Chapter 107

Chapter 107 [Pfft—Hahaha, when in doubt, hit Feng Jingye.]

The spotted seal group might still be where they were yesterday.

Spotted seals don't have much of a territorial sense. They just look for safe spots to haul out and sunbathe.

If it were the wild, the chance of seeing the same group of spotted seals in the same place would be nearly zero.

But now they're on an island.

Since they were heading to the seaside, Lin Qianyu not only brought the fluffball along, she also carried a hiking backpack—planning to hang the fishing rod on it and just go with the flow about whether she caught anything or not.

Trudging through the snow, Lin Qianyu muttered, “I wonder if the little spotted seal that was taken away would still be accepted by the group after returning.”

The little spotted seal crawling ahead turned its head. “Huh?”

Lin Qianyu smiled and rubbed its chin. “You're not called 'Little Spotted Seal.'”

“Awo!”

“That’s not a name.” Maybe the seal had heard it too often and thought those four words were its name.

The little seal blinked, seemingly confused why it wasn’t.

Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “As for a name, how about Huihui? Doesn’t Huihui sound nicer than ‘Little Spotted Seal’?”

“Aa-wo!” The little seal stopped and rolled on the ground.

It liked it!

Just then, Lin Qianyu felt a tug at her pant leg. Looking down, she saw the arctic fox looking up at her.

She squatted down and wrapped her arms around its neck, rubbing its thick fur collar. “Let’s call this little fox Xueqiu (Snowball).”

White and fluffy—perfect color and perfectly round.

[Unexpectedly fitting for the fluffball!]

[Snowball is cute, and Snow Tuan is cute too! Since the start of the variety show live broadcast, Lin-jie’s naming skills have definitely improved.]

[Okay, okay, blowing her trumpet with eyes shut, huh.]

[Just admit she’s getting better.]

…

They slowly made their way to the same fishing spot as before.

They were in luck again. At the edge of the fishing hole, not far away, was a group of spotted seals lying on the ice basking in the sun.

The only question was whether this group was the one the little seal belonged to.

It wasn’t easy to distinguish each individual seal just by the patterns on their fur. Even Lin Qianyu couldn’t do that—especially not for a whole group.

She picked up the little seal so it could look down from a higher spot. “Do you recognize them?”

“Awo!” The little seal wagged its tail.

Yes!At the same time, sounds rose from within the seal group.

“Awo!”

One of the spotted seals came forward, approaching Lin Qianyu’s direction, but still stopped at a cautious distance. It raised its upper body, eyes scanning left and right.

Lin Qianyu set the little spotted seal down, and it scooted forward on the ice.

“Awo awo!”

The spotted seal looked at the little seal that had rushed up to it, still in disbelief.

Its round eyes didn’t blink for a moment, filled with stunned confusion.

Although Lin Qianyu didn’t know exactly what had happened back then, a little spotted seal taken away by a polar bear would have been presumed dead by the seal group.

Now it had returned alive—this might be the first time something like that had happened in the group.

Other spotted seals also gathered around curiously.

She left space for the seals, letting them reconnect. Even though it had only been a night, it seemed the seals had a lot to talk about.

Lin Qianyu broke open the ice hole from yesterday. Even though it had only been one night, it had frozen over solidly.

Still, compared to thicker ice elsewhere, it was easier to break through.

She crushed the ice, stirred with a stick to push out the larger chunks, and left the small bits—no issue for fishing.

After securing the fishing gear, Lin Qianyu decided not to sit there all day. “Let’s go, Xueqiu. Let’s find the polar bear.”

“Whine…”

The little fox bit the hem of her coat.

Lin Qianyu: “Hmm?”

The little fox tilted its head. Following its gaze, at first she saw only a vast field of white, but then, staring carefully, she noticed movement in the snow.

It seemed the polar bear was buried there, digging for something.

“So you’re here.” Lin Qianyu walked over and teased, “Ran off so fast and didn’t even wait for me.”

“Hmm?”

There was a crack here, and the polar bear had shoved its head into it. It twitched at her voice, but when it tried to back up, it couldn’t get itself out.

