My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting
Chapter 276 – A Few Strands of White Hair Give Rise to a Demonic Blade, Lofty Dreams are a Young Man’s Game - Part 1

Chapter 276 – A Few Strands of White Hair Give Rise to a Demonic Blade, Lofty Dreams are a Young Man’s Game - Part 1

Heavensense and Earth Appraisal, these were the two secret arts of smithing that Li Yuan had encountered—ultimate skills that weaponsmiths pursued so tirelessly yet seemed unable to master.

The former tapped into the Yang of Heaven, the latter into the Yin of Earth. Apparently, only by harnessing both Heaven and Earth could one smith something that transcended the limits of an ordinary spiritual artifact.

Li Yuan never imagined there could be a third path. Yet here it was, laid out before him—Life Devour, a method in which the weaponsmith sacrificed their own lifespan to complete the weapon.

He’d heard of similar tales in his past life; legends like the one of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye came about this way.[1]

However, Life Devour and other methods like it were considered sinister. They were doomed to be lost and forgotten. Coupled with the presence of that Ghost Hammer, an evil item, it was a wonder if this smithing lineage lasted even three generations. After all, to wield such an item, one either had to be an undying husk or at least sixth rank.

Weaponsmiths were already extremely difficult to train; after all that investment, if they still had to give up their lives to forge a weaponsmith...well, the conditions were so punishing that it was no surprise that Life Devour existed now only in fragments, shoved in some neglected corner. If it hadn’t provided a valuable perspective on attaining greater heights, it would likely have been discarded completely. Even so, leaving it in this vault was practically the same as throwing it away.

Li Yuan took the book and left, carefully locking the door behind him. He climbed back up the vines, tossed the large key to Xiang Qingyu, then waved the tome in his hand. “I borrowed a book to read. That okay?”

Xiang Qingyu replied, “Take whatever you like. Everything in that tree hollow is practically junk by now. In a few more years, maybe ten, they’ll haul it all out anyway.”

Suddenly, Li Yuan asked, “When they haul it out, where do they take it?”

Surprised, Xiang Qingyu stared at him. “You’re not serious, are you...?”

He smiled. “I just think it’s a pity to toss out all these old texts. I’d like to see them first.”

“They bury them,” Xiang Qingyu said, “box after box in the ground. And trust me, there’s nothing useful in those crates.”

Li Yuan paused for a moment, then pressed on. “Where do they bury them?”

Xiang Qingyu squirmed, tugging at the hem of her light-yellow dress, eyes darting back and forth. Finally, she leaned closer and whispered, “You seriously want to go?”

“Why, are you scared?” Li Yuan asked.

She huffed, raising her voice. “Who says I’m scared?! Tonight, I’ll take you there.” Then, quieter, she added, “It’s not like they ever said we couldn’t dig it back up.”

“Thanks, Miss Xiang,” Li Yuan said.

Hands on her hips, Xiang Qingyu looked rather pleased with herself. “Aw, it’s nothing.” She then held up three fingers and said quietly, “Midnight, meet me below the vine.”

Li Yuan nodded. “Got it.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That night.

When midnight arrived, Li Yuan slid out of bed, tucking the blanket more snugly around Cui Huayin before leaving.

He headed straight to the meeting place, where Xiang Qingyu was already waiting beneath a large tree. She wore gray clothes and looked every bit like a mischievous thief, holding two large shovels. Upon seeing him, she waved enthusiastically.

Li Yuan jogged over. She tossed him one shovel, which he caught with mild exasperation. Though he had intended to help dig, if the roles were reversed, he doubted he’d drag her into something like this. Still, Xiang Qingyu’s attitude didn’t annoy him in the least; on the contrary, he found her refreshingly straightforward.

Back in his old world, he’d read stories about haughty young ladies like Xiang Qingyu getting smacked down by the protagonist, who would then move on to deal with some greater antagonist.

But to Li Yuan, she hardly seemed like a villainess; he himself wasn’t any destined protagonist either. Growing stronger was his only goal right now. He had no grand philanthropic ambitions, but he could still empathize with others. He didn’t plan on doing anything earthshaking but hoped to live life to its fullest. By nature, he was more like a background character than anything else.

Perhaps that’s why a background character like him and a minor antagonist like Xiang Qingyu weren’t destined to be enemies.

Laughing a little at the thought, Li Yuan slung the shovel over his shoulder and started digging. Clearly, Xiang Qingyu—accustomed to being spoiled—had never done such work. She was nervous at first but soon got excited, muttering things like, “Wow, they really buried this stuff deep...”

