It was not yet the true polar night. Shifting ribbons of light danced across the frigid sea as the skiff glided carefully over the water before pulling up along the shore of an obscure-looking island.
The foreign girl hopped ashore first, her long blonde hair bobbing behind her head.
*Tsk, her boat-handling isn't half bad,*
Liu Shiheng commended inwardly.
Given his current physical conditioning compared to ordinary people, he was essentially equivalent to a super combat power in that covert world, so naturally he wasn't worried about any deadly traps or schemes to rob him.
Besides, he had picked her out completely at random from the street, hiring her on the spot as a guide. When choosing a target, Young Master Liu had only two criteria: female; and possessing a great figure and decent looks.
It had been over a year; he genuinely was feeling a bit lonely.
"We're here, sir." Pointing ahead, the foreign girl turned and said, "Not far up front is a spot where people often come to fish and camp."
With that, she dutifully turned back to climb onto the boat to grab the fishing gear.
Liu Shiheng proactively reached out to take it, striding through the air with the gear in hand to land deftly and steadily on the ground. Smiling, he said, "Let me carry it."
"Thank you." The girl smiled. As she led the way, she voiced her earnest concern, "By the way, if a polar bear shows up later, what should we..."
"No problem, I'll toss it flat on its back for you." Carrying the gear beside her, Liu Shiheng tilted his head with a relaxed chuckle.
Seemingly taking it as a joke, the blonde girl broke into a bright grin. "I look forward to that! But if one really does come, don't worry, I won't abandon you."
"I took your money," she added solemnly, giving the ice axe in her hand a little brandish.
"Strange."
"What is?"
"I've suddenly started looking forward to having you protect me. Bring on the polar bears," Liu Shiheng joked with a smile.
Deep down, he genuinely hoped a polar bear would show up so he could step up and take it down bare-handed. Then, over the next couple of days, he probably wouldn't be anywhere near as lonely.
The girl laughed.
As they chatted, the two reached their intended destination.
"Someone's actually here already?!"
Old wooden stumps for people to sit on were set along the shoreline ahead, clearly indicating a popular fishing spot.
Someone was indeed already sitting there. Beneath the sky bordering on polar night, Liu Shiheng set his gear down... expertly sorting, rigging up, casting his line, and then taking a seat to wait.
Twenty, thirty minutes passed, and Young Master Shiheng chatted idly with the blonde girl.
In his own telling, he was an intrepid traveler.
The polar bears didn't show—perhaps they were already full. Feigning nonchalance, Liu Shiheng casually crushed a rock to powder with his bare hand to prove he hadn't just been blowing smoke earlier.
The foreign girl was awestruck.
The look in her eyes made Young Master Heng suddenly feel as if his year and more in Azure hadn't been entirely pointless after all.
At the same time, he cautioned himself inwardly: *Gotta watch myself from now on. Stop showing off at random, and be a proper ordinary person.*
*A master keeping his light under a bushel... Yeah, that's the vibe. It feels pretty good.* Young Master Shiheng found that he rather enjoyed this feeling.
The only issue right now was that his rod showed no signs of life whatsoever.
"What the hell is going on?" Still hoping to show off his angling skills in front of the foreign girl, Liu Shiheng muttered in Chinese under his breath.
The line drifted on the water.
The fellow nearby seemed to get a bite.
"You've never fished in an environment like this before, have you?" Eyes on the sea, the man said, "We're in the Arctic Circle now. The technique is a bit different."
It sounded just like an exchange between ordinary fellow anglers, if perhaps delivered in a tone a shade too calm and deep. As he spoke, the man reeled in and lifted his rod, drawing a fish out of the water.
He was speaking Chinese. Pleasantly surprised, Liu Shiheng turned his head to look...
Then he blinked hard... and took a second look.
Young Master Shiheng turned his head back in silence. He looked up at the sky. It seemed the Heavens above the Arctic Circle were still the very same Heavens... *You just love screwing with me, don't you? Fuck your mother.*
He remained seated, not running. But his rod and line began trembling frantically over the water.
"Is there a fish?! A big one?!" The blonde girl, who apparently knew nothing about fishing, piped up excitedly beside him.
Liu Shiheng slowly turned his head to look at her. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. As a total amateur actor, watching someone else's performance at this moment and feeling the sheer gulf between them left him struck dumb with grief!
*My wonderful life! What the fuck, acting like you're some innocent bystander?! Drop dead! You seductress Snow Lotus bitch!*
*Click.*
The sound of a boot heel stepping over gravel.
