"Once you die in battle, he won't hesitate for a second to turn tail and run. Trust me, don't go with him, Lucius... Nobody knows him better than I do. He's a classic heartless scoundrel."
Laughter and mockery drifted over from the side.
Toward the rear flank of the crowd, a tall, striking Caucasian beauty clad in a black combat uniform couldn't help chiming in. She chuckled as she spoke, but after a few laughs, she began coughing incessantly, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Her name was Courtney Eaton, belonging to Snow Lotus headquarters, a super combat power. Two days ago, she had taken part in the raid on the main peak of Xilang Peak; unfortunately, the opponent who intercepted her was Lü Moyi, and she had ultimately returned critically wounded.
Hearing her speak and laugh, and seeing the blood at the corner of her mouth, Ye Jian instantly wilted, clamping his mouth shut in silence.
The two of them had once had a fling. A rather earth-shattering fling, at that.
Courtney still seemed utterly incapable of letting it go.
As for Ye Jian, he was ill-suited for romance and women. Let alone with someone like Courtney, a fanatical devotee of Ne.
Up on the hillside, Liu Shiheng lay flat in the grass, watching everything with bated breath. He could see their movements, but couldn't hear their voices, so he had no clear idea of what was actually happening.
Liu Shiheng naturally recognized Ye Jian. On the night of the Flag War at Xilang Peak, he, Wen Jifei, and He Tangtang had shared cigarettes and chatted with Ye Jian at the foot of the mountain.
Back then, the man had left a pretty good impression on him. But no matter what, he was still a big shot in Snow Lotus—as well as the Huaxia Front's disgrace, a traitor, and an enemy.
What was more, there were other Snow Lotus members beside him now, and so many of them. Liu Shiheng figured that once he showed his face, he probably wouldn't be able to leave alive.
"I wonder how Tangtang is doing right now? Can he still hold on?"
The figure on the stretcher remained motionless. As Liu Shiheng watched, anxiety mounted in his chest.
"Where are they taking Tangtang...? If something happens, or if Tangtang can't hold on, they wouldn't just dump him somewhere by the roadside, would they?" he worried.
Rescue him? Liu Shiheng had nowhere near that kind of skill. Follow them? That was exceedingly dangerous, and once they picked up their pace, he most likely wouldn't be able to keep up anyway.
"Would heading back to fetch reinforcements be in time? Would I even be able to find them again?"
The answer was clearly no.
"Rotten luck! Absolute bloody rotten luck! I try to run once, and trouble hits; I try to run twice, and trouble hits again... Damn it, it's like every time I try to run, shit is bound to happen."
Young Master Liu lamented bitterly in his head, only to look up and see the crowd down the hill suddenly begin to turn in unison.
"They look like they're leaving. What should I do?"
Silenced by Courtney's remark, Ye Jian kept his head down, turning to take a step away.
"Brother Ye!"
Suddenly, from far away, an enthusiastic shout drifted over from behind them.
The fish that was about to return to the sea had ultimately chosen to throw itself into the net.
"At least if I'm there, someone can keep an eye on Tangtang."
Instantly, the more than thirty people at the base of the hill were startled. They spun around in unison, their battle blades ringing as they cleared their scabbards... Liu Shiheng stood atop the hillside, waving his arm and calling out with a warm, beaming smile:
"Brother Ye! Long time no see!"
Dressed in an Azure combat uniform, unarmed, carrying only his source energy apparatus, Liu Shiheng shouted as he trotted down the slope. He tossed out a cheerful "Hello everyone!" in English, then hurried right up to Ye Jian and said, "I never expected us to meet again so soon! How have you been lately, Brother Ye?"
He was as warm and natural as an old friend bumping into an acquaintance. Ye Jian looked at him, recognized him, and raised a hand to restrain the restless Moss members behind him. In a low voice, he said, "Not too great. Didn't your two brothers tell you?"
"Huh?"
"I offered Wen Jifei a cigarette, and he singed my eyebrows with his lighter. And Han Qingyu snapped my sword in two."
Since this was no longer a secret anyway—everyone here knew, and likely the entire source energy world knew by now—Ye Jian was quite frank about it, his eyes glaring resentfully at Liu Shiheng as he spoke.
*Those two bastards actually pulled crap like that?! Aren't they dragging me down with them?!* Liu Shiheng thought gloomily, before saying meekly, "Actually, my relationship with them isn't all that great either. We just had a falling out recently."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. I actually snuck away this time, planning to leave Azure for good."
Finally finding an opportunity to glance at the stretcher, Liu Shiheng saw He Tangtang. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, a rush of emotion still brought a stinging ache to his nose.
He Tangtang was still unconscious, his wounds bandaged and sustained with source energy, but he looked half-dead, clearly unable to hold on for much longer...
"He..." Liu Shiheng pointed toward the stretcher and said, "The two of us broke out together. We ran into a group of people and were hunted down. He covered my retreat and got wounded, so I came back to look for him. Thank you, Brother Ye."
"Really?" A playful smile tugged at the corner of Ye Jian's mouth.
"Really," Liu Shiheng insisted.
"Then why don't you just join Snow Lotus and come with me?" After finishing, Ye Jian waited several seconds. Seeing no reply, he pressed, "What, unwilling?!"
"I'm willing! I'll join!" Liu Shiheng instantly responded with apparent eagerness, turning around to probe, "If I join, does that mean I'll get to follow you directly, Brother Ye? Would my status be really high, then?"
Ye Jian nodded, unable to help chuckling as he replied, "Very high."
