Chapter 262: The Great Qi Yun Person, Travels Three Thousand Li a Day

Hearing the voice in his mind, Lu Qing showed no surprise.

He knew this was his Master communicating with him through the soul-voice technique.

Such an ability was usually only within reach of Xian Tian masters with exceptionally powerful Spirit Souls.

"Hu Ze Zhi is quite unusual," Lu Qing replied using the same soul-voice method. "I wonder if Master can perceive it?"

Old Doctor glanced over toward Hu Ze Zhi, who was chatting animatedly with Xiao Yan.

After a few moments of Spirit Soul sensing, he finally detected a subtle anomaly.

"This girl’s aura… it seems somewhat peculiar?" Old Doctor said, uncertain.

"Indeed," Lu Qing confirmed. "If my observation is correct, this Hu Ze Zhi is none other than a legendary bearer of Great Qi Yun."

In truth, he had been deeply astonished at first. Had it not been for his Abilities Probe, he would have found it hard to believe that a woman with only Qi Xue Jing cultivation could be a true Great Qi Yun bearer.

"A Great Qi Yun bearer?" Old Doctor was taken aback. "A Qing, are you certain you're not mistaken?"

"It’s unlikely," Lu Qing nodded firmly. "I’m confident in my assessment."

Old Doctor suddenly understood.

He had no reason to doubt Lu Qing—his disciple possessed a mysterious heritage, knew many arcane arts, and discerning Qi Yun, while seemingly mystical, was well within his capabilities.

Now he finally grasped why Lu Qing had shown such unusual interest in this girl.

A Great Qi Yun bearer was exceedingly rare—undoubtedly someone worth noticing.

"Master," Lu Qing continued in soul-voice, "would you be interested in taking on another disciple?"

Old Doctor paused. "Another disciple?"

"Yes," Lu Qing replied. "Since Hu Ze Zhi is a Great Qi Yun bearer, her future potential is immense. If nurtured properly, she could become someone truly remarkable."

"But she’s planning to attend the Recruitment Ceremony at Xuan Xin Zong, isn’t she?" Old Doctor countered. "With her Qi Yun, she’d be selected easily."

"Not necessarily," Lu Qing shook his head slightly. "First, I don’t trust the so-called Recruitment Ceremony at Xuan Xin Zong—it feels… off. And second, even though Hu Ze Zhi carries Great Qi Yun, not just anyone can detect it."

More precisely, aside from himself, it was unlikely anyone else could sense it.

Qi Yun was inherently elusive, intangible—nearly impossible to grasp.

Though some cultivation arts could detect a person’s Qi aura and even predict fate, such abilities required an extremely high cultivation level.

Lu Qing doubted that, in this early stage of Qi recovery across Zhong Zhou, anyone could have reached such a peak.

"Let’s wait until her leg heals," Old Doctor said, shaking his head.

He wasn’t particularly eager to take on another disciple—even one who might one day become a great figure.

To him, character and virtue mattered far more than talent or destiny.

Having Lu Qing as his only disciple was already more than enough for him.

Seeing his Master’s lack of interest, Lu Qing didn’t press the matter.

He’d only brought it up as a suggestion. Whether Old Doctor chose to take a disciple was entirely his own decision.

Their entire conversation had been conducted via soul-voice, so Hu Ze Zhi remained completely unaware that she was, in fact, a legendary Great Qi Yun bearer.

Thanks to Lu Qing’s instruction, Ma Gu didn’t restrain the carriage’s speed.

Wrapped in the Green Qi Flow, the carriage shot forward like a bolt of lightning, swiftly overtaking the merchants and travelers ahead.

The spectacle drew gasps from onlookers.

"What’s happening?"

In a massive caravan, a luxurious carriage’s curtain parted, revealing a face as fair as jade.

"Sir," a knight in scale armor reported, seated atop a towering steed, "a carriage just shot past us. It was surrounded by a strange Green Qi Flow, moving at incredible speed—utterly supernatural!" His voice trembled with awe. He’d never witnessed anything like it.

