My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 555 - Southern Dipper - Part 1

Without the thousand-mile thread and the Nine Provinces Provisional Patrol Token, Li Yuan felt as though the world had suddenly grown larger.

It was like a modern person used to cars and planes who suddenly found themselves without either, everything slowed to a crawl.

Time. Travel. Life itself slowed down.

Li Yuan left the bustling heart of the Central Capital with Ying Zhuoyao, at his side.

He left behind Xie Yu, Xie Wei, and Zhen'er. In truth, over the past days, he had only been quietly watching them from the shadows. He never once stepped into the Xie household for a simple cup of tea. Because it was in the dark that Li Yuan was strongest. Once he revealed himself, he’d just become another piece in the game, a big fish devouring smaller fish, who in turn devoured shrimp.

But a true chess player should never step onto the board.

Right now, he saw the world as a chessboard because he was on guard against the Human Emperor. Not the boy who he once carried on his back to fly kites, but the one hidden behind that boy, pulling the strings.

Light often casts shadows, and the Human Emperor was the light. So where was the darkness?

Power that vast and terrifying, what price had been paid for it?

And who was orchestrating things from behind the curtain?

Li Yuan’s time wandering the streets like a vagabond wasn’t just the result of grief from parting with loved ones. He had also been watching, quietly, in the dark.

That Ying Zhuoyao managed to find him was no accident. It was something he allowed.

He had been sitting in the Central Capital for three whole days, fully aware of her presence.

This former cult leader of the Green Lotus Cult was like a headless fly. First she wandered the northern district, then moved on to the east. Her movements traced a path like someone wiping a blackboard or drawing a map.

Yet Li Yuan had a theory. He’d wanted to meet her anyway. And this wandering of hers had only confirmed his suspicion.

She had no way of pinpointing his location, but once she got close enough, within a certain radius, she could sense him.

So he moved closer to her, step by step, testing the limits of her perception. Eventually, he confirmed it: her sensing range was only a few hundred meters at best.

And he needed her.

First, because Ying Zhuoyao was the key to the Eastern Sea. His original plan to use Ping’an had failed, and the logistics route through the Mountain Hall had also collapsed. This was the only remaining thread he could still pursue.

Second, Ying Zhuoyao knew a great many secrets. Some might even concern the Yellow Springs and the Underworld. Right now, he had no access to that realm. But if she came to him, then he had a chance. At the very least, he could learn something through her.

In fact, if he still had the Nine Provinces Provisional Patrol Token, he would’ve gone looking for her himself.

Now came the time for pretense.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Two weeks later.

Li Yuan walked alongside Ying Zhuoyao.

She was leading a horse, and the horse plodded slowly along a narrow path. But Ying Zhuoyao was patient. After all, she had told this senior, “Whatever you ask, I will comply.”

And then she waited for what would come next. Only...nothing had come.

It had been quite a while now. All he had done was lead her out of the Central Capital and head west.

At first, she thought he might have a friend out west. But all he said was, the lamb skewers in Harmony Province were delicious, and in the depths of winter, it’d be a shame not to indulge.

Then, still wearing his tattered, threadbare clothes, the man sat down beside her and started devouring food without a shred of shame, completely unfazed by the curious stares of onlookers. Of course, she paid the bill.

Afterward, he turned south, claiming the grilled fish by the coast was excellent. “Since we’re already here,” he said, “might as well eat our fill, right?”

And so, the senior continued on, still dressed like a beggar.

Now they were on their way to the coast for that grilled fish.

The problem was, he walked slowly. If they kept going at this pace, they'd reach the sea sometime next season.

Still, Ying Zhuoyao was patient. She had made up her mind to stick with him no matter how long it took. Since he didn’t speak, she didn’t ask.

But then, Li Yuan suddenly turned his head to look at her. His gaze landed on the beautiful young woman in green robes, her long hair flowing over her shoulders. He gave his backside a dramatic slap and said, “Ah, now I get it.” 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Ying Zhuoyao smiled. “What do you get?”

“No wonder this whole trip hasn’t felt quite right,” Li Yuan said. “It’s because your outfit doesn’t match mine.”

Ying Zhuoyao smiled again. “You’re saying...I should dress like you?”

“Mhm!” Li Yuan nodded.

So, she went and changed.

She paid a nearby farmer’s wife for a set of old clothes. The woman looked at her like she’d just seen a ghost. Ying Zhuoyao then took the garments, gave them a good rub in the dirt, and calmly put them on right there. As for her own fine silk robes, she handed them to the farmer’s wife without a second thought.

In an instant, the otherworldly beauty transformed into a muddy village girl who looked like she had just crawled out of a pigsty.

Li Yuan burst into hearty laughter.

Ying Zhuoyao remained graceful and unbothered. “As long as you’re satisfied.”

But Li Yuan shook his head and glanced past her toward the white horse trailing behind.

Without a word, Ying Zhuoyao smiled and unstrapped the saddle. Then she gave the horse a firm pat. The horse blinked, clearly confused by the sudden gesture of release, then let out a spirited neigh and galloped off into the open plains.

This was the wilds. The horse had all the space in the world to run.

Li Yuan asked, “Where do you think it’s going?”

“I have no idea. And I don’t particularly care.” Ying Zhuoyao smiled faintly and shook her head. “But I do know one thing. It believes it’s gained its freedom. What it doesn’t realize is that it’s also lost everything else. This area still lies at the fringes of the imperial meat fields. There are bound to be demonic beasts lurking about.

“It’s shed its constraints, yes—but it’s also lost its protection. And the price of freedom... it may have to pay with its life. Foolishness and short-sightedness, that’s the quickest way to die.”

With that, she turned to keep walking, only to realize the man was still staring at her. No. Not at her. At her money pouch.