“Sounds about right,” Li Yuan commented.

After about the time it takes for two sticks of incense to burn, circles of torchlight flickered in from all around. A guard assigned to the night watch within the third gate approached. At first, they looked wary. But once they realized who the culprits were, their posture turned respectful.

“Master Li! Miss Xiang! W-what are you two...”

Hands on her hips, Xiang Qingyu barked, “You see us working and still feel the need to ask questions?! Do you want to scare me half to death? Let me tell you. If word of this gets out, I’ll rip your tongue out!”

Having spent a lot of time around elders, patriarchs, and sect masters, Li Yuan wasn’t used to hearing such brash threats anymore. He nearly laughed, but in the end, he just remarked, “Miss Xiang, if you can’t say it nicely, maybe say less.”

Xiang Qingyu glared fiercely at the guards before meekly retreating behind Li Yuan, whispering, “My dad says the same thing about me...”

Seeing the guard’s embarrassed expression, Li Yuan said calmly, “Don’t worry, I won’t cause you trouble. I’ll explain everything to Deputy Jing tomorrow. For now, we’ll head back.”

The Vine Pavilion fell under Jing Baikou’s jurisdiction, which was why the guard happened to be from the Xiang Clan. Hearing Li Yuan’s words, the guard gratefully repeated, “Thank you, Master Li, thank you!”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next morning.

Li Yuan went to Jing Baikou and explained his desire to dig up the old objects buried underground, claiming it was all in pursuit of advanced weaponsmithing knowledge.

Jing Baikou was puzzled. He couldn’t imagine what use Li Yuan had for literal trash but agreed nonetheless, dispatching a troop of guards to help him.

Among the guards was the same one from the previous night. Upon spotting Li Yuan, the guard found himself developing a genuine fondness for the man and set about digging with renewed energy.

Before long, dilapidated crates, each the size of a small coffin, were hauled up from the warm soil.

Li Yuan pried one open and waved away the billowing dust. Then he settled on the ground, carefully flipping through the ancient, musty-smelling books and objects inside.

Most of them looked little better than worthless scraps—the writing all but illegible, the pages tattered and brittle. Whatever precious items remained were broken almost beyond recognition.

Still, he devoted several days to sifting through them, hoping to stumble upon something valuable. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that large clans rarely misjudge what was trash and what was treasure. After much effort, he found nothing of use.

Yet Li Yuan didn’t feel it was a waste of time. If he had to do it over again, he would. One never knew when a wide net might catch an unexpected prize. Speaking of which, that supposedly lucky find of his—the Life Devour manual—hardly counted as a true treasure. It was incomplete, riddled with drawbacks, and basically impossible to practice.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Late afternoon.

“Master, I heard you went digging for treasure.” Yao Jue appeared, giggling. Though she referred to it as treasure, her tone made it clear she meant junk.

Li Yuan glanced over at the refined woman not far away—Cui Huayin, who was enjoying her tea with a serene expression. She sensed his gaze and lifted her eyes briefly, looking at him in calm silence before returning to her poetry books.

In truth, Cui Huayin maintained a small, non-militant network outside the clan—one that simply searched for poetry collections for her. Since she had benefited greatly from poetry, she made it a habit to study every day.

In a world without something like imperial examinations, there was no reason for hordes of scholars to spring up, so her hobby seemed both quiet and refined. Compared to her elegant routine, Li Yuan’s image—lugging a shovel in the dead of night with the Xiang Clan’s young lady to dig up piles of discarded junk—was certainly, well, unrefined.

He shifted his attention back to Yao Jue. “Yes, I did.”

“Next time, take me along,” she teased. “Your hands are meant for writing poetry, not for grubbing around in the dirt.”

Li Yuan looked at his fingers. “These hands are mainly for forging weapons, you know.”

“You go ahead and work hard, then,” Cui Huayin said calmly. She placed her cup down, stood, and smoothed out her gown. Without another word, she turned and left. like some immaculate swan drifting off.

“Indeed...I should work harder,” Li Yuan murmured under his breath.

That night, after he and his wife had finished their routine bath and changed into bedclothes, they quietly shared their usual moment of intimacy, then went to sleep.

1. A famous swordsmith couple. Legends say the wife threw herself in the furnace to help craft a pair of legendary swords. Here’s the Wikipedia article on the legend if you’re interested. ☜