My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting

Autumn rain pitter-pattered against the grey-tiled roof, droplets shattering in mid-air before Li Yuan's eyes. He raised a broad hairy palm, which was wide as a prayer mat, and let the rain pool in it. When the hollow filled, he tipped it to his lips and drank.

Cool sweetness slid down his throat, and he exhaled in quiet delight.

When a man lacked money, he chased wealth; when he lacked strength, he chased power; when he lacked a wife, he pursued beauty.

Li Yuan had tasted all three and still possessed them. He was not a man of hunger but of surplus. True, this land bristled with hidden wonders, yet he had no wish to stay wound tight forever, nor to fling himself into bigger, nastier whirlpools just to prove he hadleveled up.

The world, refreshingly practical, did not conjure an opponentslightly strongerthan Li Yuan merely to keep him grinding. So the self-styled wandering martial fanatic lounged here, drinking straight from the eaves. The strangeness of it warmed him from within; life felt vivid, his gaze sharper.

The rain-soaked alley lay empty. A few homes crouched under dark tiles, but their hush only sharpened the distant racket of wine shops and song houses.

Li Yuan soaked in the cool loneliness, eyes half-closed, back against a clammy wall, utterly content. Then his nose twitched. A faint perfume drifted through the damp air.

Clack clack clack!Heels clicked on wet bricks, ripples fanning with every step. Rain drummed on an oiled-paper umbrella.

Li Yuan opened his eyes. A stunning woman halted before him and crouched, fair white legs folding with feline grace. Her eyes bright yet clouded by quiet sorrow measured him.

Those eyes shimmered with hidden longing; her face beckoned, equal parts allure and fragility; her small mouth, unsmiling, seemed poised to utter something worth hearing.

Over a lavish outer robe she wore a pearl white dress that clung to every curve. The air turned palpably, deliciously intimate. Then the spell snapped.

A glowing 1,150~2,650 hovered over her head.

Fifth rank stats, and on the weak side. Li Yuan barked, "Who're you? Why're you staring? What d'you want?"

"This servant is called Bai Lingshui," she said softly, without a smile, the humble self-reference of a courtesan.

"Uh huh. Nice name. You're still staring at me." He waved her off.

Her lashes drooped. "I'm a girl from Phoenix Call next door. I know my body's…tainted. Do you despise me too?"

Li Yuan flapped his hands. "Despise? 'Course not! Just wondering why you're gawking."

"I…wanted to invite you to supper," she said, voice as soft as rice cakes.

His guard shot up. "Ma always said women down the mountain are tigers. You feed me, then you'll eat me, right?"

Bai Lingshui's eyes flashed with coy mischief. "Did your mother teach you how to fight a tiger?"

Li Yuan brightened. "She didn't, but my master did! I've killed a few, each with three heads and three tails!"

She realized he meant a breed of demonic tiger; among demonics beasts, three heads and three tails weren't even rare.

Gazing at this big guileless hunk—the rumored martial arts fanatic, who hailed from Cloudpeak Province and was kicking up a storm—she knew immediately that a man like him didn't come in pairs. He was truly one of a kind.

Without his power he'd be the village half-wit; with it, he was terrifying…and on his way to confront Qing Hancheng, no less.

Of course, Bai Lingshui had no idea that Qing Hancheng had secretly allied with the cult master of the Black Lotus Cult, Peng Mingyi. Even an elder of the White Lotus Cult like her was in the dark.

"Fighting a woman isn't like fighting a tiger," she murmured.

"It is. Exactly the same. I'm not falling for your trick," Li Yuan retorted.

A gleaming light danced in her gaze. "A tiger you can beat to death. A woman? If you've truly got skill, make her call you a good man, make her beg mercy, panting she's had enough. That's real ability."

Her teasing words, paired with that seductive posture—and the sudden lift of her gaze, eyes swirling with seductiveness like twin whirlpools—should have been a perfect finishing move.

Most men would feel their hearts hammer, cheeks heat, and thoughts melt into mush. The moment she spoke, they'd be like putty in her hands and let her lead them away like a dog on a string.

But Li Yuan only snorted. "I'm not gonna fall for those puppy eyes!"

Bai Lingshui eyed the clueless brute, then brightened. "Actually, I know the way to the Holy Tree Temple. I can arrange it so you'll have a face-to-face with Qing Hancheng."

"Really?!" Li Yuan sprang up, a mattress-sized hand clamping her collar and hoisting her into the air.

She blinked, surprised, but didn't resist. The big hand was scorching; the man's breath carried a furnace's heat.

Bai Lingshui belonged to the White Lotus Cult, expert seducers and spies. Their combat arts lagged behind the other three cults, but nothing beat their eye for detail.

At this range she felt no trace of ghostly energy on him. In other words, he wasn't masking his appearance with some Yin disguise. Even the strangest ghost item couldn't hide that from her.

The first test passed. This was his true body, born a battle maniac.

Finding him increasingly fascinating, she let him hold her and cooed, "Be a good boy, and I'll show you the way. First come home with me. Eat, drink, and rest. Then tomorrow, I'll point you down the road."

By now Li Yuan had guessed her identity. He obviously didn't believe this fifth rank enchantress from the White Lotus Cult was simply offering directions in the war torn Silkfloss Province. However, he had no plan to blast the demoness on sight either. Instead he set her back on her feet, then hugged her outright, his calloused fingers quietly combing through her hair.

"I'm bein' good, see? Real good," he muttered while hegroomedher.

Heat rippled through Bai Lingshui. She practiced glamour, yet the art bit back; physical closeness hit her twice as hard. No ordinary man ever got to touch her, and her equals usually feared to try. This big oaf was the first in ages to simply scoop her up.

Her limbs went weak, a warm tide rising inside; her eyes grew misty.

She managed a playful pout. "Trying to wrestle me, are you?"

Li Yuan kept carding her hair. "Whenever Master told me to behave, I'd brush Daisy's wool."

"Daisy?"

"Our giant sheep back home, two rumps on her," he said with total seriousness.

Bai Lingshui was speechless. Before she could retort, she gave a small yelp. Several strands snapped off in his fingers.

Li Yuan tucked them away, planning to question her later with the whitewood caskets. A fifth rank elder of the White Lotus Cult surely knew things.

He wanted to use her eyes; she wanted to use his strength. Perfect symmetry.

Realizing she'd startled him, Bai Lingshui seized his hand. "All right, you've been very good. Come home with me, eat well, drink well, and tomorrow I'll guide you."

"No lying."

"Never. Pinky swear." To humor the big child, she even crooked her little finger.

"Heh, pinky swear it is."

Li Yuan stuck out a thick, calloused pinky.

Bai Lingshui curled her delicate one around it.

Like two oversized schoolchildren who trusted each other about as much as a hungry cat trusted a goldfish, the two cried out in unison, "Pinky promise. No backsies!"

Hook, shake, thumb-press. Ceremony complete.

Bai Lingshui tugged the martial fanatic down the alley, positively beaming.

Li Yuan beamed too; netting a White Lotus enchantress was an unexpected bonus. Surely the cult wouldn't use a walking warhammer like him just once, so this could grow into a reliable if not dangerous information pipeline.