“Careful.” Lin Qianyu reached out to help, but her glove was too thick to fit into the gap.

She took off one glove, reached along the edge, and gently guided it to move out slightly to the left. “Okay, now lift your head.”

One instruction, one movement—the polar bear obediently lifted its head, holding a drooping bundle of gray-brown grass in its mouth.

“Tu Grass?” Lin Qianyu took the bundle. “A type of wild medicinal herb—clears heat and detoxifies, reduces inflammation and relieves pain.”

But the grass looked a bit shriveled, with curled edges on some leaves.

Didn’t seem freshly picked.

More like it had already been harvested and stored somewhere.【???】

【I sincerely apologize for thinking the polar bear had just run off to play.】

【If you put that grass in front of me, I’d toss it as inedible weeds. How can the polar bear even recognize this stuff?!】

【It’s not about recognizing. Probably, when animals feel unwell and eat this grass, they feel better—so they think others can eat it too when they’re unwell.】

Rather than “recognizing,” it’s more like: it ate it before and got better, so now it wants to give it to someone else to eat too.

Lin Qianyu came back to herself and said, “Did you come out to find this to treat someone’s illness?”

The polar bear didn’t know what a treasure chest was, but it did understand the concept of illness—especially one raised in a rescue station. It might not understand “treasure chests,” but would be used to health checkups and vaccinations.

The polar bear opened its mouth. “Awo!”

Eat!

“I’m not sick,” Lin Qianyu stroked the polar bear and said, “It’s my teammate on the show who’s sick. Can I bring this back for him to eat?”

“Woo!” The polar bear licked her hand, leaving it up to her to handle what it had given.

They were so focused on talking that Lin Qianyu curled her stiff fingertips and put her glove back on. “So cold.”

Even with the glove on, her hands didn’t warm up right away—she slowly warmed them by rubbing.

The fishing gear was placed beside the ice hole. The box that held the fishing tools had a heavy weight at the bottom, so it wouldn’t get blown away easily.

The fishing rod was also firmly secured.

Lin Qianyu packed away the herbs. “Let’s bring the medicine back first, then we can come out to play again.”

Neither of the fluffballs objected. As Lin Qianyu placed her hand on the polar bear’s back, she suddenly remembered she hadn’t named the bear yet. “How about we call you Xuetuan (Snow Tuan)?”

Snow-white and fluffy, curled up like a ball.

“Awo?”

“Xuetuan,” Lin Qianyu tapped its nose. “You’re Xuetuan.”

“Awo!”

Xuetuan!

The polar bear repeated the two characters.

Lin Qianyu rubbed her hands together. “Alright, let’s head back.”

The arctic fox’s ears twitched, as if it had caught a sound. It stared at the snow, and its tail movements unconsciously slowed down.

When hunting, arctic foxes usually quiet themselves completely, then slowly close in—one strike, one kill.

Lin Qianyu listened carefully—there did seem to be a faint sound, but it was too unclear. “Is it a lemming?”

Lemmings had become a common dish on the arctic fox’s menu.

The snow surface looked smooth and solid, but underneath, it was probably riddled with tunnels dug by lemmings.

The arctic fox leapt into the snow and dove in, chasing after something inside.The lemming below panicked and ran blindly, trying to break through while being cornered by the arctic fox—only to crash headfirst into the polar bear.

The polar bear didn’t even look. It casually slapped down with one paw and grabbed the lemming like a snack.

The arctic fox, who had lost the chase, shook out its fur. As it shook the snow off its head, it noticed the polar bear chewing on the lemming.

The polar bear stood up slowly and shared half of the lemming with it.

“Whimper!”

There’s still meat back at home.

The arctic fox wasn’t hungry—this was just practice to hone its hunting skills.

…

A lemming doesn’t have much meat on it. They ate as they walked back, and the lemming was gone before they even got near the base.

“You two go play on your own for a bit.” Lin Qianyu, holding the herbs, knocked on Nie Lingyang’s tent.

Speaking of playing—Xuetuan the polar bear ambled over to Feng Jingye’s tent.

The tent flap was open. Feng Jingye was standing at the entrance, slightly bent over, poking his head inside as if fixing something at the top of the tent.

