What is an immortal?

Yuan Ming, led by two soldiers, arrived outside a barrack.

An old, withered man with the look of a scribe sat behind a worn zelkova desk set up outside the barrack.

"What's your name?" the withered old man asked without raising his eyelids.

"Hu Tu," Yuan Ming replied immediately.

The old man picked up a pen and wrote his name in a register, marking a sequence number next to it: eighteen.

"Alright, go inside and wait, we'll take you to the camp later," the old man waved a dismissive hand, signaling the soldiers to lead Yuan Ming inside.

As the soldiers opened the door, Yuan Ming saw that the modest-sized barrack was already crowded with a dozen or so people.

Most of them were just like him, in tattered clothes, their bodies thin and frail, and there were individuals from various clans present, including one from the Human Clan.

Upon seeing the soldiers enter, these people's faces revealed ingratiating expressions.

Without uttering a single word, the soldiers gestured with their chins for Yuan Ming to enter and then turned to leave.

Hidden here, he could temporarily avoid being discovered by the envoy's party. Once they left, he would be as free as a bird. That was what Yuan Ming thought as he found a spot and sat down.

About two hours later, the barrack's door was suddenly pushed open, and a burly-looking sergeant of the Southern Border Soldiers walked in, shouting at everyone:

"Get up, we're heading out of the city to the camp in the mountains for training."

The dozen or so people inside the barrack quickly rose and came together.

"Sir, can we have a meal before we go to the mountains?" a thin, middle-aged man asked.

The sergeant frowned, "This is the military, we have rules for meals and labor. Do what you're told. Another word, and see if I don't thrash you?" he said while raising the whip in his hand, which sent the man scuttling back in fear.

At this point, Yuan Ming stepped forward, his voice lowered, and asked, "Sir, when will we get our uniforms?"

"You'll get them once we're out of the city, it's none of your concern!" the sergeant snorted.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming fell silent.

He had planned to stay hidden in the barracks until the envoy left, but now he still had to face the challenge at the city gates.

Now, fleeing from the barracks and facing the soldiers was not an option, as it would be tantamount to suicide and was no longer a wise choice.

After some thought, Yuan Ming decided to follow the troops for now. If the inspection at the gates was strict, he would devise a new plan; if not, he would simply follow them out of the city and then make his escape.

"Move it, let's go," urged the sergeant.

Once outside, Yuan Ming saw two large carriages parked at the gates, not drawn by horses but by two sturdy rhinos with grey-green skin.

"All aboard," the sergeant shouted.

"We get to ride?" Everyone was surprised and thrilled at the unexpected luxury.

"You think you can walk the thirty miles? You rookies are in luck to get a ride; now stop yapping and get on," the sergeant cursed and ordered.

Under his urging, everyone boarded hastily.

Yuan Ming, feeling somewhat elated, climbed into the rear carriage and sat in the position closest to the inside. It was only then that he realized the carriage's cabin was fully enclosed, preventing any view of the outside.

Soon, the two carriages, pulled by the rhinos, started moving out of the camp.

In short order, the convoy turned out of the alley and made its way to the city gates along the main street.

By this time of the afternoon, the area near the city gates was sparsely populated, but the gates themselves were still shut.

The convoy stopped upon reaching the city gates, and Yuan Ming, who had been vigilant inside the carriage, tensed up again.

A few guards approached, and their leader frowned, "Lord Ba Yin has ordered that the gates be closed for three days, no one is allowed in or out, what's your business?"

The leading sergeant jumped down from the front carriage to meet them.

He took a Token from his chest and flashed it at the guards.

"Oh, it's Commander Gongga's men," the guard captain said, his attitude becoming immediately friendly.

"Open the gates, we have official business and need to leave immediately," the sergeant said, expressionless.

"I'm afraid that won't do. The Lord has ordered a search for a great thief," said the guard captain, looking troubled.

"Our military doesn't harbor any great thieves. Step aside, military orders are absolute. If you babble half a word more, I'll tie you up and give you twenty lashes," the sergeant replied, shaking a piece of paper in front of the guard's face.

After seeing the paper, the guard waved his hand, and the gates creaked open.

The convoy slowly moved out of the city and onto the bumpy Chidao, heading towards the green mountains in the distance.

It wasn't until after they had left the city that Yuan Ming finally relaxed.

The wheels rumbled on, the journey bumpy all the way.

Yuan Ming felt they had definitely traveled more than thirty miles; by the time they stopped, it was already quite dark.

"Thump thump"

The team leader banged on the cart with the scabbard of his sword, urging everyone to get off.

Yuan Ming jumped out of the carriage and saw two rows of soldiers standing beside him, all holding weapons in their hands.

