Martial Arts Master

September 14. After morning training and a shower, Lou Cheng carefully inspected the items in his bag, making sure that he had everything he needed. He then rushed out of the door, left the school zone and boarded a cab heading for the airport.

After a series of procedures— collecting his air ticket, immigration inspection and security checks— and an hour of waiting, he finally boarded the flight towards Connecticut in America. His emotions were out of check.

…

It was the 14th, 11:55 AM in Washington and summertime 13th, 10:55 PM in Connecticut. Yan Zheke received a new message during their scattered conversation.

“Plane is lifting off, switching off my phone.”

Yan Zheke’s eyes lit up. She grabbed her phone and worked her fingers across the keyboard, forming her emotions into sentences. Then she paused, for the words either came out as blunt or fell short of expressing herself. Deleting everything, she went with an emoji of “a chick pecking on grains of rice”.

“Okay!!”

After clicking send, she laid her phone down to work on her reports, periodically fidgeting with her phone, waiting for new replies from Lou Cheng to come in. After a while, when no replies came, she checked the webpage once more, double checking that the flight had successfully taken off.

Restraining the flutter of her heart, she finished up her reports and remaining assignments for the week. That would empty up her schedule for the 14th, keeping her Sunday free.

She wiggled and stretched lazily, then she removed her hairband, allowing her dark and lustrous hair to stream down her shoulders.

With her nightwear in her hands, she walked into the bathroom, before sluicing her hair thoroughly. The steam added an allure to her glowing skin, and two rosy spots to her snowy face.

Wrapping a towel around her glistening hair, Yan Zheke wiped at the steam that fogged the mirror, then inspected herself. She looked beautiful as she gently bit on her lips. “Now you can’t say I’m not putting in enough effort!” she chuckled to herself.

Someone kept saying that she put in more effort before meeting other girls!

She hesitated, then spread body lotion across her body and donned a face mask. By the time she blew her hair dry, she remembered something else. Blushing, she rifled out a tube of moisturizer. Her eyes twinkled as she ran her hand down from above her thighs to her knees, then ankles, then the tip of her feet.

Hmph!

For some reason, she made that sound.

…

On the flight, Lou Cheng who always led a frugal lifestyle was in the economy class cabin. Even so, the round trip had cost him nearly 20,000 RMB, which explains why there was only about 2,450,000 RMB in his balance.

Whew, not everyone can afford to sustain a long distance relationship… Lou Cheng awakened to this realization when he looked at his air ticket.

Strengthening myself, bettering myself, isn’t it all to overcome these trials?

The lack of internet access on the plane didn’t bore Lou Cheng. At times he meditated, refining fine parts, fortifying his stage of Inhuman. At times he pictured his imminent meeting with Yan Zheke, fantasizing about what could happen in their half-month of being together. When his thoughts ran wild, he even visualized about the future, spending lifetimes after lifetimes with his girl.

Of course, not being bored didn’t mean that he wasn’t anxious. He was very much frustrated at the flight not arriving sooner, and at how his powers couldn’t help him in this case.

On the other hand, he didn’t feel any discomfort, not even a trace of weariness, from the stress of travel or the crampness of the economic class seat.

Inhumans are really something else!

Airline meals were provided during the trip. After cleaning up, the air stewardess handed out an arrival card and a custom declaration form. You could ask for a template in Chinese, but the forms had to be filled in English for every passenger. With Coach Yan’s “last minute revision”, he filled them in with ease and slipped them into his passport.

The quiet journey went on as time elapsed. The plane began descending on September 14th, at 4:40 PM local time in Connecticut. Through the window, Lou Cheng saw magnificent lakes and streams that criss-crossed the cities, and skyscrapers that breathed modernity.

This was one of the most important cities in America, a bustling hub for finance, steel, food and manufacturing, accessible transport and advanced logistics. Connecticut University was also famed for its economics courses, producing almost a third of the top scholars that received prestigious awards in the field.

Hmm, I heard there is an outstanding martial arts sect in this place that’s considered the top notch in all of America. Geruga, was it? Similar thoughts flashed through Lou Cheng’s mind, but his train of thought quickly reverted back to the long-awaited reunion.

Over a month of separation was already way too long for a newly-wed couple.

Hmm, from what I read in those threads, even though we converse on a daily basis, awkwardness might spawn from time. If so, then it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to hug Ke right off the bat. Maybe I should take it slow and wait for her to get comfortable…

But if I do that, it might leave a bad taste if Ke thinks that I’m being a stranger to her…

Sigh, what a dilemma…

…

Northern districts of Connecticut, inside the girl’s room.

Yan Zheke sat before the dresser, adding the final touches to her makeup that she spent ages working on.

She pursed her pink lips and looked herself in the mirror again, her thoughts fluctuating.

