I Became an Immortal in the Mountains - Chapter 10 – "Gentlemen, are you sure you're reading the map right?"

After a heavy snowfall, the skies cleared and the air turned crisp.

Clad in a fur-lined robe, Gu Yuanqing stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing into the distance with a refreshed heart and clear mind.

From afar, a mountain hawk circled in the sky, then suddenly dove down, slicing through the air. Moments later, it emerged from a ravine, clutching a wild pheasant in its talons. It flew to Gu Yuanqing, dropped the bird beside him, and landed nearby, chirping twice as if announcing its delivery.

Gu Yuanqing chuckled and said, “Thanks for that.”

The hawk spread its wings slightly, and with its long legs—like it was wearing feathery pants—strutted over to him, tilting its head curiously.

Gu Yuanqing reached out and patted its head, smiling.

“You bring me food every few days. Aren’t you worried your wife and chicks will go hungry? Better be careful, or you might not be allowed back into the nest.”

The hawk chirped again, then leapt onto Gu Yuanqing’s shoulder, trying to groom his hair with its beak.

Gu Yuanqing laughed and shooed it away.

“Alright, it’s getting late. Time for me to head back down the mountain. I’ll have this pheasant cooked up as a treat.”

As his connection with Beiquan Mountain deepened, the animals and creatures of the mountain grew increasingly familiar and friendly toward him.

He could distinguish every tree, every bird, every beast on the mountain—each one unique to him.

He couldn’t converse with humans, but chatting with the wildlife wasn’t bad either.

With a flap of wings, the hawk flew off. Gu Yuanqing picked up the pheasant and made his way to the servants’ quarters.

At the courtyard where his two old attendants lived, he handed the bird to the middle-aged woman there.

“Aunt Feng, let’s have something special tonight. Make it spicy,” he said, pointing at the red chili peppers.

Over the past few months, Gu Yuanqing had only learned that this woman was named Feng Tao—she could only write those two characters.

She understood what he meant, smiled, took the pheasant, and gestured a few times with her hands.

From her gestures, Gu Yuanqing figured she was praising him—amazed that he managed to catch a pheasant in this weather.

At that moment, the elderly man entered the house carrying a bundle of firewood. He paused when he saw the pheasant, noticing the clean puncture wound in its throat—clearly from a raptor’s talons.

He found this young man more and more mysterious.

In his perception, Gu Yuanqing was still only at the Yuan Practitioner stage, but now and then, the old man sensed a faint sense of danger from him.

He’d also felt the faint presence of sword intent drifting from Gu Yuanqing’s courtyard—something that definitely shouldn’t be possible for someone at his level.

But he’d confirmed that no outsiders had entered the area.

Living atop the mountain, he’d also witnessed how close Gu Yuanqing had grown to the wild beasts and birds here.

Gu Yuanqing gave the old man a nod, then turned to leave.

Compared to Feng Tao, the old man was completely silent, never initiating conversation. Even now, Gu Yuanqing didn’t know his name or background.

Back in his own courtyard, Gu Yuanqing reclined on a sunlit chair, his thoughts drifting to cultivation.

The True Martial Hidden Treasury within him was now saturated with Heavenly Gang and Earth Fiend Qi, something that would have taken an ordinary cultivator years of hard work to achieve.

The two types of Qi continued to merge and transform the Hidden Treasury within him. He could vaguely sense a mirage of heaven and earth forming inside it.

His consciousness often sank into the Hidden Treasury, where his will and the internal space resonated as one.

Gradually, it felt less like a separate realm and more like a natural extension of his body.

“I wonder what kind of mirage my Hidden Treasury will manifest?”

These “mirages” were unique to each cultivator, shaped by their will, temperament, talent, and fate—even disciples cultivating the same technique might produce different results.

That night, a large platter of spicy chicken was brought into his courtyard, and Gu Yuanqing devoured it with delight.

