My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 004 - Eating the Fatherless

Night fell.. The beautiful woman’s ragged breathing gradually slowed, her sultry voice lingering like an echo in the air.

“Li Yuan, you’re such a good man... You really know how to care for your wife... All right, I’ll get up and make dinner now... Heh, go on and rest. You know I’ll take care of everything at home.”

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Over the following days, Li Yuan spent two more nights experimenting with his newfound ability, finally arriving at some conclusions.

Turns out, this system lived up to its name. It rewarded harmonious conjugal life. Unless he and Yan Yu shared intimacy every night, truly cherishing each other, no stat points would be gained.

To test this theory, one night Li Yuan intentionally teased Yan Yu, not caring how she felt at all. The result? Zero points. And to top it off, any daytime rendezvous didn’t count. Stat points only came at night.

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On the third night, Yan Yu now huddled in front of the clay stove, intently watching the flicker of flames. Her pretty face betrayed a swirl of emotions.

She’d heard the rumors before, that men could change drastically once they had a wife. They'd treat you well before marriage, then treat you poorly after. She just hadn’t expected it to happen to her.

Her thoughts wandered to Li Yuan’s behavior the previous night, and her heart still felt uneasy. Though the two had never held a formal ceremony, they’d effectively been living as husband and wife for some time.

Yan Yu had seen how honest and considerate he could be, and life together under one roof had been steady. She’d given him her heart and her body, worried that in these famine-stricken times, there might never be another chance.

But now...how had Li Yuan turned into this? Worse, why did he keep pressing her for intimacy in broad daylight these last couple of days? It was so... She sighed quietly, feeling miserable.

Crack... crackle... Sparks popped in the stove. Suddenly, the fire began to die. Startled, Yan Yu grabbed a few more sticks to feed the flames.

As she did, she heard footsteps outside. She recognized them immediately as Li Yuan’s. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to look up. Last night’s bullying still stung. She felt both indignant and apprehensive.

“Don’t worry about it. Let me handle this,” Li Yuan’s voice came from just behind her.

She was taken aback. Stammering, she said, “Y-you should rest...”

Just as she spoke, Yan Yu suddenly let out a shriek.

Li Yuan lifted her right off the ground in a single motion.

“Li Yuan, let me go! Put me down...” Yan Yu pounded on his chest with both fists. After a few half-hearted blows, she stopped, tears threatening to spill over as regret crept into her heart. Maybe she’d been too rash before.

Yet what she feared didn’t happen. Li Yuan simply set her on the bed, looked into her reddened eyes, and said, “Look at you. You’re exhausted, and you’re still working?

“I’ll handle things during the day. Besides, my body hasn’t fully healed, so I’ll stay in for a few more days to recover.”

He paused for a moment, then placed both hands on her narrow shoulders and spoke earnestly, “Once I’m healed, I’ll head to the mountains. I promise we’ll have meat on our table soon.

“Last night was my fault. If I ever do that again, I’ll punish myself.”

With that, he clenched a fist and struck himself hard in the chest. He raised his arm to do it again.

Startled, Yan Yu sprang off the bed like a startled cat, grabbing his fist. “What are you doing? Stop!”

Li Yuan chuckled. “I was going to hit myself until you felt better.”

“I’m not mad anymore!” She clung to his hand, terrified he might actually hurt himself, pressing it to her chest. Then, releasing one hand, she gently rubbed the spot he’d punched. “Does it hurt?” she asked softly.

“It did a second ago,” he said, smiling. “But once you rubbed it, the pain vanished.”

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Yan Yu gave a little snort of laughter, her cheeks turning pink. “My, you sure know how to sweet-talk a girl. Where’d you learn that?”

“Learn? You don’t need to learn to be sincere,” he said, looking genuinely mystified. “I’m just speaking from the heart. If it’s a lie, may I be struck by—”

Before he could finish, Yan Yu darted forward and clamped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t say that!” Her eyes flashed at him playfully. “It’s bad luck!”

