My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 688 - A Thousand Miles for One Kill, A Timely Return to Peace - Part 2

Chapter 688 - A Thousand Miles for One Kill, A Timely Return to Peace - Part 2

And just like that, another half-month passed.

In a quiet rural courtyard, Ji Miao was training hard with his blade.

Outside, the sound of children’s voices drifted in.

“May the emperor be safe, may blessings remain. The mountains stand tall for millenia.”

No one knew exactly when this nursery rhyme had first appeared, but it had spread far and wide through the region.

Ji Yan had once asked about it, and the answer he received was simple. It was just the common folk praying for peace and prosperity. He’d accepted that explanation without much thought. Later, when he heard the same rhyme echoing beyond Westgorge, he stopped asking altogether.

Ji Miao had heard it back in the city.

Now, hearing it again in the countryside stirred something in him, a deep homesickness, perhaps a longing for everything that had been taken.

Clenching his fists, he resumed practicing the move Li Yuan had taught him.

The blade cut through the air, sharp and clean. The boy trained with fierce focus.

Only when his limbs were spent did he collapse to the ground, breathing heavily.

The night was cold and overcast.

But the moonlight shone down, bright and clear.

Suddenly, a flash of cold, silver light tore through the soft moonlight like a whip of ice. It was sharp, blindingly so. Ji Miao froze for a split second, then scrambled to his feet and rolled to the side. When he looked back, several throwing knives were embedded in the spot where he had just been sitting.

A flicker of fear and fury flashed through his eyes.

It’s Lord Yu! It has to be him! The villain must’ve taken offense at my outburst the other day and sent assassins to silence me. How shameless! Does he really think no one will see through this cowardly stunt? Damn you, Lord Yu. Damn you to hell!

No sooner had he moved than shadows leapt over the courtyard wall. They landed without a sound and glided across the ground like black mist, closing in fast.

Ji Miao’s skin prickled with goosebumps. Terror surged through him. But in the next instant, it was replaced by raw determination. His face flushed red as he let out a fierce roar. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward, using the wooden gate as cover and striking back with his blade.

“Die!” He didn’t even think. His body moved on instinct, executing the very skill Li Yuan had passed onto him.

KLANG! The force of the strike actually knocked one of the assassins back a step.

Ji Miao’s blood surged. He roared again, charging forward with another swing of his blade.

The skill was City Toppler. And true to its name, it packed a hell of a punch.

“Die!” He drew in a breath and channeled his strength again.

Though the original version relied on shockwaves, Li Yuan had modified it, replacing the brute force impact with a refined multi-stage strike, all focused on the idea of rupture. The initial blow would crash down like a hammer, but before the force could dissipate, trained muscle control would unleash a second surge of power, catching the enemy off guard.

KLANG! Another strike. The assassin’s weapon was knocked clean from his hand.

Ji Miao was elated.

That senior really was incredible! If I could formally become his disciple, someone like Lord Yu wouldn’t be a problem at all!

In just a few quick steps, he closed the distance. With a swing of his blade, he cut the assassin down.

But before he could catch his breath, more throwing knives came whistling through the air.

He barely dodged, his footing slipped, and he tumbled to the ground.

Blades gleamed in the shadows. Three...no, four dark figures were already descending on him.

Ji Miao didn’t have time to defend.

The blades were already at his throat.

It’s over... His heart sank into ice.

But then just as the blades reached him, he heard it. A faint whistle through the air. So quiet he almost didn’t catch it.

And just like that, the attackers collapsed, one after another. Their bodies went limp, faces paling as they crumpled to the ground, dead before they hit the dirt.

In the moonlight, Ji Miao spotted something in one of the corpses, a fine needle lodged in the man’s neck, thin as a hair from an ox’s tail. A poison needle. One touch of blood, and death followed.

Still clutching his wound, he looked around cautiously.

That’s when he saw the figure standing by the gate.

It was an old man, a household servant. Ji Miao had known him for years. The man had never shown the slightest hint of martial skill.

“Uncle Wang! You’re a hidden expert?” Ji Miao exclaimed, wide-eyed with shock.

The old man raised a hand to his face and peeled off a lifelike human-skin mask.

Beneath it was a stranger’s face, calm, cold, and unfamiliar.

“W-what!?” Ji Miao gawked.

Before he could even process what was happening, he saw another familiar figure approaching, his father.

Ji Yang came up to the masked man and began speaking with him quietly.

After a few moments, the man turned and left.

Ji Miao was left standing there, completely baffled.

“Are you hurt, Miao’er?” Ji Yang walked up to him.

