Lynn Ling staggered to her feet, the Jadehide Ox shook his head, feeling dizzy and groggy. Quinn scooped up the little fox, stuffed her into his bundle, grabbed Lynn's hand with one hand and the ox with the other, and bolted down the mountain.
Lynn was still a bit dazed, grinning foolishly at him. "Cowherd boy, you're still alive..."
Quinn ignored her and charged down the mountain, dragging Lynn and the ox so fast their feet barely touched the ground, almost floating.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Quinn looked at the wooden ferry. The goat-faced Grand Shaman aboard had already been knocked out by the anesthetic, toppled headfirst into the water, his rear sticking up, half his body still on the boat. He was surely drowned by the Weakwater.
Quinn hurried onto the boat, lifted the goat-faced shaman by the legs, tossed him into the water, and grabbed the bamboo pole to push off, but the boat didn't budge.
Quinn pushed several times, but the boat still wouldn’t move.
"Weakwater has no buoyancy!"
Quinn suddenly understood. He injected his yuanqi into the bamboo pole, strange patterns appeared on it, and when he pushed against the Weakwater, he finally felt resistance from the water.
Quinn breathed a sigh of relief, steering the boat toward the opposite shore. The boat shot forward like an arrow, but even so, he found it too slow.
If the Witch Kings and Witch Venerable of Loulan Golden Palace returned to the mountain, they’d quickly dispel the Lost-Mind Incense and realize these people were only knocked out, not poisoned.
If they chased after Quinn and the others now, a miserable fate surely awaited them.
They finally reached the opposite shore. The Jadehide Ox snapped back to his senses and exclaimed, "Master is still on the mountain!"
Quinn said, "Don’t worry. If we can escape, he can do it even better. He’s far stronger than us. If we go looking for him, we’ll just be a burden! Besides, the Witch Venerable and Witch Kings returning to check the Golden Palace actually give Libationer Barrett a chance to leave."
He leapt ashore and reached out, but Lynn and the ox had already jumped over, needing no help.
That Jangzhu Purple Fruit helped them recover completely. It’s the antidote to Lost-Mind Incense. Lost-Mind Incense was originally used by the Physician to knock out flood dragons—those dragons were incredibly strong, on par with Heaven-Man realm experts, yet the Physician managed to subdue them.
The only nemesis of that anesthetic is the Jangzhu Purple Fruit.
"Jadehide Ox!"
Quinn called out. The Jadehide Ox understood, immediately lowered himself, shook his body, and revealed his true form—a massive, majestic green ox galloping atop wind and clouds.
Quinn and Lynn leapt onto the ox’s back. Quinn said, "Jadehide Ox, run as fast as you can!"
The Jadehide Ox’s four hooves flew, never touching the ground, dashing atop wind and cloud. The two riders felt the fierce wind whip their faces painfully. Behind Quinn, Lina the fox spirit woke up, poked her head out of the bundle, and was almost blown away by the oncoming gale. She quickly grabbed the bundle, her body already halfway out, the wind stretching her tail and body straight.
Each time the Jadehide Ox’s hooves rose and fell, they stayed about a foot above the ground, wind and cloud swirling beneath to carry his massive body at incredible speed.
Quinn glanced back, his hair blown messy—styled like a witch’s, with no hairband. Only then did he notice Lina; the little fox clung to the bundle, her body stretched straight by the wind. Quinn quickly scooped her up so she wouldn’t be blown away.
Lynn called out loudly, "Cowherd boy, let me hold her! You fix your hair!"
Quinn handed Lina over. Lynn cradled the fox spirit in her arms; Lina found her chest soft and fragrant, gave a little hum, feeling both annoyed and comfortable, unable to resist snuggling closer, thoroughly conflicted.
Quinn took out a hairband and tied his hair up. Looking back, he saw they were getting farther from Loulan Golden Palace. In the distance, streaks of golden light were flying from the snowy mountains, approaching the palace at a leisurely pace.
Those golden streaks looked slow but were actually incredibly fast. In just a breath, they crossed from the snowy mountains to Loulan Golden Palace.
Then several golden lights shot out from Loulan Golden Palace, flying toward them.
Quinn’s heart sank. Those golden lights must be Witch Kings from Loulan Golden Palace, having spotted their trail and now giving chase. The Jadehide Ox was fast, but his cultivation couldn’t match the Witch Kings.
Just then, a bright light rose up, intercepting the golden streaks halfway. The beams collided in midair, split apart, then crashed together again.
From Quinn’s distance, those beams seemed slow, but up close they must have been blindingly fast.
The beams and the white light clashed several times. Suddenly, a burst of light exploded, and black smoke formed a giant skull in the sky. From the skull, more black smoke shot out, each turning into another skull. Again and again, the sky filled with countless skulls.
Even from this distance, the skulls were clearly visible—up close, they must have been enormous, like mountains.
Then Quinn saw a blade slash across the sky, severing one of the golden streaks.
The Jadehide Ox ran faster and faster until Quinn could no longer see the battle.
After the ox crossed several foothills and mountains, nothing could be seen beyond the ridges.
The sun set, dusk fell, and after half a day’s sprint, the ox was panting and foaming at the mouth. Ahead on the prairie, he spotted a pond in a low spot and hurried over to drink.
Soon, half the pond’s water was gone.
In the shallows, blue-backed fish—each about a foot long—wriggled through the mud toward deeper water, then dove in with a couple of splashes.
