My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting

Li Yuan regarded the chieftains of the Bronze Clad, Blood Arrow, and Flamekeeper Tribes.

"Cloudpeak Province is mine, and so are you. From today, we'll live in harmony, even intermarry. In the Western Extremes, you dug for food; here the locals can teach you farming, herding, and advanced toolmaking. The rest we'll settle once you submit."

Hudor glanced at Yankhan, then back to the youth wreathed in flames. He looked at the mists of blood, at the pieces of metal and gore strewn on the ground.

A body of flame, the very essence of the Everflame… The title of Nine Flames Khagan did seem quite apt.

And his methods? More ruthless than any tribal warrior. Who would dare refuse?

So be it. Hudor closed his eyes.

The two towering warriors, each radiating a fearsome aura, dropped to their knees and bowed.

"We pledge ourselves to Jen'gal Yuan, the Khagan!"

These were the chieftains of the two mightiest tribes in the Nine Flames, the strongest warriors alive. Their submission settled the matter in a single stroke.

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The rest was simply clean-up.

The Ice Folk were few to begin with. Barely a thousand had joined the invasion of Cloudpeak Province, and every last one was ordered back.

At the same time, Tang Nian rallied the surviving local clans and began resettling the populace. The three frontier towns—Splinterholt, Eightlinks, and Fallenwood—were opened in stages, each carving out districts where the Ice Folk could live.

Anyone with money or strength packed up and fled east, even though deep snow clogged the passes. Those who stayed behind could only pray the invaders would shed no more blood.

All who refused to return to the frozen tundra gathered in Splinterholt, Eightlinks, or Fallenwood.

To the townsfolk's surprise, the newcomers proved far more orderly than expected.

Nine Flames culture worshipped internal strength; since the Khagan had claimed Cloudpeak Province as his own, none dared cause trouble.

Even so, a gulf yawned between the two peoples. Civilians scattered at the sight of the Ice Folk; the Ice Folk returned the look with open scorn. But neither side raised a hand, and invisible boundaries gradually formed within each town.

Many martial artists of the jianghu still nursed old grudges. One by one they moved upstream to the frontier towns, determined to act asgatekeepersshould the Ice Folk revolt.

Among them were the Black and White Swords, Meng Nan and Jiang Shu.

Although the Khagan had saved Cloudpeak Province, and even some of them personally, they held him in contempt.

Why was a master of the Central Plains consorting with the invaders? It was betrayal in their eyes. They believed he should have slaughtered every invader, not taken their crown.

Their muttered accusations drifted on the wind and reached Li Yuan, who now stood atop a rampart, face hidden behind a plain mask, a hooded gray cloak wrapping his frame.

Tang Nian and Sheng'er stood beside him, dressed much the same.

The senses of high ranking martial artists were keen; every whisper found its way to their ears.

As for Sheng'er, she could hear everything thanks to her murder of crows circling overhead.

Tang Nian fumed. "Pops, they don't know gratitude. They boast of righteousness yet can't see that the Ice Folk could become powerful allies. If the Ice Folk and the people of Cloudpeak Province could truly merge, our strength will soar, and next time danger comes we won't fall so easily.

"Second Godmother says the Nimbus Group would have never been infiltrated by undying husks if she'd had a few more sixth rank bodyguards. You're forging an alliance, turning foes into friends. And they—"

"Nian Nian, I'm not angry. On the contrary, I'm pleased." Li Yuan raised a hand and smiled. "A world that still breeds heroes willing to risk all for the greater good is a blessed place."

"But…they're cursing you in secret."

"Let them. I'm hardly losing a pound of flesh. Besides, I've shown more savagery than anyone else. Even the Ice Folk hold their tongues, yet these martial artists still dare to speak? That takes courage. I like such people. Don't you? Why else would you scold them in front of me, so I wouldn't silence them myself?"

"Nothing escapes you, Pops." Tang Nian laughed, then looked ahead. She muttered,  "I think the rift will only be temporary.