The polar bear crept over quietly, as if it were just passing by—making not a sound.

It glanced over and saw Lin Qianyu occupied with the herbs. It had already walked past Feng Jingye’s tent… then stepped back two paces—and kicked.

The next moment, Feng Jingye fell straight into the tent.

Lin Qianyu, sensing something, turned her head and saw the polar bear lifting one leg. She said, “…No peeing.”

Feng Jingye, lying on the sleeping bag holding his waist, unable to get up: “……”

Might as well have just peed on my tent.

【Hahahaha I’m dying—so that’s how the human vanishing magic trick works?】

【The polar bear is so smart! It even sneaks in a kick when Lin-jie isn’t looking. That kick—I feel pain in the Island Master’s waist just watching it.】

【Instant launch, like flying—Xuetuan really didn’t hold back.】

【I’m guilty, but I love the Island Master’s interactions with the animals so much. So full of “love.”】

【Right? All predators, and yet they’re careful not to accidentally kill the Island Master when they roughhouse. Big love—absolutely big love!】

Nie Lingyang, feverish and dazed, had no idea where he was or what he was doing. Hearing a sound, he pulled open his tent flap. Still wearing a mask, he mumbled, “Qianyu-jie.”

Lin Qianyu handed him the cleaned herbs. “Chew and eat this.”

“Is it a wild vegetable? Thanks.” Nie Lingyang looked at the not-so-attractive bunch of grass, lifted his mask a bit, and took a bite—bitter and raw.

His lazy expression instantly changed.

Lin Qianyu said, “It’s medicinal. We couldn’t find any fever or cold medicine, so this will have to do.”

Nie Lingyang had thought it was just wild greens to fill his stomach. Now that he realized it was medicine, the bitterness didn’t bother him anymore. “Mmm! Seriously, I already feel better.”

Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow. Herbal medicine didn’t usually work that fast.But Nie Lingyang did look a lot more spirited—maybe it was just psychological.

Nie Lingyang chewed the herbs in small bites. “Thanks for the trouble, Qianyu-jie. You even thought of me while you were out.”

Lin Qianyu replied, “It wasn’t me. It was Xuetuan… the polar bear who found it.”

The area was all snow and ice—this kind of herb was hard to find.

Moreover, tu grass doesn’t grow under snow or on ice. She had no idea where the polar bear had managed to find it.

“Thank—”

Just as he was speaking, the polar bear happened to walk over and pawed at the tent flap.

Nie Lingyang’s tone suddenly changed. “Thanks—eek—ah!!”

His neck stiffened, and the herbs he’d been chewing forever without swallowing—because they tasted so awful—went down whole.

Nie Lingyang nervously gulped, staring at the polar bear now right in front of him, and forced himself to say “thanks” as calmly as he could.

No matter how gentle a polar bear was, it was still a polar bear. Nie Lingyang was interested, sure, but he firmly believed beauty comes from a safe distance. Up close, he might actually get smacked, and he had no idea if he could survive a single swipe from that paw.

Staring at that big fluffy white paw, Nie Lingyang had no doubt: if the bear really hit him, his soul might leave his body on the spot.

Terrifying.

“Get some good rest,” Lin Qianyu said, pulling the polar bear out of the tent with her arm around it.

Nie Lingyang weakly nodded.

Lin Qianyu went back and poured a bowl of water. She’d mixed a lot of snow into hot water earlier to wash the herbs—diluting it into cold water, worried that scalding them might affect their potency.

She added more snow to what remained and kept it boiling.

Right now, the water in the mess tin was bubbling.

“Phew…” Lin Qianyu held the small bowl of hot water. “If there were some tea leaves to steep in it, that’d be perfect.”

But in this freezing environment, green plants were rare—let alone tea.

She took off her gloves and warmed her stiff fingers over the heat.

The polar bear, drawn by the smell, circled near the fridge.

“Hungry?” Lin Qianyu guessed it had caught the scent of the grilled fish, so she put down her bowl, stood up, and opened the wooden cover. “If you’re hungry next time, you can come here to dig out some food.”

“Woo!”

