Chapter 534: Great Qi

Chapter 534: The Great Qi

"Brother Li, head east first," said Zhuge Yuan, hands clasped behind his back, gazing upward at the mountains and rivers surrounding them as he spoke to Li Huowang.

"Mm," replied Li Huowang, nodding, and led Li Sui forward, crossing mountains and wading through streams.

"Left Feng, right Bow—this path is blocked. Turn west for two li."

Li Huowang followed the instruction, though a trace of doubt lingered in his heart. "Brother Zhuge, isn't the Upper Extreme Inlet located at a fixed place?"

"Certainly not. The Upper Extreme Inlet is a living creature that moves, and it's extremely skilled in concealment. However, its movements always cause changes in the surrounding feng shui. If we use the technique of dividing gold and determining water, we can trace its presence among the mountains and rivers," Zhuge Yuan explained, his fingers tracing the sky as he looked up at the constellations.

"Mm," Li Huowang nodded and fell silent, focusing on the journey ahead.

It had to be admitted that having Zhuge Yuan as their guide made Li Huowang feel much more at ease, especially in this unfamiliar land of the Great Qi.

Under Zhuge Yuan’s guidance, they wandered about until deep into the night. Li Huowang stepped onto cracked rice fields, halting before a town glowing with distant lights.

The town appeared substantial; finding an inn to spend the night should pose no problem.

After glancing at Li Sui, who was lying on all fours to his left, Li Huowang turned to Zhuge Yuan. "Brother Zhuge, let's stop here today. Let's rest a bit."

With that, Li Huowang led Li Sui toward the town.

"Brother Li, rest well tonight. According to my estimation, tomorrow we should catch up with the Upper Extreme Inlet," Zhuge Yuan said.

"That's good. I hope everything goes smoothly."

He had been in the Great Qi for some time now. Though the environment wasn’t terrible, something about it still felt uneasy to Li Huowang.

He couldn’t tell if this unease stemmed from his sensitive perception giving him warnings, but even without encountering anything, his vigilance never wavered.

The town was drawing closer. Li Huowang’s keen nose caught the scent of burning firewood.

Guards stood at the gate, but they seemed incompetent, huddled around bonfires drinking soup from bowls.

When Li Huowang approached, they didn’t even lift their eyelids.

Li Huowang entered the city unimpeded. He had intended to find an inn, but none were open—everything looked unusually desolate.

Helpless, Li Huowang followed the glow of firelight to a house hoping to stay overnight. Inside the small courtyard, a stove stood, and a man wrapped in a white cloth was cooking something in a large pot.

Upon hearing Li Huowang’s footsteps, the man turned around from the stove.

He was a fair-skinned man whose fragrance made Li Huowang suspicious.

"Master Taoist, do you need something?"

The man stood up, looking nervously at the tall figure behind Li Huowang, dressed in a straw raincoat.

After quickly assessing the man, Li Huowang’s unease deepened—he was wearing bound feet!

A man’s feet were only half the size of normal ones, and those tiny golden lotus shoes made Li Huowang feel utterly uncomfortable.

Seeing the man reaching behind him, there was a sharp *clang!* as a blade unsheathed itself. Li Huowang had already pressed his sword against the man’s neck.

"What are you doing?!"

"Brother Li, calm down! This is the Great Qi—we don’t have so many enemies like back home. This fellow is just a courtesan."

Hearing Zhuge Yuan slowly explain, Li Huowang finally understood. In the Great Qi, men who sold their bodies also had different professions, and those with bound feet were one such type.

As Li Huowang sheathed his sword, the man who had just wet himself collapsed to the ground trembling, bowing repeatedly.

"Good man, all the silver is at the bottom of the chest! I’ll give it all to you! Please spare my life!"

Li Huowang saw what lay behind the man—red handkerchief tied to his belt.

"I’m not a robber—I’m here to stay the night! Get up! I’ll stay at your house tonight. Here, take these. Extra is your reward!"

Li Huowang forcibly pulled him up and slapped a few silver coins into his palm.

"This... this... this..." Just when the man was helpless, Li Huowang pushed open the door and walked in.

The room inside was modest, and despite the profession, the house was surprisingly clean.

On the left altar table sat two colorful clay figurines, catching Li Huowang’s attention.

Looking at the long ears and three-lipped mouth of the clay figures, Li Huowang turned to ask the man, "What exactly are you worshipping?"

The man with bound feet smiled awkwardly. "Good man, I worship the Rabbit God. We in this line of work all worship the Rabbit God."

"Heh, I thought so."

Night had grown deep. Li Huowang had no intention of chatting further with the man and wanted to rest soon.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor, blocking the staircase with a cabinet, then lay down and closed his eyes.

Beside him, Li Sui curled up like a round pancake, eyes shut but ears twitching, listening to every sound around.

Time passed slowly. Li Huowang drifted into sleep, while outside, the crackling of burning wood continued.

Dawn gradually broke. As sunlight hit the window, Li Huowang suddenly opened his eyes. Footsteps echoed outside.

At that moment, Li Sui had already moved ahead, pressing his face against the window crack to peek out.

"Dad, some people came outside. They’re like that man, with white head wraps. They're whispering secretly."

"They finished talking, added more firewood to the stove, and left together."

Li Huowang got out of bed and drew a weapon from under his pillow. "We should go. I think that man is going to report us to the authorities."

"Mm," Li Sui nodded and followed Li Huowang downstairs.

The man with bound feet had already left, leaving only the stove still cooking.

"Did he really cook all night?" Li Huowang pondered, then stepped out of the courtyard to leave the village.

But as he passed through the town, he noticed that every household was cooking something. He frowned.

"Brother Zhuge, could this be some custom of the Great Qi?"

"The Great Qi has never had such customs. Brother Li, what month and day is it? Is it approaching the Dragon Boat Festival? I remember they cook zongzi for a whole day and night."

Li Huowang took a deep breath and shook his head. "No. The scent of bamboo leaves is strong—I would definitely smell it. Forget it. As long as they don’t interfere with me."

With that, Li Huowang quickened his pace, leading Li Sui toward the city gate.

Just as he was about to reach the gate, a vast expanse of steaming stoves appeared before him. "What is this all about?"

He also saw many people carrying heavy clay pots heading toward the city gates.

(End of Chapter)