I Was the Sun Before I Became an Immortal

Wanji Mountain had once been a land of nothing but roars and bloodshed. Lately, however, the atmosphere had grown somewhat... peculiar.

The mountain-shaking bear went by the name Heishan.

The crimson-eyed tiger was called Chifeng.

These two old rivals — who, just days ago, had been itching to bash each other's brains out — were now gathered around a young man in blue-grey cloth robes.

One was rubbing its bear paws together; the other was swishing its tail. Both wore sheepish, good-natured grins.

It wasn't that they lacked cunning — it was simply that a Demon Beast's instincts were often sharper than a human's.

They could dimly sense the intentions of other living creatures toward themselves, whether benevolent or malicious.

The young man before them, dressed in plain blue-grey cloth robes, had a mind as clear and transparent as a mountain stream. There was almost no trace of scheming or ill will in him — clean as a blank sheet of paper.

They had never encountered a human like this. And the pills he had given them were genuinely precious. The more they looked at Si Chen, the more they liked what they saw.

"Heh heh, Brother Si Chen, what a thing this turned out to be..." Heishan's voice still boomed like thunder, but it no longer carried the same ferocity. "Those pills were something else! Every last one of Old Black's wounds — healed up clean!"

Beside him, Chifeng wagged its tail like an oversized dog. "Exactly, exactly! Brother Si Chen, you're a real stand-up guy! Those pills were incredible!"

"Mm. They were from home. As long as they worked." Si Chen nodded and reached out to pat Chifeng's fluffy head. The texture was surprisingly pleasant.

"Brother, what does your family do? They must be loaded," Heishan asked, its bear eyes brimming with simple curiosity.

Si Chen thought for a moment. "It's just... a family."

That answer left the two great demons a little puzzled, but neither dwelled on it.

Talking with Heishan and Chifeng was one of the rare moments of ease Si Chen had found since leaving home.

Heishan was rough around the edges — his speech never strayed far from crude boasts and coarse language — but his heart was genuine.

Chifeng was a touch more refined, yet the moment it got excited, it couldn't stop its tail from swinging wildly.

This straightforward, no-frills way of communicating felt refreshing to Si Chen. Liking something meant liking it. Gratitude meant gratitude. There was no need to wonder whether words carried hidden meanings, and the eyes looking back at him held neither fear nor calculation.

This was probably... friendship? Yes, probably.

Chifeng swished its tail and suggested, "Brother Si Chen, I can see you're not in a rush to leave. Why not stay with us a few more days? We know Wanji Mountain inside and out — we'll take you to find some good wild fruit!"

Si Chen considered it. He already had a way out sorted, so there was no need to hurry. Besides, the vitality of the vegetation here was beneficial to his Cultivation.

He nodded. "Alright."

And so, in the days that followed, a peculiar trio appeared deep within Wanji Mountain: a young man in blue-grey cloth robes, trailed by a black bear the size of a small hill and a fierce, crimson-eyed tiger.

Heishan liked to walk and brag at the same time — recounting how he had once smashed some oblivious Demon Beast's crown of the head with a single swipe, his speech peppered with crude language, yet somehow managing to coax the occasional curve of a smile from Si Chen.

Chifeng would constantly wag its tail and undercut Heishan's stories, exposing his embarrassing secrets. Whenever it spotted a rare or spiritually rich wild fruit, it would pluck it with its mouth and drop it into Si Chen's hand.

The man and two demons grew familiar with each other like this. Life was simple and good.

During the day, Si Chen wandered the mountain with them. At night, he would find a cave or settle beside Heishan's warm fur to meditate.

The fiery red egg, Si Chen kept with him at all times.

It was always warm to the touch, like a small furnace. When Si Chen practiced the Yimu Everspring Art, it seemed to absorb a trace of the overflowing vitality, and the life force within it grew more active with each passing day.

A month passed like this. Si Chen's head was now so full of Heishan's crude catchphrases — things like "I'll squeeze its eggs flat" and "beat the shit out of it" — that he worried he was starting to pick up the habit himself.

One evening, he was leaning against a large boulder, listening to Heishan recount — with great enthusiasm and flying spittle — the glorious tale of the third time he had beaten the same unfortunate pig demon so hard it soiled itself, when a faint crack came from the egg resting beside his leg.

The sound was soft, but none of those present were ordinary creatures.

Heishan immediately fell silent. Chifeng stopped swishing its tail. Two pairs of enormous beast eyes, along with Si Chen's gaze, snapped in unison to the egg.

A thin crack had appeared on the shell.

Then, a small, wet, bare little head pushed its way out with great effort. It looked pitifully tiny, its body covered only in a few sparse tufts of damp, matted crimson down, its eyes still half-shut — a little ugly, truth be told.

The tiny creature shook its head, seemingly adjusting to the light. Then it opened its tender yellow beak and let out a faint but clear sound:

"Chirp?"

It struggled and began gnawing at the surrounding shell.

The shell, which had seemed so hard, crumbled in its beak like a crisp cracker. Crunch, crunch — it ate every last piece clean.

Once the shell was gone, its down seemed to fluff up a little, and its eyes opened fully — two pure, obsidian-dark irises. It tilted its head and, in that very first glance, found Si Chen watching it.

Then the little thing, on legs too unsteady to stand properly, tottered and stumbled its way toward Si Chen, and finally pressed its tiny head gently against his finger.

Si Chen looked at this small creature, and a feeling unlike anything he had known before spread slowly through his chest.

He had witnessed the birth of stars. He had watched civilizations rise and fall in endless cycles. Yet this was the first time he had ever seen a life hatch into existence right before his eyes.

This process — something from nothing — moved him in a way that learning any technique or defeating any opponent never had.

"That's... it?" Heishan scratched his belly with a bear paw, looking a little let down. "I thought it was gonna be some kind of treasure. All that fuss, and it's just an ordinary red-feathered bird?"

Chifeng leaned in for a closer look and was equally underwhelmed. "Doesn't seem like anything special. The bloodline aura is completely unremarkable. What a waste of a fight."

Si Chen paid their words no mind.

He carefully extended a finger and gently touched the little creature's head. It squinted its eyes in contentment and let out another soft "chirp."

He should give it a name.

Si Chen thought about it. What would suit it? He had no experience naming anyone.

Many ideas flickered through his mind before settling on a memory from long ago — a pastry he had eaten once in Yunjin City.

Red bean cake.

Soft and sweet, fragrant with the scent of red bean paste. One of his favorite sweets.

"From now on," Si Chen said to the small creature nestled in his palm, "your name is 'Red Bean.'"

Red Bean seemed to understand. It pressed its little head even harder against his finger, letting out a pleased, tiny trill.

At that very moment, Si Chen felt it clearly — deep within Red Bean's small, warm body, an extremely subtle yet remarkably pure energy pulsed faintly,

like a sleeping ember, flickering once in the dark before going still.

Heishan and Chifeng noticed nothing. But he had caught it.

That was... the breath of flame.

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