"The passages are buried with snow right now. When spring melts the drifts and the farmers head to their fields, mountain beasts will start prowling the towns again.

"With the Ice Folk warriors serving as guards, the beasts will think twice about attacking settlements. And the Ice Folk, curious about farming, will lend a hand. I'll come myself and see the two sides learn to live together."

"Good." Li Yuan nodded, then glanced up at the falling snow. He rested a hand on the hair of the other girl beside him. "Sheng'er, did I frighten you?"

"A little," the girl admitted. "I never knew Papa had…that side."

"Then I suppose I should explain myself," he said gently. "With the Ice Folk, strength is the only language they truly respect. Sometimes the more fearsome you appear, the safer everyone becomes…"

Li Yuan had always been his daughter's shield, yet every child must one day leave the shelter and step into the sun.

For him, the road led onward to the Deathless Tomb.

But before that, Li Yuan owed a visit to someone who had never abandoned him, even when he had fallen to his lowest.

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Deep in the winter mountains sat a stone cottage, swept so clean it almost shone.

A tall, pale‑skinned woman—Jen'gal Snow—was splitting logs in the thin winter light, feeding the hearth.

Soon, woodsmoke curled upward and the smell of fish broth drifted across the yard.

The letter her husband left behind only mentioned two years. Yet she was prepared to wait a lifetime.

As she stirred the soup and filled a bowl, she could no longer deny the truth she had pieced together over countless quiet days.

My husband is no hunter's son, and he sought me out for a reason.

Yet that thought brought no anger, only fear that he might one day decide he no longer wanted her.

She blew across the steaming bowl, sat on a flat stone, and gazed down the path, reliving every memory of him.

"Hey." A soft voice sounded behind her.

She whirled to find a familiar figure leaning against the gate, smiling.

"I'm back," he said.

For a heartbeat she stood frozen, bowl in hand. Then he was suddenly before her, gathering her into his arms.

"Let me put the bowl down first," she murmured.

Li Yuan ignored the warning, scooped her up and strode inside.

She tossed the bowl away with a laugh. "I haven't even brushed my teeth."

The wooden bed had long since been replaced by a slab of stone; he dropped her onto it.

Desire, banked for more than a year, flared instantly.

A Trueflame woman has little use for coyness; clothes fell, belts came undone, and winter snow outside could not cool the heat within.

Much later, Snow lay content in his arms, toes still curled, breath still unsteady.

"Why weren't you on top?" she asked.

"I'm heavier now."

She pinched and prodded. "You've hardly gained a pound."

"Want to test it?" he teased.

"Hmm, sure!" Snow replied, lying flat.

Li Yuan got on top and gently pressed down.

"Huh, ah!" Snow yelped. "You're right! Why are you so heavy?"

"Right, it's a long story. But after I left you that day…" Li Yuan started recounting everything that had happened since the two parted.

He skimmed past the black market ghost domain, only explaining the fever had transformed his body. He told her about how he conquered the Nine Flames and his new title of Khagan.

Snow listened wide-eyed until he lifted a palm and presented a familiar flame to her. Only then did belief start sinking in.

"There's something else I need to tell you…" Li Yuan said, taking a deep breath.

With his status as Khagan, he no longer needed their marriage to be accepted into the Nine Flames.

"I know," she cut in, voice trembling. "You're not some ordinary hunter's son. You're probably some great powerhouse of Cloudpeak Province. But…whatever your name, are you stillmyman?"

Li Yuan tightened his hold. "I used you at first, but what began as a means to an end became real. Will you stay, and be mine?"

"Whether you're Woody, Jen'gal Yuan, or Li Yuan, I will," she whispered, pressing her face to his chest. "I've been staying by myself in this cottage for almost a year, but I can still remember the day you disappeared like it was yesterday.

"Life is so brief. If there's no one to care for and nothing to care about, a hundred years vanish in a blink. I want those years with you, and I want to bear your children."

"A hundred years…" he murmured, eyes turning gloomy with thoughts unspoken. "Since you know Jen'gal Yuan but not Li Yuan, let me tell you his story."