My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting

Men and women formed a ring around the bonfire and burst into dance. Scarlet flames and whirling silhouettes wove an ancient tapestry of heat and rhythm.

Li Yuan donned a fur vest and short kilt, braided his long hair into wild little plaits, and joined them. Eyes bright, he leapt and stamped beside the Trueflame Tribe as though born among them.

Around him loomed the Evernight. Outside was a dark sky and an endless blizzard, washing the colors of the world away. Only this small flame clung to life, a lone skiff on a frozen ocean, yet inside it burned the full vigor of humanity.

Li Yuan surrendered to that vigor, laughing as he spun Snow beneath the sparks. The tribal steps were simple—huge, swaggering motions meant to scare off beasts. So he picked them up at once, adding his own exuberant flair.

Suljagar, seated on a great throne by the fire, watched with quiet satisfaction. In dress, bearing, and heart, this newcomer had truly become one of theirs.

For Li Yuan himself, the joy was real. Blending into the tribe was necessary, yes. But the sheer novelty of it thrilled him. He forgot he was far from home on a frozen frontier; for this one night, he knew only the warmth of flame and the pulse of drums.

A fair skinned girl with crimson eyes sidled up to him.

With a playful twirl she looped an arm around his, lifted her hand toward his in salute, and purred, "Grand Elder~"

Li Yuan chuckled, closing his hand around that soft, outstretched palm and slipping an arm around the girl's waist.

She brushed her lips to his ear and murmured, "My name is Shen'dai Nar. I've never had a man before... Do you like me?"

He simply responded with a polite smile. After two quick steps of the dance, he let her spin away and then promptly drew Snow into his arms instead.

A glance around the fire showed several women watching him, eyes warm and hungry, bold as the flames themselves.

Li Yuan was no monk, but he wasn't ruled by desire either. The three women he had accidentallywon—Jen'gal Rong, Ulana, and Lan—complicated matters already. He had no intention of flirting here, much less fooling around.

Suddenly he scooped Snow up in a princess carry and leapt up. Spinning through the air, he landed in an open patch closest to the blaze, set her gently down, and then dropped to one knee.

"In the name of the Everflame!" he proclaimed, voice carrying over the drums and crackle. "In my tent, I will have only one woman—and that woman is you!"

The flames gilded his silhouette; the oath rang with unexpected solemnity.

Among the Trueflame Flame, swearing an oath in front of the Everflame was a sacred vow, seldom spoken, least of all by the Grand Elder.

For a heartbeat, the ring fell silent, then it exploded.

"Jen'gal Yuan!"

"Jen'gal Yuan!"

"Jen'gal Yuan!"

"My honor is my wife's!" Li Yuan shouted back, squeezing Snow's hand.

She quivered, happiness flooding her from head to toe. Hugging him tight, she cried, "I belong to you forever!"

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After the revelry ended, Li Yuan—now openly Jen'gal Yuan—sought out Jen'gal Rong, Ulana, and Lan.

"You're all beautiful," he told them, "but I already have Snow. I swore before the Everflame, so I can't keep you. If you wish, I'll help you return to your homes."

The three were genuinely fond of him, even fonder now that he was the Grand Elder. Yet with his decision final, they could only pack their tents and leave.

Snow began packing up their own tent as well, planning to move it nearer the bonfire, one of the privileges of the Grand Elder.

Li Yuan bent to help, but she pushed him off with a mock glare.

"Since when does the Grand Elder lug poles and skins? Go handle tribe business."

Her words reminded him of Yan Yu and their humble days in Little Ink Village, two ordinary youths who could never have imagined this path.

"Set it up, and I'll be back," he said, and headed for Suljagar's tent.

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"So, has our new Grand Elder come to plan the takeover of the land beyond?" Suljagar greeted, swirling a cloudy red‑white drink. "Grapes dug from the permafrost, fermented three jars. I cut them with goat's milk and stretched them into five. This is jar number three. Care for a cup?"

"Gladly," Li Yuan said.

A bone goblet was filled. Servants brought a plate of food, sizzling slabs of meat, oily and aromatic yet oddly pale.

Li Yuan knew the origin of the meat. It was flesh carved from a beast entombed in the ice who‑knew‑how many centuries. Without the tribe's uncanny fire he doubted it would be edible.

Suljagar tore off a chunk and washed it down with the wine.

"Thanks for the meal." Li Yuan said, digging in.

Chewing, Suljagar stared into the darkness as though talking to it. "Before I saw the outside world, I thought all meat tasted like this. Then I watched the people of the Great Zhou butcher the wool‑sheep we only milk, turning every creature into some new delicacy... It shattered everything I believed."

Suljagar took another swig of his hine, then went on, "Once I started testing the strength of these people, I was shocked. They were feeble, unbelievably feeble! From that moment I swore I'd lead our kind into their world. But the Trueflame Tribe is small, so I'll have to unite every tribe on the tundra."

Li Yuan chewed thoughtfully. "Aside from being cooked, this meat really is nothing special."

Suljagar's eyes narrowed. "How old do you think I am?"

Li Yuan studied the man. He was broad‑shouldered with eyes like bronze bells and a crown of bone on his head. The numbers 1,710~1,725 hovered above his head, proof of his power.

"Hard to say. Your people live by different rules. In the outside world, a warrior at your level might be well over 400 years old."

"400?" Suljagar sighed. "I'm 69. No tundra man has ever lived past 120 years old; the oldest made it to 118.

"Tell me, why must the strong scrape by on barren ice? By what right...!?" Rage rasped beneath his words.

Li Yuan wiped the grease from his lips, drained his cup, and met Suljagar's gaze. "I agree the Trueflame Tribewillleave the tundra."

Then, silence fell between the two.

"Do you truly love Snow?" Suljagar asked.

"She's my family," Li Yuan replied. "And you are my people."

"Outsiders are sly, yet you don't disgust me," Suljagar said.

"That's because we need each other, because we're all the same people."

"The same tribe...the same people." Suljagar rolled the words around, then raised his cup and laughed. "To being one people!"

They drank deep. The wine was sour, milk‑sharp, and stubbornly mild.

"We have a plant called the burning heart flower in the outside world," Li Yuan said. "Drop a petal in and the drink will fell even us."

"Truly?"

"Truly."

"Then you must fetch me some, Grand Elder!" Suljagar grinned, and the drink loosened his tongue. "You're...different. None of that outside pretense. And you're terrifyingly strong; a man like that doesn't need deceit."

"I dislike deceit," Li Yuan said plainly.

"So, youdolove Snow?"

The two once more sat in a brief hush.

"She's nothing special," Suljagar said at last, almost gently. "Just a naive girl who fled the tribe after her parents died in a blizzard hunt. She swore off men, ran for half a year...and somehow married a titan like you, then wandered back home.Fishing a needle from the sea, as you people of the Great Zhou say. Well, she fished up a big one alright, all right."

He exhaled and leaned closer. "Jen'gal Yuan, it's only us here. What do you truly want? Lay it bare. Even if you march the tribe to sack the Great Zhou, I won't stop you. We tundra folk deserve sunlight, not endless night. If you mean to use us as tools for your ambition, fine. We have ambitions too, and they don't clash with yours."

Hope shone in Suljagar's eyes.

Li Yuan held that gaze, then answered in a solemn murmur, "As you wish."