Ji Miao shook his head, then quickly asked, “Father, what are you doing here?”

Before he could get an answer, anger flared in his voice. “It must’ve been Lord Yu! Father, we can’t stay here. It’s not safe!”

Ji Yang looked at him, equal parts amused and exasperated. “The one who just saved your life was someone the Sect Master left behind as a precaution. A man from Miss Sorrow’s side.”

Sorrow was Tang Aizhu.

The martial world referred to the four maids, Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Delight, as the Four Poisons. But among their own faction, they were praised as fairies and saints.

“Huh...? Ji Miao’s eyes went wide. “What do you mean... I... Father, this doesn’t make any sense.”

Ji Yang continued, “That strike you used earlier. On the surface, it looked simple. But the skill, the way you unleashed its force, that’s the work of a true master. Once you master it fully, you’ll be strong enough to make your own name.”

Then he added, “That skill was taught to you by the Sect Master himself.”

“Huh!?” Ji Miao felt his head spin. He couldn’t make sense of any of it. “No way. That’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.”

Ji Yang chuckled. “That day I stood outside the palace for hours. The Sect Master never received me. But after I left, he sent someone after me, quietly handed me a note, and that set everything in motion. You, on the other hand, stormed into the palace without thinking. You acted on impulse, reckless and hot-headed.”

He paused, then spoke slowly.

“Did you ever consider this? If you’d died during that stunt, all the blame would’ve fallen on the Sect Master. People would have taken that as a sign, used your death to stoke the flames, turn the Ji Clan against the Tang Clan. That wouldn’t just be a mistake. It’d be a catastrophe.

“The Ji Clan and the Tang Sect both call Westgorge home. We thrive or fall together. If one breaks, the other bleeds. If we splinter, the consequences would be far-reaching.”

He looked Ji Miao in the eye.

“Luckily, the Sect Master had already seen this coming. While you were tucked away in the countryside, there were battles raging beyond these quiet hills, more than you can imagine. But now, you’ve survived. Our family has helped protect the Sect Master’s reputation. And with that, all suspicion of treason has been wiped clean. We’re safe now. Truly safe.”

“...” Ji Miao fell silent.

“Good job, boy. Keep it up.” Ji Yang gave his son’s shoulder a hearty slap. “The Sect Master gave you a blade skill. He may not have formally taken you as a disciple, but that kindness counts for something. Stop overthinking it. Your father’s getting old. One day, everything will fall to you.”

Ji Miao’s face had gone crimson. Shame flooded him. He lowered his head, murmuring, “But...why would the Sect Master teach me anything?”

Ji Yang replied, “He passed me a message. Said he liked your spirit. Said not to let the world dull your edge. Not to let the fire in your heart go cold. Life’s short, barely a hundred years if you’re lucky. So why not live with passion, love boldly, hate fiercely, and repay kindness and vengeance alike?”

A tangle of emotion welled up in Ji Miao’s chest, shame, gratitude, awe...and something deeper. A strange sense of kinship. His eyes reddened, and he raised a hand to wipe them.

Ji Yang laughed and threw an arm around his son’s shoulder. “Come on. Time to head back to the city.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A few days later.

It was autumn. Fallen leaves blanketed the roads in yellow and gold.

Suddenly, a sharp cry split the air, piercing through the clouds.

A black hawk dove from the sky.

Behind Tang Nulong, a man raised his arm to receive it. The hawk landed smoothly on his wrist. He untied the small note attached to its leg and passed it respectfully to her. Then, from his belt, he pulled out a pouch of prepared meat and began feeding the bird.

Tang Nulong, better known to some as Anger, passed the message into the carriage, where Li Yuan sat waiting.

Li Yuan unfolded the slip of paper and scanned it.

It contained the confession from the assassins who’d tried to kill Ji Yang.

The Tang Clan’s methods of interrogation, it had to be said, were ruthlessly effective. This report was unusually detailed.

First, the assassins weren’t affiliated with any nation. They came from a certain shadowy organization, the kind that took money from anyone and left no trace of their employer. Even when caught, no trail led back to the one who had hired them.

Second, though they had no proof, the assassins themselves speculated that their employer might’ve been someone with a personal grudge against Ji Yang. After all, during his time in office, Ji Yang had been notoriously upright, enforcing laws with harsh impartiality. He’d made quite a few enemies.

“Why couldn’t it be the Divine Dominion?” Li Yuan asked idly, resting his chin in his palm and gazing out the window at the drifting clouds.

Over the years, he’d buried himself so deeply in cultivation that he’d grown detached from worldly affairs. When he didn’t know something, he’d simply ask whoever was nearby.