The polar bear grabbed the grilled fish it hadn’t finished earlier and carried it off.

Lin Qianyu also picked out a piece of seal meat—leftover from her last fishing trip—to grill for herself.

Though she’d cut seal meat a few times before, this seemed to be her first time actually eating it.

Seal meat is rich in protein and contains a balanced range of amino acids—one of the leanest types of meat in nature.

It was frozen solid—slicing it into thin strips for slow grilling was impossible. She had to treat it like roasting a whole lamb.

She softened and charred the surface of the seal meat, then sliced it off, reheated it repeatedly to ensure it was fully cooked, and sprinkled on some seasoning before eating.But because of that, eating was slower.

The polar bear had already finished its grilled fish, while Lin Qianyu hadn’t even sliced off her first piece yet.

Once the seal meat was placed over the fire, Lin Qianyu didn’t bother with it. She gathered snow from the side and shaped it into a palm-sized snowball.

She raised her voice and called out, “Xuetuan! Let’s have a snowball fight!”

Before the polar bear could react, the snowball flew straight over and shattered on impact with its body.

She hadn’t packed it very tightly—just layered snow on snow—so even a little force made it break apart.

“Roar!”

The struck polar bear let out a roar and turned to charge toward Feng Jingye’s tent.

Lin Qianyu, who had her hand raised waiting for the polar bear to throw one back: “???”

Bullet comments:

【Pfft—hahaha, when in doubt, hit Feng Jingye.】

【It just can’t bear to lay a paw on Lin-jie, huh.】

【Next time, the reason Island Master gets smacked: he stepped into the tent with his left foot first.】

【I hereby declare the Island Master is the polar bear’s designated punching bag… hmm, maybe not—he’s offended more fluffballs than just the polar bear.】

【That clean, decisive turn makes me wonder if it’s been waiting for a chance to hit him and just needed a reason.】

But this time, the polar bear pounced on nothing—Feng Jingye had already slipped out at some point.

The tent was empty, not a soul inside.

Standing at the entrance, the bear swatted aimlessly a couple times, then ran back to Lin Qianyu.

“Haha…” Seeing this, Lin Qianyu couldn’t hold back a laugh. “We were just throwing snowballs for fun.”

“Whine?” The arctic fox sat beside her, chin resting under Lin Qianyu’s hand, looking up at her in confusion.

“Not throwing it at you, sweetie, just this.” Lin Qianyu waved the snowball she had just packed in front of the fox, then placed it gently on top of its head.

Right between the ears—but the snowball was a bit big, and faintly pressed on the ears.

The arctic fox folded its ears back behind its head, but stayed perfectly still, as if afraid that blinking would make the snowball fall.

The polar bear, unhappy from missing its target, came back and lay down next to Lin Qianyu.

Lin Qianyu leaned on the polar bear and stroked under its chin, smoothing its fur. “Come try the seal meat—see how roasted meat tastes.”

A polar bear that only ate seal fat would only eat the meat itself when food was scarce, but this roasted version was probably its first time trying it.

The meat she carved off was still half-raw, but there was no visible blood inside.

Both the polar bear and the little fox got a piece.

“No seasoning added. But I remember reading that seal meat naturally has a bit of a salty taste. The texture’s kind of like liver, but without the bloody flavor.” Lin Qianyu flipped the seal meat over the fire. The sliced pieces were still red at the cut.

This kind of meat—cooked on one side, raw on the other—had the best texture for the little animals.

Lin Qianyu asked, “Does it taste good?”The little fox squinted its eyes in delight as it ate. “Whimper…”

The polar bear let out a low growl, chewing the meat slowly with its mouth.

Maybe it tasted good, but neither of the fluffballs kept eating for long—they each took one bite and stopped.

While waiting for the seal meat to finish cooking, Lin Qianyu continued to pack snowballs. Gradually, a decent pile of them formed at her feet.

The little fox didn’t know what she was doing, but it started pawing snow toward her feet.

The polar bear followed suit, imitating her movements. It used its paw to gather snow into a pile, then watched Lin Qianyu shape it with her hands. Trying to help, it pressed down with its paw—flattening the little mound into a snow pancake.

