The next morning, Black Widow got out of bed and swayed her graceful figure as she made her way to the second-floor balcony.
She had slept well last night, better than ever before. It had been his most restful, comfortable sleep in all these years. She had almost forgotten what that felt like.
She pulled open the curtains and immediately spotted her sports car downstairs.
The car seemed to have been washed and wiped down. It looked brand-new. For some reason, Black Widow felt a little touched, and he could not help thinking how wonderful it would be if every day could be this lovely.
Delicious food, a comfortable bed to sleep in, no living on tenterhooks, no nightmares in the middle of the night.
Just then, Ling Yi stepped out of the car, still holding a rag. When he saw Black Widow upstairs, he gave her a smile as brilliant as sunshine.
"Hey, beautiful, nice figure. But I think you ought to take your own charms into account. You know, there's a single man here," Ling Yi said with a smile.
Black Widow's figure was naturally beyond reproach. Ling Yi had not expected to see her with her guard almost entirely down like this, either.
Honestly, Ling Yi's heart stirred for a moment. No one could face such a captivating beauty and remain unmoved, unless they were a saint or a eunuch.
Ling Yi was neither a saint nor a eunuch. So, could he consider having a romance with Black Widow?
Still, Ling Yi would not force something like that.
In his previous life, he had known countless women, but precisely because of that, he had become strangely indifferent to love. The girls who had clapped hands with him had never loved him for who he was.
Let nature take its course!
"I've made breakfast. Come down and eat after you wash up." With that, Ling Yi went back into the living room.
When Ling Yi entered the living room, he saw a bald woman contentedly eating the meatballs in her bowl.
Ling Yi's face darkened. He could not help saying, "Sis, is it really okay for you to appear and disappear like a ghost? There's someone outside the family here, you know."
The Ancient One blinked and said rather playfully, "She won't be outside the family for much longer."
As she spoke, she popped another meatball from her bowl into her mouth and chewed with great enjoyment. "Being able to taste food like this makes being alive seem more meaningful."
"People who spoil things are the worst. Also, sis, are you just brazenly mooching a meal? Doesn't Kamar-Taj need looking after? You're the Sorcerer Supreme who protects the peace of Earth's dimension. You need to keep up that dignified bearing, okay?"
"The Dark Dimension was blown apart, Dormammu is dead, and the other dimensional demon gods were all scared out of their wits. Not a single one will dare covet Earth for at least a thousand years. What's wrong with me taking a vacation?" the Ancient One said, rolling her eyes.
Just then, Natasha came downstairs and happened to hear what the Ancient One said. She instantly felt as though she had heard something extraordinary.
"Hello, I'm Ling Yi's older sister. You can call me the Ancient One."
"Since when did you become my older sister?"
"What, is having me, the Sorcerer Supreme, as your older sister somehow beneath you?"
Natasha took a deep breath and walked over to the dining table.
"Let me introduce you. This is the Sorcerer Supreme, the Ancient One, a truly respectable sage who has protected Earth for over a thousand years and defeated invasions from other dimensions many times."
Ling Yi made no attempt to conceal the Ancient One's identity, nor was there any need to. If the Ancient One did not want them to, no one could find Kamar-Taj anyway, and no one could defeat her.
Well... except himself.
"H-hello, Master Ancient One." Black Widow was utterly shaken inside. If what Ling Yi said was true, this was enormous.
The Sorcerer Supreme sounded like an incredible being just from the title. She had protected Earth for a thousand years, so why had the outside world never heard anything about her? And what were dimensional demon gods? If they were called demon gods, how terrifying must they be?
If the Ancient One was Earth's guardian, then what did that make S.H.I.E.L.D.? This world seemed to hold far too many secrets. S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed rather like a frog at the bottom of a well.
"Don't overthink it. We sorcerers never take part in worldly conflicts. Our responsibility is only to protect Earth from invasion on the dimensional level." Seeing what Black Widow was thinking, the Ancient One offered an explanation.
"By dimension, do you mean the kind of dimension I'm thinking of?" Black Widow asked instinctively.
