My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 024 - The Tiger Enters the Village

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In the blink of an eye, another seven days passed.

During the day, Li Yuan was practically bursting with excitement. After all his tireless efforts, Calico had finally allowed him to ride on its back. But that evening, his high spirits vanished.

Late at night, he headed down the mountain as usual. However, before leaving Little Ink Mountain, he heard an uproar in the distance—wailing, screaming, furious shouts, heavy crashes, and even the clash of weapons.

Carried by the cold winter wind, the tumult swept through the darkness, both frenzied and terrifying.

“What’s happening all of a sudden?” Li Yuan muttered, a sense of dread tightening in his chest. He quickened his pace homeward. As soon as he reached Little Ink Village, he spotted a crowd gathered outside, buzzing with alarm. They stayed like that until nearly dawn before finally dispersing.

Li Yuan waited quietly, observing that the lights in his own house were still on. Through the oiled-paper windows, he could make out the silhouettes of multiple people speaking with Yan Yu, most notably Auntie Wang and Feng’er.

After about another hour, they left. Then the house went dark.

Certain there were no prying eyes, Li Yuan slipped like a ghost among the trees and quietly knocked at his back door.

Yan Yu opened it in a hurry, pulled him inside, and locked it.

“We’ve lost... The county troops were defeated,” she said, voice trembling. “Word came in this afternoon. Then, after nightfall, the Red Lotus Rebels showed up at the county walls and started attacking. So many people have died in the county, and no one knows the full situation yet.” Her eyes were filled with fear, and her hands felt ice-cold in his.

Li Yuan frowned. “But didn’t we hear they were on a roll just a few days ago? How did everything go wrong so quickly?”

Yan Yu shook her head, struggling to stay calm. “I don’t know. But if the county troops have fallen, the men from Little Ink Village who marched out might not have made it either. Auntie Wang just came by, crying that Uncle Wang is probably gone. And Feng’er was sobbing over Bear. She’s sure he’s been killed too.”

“Feng’er kept asking whether you’d come down from the mountain yet,” Yan Yu said, voice shaking. “I...I just started crying along with her, telling her there’d been no word from you and that you might’ve died up there.”

Li Yuan frowned. “Why is Feng’er so concerned about me?”

Yan Yu explained, “She said that as a grown man, you’d be a big help if you were here. I felt sorry for her. She’s just a young girl. She barely had anyone to rely on before, and then found Bear, but he was killed almost immediately.”

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow. “So now she wants to rely on me?”

“It’s possible.” Yan Yu paused, her wide, bright eyes darting mischievously before she leaned in close. “Li Yuan, what do you think? Do you want to take her in too? You’re strong enough to handle two young ladies. Interested? If you say the word, maybe Feng’er will be waiting in bed tomorrow night.”

“What do you mean take her in?” Li Yuan grunted, drawing Yan Yu closer.

She batted her eyes at him in the darkness. “Plenty of men around here can’t keep their eyes off other women, even when they already have a wife. I’m just offering to bring the other pot right to your table... Interested?”

“You’re the only woman for me,” Li Yuan said, pulling Yan Yu tighter against his chest.

She said nothing, a happy smile spreading across her hidden face.

After a moment, Li Yuan asked, “How about coming into the mountains with me?”

Yan Yu shook her head. “Let’s wait and see.”

Li Yuan nodded. “Alright...”

He didn’t want to rush taking Yan Yu into the mountains unless it became absolutely necessary.

For one thing, life in the wilderness was harsh. Even if he tried protecting her, who knew how long her body would hold up? And he certainly couldn’t watch over her every minute.

For another, once they retreated into the mountains, they’d be cut off from the outside world. Getting new martial arts manuals or information would be next to impossible.

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Over the next few days, Li Yuan didn’t dare venture deeper into the mountains. He ate simply by day, staying close to Little Ink Village to keep an eye on things. Each night, he hurried home to hear whatever Yan Yu had learned from the gossip around town.

Matters were only getting worse.

The Red Lotus Rebels had indeed withdrawn, but not because they’d been driven off. They merely decided to abandon their assault on Gemhill County and moved on to attack somewhere else instead.

Even so, plenty of people in Gemhill County had died. There were piles of bodies, including many bailiffs.