Quinn saw how exhausted the ox was and jumped down, saying, "Jadehide Ox, stop running. Rest for a while."
The ox hadn’t finished drinking when an old voice called out, "Hey, you! Cow! Stop drinking! You’ll drain the whole village’s water if you keep going!"
The Jadehide Ox looked up to see an old shepherd hurrying over, abandoning his flock and waving a whip from afar to drive the ox away. But when he saw how enormous the ox was, he didn’t dare come close, just flicked his whip from a distance, shouting, "Shoo, shoo—"
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Quinn patted the ox’s hoof. In his true form, the Jadehide Ox was massive—Quinn only reached his ankle and could only pat his hoof.
The ox stopped drinking. Lynn quickly jumped off his back, and Lina slipped out of her arms, hopping onto Quinn’s bundle.
The old shepherd didn’t dare approach. The ox twisted his body, shrinking down until he stood upright, still two or three times taller than a person. He flicked his tail, killing a few biting horseflies.
Quinn greeted from afar, "Elder, we’re just passing through. It’s getting late, so we stopped to rest. We’ve come a long way and are parched, so my ox drank a bit more water than usual. Please forgive us."
The old man came closer, craning his neck to look up at the ox, both awed and a little scared. "You’ve raised your ox well—it’s so strong! But why is it green?"
Quinn smiled, "It’s got dragon blood mixed in, so it’s green."
The old man hesitated, then boldly reached out to touch the ox. Its hide felt like silk, its muscles hard as iron. "What solid meat! Our village has a few cows—can yours breed with them?"
The Jadehide Ox grumbled, "Elder, I’m not a breeding bull—I won’t mate. I already have someone in my heart."
The old man jumped in fright, stammering, "A monster?"
Quinn quickly said, "Not a monster."
Lina poked her head out, "I’m a monster."
The old man suddenly understood, glanced at Quinn and Lynn, and laughed, "I get it—you two ran away from a rich family, didn’t you? Only wealthy folk can afford spirit beasts and fox spirits. It’s late—why not stay in our village tonight?"
Quinn hesitated and looked at Lynn. She whispered, "The Jadehide Ox is exhausted—he can’t run anymore."
Quinn frowned, "If Loulan Golden Palace catches up, the village might get dragged in."
Lynn whispered, "The Jadehide Ox ran on wind and cloud the whole way, leaving no tracks. It’ll be hard for them to find us. If the village is hidden, let’s stay overnight; if it’s too exposed, we’ll move on."
Quinn nodded, "Elder, in that case, we’ll trouble you for one night. We’ll set out at dawn."
The old man laughed, "You can stay as long as you want. Our village is nearly empty—just old folks left, living day by day. You’re strong—help me herd the sheep."
Quinn stepped forward, moving with impressive speed, quickly gathering the flock. The old man’s eyes lit up, praising, "Girl, you’ve got good taste—this lad’s sturdy and capable."
Lynn blushed. "Elder, it’s not what you think."
The old man laughed and led them, herding the sheep around a mountain hollow to a small forest village. The village was tiny, with only about twenty houses, most empty, home to just a dozen or so elderly men and women. The woods were quiet, trees tall and untended, sheltering the village.
"Why are there so few people here?" Quinn relaxed, puzzled.
"The Khans are always fighting—killing each other, conscripting men. You grab a batch, I grab a batch, and soon there’s no one left."
The old man sighed, "All the able-bodied have moved away—just us old folks left, too frail or stubborn to leave. Where would we go anyway? At least conscription hasn’t taken us old bones. Wife, we’ve got guests!"
An old granny mending clothes quickly stood up, grinning, "Guests? I’ll cook!"
Quinn quickly said, "Let me do it. I used to cook all the time back in my village."
The old granny couldn’t win the argument, so she and the old man watched as Quinn cooked. Lynn hurried up to invite them to sit.
"Where are you from?" the old granny asked with a smile.
The old man winked, made a kissing gesture with both thumbs, and laughed, "Ran away from a rich family, these two—eloping, you know."
Lynn’s face went scarlet. She whispered, "That’s not true, we’re innocent..."
"We’ve all been young—we understand. Girl’s just shy."
The old granny looked Lynn up and down, showing a few sparse teeth. She chuckled, "Good girl—strong, big up top and in back. Lad’s got good luck."
The old man added, "The lad’s good too—strong and honest, treats us old bones with respect."
The old granny chimed in, "You two wander for a year or two, then go home with a kid—your family won’t be able to deny you then."
Lynn mumbled, heart pounding, unsure how to reply. She thought, "If I really had a kid with the cowherd and brought it home, my father the Emperor would be furious... Bah, he wouldn’t die of anger, but he’d surely have Quinn’s head! Good luck, good luck!"
Soon the food was ready, and Lynn hurried to help. After dinner, night had fully fallen; the village folk, all elderly, lit oil lamps and went to bed early. Quinn helped the two elders clean up, and the old man said, "Lots of empty houses—pick any one you like."
Quinn thanked him and entered an empty house. Lina helped tidy up, clearing three rooms. She planned, "One for the Jadehide Ox, one for the busty fox spirit Lynn, and one for me and Master. Three rooms, perfect."
Suddenly Quinn sensed something, looked up at the sky, and saw two large stars moving in from the west. He immediately said, "Everyone inside!"
Lynn, the Jadehide Ox, and Lina rushed inside. As soon as they entered, there was a loud hum, and two thick beams of light descended, illuminating the mountain village as bright as day.