Landlord in the Arctic

After eating their fill, they repacked their gear.

They neatly rolled the sleeping bags and packed away each piece of cookware.

Once everything was packed, Feng Shan pushed open the tent flap. In that instant, a bone-chilling cold slammed into him without warning.

The chill shot from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, sending a shiver through his body. It sparked a powerful, instantaneous urge to dive right back into the warmth of the tent.

As far as the eye could see, the world outside had been completely transformed by heavy snow.

Clearly, a heavy snow had fallen late last night. The pure white snow was piled high.

Outside the tent, in the area where the tigers usually rested, their majestic figures were gone. All that remained was a rolling, unbroken blanket of snow. In the darkness of the polar night, it shimmered with a mysterious, cold light.

Feng Shan casually scooped up a handful of snow and rubbed it haphazardly across his face, a makeshift morning wash.

Looking up at the rolling snowdrifts before him, he cleared his throat and shouted.

"Tyson!"

WHOOSH!

The snow immediately erupted as a head burst out from underneath. With a face as round as a hamburger and a pair of innocent eyes, it was none other than Tyson.

Right after, the other tigers began to pop their heads out of the snowdrifts like mushrooms after a rain.

Among the tigers was an outlier: a creature wearing a Santa hat. Judging by its relaxed demeanor, it must have slept soundly last night.

"Alright kids, get ready to move out. We need to get back to Crown Territory today," Feng Shan said as he skillfully donned his hat, snow goggles, and face mask. Then he turned to help Nash with the tent.

After packing up the tent and the rest of their equipment, the two of them climbed over the snow wall and headed straight for the parked snowmobiles.

They pulled off the weatherproof tarp covering the vehicles and secured their supplies, gear, and the parrot’s cage to the attached sled.

After that, Feng Shan took out his backpack and called to Tu’Er.

"Tu’Er, come here."

Upon hearing the call, Tu’Er joyfully wiggled its body and expertly dove into the backpack. It then poked its head out, wanting to get affectionate with Feng Shan.

But as soon as Feng Shan leaned in, a strong smell of guts wafted from Tu’Er’s beak. He knew the creature must have gorged itself last night.

He grimaced in disgust and swatted away Tu’Er’s proffered beak.

"Get away, your breath is rank!"

Then he slung the backpack onto his back.

With everything ready, Feng Shan glanced at the spirited tigers, cranked the throttle, and yelled.

"Let’s move out!"

In an instant, the snowmobile’s engine roared to life, and amidst the ice and snow, they once again began their journey home.

...

「Crown Territory.」

After Feng Shan left, a stream of guests arrived one after another.

There were the two "useless young masters" and Miss Xu, as well as Chief Welta and Jeff from the Wild Bull Tribe, the mayor from the Northernmost Tribe Alliance, and, at Old Li’s invitation, the head of a Chinese construction company and a professional Horse Trainer.

Of course, among this group of guests, the most important were none other than the trio of Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide.

They had meticulously planned a surprise, intending to ambush Feng Shan, so they’d kept their travel plans a secret.

They had been thrilled at the thought of seeing the surprised look on Feng Shan’s face when they showed up at Crown Territory.

But who would have thought that after arriving at Crown Territory, full of anticipation, they would learn that Feng Shan was away and hadn’t returned yet.

A small wave of disappointment washed over the trio, like having a carefully chosen gift with no one to give it to.

However, the new changes in Crown Territory soon captured their attention, and that little bit of disappointment vanished.

Knowing the trio was as close to Feng Shan as his own siblings, Jenny set aside her work to personally host them.

The private hot spring in the log cabin was shrouded in steam, like a paradise on earth.

Xiaohua and Jenny were soaking contentedly in the hot spring, enveloped in its warmth.

The two women nibbled on snacks and whispered intimately to one another.

Meanwhile, Hu Zi and Black Hide had made a beeline for the shooting range the moment they got off the plane, where they were now enthusiastically getting their fill of shooting.

For women, appearance is always a hot topic of conversation.

Xiaohua stared at Jenny, her eyes filled with curiosity. She finally couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, "Ms. Zhan, how did the scar on your face disappear?"

Actually, Xiaohua had noticed the dramatic change in the scar on Jenny’s face the moment she first saw her.

Jenny was slightly taken aback, raising a hand to gently touch where the hideous scar used to be. A gentle smile unconsciously graced her lips.

’She recalled what Feng Shan had warned her about before: she absolutely could not tell anyone about what happened at the fire-pit prayer.’

After a moment’s thought, she fudged an answer about the air and water quality.

"It’s probably because the air and water here in Crown Territory are so good. I’ve been here for a while, and my skin has slowly gotten better."

Xiaohua took Jenny’s explanation at face value.

After all, she’d seen plenty of similar news reports back home.

Those places, isolated deep in the mountains and ancient forests, were untouched by industrial pollution. Their air was fresh and water pure, and they were often home to people who lived to a ripe old age.

Plenty of businesses even used this as a gimmick, opening all sorts of wellness retreats that attracted hordes of customers.

However, Xiaohua’s gaze drifted down from Jenny’s face. Then, she subconsciously glanced down at herself.

The comparison...

It was like comparing a McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger to a KFC Zinger Tower Burger.

The difference was clear at a glance.

A wicked grin spread across Xiaohua’s face. She launched a covert "attack" under the water, her hand suddenly darting out to give Jenny a gentle squeeze. Then, with a look of feigned astonishment, she asked.

"Ms. Zhan, you seem to have gotten bigger here... They weren’t this big the last time we bathed together. Could it be Brother Shan’s handiwork?"