Eventually, the meat was ready.

Lin Qianyu cut off a piece and grilled it over the fire again. No seasoning, just trying the original flavor. “The texture’s nice, just a bit dry.”

There wasn’t any fat, and since she had to make sure it was thoroughly cooked, she’d left it over the fire longer than ideal. But it still tasted much better than pork would with the same method.

If it were pork, this kind of cooking would have turned it into jerky.

The polar bear licked its paw. “Roar…”

Lin Qianyu blinked. “Going hunting?”

The polar bear rubbed against her wrist.

The arctic fox stood up too. “Whimper!”

Together.

Lin Qianyu rubbed the polar bear’s ear and said, “Alright. Be careful, and try to come back before dark.”

“Woo!”

There was still one lemming left from yesterday, but not enough for a full dinner.

The polar bear and arctic fox headed out together, one in front of the other—two fluffballs hunting side by side, keeping each other company.

Lin Qianyu chewed on the grilled meat and leaned back against the tent. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone approaching and narrowed her eyes. “Weren’t you off treasure hunting? What happened to you…?”

Hang Sisi was covered in snow. Some of it didn’t even fall off as she moved—it clung tightly to her clothes, likely frozen solid after melting and refreezing.

Seeing her empty-handed, Lin Qianyu handed her a bowl of hot water and asked, “Didn’t find the treasure?”

“No… we found it.” Hang Sisi’s voice was hoarse as she started speaking. She patted the snow off herself. “But it’s completely frozen in place—we couldn’t get it out at all. I suspect the production team tossed it into the sea or something. Otherwise, how could it be frozen that solid?”

The two of them had worked at it for a long time but still couldn’t lift the chest.

Hang Sisi sighed and stopped a few steps away. Even when reaching for the water, she had to lean forward. “There wasn’t much in the chest. We picked out the useful stuff and left the box behind.”

It wasn’t clear whether the box had just been frozen to the ground from sitting too long…

Or if the production team had learned from the last time—when the treasure on the grassland island got looted—and deliberately fixed the chest in place so guests couldn’t take it.

Either way, they couldn’t move it.

Lin Qianyu said, “Sit down and rest a bit. Want some seal meat?”

Hang Sisi declined. “No, I still need to go look for medicine. I just came back to check on how Nie Lingyang is doing.”Lin Qianyu swallowed the meat in her mouth and said, “He just took some herbs and went to sleep—he’s fine.”

“Herbs?” Hang Sisi asked in surprise, “There are actually herbs around here?”

Lin Qianyu nodded. “The ones I had were brought by the polar bear. But there should be herbs here—plenty of cold-resistant plants, though they’re a bit far from our base.”

Hearing that, Hang Sisi immediately gave up the idea of searching for herbs herself. If the polar bear found herbs, that meant there were polar bears where the herbs grew.

She wasn’t particularly eager to face a polar bear alone.

Hang Sisi asked, “Qianyu-jie, aren’t you going to search for treasure?”

“Maybe later,” Lin Qianyu replied casually. “I was thinking of building the shelter first. The treasure’s not urgent.”

Supplies were abundant and wouldn’t run out any time soon. The treasure didn’t contain building materials anyway, so if she happened upon it, great—if not, no big deal.

“Alright, then I’ll go back to searching.” Hang Sisi set the bowl down and stood up. “I’m off, Qianyu-jie.”

Without disturbing the sleeping Nie Lingyang, Hang Sisi left after grabbing a sip of hot water.

Lin Qianyu leisurely continued eating the seal meat. Aside from it being a bit tough to chew, everything else was fine.

“I’ll go move some more snow bricks later. If only the snow here were a little thicker,” she muttered. Then she wouldn’t have to go so far just to find clean, firm snow bricks.

The production team had probably chosen the base location with safety in mind—snow around the area wasn’t as dense or solid as it was farther out.

“Woo!”

The polar bear, who hadn’t been gone long, came storming back.

Lin Qianyu still hadn’t finished the piece of seal meat in her hand. Hearing the sound, she blinked in surprise. “Back already?”

She turned her head—and saw the polar bear holding the little spotted seal in its mouth.