Li Yuan tried prying her hand away but didn’t force it, merely resting his fingers lightly on hers.

“Don’t say things like that,” she murmured, cheeks still flushed.

Li Yuan nodded, and only then did Yan Yu gingerly loosen her grip. She swung one long leg off the bed, intending to get up and make dinner, but Li Yuan blocked her path again.

“I said you need to rest, so rest you shall. If you so much as get up to do any chores today, I’ll keep punching myself,” he threatened with exaggerated seriousness.

Yan Yu’s cheeks reddened even more. Deep down, she felt a honeyed warmth spreading through her—sweet, yet a bit embarrassing. Still, she tugged at Li Yuan’s sleeve and said, “I understand what you’re trying to do. But handling all the housework is my job. That’s always been our rule...”

She might have been frail and slight, but there was a striking stubbornness about her that practically glowed.

“Then we’ll do it together,” Li Yuan suggested.

“No!” she refused outright.

“All right, I understand,” he sighed.

That night, the two of them turned in early.

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The next morning... just after dawn, a message flashed across Li Yuan’s mind—

「You have gained 6 stat points.」

He paused, momentarily confused—one extra point than usual?

So there was some hidden bonus at work?

Glancing at the woman still asleep in his arms, he felt a wave of contentment. Even malnourished, Yan Yu had a certain alluring charm; he could only imagine how she’d look if she were well-fed and glowing with health, almost like a budding rose waiting to blossom.

What’s more, this beautiful woman was so gentle, so caring. She insisted on handling the chores herself. Back in his old life, it would’ve felt like a dream. He needed to develop some real skills, earn money, and take Yan Yu to settle down in Silver Creek. That place was far more orderly, giving him a safer place to lie low and build a future.

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Four days later, Li Yuan and Yan Yu's supply of grain was already halfway gone. Worse than that, their meals were bland; no meat, no oil, just dull-tasting mush. It was getting harder to endure.

That afternoon, Yan Yu came home from gathering firewood with news from the outside.

“Li Yuan, Caihua’s husband was attacked by a black bear, left behind in the mountains... I heard he was trying his luck over by the second ridge. She's got two little ones at home...

“Last time you went beyond the second ridge, you got chased by a wild boar. That’s how you got hurt in the first place... So does that mean there’s no game left in the foothills of Little Ink Mountain?”

Because her own husband was also a hunter, Yan Yu felt a pang of sympathy for someone in the same predicament. Caihua’s family was much like hers. Her husband did the hunting, she stayed home with the children and handled the household chores. Now that her husband was gone in this famine year, who knew how his wife and two children would survive?

Li Yuan’s expression shifted slightly.

“That uncle?" He recalled that this was the hunter he’d seen after refusing Qian San’s invitation to head beyond the second ridge.

Qian San must have turned around and persuaded that uncle instead. And now...it seemed that had gotten him killed.

All of a sudden, a commotion broke out in the distance.

Yan Yu hurried outside and flagged down Auntie Wang, who was just stepping out of her own door. “What’s going on?”

Auntie Wang looked baffled, having no answers of her own.

Before long, a man came running by. Auntie Wang and Yan Yu moved closer, eager for news. The man seemed to know the details.

“Caihua's husband is dead, but it turns out he had a stash of meat hidden away. Must’ve kept it well out of sight before. Ah, wait, but that’s not the big thing... Anyway, since he's gone, everyone’s upset. The Qian Family’s second and third sons say they want to help with the funeral. Now everyone’s rushing over for the feast.”

With that, the man dashed off.

Auntie Wang and Yan Yu exchanged worried looks. It was clear this so-called help was really just eating the fatherless—or rather, taking advantage of a vulnerable family.

“This is too much,” Yan Yu muttered.

Auntie Wang gave her sleeve a light tug. “Better keep quiet about it,” she sighed.

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Inside the house, Li Yuan stood by the doorway, listening to the noises outside. He glanced down at his status window.

After a moment of silence, Li Yuan murmured, “Time to spend those points...”