Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 68: Negotiations

Upon hearing this, Li Qi felt a shiver run down his spine, raising goosebumps all over his body.

He hadn't perceived any aura or sound.

But he immediately turned around.

The blind old woman from before had at some unknown moment, walked over leaning on her cane.

"Please forgive me, Senior Brother. A few days ago, this foolish old woman performed a divination and discerned that my son's vitality lay in this matter. So I instructed him to do this. Though he is usually dim-witted, he would never intentionally harm anyone. His seeking out Senior Brother was purely my intention," the blind old woman said calmly.

"Otherwise, how would he have known that Senior Brother was performing a ritual by the river? And that he specifically went there to wait?" the blind old woman continued, all the while gazing at Li Qi with her cloudy, gray eyes.

Li Qi felt his skin crawl under her gaze and took a step back, "Why call me Senior Brother? You are older. Just call me Little Li."

He didn't address her statement, instead changing the subject.

He didn't want to discuss the rights and wrongs of the matter; he just wanted to escape immediately.

The blind old woman, however, shook her head: "Rules dictate it. Senior Brother is a legitimate disciple of Wushen Mountain, while I am merely a menial outside the mountain gate, having learned a few minor techniques. When I reached a certain age, I was sent out of the mountain to seek my own path. Upon seeing Senior Brother, it is proper to show respect."Li Qi almost couldn't help but laugh out of anger.

"You say it is proper to show respect, yet you immediately used a blame-shifting technique to give me a warning?" Li Qi retorted.

"Though this old woman is foolish, I still recognize a true gem. Senior Brother has gained the acknowledgment of the Qiong Bull and received personal transmission of the Zhu Book from the Great ritual priest, making you a direct descendant of Wushen Mountain. How could such a small misfortune hinder you? Therefore, this old woman dared to instruct my son to do this, solely to attract Senior Brother's attention, and thus, our current conversation is possible," the blind old woman explained.

While the two conversed, the wealthy man stood trembling at the side, scratching his ears and cheeks, not knowing what to do, able only to look anxiously at his mother and Li Qi speaking.

"Regardless of your intentions, there's absolutely no room for negotiation in this matter, old one. Farewell," Li Qi cupped his hands and prepared to leave.

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

Damn it, what happened to him being an outsider, making divination difficult? How in the world could a diviner of the same unranked level as him manage to divine his presence?

This caused Li Qi immense concern for his survival.

He had to leave quickly.

Just as Li Qi turned to depart, he heard the blind old woman speak again: "My abilities are meager, not as profound as Senior Brother's Dao. No matter how hard I try, my divination cannot discern Senior Brother's whereabouts. But Senior Brother, would you not like to know how I was able to predict your arrival?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qi paused.

Wait, this person couldn't actually divine his presence?

Then how was his whereabouts exposed?

"Explain clearly," Li Qi's tone turned cold.

His internal qi surged, his Carp Flowing Intent began to accumulate power, ready to erupt at any moment.

His Bull Strength Art was also ready to activate at a moment's notice. Simultaneously, his attention focused on all the progress bars around him.

He had grown accustomed to his vision being filled with various progress bars and had learned to ignore most of the uninformative ones.

But this ability could instantly reveal an enemy's movements during combat, so he had learned how to observe the progress bars to detect the opponent's attack timing and interrupt it promptly.

"Senior Brother need not be nervous. Senior Brother, do you know the origin of the horse beside you?" the blind old woman asked.

Li Qi did not relax in the slightest, offering no reply, merely waiting for her to continue.

The blind old woman seemed to understand Li Qi's thoughts. Although she had posed a question, she immediately answered it herself.

"Dragon Steed Shadow Trace was once the mount of General Liu Bosi of Song Kingdom. It was the foremost good horse in Song Kingdom, standing eight and a half chi tall at the shoulder, capable of riding clouds and soaring, and even walking on water."

"However, when Tang attacked Song Kingdom, Liu Bosi, a Seventh-Rank martial expert, though skilled at splitting mountains and cleaving stones, and an excellent vanguard, was easily manipulated by Tang's Daoist arts. Unable to withstand Tang's advance, in just one night, Tang broke through three provinces. In his grief and indignation, he committed suicide."

"After his death, his body was desecrated, but that Dragon Steed was indeed a valuable treasure. It was originally taken by the Tang general who captured the city. With Shadow Trace's potential, if properly nurtured and trained, it might even transform into a dragon one day."

"But the Dragon Steed possessed spiritual intelligence and refused to be used by its master's mortal enemy, so it struggled fiercely."

"Tang then cast a spell, sealing its bloodline essence, intending to take it back for slow imprisonment. But this sealing was only half complete when the Dragon Steed escaped."

"The Tang general was furious and ordered its capture. News has already spread across half of the Great Lu Kingdom. We diviners, who possess the ability to divine, even had special personnel come to inform us, demanding that we divine clues about Dragon Steed Shadow Trace."

"It is precisely due to this connection that I, this old woman, was able to infer Senior Brother's location by inference. After all... Senior Brother is still carrying that Ninth-Rank Tang Saber, aren't you?"

"It was the summation of these clues that allowed me to guess the general situation once I saw Senior Brother with my own eyes."

After hearing this, Li Qi almost broke out in a cold sweat.

Although he had already suspected that the old horse might have some identity, given that it was being hunted by armored soldiers, he thought, after all, it was just an old frail Dragon Steed. What major trouble could it cause? The officer's horse was seven chi tall; an eight-chi Dragon Steed wouldn't be an issue, would it?

But now, hearing this... it seemed the trouble was immense.

The old horse's current power was not its true potential? Its ability to travel eight hundred li by day and sixteen hundred li by night was only half of its true capability?

Half of its bloodline essence was sealed by a spell?

He would have to ask about it when he got back.

However, despite these thoughts, Li Qi remained calm, keeping his expression unmoving, not uttering a word and continued to watch the blind old woman.

The blind old woman did not hesitate, continuing: "In speaking thus, this old woman naturally understands that my entire family's lives are now in Senior Brother's hands. This is precisely the condition this old woman wishes to discuss with Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother's cultivation is profound. This old woman, despite all her efforts, cannot divine even a trace of your whereabouts. As for the fairy maiden by Senior Brother's side, this old woman cannot even sense her presence. Had my son not seen her with his own eyes, I would not even have known Senior Brother had someone with him. I imagine she must have reached the Leakless Realm."

"But each art has its specialization. Senior Brother is a ritual priest and certainly not well-versed in divination. In the future, others might also divine clues about Dragon Steed Shadow Trace. After all, it is something a Tang general desires. Keeping it by your side will surely lead to trouble. But if you simply send it away, you would lose a Dragon Steed worth a thousand gold."

"This old woman is willing to use her remaining life to perform a ritual and defile the Dragon Steed's karmic clues, ensuring Senior Brother faces no future repercussions."

"I only ask that Senior Brother intervene and save my son's life."

...