Just days ago, the county magistrate had confidently marched out with his troops. None of them ever returned. During the fighting on the walls, Gemhill County’s captain of the guard and many skilled fighters perished as well.

Now, the person in charge was just the county’s clerk—a pencil-pusher, really—trying to hold things together with only a handful of ragtag survivors. The county government was sinking into chaos, and it felt like law and order could collapse at any moment.

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Five days later, the moment Li Yuan stepped into the house, Yan Yu threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

She cried for what felt like ages before finally calming down enough to speak. “It happened around midnight. Someone knocked on the front door. At first, I thought maybe Auntie Wang couldn’t sleep and had come over. I was about to open it, but halfway there, I hesitated and grabbed a kitchen knife, just in case.”

Yan Yu’s voice trembled as she recalled the night. “I asked who was there, but got no response. So I peeked out the window...and saw a man standing there, staring back at me with a terrifying expression. The window’s too small for anyone to climb through, so I guess he was just checking if anyone was home. Maybe he saw the knife in my hand. He left after that. But I was so scared...”

She clung to Li Yuan for a long while, finally wearing herself out and drifting into a restless sleep. In the early morning, when Li Yuan got up, she startled awake and wrapped her arms around him again. Tears threatened to spill as she whispered, “Li Yuan...maybe you should stay home now?”

Li Yuan’s gaze hardened. “Even if I do, I need to find whoever that was first. If he’s lurking around in the shadows, it’ll only lead to more trouble.”

“How can you find him?”

“There’s a good chance he’ll come back tonight,” Li Yuan said calmly. “I won’t head into the mountains. I’ll keep watch from afar.”

Yan Yu swallowed, her face clouded with worry. “And if you catch him...you’re not planning to...kill him, are you?”

“Don’t trouble yourself about that,” Li Yuan answered, voice steady but cold. “Your man doesn’t go around killing people needlessly.”

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The next day, instead of heading into the mountains, Li Yuan took some leftover porridge from home and quietly hid in a wooded area a few hundred meters behind the house. It was risky, but with his current skills, nobody in Little Ink Village could easily spot him if he was being cautious.

As dusk fell, one by one, the households in Little Ink Village barred their doors. Everyone was on edge, waiting for whatever the night might bring.

A fierce wind swept through the gap between the second ridge and Little Ink Mountain’s outer edge. Moving like a phantom, a dark shape glided through the forest until it reached the pass that led toward Little Ink Village.

Swiftly, it slunk into the village, weaving between clusters of trees. Sometimes it paused, sometimes it darted forward, and before long, it arrived in the woods a few hundred meters behind Li Yuan’s home.

Under the moon’s cold glow, the shape revealed itself to be a sleek, powerful tiger. Its eyes gleamed as it surveyed the area, then padded silently into the shadows, straight toward the man standing there.

Li Yuan reached out and patted Calico on the head. After so many days together, he had come to understand the beast’s temperament. Every day, it came seeking him, wanting to share a meal. No matter where Li Yuan was, the tiger would always track him by scent.

Calico let out a low rumble, “Why didn’t you come back today?”

“...” Li Yuan said nothing.

“I haven’t eaten yet...” Calico continued.

Li Yuan spoke in a quiet growl, “I want you to kill!”

“Kill what?”

“Whoever I point out. Take them out!”

“Do we get to eat them?”

“We’ll eat in the mountains. Now keep quiet.”

They settled in to wait. One was a tracking master; the other a born predator.

Li Yuan glanced at the combat power reading beside him. it had shifted to 29~33. He sensed a mysterious bond forming, a merged strength he shared with Calico. Once they separated, that bond would break, returning them to 24~25 and 5~8.

Time ticked by. Around midnight, a figure appeared outside Li Yuan’s home. Slipping to the fence, the intruder climbed over from the side and crept toward the front door.

A wave of grim resolve hardened Li Yuan’s heart. He patted Calico again.

“Bite him to death! Drag him outside!”

In times like these, with danger knocking at his door and eyeing his wife, he couldn’t afford to hold back.

“Go!”

At his signal, Calico shot out like a whirlwind, bounding straight for the dark figure crouched by the fence.