"Green Qi Flow?" The jade-faced youth blinked in disbelief. "Did you recognize the carriage?"

"No," the knight admitted. "It was entirely wrapped in the flow—horse and vehicle alike. I could only vaguely make out two large horses pulling it, and a man driving."

"Yufeng Vehicle… The legendary artifact… It’s real?" The youth murmured, stunned. "But who could possibly possess such a magical device—and know how to activate it?"

He regretted not having stayed outside the carriage earlier. If he had, he might have intercepted it and made contact.

"Grandfather’s prediction was right," he muttered. "Zhong Zhou has indeed changed. Even Yufeng Vehicles have reappeared. More wonders will surely awaken soon. Grandfather said Zhong Zhou would birth a great fortune. I wonder… will I be blessed with even a trace of Qi Yun?"

Lu Qing had no idea that his modified carriage had been mistaken for an ancient Yufeng Vehicle.

But he knew, all the same, that such a bold display of speed would inevitably attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Still, he didn’t care.

He had made up his mind: their top priority now was reaching Sheng Shan as quickly as possible.

Those left behind would never catch up in the near future.

Once the carriage started moving, it hardly stopped.

Even their midday meal was eaten inside the carriage.

Thanks to Zhong Zhou’s rich Qi, the carriage’s magic array functioned with greater power.

The speed was faster than ever before, and the horses seemed lighter, more energetic.

Only Hu Ze Zhi began to grow concerned as the afternoon wore on.

"Master Lu," she asked, "we’ve been traveling for so long—shouldn’t we stop to let the horses rest?"

"Not at all," Lu Qing smiled. "These are thousand-li steeds, bred for endurance. This distance is nothing to them. And Ma Ye is an expert driver—he’ll know when they need rest."

"Ah… I see," Hu Ze Zhi breathed, relieved. "I didn’t realize your horses were so extraordinary."

Lu Qing chuckled, not saying more.

What he’d said wasn’t a lie.

Over the past few days, the two large horses pulling the carriage had been continuously nourished by the array’s power.

Originally, they were rare, high-quality steeds selected by the Wei Family.

Now, after days of spiritual infusion, they’d begun to develop a faint intelligence—greatly enhanced stamina and strength.

Even without the array, they could run nonstop for a full day without tiring.

Only their speed was slightly slower.

Lu Qing even thought that, if this continued, one day, the horses might truly awaken spirit and evolve into Spirit Beasts.

But alas, the Li Hua Zong Chuan Cheng contained no teachings on raising Spirit Beasts.

It was said to be a unique heritage of Yu Shou Zong—difficult for other sects to obtain.

Otherwise, he might have found a way to accelerate their evolution.

As Lu Qing’s thoughts drifted, a small, seashell-shaped nest beside him shifted.

Xiao Li emerged, blinking sleepily, and climbed onto Lu Qing’s lap, curling up to doze again.

"Xiao Li, you’re awake. Are you hungry?" Lu Qing gently stroked its head.

Xiao Li wagged its tail slightly—half a response—its eyes still closed.

"Xiao Li’s been so lazy lately," Xiao Yan teased from nearby. "Always sleeping."

But Xiao Li only blinked drowsily, ignoring her.

Lu Qing softly brushed its fur.

Since it had begun practicing the combat technique from its inner heritage, the little beast had grown increasingly drowsy.

It slept deeply at night, and most of the day too.

Its playtime with Xiao Yan had dwindled.

Yet Lu Qing could feel its inner power growing stronger—proof the technique was working.

He just wondered: would the sleepiness worsen, or would it fade once the technique matured?

Hu Ze Zhi watched curiously as Xiao Li rested on Lu Qing’s lap.

She’d seen the small beast earlier, but after departure, it had retreated into the seashell nest and hadn’t come out—even for lunch.

Her curiosity had built, but she hadn’t dared ask.

Now, seeing everyone speak to the creature as if it understood, she was even more intrigued.

"Master Lu," she ventured, "what is that…?"

"Oh, this is Xiao Li," Lu Qing said with a smile. "Xiao Yan’s companion, and one of our allies."

