Old Zeng was around eighty years old, with silver hair and a face etched with the marks of time, yet he remained spirited and sharp-eyed. Due to difficulty walking, he leaned on a cane.
In the sofa area, there was an armchair cushioned with soft cotton padding—Old Zeng’s exclusive seat.
He Mu obediently helped Old Zeng walk over and sit down. “Grandpa, I’ve been wanting to visit you for a long time, but my studies kept me too busy to get away. Today, I had no choice but to come and ask a favor of you.”
Old Zeng smiled kindly. “Your grandmother mentioned something to me. Whatever you need, just tell Little Zeng.”
As he spoke, Old Zeng instructed Zeng Keyu, “Little Zeng, do you understand?”
Zeng Keyu replied earnestly, “I understand, Grandson.”
When Zhao Meimei called Old Zeng, He Mu was listening nearby. In truth, she hadn’t said much—just a simple inquiry about Old Zeng’s recent well-being, followed by mentioning that He Mu needed to find a few people for a paid trip and hoped Zeng Keyu could participate. That was all.
Old Zeng didn’t ask many questions on the phone and readily agreed to Zhao Meimei’s request. Now that He Mu had come in person, there was no sign of hesitation.
Seizing the opportunity, He Mu immediately took out the contract for Zeng Keyu to sign.
Zeng Keyu took the contract, flipped to the last page where the signature was required, and signed his name in bold, forceful strokes—the handwriting reflecting the man himself.
He Mu pulled up the payment QR code on his phone. “The travel fee is two thousand. Please scan this.”
Without hesitation, Zeng Keyu transferred the two thousand right away.
Everything went smoothly.
He Mu placed the contract into his satchel and handed the Traveler’s Pass to Zeng Keyu. “Brother Zeng, this is your document. Please keep it safe. Tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp, come to the travel agency on the first floor of my house to gather.”
Signing the contract and paying the fee hadn’t elicited much emotional reaction from Zeng Keyu, but when he received the Traveler’s Pass, he was taken aback for a moment.
Zeng Keyu then respectfully handed the Traveler’s Pass to Old Zeng. “Grandpa, take a look.”
Even with his vast experience, Old Zeng felt a flicker of confusion. The name and number on the document could have been printed in advance, but how had they obtained the photo? The clothes in the photo were exactly what Zeng Keyu was wearing today.
Knowing their doubts, He Mu explained, “Grandpa Zeng and Brother Zeng have been straightforward with me, signing and paying without question, so I won’t hide anything from you. The place we’re traveling to this time is rather special—it’s the late Neolithic Age over four thousand years ago. We’ll be visiting the tribe led by the Yellow Emperor for sightseeing. Sounds unbelievable, right? Let me show you a magic trick…”
He Mu raised both hands, showing his palms and the backs of his hands. “See? Nothing there, right? Now watch.”
In an instant, an iron whip materialized in He Mu’s palm.
The grandfather and grandson’s breathing grew heavier. Both were military men with sharp eyes—trickery was nearly impossible in front of them. Yet, at this moment, they couldn’t figure out where He Mu had produced the iron whip from.
He Mu’s hands hadn’t moved at all, remaining within their line of sight the entire time.
“May I hold it?”
Zeng Keyu wanted to test the weight of the iron whip, or perhaps it was just a collapsible toy.
He Mu smiled and handed over the iron whip. “It’s a bit heavy. Be careful.”
Heavy?
During his time in the military, Zeng Keyu was famously known as the Solo Soldier King, capable of handling objects weighing three to four hundred pounds without issue. How heavy could such a slender iron whip possibly be?
Zeng Keyu gripped the handle of the iron whip, a chill seeping into his palm that sent a shiver through him.
Seeing that Zeng Keyu had taken hold of it, He Mu released her grip. However, as soon as she let go, the iron whip plummeted vertically at an astonishing speed, only halting a few centimeters above the ground without actually hitting it.
Zeng Keyu, now holding the whip, had veins bulging on his arms. With one hand gripping the handle and the other supporting the tip, he sank into a deep horse stance, straining with all his might to save face, his face nearly turning red with effort.
How was this possible!
Such a slender object, and he couldn’t even lift it!
“Brother Zeng really knows how to joke.”
As she spoke, He Mu took the iron whip back from Zeng Keyu’s hands and gave it a light swing, feeling somewhat puzzled. It was a bit heavy, sure, but was Zeng Keyu’s reaction a bit too exaggerated?
He Mu quietly checked her system until she saw the labeled weight of the iron whip—six hundred jin!
Watching He Mu effortlessly swing the iron whip with such ease, Zeng Keyu was utterly stunned. If he hadn’t experienced its weight firsthand, he would have thought it was just a toy. But now…
Being struck by this iron whip would mean either death or severe injury, and He Mu, the wielder, was practically inhuman. He had never seen any female soldier lift something weighing several hundred jin so effortlessly.
Even the legendary female soldier—Zhao Meimei, the “Iron Flower”—had a personal best of only three hundred jin!
Could it be that what He Mu said was true?
Old Zeng hadn’t experienced the weight of the iron whip himself, but from Zeng Keyu’s incredulous and absurd expression, he could already sense something unusual. Knowing Zhao Meimei as he did, she never bothered him with trivial matters.
Even during her years of serious illness, she had never once asked him for help. This time, she personally called him to find suitable travelers for her granddaughter—that alone spoke volumes.
He Mu stored the iron whip back into her system shop backpack, and in an instant, it vanished without a trace.
Zeng Keyu was taken aback once more and blurted out, “Where did you put it?”
He Mu replied, “It was getting in the way, so I stored it in the system backpack. For this group, I need five people. With you, we have three travelers now, but we still need two more. Do you have any recommendations?”
Zeng Keyu immediately said, “Yes, I have a few buddies who’ll come as soon as I call.”
He Mu reminded him, “They have to be residents of Jinhu Community to qualify.”
This requirement ruled out quite a few people.
Zeng Keyu looked to Old Zeng, seeking his opinion.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“I’ll get it.”
Zeng Keyu opened the door to find Lu Shiyan, who had changed into another set of clothes.
“Hey, Brother Zeng.”
Lu Shiyan greeted him as he walked in and said to He Mu, “Our homeroom teacher lives here too. Do you want to invite him to join?”
Their homeroom teacher was a tall, thin male physical education teacher. While other PE teachers might use “poor health” as an excuse for other teachers to take over their classes, their homeroom teacher genuinely suffered from poor health. Last month, he was diagnosed with bone cancer, and this month, he had rarely been seen.
He was hospitalized, and their class had organized a visit to see him.
Based on their experience with Time-Space Travel, everyone’s bodies had undergone evolution. If their homeroom teacher joined them, perhaps his illness would heal on its own!
He Mu immediately said, “Alright, let’s go to the hospital to find him.”
Lu Shiyan shook his head. “No need to go to the hospital. The homeroom teacher is in the community. He… gave up on treatment.”
He had returned home to wait for death.
He Mu’s heart ached as he walked toward the door. “Let’s go find our homeroom teacher.”
Old Zeng spoke up then, “He Mu, I’ve also heard about your homeroom teacher. Let Xiao Zeng go with you.”
“And one more thing—I hope you can save this last spot for me. I have a nephew who lives in Jinhu Community as well.”