"This place is called the Svalbard archipelago. You know that, don't you?"
Not far away, a woman's voice rang out in slightly clumsy Chinese.
Still clad in an all-black leather suit, Courtney Eaton stepped out from behind an enormous boulder. She advanced step by step, smiling as she drew a short blade from behind her waist.
"And this place also happens to be one of our Snow Lotus's major camps. Quite unexpected, isn't it?"
*She's telling me straight out that this is Snow Lotus's base... I'm dead,* Liu Shiheng thought instantly.
Rotten luck! Ah!
Actually, this probably wasn't just rotten luck. He had most likely been tailed all along on the road, toyed with in a game of cat and mouse, and then delivered right to Courtney's doorstep.
In an instant, an overwhelming wave of frustration, helplessness, terror, and disillusionment surged inside him, making Liu Shiheng nearly burst into tears...
Yet before his tear ducts could even react, he had already composed himself.
Perhaps this was the sheer resilience born of having rotten luck become second nature.
Liu Shiheng stood up, greeting her with radiant warmth as if they were reuniting after years apart: "Sister-in-law!"
"Mmh." A nasal hum. Courtney acknowledged the greeting cheerfully, but kept walking closer step by step. "Too late, though. Remember our deal? If you didn't come find us in Nepal, I'd kill you the next time we met."
Her slender fingers twirled the short blade, rotating it slowly across her palm, catching eerie flashes of light beneath the aurora.
Considering she belonged to Snow Lotus, Liu Shiheng did not think for a second she was joking.
Calling her sister-in-law clearly wasn't going to save him today. Truly, the most venomous thing in the world is a woman's heart... Liu Shiheng whipped his head around toward the other side, looking at the fellow angler still seated there.
"Brother Ye, how about we go gamble in Las Vegas? I've already chartered a boat, and I know that city inside out."
Having said his piece, Liu Shiheng stood waiting.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The footsteps grew clearer and clearer. Courtney was already within five meters of him, the short blade turning lightly in her hand.
Finally...
"Sure," Ye Jian answered with natural ease. He stood up, bent down to pack away his fishing tackle, hoisted his bucket, and stood straight. "Let's go. We eat first."
With that, he headed in the opposite direction.
"Right you are!"
Tears welled in Liu Shiheng's eyes as he scrambled to catch up.
Behind him, Courtney's short blade halted midair, its edge having come within ten centimeters of the back of Young Master Liu's neck.
...
By the time they returned to Ye Jian's residence and began preparing a meal together, Liu Shiheng had sprung back to life.
Taking the posture of a helpless weakling, he bustled about energetically, fighting for survival in the narrow seam between two super combat powers.
*In times of crisis, big brother is more reliable. But to survive day-to-day, you gotta rely on sister-in-law.*
Young Master Shiheng swiftly deduced his philosophy of survival between the cracks. He enthusiastically helped Courtney with the chores, making conversation and addressing her as "Sister-in-law" at every turn.
"By the way, Sister-in-law, when did you and Brother Ye first meet?" Liu Shiheng gossiped as he arranged slices of fish on a platter.
"When I was twenty-five," Courtney answered promptly. Her short knife sliced with fluid precision, and she dipped her head with a faint smile, never specifying how many years ago that had been.
"Then it hasn't been long at all—last year, or this year?"
The flattery was so direct and shameless that it bypassed awkwardness entirely; Courtney turned to glance at him, laughing with genuine delight.
"And what about Brother Ye? How old is he? I mean, for someone at the very pinnacle even among supers, you can't tell his real age just by looking, right?"
Liu Shiheng casually followed up with another question. On this point, he was genuinely curious, because according to the timeline rumored within Azure, he ought to be calling him Uncle Ye instead.
"Mmh." Courtney nodded, sheathing her knife to leave an intact fish skeleton on the board. "Come to think of it, I really don't know exactly how old he is, because the situation is rather complicated."
Here, she pointedly tilted her head to glance at Ye Jian, who was tending the fire over by the hearth, then turned back to Liu Shiheng:
"When he first hit on me, he felt like he was in his early thirties—mature, witty, utterly charming. Then, in bed, twenty, I'd say... ahem... As for after the act, probably about ninety to a hundred."
Having said her piece, she shot a provocative look at Ye Jian.
Ye Jian opened his mouth, thought better of it, and looked away without a word.
Judging by this, Ye Jian had suffered a defeat—a total, crushing defeat. *Heheh, a super!* Liu Shiheng desperately wanted to laugh but didn't dare, trembling all over as he held it in.
Chapter 373