Across from him, Tang Aizhu straightened her back and answered promptly. “Because the old Divine Sovereign, Yang Jiang, passed away several years ago. The new Divine Sovereign is his eldest grandson. His original name was Yang Ye. He now calls himself Sovereign Ye.

She continued, voice calm and clear. “Sovereign Ye is notoriously debauched, lustful to the point of madness. He’s even forced female members of the royal family to... entertain courtiers right in the throne hall. It’s utter chaos.

“The dominion is already in turmoil. Factions are stirring. Rebellion simmers beneath the surface. They can barely keep themselves together. That’s why I don’t believe they had the resources or clarity to send assassins so far afield.”

“He’s that obsessed with women?” Li Yuan muttered, eyebrows lifting slightly.

The story reminded him of a certain emperor from the Southern and Northern Dynasties in the world he came from, a monarch infamous for his depravity. Apparently, no matter the universe, such rulers always existed.

Then, suddenly, he asked, “Where are we now?”

Without missing a beat, Tang Aizhu reached behind her to pull out a map. She leaned forward over the bench, spread it open carefully, and traced her finger along the routes, calculating. After a moment, she pointed to a spot. “Master, we’re here.”

Li Yuan looked.

They were in the southern part of Silkfloss Province, just north of the Eternal Rest River. The official roads in this region were wide and well-maintained. While it wasn’t the shortest route to Southriver, it was smooth and comfortable.

Then his gaze drifted upward toward the Western Capital.

Just ahead, the road would come the closest it ever did to the dominion’s capital on this journey.

“Sorrow,” he said.

“Yes, Master?”

“You and I are about the same size. Make me a human-skin mask. One that looks like me.”

“Eh?” She blinked. “Wait, Master, what are you planning?”

Li Yuan’s thoughts were often whimsical, unpredictable. He had a habit of seizing onto ideas like lightning striking dry grass, sudden, crackling, and bright.

And he liked it that way.

Worried about wasting time? He never worried about time.

Afraid of wasting energy? Not in the slightest. He firmly believed that cutting off disaster at the root, however speculative, was always better than scrambling to fix things after they’d spiraled out of control.

So even if there was no solid proof, not even a clue, if his gut told him something was wrong, he acted. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“Is it possible...that Sovereign Ye’s obsession with women is more than it seems?” he said.

“Are you...” Tang Aizhu was flabbergasted.

Then she suddenly burst out laughing, a clear, bright sound. And for once, even the melancholy in her eyes seemed to vanish.

Lately, both she and Tang Nulong had been rather satisfied with their master, for one important reason.

Li Yuan had finally revealed to them one of the core secrets of transcending the mortal realm, and that was obsession.

Only by becoming utterly, irrevocably obsessed with one thing could a person step beyond ordinary limits and achieve the extraordinary.

Since then, Tang Aizhu had been trying to understand what she was obsessed with.

Eventually, she realized it: she was obsessed with death, not just the act of killing, but the quiet, poetic beauty of watching others die.

But she had never once imagined that lust could count as an obsession too.

And someone like the Four Poisons, so fixated on cultivation, on climbing toward transcendence, would never have considered it. Let alone someone like that absurd, depraved emperor. Could he have grasped such a truth?

“This...this works too?” she said, breaking into a helpless laugh.

Li Yuan chuckled with her.

But soon, her smile faded. After a pause, she frowned. “It might actually work... But, Master, you have no real evidence. You’re not seriously planning to risk yourself over a wild guess, are you?”

Li Yuan didn’t answer. He simply placed his hand on his face.

“Go on. Make the mask. Make it flawless, no mistakes.” Then he added, “If you arrive in Southriver ahead of me, take care of our affairs there. And when New Year’s Eve comes...help me arrange a meeting.”

“A meeting?” she asked. “With who?”

“Liu Long,” Li Yuan said quietly, taking in a slow breath. “Bring her a poem. Tell her...Whether in the heavens above or in the cycles of rebirth, Across these distant, formless worlds, I await your return.”

She wouldn’t mistake the meaning. Xie Yu would understand, of that he was sure.

A regret from over a century ago... This time, he would make it right.

On that day, he would wear a robe of spotless white. He would pick a single white plum blossom, its subtle fragrance hidden in cold petals. And after killing whoever needed to be killed, he would go to that meeting.

But before that, he had to go to the Western Capital.

No one would expect him to head there now. In fact, not even he had expected it until this very moment.

And that was exactly how he liked it.

A surprise not only for others, but for himself.

If the trip turned out to be pointless, so be it.

The path to immortality needed surprises.