forced its way into his blood vessels, freezing him to the point of shivering. It felt as if ice had formed in his bones, and even his testicles had retracted into his body.

Another quarter of an hour, and he feared he would suffer serious damage, perhaps never having children again.

His second sensation was exhaustion.

Truly exhausted.

His muscles were no longer obeying him, constantly twitching and trembling. His legs could no longer stand straight.

The three uses of the Bull Strength Art had long been depleted. Without the support of the Bull Strength Art, it would have been impossible to swim at full strength for three quarters of an hour.

Only those who had tried it would know how exhausting it was.

A triathlon only involved swimming seven li, but Li Qi had just swum at least sixty li.

And his speed was much faster than a triathlon's, and he had jumped into the water multiple times, leaping from dozens of meters high.

This kind of physical exertion had completely drained all the Qi from Li Qi's body.

Cold and exhausted, Li Qi could now only lie on the riverbank, panting, without even the strength to roll over.

He was truly a dead fish.

"I... I should have escaped, right?" Li Qi thought, his mind somewhat blurry.

He was too tired; this time, he probably damaged his vitality.

However, it wasn't over yet.

"Little thief... you bastard, I finally caught you, didn't I...?" A voice as weak as his own came.

Li Qi immediately forced himself to rally his spirits and glanced to the side.

Then, he saw a soldier, with a broken leg, hobbling towards him, leaning on a long saber.

No horse; he didn't know what happened to his horse.

His face was contorted like a malevolent spirit. The broken leg injury was severe; even bone fragments had pierced through the skin.

Li Qi took one look and knew that this person must have forced himself to pursue him by making his horse jump off a cliff, killing the horse and breaking his own leg in the process.

Jumping into the water from a significant waterfall was already tough enough. If the bottom had been rocky, for him not to have died was a testament to his incredibly strong physique, especially since he was wearing armor.

That wasn't light.

However, Li Qi sighed.

Although the opponent was at the end of his rope, how much better off was he?

Even with a broken leg, this person could at least manage to walk, and he could still hold a saber.

Li Qi also had a saber in his hand, the one left by the officer.

It was definitely much better than that soldier's.

But he could no longer hold the saber, nor could he even roll over.

However... surrendering was absolutely not something Li Qi would do!

His hands and feet trembling, unable to stand, he nevertheless gathered a breath, forced himself to sit halfway up, drew the long saber, and with hands as soft as noodles, aimed it at the soldier before him.

Despite being unable to even stand, forced to sit and hold the saber, even dragging it on the ground to stay upright, Li Qi still glared with wide, angry eyes, staring directly at the soldier!

Come on! If you want my life, then come!

Let's see if I can take your life before I die!

Li Qi's expression was grim, ready to stake his life, wanting to drag the other party down with him!

Or, force the opponent to abandon the attack, continue the standoff, and buy himself time.

(Chapter End)