I look radiant. Stunning, if I were to say so myself. My silly Cheng wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off me. Wait, are those eyebags? It must be from when I rushed through my reports and assignments these few days, in order to make time for the weekends. And I gained a whole 2kg in the last fortnight, after cutting down on my training time. Perhaps I’m a little bit out of shape compared to when I was in China…

Feeling conflicted, she checked the time. Without further hesitation, she stood up and opened the wardrobe, carefully picking out her outfit as she reminisced on the times she made Lou Cheng’s jaws drop.

The weather was crisp in September of Connecticut, but the capriciousness of it made the temperature fluctuate so wildly that signs— bearing the time and temperature— was a common sight in the streets. After much deliberation, Yan Zheke went with the combination of a classy white shirt, a knee-length skirt, stockings that matched her skin tone and tennis shoes that gave off a youthful exuberance.

She looked herself over once more, her heart pounding hard as she slid on her wedding ring. Grabbing her purse, she left the door and summoned her full-time bodyguard, Aunt Du, to drive her to the airport.

…

5:15 PM. The slightly delayed flight had arrived in the bustling Orion airport. Shouldering his belongings, with his passport in his hand, Lou Cheng moved along with the flow of people as he informed Yan Zheke of his arrival.

Thanks to the oral and listening practices with “Miss Yan”, he barely managed to get through the staff and arrive at the customs without many complications. Of course, he still had to wait.

After receiving his passport, arrival card and customs declaration form, the staff began a meticulous inspection. At the same time, in an office hidden somewhere in the airport, a person-in-charge from the Department of Homeland Security saw the word “Danger” appearing above the visa photo.

Danger grade… The portly man got on his phone and called in a Caucasian male of about 28.

“Smith, I want you to keep an eye on this guy until he leaves,” he said in a deep voice, pointing to the computer screen.

Smith with the auburn hair and a cheerful demeanor lowered his head to look at the swivelling screen.

“Oh,” he gasped. “Danger grade? At such a young age?”

The dark-haired male from China was no more than 25 at a glance, no, looking at the data he’s only 20!

Is he a monster?

“No questions, do what you are told to do. I’ll get Renee to compile the data for you, and you’ll also be granted C-grade access to the Skynet,” said the man in charge, rubbing a hand across his thin hair.

“Yes Sir!” With that, Smith swung around and lifted his right hand. A thin thread, almost indiscernible, flew out and latched itself onto the door knob, pulling it open.

Raising his left hand, he spun another thread, and with a pull, catapulted himself out of the office.

“Close the door when you leave!” hissed the man in charge, his voice dropping to a mumble. “Don’t go thinking that you can be Spiderman with your evolved abilities. That’s fiction damn it!”

…

After a whole ten minute delay, the custom staff handed Lou Cheng’s his passport and half-torn arrival card. “Alright Sir, you may proceed.”

Whew… Lou Cheng heaved a sigh of relief, previously worried that he was mistaken as a terrorist. Hastening his pace, he bounded towards the security check.

After another round of queueing, he texted Yan Zheke as he strode towards the arrival hall.

“Where are you? I’m almost there.”

Long live international data plans!

Yan Zheke scanned her surroundings—after turning down some guy trying to hit on her— and lowered her head to reply, her heart beating hard.

“Right opposite the exit, look in front.”

Beep! Lou Cheng almost let out a laugh when he saw the message.

Ke must be all over the place too, giving such vague instructions instead of any striking landmarks…

Just as he was about to ask again, he unconsciously raised his head as he walked, and in a glance he saw her silhouette by the dim lights, elegant and gorgeous.

There were no landmarks, for she was the landmark herself. In the milling crowd of people, she silently bloomed like a flower, beautifying her surroundings.

Thump, thump, thump! Lou Cheng’s heart began beating like crazy. Hold it in, take it slow, don’t scare Ke, he told himself, but his footsteps kept getting faster.

On the other side, despite a part of her telling her to be more reserved and ladylike, she could not help but move herself towards the familiar figure.

In a few steps, they were within each other’s reach, feeling each other’s breath and taking in each other’s features— no longer through screens, phones, computers, and network cables.

She looked as pretty as ever with her usual pursed lips and faint smile. A buzz went through Lou Cheng’s head. Forgetting everything else, he reached out and pulled Yan Zheke into his chest, hugging her with all his might.

Yan Zheke froze, then melted in his embrace.

Feeling his warmth, just like how she remembered it, breathing in his familiar faint scent, all her worries, fear, anxiety and nervousness slowly went away. The awkwardness they feared for was gone before it came.

In the Orion Airport arrival hall, a few other couples were hugging too, not just them.

Chewing on his gum, Smith almost let out a whistle as he stared at the surveillance screen.

“School days huh. How enviable…”