“Yes...?” Ying Zhuoyao blinked.

Li Yuan gestured subtly with his mouth.

She got the message. He wanted her to get rid of the money, too.

But she was just a regular person. She needed money to eat, to drink, to buy clothes, to rent a room. What was she supposed to do, rob people along the way?

Besides, the Great Zhou wasn’t like the old days. Every region now had not only local constables, but also martial enforcers appointed by the military. These wardens reported directly to the Ministry of War, and many of them were disciples of the imperial court. Behind them were tangled connections to the Myriad Lineages Academy and Black-Clad Guards. In other words, anyone who knew even a little wouldn’t dare stir up trouble.

The ones who did start trouble were either ignorant, delusional, or just plain stupid.

Still, Ying Zhuoyao thought to herself that if this senior wanted her to do it, then surely...he already had a plan.

What’s a few hundred thousand taels? Easy come, easy go.

As the leader of the Green Lotus Cult, Ying Zhuoyao had never been short on grandeur or generosity.

So when the time came, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a thick stack of silver notes, 200,000 taels, at least. It was probably her personal rainy-day fund as the cult leader.

With a graceful flick of her wrist, she was ready to toss them into the wind.

But Li Yuan stopped her. Instead, he took her to a money house and had the notes exchanged for actual silver, doing it in small batches.

From then on, the two of them walked and gave, walked and gave. Whenever they passed a household in trouble—people struggling to make ends meet, or families unable to afford urgent expenses—Li Yuan would quietly toss a few taels their way from a distance.

Once they ran out, they’d go exchange more and keep tossing.

Li Yuan’s domain could stretch a kilometer. He threw silver without a soul noticing where it came from.

Soon, strange tales began to spread through the Harmony Province, stories of silver falling from the sky. Some loafers even started camping out under the open sky, staring upward, hoping for a miracle windfall. But no matter how long they waited, not a single coin landed in their pockets.

And just like that, it was already the second month of the following year.

Ying Zhuoyao’s money was gone.

And so, the vagrant Li Yuan succeeded. He had transformed the ethereal, beautiful leader of the Green Lotus Cult—the woman behind the Jade Capital rebellion, the architect of the Grand Union of Yin and Yang, the jade husk of the Outerborn—into a beggar girl named Ying Zhuoyao.

Despite still wearing a smile, the sound of her stomach didn’t lie. It was growling.

She turned to glance at her senior.

He wasn’t hungry at all. Of course he wasn’t.

She couldn’t help but curse in her heart, Damn it, why would he be?

Still, Li Yuan wasn’t completely heartless. He picked some wild berries for her and hunted a bit of fresh game, critters just emerging from the mountains in early spring.

The campfire crackled. Fat dripped from the meat, sizzling into the flames.

The scent was mouthwatering.

Li Yuan casually sorted through some pine branches for kindling as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

Even now, dressed in rags, Ying Zhuoyao still carried herself with poise. And though her stomach had been empty, she ate slowly and elegantly, savoring each bite.

But when she was done, she gave Li Yuan a long, wordless look, then curled up with her worn cotton robe and lay down under the open sky. With no money, a proper inn or tavern was out of the question.

Going hungry was manageable. Sleeping rough? No big deal.

The real trouble came the next day, once they entered Stellar Sea Province.

That’s when things got...annoying.

As they passed through a market street, a rich young lord happened to spot Ying Zhuoyao—and this prince charming had just the right kind of sleazy intuition. Even with her disheveled hair and beggarly clothes, he somehow saw through to the beauty beneath.

Clicking his tongue in delight, he approached her, eyes gleaming.

His gaze lingered on the pale, slender line of her neck, followed the delicate shape of her face, and then wandered downward, drinking in the long, graceful legs peeking out from beneath worn shoes.

That look in his eyes, hot and greasy, was like a lecherous hand crawling down her collar.

Without a shred of shame, the young master called over his servants and ordered them to take this hidden gem of a vagabond home and make her a maid.

Ying Zhuoyao remained calm. She’d weathered too many storms in her life. Petty humiliations like this, hunger, exhaustion, none of it could shake her.

She knew that in this era of the Human Emperor, dark and cunning ghost items could no longer be used so freely. But that didn’t matter.

She had the senior by her side. What was there to fear?

The two bulky servants took one look at her, then stepped forward to grab her.

The rich young master twirled his folding fan and laughed. “How can such a pretty little thing be begging on the streets? Come home with me and be a maid.”

He wasn’t thinking of taking her as a concubine or anything so serious. Just a bit of fun, maybe pass her along to a friend later. After all, a blind beauty like this? Quite the novelty.

Ying Zhuoyao didn’t move a muscle, still as a statue, playing the part of a blind beggar to perfection.

But as the two hulking servants closed in, the man beside her finally stood up.

Li Yuan stepped in front of her.

The servants glared menacingly. One asked, “You her man?”

The rich young master frowned slightly, a hint of unease surfacing. If that were the case, maybe she wasn’t worth the trouble after all.

Thankfully, Li Yuan simply said, “She’s my sister.”

Ying Zhuoyao kept smiling.

The young master immediately relaxed and let out a relieved sigh. With an air of disdain, he pulled out a silver nugget from his pouch and tossed it with a flick of his fingers. “I’ll buy her.”

Li Yuan glanced at the nugget but didn’t bend to pick it up. Instead, he spread his arms like a mountain shielding the woman behind him. His expression turned serious, his voice cold.

“No.”

The tension in the air spiked instantly.

Then Li Yuan added, just as sternly, “She’s my dear, beloved little sister. You’ll have to pay more.”

The two servants blinked in surprise.

The rich heir burst into laughter and casually tossed another silver nugget.

Li Yuan snatched it midair and gave a quick, “Thanks.”

Then he strolled off like nothing had happened.