"I thought I saw it understand what you were saying?"

"Yes," Lu Qing nodded. "Xiao Li can understand us."

"Truly amazing!" Hu Ze Zhi’s eyes lit up. "May I… touch it?"

"Unfortunately, no," Lu Qing shook his head. "Xiao Li doesn’t like being touched by strangers."

Xiao Li cracked one eye open, gave Hu Ze Zhi a sideways glance, then rolled over and burrowed deeper into Lu Qing’s embrace.

Another noisy human… two-legged beasts always meddle in things…

Hu Ze Zhi: …

Was it her imagination, or did the little beast just… look down on her?

The carriage raced on until dusk, when it finally slowed to a halt.

"Master," Ma Gu called from the front, "night is falling. There’s a town ahead—we should enter and rest for the night."

"Go ahead," Lu Qing replied. "Hu Gu Niang’s leg is injured. We shouldn’t sleep in the open. Besides, I need to buy some herbs for medicine."

Hearing this, Hu Ze Zhi felt a warmth in her chest, her cheeks flushing faintly.

Ma Gu guided the carriage into the town, and Lu Qing opened the window to look out.

As they approached the settlement, they saw a towering stone monument standing at the outskirts.

Lu Qing read aloud, “Yunlai Town?”

Hu Ze Zhi, lost in thought, startled at the name. "Master Lu… what did you say?"

"I said this town is Yunlai Town. The name has a certain charm, doesn’t it?"

"Yunlai Town!" Hu Ze Zhi’s eyes widened. "Master Lu, are you sure it’s Yunlai Town?"

"Look for yourself," Lu Qing gestured. "There’s a large stone tablet outside the town—those three characters are clearly written on it."

Hu Ze Zhi, forgetting her leg, shifted forward and peered out.

When she saw the stone monument and the town’s layout, her breath caught.

"It… it’s the Yunlai Town my father spoke of! But… how is this possible?"

"Is there something wrong with Yunlai Town, Hu Gu Niang?" Lu Qing asked, concerned.

"No… no, I just need to check the map."

She fumbled through her bag and pulled out a parchment map.

After studying it, her face went blank.

"Hu Gu Niang, what’s happened?" Lu Qing asked, now truly worried.

Even Old Doctor and Wei Zian were watching her intently.

"Master Lu," she asked, dazed, "after I boarded the carriage… did I fall unconscious for days because of my leg injury?"

"No," Lu Qing said, confused. "You’ve been awake the whole time, chatting with us. We only left Qinglong City this morning."

"But… how can we have traveled three thousand li in a single day?" Her voice trembled, her mind reeling.

"Oh, that’s it," Lu Qing laughed. "I thought something serious had happened—or that Yunlai Town was cursed!"

"I did say our horses are thousand-li steeds. It’s natural they’d be fast. Come on, we’re here. Let’s get off and find a place to stay. Xiao Yan, help me carry Hu Sister."

"Got it, Brother!" Xiao Yan’s sweet voice rang out.

With a soft nod, Lu Qing and Old Doctor stepped down first.

"Come on, Hu Sister," Xiao Yan said, approaching the dazed Hu Ze Zhi. "Let me help you."

"Ah… oh, thank you, Xiao Yan," she murmured, leaning on Xiao Yan’s arm as she slowly stepped down.

But her mind remained scattered, replaying Lu Qing’s words.

Yes, he had said the horses were thousand-li steeds.

But traveling three thousand li in a day… was that really traveling a thousand li a day?

"Forgot to make you a crutch," Lu Qing said, suddenly appearing with a thick wooden stick, about as thick as his wrist. "Use this for now."

"Thank you, Master Lu," Hu Ze Zhi said, taking the stick and using it as a makeshift crutch.

She was still Qi Xue Jing Full—though her leg was broken, she could walk steadily with support.

But then she looked at the two horses ahead.

The very same thousand-li steeds that had pulled them across three thousand li in a single day—now calmly chewing on wild grass by the roadside, looking utterly unburdened.

Her head spun.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end