Immortality Begins With The Hunters.

"Brother Yuan, the millet jar at home is empty." Faintly, Zhao Yun heard a woman's voice coming from the sea, ethereal and mysterious, yet all he could hear was the rumble of the deep ocean currents. Following the sound, as if summoned back to his senses, he drifted aimlessly towards the sea, and some memories… surfaced. He remembered drinking. Drinking at a class reunion. Many of his former classmates had become successful, while he, as the class monitor, had become a butcher. So, he feigned drunkenness, head down, drinking heavily. And then… he blacked out. "Brother Yuan, if you don't go hunting soon, we'll all starve to death. Lately, not many people in the village need to write, and I can't earn money… I'm sorry…" The woman's voice rose again, filled with apology. Who was Brother Yuan? Who was she calling? Zhao Yun was very curious. The next instant, as if answering his questions, countless memories surged into his mind. This unfamiliar information allowed him to experience someone else's entire life in just a few minutes. Zhao Yun understood. So, Yuan Ge'er... was him. He... had transmigrated! Yuan Ge'er's name was Li Yuan, a hunter in Shanbao County. He became a hunter because his family possessed a "hunting permit" issued by the previous county magistrate. Three years ago, a plague ravaged Shanbao County, and Li Yuan's parents succumbed to the disaster. With his parents dead, life had to go on. Li Yuan knew nothing else, so he had to grit his teeth and go hunting in the mountains. As for this woman, she was left behind by an old friend who had gone on a long journey. This old friend had a chivalrous spirit and seemed like a*** (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world). Li Yuan admired such people and had often spoken of "brotherly loyalty" after drinking together. But... this woman stayed for two whole years, and the old friend never returned. Li Yuan realized that this was probably not leaving behind, but entrusting her with something. The woman's name was Yan Yu, twenty years old this year. She was pretty, but somewhat thin due to malnutrition. She usually wore a blue and white floral village girl's jacket and tight black pants that accentuated her long legs. Standing in the golden sunlight, she was quite a charming village girl. Yan Yu could write a little, so she earned some copper coins by writing letters home. When Li Yuan went hunting, she would keep the house spotless, doing the laundry and cooking, working tirelessly without complaint. That winter, Li Yuan went hunting and was terrified by a wild boar that had gone mad. He barely escaped death and returned home, then fell seriously ill. Today, he was just starting to feel better, but as soon as he got up, he felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground. Then, Zhao Yun transmigrated. The timeline connected. But it still took Zhao Yun a while to accept this fact. He struggled to open his eyes and saw the thin, beautiful village girl in front of him. Actually, this woman was three years older than him, so he usually called her "Sister Yan." "Are you alright, Li Yuan? Maybe... you should rest a bit more today. I'll go see if I can borrow some millet from Aunt Wang next door for a couple of days. If not, some beans will do." "Sister Yan, I'll go hunting first. If I catch something, I won't need to borrow any." Zhao Yun, or rather Li Yuan, took a deep breath. Now that he had come to this world, he had to go out and observe first. "Then, Brother Yuan, be careful. There aren't many prey on the mountains in the dead of winter. Those that do come out are probably all thick-skinned and tough, well-fed and very fierce." Yan Yu was a little worried. For her, Li Yuan was the only man she could rely on. Li Yuan didn't speak. He silently grabbed the hunting bow hanging on the wall, then grabbed the worn-out quiver and a small pouch next to it. The quiver contained five arrows, the tips of which had been sharpened repeatedly. Originally, there were fifteen arrows in the pouch, but ten were lost when chased by wild boars. Now, having five left was already quite good. Inside his pouch were twenty handy pebbles. "Stone-shooting" would help preserve the pelts of some prey, allowing them to fetch a better price. He pushed open the door. Outside was a rope with a collar hanging loose. He had a large yellow dog that autumn, a loyal protector, but it had been killed by a ferocious black bear in the mountains. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been chased by wild boars that winter. The rope swayed desolately in the wind, striking the wooden wall with a soft "crackling" sound. "Live on!" Li Yuan withdrew his gaze, grabbed a wood-chopping knife from the wall and tucked it into his waistband, then grabbed a three-pronged fork. He glanced at the mountain path in the distance and strode out. He observed his surroundings as he walked. His place was at the foot of Xiaomo Mountain in Shanbao County. Although not a slum, it was only slightly better. Li Yuan's only wish was to improve his skills, earn more money, then choose an auspicious day to propose to Yan Yu, and then move to Yinxi. The security in Yinxi is much better than in Xiaomoshan. But to live there, you need connections. Without connections, you need money. Unfortunately, his hunting skills aren't great… it's hard to save up enough money. Li Yuan exhaled a breath of stale air, clearing his mind of distractions, and following his experience, he looked around as he climbed the mountain. He rounded the pass, descended, entered the canyon, and truly entered the mountains. … The mountain shadows shifted… the sun quickly moved past. At dusk, Li Yuan dragged his tired body home. He hadn't hunted anything! Wild animals are scarce in the mountains in winter, even scarcer in areas near human habitation. The wild boar he encountered last time was only after venturing deep into the "second layer of mountains." But today he didn't risk going in. Inside, Yan Yu saw him return empty-handed. Without a word, she ran to the bronze mirror, grabbed some wood ash from the basin, smeared it on her face, and then turned to Li Yuan, asking, "Yuan-ge'er, do I look uglier?" Li Yuan looked and saw that Yan Yu's once beautiful face had turned ashen, like a sick disaster victim. He nodded and sighed, "Sister Yan, thank you for your trouble." Yan Yu smiled and blinked, saying, "I'm going to Aunt Wang's to borrow some grain. I'll be right back." With that, she hurriedly grabbed a bowl, pushed open the door, and went out. A short while later, Yan Yu returned, but the bowl only contained a "mixture." There was only a little millet; the rest was mostly a mixture of chaff and beans. What was chaff? It was the outer husk of grains, difficult to swallow, but one could manage to swallow it if one held their nose. This autumn, the county had a poor harvest. Grain was scarce to begin with, and rice prices soared, even bran went up in price. "Yuan-ge'er, I'll pick out the beans and cook you a bowl of bean rice in a bit," Yan Yu said. Li Yuan replied, "Let's cook it together and eat it together." ... After the meal. Li Yuan lay on the bed. The bedding had been sun-dried at noon, so it was fairly comfortable to sleep on. However, the straw under the sheets was compacted, which made it a bit cold. He shrank back, wrapping himself as tightly as possible in the bedding, remaining motionless to retain some warmth. After a long while, he laughed self-deprecatingly. He had arrived in this strange world completely in the dark, and even surviving was difficult... It was better to be a butcher. This wasn't out of despair. He could complain, but he still had to find a way when dawn broke. How could he hunt in the dead of winter? But if he didn't hunt, what else could he do? In these days, even landlords didn't lack people. You couldn't expect to be exploited unless you sold yourself. From his memories, Li Yuan actually knew some things. Several families in this small mountain village had secretly sold their members; some sold their daughters and sons, some even sold their wives. Thinking about it, it was already a miracle that Aunt Wang's family could borrow a single grain of rice. "Sleep," the boy closed his eyes, ceasing his thoughts. In the middle of the night, he suddenly heard the creak of the door being pushed open. He opened his eyes and saw a familiar figure abruptly approaching in the darkness. The figure pulled up the covers, shyly and hastily saying, "Yuan-ge'er, I want to be with you." With that, she pulled back the covers and slipped inside. "Sister Yan..." "Yuan-ge'er..." The night grew hot. Only at midnight did all silence fall. Yan Yu slept wearily but happily in Li Yuan's arms. The bed was warm and cozy. ... At dawn, the first rays of light streamed into the room through the leaky window, illuminating Li Yuan's face. Li Yuan opened his eyes. Suddenly… he froze… A line of information flashed before his eyes: 【You spent a harmonious night with Yan Yu, gaining 5 free points】 Immediately afterward, a panel appeared: 【Name: Li Yuan】 【Points: 5】 【Realm: Unranked】 【Cultivation Technique: None】 【Skills: Basic Archery (6/10); Basic Tracking (4/10)】 【Supernatural Power: Immortality】 【Equipment Slots: Unlocked】