In front of the carriage, in a clearing among the trees, stood a rudimentary house made of wooden planks and thatch.

"Line up in order, stand in a single file," the team leader shouted loudly.

About a dozen people disembarked from the two carriages; they quickly formed a line and, under the team leader's direction, walked towards the thatched house.

Yuan Ming was in the middle of the queue. He narrowed his eyes and concentrated his gaze in that direction, seeing the glow of a bonfire ahead with vague dark figures within it.

As the queue gradually moved closer, Yuan Ming finally got a clear view.

On the open space in front of the thatched hut, there was a bonfire with three to five men dressed in beast skin and waist-hanging curved sabers sitting around it.

Their clothing was oddly ancient, not to mention their hairdos were even more peculiar.

Each person had their hair shaved off in a ring around the head, leaving only a tuft of hair on the top, which was tied into a thick braid.

In front of the men, a large chunk of meat hissed as it roasted over the fire, its identity unknown, exuding an alluring scent, while gnawed bones lay scattered on the ground beside them.

Upon seeing the faces of those men, Yuan Ming couldn't help but feel a "thud" in his heart.

The Kasi Clan soldiers beside him were already quite tall and burly, but compared to those men, they were far less imposing.

The muscles on those men were well-developed, with bulging veins on their arms, and they had various blue-black tattoos on their faces and bodies, many of which were strange and incomprehensible patterns.

"These people are definitely not soldiers, and this place is certainly not a camp," Yuan Ming concluded in his heart.

The dress and demeanor of these men were entirely different from that of the soldiers, and after arriving here, each soldier seemed tense; the status between them was clearly not equal.

"Lord Hu Zha, I have brought the people, a total of eighteen," the team leader said, bending over as he approached.

One of the men eating meat, the only one with a bare upper body, stood up and walked toward the queue.

His towering and robust figure made the team leader, who was bent over, seem like a tiny iron tower next to him, emanating an intense oppressive aura.

The team leader took a step back and bowed even deeper.

Watching the man's manner, Yuan Ming's bad feeling grew stronger; he didn't want to stay here a moment longer and was eager to escape.

But he understood that now was not the best time.

The one called "Lord Hu Zha" seemed discontent, frowning as he asked, "Why are there fewer people this time?"

"You were the one in a hurry, weren't you? The Da Jin Country's envoys have been passing through military towns recently, and Commander Gongga and Lord Ba Yin have had to be attentive in receiving them. Next time, I will certainly bring you more people," the team leader quickly explained, bending lower.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming realized that they had been sold as merchandise under the pretense of recruiting soldiers.

At that moment, others finally sensed something amiss and began to talk among themselves.

"Shut up! Keep blathering and I'll kill you,"

Hu Zha roared angrily, his voice as explosive as a beast's bellow, making everyone's eardrums ache and their courage falter.

"We wouldn't dare to delay you, sir. We shall take our leave now," upon hearing the roar, the team leader's body visibly trembled as he hurriedly spoke.

"Go," Hu Zha said, tossing a heavy leather pouch to the team leader with a wave of his hand.

The team leader quickly caught it and turned to signal his men to prepare to leave with the horse-drawn carriages.

Before Hu Zha could turn around, Yuan Ming shouted, "We've been deceived, everyone run!" He immediately turned and bolted at full strength towards the depth of the dense forest.

His sudden shout sent a shock through all the new recruits; some of the quicker-witted ones also started to scatter in the chaos, and the crowd dispersed in a rush.

"Thinking of running? Capture them all!" Hu Zha bellowed, directing his burly men to chase after the fleeing people.

Seeing Yuan Ming running far ahead and his own subordinate unable to catch up, Hu Zha hesitated before suddenly pulling out a small silver-white bell with a wooden handle and throwing it in Yuan Ming's direction.

The bell flew up, seemingly controlled by an invisible force, swiftly pursuing Yuan Ming and striking him squarely on the back of the head.

The seemingly insignificant bell sent shockwaves of silver light rippling when it hit Yuan Ming's head.

With the sound of "clang clang," Yuan Ming felt a strong sense of heaviness in his head as if his brain had been jolted.

An intense sensation of dizziness washed over him, making him feel as if all the blood in his body was rushing towards his brain, and his head was about to explode.

At the same time, a warm current surged up his arm, quickly soothing the dizzy sensation.

But Yuan Ming's consciousness could no longer be maintained, and he completely passed out.

Hu Zha walked up slowly, first picking up the silver-white bell from the ground, then checked Yuan Ming's neck.

"Someone! Take him and lock him up with the group in the cave," Hu Zha shouted to one of his men, and immediately someone rushed over to carry Yuan Ming away...