My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting
Chapter 220 – A Battle Where Everyone Wins - Part 1

Chapter 220 – A Battle Where Everyone Wins - Part 1

Night had fallen.

Xue Ning lay quietly in Li Yuan’s arms, both of them in nothing but their thin undergarments.

Li Yuan could feel the warmth in her body slowly returning to normal, but his wife’s energy was still far from restored. He reached around behind her neck, gently placed a hand on her forehead to sense her condition, then lowered his hand and pulled her close.

“Your fever is gone, but you still need plenty of rest.”

“Dearest...I heard that an elder of the Guo Clan came by earlier today.”

“Why are you worrying about that?”

Xue Ning let out a soft sigh.

Li Yuan didn’t want her fretting over such matters, but he also didn’t want to hide anything. So, he recounted the day’s events in detail.

Xue Ning fell silent.

Even though their son was accepted as a direct disciple by Gu Xuejian, that didn’t mean Gu Xuejian would step in to help them forever. If Li Yuan relied on the jade token from Gu Xuejian every time some bigshot caused trouble, how would they deal with future issues?

“How about we ask Yan Mu for help?” Xue Ning suggested.

“I tried. The temple sent him off on a mission. If he was free, he would’ve shown up here by now.”

“He’s an inner disciple, right? Shouldn’t he be busy cultivating in the temple? Why does he keep running around outside?”

“Things are chaotic out there. Even the deputy temple master travels constantly, so it’s hardly surprising.”

They both went quiet for a moment.

Holding her closer, Li Yuan said, “Don’t worry and try to get some sleep. That Elder Guo won’t dare do anything to us.”

“But he’s still an elder,” Xue Ning said. “He’s basically a local bigshot. Offending him is like someone in Gemhill County offending our family—even if we don’t make a move ourselves, there are all sorts of ways to make people miserable without direct confrontation. What are we supposed to do?”

Li Yuan chuckled. “You’re mixing things up, Xue Jie. Offending him isn’t the same as offending us back home in Gemhill. True, he’s an elder, but not some hidden patriarch pulling all the strings. In fact, he isn’t even among the strongest elders in the Holy Tree Temple. In the grand scheme of things, he’s a clown. Offending him is like offending Du Guqiu back in Gemhill.”

That made Xue Ning smile. “You still remember Du Guqiu?”[1]

“Of course. He was Yu Chaojin’s man, but never managed to get anywhere. Probably the least influential among that crowd,” Li Yuan said with a shrug.

Xue Ning nudged him. “But I heard he’s become the second elder of his family—things do change.”

Li Yuan waved it off. “If the Gu Clan’s head truly had the capacity to become an elder of note, they wouldn’t need to come knocking on my door to strong-arm me for favors. Either someone shady is feeding him bad ideas, he’s desperate, or he’s just plain foolish. One way or another, it’s clear the Guo Clan must be at odds with many groups in the Holy Tree Temple. Otherwise, they’d have enough support to pass a simple vote among at least half the elders.”

“So you have a plan?” Xue Ning asked.

“The moment Guo Guangdan showed up, I realized that even if people outside don’t know about our ties to the deputy temple master, the temple disciples must. Our son was accepted as a direct disciple at only seven, which suggests he’s got an extraordinary gift. And I’m at the sixth rank, a not-insignificant level of power. Put together, we have real potential.

“That’s why I refuse to believe the Guo Clan are the only ones watching us. They’re just the first to make a move, and Guo Guangdan’s approach is rather clumsy if you ask me. Sure, he’s a fifth rank martial artist, but that doesn’t particularly impress me. Who rushes in to threaten someone without even assessing their strength first?

“Plus, as an elder, why would he personally come out to pull these stunts? Why’s the patriarch of a clan playing the henchman? It makes no sense. He’s demanding a favor and making an enemy at the same time. And once he makes me an enemy, what then—kill me? Does he think I’ll just cave in?”

Xue Ning let out a gentle sigh. “You’re right. Individuals can have all sorts of personalities, but a faction always moves for gain. Recruiting us would make some faction stronger, so of course they’d be interested. Other groups are definitely watching from the sidelines to see how you deal with Guo Guangdan.