Afterward, he lay on his chair again, unfazed by the winter wind, gazing at the stars above.

“I wonder if one of those stars is my old home from before…”

Only after a long time did he snap out of his daze and return to his meditative state of Mountain Observation.

It wasn’t until nearly midnight that he stepped back inside to circulate his cultivation technique and refine the ambient spiritual energy.

At present, the spiritual energy he could draw in daily had increased to eight streams—enough that his True Martial Realm progress no longer lagged behind his Yuan stage cultivation speed.

In just a few days, he had advanced two minor levels, now reaching the Third Layer of the True Martial Realm.

Once the mirage within his Hidden Treasury was fully formed, he’d ascend to the Fourth Layer.

Such speed was nearly unheard of. Even back in the royal capital, where he’d heard of many genius cultivators, none came close.

“Even Princess Li Miaoxuan, who joined Lingxu Sect as a child, started cultivating at three, became a Yuan Practitioner at six, and broke into True Martial by ten—she might not match me now,” he muttered with a quiet smile.

But then, remembering the royal princess with whom he had once shared skin-to-skin intimacy, his expression grew solemn.

“I wonder how she’s been these past few months…”

After finishing his cultivation, Gu Yuanqing stood up to return to bed.

But just as he turned, a strange feeling struck him. He looked toward the western cliffs and entered a focused Mountain Observation state.

***

Moments earlier, an elderly white-haired man and a handsome young man had arrived at the base of Beiquan Mountain’s western side.

The two gazed up toward the peak.

“Jun’er, stay here. Beiquan Mountain is a forbidden zone of the Great Qian Empire—there could be ancient monsters hiding within,” the old man warned.

But Qin Bojun gritted his teeth and replied, “Grandfather, don’t try to stop me. I’ve made up my mind. This grievance is no less than having my wife stolen. If I don’t personally kill him, the knot in my heart will never be resolved—and it will hinder my future cultivation.”

“Sigh… foolish boy. Fine. Let’s go. I’ll put my old bones on the line to protect you.”

The moment they stepped into Beiquan Mountain, Gu Yuanqing sensed them.

His bond with the mountain had become so strong that he could vaguely detect outsiders even without entering a focused state.

And the moment they stepped inside, he noticed.

Gu Yuanqing “watched” as the pair scaled the cliffs with expert ease. His eyes lit up.

“Looks like we’ve got more treasure hunters coming for Beiquan’s hidden relics. Might be some entertainment tonight.”

“From their movement technique, they’re stronger than the last two that came. I wonder if there’ll be a fight. Hopefully, my old servant can hold them off. He’s been chopping firewood and carrying water for eight months now—even if he’s done no great deeds, he’s at least earned some credit.”

“Oh wait, I almost forgot—there’s that commander of the mountain guards down below. He wouldn’t just let the old man die. After all, the old man might be from the Beiquan Sword Sect, and knows a lot of secrets. With his strength, he should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive.”

All of this passed through Gu Yuanqing’s mind in an instant.

He then poured himself a cup of tea, found a chair, and sat down—ready to watch the drama unfold.

***

A short time later, the old man and the youth reached the summit.

Elder Qin scanned the surroundings under the moonlight and frowned.

“Jun’er, this mountain is larger than I expected. I can’t just let my spiritual sense run wild. Finding him may be difficult.”

“Don’t worry, Grandfather. I’ve already scouted this place. He should be living… there!” Qin Bojun pointed.

“Then let’s go. Strike quickly and end it. I’ll handle anyone else who intervenes. But remember—this is a forbidden land. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it becomes.”

With that, the two of them rushed toward the direction Qin Bojun had pointed.

Watching from his seat, Gu Yuanqing suddenly froze.

“…Wait. Isn’t that the direction of my courtyard?”

A pause.

Then, with a raised brow and a bemused tone, he muttered:

“Uh, gentlemen… are you sure you’ve got the right map?”