"Then that's great! Following Brother Ye is bound to be a hundred times better than being cannon fodder in Azure. Heh, then both of us will join!" Liu Shiheng seized the chance to ask, "Brother Ye, how is Tangtang doing right now? He..."
"He's dying. We can't save him here," Ye Jian said.
"..." Under Ye Jian's gaze, Liu Shiheng couldn't stop his eyes from turning red, so he quickly lowered his head to hide it. He knew he had botched his performance from the very beginning, that his acting was clumsy, and that Ye Jian was merely toying with him. Yet, he still had to keep playing along.
He had no other choice.
"Actually, it doesn't matter whether he lives or dies," Ye Jian continued. "I have a pretty good read on him. The guy is a diehard. If he woke up, he'd rather die than join Snow Lotus."
He Tangtang had once drawn his blade against Ye Jian at the foot of Xilang Peak and cursed him out. Ye Jian remembered, and Liu Shiheng remembered as well.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Actually, out of the three of you, the one I want most is that wretched bastard Wen Jifei." The corner of Ye Jian's mouth twitched upward. "Where is he?"
"Dead."
"Piss off!" Ye Jian cursed, bursting into laughter once more. He looked at Liu Shiheng and said, "As for you..."
Liu Shiheng feigned composure and met his gaze.
"You're the one who drags everyone else down in your group, aren't you?"
"Dragging their feet is putting it mildly! I hold them back by all four limbs!" Liu Shiheng replied with utmost earnestness.
Beside them, Courtney burst into laughter again. Because of Ye Jian, she had learned Chinese. Meanwhile, on Lucius's side, most of the men wore completely bewildered expressions.
Ye Jian's expression shifted.
Liu Shiheng caught it. He stole a glance at Courtney and whispered, "This babe isn't half bad, Brother Ye... Sorry, my mistake. Is this Sister-in-law?"
*Boom!* A sudden burst of source energy erupted as Ye Jian stomped the ground right next to Liu Shiheng's feet.
Liu Shiheng went flying backward with tremendous force.
A hand pressed against his back, catching him, absorbing the momentum, and helping him steady his footing.
*What an expert!* Liu Shiheng glanced back at Courtney. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Courtney smiled warmly and asked, "What did you call me just now?"
Liu Shiheng glanced apprehensively back at Ye Jian.
"It's fine, don't be afraid of him," Courtney comforted him.
"Sister-in-law," Liu Shiheng murmured, barely above a whisper.
"Good. You're safe now, and you'll stay safe from now on." Courtney smiled triumphantly, tilting her head to shoot a provocative look at Ye Jian.
*There's actually an angle like this?!* Liu Shiheng was momentarily stunned, just about to beg Sister-in-law to help figure out a way to save Tangtang.
"Take him and get lost," Ye Jian suddenly spoke from behind.
Liu Shiheng turned around, dumbfounded. "Huh?!"
"I said leave. Take him with you. We don't have enough medical equipment here..." Ye Jian said. "He's dying. Hurry up and take him to find an Azure medical station. I can't help you with this."
Liu Shiheng was utterly baffled. He couldn't read Ye Jian at all.
At the same time, those near Lucius who understood Chinese hastily whispered translations.
Lucius reacted fiercely, shouting loud reprimands as a group of men surged forward with raised blades.
Ye Jian said nothing, slowly turning around to face them.
Courtney stepped over to his side, standing with him and staring them down.
Under the crushing pressure of two supers, nobody dared to make a move.
Liu Shiheng looked left, then looked right, deliberately avoiding Ye Jian's eyes as he shouted, "Thank you, Sister-in-law!"
"Good boy," Courtney answered cheerfully. "Go on."
Steeling his nerve, Liu Shiheng walked through the forest of blades, reaching the stretcher. He bent down. "Tangtang... Tangtang?!" There was no response. Liu Shiheng gritted his teeth. "It's okay. I'm taking you back."
He hoisted He Tangtang onto his back, looked up once more at Ye Jian and Courtney, then lowered his head and started walking forward.
"Make sure you come back on your own, okay?" Courtney's voice drifted from behind him. "If you don't, I will personally kill you the next time we meet."
She spoke very gently, but Liu Shiheng could tell she meant every word. No matter how amiable she seemed, she was still an elite from Snow Lotus; her being unhinged was the most normal thing about her.
Liu Shiheng paused, slowly turning his head to look back at Courtney.
"You won't be able to run. If Snow Lotus wants to find you, do you really think you can get away? Even if you hide within Azure, think about it: can Han Qingyu and the other two block Ye and me at the same time?"
"..." Liu Shiheng stammered, "B-but I'm useless. I'm terrified of dying."
"Don't worry, once you come over, you won't be asked to fight and kill."
Courtney tilted her head to look at the side of Ye Jian's face. This man had always been so lonely... Smiling, she said, "Once you're back, your only job will be to entertain him. Most of the time he has nothing to do, and you should be quite good at that sort of thing."
Ye Jian said nothing, seemingly giving his silent consent.
"Sure, having fun is no problem at all, leave it to me! It's definitely better than rotting away in Azure anyway," Liu Shiheng agreed readily. "Oh, right, where should I go to find you guys?"
"Nepal. Just head south across the border, and my people will naturally find you when the time comes."
"Understood! I'll be taking off now, Sister-in-law!"
Liu Shiheng didn't believe for a second that they could track him down. Anxious and frantic, he spun around, instantly engaged his apparatus, and strode briskly toward the northeast, thinking to himself: *Eat shit, Nepal! I'm heading north to Xiongzhanli, crossing the Bering Strait... and going straight to Las Vegas!*
Chapter 358