"More or less. You can think of the world we inhabit as a dimensional space."
This was far too impressive. Compared with S.H.I.E.L.D., these people were the ones who truly operated on a grander level.
"Let's have breakfast. I put a lot of care into preparing this." Ling Yi changed the subject. With something like this, the more they explained, the more questions there would be.
Black Widow was soon captivated by the delicious food. Both she and the Ancient One were immensely satisfied with the meal.
It was a flavor that had been sublimated, an experience of ultimate enjoyment.
"It's difficult to describe this feeling. You've elevated the flavor of food to the level of the Dao. Remarkable," the Ancient One praised.
"Delicious!" Black Widow did not have the Ancient One's lofty descriptions. She went straight to a single word.
Soon, however, Black Widow grew a little distressed. After just two meals here, she had fallen in love with Ling Yi's cooking. If she could not have it in the future, that would be far too painful.
But she could hardly just announce that she wanted to stay. That would be far too forward.
Besides, staying temporarily was not her goal. She wanted to move in. At the very least, she needed a reason to come mooch meals regularly.
After breakfast, Ling Yi and the Ancient One saw Black Widow off.
Looking at Ling Yi and Black Widow standing together, the Ancient One nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Natalie, you're welcome to visit again."
Ling Yi stood beside her, speechless. This is my house. I'm the host, okay? Don't you think you're letting the guest usurp the host by saying that?
"If you want some good food, call me ahead of time. I'll always keep your bedroom for you." Ling Yi's words carried something of an implication.
Black Widow, however, was looking forward to officially moving in.
"I will. I slept very comfortably yesterday. It was the best sleep I've had in all these years. If it weren't for work, I'd really love to stay long-term. Could I pay to rent a room?"
Beside them, the Ancient One said, "Why pay? Just become the lady of the house. My little brother is still single, you know."
"Sis, don't you think saying that makes things awkward? I never realized you had the mood-killer attribute." Though Ling Yi said that, he inwardly gave the Ancient One a thumbs-up.
He really had developed feelings for Black Widow, but he knew her past all too well. This woman had experienced too much and endured too much. It would be hard for her to step out of her past, and hard for her to truly let anyone into her heart.
"It's all right. I can tell the Ancient One really cares about you." As she spoke, Black Widow gave Ling Yi and the Ancient One a hug each.
"Thank you so much for your hospitality."
"Have a safe trip."
"My little brother is a wonderful man. Give it some thought."
"I will."
Watching Black Widow's car drive away, Ling Yi could not help shaking his head with a wry smile.
"What, feel like you've gotten carried away?" the Ancient One asked with a smile, her gaze wise as she looked at Ling Yi.
"A little. Originally, I just thought I had nothing to do anyway, so I'd find something to pass the time. But how should I put it? This morning, when I saw him standing upstairs, radiant in the sunshine, my heart inexplicably ached a little."
"Living in darkness, never having had a self of her own, yet still holding fast to the light in her heart. A rare, good child. Do whatever you want to do."
"Let's go check on Strange." Ling Yi did not want to continue the topic. He simply snapped his fingers and took the Ancient One into the alternate-dimensional world...
Meanwhile, after driving several kilometers away, Black Widow called Nick Fury.
"What do you think?" Black Braised Egg asked immediately.
"I think it's highly credible."
"I'll verify things on my end." Nick had something of a headache. The information the Ancient One had revealed was a little too outrageous. Dimensional demon gods, a powerhouse who had lived for a thousand years, a guardian of the dimension, the Sorcerer Supreme...
If such an organization of sorcerers really existed, S.H.I.E.L.D. was probably nothing before an ancient organization like that.
Nick hated this feeling of things slipping out of his control. Whatever Master Ancient One's purpose was, whether good or evil, any power outside his control was dangerous in his eyes.
After hanging up, Black Widow felt irritated. Right now, she hated her own identity. Having always lived in darkness, having never truly lived for herself, she had lost some control after seeing genuine "light."
Black Widow got out of the car and walked into the nearby woods. She lit a women's cigarette and took a deep drag, her gaze somewhat vacant.