Lin Qianyu: “……”

She had just returned it.

“Ah-ow.”

Familiar with the routine now, the little spotted seal didn’t even blink while being carried—completely calm.

Compared to the first time when it had wailed in panic, its composure now was on a whole different level.

The polar bear set the little seal down. “Ow!”

Lost!

“Lost?” Lin Qianyu pressed her lips together. After realizing what had happened, she couldn’t help but laugh. “No, it wasn’t lost. It went back to its seal group—I was the one who brought it back.”

She laughed and explained to the livestream chat, “Xuetuan probably thought the little spotted seal had gotten lost, so when it saw it, it brought it back on purpose.”

【Polar Bear: I refuse to abandon a single useless teammate!】

【Little Spotted Seal: ??? Can you be polite?】

【Wait… was that the reason it grabbed the seal the first time too? It smelled Lin-jie’s scent on it and thought she lost it, so it brought it back?】

【Makes sense! Xuetuan never intended to eat Huihui from the start.】...

The polar bear nudged the little spotted seal with its snout, pushing it toward Lin Qianyu. “Ow!”

It seemed to have specifically come back to drop off the little spotted seal. Once the delivery was made, it turned and ran off to continue hunting.

Or maybe it went to find the Arctic fox.

Leaving Lin Qianyu and the little seal staring at each other in silence.

“Hmm…” Lin Qianyu thought for a moment and said, “How about staying here with us? I guarantee you’ll have all the fish you can eat.”

The little seal blinked. “Ah-ow!”

Deal!

The island’s weather was relatively mild.

At most, there were strong winds and heavy snow, but no full-blown storms.

Given how unique the polar island was, extreme weather here wasn’t just a survival challenge like on other islands—it could be truly life-threatening.

That’s why, during the planning phase, they deliberately scheduled the polar island last, to avoid the earlier period of extreme weather.

Tents worked for the short term, but Lin Qianyu started building a shelter, and the other guests gradually began working on theirs too.

Because Lin Qianyu’s shelter was more complex and included interior partitions, hers actually took longer to finish than the others’.

On the seventh day of the livestream, Lin Qianyu stood on a stack of stones and fit the final snow brick in place, giving it a pat to secure it snugly.

“Done!”

She jumped down from the pile of stones and circled the completed ice house, checking for any gaps that might’ve been missed.

Since snow would come in from outside, Lin Qianyu had deliberately placed the entrance near the kitchen. A bathroom separated it from the bedroom inside, so no heat would escape easily.

The Arctic fox and polar bear were still out hunting and hadn’t returned yet.

Lin Qianyu entered through the arched doorway—extended for insulation—though you had to bend a little going in. Once inside, you could stand up straight.

She brought in the livestream equipment and lit a fire, waiting for the temperature to rise.

The wooden bed and some other wooden furniture had already been placed inside before the roof was sealed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have fit through the doorway.

Clatter clatter—a faint rattling sound came from the wooden boards.

Lin Qianyu poked at the fire pit, thinking it was just the firewood burning, but upon listening closely, the sound seemed to be coming from outside.

Her fingers froze mid-motion. At this time, the other guests were still out searching for food and weren’t at base.

“Shhh…” Lin Qianyu raised a finger to her lips. “Sounds like something’s messing with my fridge outside.”

In the entire shelter, the only thing that could make a sound like that was the lid of the fridge.

Lin Qianyu cautiously poked her head out through the arched front entrance of the ice house. The fridge was built not far from the shelter—after all, if it was too far, hauling meat back to the kitchen would be a hassle.

So they had built it close by.

Now that the shelter was finished, the fridge was practically right next to it.Any small movement was especially audible.

The fridge was stocked with meat collected over the past few days. The smell of blood wasn’t strong, but if you got close, you could still catch a hint of it.

Lin Qianyu reached out to steady the livestream equipment, which might fly around and startle the animal stealing food. Peering through the arched doorway, she saw an emaciated snow leopard crouched beside the fridge, sniffing the meat inside.

Author’s note: Good night, sleep early, love every one of you.

[Seal meat information sourced from the internet]