“He won’t strike directly and risk provoking the deputy temple master. He’ll stand back and let someone else do the dirty work. If you get mired in conflict but show your strength, another faction can swoop in to save you and earn your loyalty. But if you can’t demonstrate any backbone and simply sell Guo Guangdan that favor, everyone else will probably write you off—or even use your resentment against him and turn you into their weapon.”

Li Yuan sighed as well. “Sounds like you’re underestimating your husband.”

“Huh?”

“Even if it comes down to it,” Li Yuan said quietly, “I might very well be able to kill Guo Guangdan myself.”

Xue Ning exclaimed in alarm, “But he’s fifth rank!”

Li Yuan calmly replied, “So? That still won’t stop me from killing him. But...I won’t. Killing a Holy Tree Temple elder here in the city would invite disaster, and no one could protect us from the fallout. All we’d gain is a lifetime on the run, which isn’t worth it.”

Xue Ning’s eyes flickered with understanding. “So...you’re going to reveal your strength, let all those bystanders see what you can do, then decide which faction to align with based on how they respond, right? Why not just agree to serve as an official enforcer of the Holy Tree Temple from the start?”

“If I had done that,” Li Yuan said softly, “you’d be lying sick in bed all by yourself right now.”

Realizing what he meant, Xue Ning smiled. “But once these other factions reach out, you can choose the one that suits us best.”

Li Yuan chuckled. “If you already know, why aren’t you sleeping?”

Finally reassured, Xue Ning snuggled into her husband’s arms and murmured her agreement.

Later that night, Li Yuan used his thousand-mile thread to visit Yan Yu back in Gemhill County. He also brought back some human-skin manacles from his trip, but that’s another story.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Three days passed.

Guo Guangdan returned. This blue-robed elder, with his sword-like brows and bright eyes, looked much younger than his years. From his perspective, Li Yuan was just another old man.

“Well, Li Yuan,” Guo Guangdan said with a smile, “have you made your decision?”

Li Yuan sighed. “I won’t hide the truth, Elder Guo. I actually tried to see the deputy temple master, but she refused to do me any favors.”

Guo Guangdan frowned. “What?”

Li Yuan shrugged. “I’m just an outsider. How would I possibly sway with her? You give me too much credit.”

“You’re lying. You never went to see her,” Guo Guangdan said. “The disciples on duty never saw you go through the third gate.”

“It happened that she and I ran into each other nearby,” Li Yuan replied evenly. “Does she really need to report her every move to the gatekeepers?”

Guo Guangdan was momentarily at a loss.

After a moment’s silence, his face darkened. “Fine. Come with me and see her in person. Stand before her and ask her again. Then I’ll believe it.”

Li Yuan eyed him for a while before letting out a light laugh. “You actually believed my story? I was just making it up.” His tone dripped with mockery, as though he were watching a silly monkey jump around.

The sheer insult came at Guo Guangdan like a needle straight into his brain, so sudden it left him stunned for a heartbeat or two. When he finally came to his senses, fury twisted his features. “You brat! You’re begging for death!”

He raised his hand, vital energy churning. Even before the strike landed, the air currents around Li Yuan’s residence grew turbulent, as if drawn to that palm, ready to smash into him.

But Li Yuan merely kept smiling.

At the last moment, Guo Guangdan’s attack veered aside.

BOOM! A thunderous crash echoed as the wall behind Li Yuan exploded into rubble. Dust and debris swirled in a vortex, then gradually fell back to earth, shrouding the courtyard in a cloud of dust.

Li Yuan’s expression never wavered, as though he’d known all along the blow wouldn’t land.

“Don’t regret this!” Guo Guangdan’s icy words rang through the haze. Then the blue-robed elder stormed away in a swirl of his sleeves.

Only once he was gone did Li Yuan lower his head, unable to hold in a low laugh. Yet as the laughter trailed off, he sighed.

Sometimes, facing a truly clever opponent was less trouble than dealing with someone who should know better but didn’t.

1. Refer to Chapter 71 in case you’re curious where he was mentioned. ☜