Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

Louis fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Two days of high-intensity travel had caused his heart and lungs to fail.

It was screaming in its mouth, its eyes were wide open, a few drops of turbid blood and tears flowed out, and then it passed away.

Hu Qing and Gu Yang stood beside Louis' body, both of their faces filled with helplessness and sadness.

I wanted to get to Tianyi Sect as quickly as possible to avoid new troubles on the road, but I didn't expect to tire the horse to death.

Hu Qing gently stroked Louis's mane, feeling a little guilty.

This new companion, who had only been with him for a few days, was gone. Gu Yang couldn't bear to leave it on the roadside, so he took out his tools, dug a deep hole, and buried it.

Hu Qing took out the map and studied it carefully.

His eyes wandered across the map and finally stopped at a mark - Qiushan City, which was less than fifteen kilometers away from their current location.

It belongs to the Baizhi Kingdom, which is rich in a precious elixir - Baizhi, which is said to be able to strengthen the body and improve cultivation.

The country is named after this, and its capital is fifty miles away, but their route does not pass through there.

"Let's go there, maybe we can find a new mount." Hu Qing suggested.

Gu Yang glanced at the map and agreed. The two packed their bags and set off for Qiushan City.

The sunlight shone through the sparse clouds onto the winding official road, and the two soon arrived at Qiushan City.

Qiushan City is not big, with low walls and closed gates. The guards on the walls are patrolling the surroundings nervously, and they will raise their bows and arrows whenever someone passes by.

Hu Qing swept his mental power over them and found that most of them were ordinary people, and a few were only in the Body Tempering Stage.

Gu Yang threw a piece of gold onto the city wall, which instantly caused a scramble. Those who were pulling the bows actually dropped their bows and turned around to join the team grabbing the gold.

Hu Qing was so angry that he knocked the fallen bow away. The defense force of this city was so chaotic. It seemed that the people in the city were living in dire straits.

The two waited for a while, and a man who looked like a small leader came down with a flattering smile on his face to open the door for them, with the half piece of gold hidden in his arms.

"Sir, where are you going? Would you like me to show you the way?"

Gu Yang waved his hand and rejected his "good intentions". This kind of person values money more than anything else and probably would not take them to any good place.

Gu Yang walked straight into the city without paying any attention to the little leader behind him. The little leader was so angry that he spat on the ground and cursed Gu Yang fiercely.

But what he didn't know was that the moment he spat, the gold in his arms had been taken away by Hu Qing.

There were few pedestrians on the streets of the city, and occasionally there were a few figures passing by hurriedly, with faces full of worry and anxiety.

The houses on both sides of the street were closed, and occasionally a curious look would be cast through the gaps in the windows, but would quickly retract.

The horse market was empty, with only a few hay blades swaying in the wind, as if telling of the prosperity not long ago.

There were only a few horse dealers playing cards and drinking in the corner. The ground was covered with their discarded garbage, emitting a foul stench.

"It seems that the situation here is not good." Gu Yang said in a low voice.

Hu Qing nodded, and they decided to ask the local residents for information.

In a tavern on the side of the road, they met an old man whose face was full of traces of time and his eyes revealed a hint of worry.

At this moment, he was the only one left in this old tavern. The corners of the walls were covered with dust, and the wine barrels behind the bar were covered with cobwebs.

"Old man, what's the situation in the city right now? Why aren't there any horses?"

Gu Yang was talking to the old man to see if he could get some useful information, while Hu Qing was using a kettle to collect wine from the wine barrel.

"Qiushan City is about to go to war," the old man said in a low voice. "The barbarians on the border have been harassing us frequently lately. All the able-bodied men in the city have gone to the front lines, and all the horses in the horse market have been requisitioned."

Hu Qing and Gu Yang looked at each other. They didn't expect to encounter such a situation.

The shadow of war hangs over the small town and also over their hearts.

Hu Qing held the wine in his arms, put the half gold coin on the counter, quietly asked Gu Yang to put the wine into the storage ring, and casually plucked two bunches of hanging corn.

The two men walked out of the tavern, stood on the street, and looked at the black smoke in the distance.

"Then what should we do now?" Gu Yang asked anxiously.

Hu Qing pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's find a place to stay first and see what the situation is. Maybe some people are hiding horses."

They found a small inn. The innkeeper was a middle-aged woman who looked kind and friendly.

She told them that although all the horses in the city had been requisitioned, they had a donkey in the backyard that could be used for transportation.

"However, this donkey is used to transport goods. It may not be that fast, and it may not be that easy to control," the woman reminded.

Hu Qinghe looked at each other. They didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain, but they had to take a look before deciding to buy it.

So they followed the woman to the backyard of the inn.

In the backyard, an old donkey with gray hair stood quietly, with a hint of arrogance in its eyes. It dug the ground with its hind hooves and lowered its body, as if it wanted to crash into Gu Yang.

Hu Qing walked forward, gently stroked the donkey's arched back, and felt its slightly thin body.

The donkey was still gathering strength, aiming at Gu Yang who was talking, and Hu Qing hit its neck hard.

"Boom..."

The donkey fell to the side in disbelief. Hu Qing looked at its unconvinced look and continued to beat it.

Donkeys are stubborn, but once they are subdued, they are even better than horses in some functions.

Of course, we are not talking about donkey meat hotpot here.

The donkey's wailing also attracted the attention of the two people who were talking.

"Although this donkey is old, it has great endurance and can carry you for a long distance..." said the woman.

Gu Yang also looked at Hu Qing and laughed a little, but with the woman next to him, he could only hold it back.

"Shopkeeper, this donkey is not sick, is it? Why is it whining all the time?"

The woman was also a little flustered. She had never encountered such a situation before, but thinking of its amazing appetite, she had to force out two tears.

"It probably knew it was going to be sold, and it was reluctant to let it go. It's wartime now, and this might be the only useful mount in the city."

Gu Yang nodded. He knew that at this time, they didn't have many choices.

He took out a pound of gold from his pocket and handed it to the woman.

"Then just prepare some dry food and water for us, and let us stay here for one night." Hu Qing said gratefully.

The woman took the gold, tears flashing in her eyes, "May you have a safe journey."

Silent all night.

The next morning, Hu Qing and Gu Yang set out on their journey again with their newly bought donkey, some dry food and water.

I have to say that this donkey is really useful once it is subdued. Riding on Louis II, its speed is surprisingly not slower than Louis at all.